Microsoft Store let slip full details of its upcoming Microsoft Lumia 950 XL and Lumia 950.
So are these specs good enough? Are they enough to make you want to move to Microsoft, or is Microsoft making one last phone for consumers? Maybe they’ll switch to iOS and android?
What do you think?
Source – @daithaigilbert
Google announced yesterday the 2 new Nexus phones, but now it’s LG’s turn to go for glory.
And below is the official press render for the V10 with its secondary display. I wonder if the camera is improved? Don’t you think it looks cool.
PS. Allow a few moments for page to load properly to see image.
Source – @evleaks
Google held a press conference to announce two new smartphones , android 6.0 marshmallow, new updates to Google Photos, family sharing plan for Google Play Music, a new Chromecast, Chromecast Audio and the Pixel C tablet. For details on pricing and full specifications – https://store.google.com/
So Google is offering a 16gb Nexus 5X for £339 right up to a 128gb Nexus 6P for £579.The Nexus 5X also comes in a 32gb storage option, and the 6P in 32 and 64gb. Both phones feature the latest operating system from Google, android 6.0 along with the same cameras. The rear cameras feature a 12.3mp rear camera with large 1.55u pixels. The 5X is plastic and has a Snapdragon 808 processor whereas the 6P is metal with a snapdragon 810. Both include the new android sensor hub.
What is not included is a support for micro SD and optical image stabilisation for the rear camera. Qi Wireless charging has been removed too. I don’t get why wireless charging was removed as well as OIS. Micro SD is neither here nor there.
So here are my views –
Phones – The 5X is a cheaper option with lower storage too. It has 2gb ram, Gorilla Glass 3, built with plastic, 1080p screen and a snapdragon 808 processor. On paper the specs are IMO rather average. Maybe the new camera will be a surprise but there is no OIS. The 6P with a QHD display, snapdragon 810, 3gb ram and Gorilla Glass 4 and in a metal build seems like the better option but starting at around £449 for the 32gb with no micro SD card is not a bargain. I just wasn’t bowled over. But if you are in the market for a new phone, this could be one to consider. Personally some of the Nexus phones just lack features. Buy a Sony Xperia Z5 and you can link it to a Playstation Game Controller and play remote Playstation games, or listen to music through its special built in amplifier.
New Chromecasts – rather funky and look great with added wifi aerials. A no brainer. The Chromecast audio was also a great idea. Both £30 which I am sure will have lower pricing after a few months.
Pixel C – love this tablet and such a great piece of engineering. Truly liked this a lot.
Software – once again Google provided an updated and tweaked software experience to complete the package on these new phones.
For the price of the 32gb Nexus 6P, a new Chromecast and Pixel C you could buy a 128gb iPhone 6S Plus. That’s the value of the Google products.
So what did you think?
Below are videos from Google of the new phones.
Welcome to my review of the Suaoki Compact 40W 8A 5 Port High speed USB charger.
The key specifications –
– Sleek & Compact Design: weighing only 140g, sizing equivalent to a deck of cards
– Suaoki 5-port USB charger is the lightest and smallest intelligent multi-port charger on the market.
– Suaoki Exclusive TIR-C Technology: build-in smart IC for each USB port intelligently identifies your device and adapts to its specific recharge rate (rise to 2.4 amps per port), speeds up charging process
– 5-port fuss-free USB charger: compatible with all USB-charged devices like iPhone, iPad, Samsung, tablets, smartphones, external battery, Bluetooth speaker
– Hardened plastic outer shell for durability, combination of glossy and matte finish for a better grip.
– Safety Guaranteed: premium materials used provide over-heated, over-current, over-charging protection. UL, CE, FCC, ROHS certified design ensures superior performance and reliability.
I was looking for another 5 port USB charger, and normally I have gone the Anker route but I came across Suaoki after reading articles from a number of other websites. Add to the fact the USB charger was reduced to £13.99, and I parted with my money.
5 port USB chargers aren’t exciting products to review with loads of wow specs normally, but the Suaoki is remarkable small and apparently one of the smallest sized products on the market. Here it is next to my Anker for comparison.
It also has some decent specs with a 40W 8A 5 port setup allowing up to 2.4 amps per port. This is all managed with some special tech that adapts the specific charge dependant on the device. So far I have used it with an iPad, a selection of android phones, iPhone, camera, and portable battery pack.
So if you’re looking for a compact 5 port USB charger the Suaoki could be just the ticket.
Below is a video review which highlights just how compact this charger is in real life.
Suaoki Compact Smallest 40W 8A 5 Port High Speed USB Charger deal at Amazon UK
So Apple announces that it sold a record 13m iPhones over the launch weekend up by 3m from last year. So it’s only natural that Wall Street responds with disapproval and disappointment and causes Apple’s share price to drop. Sometimes I do wonder if morons run Wall Street!
At a time when Samsung and other phone companies are struggling to sell their phones, Apple had no problem whatsoever in shifting a record breaking number. I do suspect China played a big part in the sales figures. Also worth noting that the iPhone will go on sale in another 40 countries on 10th October.
This year was the first year that Apple made buying the new iPhone a much easier process and in turn reduced the queue sizes.
