MasHD Blog

Google's mighty work horse smartphone - the Nexus 5 has finally reached its end . The phone , which was probably the most well received and the most popular nexus device to date was originally introduced in late 2013 and now after nearly (2 years) , Google has pulled the sales plug . The phone , which showcased Android 4.4.4 KitKat had some beastly specs for its time , the device had a 1080p display , a 8mp rear camera with optical image stabilization and a then flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Soc and 2 GB of RAM , the starting price of the device - $349 made it a hit among tech lovers and casual users alike , this , combined with the Nexus 6's expensive price , made the Nexus 5 a affordable alternative to enter the Nexus family , and therefore it was kept on sale until today . Although Google dropped the Nexus 5 off its website , the device will still receive Android updates for another year or two , and with a large developer community , the phone will probably keep r...

GTA V has been delayed once again (to the 14th of April). the game was originally set to arrive on the 24th of March ,(and January 27th before that) but according to Rockstar games ,the game still needs a bit more polishing before launch . And as a token of apology to the "PC Master race " , Rockstar games "will grant anyone who has pre-ordered the game an additional $200,000 in-game cash for use in GTA Online." According to Rockstar , the game " features a host of PC-specific enhancements including greater levels of detail, deep configuration options and ultra-high-definition support – as well as the powerful new Rockstar Editor for recording, staging and editing original custom videos." , the game will also feature a advanced online multiplayer element in GTA Online called Heists . " Heists will bring a brand new 4-player cooperative gameplay experience to GTA Online, giving players the chance to team up to pull off a string of intense, mul...

The Nexus 5 has always been one of the most successful Nexii devices to date , the phone, unveiled in the last quarter of 2013 had a low price , good innards and a decent camera that made it a instant hit among budget conscious buyers and developers alike ,but even after getting replaced by the Nexus 6 , the LG made phone was still quite popular as the Motorola Nexus 6 was priced well above the usually expected Nexus Price range. Demand for the Nexus 5 increased and the phone quickly went out of stock , but now we have some good news  - Nexus 5 is back in stock for the usual $349 and $399 price , the models still come with 16 or 32GB versions  , LG who based the Nexus 5 on the LG G2 previously made white and red versions of the Nexus 5 , and from what we heard , those two color options are no more ,so if you want a Nexus 5 expect it to be available only in the charcoal black variant. Written By Rakitha for MasHD Source - Techtimes

The Motorola Moto G is probably one of the most successful Motorola phones to date , the Snapdragon 400 chip , along with a 720p display made it a instant hit so Motorola launched its successor under the same name last year . The 2014 model and the 2013 one shipped with Android 4.x versions out of the box but since the end of last year  they too jumped onto the Android 5.0 bandwagon, although regional changes delayed the update , Motorola is happy to announce that U.S and Indian Moto G's are ready for the Lollipop treat . If you own a 2014 Moto G in the U.S or India (or a 2013 model) go into settings and click the about phone tab to check for system updates if you didn't receive a notification regarding the update on your notification tray. #Lollipop is rolling out in phases to #MotoG (2nd Gen) in US & #MotoG (1st & 2nd Gen) in India. Look for the notification on your device! — Motorola Mobility (@Motorola) January 23, 2015 Written by Rakitha for MasHD ...

The HTC One M7 - a top flagship phone from 2013 is now available off contract (Carrier unlocked) for $199 . the phone , launched way back in 2013 was HTC's first One series phone to come with a ultra pixel camera , front firing speakers and a aluminium unibody with the battery placed in the middle of the chassis assembly , although the phone didn't reach the popularity of its peers , the phone is still considered a stylish and a capable daily runner as the Snapdragon 600 processor  , 2GB of ram and the boomsound speakers are still quite capable .The Phone , which is said to be ex-stock is still available only for customers on U.S carriers Sprint ,Verizon or AT&;T and if you are a customer you can pick up the Blue or the silver version by clicking the best-buy link below Written by Rakitha for MasHD . Source - Bestbuy Reddit

Customer satisfaction is a important part in a maintaining a brand. Apple for a long time held the top title but this year (2014) the tables have turned as Samsung takes over Apple's position with 81% customer satisfaction which ironically is the same percentage Apple received in 2013 . Currently Apple holds its current satisfaction rating at 79% which is a 2.5 percent drop from last year ,both companies are almost neck and neck when it comes to rivalry but Apple currently holds top spot in U.S market sales thanks to new devices like the Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus .Other major manufacturers include Nokia (77%)  ,HTC (75%) ,Blackberry (74%) and LG with (73%). Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - Neowin

When it was launched , the 2013 Nexus 7 was one of the must - have Android tablets of its era , although it is now succeeded by the Nexus 9 , the Nexus 7 is still a capable and a portable and now a much affordable option thanks to its limited time offer price cut . The 2013 Nexus 7 (Wifi Only 16GB) is going down for $139 on Yugster . And if you are wondering why the tablet is going so cheap , well the tablets sold are said to be ASUS Refurbished products , these products were previous returns or factory items that didn't pass QC and they were  serviced to brand new condition and repackaged and sold for much cheaper (kind of like Apple's Refurb iPads) The offer is only valid for another half a day so make sure to get one before the time runs out Click here to visit Yugster

