Category Archives: Android

Samsung Galaxy K Zoom – cases

July 6, 2014Android, Reviews, Tech Newscases, Review, Samsung Galaxy K ZoomGavin Fabiani-Laymond

If you are lucky enough to have a Samsung Galaxy K Zoom, you are also unlucky in that accessories for this device are scarce at the moment.

You can buy a £2-3 wave silicone style case as shown quite easily but in my opinion it is ugly. There are now a few more styles, a yellow back style that provides less protection and when in stock Samsung have their fake leather looking case. The official fake leather Samsung case is in transit, and photos will follow shortly. There are other styles coming soon along and hopefully spare batteries which for a camera phone are needed.

The yellow back case shown , is more stylish than the black silicone case but does offers less protection. The top and bottom of the case is open and the buttons are exposed as opposed to the black silicone wave style where everything is covered and offers a lot of protection. Also, this case is too slippery. So even though the black case looks ugly it provides better grip and protection.

One other style of case made by Araree is Autopop, where even the lens is covered on the K Zoom, and pops open when you activate the camera.

Hopefully, I will be able to get hold of a number of different styles and do a quick comparison between them.

Wearables – Google’s Android Wear Apps and Hardware are incoming fast

July 4, 2014Android, Wearablesandroid wear, android wear apps, LG G Watch, Reviews, samsung gear liveGavin Fabiani-Laymond

At Google I/O a few weeks ago, Android Wear Google’s wearable platform was announced in more detail. LG and Samsung have just released their android wear smart watches. But for these devices to work you first need to download the Android Wear app.

Link to Google Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.wearable.app

Also, you will need the latest version of Google Play Services v5.0. Again this is available via the Play Store, but you should find your android phone has the latest version by now.

Next have a browse of the dedicated Android Wear section on the Google Play Store. Link https://play.google.com/store/apps/collection/promotion_30008f2_io_android_wear

And if you have not seen the new smartwatches, again have a look on the Play Store under devices. Or click here https://play.google.com/store/devices/collection/promotion_500013a_android_wear_gb

If you already have either of the above smart watches, expect software updates before Monday 7th July.

The LG G Watch review is incoming soon too.

Google Nexus 9 Tablet specs and info

July 4, 2014Android, Tech NewsGoogle Nexus 9 specs and infoGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Thanks to @evleaks we have more information of the upcoming Nexus 9 tablet.

The Nexus 9 will be manufactured by HTC and will feature a silver aluminium unibody design. This alone sounds promising.

Other specs for the tablet, codenamed Volantis include an 8.9-inch display, a resolution of 2560×1600 pixels, 64-bit, 2.3 GHz Tegra K-1 quad-core processor, 5GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The camera is likely to be either a 5 or 8mp affair.

Get ready for the Samsung Galaxy Mega 2

July 3, 2014Android, Tech Newssamsung galaxy mega 2 detailsGavin Fabiani-Laymond

In the world of phablets, the Note 3 is surely at the pinnacle. However, other companies are making larger phones than Samsung now and slowly eroding its niche space.

In return, Samsung introduced a lower cost giant Galaxy Mega last year. Well, the Mega 2 is coming and it should feature a huge 5.9-inch display with 720p HD resolution, a 64-bit quad-core Snapdragon processor, 2GB of RAM, a 12-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and Android 4.4.3 KitKat.

So who wants one? Not me, far too big.

Google Glass arrives in the UK, and it’s already banned – crazy

July 3, 2014Android, Tech News, Wearablesgoogle glass banned in the uk at vue and other placesGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Google is not having much luck with perception of its Google Glass. In the US, it has caused condemnation, worries about privacy and safety while driving.

Now it has arrived in the UK, the Vue movie theater chain in the UK and the Cinema Exhibitors’ Association trade group have announced a ban of the use of Google Glass inside their establishments.

Now what on earth do they think someone with Glass will do? Record a film? Well it just shows on pathetic these companies are in that they really don’t understand Glass. First, the recording quality will be dreadful and next the memory isn’t sufficient nor is the Glass battery.

Personally, I think the companies put out this statement to gain some free publicity at the expensive of Glass.

MiPow Playbulb Bluetooth LED Smart Loudspeaker Light review

July 2, 2014Android, Apple, Reviews, Tech Newsloudspeaker, mipow playbulb, Review, smart ledGavin Fabiani-Laymond

The Playbulb is available from Clove Technology and costs £49.99 inclusive of VAT.

