The Android Wear software is from Google and it’s the new Android-based mobile operating system for wearable technology.  It was first announced back in March and will be arriving on the LG G Watch and the Moto 360 from Motorola later this year.  While other information has not been available from the company up to now, LG took to the video world with a 53 second promotional movie to show you what they have to offer.  Other than the Android Wear and a few images showing the overall design, the rest of the device is in the dark.

The overall design is nice compared to others that consumers have  seen so far.  The LG G Watch is showcased as one with an all metal design, excellent battery life and a timeless look.  The video goes into the compatibility of the LG G Watch with the Android Wear software.  The Google I/O conference is coming up soon and that watch is expected to be launched by the end of July, according to a few reports.  If that is the case, more details about the device should be made available before then.  LG claims that the G Watch is going to “define” wearable technology in the mobile market.

In the video the company uses phrases like “sleek and lightweight for all-day comfort” and “ready for anything, anytime with a single charge”.  The company is very confident that the battery life is not going to be a daily issue, as well as the overall design looking more like a fancy watch rather than a piece of bulky technology hanging off your wrist.  LG is expected to be releasing more teasers over the next few weeks so keep your eyes open if you are interested in picking one up.

LG G Watch spotted in new video is a post from: Mobile Bloom News

Flash drives for smartphones have been on the rise over the last few months and now there is one that has been developed that will plug into the Lightening Connector on your brand new iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.  The new device is called the iStick and comes with a retractable USB plug on the one end and the Lightening Connector on the other.  The short flash drive easily fits into your pocket and can be taken anywhere and used in any iOS device with the Lightening Connector.

One feature of the new iStick that will prevent you from connecting your phone to the computer is the fact that both ends of the device cannot be sticking out of the drive at the same time.  If the Lightening Connector is out, the USB portion cannot be and vice versa.  That should not be any big deal, at least you will have extra storage options that are removable for your iOS device.  Other than that, it will work like any other USB flash drive does when you want to transfer files from your computer to your iOS device.

The iStick comes with 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB options.  That might just be enough of an bonus to keep the extra $100 in your pocket instead of buying the next highest storage option of the device.  That bad thing is, if you decide to go with the iStick you are not going to be saving all that much.  According to the sources posting online, if you want the 128GB option, you are going to be paying up to $299 for it.  The smallest, 8GB option, will only cost you $79, so you will save just $30 if you do not upgrade to the 16GB iPhone.

Flash drive for iPhone hits the market is a post from: Mobile Bloom News

This week, Xbox 360 users got some good news that has those with a Playstation saying that “it’s about time.”  For years, those that have a Playstation 3 console were able to stream the Netflix and Hulu Plus subscriptions without having to pay any fees to Sony.  The customers still had to pay the subscription fees, but at least you could stream for free through the console.  According to sources, this year will be the last time that Xbox 360 users will have to pay for Xbox Live in order to stream through the device.

A few online sources have been reporting that an official inside of Microsoft has leaked the information about the dropping of the yearly membership fees.  The Xbox Live Gold membership fees would be dropped for those that have the Xbox One as well.  This does not mean that Microsoft will not be using the Xbox Live Gold membership for other apps, but at least the yearly fee will be dropped and you can still get some TV and movies right to your console.

The details are not that in depth right now, especially since the reports are online before Microsoft has officially said anything about the fees.  Microsoft was one of the first consoles to bring the option to stream content right into your living room.  Just about every single console that has come out since the Xbox 360 has the ability to do the same.  Other third party companies have also developed TV setup boxes that allow for the same thing.  Microsoft was the only one that charged a fee for have the access to the streaming through its console.

Netflix and Hulu Plus coming to Xbox without a Live subscription is a post from: Mobile Bloom News

There is no doubt that if and when Apple makes the new iWatch, it will sell and be a very popular piece of technology, but it will all come down to whether the production can start soon to meet the launch deadline that has been reported.  The technology that Apple is reportedly working with includes system-in-package, or SIP and that involves taking the Wi-Fi components and fingerprint recognition modules and making them small enough to fit in a wearable gadget.  According to news from China companies there have won contracts to produce the components needed to create the iWatch.

