TC Droidcast Episode 24: A Couple Of Mates Talking About The HTC One M8

This week, Chris Velazco joins me, Darrell Etherington, to talk about HTC’s new One (M8) flagship smartphone, which we already like quite a bit. The new device is HTC’s big chance to make a splash in the smartphone market, and they haven’t squandered it; let’s hope consumers are willing to give it a look. We also catch up on the Nvidia Shield, the handheld Android-powered… Read More

TC Droidcast Episode 22: Nokia Goes Android While HTC Plays The Customer Care Card

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On this week’s Droidcast, me and Chris Velazco get tough on smartwatches, but first we discuss Nokia Android “Nokia X” device plans and other infertile hybrid animals, and HTC’s renewed commitment to customer care and how that might affect its fortunes. Finally, we talk a bit about Chromecast, Google’s mobile-to-big screen media streamer and its new SDK.

Long story short, we know a lot about Nokia’s unreleased Android phone except for why it exists; HTC made some promises to customers in an AMA recently; and Google has made the Cast SDK part of its most recent stable release of Google Play services, so we should see a slew of apps offering up support for that home theater companion.

We invite you to enjoy weekly Android podcasts every Sunday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern and 1:00 p.m. Pacific, in addition to our weekly Gadgets podcast at 3 p.m. Eastern and noon Pacific on Fridays. Subscribe to the TechCrunch Droidcast in iTunes, too, if that’s your fancy.

Intro music by Kris Keyser

Direct download available here.

TC Droidcast Episode 20: Motorola Goes To Lenovo, Google Loves Nexus And Ouya V2

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It’s a brave new dawn for the TechCrunch Droidcast as I take over hosting duties from Chris Velazco… who returns temporarily from the distant lands of Engadget to share his insights on Google’s sale of Motorola to Lenovo, the Nexus program at Google and what’s next for hardware there, and the new, slightly improved Ouya Android console.

Remember that you can now also catch Chris on the Engadget Mobile Podcast, if you miss him. Plus remember that even though Google has jettisoned its own pet mobile phone maker, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have hardware chops – the Nest team has just come on board, for instance, and isn’t likely to leave the roost anytime soon. As for the Ouya, if you’re looking to learn more about what’s new with the updated hardware, you’ll find the (short) list here.

We invite you to enjoy weekly Android podcasts every Sunday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern and 1:00 p.m. Pacific (new time!), in addition to our weekly Gadgets podcast at 3 p.m. Eastern and noon Pacific on Fridays. Subscribe to the TechCrunch Droidcast in iTunes, too, if that’s your fancy.

Intro music by Kris Keyser

Direct download available here.

This Week On The TechCrunch Droidcast: Moto G’s Big Battery, Moto X Financing And Google Wallet Card

This week, me and Chris Velazco talk about using the Moto G for a prolonged period, Motorola trying to attract more Moto X shoppers with no-money-down deals, and Google going after shopper activity with a physical card for its digital wallet.

We have a grand old time, and for once a mid-market phone is the talk of the town, which is actually refreshing. Also Chris needed like fifteen takes just to get us started, because apparently he’s a completely ridiculous person.

We invite you to enjoy weekly Android podcasts every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern and 2:30 p.m. Pacific (generally speaking), in addition to our weekly Gadgets podcast at 3 p.m. Eastern and noon Pacific on Fridays. Subscribe to the TechCrunch Droidcast in iTunes, too, if that’s your fancy.

Intro music by Kris Keyser.

Direct download available here.

This Week On The TechCrunch Droidcast: We’re All Getting The Nexus 5, So Break Me Off A Piece Of That KitKat

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Google messed up Daniel Bader’s Nexus 5 order, and that makes him sad. Truly, our guest from MobileSyrup and BetaKit deserves better than having half his hopes dashed by a UPS delivery man live on air. We’ve all ordered Nexus 5 smartphones like the Android suckers we are, and so we chat KitKat and what dreams may come.

Other topics up for discussion with Daniel, me and Chris Velazco this week include Samsung’s awful assault on the English language, Motorola’s Moto G mid-range phone announcement next week, and whether or not we’re too attached to our devices (i.e., the eternal metaphysical struggle of the gadget lover). So turn off your phone/Pebble/fonblet for just over half an hour and join us.

We invite you to enjoy weekly Android podcasts every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern and 2:30 p.m. Pacific, in addition to our weekly Gadgets podcast at 3 p.m. Eastern and noon Pacific on Fridays. Subscribe to the TechCrunch Droidcast in iTunes, too, if that’s your fancy.

Intro music by Kris Keyser.

Direct download available here.

This Week On The TechCrunch Droidcast: HTC One Goes Max, LG Mindlessly Curves Glass

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LG is following Samsung’s example in providing a curved glass smartphone that makes no earthly sense, HTC is offering a fingerprint scanner that no one needs executed poorly, and Mad Catz is entering the crowded Android console space – for which there is no proven demand.

The Android world has gone mad this week, and me and your host Chris Velazco are just trying to put the pieces back together. Join us as we try to divine the twisted psyche of the people who created these unnatural devices.

