Nexus 6 out at Sprint Nov.14, AT&T starts pre-orders tomorrow

The Nexus 6 may intermittently be available on the Google Play store, but so far we haven't heard anything related to release time frames from the US carriers that will sell it.

This has changed today, as both AT&T and Sprint have made their plans official. AT&T will start taking pre-orders for the phablet tomorrow, on November 12. It looks like only the "Midnight Blue" color version will be available.

If you're interested, you should know that the price with a two-year contract is going to be $249.99. With no annual commitment, you'll need to shell out $682.99 for the phone if you buy it from AT&T, but you can also go the Next route, paying zero down and then having either 20 monthly installments of $34.15, or 24 monthly payments of $28.46, or 30 monthly installments of $22.77.

While AT&T hasn't told us when the Nexus 6 will actually be in stock, Sprint is boasting that it will have the device available in-store as well as online starting this Friday, November 14.

This carrier has chosen not to tell us how much the Nexus 6 will cost with a two-year contract. The full price, sans contract, will be $696. And if you use Sprint's Easy Pay scheme, you'll shell out nothing upfront, then followed by 24 monthly payments of $29.

Xiaomi releases unofficial AOSP Lollipop build for Mi 2/2S

Xiaomi has released an AOSP build of Android 5.0 Lollipop for the Xiaomi Mi 2/2S. The build lacks all the features of MIUI and is completely stock Android.

The ROM does not have any major issues but there are some bugs, which might hamper everyday usage. Also, being an unofficial ROM, you will have to flash it manually and it won't be pushed as an OTA.

It's unknown whether Xiaomi will release an official Lollipop build with MIUI for this device later but if you want to give this a try then head over to the source link.

AT&T's Samsung Ativ S Neo gets Windows Phone 8.1

Windows Phone 8.1 is slowly but surely making its way to more and more handsets week after week. While Nokia devices are generally quicker to receive such software updates, Samsung's wares sometimes lag behind.

That, however, won't be the case anymore for AT&T's Samsung Ativ S Neo, since this handset is now in the process of getting updated to Windows Phone 8.1.

The new software brings with it Cortana, Microsoft's personal assistant, multiple sizes and color options for live tiles, "shape writing" built into the Word Flow keyboard, as well as the Action Center which combines notifications with quick controls. All of the new bits in Windows Phone 8.1 are detailed in the AT&T "Mobile Minute" video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5EXr5RbSTc

To get the update on your Ativ S Neo, you need to tap the Settings live tile on your home screen, and then tap Phone Update. It's recommended to start the process with the battery being at least 50% full.

LG unveils the Aka - a smartphone that has an eye on you

Sure, Siri can crack a joke, but can it really look at you? Of course it can't, silly, it doesn't have eyes – not like the LG Aka. Supposedly pronounced "aw-kuh", this Android-powered phone has eyes, which peek out from its case, and tries to establish an emotional connection with you.

There are four Akas, which more or less follow the color scheme of Pacman's ghosts and just like them have their own names and personalities. Eggy is yellow and easily falls in love, Wooky is white and is a bit of a bully, YoYo is pink and has difficulties sticking to its diet (so its weight yo-yo's) and Soul comes in Black and is a music lover. There's a backstory about the Akas, which involves an alien invasion.

The phone itself is a mid-ranger with ties to the LG G series. It features a 5" 720p screen, runs Android 4.4 KitKat on a 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 1.5GB RAM, an 8MP camera, 16GB of storage, a microSD card slot, LTE connectivity and a 2,610mAh battery.

The camera has the laser-assisted focus and the volume rocker and power button are placed on the back, which is the G series trademark. There's a 2MP front-facing camera, which can be used to snap selfies with your Aka (in lieu of real friends).

  

LG Aka: meet Eggy, Wooky, Soul and YoYo

The LG Aka's eyes react to you and serve as sort of notifications. They get dizzy when you shake the phone, they look down when you need to take the phone out of the case (i.e. there's a notification) and so on. Eye color changes from red to green to indicate different emotions.

You can buy different color cases, which lets you switch between Aka personalities. There's a point system associated with buying new accessories for your Aka, an interesting (if a bit questionable) monetization strategy from LG.

If you miss your Tamagotchi or Sims family – and live in South Korea – you can grab an LG Aka for KRW 500,000 ($455). It's not clear if it will be launched outside its home country.

Microsoft Lumia 535 goes official with 5” qHD display

http://www.gsmarena.com/microsoft_lumia_535_goes_official_with_5_qhd_display-news-10181.php

The first Windows Phone smartphone to carry the Microsoft name is now a fact. The already leaked, entry-level Microsoft Lumia 535 will being rolling out to key markets this month in single or dual-SIM variants.

