Category Archives: Tech News

HTC One M8 – Daily Blog – Death on the Nile

Android, Reviews, Tech News, ,

So many of you were expecting an upbeat article today, but alas the reason there was not an update yesterday was due to an apparent failure of my One M8.

In an nutshell the GPS tracking just stopped. No matter what I did nothing worked and I was constantly being asked to re route. Now I was using the highest GPS/location settings. I did reset the phone, then at Carphone Warehouse Geek Squad (or whatever name they call their technical people) a hard reset was performed.

Nothing could resurrect the M8 to get the GPS positioning working again. So a swap was organised, only to find they had no stock. So reluctantly, I am left with a Samsung Galaxy S5 for the time being.

I will share my first impressions of the S5 in the next article today.

PS. Since writing this article I have discovered I was not alone in having GPS problems with the HTC One M8.

Sony Xperia Z2 hardware issues – another nightmare for Sony

Android, Tech News

In my latest episode of “Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast”, I mentioned the Z2 had been delayed for sale in many places until mid May 2014.

Xperiablog.net is reporting with photo samples that some owners report the presence of gaps between the edge of the phone’s glass face and the metal frame, raising concerns that the handset’s waterproofing may be compromised. This isn’t the first time that issues like this have been noticed with Xperia models, but based on the frequency of reports, it may be a more widespread problem with the Z2.

Then there’s an overheating issue with the Z2, one that can occur when shooting 4K resolution video for an extended period of time. Sometimes the phone gets so hot that software becomes glitchy, leading to apps crashing. Sony advised people not to shoot 4K video in long stretches!

Not an ideal position. Let’s hope this phone is worth the longer wait.

Samsung sues newspaper for negative story

Android, Tech News

Samsung has sued Electronic Times for 300 million KRW (about $284,000 US) regarding its reporting related to the company’s new Galaxy S5 phone.

According to a report by the Korean language MediaToday, Samsung is taking issue with negative reports related to the Galaxy S5 camera.

Samsung alleges the news source published incorrect information, while the news site appeared to defend its reports, stating that “the story fits the facts” and was not a “false alarm.”

Samsung expressed concerned that unflattering reports might cause customers to hesitate before buying its new flagship model during the critical launch quarter, and just as the company is seeking to placate investors concerned about the previous Galaxy S4 failing to meet its sales expectations.

I best make no comment just in case.

Looking to buy the Samsung Galaxy S5 in the UK – then head to the Samsung Experience stores

Android, Tech News

Samsung Experience Stores are opening on the same day as the Samsung Galaxy S5 launch across the UK and Europe.

In the UK, the new stores are at –

Newcastle, Northumberland Street
Newcastle, Metro
Liverpool, Paradise Street
Bradford, Darley Street
Bristol, Cribbs
Manchester, Market Street
Bournemouth, Commercial Street
London, Oxford Street
Cardiff, Queen Street

Or head over to any Carphone Warehouse, or buy direct from http://www.clove.co.uk.

So if you bought the new S5, please let everyone know what you think of the phone in the comments below.

FaceBook’s new Messenger Strategy – Good or Not?

Android, Apple, Tech News

Facebook is taking its standalone app strategy to a new level today. It’s starting to notify users they’ll no longer have the option to send and receive messages in Facebook for iOS and Android, and will instead have to download Facebook Messenger to chat on mobile.

So what’s your view on this?

Personally, I don’t use FaceBook so it makes no difference.

The Protection fitted to my HTC One M8

Android, Tech News

You have the lovely HTC One M8 in your hand. If you are lucky it came with a free silicone case. But that case takes away the beauty of the phone.

Instead, I found on eBay. This is a crystal back case. It doesn’t offer much protection but it does allow for the beauty of the case to shine through, whilst recessing the volume buttons, which means you don’t accidentally press them. It stops the aluminium getting scratched mainly, and hopefully should the phone get dropped stop it getting damaged too.

On to the screen protection. I hate plastic screen protectors, so now use tempered glass. I bought this on eBay. . This is the Nilkin 9H tempered glass. It came with screen cleaners, and was applied with zero dust issues. It looks perfect fitted.

What do you use with your M8? Let everyone know in the comments.

Fight – HTC One M8 vs Nokia Lumia 1020

Android, Reviews, Tech News,

image

I recently read a camera comparison of the HTC One M8 vs Nokia Lumia 1020 and it really was biased and didn’t cover any of the strengths of the HTC One M8 over the 1020. So today, let’s put the balance back.

Round 1. Capture the Biker. – above shot from HTC One M8. The M8 took over 20 shots using long press of the shutter in a second or two. A quick edit using sequence shot and above shot created. I would post the Lumia 1020 shot but the camera is still firing up .

Winner Round 1 – HTC One M8

Round 2. HDR mode.

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In Round 2 we test the HDR mode of both cameras. Of course this is a standard camera mode found in all cameras. Shot above from the HTC One M8 using the HDR mode. I can’t show the shot from the 1020 as it doesn’t have a HDR mode.

Round 2 – Winner – HTC One M8

Round 3 – Macro mode

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Macro shot from the HTC One M8. Hang on the Lumia 1020 doesn’t have a macro mode.

Round 3. Winner. HTC One M8.

Overall winner – HTC One M8.

Now in case you think I’ve been unfair, I could have selected at least another 10 types of shots where the HTC One M8 would have won.

Disclaimer – the 41mp Nokia Lumia 1020 is a great camera phone providing you’re capturing static shots, grave yards and non moving things. Also worth noting that the image the 1020 uses for sharing is 5mp versus a 4mp file from the HTC One M8.

However, in many situations the HTC will achieve what you need better than the 1020 due to it’s speed, creativity, and the endless options of editing the photos afterwards. In other words, it is not necessary to select the camera shooting mode first. Plus you get a video highlight of your event created automatically. It’s the perfect camera for capturing people, pets, kids and movement. And if you are still unsure have a look at 36 photo samples from the HTC One M8 on Flickr. Due to privacy reasons, some of the best photos taken from the M8 are of my pets and kids and therefore cannot be shared.

Guest Writer Richard Yates responds to the HTC One M8 camera vs Nokia Lumia 1020

Android, Tech News, Windows

Richard Yates, wildlife, insect and flower photographer responds to his thoughts on the new HTC One M8 camera, writing a piece on Ted Salmon’s Blog.

“I’m about to say why I think Steve Litchfield is totally, wholly wrong about the HTC One M8 camera when he compares it with the Lumia 1020 on AAWP.

So I suppose a good place to start would be to say that I don’t hate Windows Phone or the Lumia 1020. I’ve had one Windows Phone or another without a break since April 2011 and have taken over 30GB of photographs on my Lumia 1020 (yes you did read that right).”

A really good article by Richard Yates, so check out the rest.