Category Archives: Android

YouTube Music Key – Google’s new Music service – details

Android, Tech News,

ytube

Via Androidpolice.com

“Google has big plans for both YouTube and Google Play Music. We’ve heard a lot about YouTube’s potential subscription music playback service, background audio, and offline playback, and there’s been much speculation about what such an arrangement would mean for Play Music All Access. YouTube is set to launch a service called YouTube Music Key, and Google is set to rebrand Google Play Music All Access to Google Play Music Key. This Is YouTube Music Key, Google’s Upcoming Subscription Service With Offline Support, Background Audio, No Ads, Free Play Music Key ”

So explaining this a bit further, YouTube Music Key would feature offline playback even when an internet connection is not present. The audio-only mode is offline playback that allows keep using YouTube Music Key when using another app or when the display is turned off. As expected, this paid music streaming service would be free of advertisements. Ads would no longer appear across a subscriber’s phone, tablet, computer, or television.

In terms of cost, it will be $9.99 like the current Play Music All Access. YouTube Music Key’s price will also include the new Play Music Key. Current subscribers of Google’s music streaming service would automatically be moved into the new services.

So does this sound better than your existing streaming service?

Move over – this is the Sharp Aquos Crystal X

Android, Tech News, ,

sharp

Just look at how little bezels there are present on this phone. It looks great, and is coming to the USA. Sharp Aquos Crystal X has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 801 and is 10mm thick chassis. The balance of the specs are all run of the mill. It is more about the screen and lack of bezels.

Stunning.

Concrete information on the Moto 360 Smartwatch – Price and Specs

Android, Tech News, Wearables, ,

Courtesy of an accidental release by Bestbuy.com, concrete information on the Moto 360 has been released.
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The price will be $249 with the following specs –

– Compatible with most devices with an Android 4.3 or later operating system
– Bluetooth 4.0 technology – Enables wireless syncing to select devices for hassle-free connectivity.
– Voice activated -Allows you to use spoken commands to operate the smart watch via the built-in microphone.
– Vibration alert – Discreetly notifies you of important events.
– 1.5″ backlit LCD touch screen -With 320 x 290 resolution and 205 ppi makes it easy to navigate features and provides easy-to-read visuals. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 construction offers durability, and the adjustable brightness allows custom use.
– Built-in optical heart rate monitor – Helps you achieve or stay within your ideal heart rate range.
– Built-in pedometer – Measures the number of steps taken, so you can easily monitor your fitness progress throughout the day.
– Digital watch interface – Provides crisp, clear readouts of the time and date. Built-in alarm and calendar features help you stay on schedule.
– Waterproof up to 3.3′ for up to 30 minutes – So you can safely wear the watch while swimming or engaging in other aquatic activities.
– Stainless-steel case and plastic case back
– Offer durability. The adjustable-length Horween leather band and metal buckle closure deliver a secure, comfortable fit.
– Built-in lithium-ion battery pack – Provides long-lasting operation. The battery-strength indicator lets you know when the battery needs to be powered via the included dock and charger.
-Texas Instruments processor- Helps ensure fast, efficient performance.
– WiFi Wireless N Connectivity

And there you have it. So whose interested. And what’s with the Wifi Wireless N included. This seems a little odd. Clearly there are still some more specs to be revealed!

Why I won’t buy another android phone unless it has 32gb internal storage

Android, Apple, Tech News

Google and it’s latest version of software KitKat changed how external micro sd card can be used.

What does this mean? External micro sd cards can really only be used for your music, photos, films and documents so long as the app has been updated properly. There was a lot of negative noise about this change but I believe it is for the best. Delete an app, and it also deletes all it’s contents on its dedicated folders both in internal and external storage. It also provides better security as an app can only read content from its own folders.

Anyway, I currently have the LG G3 with 32gb storage/3gb ram and with a 64gb micro sd card. That will soon be a 128gb card giving me 160gb storage.