We invite you to enjoy weekly Android podcasts every Wednesday (or Thursday this week) at 5:30 p.m. Eastern and 2:30 p.m. Pacific, in addition to our weekly Gadgets podcast at 3 p.m. Eastern and noon Pacific on Fridays. Subscribe to the TechCrunch Droidcast in iTunes, too, if that’s your fancy.

Intro music by Kris Keyser.

Direct download available here.

This Week On The TechCrunch Droidcast: Dude, No One’s Getting A Dell Venue Tablet

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Dell had an event this week, which is in itself noteworthy regardless of what they launch, but it turns out there were Android tablets there! We talk about those for a while, as well as the Elliptic Labs ultrasound gesture control SDK, Android in the Car, Amazon’s four-camera phone plans, and briefly the Kindle Fire HDX.

This week on the show prodigal son Chris Velazco returns from his many travels (we held the podcast a whole day to make sure he could come), and we’re joined by Natasha Lomas as well. I nearly forgot to mention that we also chat briefly about BBM for Android, and it must be forgettable because BlackBerry itself seems to have forgotten about it as well.

We invite you to enjoy weekly Android podcasts every Wednesday (or Thursday this week) at 5:30 p.m. Eastern and 2:30 p.m. Pacific, in addition to our weekly Gadgets podcast at 3 p.m. Eastern and noon Pacific on Fridays. Subscribe to the TechCrunch Droidcast in iTunes, too, if that’s your fancy.

Intro music by Kris Keyser.

Direct download available here.

This Week On The TechCrunch Droidcast: Nvidia’s Tegra Note, Cyanogen Goes Legit, And Nexus 4 Sold Out Forever

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Back on schedule this week after TechCrunch Disrupt, me and Chris Velazco catch you up on the latest in Android news. We’re somewhat distracted by another mobile operating system that has some news this week, but we get ourselves under control pretty quick.

The Nvidia Tegra Note is a reference tablet design that the company is saying could retail for $199 and boast some decent specs, and there’s Cyanogen’s big raise and news that they’ll offer their software conversion tool in the Google Play store. Also the Nexus 4 looks perhaps permanently sold out ahead of a Nexus 5 unveiling, and Jolla reveals it goes both ways with Android.

We invite you to enjoy weekly Android podcasts every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern and 2:30 p.m. Pacific, in addition to our weekly Gadgets podcast at 3 p.m. Eastern and noon Pacific on Fridays. Subscribe to the TechCrunch Droidcast in iTunes, too, if that’s your fancy.

Intro music by Kris Keyser.

TC Droidcast Episode 5: Samsung Galaxy Gear And Note 3, Sony’s Crazy Cameras And The KitKat Crunch Heard Round The World

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We’re sure glad the weekly TechCrunch Droidcast falls on a Wednesday, because this was a big one for Android. Samsung and Sony both had events at IFA in Berlin and revealed new hardware, and we’re joined by none other than 9to5Google‘s Seth Weintraub as a special guest this week to break it all down.

The Galaxy Gear smartwatch is probably the most buzzed about news of the week, and the announcement held a few surprises despite early leaks. Samsung also revealed the Galaxy Note 3, with a bigger screen yet smaller footprint, and Sony showed off camera lens accessories for smartphones that make your pocket camera a pro shooter, along with a brand new flagship smartphone.

We also get into Google’s captivating decision to partner with Kit Kat (yes, the candy brand) to secure licensing rights for the name of the next version of Android (4.4), and everyone comes away hungrier than they were before.

We invite you to enjoy weekly Android podcasts every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern and 2:30 p.m. Pacific, in addition to our weekly Gadgets podcast at 3 p.m. Eastern and noon Pacific on Fridays. Subscribe to the TechCrunch Droidcast in iTunes, too, if that’s your fancy.

Intro music by Kris Keyser.

This Week On The TechCrunch Droidcast: Samsung’s Galaxy Glut, Nexus Price Cuts, And HTC’s Next Step

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Is it Wednesday already? It must be, because we’ve got yet another edition of the TechCrunch Droidcast to carry you through the rest of your day (or least the next half hour). This week it’s just Darrell Etherington and I shooting the breeze about the goings-on in the Android world, but there’s plenty for us to dig into.

Samsung has a new tablet for kiddies and confirmed it’ll show off the Galaxy Gear smartwatch next week for starters, and Google has just priced its 8 and 16GB Nexus 4s to move. Meanwhile, poor old HTC may be trying to put together a mobile operating system of its own so it can make some inroads into the Chinese market (and hopefully secure itself a future).

Throw in a bit of Kobo talk (at Darrell’s insistence, being Canadian and all) and a few off-topic moments at the end of the show to tear apart Nintendo’s downright ridiculous 2DS handheld, and you’ve got this installment of Droidcast in a nutshell. Interest piqued? Take a listen below and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes if you’re picking up what we’re putting down.

We invite you to enjoy weekly Android podcasts every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern and 2:30 p.m. Pacific, in addition to our weekly Gadgets podcast at 3 p.m. Eastern and noon Pacific on Fridays. Subscribe to the TechCrunch Droidcast in iTunes, too, if that’s your fancy.

Intro music by Kris Keyser.