After the announcement of Nvidia's Tegra K1 , aka Logan at CES in January , the chip company didn't reveal any further details about their next mobile cpu. Along with the announcement of the Pascal GPU architecture ,Nvidia announced details about the next generation Tegra mobile processor codenamed Tegra Erista .If you are into comics , Erista is the Son of Logan , And Logan in Nvidia's case is the codename for Nvidia Tegra K1 ,The K1 was the first Tegra chip to feature the 192 Kepler GPU cores and was designed using the 64Bit ARMV8 architecture .Erista on the other hand also uses the ARMV8 64Bit design , but the Erista uses Nvidia's Maxwell GPU , the Maxwell GPU cores were announced in 2013 , but now it seems the GPU technology has shifted to mobile use . The Tegra Erista will support DirectX 12 and will also support Unreal Engine 4 for mobile . The chipset is due for launch in 2015 (hopefully at CES next January),The Tegra K1 is scheduled for launch in Q2 of this...

With the highly anticipated HTC One (M8) is only a few hours away from its official launch ,the older flagships of the last year look on as they slowly disappear from the front pages . But as HTC promised , the phones that came out in 2013 will be supported for 2 years worth of updates , and according to a latest leak , the HTC One M7, One max , One Mini and the Butterfly S will recieve the Android 4.4.2 +Sense 6 update during June and July of this year . Sadly due to lack of support from the chip provider Nvidia , updates for the 2012 flagship phones - the HTC One X and the X+ has been canceled ,and this will surely leave a few remaining One X owners(including myself) feeling a little down ,but fear not because you can always install a 3rd party rom after a good rooting process . Source - DroidLife ,

Sony Mobile has never officially confirmed that the Xperia SP is on the list to receive the future Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade. The only devices that will definitely get the update according to Sony are the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1 (we would imagine the Z1 Compact would also make the list). However, Sony’s product pages for the Xperia SP did hint that Android KitKat is likely as far back as November 2013, with the version overview pointing to KitKat being a “future version”. This status has remained the same, until just now, when the product page has been changed to “Under Investigation”. Given the delayed launch of Android 4.3 for Xperia SP owners, it was initially meant to launch by the end of 2013, maybe Sony has decided not to bother with KitKat. Or maybe, it still is on the agenda, but Sony doesn’t want to get people’s hopes up. Maybe it appeared on the “future version” as a mistake. At some point, Sony will clarify the upgrade cycle ...

GTA San Andreas "2004 called, it want's its game back" this was my first reaction when i downloaded and opened the brand new GTA San Andreas app for iOS (coming soon to WindowsPhone /Android) for the first tim.The game is the third GTA game for mobile devices after GTA 3 and the all time favourite GTA Vice City.The $6.99 game will hopefully bring back some old memories to veteran GTA players who will find the plot to be very familiar , but sadly the stock thumb controls and the poor explosions -a la poor graphics makes the game look a little dull, To be honest , i also found the game a bit too large for a mobile device ,but that is mainly due to the complexity of the maps and the details in the game but still, the 1.7GB game will need atleast 3.5GB+ of free space to download without getting a failed to download error ,but hey ,you can still brag about playing a former console/PC game on your mobile device now and that alone is enough for most gadget addicts ...

HP iPaQ of  yesteryear HP is reportedly working on some new smartphones for the end of this year, though they might not be the phones we’d hope for. According to The Information HP is working on some low-end Android phones for emerging markets like China, India, and the Philippines by the end of this year. The phones will probably be 6-inch and 7-inch devices that will cost about $200 to $250 without a contract. At those prices in those markets, the new HP phones would be strictly low-end, though it’s hard to imagine them being as great as the low-end Moto G. Rumors about HP making smartphones aren’t exactly new. Neither is the idea of the company making Android devices. HP released the Slate 7 Android tablet earlier this year, which is also a relatively cheap device. More Android tablets are on the way, though HP has never publicly made any announcement about smartphones, only talking about them as “long term” prospects. The current rumors don’t give HP much time to anno...

After initial units sold out quickly in Finland, the Jolla online store is now live and the smartphone is in stock for devices across EU countries, Norway, and Switzerland. You can order yours for €399 plus €15 shipping expenses. The Jolla smartphone is expected to launch in even more regions next year. Hopefully, after its decent start, Jolla will succeed in making an impact on the market otherwise dominated by iOS and Android. In case you need a refresh, Jolla was founded by ex-Nokia employees unhappy with Nokia shifting focus to Windows Phone a few years ago. The Sailfish OS is based on MeeGo and is compatible with lots of Android apps through the pre-installed Yandex store. HERE Maps is also available by default. GSMArena

