Huawei Jumps Into Wearables with the TalkBand

Huawei today announced the TalkBand B1, a smartphone accessory that doubles as a fitness tracker and a Bluetooth headset. The device has a 1.4-inch flexible OLED screen and relies on NFC and Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy to connect to smart devices. It is compatible with Android 2.3 and up, and iOS 5.0 and up. It includes a removable earpiece that's good for up to seven hours of talk time. The TalkBand wirelessly tracks the wearer's activity time, such as steps taken, miles covered, and calories burned. It also records sleep duration and quality, and it has its own alarm. The TablkBand B1 has a 90mAh battery that lasts about six days for tracking activity and sleep. Huawei didn't say when the TablkBand B1 will be available, nor how much it will cost.

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LG Says Not All Phones Merit OS Upgrades

LG today indicated its premiere devices will earn operating system upgrades, but it can't say the same for other phones in its roster. "We are definitely prioritizing upgrades for the G-series, looking at the G2, G Flex and G Pro first," said spokesperson Ken Hong in an interview with PCMag. "But beyond that, we aren't going to make a commitment to definite upgrades because it's not totally up to us." Wireless network operators play a large role in system updates, which need to be tested and verified before rolled out to customers. "Some carriers may not want the upgrade. If they want to do it, we'll definitely work closely with carriers to do it." LG will, however, launch new phones with the most up-to-date version of Android available. Other manufacturers, such as HTC, Motorola, Samsung, and Sony, publish clear timetables about which devices will be updated and approximately when those updates will arrive.

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Facebook Messenger Coming To Windows Phone

Microsoft today announced Facebook Messenger app for Windows Phone. The app - previously only available for other OSes - is in final testing and will be available "soon."

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Hands On with Tizen OS

We spent a few minutes with a current version of the Tizen OS for phones. There's nothing surprising about it. It looks almost exactly like Android. But that in itself is interesting.

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Review: Nokia Lumia Icon for Verizon Wireless

Verizon finally gets the Windows Phone it deserves in the Lumia Icon from Nokia. The Icon has a full HD screen, 20-megapixel camera, and many other enticements. Phone Scoop put them to the test in this full report.

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Mozilla Sets Up Firefox OS for Growth

Mozilla today made a handful of announcements about the progress of Firefox OS, which is garnering more support from phone makers and carriers around the world. To start, the Firefox OS family has grown with the ZTE Open C and Open II, and Alcatel OneTouch Fire C (pictured), Fire E, Fire S handsets all making their debut in Barcelona. The devices are all running the latest version of Firefox, which has been sped up and performs better across the board thanks to new support from Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. Notably, these devices offer a mid-range experience, unlike the first device, which was marketed as an entry-level handset. In addition to the hardware partners, Mozilla has won agreements from Telkomsel and Indosat, which join the list of 21 operators supporting Firefox OS around the world. Mozilla also said it worked with Spreadtrum to create a WCDMA and EDGE turnkey reference design for Firefox OS, and a $25 chipset for low-cost Firefox OS smartphones. Last, Firefox outlined changes headed to the operating system. It will add a new universal search function available from any screen on the phone. New navigation features in the user interface will make multitasking easier, such as swiping between full-screen apps. The OS will also make it easier to share content thanks to support for NFC, as well as LTE for markets with 4G deployments. Mozilla also talked up new support it has from developers, who've begun to write more apps for the operating system.

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Hands-On: LG G Pro 2 and G2 Mini

Here are our first impressions of the G Pro 2 and G2 Mini from LG.

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