Sony Xperia Z3 Takes and Passes the Coca Cola and Nutella Tests, but Why Would Anyone Do That?

So, it looks like this year will be known as the year of weird smartphone tests. After #Bendgate, #Gapgate and a few more others, it looks like we have another set of tests that doesn’t imply the “gates” word.

If you thought that bending a smartphone to find out how solid it is just for the kicks is a bit out of the ordinary, then you will probably laugh very hard when you find out that someone thought it would be wise to make a Coca Cola test. Yep, you hear that right. YouTuber adriansen felt there was a need for Sony fans to find out how much the Xperia Z3 could endure before collapsing. Given the fact that Sony Xperia Z3 is IP68 certified and can withstand being submerged in over 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes, one would think that our YouTuber would actually test this feat and see if what the Japanese company claims is true. But no, the test that we’re writing about involves Coca Coal and Nutella. Although he specifically says that we shouldn’t try this at home, he basically washes the Xperia Z3 in Coca Cola for a few minutes.

Upon wiping it out, Sony’s latest flagship smartphone does not seem to have any issue and it looks to be working fine. However, the buttons might start being harder to press after the sugar in the Coca Cola starts strengthening. This can be easily solved by washing the smartphone, once again, but this time in fresh water.

Sony Xperia Z3 endures some of the weirdest ruggedness tests

Well, if that wasn’t enough, adriansen though it would wise, and without question a smart thing to do, to bathe his Xperia Z3 in Nutella. After being covered in Nutella and then cleaned up with towel paper, the smartphone did not seem to have any major issues except for the sound which suddenly became a bit laggy. However, the sound problem disappeared a few moments after the smartphone was cleaned, which means whatever the issue was, it fixed itself. We can’t help but wonder why anyone would do these kinds of tests. Who does it really help to know that his/her Xperia Z3 will continue to work if dropped in Coca Cola or bathed in Nutella? Now that we’ve eliminated Coca Cola and Nutella from the list of potential tests for smartphones, it will be interesting to see what’s next. What other liquid do you think would be worth spilling on the Sony Xperia Z3 to see how rugged the smartphone really is?

Sony Xperia Z3 taking the Coca Cola test
Image cedits to andrianisen

Videos credits to andrianisen

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Android L Gets Demoed on Motorola Moto G [Video]

Unveiled back in November 2013, Motorola Moto G was launched on the market during the same month and soon became one of the best-selling Motorola smartphones.

Motorola sold millions of Moto G units since its launch, which is why it decided to continue to launch sequels of the smartphone this year. Although the device was launched with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box, the Moto G was quickly upgraded to Android 4.4.4 KitKat over the next several months. In fact, the Moto G was one of the first smartphones to receive the KitKat update after Google officially introduced the new operating system last year. There’s a high chance that Motorola will continue to offer major OS updates to Moto G devices in the months to come as well, but Android L might be the last one that the devices will receive if Google does not revise its updating policy.

According to Google, devices older than 18 months will not receive any major OS updates, so owners will have to upgrade to a new device almost once every two years if they want to keep up with Android versions. Anyway, Moto G owners should not be afraid that their phones won’t receive the Android L update, as the smartphone is not even 1 year old. But there is more proof that Motorola plans to upgrade the Moto G to Android L as soon as Google makes the new version of the OS official.

Android L will be officially released on the market sometime this month

GSMArena reports that Moto G has just been caught on video running an Android L build. The 6-minute video has been recorded by a developer who got access to a version of Android L before the OS got released on the market. The video shows the biggest change included in Android L, the Material Design, which is the new UI design language that Google has decided to bring into its new OS. Lots of the features that we already know and love at Android will be improved esthetically, as well as performance-wise. The notifications area has been changed, along with the lockscreen and the animations between different tasks.

Android L is a completely different vision, which is why Google had to launch a preview version back in the summer, so that developers can get acquainted with the new look of the OS and make their apps and games compatible. The new version of Android is expected to be officially unveiled sometime this month, along with Google new Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 9 tablet.

Motorola Moto G running Android L
Image credits to MotoGDevelopmentMexico

Video credits to MotoGDevelopmentMexico

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Lenovo Sisley Is an iPhone 6 Copycat

Chinese handset maker Lenovo is one of the most prolific brands in Asia with millions of smartphones sold every year. But smartphones are not the only business Lenovo has, as the company is also one of the major players in the tablet and laptop markets.

Lenovo’s success in the smartphone business doesn’t seem to be enough for the company, which has recently acquired another handset maker directly from Google. Motorola Mobility is likely to pave Lenovo’s way into the United States’ market where the Chinese company hasn’t been able to set foot yet. But that’s not the only market where Motorola will help Lenovo reach, as the US-based company’s mid- and entry-levels smartphones have become best-sellers in lots of other countries. Although there’s not one Lenovo or Motorola high-end smartphone that would sell as many units as the Apple’s iPhone 6, the Chinese company is trying to boost sales of its products by any means necessary even if that would violate a few patents in the process.

We’re talking about the upcoming Lenovo Sisley smartphone, which is expected to hit China and probably other Asian countries in the next couple of weeks. Well, the so-called Lenovo Sisley happens to look awfully similar to the Apple’s iPhone 6 that’s been recently launched on the market.

