Good news if you have a Sony Z Ultra. Sony is extending the case options to include the Z Ultra.
I imagine the lenses are proving rather popular.
Category Archives: Android
Samsung Galaxy Pro specs – details
The upcoming Galaxy Note Pro was rumoured to have been demoed in South Korea a few days ago. According to ZDNet Korea, the 12.2-inch Galaxy Note Pro will be released in the first quarter of next year, at CES 2014. The tablet is said to have a 2560 x 1600 resolution LCD display, 2.4GHz processor, 3GB of RAM, 9500mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat. A9500mAH battery would mean that the Galaxy Note Pro will have the largest battery of any Samsung device to this point. In addition, the device will weigh 1.7 pounds, and measure 11.6 x 8.0 inches and 14.1-inch diagonally.
But really the specs are meaningless. It is also about the software integration that will really count as well.
Samsung Note 3 – 3 months later impressions
I thought it would be a good idea to get the Samsung Note 3 again. It arrived yesterday at 11am, took over 2 hours to complete 7 software updates one after the other. If that wasn’t bad enough every app installed seemed to have an update even after 7 software updates. Then every Samsung app or service had same issue.
I have tried two hard resets wiping the phone clean and starting again. 2 restores after a hard reset. And despite the Samsung and Google backups in place, the restore process is crap compared to that provide by Apple for iPhones and iPads. None of the layouts are remembered in the restore and no app data either. Useless.
As I write this at 6pm I still don’t have a fully working phone. The positive. It’s a great piece of tech. Lovely sound quality via headphones, camera better than expected actually took best photo to date of my dog George. See below. This compares even to the amazing Nokia Lumia 1020 and iPhone 5S. It has the kitchen sink of specifications and I love every aspect of it.
But it cannot play music streamed via Google, using Google Play Music. It plays one track, maybe a second, but on third no sound comes out of the headphones even though the track is playing. If you pause song and press play again you hear sound immediately.
So, I have to ask why were there 7 software updates? Why not consolidate them into one, and update the default applications at the same time?
Not sure whether I have a faulty phone re the music issues, as I have read about other people having same issues. It’s a real pity as the technology inside the device is magical.
As an update it appears Google Play Music app got updated and became incompatible with many Note 3’s, see screen shot below of review of app..
Say hello to Google+ and wave goodbye to Google
Whether you like Google+ integration or not, as far as Google is concerned, there’s no turning back now. In an interview with Livemint, Google’s Steve Grove, director of partnerships for Google+, went into some detail about how the company plans to stretch Google+ even further in the future: “We’ve been consolidating the different services, so today Search, YouTube, the Google Play app store, all this plugs into Google+. And the reason for that is that Google+ is kind of like the next version of Google.”
Google+ is a Facebook type network which you may not realise you are already part of if you use Gmail or YouTube. But with Google’s plans this could be stretched even further.
Just how will you feel about this move and your lack of privacy ?
Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast – episode 5
As you all should know by now I co-host a weekly podcast with Dave from UKMobileTech called Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast. It is a light hearted tech podcast and now episode 5 is live.
To subscribe click here for iTunes or copy and paste this link into your favourite podcast app.
Smartphone dilemma – part 2
Yesterday I wrote about my smartphone dilemma and Kev from TechTalkUK wrote a response on his website. It was a good article, so be sure to head over and have a read. Below is the first few paragraphs.
“I am struggling with the same issue as I always do of course, and have swung back and forth between my latest Note 3 and 5s for the last few days.
As I said elsewhere yesterday, I took the Note 3 to work as only device yesterday, and used it a lot (time goes very slowly this time of year) and by 2pm I was really missing the 5s. On other days I would have actually driven 22 miles round trip (easy A14 miles TBF) to dump the Note and grab the iPhone. I resisted yesterday, but by 5.30pm I was actually annoyed with the Note 3 enough to agree to sell it to one of my Twitter followers at a slight discount over what I paid (to keep my Amazon returns down).”
Netatmo Urban Weather Station and Princetown Yearly Weather Stats
Back in October 2013 I got the Netatmo Urban Weather Station. It is not the most advanced weather station kit available, but then neither is it the most expensive. It connects to the internet and has apps for the MAC, Android, iOS, Windows Phone and a web app for use with most web browsers.
Using the web browser, I called up the yearly actual weather readings for the outdoor temperature and pressure readings for Princetown, Dartmoor, Devon. It is quite evident that the overall temperatures are dropping as we approach winter.
Google Play holiday sale – details of heavily discounted apps and games
Sphero Ball – first impressions – review
Yesterday, I received the Sphero ball. It was on a lightning deal on Amazon and consequently had a decent discount. Subsequently, I realised why it was on offer, as Sphero 2 is available. The second version is capable of travelling at 7 feet per second, and across all terrains – water, concrete and more.
I had no expectations of this robotic ball. In the box you get activity cards, the ball, QI charger and a number of different plug adapters. There is also a quick start guide. You are requested to go to the Google Play or Apple App Store to download the official app, which is also a universal iOS app so looks great on the iPad. You pair the ball via Bluetooth after a 3 hour charge. Each ball has a different Bluetooth code. Anyway, I will cover off more about the sphero games and other stuff it does and just cover off what I have observed and achieved.
First of all, you don’t unlock all the functions of the ball. So the initial speed is capped until you pass the first level of training. Further down the line you learn about the boost mode and more. The training levels are not difficult to learn.
So first up this ball on a kitchen tiled floor had no issues turning at high speed, curving and more. I could change the colour of the ball on the fly. I can make it dance and more. I have also tried it on carpet with equal success. So how do 3 dogs versus the Sphero turn out. Hilarious. The ball was chasing the 3 dogs, involved in standoffs, violent dancing on the spot if they tried to hold it which let it get released out of their grips. For 20 mins it was great fun for all.
Are there any negatives ? Yes. When you first use the ball you calibrate it with the blue tail light adjusted to face you. If the ball got stuck or was held down by one of my dogs it would become decalibrated. It is easy to recalibrate on the fly but I did find this a nuisance.
I have still to explore all the training levels, find all the functions and use all the Sphero games of which there are around 20. Half of these are free, the others £0.69 that I have seen so far. I honestly thought that this would be a five minute wonder. Not so sure now. It really is fun to use. More soon.
My next smartphone dilemma
I have 2 phones at present. The iPhone 5S and Moto G.
The 5S is beautifully made. It takes great photos with zero effort. Just press the shutter button. It has fantastic audio quality and is married with great software and a smashing Eco system.
The Moto G is a low priced android phone. It does everything really well with an average camera and audio quality.
And yet both phones annoy me. The Moto G doesn’t look or feel special (it’s not meant to be either), the camera and audio are not at the level I’ve witnessed in other phones. The 5S is near perfect except I am having battery life issues and a few random reboots. I would like it to have a bigger screen but that is not the end of the world. In fact, the 5S is near perfection. Except it is so good, it has become so boring.
So what do I get next? At the moment I’m not convinced there is anything that offers anything better. Other options are similar but not better. So what would you recommend? I am leaning towards a Note 3 again.
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 