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.
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).”
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.
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.
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.
Nokia offer a fine mapping and turn by turn solution for Windows Phone users. It has also offered for about a year its HERE maps on the Apple App Store so that iOS users could use them too.
Now, Nokia has removed the app, and cited that iOS 7 ruins the HERE maps experience. Consequently, Nokia has received a lot of media coverage over this decision along with its reasoning.
Personally, I am dubious about Nokia’s reason, sounds like a load of nonsense. iOS 7 provides a brilliant user experience for mapping solutions. Google Maps, TomTom and CoPilot all function just fine. Maybe Nokia Here maps couldn’t cope with the pressure or wanted its solution only available on its Windows Phone platform.
At present Apple only sells an iPhone with a 4 inch screen. Android and other operating systems are moving towards bigger and bigger screens with 5 inches being the normal. Samsung’s phablet, the Note 3, comes with a 5.7 inch screen.
But what if Apple produced a phablet?
Would this destroy android phone sales as it would no longer have the large screen as it’s differentiator. I reckon if would certainly be very disruptive.
But first Apple has to sell a larger iPhone. Rumours indicate this will happen in 2014, but rumours and just that. Rumours!
2 different phones and 2 extremes of pricing. I was recommended to try “A Better Camera” app on android by Mike Paterson who commented yesterday on the home screens post, so as the app was on offer I gave it ago using the Moto G vs the iPhone 5S.
Now, before anyone says the Moto G is nowhere as good as a camera as that found on the iPhone 5S, it’s not but with the right app and if necessary some post processing anything is nearly possible. However, to be fair, the below shots are unedited. So, is the top shot the iPhone 5S or Moto G?
Happy commenting :). I will reveal answer after 6pm UK time.
Answer – top is Moto G and bottom iPhone 5S.
Having had a bit of time between the turkey and puddings I tweaked my iPhone 5S home screens. First applications –
And then my second home screen for my games. I keep a folder for the Moga Ace Power iOS compatible games as well.
However, on my Moto G , I have a simpler layout. 2 widgets and a few apps.
What sort of home screen do you prefer?
The Wall Street Journal has reported that Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission has hit Apple with a $667,000 fine and warned the company that it may face a more substantial penalty if it doesn’t stop interfering with carriers’ iPhone pricing and the prices of the plans carriers sell alongside the iPhone.
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 