“Dell says it’s done making Android tablets, won’t push new updates to existing ones
After dabbling in Android tablets for years, Dell is finally throwing in the towel on Google’s mobile OS. The company won’t be making any more Android tablets, and it’s ending update support for the Venue tablets that already exist.”
Just shows how hardware growth is slowing down and how saturated and thin profit margins are. Also, it is worth picking your choice of manufacturer carefully hoping you’ll get future updates and that they will exist in 1-2 years time.
“Google Maps for Android is finally rolling out multi-waypoint directions
Android Police has discovered in their teardown of Maps v9.31 beta last week, that Google has been working on implementing true multiple waypoint directions in the Maps app for Android.”
Once this feature is available outside of the beta this surely is the death of traditional mapping software like TomTom. With offline maps already available, live traffic and re routing already available I cannot see any reason to be using alternative solutions.
“British smartphone maker Wileyfox has returned with its third budget smartphone, the Spark, following up the Swift and Storm models launched last year. The Spark line of smartphones — there are three different variations of it, so hold on to your hats — runs Cyanogen OS 13, a heavily modified version of Android 6.0. Wileyfox will release the Spark, Spark+ (more RAM and storage), and the Spark X (bigger screen) over the next two months, which is ambitious, but you should definitely avoid the lower-end Spark given its paltry amount of RAM and storage. Reports from users have the 8GB Spark offering less than 2.5GB of actual space after updating the pre-installed apps”
As much as I don’t want to write negative comments about a British company, launching a phone with 1gb ram and 8gb storage in 2016 is unacceptable at any price . It does however have adoptable storage but I still don’t think that’s enough to let Wileyfox off the hook.
“You can get discounted phones from Amazon if you don’t mind lock screen ads
Amazon has announced a new promotion for Prime members that could see up to 50% knocked off the price of their next Android phone. The retailer is loading select phones with personalized offers and ads to appear on the lock screen of each phone in order to provide these discounts. The first phones available in the promotion are the BLU R1 HD and the Moto G4. With personalized offers, Prime customers can get the BLU R1 HD for $49.99, or 50% off its full retail price. The Moto G4, normally available for $199.99, is available for $149.99 with this program.”
Not sure I would want ads all over my phone. Plus these phones have all of Amazon’s app pre installed. What about you?
I have now had a Samsung S7/Edge for 3 months with a few other phones in review within this time period.
I started with the Samsung S7 Edge but migrated to the S7 Standard. Why? Same phone in a more practical shell, that as slightly smaller, also easier to fit, hold, use, grip and more.
So what makes using the Samsung S7 so special and such a great user experience.
Well, one of the reasons is the accessories. The Lens Cover case is fantastic. My review is HERE. I also have the S7 Wireless Battery Back Pack. My review click HERE. Then there is the Samsung Gear VR and Gear 360, the Samsung Level One Pro headphones and more. Click HERE. for my thoughts on the S7 Edge.
My S7 is always kept in the Lens Cover case. It is worth getting the Lens Cover just for the case alone. The case feels like leather, its not, reassuringly grippy and has a slightly raised section to help with more grip when taking photos. Then you can add either a wide angle or 2 x telephoto lens. I use these lenses all the time now. I also use the Gear 360. The other accessories like the Gear VR, Level One Pro headphones and Gear S2 don’t get used that much.
Continuing with the camera, the S7 just snaps a great shot nearly every time. Being water resistant means I am not worried about if its raining either. Between the S7 and S7 Edge I now have nearly 300 shots in my Flickr albums. That is a record number over every previous smartphone.
Then the rest of the phone is all superb. Fast charging, Qi charging, an amazing QHD screen, great battery life, a proper gaming mode with options to remove disturbances and improve battery life. I even use Touchwiz on my S7 and love changing themes. The loudspeaker isn’t the loudest or clearest, but its usable for podcasts. The audio output via headphones is only good when matched with easy to drive headphones. Luckily using bluetooth headphones and HiFiMan Edition S headphones I have superb audio via headphones, although I do miss the HTC 10 for headphone audio.
