Category Archives: Tech News

Samsung Note 4 – 2 months later review

So its 2 months later with my Samsung Note 4. To read the main 17 Part Review click here.

Well there was a period of about 2 weeks when I changed my black Note 4 to the black Samsung Note. I also detailed my views on the Note Edge. To recap on the 14 part review of the Note Edge click here.

The Edge is identical to the Note 4 except for that edge / panel. So even though I had a break of 2 weeks it doesn’t really count as I was in reality using the same hardware and software. As you all probably are aware I moved back to the Note 4 as I could not tolerate the reduced battery life of the Edge over the Note 4. Moving back to the Note 4 allowed me to pick a different colour and I chose white this time. IMO it looks better in white but I’m certain many of you will disagree ☺

So what has it been like using the Note 4 for nearly 2 months. It’s the equivalent of having the best in class smartphone and topping all the categories. It has the best screen. It’s clarity and quality is incredible. It works brilliantly in sunlight and then goes so dark for night time reading. The colour accuracy of this screen is currently the best out there. As this is the Note range it has all the multi tasking options, s pen, infra red blaster, user changeable battery and micro sd card support. It also looks great and has decent battery with 2 battery saving modes ; the standard power saving mode and the life saver mode “ultra power saving mode”.  This last mode is so good that one night I was out and about and had 2% battery left. I switched to this mode, got home and forgot to charge the phone. By early evening the next day it was still on 2%. But fear not, the Note 4 has quick charging too. And this is  a theme in its spec sheet. It’s a battleship of specs. If you are into health and fitness, it has sensors for its built in pedometer,  heart rate and oxygen saturation as well as a UV sensor. This is all integrated in to the S Health app which has even more options. And if you use a Samsung wearable like the Gear range then you have a tightly integrated system.

And the best in class continues with its camera and audio. I am constantly amazed by the photos coming from the Note 4. The audio via the speakers is clear and ideal for voice and podcasts. It’s not boomsound bassy but it’s a clear sound. The audio sound via the headphone jack is very high quality. USB Audio is supported out of the box. Voice recording has support for its directional mics with the ability to separate up to 8 different sources of sound and remove any of them during playback of recording. Adaptive sound support is excellent too as it’s adjusts the sound according to each of your ears hearing abilities. Adaptive sound carries out a hearing test on each ear to set this up. Different adaptive sound profiles can be saved dependent on what headphones or ear you are using for phone calls.

But it’s not just the hardware that’s exceptional. The software package is also excellent.

Samsung has also provided a few small updates to improve performance and remove any early bugs. With android lollipop due in the next few weeks I am excited to see what more can be squeezed from this formidable hardware and software combination.

In case you hadn’t realised I totally love this phone !

Withings Activité Pop Fitness Tracker – details

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Withings has announced a cheaper version of its Activité watch that measures steps and sleep. The Activité Pop costs $150, that’s $300 less than its more expensive big brother. For that you lose some of the higher quality materials used in the construction and end up with a rubber strap instead of a calf leather strap. One major point is the battery doesn’t last one or two days. It doesn’t last a week like the Pebble it lasts 8 months. Yes 8 months.

However, I really like this watch. It’s what technology should be all about. Unobtrusive and beautiful. It also comes with a companion app for iOS and Android.

Withings is a French company with the watch made in Switzerland.

Carphone Warehouse tops retail league of shame – details

Carphone Warehouse, which came last in the rankings, was accused of “giving retail a bad name” with customers facing “nauseating hard sells” from teenagers and queues “reminiscent of Soviet Russia”.

More at The Telegraph

Personally I’ve had reasonably good experiences with Carphone Warehouse but what about yourself ?

Looking back to 2014 and my favourite top 10 photos – all taken on a phone

I was having a look at photos taken last year. The photos are all taken using the camera on a smartphone. Some of my favourites –

I like the one below as it’s created a nice bokeh and captured the cold and sunshine well.