Samsung has a tradition of releasing special versions of some of its devices with floral patterns, the so called La Fleur editions. The latest edition to the line is the Galaxy S4 mini La Fleur, which follows in the footsteps of the S III mini from January this year. This version of the phone is based on the Red Aurora color but features a big floral pattern on its back and a smaller one on the front, above the camera. Other than that, the specs are the same – 4.3" qHD Super AMOLED screen, Snapdragon 400 chipset, 8MP/1080p camera and a 1,900mAh battery. The phone will be available in January next year at a €417 price point. The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini La Fleur was shown in Germany, but besides that there's no info on which countries will get it. If you're looking for a Valentine's day gift, there's a pink Galaxy S4 mini too. GSMArena

Grab your latest free PDF copy of the Fonepress magazine right now , the latest issue features a recap of all gadgets in 2013 , a best device list and a game review of the new GTA San Andreas for iOS , Android and WindowsPhone . Click here to read online or download We are also issuing a pilot copy of our new Geography/ history magazine called "Natures Fury" this magazine features historical records of past natural disasters and general history , if you are interested Click here to download the PDF now

“2004 called , it want’s its game back ” this was my first reaction when i downloaded and opened the brand new GTA San Andreas app for iOS (coming soon to Android and Windows Phone) for the first time , The game is the third GTA game for mobile devices after GTA 3 and the all time favourite GTA Vice City .The $6.99 game will hopefully bring back some old memories to veteran GTA players who might find the plot very familiar ,but sadly the stock thumb controls and the cheap explosions makes the game look a little dull ,To be honest i also found the game a bit too large for a mobile device but that is mainly due to the complexity of the maps and details in the game but still , the 1.7GB game will need atleast more than 2.5GB+ of free space to download without getting a failed to download error , but hey , you can still brag about playing a former console/PC game on your mobile device now and that alone is enough for most gadget addicts Plot ,Gameplay and Controls If you played...

In the tradition of offering less powerful, and hopefully less expensive, versions of a hit product, ASUS has unveiled the ASUS PadFone Mini in Taiwan. So far, all the rumored specs have panned out, making this unique device somewhat of a disappointment but, at the same time, probably a more affordable alternative to those who want such a hybrid device. The smartphone itself clocks a bit larger than previous speculated specs, with a 4.3-inch diagonal span. The resolution, however, was on the mark at 960×540 pixels. The phone runs on a 1.4 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 CPU, with 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. Buyers will also be given 5 GB worth of ASUS WebStorage and can also opt to expand capacity with a microSD card. The smartphone has an 8 megapixel rear camera with an LED flash and f/2.0 aperture, while the front sports a 2 megapixel camera. The tablet dock measures 7 inches and has a screen resolution of 1280×800. It also sports its own 2200 mAh battery. To...

The Christmas Holiday season is closing in and you know what this means – sales. EA is no exception and the company has decided to slash the prices of some of its most popular games for Windows Phone. Some of the games that the game studio has included in the promotion include Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, SPY Mouse and the SIMS Medieval. Check out the full list below. NFS: Hot Pursuit – down from $4.99 to $2.99 Storm in a Teacup – down to $0.99 from $2.99 Contre Jour – down from $2.99 to $0.99 Vampire Rush – down from $2.99 to $0.99 FC Rocket – down from $2.99 to $0.99 SPY mouse – down from $2.99 to $0.99 The Sims Medieval – down from $4.99 to $2.99 While this is definitely appreciated, we wouldn’t mind seeing EA put Plants vs Zombies as well as Monopoly on sale. Nevertheless, the games above are quite great deals, too, so make sure to catch them while they’re active, as there’s no information on how long the promo is going to last. With Christmas fast approaching let’s ...

In yet another disclosure from Edward Snowden's pile of leaked NSA documents, The Washington Post has revealed that the US surveillance agency may be using Google's advertising cookies to track and "pinpoint" targets for government hacking and location-tracking. According to Snowden's leaked presentation slides, both the NSA and the British equivalent, the GCHQ, are using a Google-specific ad cookie (know as "PREF") as a way of honing in on specific surveillance targets. While Google's cookie doesn't contain personal information like a name or email address, it does contain numeric codes that uniquely identify a user's browser. That identifier reportedly helps the NSA and the GCHQ single out a specific machine and send out its software to hack Into the user's computer. Google's PREF cookie reportedly gets loaded onto a computer when they use Google's products, like Search or Maps — it can also be loaded through sites that host...

Nokia has been building its own Android phone according to multiple sources familiar with the company’s plans. Codenamed Normandy, and known internally at Nokia under a number of other names, the handset is designed as the next step in low-end phones from the Finnish smartphone maker. We understand that Nokia has been testing “Normandy” with a special “forked” variant of Android that’s not aligned with Google’s own version, akin to what Amazon does with its Kindle Fire line. An image of the handset was published in November by @evleaks, showing a Lumia-style device with no apparent capacitive buttons for navigation. We’re told that Normandy supports Android applications like Skype, and other popular top apps. Nokia has been developing the Android-powered phone despite Microsoft’s plans to acquire the company’s handset business. It’s now unclear whether Nokia will release the handset before the Microsoft deal is finalized, or whether Microsoft will continue with the plans for the devi...