Phones

By January 23, 2014 Read More →

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom Review

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom ReviewFirst we had the Nokia 808 Pureview Symbian smartphone with a beastly 41 megapixel camera, then Nokia came out, all guns blazing, with the Nokia Lumia 1020. This time toting Windows Phone 8 which you either love or hate…and Samsung clearly saw the relative success of the 1020 in particular and thought ‘ooh let’s have a go ourselves’ and you know what…they did have a go with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom and its 16 megapixel 10X optical zoom camera slapped on the back.

So, you may be wondering, why? And do we really need such a device, or better yet why would anyone want a device such as the S4 Zoom?

Well to find out the surprising results of my testing and to have all of your questions answered I suggest you read on but I warn you…it’s going to be a long ride…

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By January 20, 2014 Read More →

Motorola Moto G hands-on video

Motorola Moto GThe Motorola Moto G has been making the news quite a lot lately and its popularity seems to be surging. There’s now the Google Play Edition available for $179 for the 8GB model so it’s perhaps easy to see why this Android smartphone is being snapped up so quickly.

It may not have the best specification on offer but with a quad-core 1.2GHz CPU, 1GB RAM and a 720 x 1280 display, the Motorola Moto G is beginning to redefine entry-level.

As you know, we love to start out by unboxing a new products but our Motorola Moto G review unit is a beta device so arrived in a simple envelope. So our unboxing becomes an un-enveloping and I go hands-on with the Moto G, take a look at the hardware and then dig at the OS a little.

Full review up soon too.

Posted in: News, Phones, Videos/Unboxings
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By January 19, 2014 Read More →

The ZTE Blade Q Mini

ZTE Blade Q Mini ZTE and Virgin Media announce the arrival of the hotly anticipated ZTE Blade Q series in the UK. The 4’’ ZTE Blade Q Mini, which is available exclusively with Virgin Media, has been snapped up by leading retailers Sainsbury’s and Argos and will be available to purchase initially from Argos for £59.99.

ZTE have been quite busy releasing new devices recently and this new Blade Q Mini promises to deliver better specs for a bargain price. Howerver, with just 4GB of internal memory you’ll definitely want to invest in a MicroSD memory card.

You can see the full press release below and we hope to have some hands-on time with the ZTE Blade Q Mini soon.

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By January 14, 2014 Read More →

No KitKat for HTC One X and One X+

No KitKat for HTC One X and One X+Just a few weeks ago we brought you news of HTC’s new pages that allowed us to track the progress of OS updates for the HTC One and several other HTC phones.

On that list you’l find the HTC One Mini and One Max and Desire 601. However, there are a couple of devices that HTC have apparently confirmed that will not see Android 4.4 KitKat and these, most significantly perhaps, include phones like the One X and One X+.

Both the HTC One X and One X+ were hugely popular and can still be found on sale in many locations. Whilst it could perhaps be argued that the One X is getting towards end of life, being two years old on February, but the One X+ is far newer, at October 2012 so its a little worrying that HTC will not be continuing to update these ‘older’ devices and we certainly hops this isn’t a taste of things to come in terms of cutbacks.

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By January 14, 2014 Read More →

Sony announces Xperia E1, claims it best in class

1_Xperia_E1_White_FrontToday Sony have announced its latest Android smartphone, the Xperia E1, and claim, based upon its specification, that the E1 is the best device in its class.

The Xperia E1 is powered by Qualcomm’s MSM8210 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor, 512 MB RAM and features a 4 inch (233 ppi) display combined with a large 1700 mAh battery, which is the basis for the ‘best in class’ claim.

Full press release and further details follow:

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By January 14, 2014 Read More →

Would you like your Samsung Galaxy S5 in Metal or Plastic?

Samsung-Galaxy-S5Rumour has it the Galaxy S5 will be available in two versions later this year. According to SamMobile an inside source has “confirmed” some of the specs of the company’s next-generation flagship Android handset. Apparently Samsung the next incarnation of the Galaxy S will have a “metallic back plate while being constructed of metal on the sides and front.” There will be a cheaper model made from plastic, just like previous Galaxy S versions, and cost €650 ($888). It will be interesting to see if there is much difference with the rumoured Galaxy F.