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This is so good a shot. Fury and Tiggy (Fury is the black labrador ) are crashing through the water. Splashes everywhere but frozen in time.

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Below is using one of the fancy modes whereby you capture the action. Same horse but at different stages of the jump.

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The architecture below looked dull, but using the inbuilt stock camera and photo filters became more fascinating. Love the architectural lines in this shot.

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Symmetry at its best. A world famous street too.

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The long bridge captured well. This phone might surprise you.

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Logs, trees, vivid colours and a lovely shot by a solid performing phone.

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Merrivale stones on Dartmoor. Liked the scene probably more than the shot itself.

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A real classic Dartmoor shot with the sheep and landscape.

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Can you guess which phones though?

And lastly this is the most popular photo from 2014 from my flickr account with 14,211 views currently. I have no idea why it’s so popular either. And again which phone took this?

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Update. The answers. Top to bottom.

Samsung Note 4 – HDR
Samsung Galaxy K Zoom – burst mode
Samsung Galaxy K Zoom – Shot and More , drama

IPhone 6 Plus
Samsung Galaxy S5
BlackBerry Passport (bridge photo)
Samsung Note 4
IPhone 6 Plus (Merrivale stones)
Samsung Note 3

And the last one is HTC One M8, hdr mode.

Alcatel OneTouch – Device Agnostic Phones and its new Smart Watch – details

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And right before CES, Alcatel announces new products. First up the Alcatel Watch series of smart watches. From the press release the Watch will connect to your Android smartphone, track activity and stats, show notifications and let you control media playback and your smartphone’s camera. However, it does not run Android Wear, although the price will be cheap. Let’s hope the watch looks as good as the press renders.

Next up Alcatel announced the Alcatel OneTouch PIXI 3 series of handsets offer screens ranging from 3.5 to 5 inches. The key point to notice about these devices is that they can all run Android, Firefox OS, or Windows. Alcatel describes the devices as OS agnostic. I am sure we will see more hardware being agnostic going forward.

I am looking forward to the next generation of wearables to see if battery life and design has been tackled.

Source – http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/01/02/alcatel-onetouch-cool-things-sleeve-ces-os-agnostic-pixi-phones-android-firefox-windows-affordable-smartwatch/

Mont Blanc announces new wearable device – details of the e-strap

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Mont Blanc has announced the e-Strap. This combines a smart wearable device with a stunning mechanical watch. This will feature in the Mont Blanc “Timewalker Urban Speed Collection”. The e-Strap features a high-end leather strap that has a carbon fiber texture to it that Montblanc calls “Extreme Montblanc Leather” made in Italy. Sitting under your wrist is an electronic module made from DLC (diamond like carbon) coated steel or in gray steel.

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The specs. The e-strap has a 0.9 inch monochromatic OLED touchscreen display 128×36 pixel resolution. Notifications will be shown for calls, texts, e-mails, calendars, social media, and reminder notifications, function as an activity monitor/tracker with a pedometer and accelerometer with data that feeds into either the android or apple app. Vibrations alert for notifications are included.

And its strongest selling point on top of the classic design is 5 days battery life. Not only that it recharges via micro usb. The watch with e-strap is around 4,000 euros. The strap by itself is 250 euros.

I do like this idea of combining watch style with technology. That watch looks stunning.

Source – http://www.ablogtowatch.com/montblanc-e-strap-combines-smart-wearable-device-mechanical-watch-timewalker-urban-speed-collection/

Samsung S Health – main activity page

Below are screen shots from my S Health app taken off the Note 4. If I had updated my weight the measurement would be added to the activity page. I have also included screen shots from the other options available.  Whilst S Health does tie you into the Samsung eco system it does work for me.

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You can use the app with or without a Samsung wearable. Naturally I am using my Gear S.

I hope Samsung opens the app more to third parties as it has potential but needs to improve as Apple Health kit is leagues ahead. But this app does what I need so I am happy at the moment.