Microsoft Lumia 535 features Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset with 1.2GHz quad-core CPU. There’s 1GB of RAM and 8GB of built-in memory, which can be further expanded via a microSD card slot.

The display of the handset is a 5” IPS unit with qHD resolution(960 x 540 pixels), enhanced sunlight readability, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3. A duo of 5MP cameras grace the front and the back of the Lumia 535. Combined with the 5” screen, they give the device a “5x5x5 smartphone package” moniker.

The physical measures of Microsoft Lumia 535 are 140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8mm, while its weight tips the scale at 146 grams. A 1,905mAh battery powers the smartphone

Black Friday Deals UK: how you can pick up mega deals on tech this month

We've added the first black friday retail links to the bottom of this page so you can mentally prepare yourself for the Deal Nirvana ahead!

In the US and Canada, Black Friday needs no introduction: it's a time for big sales, crazy prices and CCTV footage showing shoppers knocking lumps out of each other.

But it's becoming a huge deal in the UK now as well, with some of the biggest retailers like Amazon slashing their prices for one day only.

And the best news? TechRadar will be busy finding all the best deals on phones, headphones, speakers, cameras, games and more, and posting them here so you can find them more easily.

So what is Black Friday - and while we're at it, how is it connected to Cyber Monday?

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is the first Friday after Thanksgiving, and it represents a perfect storm for retailers: many people in the US have the day off, and as a result it's been the busiest shopping day of the year for nearly a decade.

To make things even busier, many retailers now offer some of their best sale bargains on Black Friday. Even Apple joins in.

When is Black Friday?

That depends on when you're reading this. If it's 2014, Black Friday is Friday 28 November. If it's 2015, it's Friday 27 November. And if it's 2013, you've been asleep for a year. The things you've missed!

How did Black Friday get its name?

Take your pick: some say it's the day that retailers' profits finally move into the black, although Wikipedia reckons that the true origin of the term comes from Philadelphia where it referred to the disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic that occurred during the holiday.

Is it really as big a deal as it seems?

Yes it is. Every year there are reports of fisticuffs as bargain-crazed shoppers beat each other up, partly because of the practice of using "doorbusters" - amazing and excruciatingly limited deals to attract as many customers as possible. US-based retailers such as Amazon are now keen to make it a tradition here in the UK.

Is Black Friday connected to Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is the Monday immediately after Black Friday, and it was invented in 2005 in an attempt to create an online equivalent of Black Friday. What this has resulted in now, is an entire 4-day weekend of hot deals both in store and online.

What's TechRadar doing for Black Friday?

No one likes a tech bargain more than TechRadar! And we don't want to keep them all to ourselves.

So we'll be beavering away tirelessly all weekend to constantly bring you the hottest deals as they go live online. You'll need to keep your wits about you though, because many deals only last for an hour or until stocks run out. So you need to be quick off the mark - and we'll be on hand to make it as easy for you as possible.

Tune in to TechRadar on November 28th, 29th, 30th and December 1st to get at the hot deals first!

Where do retailers put their best Black Friday deals?

Don't you know that patience is a virtue?! It's not Black Friday yet, but okay - we've put together a list of retailer's Black Friday pages so that you can take a look now and see what it's all about. We'll be adding more soon, and of course, this page on TechRadar will be the place to be with a curated list of all the best deals!

LG L Prime

Also known as LG L Prime D337
For Brazil

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
	3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 2100
	SIM	Dual SIM (dual stand-by)
	Announced	2014, November
	Status	Available. Released 2014, November

BODY	Dimensions	138.2 x 70.6 x 10.7 mm (5.44 x 2.78 x 0.42 in)
	Weight	-

DISPLAY	Type	IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	480 x 854 pixels, 5.0 inches (~196 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Card slot	microSD, up to 32 GB
	Internal	8 GB, 1 GB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	HSDPA, HSUPA
	WLAN	Yes
	Bluetooth	v4.0, A2DP
	USB	microUSB v2.0

CAMERA	Primary	8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, LED flash
	Features	Geo-tagging
	Video	720p
	Secondary	1.3 MP

FEATURES	OS	Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat)
	CPU	Quad-core 1.3 GHz
	Sensors	Accelerometer, proximity
	Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM
	Browser	HTML5
	Radio	FM radio
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	White, Titanium, Gold
		- Digital TV - MP4/H.264 player - MP3/WAV/FLAC/eAAC+ player - Photo editor - Document viewer - Voice memo/dial/commands

BATTERY		Li-Ion 2460 mAh battery