Category Archives: Apple

Microsoft want to rule the Cloud – OneDrive just became a great offering

Microsoft has announced that all Office 365 subscribers are now eligible to receive unlimited storage on OneDrive for no additional cost. The rollout for Office 365 Home, Personal and University customers has begun and will continue over the coming months.

This represents great value and will now put pressure on Dropbox and Google on their respective storage platforms. Sadly I do not see Apple making it cloud offering as competitive for a while.

Tim Cook – Apple Pay is already the World Leader

Via Appleinsider.com –

“At The Wall Street Journal’s inaugural WSJD Live conference on Monday, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed Apple Pay is off to a booming start, with more than one million card activations in its first 72 hours of service.

According to Cook, the massive uptake makes Apple Pay the largest contactless payment system in the U.S., more than the combined total of cards registered with competitors.”

That is really impressive and it shows how dangerous it might be for those retailers who have decided not to support it. Tim Cook even stated that ultimately customers will decide with their feet and not the retailers. I am excited to see this hit the UK next year, although I reckon it will taken 1-2 years to become more mainstream.

The Note 4 is light years ahead of the iPhone 6 Plus

Want to read one of the worst reviews that I’ve read about the Note 4 then head over to the Daily Mail. Click here.

Here’s a taste of the article

“Sadly for Apple, the school bully, Samsung, has swaggered up and walked off with its lunch money without even making an effort. Next to the Galaxy Note 4, iPhone 6 Plus looks like a bodged-together mess. ”

And it gets much worse! I know it’s the Daily Mail but this is well below their normal trashy editorial.
And don’t even look at the comments.

However, if you feel the article is correct, well constructed polite comments are accepted.

Raw video footage from the iPhone 6 Plus

Uploaded to YouTube is the raw footage of a 30 sec video clip. I filmed this at 1080p and 60 fps. Problem is from the iPhone the highest quality you can upload is 720p. So I had to copy across to my computer and upload that way. Seems a bit archaic. Also YouTube seemed to have stripped the stabilisation off the footage. Anyway below is what’s possible. Just bear in mind the original is smoother and less jittery. The other thing I noticed is that using iMovie to make a film or trailer using video and photos, iMovie on the iPhone 6 Plus downgrades the quality to 1080p at 30fps instead of the recorded 60 fps. Again not ideal.

Fight – Apple Pay facing challenges from retailers own payment system

Apple Pay (and Google Wallet) is not going to have an easy ride as a number of retailers are taking a stand against mobile payment servIce. The retailers are blocking Apple Pay and in some cases the retailers actually deliberately switched off their NFC terminals.

Those opposed include Old Navy, Lowes, Dunkin’ Donuts, Sears, Best Buy, Stop & Shop, Walmart, Wendy’s, and several petrol stations. These retailers are behind the CurrentC mobile payment service coming into play in 2015.

The benefit of using CurrentC will be the lack of processing fees as the credit card companies are not at all involved. CurrentC is designed to work by taking funds from the user’s checking account.

Just when mobile payments had potentially been made simpler by Apple, the battle ground has expanded. This is a big money earner and therefore competition will be fierce.

Episode 26 – Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast is now live – Please RT

As you know, I co-host a weekly podcast with David from UKMobileTech called Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast. It is a light hearted tech podcast broadcast bi-weekly. To subscribe click here for iTunes or copy and paste this link into your favourite podcast app.

Episode 26 is now live for your listening pleasure.

If you have enjoyed the podcast, please leave a 5 star review in iTunes. It helps others find our podcast.

If you have any comments, questions or feedback, please drop a line at feedback@gdtpodcast.com .

Apple iPhone 6 Plus phones are crashing or entering a reboot loop

AppleInsider.com is reporting that “a number of iPhone 6 Plus users have reported an issue in which the phone inexplicably crashes or enters a reboot loop, prompting many to take it in to Apple for service, where it is usually swapped out for a new unit. Some owners are on their fourth replacement 6 Plus.

Multiple owners have reported identical crashing problems on Apple’s Support Communities forum, with one thread now standing at more than 9,000 views and 60 replies.

The exact trigger has yet to be discovered, though 6 Plus owners posting to the thread claim to have nailed down a few commonalities: 128GB iPhone 6 Plus is the most affected model; apps installed number at more than 700; and crashes can occur without user interaction. Some pin the trouble on hardware as Apple’s recent iOS 8.1 update did not fix the issue, though others believe software is to blame.”

Well I’m going to take this one with a pinch of salt. Millions and millions of phones sold. 60 responses on a thread. Next how many of you have 700 apps installed on your iPhone. And surely if you do, how many are iOS 8 compatible or updated for iOS 8 and specifically the 6 Plus. I have been adding older games over the last few days. Some work. Other look odd or have glitches. One or two took the phone into an immediate reboot. My app library is circa 2,000 apps but there is no way I would install more than 200 on my iPhone 6 Plus or have the need to. So 700 is so extreme and maybe using a bit of logic, 1gb of ram just isn’t enough to organise the file system.

So question is is there anyone reading this with 500 plus apps installed with a problem relating to their 6 Plus?