The Sisley has the same size as the iPhone 6

Aside from design, we’re not sure anything else would apply to the comparison, as Lenovo’s smartphone is powered by Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system out of the box. However, as anyone can see from the live pictures showing the Lenovo Sisley, the smartphone has the same dual speakers on the bottom side and a thin stripe on the back side. The iPhone 6 has two stripes on the back, but Lenovo probably skipped the one on the top on purpose. Even so, the smartphones are strikingly similar when it comes to look, which is why we think Apple will have a good case here if it decides to file a lawsuit against this copycat.

The camera of the Lenovo Sisley has been placed exactly like the iPhone 6 one, to the left upper corner of the back cover. The whole form factor of Lenovo’s smartphone has been created to induce the idea that this is an iPhone 6. We’re pretty sure Lenovo Sisley will be much cheaper than Apple’s iPhone 6. Spec-wise, the smartphone comes with a 5-inch HD (720p) capacitive touchscreen display and a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, Gizmobic reports. It also features an impressive 8-megapixel camera in the front, which would be perfect for selfies, and it will be only 6.9mm thin (just like the iPhone 6).

Lenovo Sisely bottom side
Image credits to Weibo

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Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Receives First Update That Improves Battery Life

Samsung’s new flagship smartphone has only been officially released in several countries, but the South Korean company plans to introduce the Galaxy Note 4 in a lot more regions by the end of the month.

Although the handset is not yet available in major markets, such as the United States and the UK, Samsung has already launched an update for the phablet. This is the first software update for Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and it’s currently being pushed in all countries where the smartphone is now available for purchase. However, as the device goes on sale in additional countries, the update will be available for download in more regions. According to appdated, the new software update (firmware XXU1ANJ4) is expected to improve the Galaxy Note 4’s battery life. Given the fact that the rollout of the update has just kicked off, it’s hard to say whether or not it really improves the battery consumption efficiency of the Galaxy Note 4. Only time will tell if Samsung managed to enhance the phablet’s battery life.

Also, the update doesn’t really say by how much the smartphone’s battery life should improve after installing it, which is why additional testing is needed to determine how effective Samsung’s changes really are.

The update brings some stability and performance improvements as well

But this is not the only improvement included in this update, which is expected to be around 35MB in size. The changelog also mentions Galaxy Note 4 owners should also get some stability and performance improvements, though no additional details on any of these have been provided yet. We expect Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to be among the first smartphone launched by the South Korean company to receive the highly anticipated Android L update. Google has been confirmed to launch the new version of its mobile platform this month, which means it will take a few months until Samsung is capable of delivering a working Android L update for the Galaxy Note 4.

Until then, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will be able to download this small update that brings a major improvement, better battery life, by going to Settings / About phone / Software Update. Keep in mind that the update is rolled out in stages, so if you are not notified on availability and it doesn’t show in the Settings menu either, then you should try again later. Customers who will purchase the Galaxy Note 4 in the following weeks should have access to the update right out of the box, so make sure you check for it if you want better battery life for your smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 first software update
Image credits to appdated

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Motorola DROID Turbo aka Nexus 6 Mini Leaks in Official Press Render

There’s been quite a debate on the matter of Google launching a phablet Nexus over a standard smartphone with a smaller display.

We’re still not sure what will happen with those customers who are anxious to upgrade to the new Nexus 6 or whatever it will be named, hoping it will not be a phablet. According to the latest reports, Google will indeed launch a 5.9-inch Nexus phablet this month, though a smaller version of the smartphone is still in the cards. The question is how Google will be able to deliver the smaller version of the Nexus 6 internationally. We do know that the 5.2-inch Nexus 6 model was nixed by the search giant in favor of the larger version, but that doesn’t mean that the maker of the smartphone will not launch it under its own brand. The so-called Motorola DROID Turbo is a 5.2-inch smartphone that packs the same features that were known to belong to the Nexus 6 when the first details on the handset leaked online several weeks ago.

However, the DROID Turbo will be exclusively available in the United States through Verizon Wireless carrier, which means customers in other countries won’t have access to it. There were a few pictures of the DROID Turbo leaked a few weeks ago, but they weren’t coming through any of the official channels. Over the weekend though, Verizon’s Twitter account in charge of DROID family mistakenly published a press render of the DROID Turbo. Even though the carrier pulled the picture, the damage was already done as the online media was able to save the picture and inform readers about the DROID Turbo.

DROID Turbo may be available through other carriers under different names

This is not the first time that something official regarding the DROID Turbo leaks ahead of the actual announcement. No later than last week, the smartphone’s “User’s Guide” manual popped up online and confirmed some of the features the DROID Turbo was rumored to pack. For example, the DROID Turbo will be compatible with Motorola’s Moto fast charger and it will support Qi Wireless charging. As mentioned earlier, the smartphone will sport a 5.2-inch capacitive touchscreen display, a 21-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 3900 mAh monster battery,

The DROID Turbo is likely to be launched at other US carriers as well, but only after Verizon exclusivity period ends. The smartphone could be released at AT&T as ATRIX 2014 or something similar. Obviously, the unlocked version will be released internationally under a different name, possibly as Motorola Moto S, though this is just a rumor which has been confirmed by multiple sources yet. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

Motorola DROID Turbo back
Image credits to @DroidLanding

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