But overall, the S7 package and experience is second to none. There are phones available that are better than the S7 in particular fields, but nobody beats Samsung for the whole package.
The Telegraph published an article saying Google was going to launch their own phone to take on the iPhone.
This wouldn’t be a Nexus branded phone, it would be a full on Google branded phone.
If Google released their own phone, what would that message say to all the other smartphone manufacturers selling android phones? Would Google be able to upstage Samsung? Or is Samsung , Huawei and others looking to breakaway with their own OS just in case Google pulls a rabbit out of the hat and launches their own phone!
This really doesn’t make sense. New Nexus branded phones are expected so why would Google upstage themselves? Maybe to sell a Project Tango phone, an experimental smartphone perhaps.
There are many reasons why the Telegraph’s article seems out of sync with reality BUT what if Google did go hell for glory and release a super cool smartphone. Would anyone buy it? Look at what happened to the Amazon Fire Phone.
I have stayed away from many of the rumours regarding the next Samsung Note series, but now the leaks are getting more frequent and consistent. And judging by some of the specs the Note 7 is shaping up nicely.
For a start it will either have a Samsung Exynos 8893 utilising a 10nm tech. Or a Snapdragon 821 processor along with 6gb ram. But specs aren’t everything. Memory will be LPDDR4.
But what about storage capacity. 64gb seems a definite with support for a micro SD card. There is also a rumour that Samsung will offer 128g and 256gb storage options. I doubt we will see these in the UK.
Being a Note series it will feature the latest S-Pen stylus, USB Type-C port, 4,000 mAh battery, come with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow along with a new Grace UX. No more Touchwiz! Unlocking the phone will be possible via an iris scanner.
The 12mp camera will be carried over from the Samsung Galaxy S7 with a few minor improvements. The QHD screen will be 5.8 inches. Now if all goes to plan, the Note 7 will be launched 2nd August to try and get a head start over the other phone launches eg the new iPhone.
I have been using the Samsung Gear 360 a fair bit. Unfortunately, not outdoors due to the terrible weather. The indoor footage is private so cannot be shared, but needless to say I now have a 360 degree video of a special occasion that truly is superb to have as a memory.
Anyway, I wondered how the Gear 360 would work upside down.
So here it is, attached upside down and gently swaying in the wind.
Below is a 360 degree photo. To get this into 360 degree mode, you will need to click on the photo and ensure you view the Flickr upload via a web browser and NOT the flickr app. Once viewing via a web browser it should load in 360 mode. If it doesn’t go to desktop mode on your phone, select full size. It should work.
Below is a shot just using one of the lenses in 180 degrees, and shooting into the sun.
And now the 360 degree video filmed in 4K. Hopefully these are all showing the correct way up!.
Another aspect I really like about the 360 is being able to control it without a phone. The physical buttons and little screen work perfectly.
Tech Addicts Podcast is back again with new episode starring Gareth Myles, Jay Garrett, Sam Pullen and I. Tech Addicts is released every 2 weeks.
To listen to the latest episode subscribe by searching “Tech Addicts” within your favourite podcast app, iTunes or use the URL “mobiletechaddicts.libsyn.com/rss” to add directly. ALternatively, you can also add it to Google Play Music, Click HERE.
The Main Review – Audio, Connectivity, Camera and much more
Conclusion
Hopefully you liked the video review as a different option to a full written review. Please let me know your thoughts on this approach. Going back to the OnePlus 3, it really has surprised me as to how much phone you get for £309. It is not at the level of a Samsung S7 or S7 Edge or even an iPhone 6S Plus, but then again it only costs £309. However, I personally do like it and would be happy to recommend.
Latest cases and Pricing on Amazon UK – Click HERE.
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 