Category Archives: Tech News

Samsung Gear S, Note 4 & iPhone 6 Plus – views from the wider world

Tech News, ,

On Friday I was at a social function. I was wearing my Gear S and had on me a Note 4, iPhone 6 Plus and BlackBerry Curve.

Nobody wanted to see the blackberry.  The Gear S reaction was really marmite.  It was either referred to as a prison tag or I want one.  There was no middle ground.  There wasn’t much interest in the iPhone 6 Plus mainly as everyone seemed to know what it was and that it was just another iPhone.  However,  people did comment that it was huge. Really huge.

Now to the Note 4. This caused the same reaction by everyone who agreed the screen was superb.  We were looking at photos and again I was informed I had an unfair advantage as everything looked better on my screen. People were dazzled by the specs on the Note 4.

Now I did demonstrate trying to give some balance that the iPhone was really easy to use but again there wasn’t much interest.

When I explained how the Gear S was also a phone,  there was disbelief in an amazed way from my table of people.

So there you have it. 

IPhone 6 Plus – just another iPhone.

Samsung Note 4 – that fabulous screen

Samsung Gear S – Prison escapee or  droolworthy ☺

Touchscreen Gloves – review

Tech News, Wearables, ,

It’s that time of year when winter fast approaches. In fact, some parts of the world have already had snow. And it’s also that time of the year that you might be wearing gloves. And how annoying is it with a touchscreen phone to keep having to have to take off your gloves to operate your phone. Some phones have a mode that increases the screen sensitivity like the Note 4, so you can operate the screen with your gloves on,  but in that mode battery is draining slightly faster. There is a solution. You can buy gloves that work natively with your touch screen devices.

A company called Touchscreen Gloves got in touch with me to explain about their own range of gloves. Touchscreen Gloves is a family run UK company offering a range of gloves.

I was sent two styles of gloves, the classic version and their new grip style. Let’s look firstly at the classic.

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The Classic style feature special conductive thread (made from real silver) in all 10 fingers of both hands, giving you the freedom to text, pinch and swipe using any finger (or thumb) without taking your gloves off. The conductive material in these TouchAbility gloves is barely visible as it is interwoven between the regular threads. They are made of a soft and warm melange material for comfort and stretch. Available in camel, charcoal and grey colour, and 2 sizes – medium and large. The label of the gloves reveals the content as acrylic 61%, spandex 8%, pvc dots 23%, elastic 4% and conductive yarn 4%. The gloves are surprisingly thin and operated all my tablets and phones perfectly. Close up shot of the glove below.
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If you want a glove with more grip than the classic glove, Touchscreen Gloves have just launched their new Grip range. I got a sample from the very first batch. Unfortunately, it had a few issues with lose threads appearing.
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I have been informed this is being rectified. The Grip style offer integrated palm grips to help you keep hold of your mobile device without worrying about it slipping out of your gloved hands. Close up of glove.
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The Grip gloves feature conductive tips in all 5 fingers of each hand, and are 50% thicker than most knitted gloves to provide extra warmth in even the coldest weather. They also feature non-slip PVC dots on the palms for added grip, and a soft and luxurious inner knapping for enhanced comfort. The touch sensitive tips are black, so are barely visible on the black and navy blue gloves, and provide a unique and stylish contrasting colour on the red gloves. Available in 3 colours black, red and navy blue, and 3 sizes. The label reveals that the glove is made of acrylic 75%, silver yarn 12%, spandex 10% and elastic 3%.

As the Classic and Grip gloves are Touchscreen Gloves own manufactured range of gloves, they are also priced reasonably too. The Classic are £12.99 and Grip £9.99. However, if you use the discount code “GAV10” you will get 10% off. The code expires 31st December 2014, and should be entered at checkout. Just in case you’re wondering I do not earn a penny from any sales. This is just a benefit/saving for you if you order a pair of Touchscreen Gloves.

Samsung Note 4 – useful hidden stuff

Reviews, Tech News

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First up is the option in accessibility to be notified of a doorbell or crying baby. Works well when listening to music. You can select to have either a baby crying or doorbell notified or both. Note S Voice and OK Google voice activation has to be off for this feature to work.

Next one I came across while scrolling in tweetings app with the S-Pen. If you hover over a url it brings up a paragraph on the website.

Voice Recorder with Meeting Mode on Meeting allows audio from eight different directions to be recognised separately. Selected voices can be activated or deactivated while playing recorded audio, if necessary. Neat trick.

If you’re on the phone to your mum or anyone the Note 4 can display info about that contact. Ideal if you’re about to forget their birthday.

Selfies. Using the front camera. Apart from panoramic selfies you can use the heart rate monitor to act as the camera shutter button. This is really logical.