Inside the Galaxy S5 is said to be two processors, an Exynos 6 model and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 CPU. The Exynos model featuring 64-bit support and built-in LTE, and will likely equip the metal Galaxy S5 model, while the Snapdragon would be found inside the plastic version. Both versions would feature a 5.25-inch Super AMOLED display with Quad HD (2560 x 1440) resolution, a 16-megapixel camera and Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box. Details about RAM, battery capacity and optical image stabilization support for the main camera are not available at this time.

Why stop there, when speculation should quickly lead to a Galaxy S5 Mini and the Galaxy S5 Zoom? With the Galaxy S5 possibly being unveiled in mid-March during an event in London, we should see the device roll out to market early April. A Galaxy S5 Mini is expected to be unveiled in June, and feature a Super AMOLED display and run KitKat, while the Galaxy S5 Zoom would be announced in May, sport a 4.8-inch qHD (960 x 540) display and run KitKat as well. 

Posted in: News, Phones, Rumours
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By January 13, 2014 Read More →

Google Glass Glassware must-haves

Google Glass GlasswareMany of you will know that since I got my Google Glass about a month ago I have become a massive convert and huge supporter of it. In fact I wear my Glass almost all the time now, pretty much only taking it off when I go to bed or before meeting.

Those that I work with have also become accustomed to seeing that ‘thing’ attached to my head!

At the moment Google Glass can still be considered to be in Beta and, as it stands, the list of apps, known as Google Glass Glassware, is somewhat limited. However, many new developers have taken up the mantle and and the list of available third-party apps is now growing.

So I thought I would take a moment to mention a couple of the apps that I consider to be must-have and those that I use all the time.

 

Toolkit for Glass

This one is from my dear old friend Paul O’Brien. Toolkit for Glass offers several features that probably should have been a part of the base OS of Glass. Paul’s toolkit provides the following:

  • use ‘open camera’ to give you a camera viewfinder, take pics using the camera button. Enables you to properly frame a photo.
  • use ‘switch wifi’ to toggle wifi with voice confirmation. Turning off WiFi when you aren’t using it helps to extend the battery life.
  • use ‘switch bluetooth’ to toggle bluetooth with voice confirmation. Turning off Bluetooth when you aren’t using it helps to extend the battery life.
  • use ‘get status’ to receive a voice readout of battery, wifi and bluetooth status’
  • just for testing some stuff – use ‘magnify’ to open the camera where sweep forward will zoom in, sweep back will zoom out

Glasquare

This is an unofficial version of Foursquare specifically for Google Glass. Glasquare features include:

  • 3 voice commands: Check me in, Show best venues and Search venues for …
  • super-fast check-ins with a possibility to add photos and comments
  • 10 best venues around you/matching your search with details
  • directions towards a selected venue
  • read tips of the selected venue

SpeedHUD

google_glass_screenshot-300x168The use of Google Glass while driving continues to be controversial and there are still plans to ban it while driving.  However, there are a couple of apps out there that, in my opinion, would certainly improve driving safety and one app that I enjoy using is SpeedHUD which is believe demonstrates the very reason why a blanket ban is premature at best.  SpeedHUD shows your speed and compass direction.

 

Obviously there are many more Glassware apps out there but these are just the third-party one that I use all the time. Whether you are new to Google Glass or an veteran they are definitely worth a look!

 

 

Posted in: Apps & Games, Editorial, News, Phones
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By January 10, 2014 Read More →

Nokia Lumia Black Update Roll-out Begins

nokiaglancescreenThe Nokia Lumia Black software update will start to roll-out for Nokia Lumia WP8 owners around the world from today. The update brings new features, improvements in imaging, new apps and app updates from Microsoft and Nokia to make the Lumia smartphone experience even better.