The specifications of the Playbulb are –

-Voltage : 100-240V / 50-60Hz
-Power : 14Wrms (max) LED + audio
-Fits : E26 / E27 screw base light sockets
-LED power : 3W
-Speaker power : 3W RMS
-Frequency Response : 135Hz to 15KHz
-Bluetooth® version : 4.0 and Bluetooth® Smart, A2DP
-Wireless range : 10m (33ft)
-Available grill colors : white / silver
-Available LED Colors : Warm White, Cool White
-Apps : Additional functions such as LED control, EQ selection, operating -Modes etc. provided by PLAYBULBTM Apps available on iTunes and Playstore
-Apps Supported Devices : iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, iPod (5th generation), iPad (4th generation), iPad Air, iPad mini, Android Devices with Android 4.3 and above

So to start off, screw bulb in to a light fitting. I used my clamp on fitting which gives versatility in placement. Next turn on your Bluetooth settings on pair the device. You should see it connected as a headset. See below.

Next open up the app, and you will be faced with the screen shot above. Tap, Playbulb and move into the next screen.

On this page you can use the slider to adjust the light strength, you shake to turn on or off, access music on the phone and tap in the settings.

Just how bright is full brightness. See photo below.

It’s really bright, but a quick adjustment on the slider and you can lower the light right down as far as you want until it’s off. Below a slightly lowered light setting.

But then the app allows even more controls of the Playbulb from wake up, energy saver, night and sleep modes. The modes are self explanatory really, but as an example you get be woken up with the Playbulb turning the light on and playing some music.

So I guess the one unanswered question. How loud does it play. And what is the quality like? It goes surprisingly louder than I expected with a particularly clear sound. Bass was a little light but I can stress enough it is totally freaky when somebody realises the sound is coming from the light bulb!

I love my gadgets, and I really like the Playbulb. One concern I had is at £50 the LED lights had better last a long time. I was dutifully informed the lights are meant to last 10 years, and the speaker will continue to function after the LED lights have failed.

Available from Clove Technology.

Samsung Galaxy K Zoom – camera samples from yesterday

July 1, 2014Android, Reviews, Tech NewsCamera samples, Review, Samsung Galaxy K ZoomGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Just a few shots from yesterday. One is a macro, the others of my labradors, Fury and Tiggy, both girls. I have 3 in total, but George was resting from his earlier walk.

If you want to see the full resolution of these shots and more photos from yesterday, head over to my flickr account , http://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100

Samsung Note 3 – new software update – details of new features added

July 1, 2014Android, Tech NewsSamsung Note 3, update detailsGavin Fabiani-Laymond

The international Galaxy Note 3 (SM-9005) is receiving an update (OTA) which provides version 2.0 of KNOX, Kids Mode and Download Booster.

The update is live right now in the UK and should hit other countries in the coming week. It’s 185MB and the build number is N9005XXUFNF4.

If you want to try and force the update, go to Settings, General, About phone, Software updates menu on your Note 3.

Coming soon – the MiPow Playbulb review – LED light and loudspeaker

July 1, 2014Android, Apple, Reviews, Tech Newsmipow playbulbGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Clove Technology are selling the MiPow Playbulb – details here http://www.clove.co.uk/mipow-playbulb-smart-bluetooth-led-speaker-light

I am currently testing this, so before I publish my current thoughts and review, please let me know if you have any questions you would like answering.

Google’s new L operating system finally improves the camera

June 30, 2014Android, Tech Newsandroid l camera apiGavin Fabiani-Laymond

At Google I/O, Google announced there was 5,000 new APIs.

Thankfully, one of those was the camera API. This will mean a more pure performance with better synchronization between the physical camera and the software.

New devices will be able to capture better images as well as 30 FPS videos at full resolution. The Nexus 5 on Android L, can capture at 30 FPS, 8 megapixel video, which is a big improvement over what it could do on previous versions of Android.

Not only will there be deep down software improvements, but new options, for burst mode, HDR+, and fine tuned controls ( like ISO sensitivity and exposure time) that will be added to Android’s camera interface.

With these improvements in the code, we might finally see android smartphones take on the like of the Nokia Lumia and iPhone when it comes to taking good quality photos.

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