Category Archives: Tech News

Samsung Note 4 – officially launches in the UK – first quick impressions

Android, Tech News

So Samsung has officially launched the Note 4 and I was lucky enough to spend 15 mins with the phone.

First impressions. It feels small. Seriously it felt small in my hand. Just shows you how using the larger iPhone 6 Plus changes your perception on size. The phone was comfortable to hold and felt grippy enough unlike my 6 Plus which needs a case.

Finish. Whilst is has a nicer metal edge and generally better designed all over, I was not bowled over with thoughts of ooooooh and aaaaaah. Definitely the best finish I have seen on any Samsung phone. But what really stood out was the screen. Really vivid. In terms of operation everything seemed to flow rather well. Showing recent apps seemed to have a slight lag.

Overall my brief time with the Note 4 was positive but I am not sure its strong enough to sway me away from iOS this month.

The Apple Keynote from yesterday – new products, software and my views

Apple, Tech News, , , ,

So yesterday Apple streamed its keynote speech live to the world. It was a rather dull affair but a fair amount was announced or confirmed.

First of all the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have been off the charts successful. OS X Yosemite will be free as well as iWork for the Mac. iCloud Photo library beta goes live. iOS 8.1 launches on Monday as brings back the camera roll, fixes loads of stuff, and for US citizens incorporates Apple Pay. Other improvements are occurring for iOS 8.1 too.

Hello to the iPad Air 2. Thinner at 6.1mm. Faster processor A8X. Better camera with more shooting modes from burst, time lapse, panoramic. The screen is laminated on this time, producing the same great visuals as that found on the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Touch ID was added. The screen also had a anti reflective coating. Faster wifi too and more LTE bands on the cellular version.

The iPad Mini 3 hardly got changed. Faster wifi and Touch ID.

Both the iPad Air 2 and Mini 3 will be available now in a 3rd colour, gold.

Apple mentioned a WatchKit would be available next month for developers.

Apple announced a 5K iMac Retina and a new Mac Mini.

Apple SIM – Each cellular iPad will now come with its own Apple SIM card. This SIM card will work with multiple US carriers—AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile—and allow users to not only enable or disable a cellular plan as they see fit, but also switch back and forth between carriers to find the plan that works best for them at the moment. It will also work with EE in the UK. Verizon isn’t supported on the Apple SIM at present.

Apple is now selling 5 iPads. The original iPad Mini. iPad Mini 2. iPad Mini 3. iPad Air. iPad Air 2. Confused? Apple has dropped the 32gb memory option. Just 16, 64 and 128gb. If you want the full specs head over to Apple http://www.apple.com/uk/ipad/

So what are my thoughts?

First up Apple seems to have been trying to focus more on the software, the 2 new iPhones (6 and 6 Plus) and only the larger iPad. This makes me wonder if it thinks that the iPhone 6 Plus will kill off the iPad Mini. All the other changes were really small changes, but if you were looking for a new tablet, Apple reduced the price of everything by $100. So clearly it is a competitive world. My worry is can the tablet arena really get any better where people actually care about buying the better specs. I for one will not be considering any of the new hardware Apple announced. What I already have works just fine and I am sure that will apply to many of you. However, I am sure the new iPad Air 2 is far more exciting in person than on paper.

So what do you think? Has Apple done enough?

Google announces the Google Nexus Player to take on Apple TV – details

Android, Tech News

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Google has announced the Nexus Player. Nexus Player is powered by a 1.8GHz Intel Atom processor with PowerVR Series 6 graphics, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. Voice search built into the remote control. It also has Chromecast and a gamepad that brings Android gaming into the living room.

The Nexus Player is similar to Apple TV except it connects to the Google Play Store to offer films, TV shows, music, apps and games and more.

The next question is how will Apple respond to this.

Google announces the Nexus 6

Android, Tech News

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Google have announced the Nexus 6, made by Motorola. The Nexus 6 will feature Android L 5.0, has a huge 5.96-inch screen and Quad HD (2560×1440) resolution. On the inside it’s running the latest Snapdragon 805 processor. Storage comes in 32 and 64GB configurations, and around the back there’s a 13-megapixel camera with OIS. The phone also comes with a Motorola Turbo Charger, which should give you six hours of power from a 15 minute charge. Qi Wireless charging is also included.

However, unlike the Nexus 5, this will cost a lot of money. It is also too big for most people.

So what do you think?

Google announces Android L – Lollipop – details of key changes

Android, Tech News

Google announced Android L yesterday and it really adds a lot of extra functionality. The key points are –

1) Material Design- Android L introduces a new bold colourful UI. Seems like everyone is updating their UI’s nowadays.

2) Notifications -only get interrupted when you decide using priority mode, view and respond to messages directly from your lock screen, Android Lollipop can stop incoming phone calls from interrupting what you’re watching or playing.

3) Battery – A battery saver feature which extends device use by up to 90 mins

4) Security – New devices come with encryption automatically turned on to help protect data on lost or stolen devices

5) More flexible sharing with family and friends – Multiple users for phones. Guest user mode.

