With new flagship smarphones from each of Samsung, HTC and Sony already hitting our shores, it’s about time we heard something about LG.

Remember the LG Optimus G which despite seeming like a solid phone (to which the Nexus 4 appeared to be based), took a little (too) long to arrive in Australia – so long that it found itself perhaps inadequately up against the aforementioned flagship devices?

Well you didn’t think LG would rest there did you?  Well-known leak source @evleaks has posted a photo of what could very well be the upcoming successor to the Optimus G – the Optimus G2.  Aside from its somewhat dashing small-bezeled design, the G2 is rumoured to use a Snapdragon 800 …

We’re here following the live twitter feed from Norman at  the Australian Samsung Galaxy S4 launch event.  After walking the long Samsung blue carpet and watching appearances by strongmen and other performers wearing fish tanks on their heads, Norman endured a lengthy musical performance including the likes of Guy Sebastian.

Unfortunately, the loud music deafened Norman so we’re here summarising the hilarious nature of what we can ascertain out of Norman’s commentary:

• The S4 brings Samsung’s S Health and S Translator to its already established S range of software “enhancements”, prompting Norman to get the S Hits
• The screen is a 1080p Super AMOLED screen with 441ppi that uses 14% less power (than…?)
• The S4 has a premium finish, utilising

…

When Sony announced the Xperia Z smartphone, many Sony and Android fans were salivating at the sexy design (even one of my non-Android using friends,who has since bought one, kept going on about how sexy it looked).  Its stunning looks were backed up by high end internal specs along with it being water and dust proof.  Suffice to say, we were expecting big things from this Sony phone – but coming from a company that over the past few years has trailed the other manufacturers, this was probably a tall ask.

Well, some months after its original release in Japan subsequently followed by rolling global releases including its Australian release, analysts are predicting that Sony may have sold 4.6 …

Nine months on, I can’t stress enough how much I love my Nexus 7.  As a daily consumption device, it’s just so portable, fits perfectly in the hands (any wider and I think it’d be uncomfortable to hold it in one hand), easy on the eyes, and offers a smooth and rich experience.  Sure the next generation Nexus 7 which is expected to be announced next month at Google I/O with higher resolution and who knows what other goodies will probably sway me to upgrade but for now I still use my Nexus 7 daily.

Well, unsurprisingly, I’m not alone!

The State Library of NSW has developed an app that offers visitors an interactive experience by providing visual and …

You may recall that a lot of us here at Android Australia got just a little excited with rumours of the development of an alleged X-Phone, designed and built by Motorola who of course is owned by Google.

If you haven’t been following the news, the Motorola X-Phone will allegedly carry cutting edge specs, probably with a near bezel-less design that is both very durable and has long battery life, and will basically revolutionise the smart-phone industry.  The influence of Google on Motorola we’d hope and expect will also result in faster Android updates and perhaps carry Google’s pure vision of what an Android device should be.  Various rumours also suggested that this alleged device could be announced at …

Like me, have you got taxi war stories to tell?

Cutting traffic, stopping in the middle of peak hour traffic, drivers constantly on the phone the whole ride talking loudly to their mates in a (foreign) language (or any language at that!), being lectured to on anything from politics to social issues, drivers who have no idea how to get to your destination or maybe not even understanding you (or you them)?

As a “smart” Android user, don’t you think you deserve better? :)

Well you may have that choice!

A taxi app called Uber is making its way to Australia (Sydney and Melbourne at this stage) and via your Android phone (as well as some other smart platforms) promises …

Have you noticed something new today on Android Australia?

*pause*

If you couldn’t work it out (I won’t tell anyone), in our posts earlier today we’re trialling out a new Bulletin Board style post service that will bring you generic Android stories from major tech sites overlaid with our Australian take on things.  What this means for you is quicker posts of relevant Android articles from across the globe, making sure you’re even more up to date with what’s relevant for you here in Australia.

But we didn’t stop there…

Whilst implementing the new service, we also realised that not everyone prefers their news on a tiring backlit screen that requires dangerous internet radio waves to approach you before you …

Is this the best looking tablet on the market?

The ASUS Eee Pad Infinity TF700T has been out for a while now having been released in Australia back in August 2012.  Although over six months can be quite a long time in the fast moving tablet and indeed greater mobile world, a friend of mine bought one last December to take with him on an overseas holiday.  After he returned, he expressed his love for this tablet and as a result we thought it would be good to do a review of this still top of the line ASUS tablet.

The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer series made a big splash on the tablet market, its original transforming design ingeniously adding …

Do you live in Melbourne?  Do you love Samsung?  If you answered yes and yes, you’re soon going to be in heaven.

After the opening of Samsung’s first Australian Experience Centre in Sydney, it looks like Melbourne is next on the list to receive a Samsung Experience Centre – and if the Sydney store is anything to go by, soon Melbournites will be able to experience a massive range of Samsung products spanning from entry level to flagship products.

Melbourne’s first Samsung Experience Centre will be located at the new Highpoint Shopping Centre  in Maribyrnong, and will feature the new Samsung Galaxy Note 8 ahead of its Australian launch.

Our Josh has received an invite to the Experience Centre’s …

Got yourself a Nexus 7 but have yet to get your hands on a dock?

A new option today on Google Play is offering the Nexus 7 dock for $49.99 plus shipping (presumably the same $19.99 delivery fee as the Nexus 7 itself) and is listed as shipping in 1-2 weeks).  The dock price represents about a $10 premium over the pricing in the USA, before taking into account a stronger Aussie dollar and US sales tax (making it retail for about AUD42.25 if you’re picking one up in say New York).

Alternatively, if you are itching to get your hands on the dock quicker, or maybe if you want to save on the shipping costs (who wouldn’t?), you can …

Not to be outdone by MasterCard, Visa has announced a global alliance with Samsung that will see Visa payment functionality ship with the next generation of Samsung NFC enabled smartphones.

The alliance will also seek to partner with financial institutions to accelerate and integrate their mobile payment solutions and “offer banks the ability to load payment account information over-the-air to a secure chip embedded in Samsung devices, using Visa’s Mobile Provisioning Service.”

Samsung devices enabled with Visa payment functionality will no doubt be a powerful product offering – especially in markets where paying with a mobile device is becoming commonplace… However, the key to making mobile payments broadly available all over the world is to offer financial institutions a

…

Were you excited by the announcement of the HTC One?  Maybe Norman’s quick look photo comparison was enough to sway you towards a high end Android phone sporting an Ultrapixel camera?

Well rest assured the HTC One is coming to Australia.  After the announcement by HTC, Telstra has since posted confirmation that it will be offering the HTC One as part of its 4G network, and you can register your interest here.  What’s more, Vodafone has also confirmed that they have begun testing of the HTC One and will eventually make its way to their 4G network.

Soon enough you’ll be able to get your hands on HTC’s latest and greatest, with its (based on first impressions…