Now back to the camera and low light photos. Apparently for low light shots you get much better results if you switch off the live photo mode. I have not had time to test this thoroughly but will over the coming weeks. Also there are a number of third party apps that specialise in low light photography including Slow Shutter Cam and Nightcap Pro and I will see what difference these apps make.
In the meantime, taken at dusk yesterday is the photo below. Unedited. Seems ok to me.
Welcome to my review of the Acer Iconia One 8 tablet review. This is a review unit provided by Acer PR which I have been using for over a month.
The Acer Iconia One 8 is a 8 inch screen tablet available in 6 fashionable colours from white, two different blues and pinks and black. The tablet runs android 5.0 with an Intel Atom 4 core CPU running at 1.8HGz. AnTuTu kicked in at 33,198.
It has 16gb storage with 1gb ram. The screen resolution is 1280 x 800. GPS is included as well as Bluetooth 4.0. It weighs 354g. Retails for around £125. The rear is has a perforated feel which makes it easier to hold. The button placement is slightly awkward as they are slightly recessed.
One of the quirks of the device is the touchscreen which features Precision Plus 3 technology. With an Acer Accurate Stylus you can write and sketch with the idea to feel like you are actually writing on on paper. Acer also state that you can even use thin-tipped objects like pencils to make notes. I didn’t try this as I did not have a single pencil at home!
Acer add a number of extra functions and apps, some of which are useful and others you may decide to park inside a folder. The Iconia suite includes EZ Note, EZ Snap, EZ Wakeup and EZ Gadget. The EZ Snap is a function when activated that allows you to capture screen shots with a 3 finger gesture. With 5 fingers you can wake up the tablet and launch your chosen app. EZ Gadget is a floating app with access to several tools – calculator browser, text memo and calendar. It stays in its own movable and resizable window on top of other apps. It is the size of 5 icons across, so remains fairly visible and easily accessible. A standard feature of Acer devices is BYOC. Bring Your Own Cloud. Activate these apps on all your other devices and you create your own private cloud solution for music, docs, photos, files and video. Neat.
The screen resolution is 1280 x 800 which is whilst not the highest available does have a benefit of up to 10 hours battery life. In real world usage I got around 7.5 hours. The 16gb storage has around 8gb free after I installed a few apps. Smoothness. 1gb ram is just enough to keep this tablet providing a relatively reasonable experience mainly because it has a near stock build of android. Storage is expandable with a micro SD card. There are front and rear cameras, but you won’t be buying this tablet to take photos. The front camera is 0.3mp! And the rear is slightly better if that helps. The loudspeaker produces a clear sound maxing out at around 83db.
After using the Acer Iconia One 8 for a month I have no real complaints and some of the extra features and apps added by Acer were useful and others not. Note taking by writing on the screen was novel! At the end of the day it is an android tablet for around £125.
Acer Iconia One B1-820 8-Inch Tablet Special Offer at Amazon UK
Well I have used the iPhone 6S Plus over the weekend and taken a number of photos now. Bit by bit I am beginning to see the strengths and weaknesses.
First the photos. Remember, clicking on each photo will bring you to my Flickr account. There you can view the full size.
These all look amazing, except there are some limitations that I spotted. Despite near perfect weather, unless I got closer to my dogs, which in these shots I was unable, they are not as crystal clear, and cropping in closer does not help matters. The LG G4 would have nailed a shot like this and allowed me to crop in too without losing too much picture quality. However, the overall balance and picture reproduction is stunning. The panoramic shots are really impressive. The shutter speed of the 6S is super fast and even allows a burst of 999 shots. 4K video is better IMO than the LG G4 and just ahead of the S6. Lower light goes to the G4 and S6. The front selfie screen flash works very well. Live photos are superb. Just love the extra motion as I browse through the shots. Brings the moment back to life. The other aspect of the iPhone is reliability. It is so great at getting the shot correct first time every time.
Before I got this phone, IMO, the LG G4 had the best camera for stills. And I still believe it does with all the built in manual controls, RAW and its overall ability to find the light with its f/1.8 vs the iPhone 6S Plus f/2.2. However, the G4 loses out to video quality and other some other shots like panoramic. Of course, a phone is not always just about the camera!
Lenovo were displaying a large range of phones and tablets. In fact some large phones. The above is the Lenovo Phab Phone. It’s got a 6.8 inch screen and Snapdragon 615 processor. The other specs are all OK too. Just huge.
Lenovo also had the Vibe S1 with dual front cameras. That right, dual front cameras. Again all the other specs were reasonable too.
CX had it ranges of portable cameras and their new camera just being released. For added entertainment they had members of the Cirque de Soleil on their stand.
Another headphone, this time Soundmagic and their top end HP200. IFA 2015 had so many headphones by different companies , I lost track of them all!
Yesterday, I took hundreds of photos and a selection of 4K video footage.
Below is a selection of the results. What I noticed is that the photos are captured with an ISO 25 which is really impressive.
You’ve all seen robots that clean carpets? Well if you haven’t watch the video below.
But even more bizarre is robots cleaning windows. So watch on.
This was another crazy area of IFA 2015 where you get surprises at every corner.
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 