6) New Quick Settings now include handy controls like flashlight, hotspot, screen rotation and cast screen controls

7) New connectivity options and improved modes

8) Now runs on ART, android runtime. 4 x better performance ,Support for 64 bit devices, like the Nexus 9, brings desktop class CPUs to Android

9) Improved graphics and audio, video, and camera capabilities. A range of new professional photography features for Android Lollipop that let you capture full resolution frames around 30 fps, raw formats like YUV and Bayer RAW supported. Control capture settings for the sensor, lens, and flash per individual frame
Capture metadata like noise models and optical information. State of the art video technology with support for HEVC main profile to allow for UHD 4K 10-bit video playback, tunneled hardware video decoding to save power and improved HLS support for streaming.

10) Android TV Support for living room devices

And so much more. Makes android very compelling.

Will.i.am launches Puls – a smart wristband

Tech News

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Pop musician Will.i.am has just taken the wraps off of his first wearable, the Puls , during Salesforce’s Dreamforce 2014 conference (via The Next Web). The watch ships with a software suite that includes Facebook and Twitter connectivity, Instagram, and even integration with Salesforce. It also features a voice control system dubbed “Aneeda” that’s powered by Nuance. Aneeda also supports basic features such as reminders, music control, alarms, and more.

On the hardware side, the watch sports standard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections along with a pedometer, GPS, acceleromter, and even a 3G connection powered by AT&T (or O2 in the UK) that will allow users to place calls or send text messages and emails without pairing the Puls with a phone at all. The battery is built into the strap, providing plenty of space beneath the face for the other internal components, which includes 16 GB of storage space and a full gigabyte of RAM. It also has built in speakers for music and alerts. A music streaming service is also on offer.

An app called Humin will allow you to share contact information from one Puls to another by tapping them together. It can also associate contacts with location and other data, allowing you to use more conversational voice commands such as “send a text to the guy from the game last week.”

A fitness application is also included that can track basic workout data. A future update is said to be in the works that will allow you to share this information between two Puls watches.

Will.i.am’s new wearable technology company i.am+ will also carry a jacket that powers the PULS, a backpack with a sound system and shoes that tell you how much you weigh and how many steps you’ve made per day. All wearables hook in with the PULS to either help you track information about yourself or power the device. The device itself has a built-in mirrored sim so your phone and the device can use the same number. Developers can also build apps for the PULS. Apps like Humin and Esri already work with the device.

The exact price wasn’t given but the singer said that it will be cheaper than an off-contract iPhone, which comes in at $649. will be available in black, white, pink, and blue. There will also be a solid-gold Puls and one with gold and diamonds.

I’m getting worried about this idea already!

Source – 9to5mac

Google announces a new tablet Nexus 9 – full info

Android, Tech News

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Google announced the Nexus 9. Below is the full info.

– Size – 8.9 x 6.05 x 0.31 inches
– Weight Wifi version 425 grams, LTE version 436 grams
– Display 8.9 inches (2048 x 1536), 4:3 aspect ratio
– Processor NVIDIA Tegra K1 64-bit dual-core processor at 2.3 GHz
– LTE model uses Qualcomm MDM9625M modem
– Operating system Android 5.0 Lollipop
– Memory 16GB and 32GB for Wifi-only, 32GB for LTE
– RAM 2GB DDR3
– Network HSPA+/LTE
– Connectivity 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, Wifi 802.11ac, Chromecast
– Camera 8MP rear with BSI, f/2.4, 1080p video
– 1.6MP front, BSI, 720p video
– Sound Front-facing BoomSound speakers
– Battery 6,700 mAh Li-polymer
– Accessories Keyboard Folio, cover

This is clearly a straight hit at Apple and the iPad Air. But does it tempt you with the high resolution screen and Boomsound speakers?

Kazam launches world’s thinnest phone – full details

Android, Tech News,

KAZAM has announced the arrival of the World’s thinnest smartphone in Europe. Available mid November for £249.

At only 5.15mm thin, the KAZAM Tornado 348 is a marvel of mobile engineering. Combining a robust aluminium-magnesium alloy uni-body with a wealth of features:

4.8” AMOLED 1280 x 780 HD Gorilla Glass® screen, the display on Tornado 348 offers resolution and clarity that is hard to beat.

8MP main camera with 1080p video capture, coupled with an incredible 5MP front facing camera, perfect for the ever-popular selfie.

The MediaTek True Octa-core MT6592 processor is blisteringly quick and powerful, easily capable of handling the most demanding of mobile applications simultaneously alongside other features.

All brought together with Google’s KitKat 4.4.2, and supported by KAZAMs unrivalled customer proposition – one year screen protection* and KAZAM Rescue service.

Dimensions [139.8 x 67.5 x 5.15mm], 95.5g. Battery 2050mAh

Impressive that even though it’s 5.15mm thin it still has a 2050mAH battery.

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