Approximately a week back at the I/O 2013 conference, Google released the new and improved Google Search app for Android. The update brought voice reminders, real-time public transit updates and content suggestions such as upcoming music, TV, books etc. Before version 2.5 of this app came online, the previous version had a perfectly useful feature that has, according to the folks at AndroidPolice, been quietly removed. The ‘Search With Camera’ feature of the Google Search app has been removed without any explanation whatsoever.

It was pretty simple to use this feature. The user just had to take a picture through the device’s camera and the app would do an image search. It essentially was the integration of Google Goggles in this app, as the feature was also useful for scanning QR codes. Reportedly, no voice commands are working and ‘Search With Camera’ has completely been disabled and removed from within the app. Google hasn’t released a statement as to why this feature was removed, though its not something they’re obliged to do, but it would certainly be nice knowing the reason behind the axing of ‘Search With Camera.’

Over at SID 2013, the folks over at Engadget have managed to snap some photos of what could possibly be one of the wonders of the technological world, namely LG’s flexible OLED display. Of course, to keep that unique flexible display, we also have the LG HD Oxide that was on parade. Of course, there is this particular pride from LG concerning how this 5” High Definition display might still be in the prototype stage, but it has already managed to garner its fair share of attention over time. Just how did LG pull this off with the HD Oxide display? Well, it seems that this 5” display will make use of TFT Oxide technology that consumes very little juice, not to mention allowing it to come with an extremely slim profile.

Similar to the 5” flexible display, this particular model comes with a 1mm bezel that will rely on IPS technology so that one is able to enjoy superior viewing angles. So far, the display at SID 2013 has been rated at 250 nits, although LG definitely has plans to bump the brightness level up before it is ready to roll out in the market.

There was much confusion among those waiting to unlock and root their Samsung Galaxy S4 when it was announced that AT&T’s variant of Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone comes with its bootloader locked. An Android device can only be rooted once its bootloader has been unlocked, and we know that there is a way to unlock Samsung Galaxy S4 bootloader. On the other hand, Samsung has been trumping up security on its software in a bid to make rooting cumbersome, therefore some methods used to root previous Galaxy smartphones don’t work with the new device. Chainfire, a well known developer, has released modified versions of the SuperSU and CF-Auto-Root tools for Samsung Galaxy S4 i9505 variant, which is the one that’s powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor and sold in the U.S. by AT&T and T-Mobile.

These tools can be used to root the AT&T and T-Mobile Galaxy S4, though caution is advised if you’re a novice at rooting, there are risks involved and if something goes wrong the responsibility will squarely be yours. To apply this root exploit, the S4′s bootloader must be unlocked. The process can only be done on a Windows PC with the latest version of Odin flashing software by Samsung. Chainfire has confirmed that this exploit does not work with international HSPA S4 i9500 models powered by Exynos processors. These modified tools are available for download, here.

Total Immersion is more than please to announce their spanking new TryLive Eyewear, which so happens to be the company’s virtual try-on solution that is available as a fully hosted service which has been dedicated to web and mobile e-commerce applications. I suppose this unique combination of various aspects of technology such as Augmented Reality could very well prove to be a boon for businesses and organizations that are looking for more efficient ways of engaging with their target market.

TryLive is capable of delivering quick and easy setup and asset updates, courtesy of TryLive’s cloud platform. Not only that, Total Immersion claims that you will be able to enjoy visible as well as strong return on investment, where the highly attractive and flexible business model is based on a monthly fee. Direct Optic is a company that has integrated the TryLive Eyewear solution on their website for a year, where they claim to have benefitted from 3 time higher conversion rates, with users spending an average of 10 minutes on TryLive (we wonder how many of those will be out of curiosity), and having more than 88% of their customers being satisfied. Do you think your company would benefit from TryLive Eyewear?

We had first heard about the LG Optimus GJ smartphone, said to be a waterproof device, earlier this month. Today the manufacturer has officially announced it with a price tag of approximately $600, the Optimus GJ will initially be exclusively available in Taiwan from June. The smartphone will be available in two colors, black and red. It is not know at this point in time whether LG will be releasing this device in other markets across the globe.

