Category Archives: Tech News

LG Watch Urbane – Part 2 – updated

Android, Reviews, Tech News, Wearables,

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Day 2.

I have experimented with more watch faces. Basically with an app called Watchmaker Premium (link to Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=slide.watchFrenzy.premium&hl=en ) it is possible to install practically any watch face you fancy. So no shortage of custom looks.

LG Support – my call to LG Support re getting the heart rate data to sync back to the watch is ongoing. LG have called me back several times re this issue. Basically on the LG G4 is LG’s app called LG Health. It is not recognising that the Urbane is connected and therefore not pulling any data from it. Instead the LG Health app is using the inbuilt G4’s pedometer. According to LG Support, its new and therefore that makes it reasonable to not work as advertised. I would love to express myself with a tirade of four letter words here. This is not acceptable and surely should have been tested. This is another LG app that is not working correctly. QuickRemote is another app not optimised for the LG G4.

Wrist control – this works like a charm. There is no need to touch the watch, just flick wrists up and down to scroll through notifications.

Voice control – OK Google seems fairly consistent at translating my voice or dictating my messages.

Straps – I have received a brown crocodile 22mm strap. I am still waiting for the strap removal tool and another strap, a bright orange sports strap. These other items are expected by Monday. Once I get everything, I will post photos of the new straps. The black leather strap that comes with the Urbane is really lovely. Brown leather looks even better IMO. The choice is yours as the Urbane uses a standard 22mm watch strap.

I am still exploring android wear apps and options. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know.

My main frustrating lies with the heart rate monitor/steps and its data not being transferred to the phone for analysis, nor have I found a way to use it to monitor my fitness whilst undertaking activities. Google Fit is the only app that collects steps but not heart rate. Google Fit is pretty useless IMO compared to the competition. LG Health app also needs updating asap.

I don’t accept LG Support casual remark that being new it’s ok to have bugs. In my mind this is a massive bug and should have been spotted immediately as it is so obviously not collecting heart rate data. Grrrr. Or transferring any data from the Urbane back to the phone.

The only consolation is the Urbane looks like a classy mens watch. And as a watch the time is always visible. No flicking wrists or lifting hands to activate the screen.

LG Watch Urbane – Beauty and Disaster – First Impressions

Android, Reviews, Tech News, Wearables,

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So yesterday my steel LG Watch Urbane arrived. My wife watched my open the box to reveal the Urbane, and her first words were “Ooh that’s rather lovely, much nicer than that prison tag thing you had” (FYI the prison tag referencing is the Samsung Gear S).

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In fact the Urbane is gorgeous and the black leather strap matches it really well. As you can see I have been playing with watch faces, and apart from some of the included watch faces from LG, I have also installed Rolex and other brand watch faces with ease.

17 of my existing apps also offered some form of extra service on the Urbane. Wrist flicking to scroll through notifications works well. As does replying and deleting stuff or asking Google for information.

One aspect of the Urbane is its heart rate monitor. I can perform manual checks. I can tell LG Health app on the phone that I am starting an exercise or walking and it tracks everything, and displays your heart rate during your activity.

But how the f*** do you get the Urbane to transfer the heart rate data to your phone is beyond me. Google Fit is not displaying anything. LG Health app isn’t either even though it is meant to.

So I called LG support who have phoned me back twice and have yet to find a resolution. Let’s hope it is simply an app update or firmware fix.

So in one hand I was delighted with the Urbane’s look and feel only to feel aggrieved at its useless ability to not save heart rate data.

I have also ordered a watch strap tool remover, an orange sports strap and a brown leather strap. More to follow on my Urbane adventure in the coming weeks.

Apple rocked WWDC 2015 – Copied or Revolutionised? My Thoughts plus announcements

Apple, Tech News,

Apple spent hours revealing its new OS X, El Capitan, iOS 9, watchOS 2, Apple Music and more.

Here are some of the key highlights –

– Apple Pay coming to the UK next month.
– iOS 9 available in beta to download
– OS X El Capitan beta available to download
– watch OS 2 beta

– Apple Watch to allow native apps, use known WiFi to get data for the apps, deactivation lock, complications available to developers, night stand mode

– OS X El Capitan – improved performance due to Metal for mac, and tweaking the experience. Split screen, improved Notes app, and around 30 other key tweaks.

– iOS 9 – Updated Notes app, Proactive Siri, special battery saving mode for an extra 3 hours life, Passbook renamed to Wallet to allow for store cards, Apple Pay coming to UK next month, Maps to get transit directions, News app created, iPad gets proper multitasking with multi screen or split screen, wireless carplay and another 30 key tweaks. New app Move, to allow people to Move data from an android phone to an iPhone.

– Apple Music – launching on OS X, iOS and android (3 months away). First 3 months free usage. Family plans available. Beats 1 live radio station from 3 countries. Social connection with artists.

– Swift to go open source

– Homekit and Healthkit evolve with new features. Siri gets more powerful too as able to control more devices.

