Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Hadlee is part of the news team at Android Authority, joining the website in 2018. He has over a decade of experience working in the tech journalism space. When he's not working, he's gaming, watching motorsport, or running. He'll get back on the jiu-jitsu mat when this pandemic is over. ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7orrDq6ainJGqwam70aKrsmaTpLpwrdStn6iqX52upbjEnqqipZ%2BjwHA%3D

Considering the LG Optimus G as an alternative to the elusive Nexus 4, but just won’t settle for anything less than stock Android? A new mod could be the solution to your problems, transforming the Optimus G into a Nexus 4. Obviously the “transformation” doesn’t change the fact that the LG Nexus 4 and Optimus G look different on the outside, but the real magic will be on the inside. The special mod will overwrite the LG Optimus G’s firmware and replace it with the stock Nexus 4 firmware instead, that includes bringing Jelly Bean to the device without any of LG’s custom skins and bloatware.

Would be tablet buyers, tis the season to keep your eyes wide open, because retailers are eager to win your business, and that means one thing: deals. Today, we have a 40 percent off deal for the first generation of the Nexus 7, available from Groupon Goods for three days or while supplies last. The still capable tablet goes on the daily deal site for just $119 for the 16GB model or $149 for the 32GB model.

Update 2: After OnePlus emailed Jack Cooper to say they were patching the exploit that allowed him to hack the invite system (see original article bottom followed by the update below), Jake decided to hack the system yet again. This time, he used a couple of methods he first discovered when attempting to hack it the first time. As it turns out, the second hack worked as well -- we wonder whether OnePlus will give him another early invite or maybe this time they'll just give him a phone.

Are you a fan of famed dubstep artist Skrillex? Do you own an Android device? If so, head on over to the Google Store and check out the new Skrillex-branded “Live Cases” now available for the Nexus 5 and 6, Samsung Galaxy S5 and S6, and Galaxy Note 4. They’re now available for $40 a piece and come in three different designs: Space Shield, Circuit Bae and Lil Planet. Each case features a customizable shortcut button on the back that gives you one-touch access to any application of your choosing.

TL;DR Serial leaker Evan Blass recently posted leaked specs for three Motorola 2021 phones. Two of the phones are definitely mid-rangers, but one appears to have a Snapdragon 870 onboard. Each phone is only launching in specific areas of the world, so you might not be able to get them all. Evan Blass leaked the specs for three new Motorola 2021 phones. One of them will have a global variant and a North American (read: Verizon-exclusive) model, so it’s technically four new phones.

Strategy Analytics has published its latest set of reports into the smartphone industry. The research gives us plenty of information to sift through for global and regional trends, as well as showing which brands are coming out on top and which are struggling to perform in today’s ultra competitive market. The data is broken down into the following regions: North America, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Central and Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and Africa and the Middle East.

When people think of CES 2013, they definitely think of Walmart. They really don’t, but the retail chain actually did make an appearance with intent to announce new features. We’re surprised as well. However, it isn’t the first time a retail chain has announced something at a large tech show.Walmart intends to expand on their previous disc-to-digital service. In case you’re not familiar with the premise, customers would sign up for an account on VUDU.

There’s been a little bit of a stir around wireless charging recently. OneZero, in a collab with iFixit, kicked things off with a piece looking at exactly how inefficient wireless chargers are. And it’s a problem: “In my tests, I found that wireless charging used, on average, around 47% more power than a cable,” notes the author Eric Ravenscraft. More detail: “Charging the phone from completely dead to 100% using a cable took an average of 14.

TL;DR Google is testing a YouTube ‘app’ for Chromecast devices without Android TV. You’d get a remote control, suggestions and other features normally reserved for full apps. It’s not certain when this will be widely available, assuming it moves forward. The YouTube experience on earlier Chromecast devices is very basic, but it could become decidedly more sophisticated in the future. 9to5Google readers have discovered that Google is testing a web-based YouTube ‘app’ for Chromecast that significantly expands the functionality without making you spring for an Android TV-based device like the newest Chromecast or a smart television.