Tag Archives: details

Microsoft announces the Lumia 650 for Businesses – Its a sorry affair!

Tech News, Windows, ,

Microsoft has official announced the Microsoft Lumia 650, which at £159 is clearly aimed at the business market as a low cost phone supporting Windows 10.

Key specs –

– Physical: 6.9mm thick, 122g
– Display: 5” 720 x 1280 pixels AMOLED with ClearBlack Display
– Memory: 16GB (expandable up to 128GB)
– RAM: 1GB
– OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Mobile
– Chipset: Snapdragon 212, Quad-core, up to 1.3GHz
– Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 with A2DP, Micro USB, GPS, full spread of 3G and LTE bands
– Main camera: 8MP, 1/4″ sensor, f/2.2, 720p capture
– Front camera: 5MP, f/2.2
– Battery: Li-Ion 2000mAh battery, replaceable

Sorry to say but this looks like a dismal specified phone even at a price of £159. Plus there is no Continuum support.

Samsung Pay is coming to the UK very soon – details

Android, Tech News,

Apple Pay feels like it has been here for ages without any competition from Google and Samsung.

Well the tide is about to turn as Samsung is set to announce Samsung Pay is coming to the UK at the same time as announcing the new Samsung Galaxy S7 on 21st February 2016.

Nathalie Oestmann, Head of Samsung Pay Europe, revealed that Samsung Pay will be coming to both the UK and Spain very soon and that more details will be shared at Mobile World Congress. Since we’ll be expecting to see Samsung announce the company’s next flagship smartphone at around that time, it would seem as though two birds will indeed be taken out by a single stone.

Samsung Pay will be a significant competitor to Apple Pay and even Android Pay as Samsung’s system works with both contactless terminals and non contactless terminals. In other words it will work in every shop that takes credit cards.

This one feature could really help spur growth for its new flagship.

Source – Pocket-Lint

Apple to fold iTunes Radio into Apple Music – Now Subscription Only – More details

Apple, Tech News,

Cultofmac is reporting that Apple Music is shutting down its ad-supported radio as of January 28, pushing Beats 1 as the premier free “broadcast” for Apple. Apple sent the news out in an email to subscribers and free listeners today.

You’ll still be able to listen to all the Apple Music radio as an Apple Music member, but not as a free listener.

Radio is a tab in iTunes under the Music section that had been supported by ads. Apple clearly is moving away from ads, along with ditching it failed iAds program.

Beats 1 will continue to be the free tier of Apple Music.

The simply solution here is to use a FM or DAB Radio or an app like Tunein. Much cheaper solutions too!

LG G5 – The G4 was impressive but the LG G5 is extraordinary – details and vs Samsung Galaxy S7

Android, Tech News, ,

I had hours of delight with my LG G4 and it was sad to sell it on to a new home a few months ago.

Now it is time for the rumours to arrive about its predecessor, the LG G5 and it is likely to be one knockout device.

Features will include –

– Snapdragon 820 Processor
– 4gb Ram
– 32gb Storage
– Micro SD slot
– Metallic Build
– 5.3 inch QHD screen
– Secondary Ticker Display like the LG V10
– Rear Camera – dual lens 16-megapixel camera providing a 135-degree wide-angle capability
– 8mp front camera
– More sensors on rear – fingerprint, RGB, focus assist, flash
– Magic Slot – to provide extra hardware functionality e.g. more camera options, HIFI
– Battery 2,800mAh

I really look forward to seeing what the new Snapdragon 820 can produce with LG’s camera prowess. The magic slot for hardware expansion on features seems exciting too. As does the improved metallic build. Just a shame the battery is still too small even with marshmallow on board and a better SOC.

Now in case you’re wondering about the new Samsung Galaxy S7, this will feature similar specifications but bizarrely the rumour is suggesting the S7 will only have a 12.2mp rear facing camera. Let’s hope this translates into huge pixels for exceptional low light shots! It appears that Samsung and LG are going to tackle photography different this year in terms of optics. I am looking forward to seeing what each of these phones can create especially with the powerful snapdragon 820 processor being able to allow for some serious photo processing during each shot.

The S7 will also come in two variants, the curved edge and non curve.

Are you looking forward to this phone?

Source – Venture Beat

Has Samsung got an exclusive deal on the Snapdragon 820 Processor until 1st April 2016?

Tech News,

Word is coming out that Samsung will have the exclusive rights to the new Snapdragon 820 processor until at least the 1st April 2016. This will mean it will be able to get its Samsung Galaxy S7 flagship manufactured way ahead of other companies.

But why is this even possible? Well the Snapdragon 820 is manufactured by Samsung in its own facilities using 14nm FinFET nodes. Samsung was also the first OEM to test the Snapdragon 820 extensively in its labs, in order to ensure that the overheating issues plaguing the initial Snapdragon 810 batches will not make a comeback in the sequel.

So with Samsung controlling the manufacture it doesn’t surprise me if this exclusivity deal remains in place of the early part of 2016.

Source Pocketnow

Fancy a Windows 10 Phone – Microsoft Lumia 550 up for order £89.99 – details/specs

Tech News, Windows, , ,

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The Microsoft Lumia 550 is now up for order at £89.99.

