I got a chance to spend a bit more time with the Note 4 yesterday and still am left in two minds over this phablet. It is definitely a step up from the Note 3 which I adored, but I feel Samsung’s phablet space is well and truly invaded by Apple with its iPhone 6 Plus.
However, to give the Note 4 a fair crack at the whip, I have one en route which should arrive at some point next week.
So if you have any questions please let me know and I will try and answer them in my review of the Note 4.
So Samsung has officially launched the Note 4 and I was lucky enough to spend 15 mins with the phone.
First impressions. It feels small. Seriously it felt small in my hand. Just shows you how using the larger iPhone 6 Plus changes your perception on size. The phone was comfortable to hold and felt grippy enough unlike my 6 Plus which needs a case.
Finish. Whilst is has a nicer metal edge and generally better designed all over, I was not bowled over with thoughts of ooooooh and aaaaaah. Definitely the best finish I have seen on any Samsung phone. But what really stood out was the screen. Really vivid. In terms of operation everything seemed to flow rather well. Showing recent apps seemed to have a slight lag.
Overall my brief time with the Note 4 was positive but I am not sure its strong enough to sway me away from iOS this month.
The Nexus 6 only got announced a few days ago, but already camera samples have surfaced via Phone Arena. Click here http://www.phonearena.com/news/First-Nexus-6-camera-samples-surface_id61811
Having had a look at these samples, I was not bowled over. How about yourself?
Google has announced the Nexus Player. Nexus Player is powered by a 1.8GHz Intel Atom processor with PowerVR Series 6 graphics, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. Voice search built into the remote control. It also has Chromecast and a gamepad that brings Android gaming into the living room.
The Nexus Player is similar to Apple TV except it connects to the Google Play Store to offer films, TV shows, music, apps and games and more.
The next question is how will Apple respond to this.
Google have announced the Nexus 6, made by Motorola. The Nexus 6 will feature Android L 5.0, has a huge 5.96-inch screen and Quad HD (2560×1440) resolution. On the inside it’s running the latest Snapdragon 805 processor. Storage comes in 32 and 64GB configurations, and around the back there’s a 13-megapixel camera with OIS. The phone also comes with a Motorola Turbo Charger, which should give you six hours of power from a 15 minute charge. Qi Wireless charging is also included.
However, unlike the Nexus 5, this will cost a lot of money. It is also too big for most people.
So what do you think?
Google announced Android L yesterday and it really adds a lot of extra functionality. The key points are –
1) Material Design- Android L introduces a new bold colourful UI. Seems like everyone is updating their UI’s nowadays.
2) Notifications -only get interrupted when you decide using priority mode, view and respond to messages directly from your lock screen, Android Lollipop can stop incoming phone calls from interrupting what you’re watching or playing.
3) Battery – A battery saver feature which extends device use by up to 90 mins
4) Security – New devices come with encryption automatically turned on to help protect data on lost or stolen devices
5) More flexible sharing with family and friends – Multiple users for phones. Guest user mode.
6) New Quick Settings now include handy controls like flashlight, hotspot, screen rotation and cast screen controls
7) New connectivity options and improved modes
8) Now runs on ART, android runtime. 4 x better performance ,Support for 64 bit devices, like the Nexus 9, brings desktop class CPUs to Android
9) Improved graphics and audio, video, and camera capabilities. A range of new professional photography features for Android Lollipop that let you capture full resolution frames around 30 fps, raw formats like YUV and Bayer RAW supported. Control capture settings for the sensor, lens, and flash per individual frame
Capture metadata like noise models and optical information. State of the art video technology with support for HEVC main profile to allow for UHD 4K 10-bit video playback, tunneled hardware video decoding to save power and improved HLS support for streaming.
10) Android TV Support for living room devices
And so much more. Makes android very compelling.
Google announced the Nexus 9. Below is the full info.
– Size – 8.9 x 6.05 x 0.31 inches
– Weight Wifi version 425 grams, LTE version 436 grams
– Display 8.9 inches (2048 x 1536), 4:3 aspect ratio
– Processor NVIDIA Tegra K1 64-bit dual-core processor at 2.3 GHz
– LTE model uses Qualcomm MDM9625M modem
– Operating system Android 5.0 Lollipop
– Memory 16GB and 32GB for Wifi-only, 32GB for LTE
– RAM 2GB DDR3
– Network HSPA+/LTE
– Connectivity 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, Wifi 802.11ac, Chromecast
– Camera 8MP rear with BSI, f/2.4, 1080p video
– 1.6MP front, BSI, 720p video
– Sound Front-facing BoomSound speakers
– Battery 6,700 mAh Li-polymer
– Accessories Keyboard Folio, cover
This is clearly a straight hit at Apple and the iPad Air. But does it tempt you with the high resolution screen and Boomsound speakers?
Google has produced 6 short videos promoting Android. I really like these as they are witty at times and not knocking the competition. They also make fragmentation cool.
KAZAM has announced the arrival of the World’s thinnest smartphone in Europe. Available mid November for £249.
At only 5.15mm thin, the KAZAM Tornado 348 is a marvel of mobile engineering. Combining a robust aluminium-magnesium alloy uni-body with a wealth of features:
4.8” AMOLED 1280 x 780 HD Gorilla Glass® screen, the display on Tornado 348 offers resolution and clarity that is hard to beat.
8MP main camera with 1080p video capture, coupled with an incredible 5MP front facing camera, perfect for the ever-popular selfie.
The MediaTek True Octa-core MT6592 processor is blisteringly quick and powerful, easily capable of handling the most demanding of mobile applications simultaneously alongside other features.
All brought together with Google’s KitKat 4.4.2, and supported by KAZAMs unrivalled customer proposition – one year screen protection* and KAZAM Rescue service.
Dimensions [139.8 x 67.5 x 5.15mm], 95.5g. Battery 2050mAh
Impressive that even though it’s 5.15mm thin it still has a 2050mAH battery.
If you own a $200,000 Bentley then spending $10,000 on a phone shouldn’t be an issue.
If you need to know more than the fact it’s got a quality leather finish and Bentley logo then here goes. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat, has a 4.7-inch 1080p sapphire-fronted display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.3Ghz quad-core processor, 13MP rear camera, 2.1MP front camera, 64GB of storage, LTE, NFC and Qi charging.
It has a few more novel features so if you’re interested head over to Vertu.
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