But the key is the internal memory. This is needed for installing apps and in some cases the apps databases which might only work on the internal storage. It’s worth remembering that if you buy a phone with 16gb storage it will only have somewhere between 8-11gb free. From memory my 32gb G3 had about 25gb free. One of my previous devices was a Samsung Note 3. This had about 24gb free. And boy what a difference it makes having this amount of space free with the added expansion of the micro sd card.

So having a large amount of storage is a wonderful feeling. You’re find me dancing in the streets so happy I’ve got all the free storage. Well figuratively speaking 🙂

Yesterday, I had some spare time, so I looked at my Google Play wish list of apps, games and media. After a few hours I had downloaded several decent games and mapping software. All in all with the size of the games, apps and their respective databases I needed about 2gb. The mapping software in particular was a significant download for the offline terrain maps of Dartmoor. So I checked after installing everything and my storage stats showed I had used 16gb for apps and games with another 4gb for the caches. If I hadn’t had the extra storage provided by a 32gb device there is no way in a million years I could have the current software setup.

My LG G3 key software setup comprises gps and mapping, weather and weather station management, home automation, gaming and game controllers, camera and advanced photo editing, social networking, office and office documents, shopping services, health and fitness devices and tracking and web browsing and news gathering. There are a few other smaller functions like using the G3 as my infra red remote control for my TV etc… But with all this functionality is the need for storage.

So I have vowed never to buy an android phone unless it’s 32gb with micro sd card expansion. I actually now realise that a 64gb iPhone 6 would not allow me enough space to manage my phone requirements, hence why it’s not on my current short list. And if Apple realise a 128gb iPhone it will just be too expensive.

Adobe Photoshop Express – brilliant app but I’ve rated it 1 star

Android, Tech News,

On the Google Play store is Adobe Photoshop Express. It’s a free app with in app purchases. And the built in photo editing features and filters are excellent.

But I’ve rated it 1 star. Why? None of the premium in app features will work unless you’re connected to the internet. What a joke. Even more disgraceful is that Adobe offer no warning in the app description. 

If the app is updated to change this policy then I will rate it 5 stars.

I discovered this by accident. Last night I was in the Indian takeaway waiting for my feast and decided to edit some of my photos. But I couldn’t use any of the premium features which I needed so aborted my plans.

Not only that there is no way to easily contact Adobe support. A big fail in my book. However, I did get a useless response from @adobecare , their support account. “@AdobeCare: @gavinfabiani Hi, the app needs internet access to connect to Adobe Revel accounts & updates. Not sure when an update will be out ^SV” – Adobe completely avoided my question.

Other examples could be you’re in a dead zone in the UK or on holiday sitting by the pool. You won’t be able to apply any premium filters or features that you’ve paid big money.

And if you look at the reviews on the Play Store I’m not alone feeling aggravated by this stupid control freakery.

The app is available on iOS and Windows Phone too so I would check to see if it has the same restrictions.

Are we too obsessed with smartphone cameras? And what should be the prime objective?

Android, Apple, Tech News, Windows

Below are some photos I’ve taken over the years with a number of different phones. I’ve tried to keep the subject matter similar where possible.

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The shot above was taken using the iPhone 4. Yes iPhone 4!

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So same church but this is using the crappy camera in the HTC Hero. However, still perfectly acceptable. Below is a shot from the iPhone 5.

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The above shot was using the HTC HD2. An old classic but it still took great photos.

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Now the above shot is at the same place, just in the middle of thick haunted fog. You could hardly see anything that day. But I really liked the shot from the ancient iPhone 3GS.

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So let’s take a few current phones. The above is from the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom. The S5 would have taken a similar shot to that shown below from the LG G3.

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I could continue with samples from so many different smartphone cameras but my point is this, regardless of how good or poor their camera sensors were they all captured the memory. If you want DSLR quality go and buy one so you can pixel peep to your hearts content.

If there was one prime objective when deciding on which phone to buy, make sure it’s the one that can take the shot easily and fast. A memory doesn’t exist if you did not take the photo in time. That’s why iPhones are great. Quick to open the camera app and quick to snap the shot. The HTC One M8 and LG G3 are equally as impressive. And in all honesty smartphone sensors are tiny so miracles won’t ever happen.