– A richer Office experience- The Lumia 550 comes with the latest version of the Office apps you love. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint have been optimised for mobile use. They function beautifully on a phone, and with rich editing tools built in, the new Outlook Mail app makes managing email on the go effortless.

– Work anywhere- With Windows 10 on your Lumia 550, you can access the same great Microsoft services and apps that you’re familiar with on your laptop. Free OneDrive storage helps keep your documents safe in the cloud and gives you the freedom to access and edit them on your phone.

– Your truly personal assistant- Start your day with a personalised snapshot of the information you want

– Cortana gives you traffic info, the weather forecast, and your schedule. Need to buy flowers? With Cortana for Windows 10, you can set a location-based reminder on a PC and it will arrive just in time on your Lumia. Get your own personal assistant and find out what it’s like to have help with everyday tasks.

– Faster and smoother- The Lumia 550 is designed for 4G LTE, so you’ll get a blazing fast data connection to let you get more done. Multitasking is super smooth across all of your open apps with a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor, while the beautiful 4.7″ HD display is great for viewing documents and pictures. All at a price that won’t put a dent in your wallet.

– Powerful performance- Look forward to your day without the worries of needing a power boost. With a powerful 2100 mAh battery, an ultra low power Glance Screen that gives you notifications without turning on your phone, and an effective Battery Saver mode, the Lumia 550 goes as long as your day calls for.

Key Specs

– Operating system Windows 10
– Display 4.7” HD
– Battery Removable 2100 mAh battery
– Processor Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 210 (MSM8909
– 1.1 GHz quad core processor
– Main camera 5 MP AF f/2.4, 720p @ 30 fps video
– Flash: single LED
– Front facing camera 2 MP
– Memory 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal mass memory + up to 200 GB Micro SD
– Dimensions 136.1 x 67.8 x 9.9 mm
– Weight 141.9 g

Snapdragon 210 processor. Hmmm call me cynical but will this phone be slow?

If you want to pre order one from Amazon UK, click link below

Microsoft Lumia 550, 4G, 4.7″ , Windows 10, 8Gb UK Sim Free (Black)

The Tag Heuer Connected – £1,100 Android Wear Watch

Android, Tech News, Wearables, , ,

Yesterday, Tag Heuer annouced their new Tag Heuer Connected, a £1,100 android wear watch. Below are 2 videos, one detailing just the specs and the other an overview of the new watch.

The watch was developed in partnership between Intel and Google. It is made of titanium, conforms to IP67 and based off of the Carrera Calibre design. It has a 46mm face with a sapphire crystal touch screen.

After 2 years Tag Heuer is offering customers the ability to upgrade to a real watch ie non android wear, so really the £1,100 is future proofed. The Connected Watch does not have a heart rate sensor, so health tracking options are limited.

So would you buy one?

And a 360 degree product specification tour.

Motorola Moto X Force – Its a Smash Hit – Details

Android, Tech News, ,

Just when you think you know which Motorola phone to buy, along comes the Motorola X Force. This is similar to the Moto X Style, click here for the review.

The difference over the X Style is the bigger battery and shatter proof screen. How shatter proof? See video and what an iPhone and Samsung get smashed, whereas the X Force screen has no damage whatsoever.

The Moto X Force is a phone I would personally love to own!

Snapseed gets one huge update – details

Android, Tech News, ,

The free photo editing app, just got seriously a lot better again.

Today is a big day for Snapseed users! Snapseed 2.1 brings RAW photo editing to your Android device.

Traditionally, shooting and editing RAW photos has been the domain of DSLR cameras and desktop software. But with the RAW capabilities that were added to Android 5 last year, RAW is now becoming important for mobile photography, too.

Snapseed now allows you to edit those RAW photos in the DNG file format right on your mobile device. You can also edit DNGs that were shot on cameras or converted from other RAW formats.

A photo in RAW format preserves all of the original data that was captured by the camera. This allows you to perform edits – such as recovering blown-out highlights – that are impossible with the more commonly used JPEG format. Check out the photos for an example of the details that RAW editing with Snapseed 2.1 can bring out in an image.

In addition to RAW editing, we have made some slight polishes throughout the app to make it easier to navigate, so give it a try!

This is a great update and hopefully arrives soon on other platforms.

Source – +Anton Daubert G+

Google Play Music extends to include Podcasts – Details and Opinion

Android, Tech News, , ,

Via Google –

“Today we’re launching a portal for podcasters to start uploading their shows to Google Play Music before we open up the service to listeners. Along with direct searches and browsing for podcasts, the service will connect new listeners with podcasts based on what they’re doing, how they’re feeling, or what they’re interested in. Similar to our contextual playlists for music, this will give podcast fans and new listeners a way of finding and listening to content that’s unique to Google Play Music. Podcasters in the US can start uploading shows now at g.co/podcastportal.”

Finally, this makes Google Play Music a complete offering by including podcasts. With the popularity of the podcast Serial, more and more people are listening to this format. I just wonder if some of Google’s new functionality will eventually be behind a pay wall or subscription!

Source – Official Android Blogspot