When it comes to system-in-package technology, basically it is the process of taking more than one chip and putting them into one package.  This is similar to the system-on-chip that smartphone makers use to save space, but with the SIP format, each component can be made from different semiconductor technologies making them even more versatile.  The versatility allows for “embedded passives” like RF components, which is not possible with SOC technology right now.  Being able to place components close together in a small space, allows for Apple to reduce the size of the hardware and allows for an overall lighter design.

All of the reports are matching up with the rumors that Apple is working on the iWatch and that production will start soon enough to get the device on the market by the end of this year.  If the iWatch brings such technology to the market, consumers could see a “massive adoption of SIP packaging technology to make the gadget slimmer and lighter.”  This type of technology could be used within smartphones and tablets as well to help reduce weight and make more room for things like battery or camera senors.

iWatch in the news again regarding space saving technology is a post from: Mobile Bloom News

LG went through its official Facebook page to reveal that it would be releasing a champagne gold colored watch along with the black model that we have all seen already.  The gold colored model will come with an all black face, like the black model, but it will have the gold color around the face, or on the body of the watch.  In the image that LG showed on its Facebook page, the gold colored watch that is in the works has a white band.  There was little information other than the new color posted on the page.

LG has reported that the new smartwatch would be coming to the market during the second quarter of 2014.  The plans for release start in the United Kingdom and there they can expect to see it available sometime in July of this year.  Typically, the release date for the United States would be coming shortly after that, but nothing was confirmed at this time by LG.  Other than the colors that consumers are seeing in photos posted by LG and others, there is little information about the overall specs of the device.

The smartwatch market is slowly getting crowded with more companies jumping after Samsung released the Gear in a couple of different models.  Essentially, a smartwatch is a device that communicates with your smartphone.  It allows to you make calls, send and receive texts, emails and other notifications and they are quite stylish.  The smaller touch screen displays are coming with HD resolutions, but at the same time they are chewing through battery life no other.  After a few models start to get sold and the popularity picks up it would be expected that the specs would get a power and efficiency boost as well.

LG G Watch shows up in a new color is a post from: Mobile Bloom News

According to Facebook, the company plans to keep the Moves app completely separate from the Facebook operations.  Saying that, you can expect that Facebook stays the same and does not include any sort of health tracker app for the Facebook family.  Facebook has also purchased Instagram and WhatsApp in the past and the company has kept them separate as well.  That odds are pretty good that Facebook paid a pretty penny for the mobile app company and even though it was not revealed how much they paid, it is not likely more than the $19 billion they paid for WhatsApp.

Health and fitness applications and devices have been picking up slightly over the last few months, so it does not surprise anyone that Facebook has taken a liking to the mobile health app business.  The Moves app is a very nice and easy to use application for tracking your walking, running and how many calories you may have burned like many of the other health and fitness apps on the market.  Facebook did not mention an exact reason as to why they needed to by the mobile apps company, but the popularity of the fitness trackers and apps might have had something to do with it.

Being able to share how long you walked via social networks is a great way to get support for your new, healthy lifestyle.  Samsung has also decided that health and fitness has been one of the most popular categories on the market and released the new S Health app.  The new Galaxy S5 reportedly comes with a heart rate monitor built right into it and the new S Health application looks to take the data and display it in a useful manner for users.

Facebook buys a company in the health and fitness category is a post from: Mobile Bloom News

LG is reportedly going to be bringing the LG G Watch to the market with hopes of taking on the newly announced Moto 360 from Motorola.  With most of the high end smartphones taking up the mobile news lately, the smartwatches have been almost silently released over the last few months.  The Moto 360 is the latest model to hit the market and now LG wants to bring the G Watch as well.  Google announced a new operating system in the Android Wear software and now the smartwatches have something to build on.

This week, the LG G Watch has been leaked online and the information includes an possible release date, as well as an actual price you can be expected to pay.  According to one online source, the LG G Watch is going to be “coming this summer” and it will have a price tag that reads just $299.  The same source claims the pricing is from LG and were also able to get some photos to post online showcasing the actual product.  One image shows the new LG G Watch next to the Samsung Galaxy Gear, which was released back in February.

The LG G Watch looks a little larger than the Galaxy Gear at first glance and it also looks a little less boxy by design.  Google is hoping to talk more about its new Android wear software in June at the I/O Conference at the end of that month.  LG is not going to be the last company to bring a smartwatch to the market as more companies are trying to find ways to get gadgets like this to consumers that they can pair up with smartphones and other mobile devices.

