Samsung has released 2 videos, one on each of their new phones. First up the S6 Edge Plus.
And next the Samsung Note 5.
I will share my views on both devices on a separate post.
Category Archives: Tech News
Editorial – My thoughts on Samsung’s new phones
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S6 Edge and Note 5. And then came the shocker. Samsung was not going to bring the Note 5 to the UK or Europe in 2015, and maybe not at all.
Personally, I think Samsung are pulling a PR stunt in poor taste. Tell somebody they cannot have something and they want it more. It is as bad as the OnePlus invite system!
Except this is 2015, and there are plenty of alternative phones available, and more choices to be announced shortly. So Samsung might suffer where it hurts, when loyal fans buy phones from different companies.
Brushing aside my thoughts from above, what do I think of the 2 phones.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge +
Just a bigger S6 Edge, with a few improvements in software and hardware, mainly dominated with a bigger screen. So if you wanted a bigger phone, this is the phone you would buy. If you are in the UK and Europe this is the only phone you can buy. However, the new phone is only available in 32 or 64gb. That tells me that 128gb was not selling so well. BUT I do wonder if Samsung had offered the 128gb from day 1 whether it might have sold a lot more phones. Either way for most people, 64gb should be enough.
Samsung Note 5
The new S6 Edge type design really makes the Note 5 a premium looking phone. Built in wireless charging (fast charging), the improved stylus and software really make this a classy device. A shame there is no 128gb storage version. But if you needed to save space, you could copy video off the phone onto a usb stick. The battery should have been bigger, but Samsung decided to make the phone smaller. I can see some logic in this. At least with the Ultra Power Saving mode you really can have a phone to make a call or SMS in an emergency. Maybe next year extra colours and a higher storage option will become available as an exclusive to a carrier/network.
Fortunately, for you and I, there are plenty of phones due to be released that might steal Samsung’s thunder, and if a phone does, I hope it teaches Samsung a lesson.
8 Reasons why you shouldn’t buy the Samsung Note 5
Samsung has just announced the Note 5. After examining the specs here are 8 reasons not to buy one if you have a Note 4. If you own a Note 3, and live in the UK or Europe, Samsung doesn’t love you anymore.
1) Note 5 loses the micro sd card
2) Replaceable battery gone
3) Only comes with a max storage of 64gb. So its really not a power users phone anyway.
4) IR blaster has been removed with the Note 5
5) Note 5 battery is smaller than Note 4
6) Maximum storage is 64gb. Note 4 can hold micro SD cards up to 2TB.
7) Its a slippery glass back. So it will slip out of your hand.
8) We can’t buy a non existent phone in the UK or Europe.
Samsung snubs the UK – the new Note 5 isn’t coming here anytime soon
Samsung just launched 2 new devices, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Note 5. There was details of Samsung Pay and a peek at their new smartwatch.
I could list all the specs and features of both phones, but I won’t because I am disappointed that Samsung is not selling the Note 5 in the UK anytime soon. In fact it will be more like 2016 before it arrives here.
I’m not panicking as Samsung just downgraded the Note 5 specification versus the Note 4 –
1) Note 5 loses the micro sd card
2) Replaceable battery gone
3) Only comes with a max storage of 64gb. So its really not a power users phone anyway.
4) IR blaster has been removed with the Note 5
5) Note 5 battery is smaller than Note 4
6) We can’t buy a non existent phone!
Now the window is open for another company to steal Samsung’s crown. Or is the Note series finished?
Update – part of me wonders if this is just a PR stunt by Samsung to get more press headlines and that tomorrow they confirm it is coming to the UK after all.
4pm UK Time – Samsung Unpacked is live on YouTube – Details
Today at 4pm UK, 11am ET, Samsung does a live broadcast of its next Unpacked Event. This event will be the official unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy Edge Plus and Note 5. So much has been leaked about these devices, it is hard to believe there will be anything left to learn!
If you are wanting to watch the event, be sure to head over to http://www.youtube.com/samsungmobile . Or come back here at 4pm UK time and the event will be available to watch from this post.
Update – link http://www.samsung.com/uk/unpacked/
LG announces a new HI-Fi Music Service – members only – details
“LG has announced a new Hi-Fi music service that will be available to the LG G4, G Flex 2, G3 and the G2. The service will offer high-fidelity tracks with 24bit/192kHz playback, and should you have a qualifying handset, you’ll receive two free Hi-Fi tracks a month, and additional discounts up to 50 percent off the regular price on songs available from LG.
LG mentions that the service will be available to customers in nearly 70 countries, including the United States, Australia, Brazil, China, France, Italy, Russia and the United Kingdom. The Hi-Fi music service is launching later this month, and will be accessible from the LG SmartWorld app and http://www.lgworld.com.”
As you can read, this is a members only club with only the best smartphones in the world being able to apply! It will be interesting to learn more about this offering and what the depth and breath and cost of the service entails.
Source – http://www.androidcentral.com/
Is Huawei about to steal the show? – details
“GizChina got hold of a spy shot of a new Huawei device. There appears to be a curved body and a SIM tray alongside a headphone jack at the top of the device. The body features an all-metal design and a premium chassis made of metal and glass.”
The rendered photo looks fabulous. What with the rumoured camera tech and in house processor, this is looking like to be one hot piece of kit (hopefully).
Source – http://www.gizchina.com/2015/08/11/spy-photo-huawei-to-launch-curved-screen-phone-at-ifa/
The Ethics of Modern Web Ad Blocking – Crunch Time
“More than fifteen years ago, in response to decreasing ad rates and banner blindness, web advertisers and publishers adopted pop-up ads.
People hated pop-up ads. We tolerated in-page banners as an acceptable cost of browsing free websites, but pop-ups were over the line: they were too annoying and intrusive. Many website publishers claimed helplessness in serving them — the ads came from somewhere else that they had little control over, they said. They really needed the money from pop-ups to stay afloat, they said.
The future didn’t work out well for pop-ups. Pop-up-blocking software boomed, and within a few years, every modern web browser blocked almost all pop-ups by default.
A line had been crossed, and people fought back.
People often argue that running ad-blocking software is violating an implied contract between the reader and the publisher: the publisher offers the page content to the reader for free, in exchange for the reader seeing the publisher’s ads. And that’s a nice, simple theory, but it’s a blurry line in reality.”
A good piece of advertising.
This is a situation that even Gavin’s Gadgets faces. The annual costs are increasing. I introduced advertising myself but kept it as minimal as possible. It only appears on one part of the website, at the end of each article only and not all over the page. Apart from that I have an Amazon Affiliate link and donations. I don’t think there is a perfect solution!
Read the full story at – http://www.marco.org/2015/08/11/ad-blocking-ethics
OnePlus – You may hate their campaigns but this is good – details
OnePlus knows how desirable their invites are and with this in mind raised via Ebay $70,000 dollars for charity, UNICEF.
In a over crowded market place, they are still managing to create a buzz and sell phones!
The Top 10 Reviews ranked by You in 2015
So what are the 10 most popular reviews on Gavin’s Gadgets?
Ranked with the most popular first. A few surprises too. Notice none of the Samsung phones featured in the top 10!
1 – Oppo HA -2 Portable Amplifier and DAC review
2 – Sony SBH80 Bluetooth headphones review
3 – LG G4 – Full Review plus all 26 additional posts
4 – LG G3 review – 31 Part Review
6 – Oppo PM-3 Headphone review
10 – Xiaomi Mi Note Pro -review
So have a look at the 100 or so reviews here – https://gavinsgadgets.com/review-links/ and let me know which one you preferred and why?
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 