If you happen to expand your horizons down the DSLR or similar route you will be surprised at just what you can do with a proper camera. I recently acquired an ultra wide 10-20mm camera lens. It takes photos like I’ve never seen before! Sample shot below-
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So have a good weekend everyone. And happy shooting 🙂

The Big Problem with the Samsung Galaxy Alpha

Android, Tech News

Samsung officially took the wraps off the Galaxy Alpha. It’s a 720p screened android device. It’s got a mix of high and mid end specs but with a design and finish that is meant to look cool.

From a personal point of view I don’t dislike the Alpha. It is one of a few android phones that will be able to be used one handed that comes with some decent specs. However it faces a big problem.

Samsung clearly released this to combat the iPhone. The problem is there is only one new iPhone a year. Only Apple manufacture an iOS phone. So if you want an iPhone there is only one place to buy it from. That strengthens the Apple brand. This creates a little exclusivity.

However, if you want a phone powered by android your choice is endless. Samsung not only is doing battle with Apple but with android manufacturers from both the low, mid and high end. So on paper when we look at the specs of the Alpha we all can list at least 10 phones that come with better specifications. Question is do the specs make it a better offering than the Alpha? And will Samsung’s relentless marketing be strong and effective to quash competition?

Only time will tell, but I don’t think the Alpha will be a dead duck, quite the opposite in fact selling more than anticipated. Why? It’s a strong well known and trusted brand by the average person, it’s not too excessive in size and it looks good.

However, iPhone fans will respond by saying that the year old 5S can still out gun the new Alpha. And they would be right. And we must not forget that Sony will be launching their Sony Xperia Z3 Compact as another iPhone competitor. Samsung won’t have an easy ride. And let’s not forget the new iPhone is not even announced yet!

So do you agree?

The Samsung Galaxy Alpha – It’s Official – Video and Specs

Android, Tech News

Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy Alpha. Below is the first video from Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy Alpha has a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED display, Exynos octacore processor with 2GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage, LTE-A support, 1860mAh battery, fingerprint sensor, 12 megapixel rear camera, 2.1 megapixel front camera. All its standard Touchwiz features are present along with Android 4.4.4.

This is a metal build phone from Samsung. The Galaxy Alpha is just 6.7mm thick and it weighs 115g.

The Galaxy Alpha will be released in five colours, black, white, gold, silver and blue. Samsung says that the new device will be released sequentially in more than 150 countries starting September 2014.

This is the phone Samsung has produced to take on Apple’s new iPhone. So what do you think?
alphas

OnePlus pulls another marketing stunt – this time it’s sexist

Android, Tech News

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From OnePlus, the smartphone maker that does sell phones unless by invitation.

“As we close in on the 200K mark for the number of registered forum users, OnePlus wants to give a shout out to the few but beautiful female fans in our community with our Ladies First contest.

In true gentlemen fashion and because chivalry is not dead, we are giving the lovely ladies of OnePlus a chance to skip the invite line and introduce themselves to us.

Ladies (and only ladies, sorry guys, ladies first), the rules are simple:
Draw the OnePlus logo on a piece of paper or on your hand/face/wherever (so we know it’s really you)
Take a photo of yourself with the OnePlus logo clearly visible
Post the photo in this thread
The 50 most well-liked ladies will receive an invite and a Never Settle t-shirt. Additionally, we will be giving out another 100 invites at random to any lady who participates in the contest. The contest begins today and ends on Friday. We will announce the winners on Monday.

Ladies, no nudity please”

In today’s politically correct society, this type of marketing is 100% sexist and is tasteless.

However, for a new startup, it’s certain to gather print and online print. And there is no such thing as bad publicity and therefore achieves its intended purpose whether or not you agree with it, is a different matter.

Update – all threads relating to this despicable stunt have been pulled. I so wonder if OnePlus ever intended to run this competition and merely used it for the attention. I will say, when my invite arrived last week to buy the OnePlus One phone I so despised the company with all it’s tacky tactics that I decided never to buy a phone from them!