LG looking to take on Moto 360 this summer with smartwatch is a post from: Mobile Bloom News

The 4G LTE network that is offered by US Cellular is reportedly going to be getting a huge boost this year.  According to the company, it plans to expand the service into 1,200 more cell sites throughout 13 states that already have some form of LTE coverage.  US Cellular claims that the roll out will add “vast” LTE coverage to states like Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and North Carolina.  Services that are existing will be expanded in areas like Iowa, Illinois, Maine, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.  Areas that will be getting coverage for the first time include Door County, Wisconsin, Oklahoma City and Emporia, Kansas.

Even though US Cellular is only the fifth largest mobile carrier in the country, it will have covered more than 93 percent of its customer base by the end of 2014.  US Cellular has been working hard to move its 4G LTE coverage to the next level and it has been adding cities every since it launched back in the beginning of 2012.  Companies like AT&T and Verizon Wireless, which have the largest 4G LTE networks and the most subscribers are done with the LTE rollout they started and have been looking to add LTE-Advanced for customers.

US Cellular will also be one of the mobile carriers that is planning to launch the Samsung Galaxy S5 this week, so addition 4G LTE service is not going to go to waste should you sign up for the new, already popular smartphone.  Other top of the line smartphones that will be taking advantage of the 4G LTE service include the HTC One, HTC One Max, LG G2, new LG G3 when it launches and even the new iPhone 6 when it arrives on the market.

US Cellular ready to move 4G LTE a little further in 2014 is a post from: Mobile Bloom News

With that being said, there is plenty of information wanted by consumers and experts alike in the mobile world just to be able to make an assumption that the company knows what they are about to get into.  The Comcast service would use Wi-Fi connections when within reaches of a hotspot, but switch to cellular signals when out of reach of that hotspot.  Comcast is looking to lease cellular services from an existing carrier much like companies like StraightTalk, Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile do today.

The source also claims that Comcast was part of a deal with SpectrumCo, which is a group of cable providers that sold AWS spectrum to Verizon back in 2011.  Part of that deal included that fact that the group was able to sell the spectrum to Verizon on a wholesale basis and that works out perfectly for the reported Wi-Fi/cellular plans that Comcast reportedly has in mind.  Hybrid calling might seem like a new idea to some, but really Republic Wireless has been doing that for more than one year and consumers are flocking to the network now that they are offering better smartphones.

Hybrid calling is a service that uses Wi-Fi connections to place calls and texts rather than a cellular network, but once the users is out of Wi-Fi range, the phone automatically switches to cellular from Sprint to handle the load.  The company requires that you are connected to Wi-Fi 70 percent of the time, which is not hard for most users and especially since there is Wi-Fi everywhere.  Comcast would be working on a similar service and it would be bundled real nice with the other services that it offers.

Comcast could bring its own wireless service to market is a post from: Mobile Bloom News

The Cover app will stay in the Google Play Store for now according to the post.  If something changes, the people at Cover said they will announce them rather than quietly pulling the application from the Google Play Store.  The current version of the Cover app is 0.1.11 and it was recently updated last week. Cover wants to learn the habits of each user, recognize what is going on with their smartphone and offer applications that might be useful based on what the user is currently doing.

Twitter is nothing like Cover, so the curiosity is going to be brewing for those in the mobile world and experts that following major purchases like this one.  Twitter is expected to announce the deal soon and maybe that is when more information will be given about the plans the company has for the app.  Sometimes app companies are purchased and they just disappear and that would be bad for those that are using it, but on the other hand, with the right amount of guidance something even better can be constructed in its place.

According to the Cover blog, the company was started one year ago and for just two reasons.  The first being the “untapped potential of supercomputers (smartphones) and the amazing power of Android”.  The lockscreen replacement offers the right apps at the right time to users without them having to unlock their phones to gain that access.  Twitter and Cover alike feel that the smartphone can work better and be even smarter than people can imagine.  There are many that used the Cover app that are excited about Twitter taking over, so that is a good thing.  It will be a matter of time to see what the huge social media company has in mind for the app.

Twitter buys a company that makes your lockscreen better is a post from: Mobile Bloom News