Reading social media there was criticism that Apple copied features from other companies. Scandalous apparently. Well get real. Everybody copies everybody. Some more blatant than others. I am not an Apple fanboy, I just love and appreciate good tech.

From what I can see, Apple have addressed all aspects of what people wanted or needed tweaking with both OS X and iOS 9 and resolved many of the complaints. eg iPad multitasking with split screen or multi screen. Apple Watch is going to get a huge update and make apps a big part of its appeal. My concern is its a tiny screen for running apps, so usefulness is vital. Too many apps will kill the battery.

Apple Music. Its not revolutionary as such, but it should offer a broader experience to other services. One day the iTunes app will be killed off permanently. The fact it will be available as an app on android shows how important the overall service is to Apple.

Overall, taking a holistic top view down, all the little and big things Apple announced will make a big difference. For Apple fans it was a good day at the office!

Links – iOS 9 – http://www.apple.com/ios/ios9-preview/
OS X El Capitan – http://www.apple.com/osx/elcapitan-preview/
Apple Music – http://www.apple.com/music/

Camera action shots from 11 different phones – Android’s and iPhone

Amazon, Android, Tech News

Following my other post today with a gallery of action shots from the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, I decided to create an album on flickr with all my dog action shots.

These include photos from the LG G4, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, LG G3, Note 4, Note 3, Samsung Galaxy S5, Yotaphone 2, Honor 6 (not the 6+), iPhone 5S, Samsung Galaxy K Zoom and HTC Desire 820.

The LG G4 shots come first, followed by the S6 Edge and then the others. It is interesting to see how camera performance has improved over such a short space in time. It also might give you an idea as to what type of camera performance on a phone you would require.

So click here – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157653364024331 to view 93 camera action shots from 11 different phones.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge – The best action shots possible – photo gallery

Android, Reviews, Tech News,

I recently used the LG G4 to snap incredible action shots with my 3 labradors. Click here to see the G4’s action shot gallery – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/06/03/lg-g4-incredible-fast-action-shots-from-the-g4-camers/

I was very impressed with the LG G4’s photos, especially as the lighting was not brilliant. So the next step was obvious. See what the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge could accomplish.

Some important points before you view the gallery below. The lighting conditions for the S6 Edge were absolutely perfect. Beautiful blue skies, no glare or cloud. I also noticed the file sizes in better lighting increase on the S6 Edge in burst mode. In poor light you might see just under 3mb. But with excellent lighting the file size increases to just under 5mb. Still not a patch on the G4 burst file size of 7.9mb. Another observation using the burst mode is the speed to launch it. On the S6 Edge it is super quick. The phone takes up to 30 shots in a burst, saves them and is ready instantly for the next burst and the next burst without any delay. The G4 on the other hand after a few burst sequences in a row, will need a few seconds to save the shots.

I was very pleased with these shots. Some really fast shutter speeds around 1/1000 which froze the water in several photos. The G4 burst shots in my opinion are better, but you cannot be disappointed with any of these photos below!

Tap on a photo to activate the gallery. Happy viewing.

Apple Pay is coming to the UK – Announcement at WWDC – details

Apple, Tech News, ,

Tomorrow Apple holds it World Wide Developer Conference and one of the big announcements will be for the UK.

Apple is planning to introduce its mobile payment system, Apple Pay, to the UK in a few months. It will be interesting to see once Apple Pay goes live what actually can be bought and where. Apple has been in talks with banks and retailers for over a year.

Sources – http://www.Telegraph.co.uk/www.Reuters.com

Screen Brightness/Size – LG G4 vs S6 Edge vs Honor 6+

Android, Tech News,

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Left to right. Gold S6 Edge, LG G4 and Honor 6+. All on max brightness.

I also noticed the Honor 6+ has no logo on the front.

Profile photos.

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The S6 Edge is smaller than the others.

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But side view reveals you could tuck the S6 Edge under the curve of the G4.

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Despite the Honor 6+ being made of plastic from the front it looks better than the G4.

The leather backed G4 has the best rear of the three.

Photography – using iPhone 5S

Reviews published in the last month

Reviews, Tech News

Below are all the links to the reviews written last month –

LG G4 – 26 Part Review – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/06/04/lg-g4-the-review-all-26-parts/

Honor 4X review – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/05/27/honor-4x-review/

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/05/22/sony-xperia-z3-compact-my-durable-second-phone-just-received-another-update-ota-plus-1st-impressions/

Oppo PM-3 Planar Magnetic Headphone Review – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/05/20/oppo-pm-3-planar-magnetic-headphones-review/

Honor 6+ review – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/05/13/honor-6-the-review/

Spigen Neo Hybrid Case review for Samsung S6 Edge – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/05/18/spigen-neo-hybrid-case-for-the-samsung-galaxy-s6-edge-review/

Honor 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge vs Sony Xperia Z3 camera shootout -https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/05/06/honor-6-camera-shootout-vs-samsung-galaxy-s6-edge-and-sony-xperia-z3-compact/

OnePlus One (lollipop) review – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/05/04/oneplus-one-review/

Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge review – https://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/04/27/samsung-galaxy-s6-edge-the-review/