And one more. In settings, language and input you will find the following options –

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Changing the launcher to Apex in my case or Nova, installing Google Calendar and the icon becomes dynamic and shows the date.

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I’m sure I will find more as I continue using the Note 4 and read the 200 page user manual.

So are there any you would add to this list?

Does the Samsung Note 4 have apt-x codec? Official update

Reviews, Tech News, ,

@Powered_by_aptX: @gavinfabiani @CSRplc Hi Gavin – yes, we can confirm that the Note 4 does indeed support aptX 🙂

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This question has been asked in many forums without any solid answers. It is not mentioned on any Samsung literature but the high quality bluetooth music codec is included in the Samsung Note 4 as shown above and confirmed by CSR who developed the codec.

Living the dream – Samsung Note 4, Gear S and Note Pro 12.2.

Android, Reviews, Tech News, , ,

So its another 24 hours later. This time I have used the S-Pen to write this entire post. t have managed to write this fairly easily on the Notepro and even easier on the Samsung Note 4. I am left with the original niggle from yesterday over the cell signal. Do I hope that Samsung eventually improve this with an update. I hope so, as I prefer the Note 4 over the iPhone. The 6 Plus is a nicer piece of kit. It just becomes less exciting to use overtime and isn’t as flexible as a device as I would personally prefer.

In terms of using the S-Pen it seems far simpler to use on the Note 4 if you are holding the Note 4 in the hand to the stylus. I will be honest though and say that using swipe is fastest method of data entry. However , using the pen is a lovely feeling.

I’ve realised that the Gear S battery is good for 2 days. It is without a doubt the best watch for my needs that I have used so far.

In terms of overall package the three devices are a good combination providing you need the pen. S Health is also excellent but the main problem is the competition are catching up.

Below is a sample note that you can create.

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Living the Samsung Nightmare – Note 4, Gear S and NotePro 12.2

Android, Reviews, Tech News, , ,

Some balance to all the glow from the last few days and for some you may not like reading my comments below. But unlike some reviews, I am not in the pockets of the manufacturers so will say it how it is.

Before I get to the Note 4, I used the NotePro 12.2 with Chrome and the Internet Browser both open in multitasking mode side by side, so I could compare images of 2 different vehicles. The iPad really needs some form of multi window.

The Gear S has been faultless. Battery at the end of the night before bedtime was at 65%. I have also discovered that call forwarding charges vary from network to network. Three UK don’t charge. They simply take the cost from your allowance. EE charge through the roof unless a business customer. I believe the charge is around 60p per minute. I will double check this cost again from EE as it seems totally out of sync with Three UK.

And now to the nightmare scenery with the Note 4. To recap it has sensors galore – heart rate, oxygen levels, UV. A very good camera. S-Pen. Multitasking. QHD screen. And so much more. In fact it’s removed the toolbox gimmick found on the S5 and replaced it with Side Key Panel. See screen shot. Basically you get the bottom capacitive and home key on the left or right edge. It hides when not in use. Flick to bring out. You can move it to your preferred position.

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But stripping it back to basics it still is a phone that can send SMS messages. And this is where it fails miserably. It has really poor signal strength. I live in a rural location. Reception downstairs has always been flaky on Three UK but it for the iPhone 6 Plus it was still able to make/receive phone calls/SMS. The BlackBerry Passport had no issues with grasping on the reception. And now to the Note 4. Downstairs the Note 4 “cannot” make or receive any phone calls or SMS. It cannot pull a signal. I have noticed in many different areas outside of my house, weaker cell coverage too. Problem is if I cannot get the basics from the Note 4, I will have to return it along with the Gear S, as the Gear S only works with a Samsung phone.

Some background. I have been with Three UK for quite some time. I have tried O2, Vodafone and T-Mobile and all were rubbish. However, reader “Jah” suggested I look into EE and I got hold of a EE pay as you go sim to test. Low and behold the Note 4 did have signal downstairs, albeit at the lowest signal thresholds. EE could be a solution, so long as call forwarding is not charged at 60p per minute when calls get forwarded from the Note 4 to the Gear S.

Just to make sure my signal issues weren’t unique to myself, I started a thread on XDA Developers and it appears many people are also experiencing poor signal strength. Maybe we shouldn’t have asked Samsung to build a metal phone!

Update – I went online and chatted to EE who stated call forwarding is not charged. Uses your allowance.

Living the Samsung Dream – Note 4, Gear S and Samsung NotePro 12.2 Tablet

Android, Reviews, Tech News, , ,

Another day and a load more thoughts, issues and observations. So lets start with the least used item today, that being the NotePro tablet. That is mainly as I have been busy with work, and the time I have had outside of work has been exploring the Note 4 and Gear S, and do you blame me!

