Hello HTC One M8 – daily blog and review part 1

Android, Reviews, Tech News, ,

I know I said I wasn’t going to get one but I did. I must point out I was led astray by the HTC One M8. So as a warning, do not enter a store where they can let you hold and feel this phone in your hand. It is just incredible to behold. Yes, I’m on the honeymoon period but nonetheless there is not a single phone built currently that looks so good, especially in gun metal.

Anyway, below are some quick camera samples. No staging just very quick snaps.

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When I get some time over the weekend, I will upload these to Flickr and provide the links as probably these might be a little compressed. On my PC screen these all look good.

So what do you think ?

Twitter goes more social

Android, Apple, Tech News

Twitter has just updated its iOS, Android and website.

So from now on you will be able to tag up to 10 people in the photos you upload without it counting against your 140 character count. In addition you’ll soon be able to attach up to four photos to each tweet. When you upload multiple pictures a thumbnail collage will automatically be created and you can tap on it to swipe through the images in full size. That update is hitting iOS devices first and coming soon to both Android and the website.

Looks like a good update.

Not sure about the new HTC One M8 camera – check these photos out

Android, Tech News

Colby Brown once again reviews the HTC One. He previously reviewed the M7, but now he puts the HTC One M8 to the test along with a large selection of photos.

“As for the camera, I am hard pressed to not be happy that they have improved both the camera application itself and the picture taking quality of the phone when compared to last years model. I found more details in my images, better focusing in low light and overall a more enjoyable experience. A near full manual mode was a nice touch.”

First Google slashes its storage prices – now Amazon

Tech News

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc will drop prices on most of its cloud computing services starting April 1, the largest U.S. online retailer said on Wednesday, a day after rival Google Inc outlined a major price cut of its own.

The price cuts range from 10 percent to 65 percent, Andrew Jassy, senior vice president of Amazon Web Services, told a conference for Amazon web developers in San Francisco.

Now lets see if Dropbox respond.

HTC One (M8) launched and available to buy

Android, Tech News

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HTC have launched the new HTC One. The link takes you directly to HTC’s website where you can learn all about the duo cameras, camera effects, refined metal casing, software and hardware enhancements. And it is a powerhouse of refinement.

But for me I’m not so sure I will now be adding this to my collection. I owned the old HTC One, but the new version is only available with 16gb internal memory in the UK at the moment. The inclusion of the memory card slot doesn’t solve every scenario. And then there is the rear camera. Not only does it have the same 4mp lens but due to the second lens optical image stabilisation was removed. 4mp is fine for social network sharing but as soon as you take a landscape or decided to print a shot the lack of detail at 4mp will be noticeable. And I take tons of landscape shots, 4mp is not enough for me.

Otherwise the phone looked gorgeous and had design focus on its features. Except, HTC ruined what would have been a class leading phone with too low a resolution for the rear camera!

What did you think ?

In-Ear Headphones at a cost of £999 – Impossible unless Astell & Kern AKR02

Tech News

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I hear you say £999 for the above Astell & Kern AKR02 in ear headphones. Surely not. But I am afraid that is the correct price. And this is just one of a growing band of expensive high end headphones that are emerging.

The AKR02 headphones have been produced in collaboration with Final Audio Design, and use the company’s Balanced Air Movement (BAM) driver technology, which sport a balanced armature design.

There’s a removeable oxygen-free copper cable, while precision-made air holes in the earphones allow airflow in an effort to improve bass levels. The AKR02 earphones are finished in a polished, stainless steel housing, and each pair comes with an Italian leather case complete with a unique serial number.

More at What Hi-Fi.

Netflix Shares Fall – due to new rumours on the new Apple TV

Apple, Tech News

Reuters reported that Netflix shares slumped more than 7 percent on Monday after a report about a new television streaming product that Comcast and Apple were working on together.

Netflix shares fell $31.49 or 7.78 percent to $374.67. The drop came a day after a story that first appeared in the online edition of The Wall Street Journal said Comcast and Apple were in talks about teaming up for a new TV product that stores programming in the cloud and would replace clunky cable boxes in people’s homes.

Apple and Comcast have declined to comment on the report but a source familiar with the matter told Reuters the discussions were at an early stage and there are a lot of hurdles to be crossed before any agreement is reached.

Apple also wants the TV service’s Internet traffic to be separate from public Internet traffic and would be looking for special treatment from Comcast’s cable pipe to give customers a better experience, the newspaper said.

Arris Group Inc, a company that makes set-top boxes for the cable industry and paid Google $2.35 billion for Motorola’s cable box unit last April, also saw its shares fall 6 percent on fears that an Apple-Comcast partnership could hurt sales of traditional set-top boxes.

I think Netflix has a strong brand already. Maybe Apple should just buy Netflix. It is already an app on the Apple TV, so would make a good fit.

Front Selfie Camera 5mp – Main Rear Camera 4mp – Hello HTC One 2014

Android, Tech News

For the first time in a long time, the front camera of a smartphone will be of a higher mega pixel than the main rear lens. Okay, there is a second rear camera for the depth of field affects and 3D but surely when Samsung, LG, Apple and others are touting 8 to 16mp, HTC cannot still be on the 4mp bandwagon.

Well according to the relentless leaks it looks like this is still the case. In some ways this worries me but in others it does not. Some people will ignore the HTC One 2014 thinking a 4mp rear camera is not enough pixels. But actually, if they do, then they are missing the point completely and potentially a great camera phone.

I owned the HTC One 2013 for quite sometime and wrote probably one of the longest reviews. Look above in the menu and you will see a whole tab just for this phone. The HTC One is all about being able to make sure you captured the moment, then worry about any editing after the shot, and finally leaving you with a video highlight instantly with no editing by yourself of the whole event, ready to share. And the video highlight was only around 15mb. Photos snapped were all under 2mb. So you had a phone with a camera that was fast enough to shoot and capture any moment without worrying too much about which mode to select from the menu, and then left you with a incredible video highlight. In fact, the memories this phone created have not been beaten by any other phone. However, its weakness was landscapes, and this is where a 4mp shot just lack any detail if zoomed in.

So last year’s HTC One set the benchmark. And from what I have seen by all the countless leaks the all new HTC One takes the Ultrapixel and Boomsound to the next level. Advances in processor power and software, a secondary rear camera all allow HTC to take Zoe and camera effects even further by offering post edits of depth of field, 3D and so much more. And even more video highlight creations.

And then there is the aluminium unibody design. It looks gorgeous. Is there a review coming? You bet!

But in the meantime, get ready for HTC’s live launch tonight from 3pm.