As far as the hardware is concerned, the LG Optimus GJ can definitely be called the waterproof Optimus G. There’s no difference between the two of them, save for the fact that one isn’t threatened by water. The device is capable of being submerged for up to half an hour in 1m deep water. Smartphones immune to the elements seem to be all the rage these days. Rumor has it that Samsung will be unveiling its own offering soon, the Galaxy S4 Active, which is a waterproof variant of the S4 although with a purported slower processor. Something tells me this will usher in the era of underwater “selfies.” [Image via ePrice]

The folks over at Creative have lived up to their name yet again, where the latest modular wireless speaker systems that rolled off their production lines come in the form of the Creative Dxm Signature Series, where these are led by the flagship Creative D5xm, and will be accompanied by the Creative D3xm and the Creative DSxm subwoofer. The Creative Dxm Signature Series holds the distinction of being the first self-calibrating wireless home audio system in the world, where users have the flexibility of placing their speaker just about anywhere they like in a room, all the while enjoying the best sound quality.

Being completely modular, the Creative Dxm Signature Series wireless speaker system enables one to easily link more and more speakers wirelessly in order to form larger systems. Not only that, the system also paves the way for full audio playback customization thanks to the presence of Sound Modes, which are actually profiles that users are able to trigger from an application on their respective iOS or Android smart devices.

If you have been following word on what Micromax have been up to, well, we are pleased to say that the successor to the hugely popular Micromax A110 Canvas 2 smartphone has been made official, although they really should employ someone to come up with far better names – names that are easier to remember and can roll off the tongue in a jiffy. I am referring to the Micromax A110Q Canvas 2 Plus which was on the rumor mills for some time already, but finally, it has been listed on the company’s website.

The Micromax A110Q Canvas 2 Plus came with a 5” IPS FWVGA display, where it will run on a quad-core 1.2GHz MT6589 processor, and is accompanied by 1GB RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera with dual-LED flash, a 2-megapixel front facing camera, 4GB of internal memory, dual SIM capability for those who want to separate their work and private life, in addition to a slew of connectivity options. Of course, you will get Android 4.2 Jelly Bean running on the A110Q Canvas 2 Plus right out of the box for your convenience.

There’s quite a bit of competition among carriers in the U.S., which is good as it promotes substantial growth in the industry at large. T-Mobile recently strayed from convention when it launched its new UNcarrier plans, a move that prompted Verizon subscribers to petition their network to consider the same as well. However according to surveys, most recent being conducted by JD Power, T-Mobile hasn’t been ranking high in the consumer satisfaction lately. The latest annual study puts T-Mobile in fourth place on the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

The carriers were scored on a scale from 0-100. Verizon tops the index with a score of 73, which translates in to a 4% increase as compared to the previous year. Sprint came in second, holding its ground with 71. AT&T saw a 1% increase and sits in third place with 70 points. In fourth place comes T-Mobile which has actually seen a 1% decrease and scores 68. The subscribers of these carriers are asked to rate how reliable the networks are with regards to call clarity, network coverage and dropped calls, and as the results clearly show, T-Mobile has quite a lot to do to change the public’s perception. If you’re a T-Mobile subscriber, do let us know in the comments whether or not you’re satisfied with the service.

Today, Google has stepped forward to be so bold as to say that “the process of creating and accessing your stuff shouldn’t be, well…a process.” Now that is certainly an interesting train of thought, and we would like to hear from Google on how else they intend to describe the file creation and access processes. Well, it seems that the search engine giant has decided to roll out the Drive app for Android by offering a bunch of other improvements, so much so that when you are attempting to create as well as access your files via Drive on-the-go, it is a whole lot easier in doing so.

To assist you in your search to check out the content that you care about, Drive files will now be shown off in a clean, simple card-style. You are able to swipe between the files to see large previews which in turn, allow you to quickly review as well as discover the information that you have been on the lookout for. Should you want to keep a fair number of Drive files on your Android device, you can also do so thanks to the “download a copy” option from the actions menu within settings. The updated Google Drive app can be selected via Google Play if you are interested. Time to make better use of your 15GB of space, no? [Press Release]

South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung has plenty of cash in its reserves, where this time around they decided to flex some of their dough by reportedly purchasing a 10% stake in Pantech, who also happens to be another phone manufacturer from South Korea. Of course, the entire reason behind Samsung’s move does not seem clear at this point in time, although this stake acquisition would clearly place Samsung in pole position as one of the major shareholders in Pantech, after Qualcomm as well as the state’s Development Bank.

Recently, Samsung also went on a shopping spree by forking out more than $100 million to gain access to Sharp’s ground breaking IGZO screen technology. Why Pantech, most folks would ask. Well, they happen to be one of the more innovative makers in recent memory, and if you were to look into history, the Vega Racer happens to be running on a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, with the Pantech Vega Racer 2 being the world’s first with glass ceramic body. Would we see such technology appear in Samsung products down the road? Only time will tell.