So the Samsung NotePro 12.2 seems to have a memory issue. Web browsing whether via Chrome or Samsung’s own internet app, just stops after 30 mins or so and freezes. Normally takes a reboot or clear all running apps. Weird. Not a deal breaker but it is there. It does not always happen either. Maybe tech websites are heavy on graphics? Apart from that the only other aspect I have noticed is its general speed. It is no iPad Air 2 switching between apps. I think we call this lag. But then once you’re in the app do you care!

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So next lets talk about the Note 4 and Gear S. Above is screenshot from my Note 4. I have settled for just one home screen. And Touchwiz is crap on the Note 4 with its QHD screen. Such a waste of space. Don’t get me wrong, I really like Touchwiz but there was too much free space. Anyway, Apex launcher is installed. From top to bottom. Samsung clock widget, Coach Pedometer widget, S-Note widget, middle is the torch widget and then a load of apps and folders. Everything now is in its neat place. During the night I setoff 40 of my android games to install and for some reason every few minutes or so the Note 4 screen kept turning on. This was after all the games installed too. The Note 4 was on charge using the fast charger. But before you ask, I did disconnect the charger but the screen kept popping on. Annoying in a dark room. I will try again tonight to see if the same thing happens. I also had the Gear S monitoring my sleep overnight. I have to say the Gear S battery really isn’t too shabby considering everything it does. I have had loads of notifications pour through and taken several calls via the watch. And I cannot stress how comfy I have found the Gear S. One useless feature of the Gear S is the UV sensor. Yes, aim your watch at the sun, and it will tell you if you need to cover up and more. Or option B, using your common sense. However, joking aside, it is still a feature that may be useful for some. This UV sensor also exists on the Note 4.

What I am noticing with the Note 4 is that I am activating apps on the edge of the screen too much. No wonder touchwiz left large gaps. Also, coming from the iPhone 6 Plus I really do miss the swipe up from the bottom for control centre. That is such a logical place and having quick access to items like the timer, camera, torch and calculator make perfect sense. Just look at the torch widget on my home screen. It is so ugly. And I also miss Touch ID. Apple really nailed the secure way to access your phone. The Note 4 fingerprint scanner works 95% of the time and I am even able to get one handed operation 60% of the time. Maybe next week I will be able to unlock my Note 4 with no hands. Well, maybe that’s coming in the Note 5. But thanks to Jeff’s comment yesterday, the Note 4 does allow access to “OK Google” all the time including the lock screen. Just turn it on in Google Now settings. Neat! I hope Google updates “OK Google” to be better than Siri and Cortana. I now have all my photos, music and videos on the Note 4. For my music I used iSyncr to copy music across from iTunes. 1,000 songs transferred over in 5+ mins. Seemed much quicker than other devices. Videos and photos I used a memory stick. Copied everything from my mac to the memory stick. The using the USB OTG cable, connected the memory stick to the Note 4 and copied across all the photos and videos.

So my final paragraph for today. Is the music quality through the headphone port any good. Is it better than the iPhone 6 Plus? First up the iPhone 6 Plus has excellent audio quality and a decent loudspeaker. The 6 Plus can also power all my big over the ear headphones and sounds excellent over bluetooth even though it doesn’t have APT-X high quality bluetooth codec which is present in the Note 4. So I am sure we all know the Note 4 loudspeaker is lame. But it is clear, just lacks volume. Despite that I was able to conduct a phone call in the car using the loudspeaker and my friend Dave of UKMobileTech was able to hear me just fine. The bluetooth sound is excellent and uses the APT-X codec. I had a problem initially with bluetooth music dropping out occasionally. That was day one. Since then it has not re-appeared. Plugging in headphones using a cable and its OMFG. Well nearly. The Note 4 doesn’t have such a powerful headphone amp as the iPhone 6 Plus, but what is pumps out is of a much higher quality. In fact, I have been listening to my music via the Note 4 as I typed this post. The musicality, separation, soundstage and overall presentation is such a delight. Your choice of headphone is going to be important though. A too demanding headphone will need a headphone amp. I have connected the Note 4 into my car sounds system and its such a full clean sound. For guidance, all my music is ripped at 320mp3 bit rate.

And that’s it folks for today. Any questions please fire away 🙂 Tomorrow’s post is entitled living the Samsung Nightmare. In this post I will describe a massive flaw with the Note 4.

And one last thing. The screen didn’t keep turning on during the night. I used the Gear S charger as though. However, blocking mode still allowed the notification led to blink.

