5 Android apps that will dramatically improve your phone’s battery life

Newer Android smartphones like Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and the HTC One (M8) ship with fantastic new software features designed to combat the biggest problem in the smartphone space: battery life. For most handset owners though, there is no such feature. Battery technology simply isn’t advancing quickly enough to accommodate developments in other areas, such as higher-resolution displays. As a result, we’re forced to be more aware of the remaining charge on our phones at all times, and we also have to take certain steps to preserve battery life as much as we can.

Luckily for Android users, there’s an app for that.

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Android 4.4.2 KitKat Test Firmware leaked for Galaxy Note 10.1 GT-N8000

The Android 4.4.2 KitKat test firmware for the 3G + Wi-Fi version of Samsung's original Galaxy Note 10.1 with model number GT-N8000 has been leaked online, indicating that the official update is nearing.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 was launched in 2012 with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich software and later upgraded to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

Following the release of Android 4.1.2, Google rolled out two major Android updates- Android 4.2.2 and Android 4.3. However, the Galaxy Note 10.1 never received those Jelly Bean upgrades.

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Lenovo Yoga 10 HD+ Android tablet promises 18 hours of battery life

Lenovo's Yoga series of mobile devices pushes the envelope ever-so-slightly (see here and here, for instance) in a world of cookie-cutter units, with its latest tablet serving as a great example of the approach.

The Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ could just be another Android slate, especially if you look at many of its specs: Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor, 32GB of built-in storage, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (with update to KitKat "soon"), etc. But it does offer a couple of differences that make it stand out from the pack.

One is its display. As its name suggests, the new Yoga has a full HD 10.1-inch screen, with resolution of 1,920x1,080. But in a world where the Google Nexus 10 sports a 2,560x1,600 display of the same size for only slightly more money, that's not exceptional in itself, even if it's superior to the run-of-the-mill 1,280x800 screens (like the one the non-HD version of the Yoga 10 possesses).

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Verizon now rolling KitKat out to the Galaxy S 4

Verizon is slow with updates; this isn’t news to anyone. And so it should come as no surprise that while every Samsung Galaxy S 4 owner has been enjoying Android 4.4.2 for months, Verizon customers haven’t been so lucky. That’s changing today, though, because Verizon has finally decided to roll KitKat out to Galaxy S4 owners.

This Android 4.4.2 update is similar to the ones that hit all the other US Galaxy S 4 devices, bringing notable changes like a white status bar, minor aesthetic changes and an extra serving of smoothness (as long as Verizon didn’t mess with it too much). This update won’t magically transform your Galaxy S 4 into a Galaxy S5, but it does make the user interface look cleaner and more modern with a new KitKat look and feel.

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Android 4.4.3 update for Nexus 5 leaked in screenshots showing new dialer app design

The Android 4.4.3 update for the Nexus 5 was released on Sprint briefly being quickly pulled, leaving users frustrated.

However, new screenshots show that the update is indeed on its way.

Brand new leaked screenshots of the upcoming Android 4.4.3 update were revealed by a Googler on the XDA Developers forum, which shows a redesigned dialer app.

Android Police reports that the leaked screenshots were taken from a Nexus 5 running on the latest Android 4.4.3 firmware.

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Android 4.4 KitKat Update: Verizon Galaxy S4 Receives New OS

Verizon Galaxy S4 owners don’t have to wait until May 2 to get Android 4.4 KitKat as the operating system is now rolling out onto handsets.

Owners have shared screenshots of their "about device" settings, showing that the Verizon Galaxy S4 SCH-I545 model has updated to Android 4.4. Since Verizon has not yet announced an update itself nor provided official support documents, it is not yet known if the I545VRUFNC5 build software is available over the air, but users should be able to prompt the Android 4.4 update manually by accessing Settings > General > About device > Software update on their Verizon Galaxy S4 handset.

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Microsoft completes the Nokia acquisition–and now is selling Android phones

Microsoft has been a hardware company for a long time. With the release of the first Microsoft Mouse in 1983, the company that began with a version of BASIC written for what’s considered the first personal computer has had a successful side business selling hardware.

But now, Microsoft is no longer a dabbler. Early this morning, the company closed on its approximately $7.5 billion acquisition of Nokia’s hardware operations. Although Nokia is not the monster it once was – particularly in the smartphone arena – it remains the No. 2 seller of mobile phones in the world, behind Samsung. But the vast majority of those are not smartphones.

As Tom Warren at The Vergepoints out, Nokia sold 251 million mobile phones last year, only a small portion of which were running Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system.

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