Category Archives: Android

How will Apple release the iWatch that is so thin it’s magical?

November 11, 2013Android, Tech NewsiWatchGavin Fabiani-Laymond

There are a few smart watches in existence. Samsung, Sony and Pebble to name a few. My main view is all of these devices are too bulky or non stylish.

Apple has just patented a revision of the Bluetooth LE protocol. (Low Energy). What Apple has designed is a protocol whereby the connection is intermittent thereby reducing battery size and requirements and in turn creating a thin watch. In terms of iWatch functionality, Pebble has led the way as to what is possible with its new v2.0 SDK. All iOS 7 notifications appear on the Pebble.

My only concern with any watch no matter how slick or smart is who actually wears a watch nowadays? Do you? I don’t ?

Make me a sandwich – just ask

November 11, 2013Android, Apple, Tech NewsGoogle NowGavin Fabiani-Laymond

On either your android or iPhone go to Google Now (Google Search app on iOS ) and say “make me a sandwich”.

The response you will get is “make it yourself ” 🙂

Now ask Siri if you have an iPhone 😉

Which camera is better – Nexus 5 or HTC One

November 10, 2013Android, Tech Newsnexus 5 vs htc one cameraGavin Fabiani-Laymond

The good people at TracyandMatt have done a photo comparison of the Nexus 5 and HTC One.

Have a look at the photo and let everyone know which you think we’re better.

Apple Plymouth the mixed shopping experience

November 10, 2013Android, Tech NewsApple PlymouthGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Since this Apple Plymouth store has opened I have only ever experienced top notch service.

Saturday was a mixed affair. I was asking one of the sales assistant if I could examine the red leather case for the 5S out of the packaging so I could see what it would look like with my phone. He refused. What’s odd about this is that every single time I have bought a case from Apple, including Apple Plymouth this has never been a problem to remove the case from the packaging.

I reminded the sales assistant I could just buy the case, open it, not like it and return it within 14 days. There was no comment. Anyway, I told him not to worry and I would keep browsing.

3 mins later another assistant came out and within minutes he was opening the packaging of this case and 2 others. Now that I had seen the cases on my 5S I was in a position to decide which one to select. So I told the assistant I would have all 3, and added “you can never have enough cases”. He grinned and I paid and left the store.

So what was up with sales assistant number one?

On Record – Samsung plans to topple Apple’s iPad realm

November 9, 2013Android, Tech Newssamsung wants to crush ipadGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Samsung has gone on official record that it wants to overtake Apple and make the best quality and higher selling tablet than the iPad.

Good luck I say. Competition is always healthy.

Got a Sony Xperia Z1, Z Ultra or Z Tablet – get your free goodies from So y

November 8, 2013Android, Tech Newssony xperia free games and moviesGavin Fabiani-Laymond

As promised earlier in the summer, Sony has announced that owners of the Xperia Z1, Xperia Z Ultra and Tablet Z can get a range of digital goodies.

On offer are 10 games and 5 movies, all completely free. Sony’s offer also includes a 60 day free trial to its Music Unlimited service, available to those that have yet to sign up.

Of course these are only available if you own an Xperia Z1, Xperia Z Ultra or Tablet Z. To find the offers just open the Xperia Privilege app.

There are a few games titles from PlayStation Mobile, such as Hungry Giraffe, Tokyo Jungle Mobile and Ten By Eight, and some movie blockbusters including Elysium and The Amazing Spider-Man.

Free offers are always appreciated.

Android 4.4 has a nifty screen capture built in

November 8, 2013Android, Tech Newsandroid 4.4 captureGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Screen captures are a great tool to have and it seems Google agrees.

To take a basic screenshot is as simple as just holding some buttons to snap the screen. With Android 4.4 phone connect it to a computer running ADB, send over a quick command, and the phone starts recording its screen output, right to a video file in its internal storage. Clips can be up to three minutes long.

I might just get the Nexus 5 just to try out this feature. Well that’s my excuse!

Samsung Mobile financials under the eye

November 8, 2013Android, Tech Newssamsung mobile financialsGavin Fabiani-Laymond

In a meeting with its concerned investors on Wednesday, the head of Samsung Mobile revealed numbers illustrating that the company sold fewer high end smartphones than Apple this year, and that only about a third of the company’s total “smartphone” shipments are of a class really comparable to the iPhone.

Samsung did concede that it would sell around 100m Galaxy S and N models this year but would not split down the figures any further.

Samsung is believed to be focusing on lower end phones in 2014 more than it’s high end offering.

This doesn’t surprise me as the smartphone market is reaching saturation and only developing economies might offer future growth.

Hence why the smart watch and other new tech is needed to boost sales in the future.

Swift Key just became even better – and now is a unified app

November 7, 2013Android, Tech Newsswift key updatedGavin Fabiani-Laymond

My favourite Android keyboard is Swift Key. It’s has just been updated on Google Play and the Amazon App Store. The tablet and standard version have now become a single app.

If you purchased SwiftKey Tablet from Google Play, you will be updated to the unified version. Go to the Google Play Store on your device, log in with the account you used to purchase SwiftKey Tablet, and look through your list of “My Apps”. SwiftKey Tablet will be in this list available to download at no extra cost. Unfortunately SwiftKey Tablet will not show up in search – this is a limitation of the Play Store.

If you purchased SwiftKey Tablet from the Amazon Appstore or AndroidPIT, please contact their customer support teams at http://www.amazon.com/appstore-support or http://www.androidpit.com/faq to request that your purchase be transferred to the main SwiftKey app.

The new version gives you access to three keyboard layouts, all of which can be resized, and undocked and positioned where you choose on your screen.

Compact: On many larger phones it can be difficult to enter text and hold the phone with just one hand. This new feature reduces the width of the keyboard and allows for easier typing with one hand or gesture typing using SwiftKey Flow. It also frees up more of the screen estate on tablets. You can switch it from the left or right side of the screen.

Thumb: For those who like typing on tablets in landscape or wide phones, the keyboard can be split into two areas, enabling fast, comfortable typing with both thumbs. Undock it from the base of the screen for even more flexibility.

Full: The traditional full-width keyboard is still available and users with tablets can opt for an extended layout that is similar to the presentation of a physical keyboard. This layout has left and right cursor keys and the backspace is positioned above the enter key, making it easier to type with two hands when not holding your tablet

Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 wins the display badge

November 6, 2013Android, Tech Newsamazon KindleGavin Fabiani-Laymond

In a display shootout, DisplayMate’s Raymond Soneira found the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 to outperform Apple’s Retina-toting iPad Air in a number of lab tests, crowning Amazon’s device as the best performing tablet he has ever tested. Even better than the iPad Air.

Amazon is proving to really be a bigger threat to Apple and Google as it already has a decent Eco system, from media to anything that you might like to buy online.

And this threat will only increase.

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