All posts by Gavin Fabiani-Laymond

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About Gavin Fabiani-Laymond

President, CEO & Editor of https://gavinsgadgets.com Reviews & News of Technology

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact – First lmpressions + Low Light Shots

Android, Tech News, ,

  

I couldn’t resist getting the new Sony Xperia Z5 Compact, as I had spent an hour or so with the Z5 Compact at IFA and was left somewhat impressed. Clove Technology currently have the Z5 Compact on offer with a free pair of Sony headphones so it was a win win situation.
  
I have the Sony Z5 Compact in black and it looks and feels gorgeous. I already have published a post covering the Sony Z5 Camera with some sample shots – click here . This was with the help from reader Whitehartmart.

  
And back on the 3rd September I took some shots with the Z5, details here.

  

The Sony Z5 Compact improves upon previous versions with an upgraded camera sensor to 23mp. This currently holds the top spot by DxOmark over all smartphones. The power button has a fingerprint sensor too. The other key specs are –

– Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop) OS
– All new 23 MP Sony camera sensor
– Lossless 5x Clear Zoom and <0.1 second autofocus
– 4.6” HD resolution IPS LCD Screen
– 64 bit octa-core processor – Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 & 2GB RAM
– 32 GB storage & micro SD support up to 200 GB

The key aspect is its size versus top end specs. This really is a proper one handed use phone and I intend to check out its performance, camera, audio and other aspects and give you some honest feedback.

My thanks again to Clove Technology for sending the phone. It was here in a flash, such good service!

Update – As the rain had stopped, I went out last night and pushed the Z5 Compact camera to the max in some very low light conditions. What I found was in extreme low light the ISO was so high, the shots became too noisy to zoom in on but were okay to view on the screen and web.

DSC_0019

The above shot is in superior auto mode at 8mp. ISO is this shot was really low at ISO 80 and with a 1/2 second shutter speed. Not a bad shot really. The last shot was taken slightly later, and now it was really dark.

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In this shot the ISO is 800 with a 1/16 shutter speed. Again superior auto. Manual mode was worse in low light conditions as was increasing the camera to picture size to the full 23mp.

I will cover off more on the camera in my full review. Any questions, please ask.

Amazon plays dirty – removes Chromecast and Apple TV – my opinion

Amazon, Android, Apple, Tech News,

Amazon made a promise that it would remove from its website Google Chromecasts and Apple TVs. And true to its word, if you search on any of these you get Amazon Fire TV or Now TV as the top results.

But should Amazon be allowed to do this?

Amazon has grown to become a massive force in shopping, wiping out high street and online stores in the process. It now has a near monopoly on shopping. Amazon has achieved this by not paying tax at the same levels as its competitors and by offering fast class customer service. There are also stories about how it treats staff but that is a post for another day.

I always thought once Amazon had removed the competition it could raise its prices and nobody could stop them. In addition, it could start to decide what it was going to sell. But with such a monopoly and in some cases potentially being the only place to purchase a particular item, should any one company have the power to remove competitor’s products overnight? I think not.

Now it is clear there is more to this than meets the eye and I reckon behind the scenes there is some business fallout between the companies, but even so Amazon has a privileged position, a near monopoly and therefore should not be allowed to remove major products from other companies! I also think the timing is very deliberate to try and damage Apple’s release of their new Apple TV.

But do you agree?

Motorola Moto X Force – Its a Smash Hit – Details

Android, Tech News, ,

Just when you think you know which Motorola phone to buy, along comes the Motorola X Force. This is similar to the Moto X Style, click here for the review.

The difference over the X Style is the bigger battery and shatter proof screen. How shatter proof? See video and what an iPhone and Samsung get smashed, whereas the X Force screen has no damage whatsoever.

The Moto X Force is a phone I would personally love to own!

Samsung Galaxy View 18.4 inch tablet – First Thoughts

Android, Tech News,

Samsung just announced the Samsung Galaxy View, a 18.4 inch tablet. @Nirave from Android Authority goes hands on, video below.

From this brief video, it is clear the tablet is ridiculously large, too large, and seems to have issues with lag. It also does not fold flat as the rear cover part either pivots to allow to carry it or pivots the other way to act as a stand or typing position.

This will really be a niche product. The missing jigsaw piece is the price. If this is low cost then maybe this will have some traction

But I won’t be buying this.