My 25 Top Smartphone Reviews – iOS, Android, Windows Phone and more

It is often difficult to find the reviews of devices and accessories I have written about, so below is a quick way to find all the articles for the smartphone reviews. You might have to scroll back a few pages as I have used a generic search on the phone to bring up all the articles written about the phone. This is useful when new information gets added after writing the reviews.

Also check under Menu, Reviews – Accessories for wearables, headphone, portable amps, cases, power, cables and other reviews. Or click here.

Apple Phones

Apple iPhone 6 Plus review

BlackBerry Phones

BlackBerry Passport 10 Part Mammoth review

Android Phones

LG G3 review

Samsung Galaxy K Zoom review You will also need to click this link to pick up the other posts on the K Zoom https://gavinsgadgets.wordpress.com/?s=samsung+galaxy+k+zoom

Samsung Galaxy S5 review

HTC One M8 review

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact review

Samsung Note 3 review

LG G Flex

Sony Z Ultra views and Camera Samples

Motorola Moto X review

Motorola Moto G review

Sony Xperia Z1 Review

Huawei Ascend P6 Review

HTC One

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom Review

Sony Xperia Z Tablet

Samsung Note 2 review

Windows Phone

Nokia Lumia 1520 review

Nokia Lumia 820 review

Nokia Lumia 1020 review

Nokia Lumia 925 review

Nokia Lumia 620

Other

ZTE Open Review – Firefox OS

SUPER CAMERA SHOOTOUT – UPDATED – NOW WITH 23 SMARTPHONES – iOS, android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry

SUPER CAMERA SHOOTOUT – UPDATED – NOW WITH 23 SMARTPHONES

Not sure about which phone or brand takes the best photos, then have a look at this super sized collection of photos from all the best smartphones and some budget phones as a comparison.

Apple iPhone 6 Plus – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157647679181549/

BlackBerry Passport – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157648520943848/

LG G3 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157645618979801/

Samsung Galaxy K Zoom – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644532639249/

HTC One M8 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157643265004874/

Samsung S5 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157643875623354/

Sony Xperia Z2 – https://gavinsgadgets.wordpress.com/2014/06/15/sony-xperia-z2-second-impressions-part-2/

Samsung Note 3 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644034132513/

Samsung S4 Zoom – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644039495565/

LG G Flex – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644114354349/

Apple iPhone 5S – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644035336913/

LG Nexus 4 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644039660933/

Sony Z1 Compact Z1 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644028694521/

Sony Xperia Z1 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644039246935/

Sony Z Ultra – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644083052095/

Sony QX100 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644035811453/

Sony QX10 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644035335185/

HTC One M7 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644039700054/

Huawei Ascend P6 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644028833151/

Nokia Lumia 1520 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644035105534/

Nokia Lumia 1020 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644035516523/

Nokia Lumia 925 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157634991010769/

Nokia Lumia 620 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644083348093/

To see the sets in one indexed page click here – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/ – note only the Sony Xperia Z2 is not shown on Flickr

My Reviews on Smartwatches, Wearables, Lenses, App Enabled Accessories and much much more

Below are reviews on a range of accessories that I have written. These are accessible using the Menu above.

Camera Lenses

Shoulderpod S1 smartphone rig review

Sony QX10/QX100 lens review

Olloclip 3 in 1 Lens review for iPhone 5

Glif+ for iPhone 5 review

Wearables

LG G Watch – review – android wear

Samsung Gear Neo Impressions

Samsung Gear Fit review

Samsung Galaxy Gear review

Pebble Smartwatch review

App Enabled Accessories

Imperihome Pro review

Netatmo Urban Weather Station Review

Moga Ace, Moga Pro and Moga Pro Power Game Controller Reviews

Sphero Ball review

Brando Shopping Gala NFC Ring review

Headphones, Speakers and Amps/DACS

Sony SBH80 Bluetooth headphones review

Sony XBA-H1 Headphone Review

Logitech UE 6000 Noise Cancellation Headphones review

Audio Technica ATH-AD900x Headphone review

Fiio E12 Headphone Amplifier

Cellz Bluetooth Portable Speaker review

Cellz In Ear High Performance Flat Headphones review

Cellz Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-503 review

Cables, Power and Connectors

Samsung Wireless Charging Pad

Brando Shopping Momax Universal Power Plus Battery Charging Kit review

Brando Shopping Portable Power Supply review

Brando Shopping OTG Desktop Connection Kit for Samsung Galaxy S4, Note 2 and Note 3 review

Brando Shopping Short Lightning Cable review

Bluetooth iPad Mini case review

Cellz Ultra Thin Slide Out Bluetooth Keyboard for iPhone 5/5S review

Cellz Power Battery case iPhone 5/5S review

Screen Protection

Brando Shopping Screen Protection review

Cellz Tempered Glass for iPhone 5/5S

Cases

Brando Shopping iPhone Armband case review

Brando Shopping iPhone 5/5S Leather Back Case review

Brando Shopping iPhone 5 / 5S Aluminism Bumper review

Brando Shopping Momax Smart Coat Case for Note 3 review

Trident iPhone 5 case review

Cellz Leather Flip case review

Cellz Premium Metal Bumper for iPhone 5/5S review

Misc

Cellz Non Slip Mat review

USB Fridge Review

USB Rollup Drum Kit