This is Magic Stuff – How to install the exclusive Mont Blanc content for Samsung Note 4 – free

Android, Reviews, Tech News,

Mont Blanc and Samsung teamed up together to create a few exclusive Mont Blanc flip leather cases and pens. If you buy the case you get access to extra digital content. However, there is another way to get the content installed on your Note 4. The extra content includes 2 wallpapers, and in S Note 5 extra Mont Blanc fountain pens types. This is how. First install Nova Launcher. Long press on the home screen. Select in pop up menu Shortcuts.

Next select Activities, then scroll all the way down to you get to PopupuiReceiver. Screen shot below.

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Next select Mont Blanc. Below shows icon that will appear on home screen. Note wallpaper is one of the 2 free new wallpapers you will receive.

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The Mont Blanc icon appears bottom left. Tap. You will be taken to the Samsung App store. Install and open S Note. The wallpapers are installed in the normal wallpaper section.

S Note now has Mont Blanc fountain nibs selection.

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And that folks is the magic way to get the Mont Blanc digital content.

Living the Samsung Dream – Note 4, Gear S and Samsung NotePro 12.2 tablet

Android, Reviews, Tech News, , ,

Today I’m not going to talk about each device separately but how the work in unison with each other.

First up its Monday night and I’m typing my thoughts for this post using the NotePro tablet and it really is a joy with its large on screen keyboard and display. I won’t get much time with it otherwise so there isn’t much to say except it was on standby for 15 hours and lost 18% battery.

So today at lunchtime I was able to sort out moving my sim from my iPhone 6 Plus to the Note 4 and getting a nano SIM for the Gear S. Fortunately, there was a Samsung expert in the Three store helping flog Samsung phones for the Three store staff. He also new exactly how to setup the Note 4 with the Gear S. So my main sim went into the Note 4 and a Three pay as you go 321 or 123 sim went into the Gear S.

But before I get to the master setup, I wore the Gear S last night and turned on the sleep mode. During sleep mode, the watch also activates do not disturb mode . This means no bright screens awakening your partner. The sleep data is synced across to the Note 4. It showed my total sleep was 6 hours and 10 minutes and that I was motionless for 94% of the time, that is for 5 hours and 47 mins. I intend to wear this every night now so I can build up average sleep data patterns. Now, the Gear S was at 50% at the end of Sunday evening, so while I went to the bathroom I quickly charged the watch up to 75%. While I am typing this I have put it back on  charge. It’s 8pm and the battery including tracking me while I slept and all the way to 8pm had only dropped to 51%. Not bad. During the day notifications have been pumping out of the Gear S and I can honestly say reading them on a 2 inch screen is great on the eyes. Also, if you select clear all notifications it also clears them on the Note 4. S Voice works really well on the Gear S. S Voice was able to recognise correctly all the commands and people’s names that I asked it to dial. I had my mum call me and took the call on my Gear S using its loudspeaker. It’s not very loud but I suppose that is a good point in some ways in that the whole world won’t get to hear your conversation.  But in a noisy room it may be difficult to use in this way. Bluetooth headphones might come in useful. I asked my mum if she could hear me on her end. She had no trouble hearing me.

I then asked my mum to call me again. This time I started the call on the watch and pressed the on screen button to transfer call back to the Note 4. That worked just fine. Just clarifying how the relationship between the Note 4 works with the Gear S. Standard use is via a bluetooth connection. In this mode notifications are received over bluetooth from the Note 4 to the Gear S. Phone calls and text messages placed from the watch use the Note 4 to activate the call. Now, with a nano SIM in the Gear S and allow remote access ticked in the Gear Manager app, the following is possible. You decide to leave the Note 4 at home. As you exit your home, the bluetooth connection is broken between the Note 4 and Gear S. The Gear S switches over to being it’s own phone. It also pings a command back to the Note 4 which activate call forwarding to the Gear S. Notifications from the Note 4 are also sent to the Gear S. For this to occur you have to be signed in to your Samsung account.

So how was the Note 4 now that it has my main sim in use. The screen has been the standout feature all day. And yesterday the S Health app has been good too. Fingerprint scanner works really well, but Apple’s Touch ID is still the best. I have now managed one handed unlocking on the Note 4. When locked with fingerprint security I cannot use S Voice or Ok Google unless I have unlocked the phone. As an example with the iPhone 6 Plus plugged into a charger I can say “hey siri ” and then “any notifications “. Siri will then read all my notifications. Can’t do that on the Note 4. Also, Touch wiz only allows 21 icons on a screen. The iPhone 6 Plus can show many more. It seems to maximise the screen I am going to have to use Nova or Apex launcher but at the cost of losing some of the Samsung widgets. I seem to be suffering from wifi dropping out from time to time. Might be because there is a storm outside or its not working correctly. Cell signal seems fairly strong on par with the iPhone 6 Plus.

So that’s all to report today. More tomorrow.

PS. Don’t forget to read my other post today about how to get the Mont Blanc digital content for free.