Best Buy has a great deal on the 8GB Moto G right now for those shopping for a midrange device that won’t break the bank. For a limited time, an unlocked model without contract can be had for just $179.99 — $40 off its regular retail price.

Picture: ExtremeTech

Up until the present, the various paintjobs of our phones have existed primarily as a means of personalization. In the near future, they could well be the way that our phones are charged.

A new study by the UK’s University of Sheffield is investigating the possibility of spray-painted solar cells which could be used to power anything from smartphones to electric cars.

While the energy generating effectiveness of paint-on solar cells was just one percent a couple of years ago, Sheffield University currently gets about 11 percent efficiency versus 19 percent at optimal performance.

Although Samsung’s commercials often mock Apple and its devices, the South Korean company has been known to use Apple products as its inspiration. In fact, it has been so inspired by iOS devices in the past that it was recently found guilty of ripping them off and forced to cough up $119 million in damages.

That doesn’t appear to have deterred Samsung from copying again, though. Leaked images of its upcoming Galaxy Alpha smartphone suggest the device could be the company’s biggest iPhone knockoff to date.

Samsung has today begun issuing press invites for an Unpacked event on Wednesday, September 3, where the South Korean company is expected to unveil its much-anticipated Galaxy Note 4 and other new devices. The event will take place in Berlin where IFA 2014 kicks off just days later.

The latest stable release of CyanogenMod 11 M9 is available to download now, and in addition to bringing a whole bunch of new features and improvements, it adds support for two new smartphones — the HTC One M8 and the Sony Xperia Z2. This is the first stable (non-nightly) CyanogenMod release for both of these devices.