Android this week: Galaxy Alpha look; big Nexus 6; Google’s Android control

android-this-week

Samsung has finally changed to a metal edge for one its Galaxy phones, leaving the plastic behind. With a 4.7-inch screen the Galaxy Alpha isn’t as big as the company’s Galaxy S5 or Galaxy Note 4, but that may not be a bad thing.

galaxy-alpha-04-top-art-hq

My colleague, Kif Leswing, is currently reviewing the Galaxy Alpha and shared some early thoughts about the phone:

The screen is stellar. It uses Samsung’s vivid AMOLED display, and the 720p resolution is great for a device of this size — so I wouldn’t list its size or resolution as a con when comparing it to phones with 5-inch screens with 1080p resolutions or higher. The unit AT&T provided is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and it flies.

So far, so good then and it’s definitely a phone that won’t overwhelm your hand or your pocket. And it looks nice. I’m a little surprised about the $199 contract price considering that’s the same cost as the Samsung Galaxy S5 but for some, that’s too big of a phone.

If that handset is too big then the next Google Nexus could be even more of a problem to handle. This week, more images and specification details leaked on what appears to be the Nexus 6 — which may be called the Nexus X. If the leaks are correct, the phone will have a 5.92-inch display; easily the largest yet for a Nexus phone.

Nexus 6 Shamu

Motorola appears to have the nod to create this year’s Nexus, which looks like a super-sized Moto X with a 2560 x 1440 resolution display, 13 megapixel camera, 2 megapixel front camera, Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, and 3 GB of memory. That would put it on par with other flagship phones and it would surely ship with Android L to highlight Google’s latest software version.

Google appears to be taking more control over its software as well: Evidence surfaced this week that suggests Google has new requirements for hardware partners that want to use its services. This isn’t a new phenomenon though. While anyone can use the free AOSP or Android Open Source Project software as they see fit, Google’s apps and services are covered by a license. And as Google modifies the apps and services it offers, it will have to modify the arrangements for that license.

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