The Apple Watch – One Month Later – review 

Apple, Reviews, Tech News, Wearables,

  

I have had the Apple Watch since I received the new iPhone 6S Plus. I’ve not really dedicated a post covering the Apple Watch as I have had some teething problems with iCloud and iTunes Match. Fortunately, these all seemed resolved. So now I can spend some time talking about why I stayed using the iPhone and that has to do with the wider hardware and software Eco system. The hardware includes iPad, MacBook and the of course the Apple Watch. 

I think I was lucky to get the Apple Watch when watch OSv2 arrived, otherwise I reckon I would have been somewhat disappointed with the original firmware. I looked at the 3 Apple Watch models and choose the steel finish with the Milanese strap and a spare sports strap. I like the blue sports strap as its marginally more comfortable than the Milanese strap, but doesn’t look as posh. But now I never wear the blue sports strap. Should I wish to swap the band, Apple make this process so simple with the push to release mechanism. 

So what do I like about the Apple Watch. The attention to detail in the build. I like the look of it on my wrist. However, my wife and I were discussing the real need of the Apple Watch and we both agree it is not necessary to own. If you want to get fit, buy a Fitbit Charge HR for £100.

However, what I have found as the month has progressed is how I start to use it for small things and let it help me speed up some routines or processes that I would use my iPhone for. 

  
Some of the flash stuff I like using on my Apple Watch is taking phone calls usually when my hands are engaged and my iPhone is in a different room. There is a slight delay while it hands off the call to the watch. This is only a viable option in a quiet room as the volume is not very loud. However, background noise does seem to get partially removed which is a plus point. 

  
  
My weather station statistics can be displayed on my Apple Watch and even includes a complication. I can take measurements with Qardio Blood Pressure monitor, monitor my walks across Dartmoor using Viewranger GPS. Replying to notifications via voice is accurate. Sending heart beats to my wife or little hand drawings is silly but fun at the same time.  Using Hey Siri command, seems hit or miss.

  
The fitness aspect of the watch works as described and links nicely into the activity and health app. As apps develop with the new firmware I can see more clever stuff being possible on your wrist. However, less is more so it I don’t let all my notifications hit my wrist. The Taptic vibration is also a lovely aspect of the watch. 

  
But as I originally said,  it is not a must have item, just a cool and clever item to have. Maybe that’s why Apple are trying to steer its focus away from a tech need, and more a fashion need!

Regardless, I really like it for its style, apps and geek factor.

Snapseed gets one huge update – details

Android, Tech News, ,

The free photo editing app, just got seriously a lot better again.

Today is a big day for Snapseed users! Snapseed 2.1 brings RAW photo editing to your Android device.

Traditionally, shooting and editing RAW photos has been the domain of DSLR cameras and desktop software. But with the RAW capabilities that were added to Android 5 last year, RAW is now becoming important for mobile photography, too.

Snapseed now allows you to edit those RAW photos in the DNG file format right on your mobile device. You can also edit DNGs that were shot on cameras or converted from other RAW formats.

A photo in RAW format preserves all of the original data that was captured by the camera. This allows you to perform edits – such as recovering blown-out highlights – that are impossible with the more commonly used JPEG format. Check out the photos for an example of the details that RAW editing with Snapseed 2.1 can bring out in an image.

In addition to RAW editing, we have made some slight polishes throughout the app to make it easier to navigate, so give it a try!

This is a great update and hopefully arrives soon on other platforms.

Source – +Anton Daubert G+

Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL – Details are pricing and where to order

Tech News, Windows, ,

phone

Microsoft Store went live yesterday with pre orders for the Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL.

The phones are £449 and £529 respectively. The specs are massive with everything including the kitchen sink. Full details can be find on the link for the Microsoft store above.

Delivery is by 3rd December 2015. My only concern is the Windows App store and the range and condition of the app catalogue available.

So are you ordering one?

Google Play Music extends to include Podcasts – Details and Opinion

Android, Tech News, , ,

Via Google –

“Today we’re launching a portal for podcasters to start uploading their shows to Google Play Music before we open up the service to listeners. Along with direct searches and browsing for podcasts, the service will connect new listeners with podcasts based on what they’re doing, how they’re feeling, or what they’re interested in. Similar to our contextual playlists for music, this will give podcast fans and new listeners a way of finding and listening to content that’s unique to Google Play Music. Podcasters in the US can start uploading shows now at g.co/podcastportal.”