The main features brought along with the update from Nokia include:

  • App Folder. This brand new feature makes your Lumia experience even more fluid by giving you an option to further personalize and organize your Start screen. With App folders you can group similar apps and settings into one folder, a tile, on your Start screen.
  • Nokia Glance screen 2.0. Helps you keep track of information in real time, making all your most important notifications including: phone, messages, email, outlook, calendar, or any apps that use notifications such as Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp, or games;  always visible at a glance on your screen. It saves time and energy.
  • Bluetooth LE. Will now be enabled across the full Windows Phone 8 Lumia range for compatible gadgets like the Adidas MiCoach accessories. 
  • Nokia Refocus. The amazing Nokia Refocus comes to all Windows Phone 8 Lumia smartphones with 1GB of RAM and upwards.
  • Nokia Beamer. Sharing what’s on your phone is easier than ever with Nokia Beamer. You can now beam documents, presentations, anything you like, to any HTML5-enabled screen by simply scanning a QR code on the screen. It’s coming to all of the phones with 1GB RAM upwards.
  • Nokia Storyteller. The app arranges your photos for you, by date and by place, making it easier to tell the stories behind your pictures, and give extra context through the close integration of interactive maps.
  • Nokia Camera. Combines Nokia Pro Camera and Smart Camera to simplify the photo-taking experience, and ensure you get the perfect shot every time. The app has been available for Lumia PureView smartphones since last year, but it’s now coming to the rest of the WP8 Lumia range. The latest Nokia Camera update also brings raw DNG support for Lumia 1020 owners.
  • Latest generation of imaging algorithms. The Lumia Black update further improves the image quality, especially in Lumia 1020. Among others, the improvements include a new oversampling algorithm, making your images more natural looking with reduced noise, while ensuring your photos remain wonderfully sharp.

 

The Lumia Black update also brings a series of enhancements from Microsoft to Nokia Lumia smartphones. These include safe driving mode – which cuts out unnecessary distractions when you’re on the road; customised ringtones for each contact. You can now also close apps within the in multitasking view and lock the screen rotation if you wish.

 

Timings: The Lumia Black update has begun rolling out today for Lumia 1020 and Lumia 925 smartphones, with other models in the range following in the coming weeks.

 

How to update: Nokia Lumia smartphones automatically check for updates every week, and will notify people when it finds one. Otherwise check by going to Settings -> Phone update – it downloads and installs straight from that screen.

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By January 8, 2014 Read More →

Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo teased

Grand NeoSo Samsung has the Note III, the Grand 2 and the S4. Three pretty huge phones that cover almost all needs. Aside from the obvious gap that the Grand Neo is there to cover. The  Galaxy Grand Neo will come with a 5-inch TFT display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. Under the hood, there is a 1.2 GHz quad-core A7 chipset powering the smartphone along with 1 GB of RAM. A 5 megapixel rear camera with LED flash and the front facing VGA shooter completes the camera department, while the 8GB internal memory along with the microSD card slot takes care of storage.

The connectivity options of the Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo include Bluetooth 4.0, HSPA+ (21Mbps down, 5.76Mbps up), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, micro USB, GPS and GLONASS support. However, there is no LTE or Wi-Fi ac radios built-in.

Screenshot 2014-01-08 07.06.47

So essentially the Grand Neo is a “budget” slab that bests the original Grand in some departments without being the full upgrade the Grand 2 is. 

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By January 7, 2014 Read More →

Three colourful new phones from Asus

ZenFone-4-FrontAsus have unveiled a new line of smartphones focusing on value and colours in three ZenFones in varying sizes. The ZenFone 4 has a 4-inch display, while the ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 6 have 5- and 6-inch displays, respectively.

All three phones will run on Android 4.3 and are promised an update to Android 4.4 KitKat. For the ZenFone line, Asus is showing off a brand new custom UI called ZenUI. This comes with Asus’ own chat and messaging applications as well as other pre-installed software.

zenfone-4,T-J-417079-22

The ZenFone 4 is based on a 1.2 GHz Atom Z2520 processor with quad-thread hyper threading technology and 1 GB of RAM. It packs a 4-inch WVGA 800 x 480 TFT display. It also has a 5-megapixel camera, a puny 0.3-megapixel lens up front, and a 1170 mAh battery.

zenfone-5,T-K-417080-22

 

The ZenFone 5 has a 5-inch 1280 x 720 IPS display with a 2 GHz Intel Atom Z2580 CPU, 1 GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera, a 2-megapixel camera on the front, and a 2050 mAh battery.

zenfone-6,T-L-417081-22

 

The ZenFone 6 has a 6-inch HD 1280 x 720 IPS display, 2 GHz Intel Atom Z2580 CPU as the ZenFone 5, 1 GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel camera, a 2-megapixel camera on the front, and a 3230 mAh battery

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