Finally, this makes Google Play Music a complete offering by including podcasts. With the popularity of the podcast Serial, more and more people are listening to this format. I just wonder if some of Google’s new functionality will eventually be behind a pay wall or subscription!

Source – Official Android Blogspot

Motorola Droid Turbo 2 – A phone with a Shatterproof screen – opinion and full specs

Android, Tech News, ,

Last night Verizon and Motorola held an event to launch new Droid phones. The Droid Turbo 2 was more of interest to me with its extensive specifications, but more importantly a useful new feature – a shatterproof screen.

Before we talk about the screen, these are the key specs –

– Operating system – Android 5.1 Lollipop
-Processor – Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, Adreno 430 GPU, Natural Language Processor, Contextual Computing Processor
– Rear camera 21MP, f/2.0 aperture, phase-detect autofocus, duel LED flash, 4K video @ 30fps
– Front camera 5MP, f/2.0 aperture, wide-angle lens, 1.4um pixel
– Display 5.4-inch POLED Quad HD (1440×2560) 540 ppi
– Battery 3760 mAh, with Qi and PowerMat wireless charging
– Networks CDMA (850/1900); GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900); UMTS/HSPA+(850/900/1900/2100); LTE (B2/3/4/5/7/13)
– SIM Nano-SIM
– Wifi 802.11ac with MIMO
– Bluetooth 4.1 LE
– Other NFC, Infrared sensors
– Storage 32GB/64GB with microSD
– RAM 3GB
– Dimensions 149.8 x 78 x 7.6-9.2 mm
– Weight 169 grams

So the Motorola X Style has been beefed up with a bigger battery, extra sensors and Qi/Powermat Wireless charging. And then there is the shatter proof display. Quite a big claim from Motorola, but in tests carried out on YouTube, the screen does not shatter when dropped. Now all phones need this tech but I doubt manufacturers would want to add this as nobody would need to buy a new phone if they broke their old one when the screen cracked!

However, the Verizon logo printed on the front of the phone is awful.

Apple’s Q4 Earnings – Full Summary And Tit Bits along with My Opinion 

Apple, Tech News

The key facts –

– Apple made $51.5 billion in revenue equating to $11.1 billion in net profit. 

Do you really need to know any more? The above numbers alone are staggeringly amazing. Last year Apple reported $42.1 billion in revenue and a net profit of just $8.5 billion. So that’s an increase of 22%. 

– 5.7 million macs sold up 3% from last year
– 48 million iPhones sold
– 9.9 million iPads sold. A decrease from previous quarters. 
– $3 billion in other sales which includes the Apple Watch. 
– Revenue for the fiscal year was a record $234 billion. 
– Gross margin up at 39.9%. 
– Apple now has $205 billion in cash in the bank
– Android users converted at their highest rate to date of 30%. 
– Apple exited the quarter with iPhone demand outstripping supply
– iOS 9 is on track to be downloaded by more users than any software release in Apple’s history
– Apple is partnering with American Express to bring Apple Pay to customers in “key global markets” in Australia and Canada this year, expanding to Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong in 2016.
– More than 50 brands are working on HomeKit-enabled accessories.
– iOS News app is “off to a great start,” with nearly 40 million people reading (Gavin’s Gadgets is on Apple News too – click here to add – https://apple.news/Tu9tdW_qTR9eB1NYhdNQ65g )
– Total iPhone sales were up 120 percent in mainland China.
– Apple Watch – more than 13,000 apps are available for Apple Watch, with 1,300 of those native apps for watchOS 2.
– Apple Watch was available at almost 5,000 stores in 32 countries by the end of the quarter.
– Apple had a “huge” first day of sales for the fourth-generation Apple TV
– iPad Pro is on track to begin shipping in November.
– Over 15 million individual and family accounts are currently using Apple Music, including 6.5 million paying customers.
– Services revenue reached an all-time high in the September quarter of $5.1 billion, up 10 percent, mainly due to strong growth from apps.
– App Store revenue was up 127 percent year over year in China.
– App Store business grew 25 percent last quarter.
– Apple estimates that enterprise markets represented about $25 billion in revenue for Apple over the last 12 months, up 40 percent year over year.

It doesn’t matter how you cut these figures, the results are mighty impressive. Apple is moving into the holiday period with sales of new iPhones, new iPad Mini 4 and iPad Pro, new Apple TV, and revenue from all its services. The Apple Watch is widely available and will undoubtedly be bought as a Xmas gift.

WOW.