The HTC One M9 in Europe is receiving 1.40.401.5 firmware update. This brings huge improvements to the camera and phone operation. If you have a HTC One M9, it is worth updating to this asap.
The camera receives 3 improvements – improved auto-exposure so images look less washed-out in brighter conditions. better image processing in low light to reduce noise and blur, for greater clarity and improved detail and a reduction in green and yellow hue effects appearing in extreme lighting conditions so colours should appear more realistic.
The update also reduces power consumption with Facebook and YouTube, and tweaks quick charging capabilities to reduce heat output while charging. I personally thought the phone got too hot to hold whilst charging and using it for even basics tasks.
If you have updated your One M9, please let everyone know if you are seeing all the above improvements.
Three UK announced it’s gearing up to add Voice over LTE (VoLTE) support to its network this autumn hopefully by September. This will be facilitated by tagging additional 800MHz spectrum onto its existing 1800MHz network. This new slice of bandwidth is expected to significantly improve coverage in problem areas, particularly inside buildings, where 800MHz airwaves can penetrate more easily than other frequencies. Three expects roughly 1 million of its 8.5 million customers to be reaping the benefits of VoLTE by the end of the year, taking calls in places 2G and 3G signals can’t reach. Popular VoLTE handsets include the iPhone 6 or Samsung Galaxy S6.
Sony has yet to reveal its hand on its new Sony Xperia Z4 flagship smartphone, but if the tweet by @onleaks is anything to go by it is following the same body language as the Z3. Dimensions are meant to be 146.3 x71.9 x7.2mm. To be honest, this styling should not come as a surprise to anyone.
So if you read my other post regarding the Samsung Galaxy S6, you will know that the Amazon.de pre order pricing starts at âŹ949 and goes up to âŹ1,049.
Fortunately, the HTC One M9 is only âŹ749 some 200 euros cheaper. This price differential maybe the difference that sways people to upgrade to the HTC One M9.
At the moment, Amazon UK only has an option to be notified when this phone is available.
Honor held its launch event yesterday evening at MWC, and launched not one but two new phones.
I recently reviewed the Honor Holly and Honor 6 and was really impressed at the quality and value of these handsets. Now we have the Honor 4X and Honor 6+.
Let’s look at the Honor 4X.
The Honor 4X is a 5.5 inch 720p display, 64-bit 1.2 GHz Octa-core processor that provides 40% better performance than other 32-bit handsets, a 13MP primary camera with a f/2.0 5 piece lens, wide angle, HDR, a 5MP front camera, dual-SIM technology, a 3000maH battery that allows for two days of continuous use and superfast, uncompromising wireless connectivity with 4G compatibility for those that demand a faster connection. 1050 LTE/EPC patents guarantee seamless communication on the go. Storage is 8gb, 2gb ram. Dual silicon microphone design and noise reduction technology ensures unparalleled call quality even in the most demanding of environments. The 4X boasts a 72 hour battery and 7 days in Ultra Power saving mode. Android 4.4 with a confirmed upgrade to Android Lollipop too. Interesting the loudspeaker is on the side.
I mentioned the 13mp camera, but how about these features – “Ultra snapshot”, off-screen photo mode, all-focus mode, map view and a camera that can take photos in 0.6 seconds. That is not launch the camera app in 0.6 seconds but actually have taken a photo in 0.6 seconds.
The Honor 6+ was the other phone launched by Honor and the phone I personally want as my next smartphone.
So what makes this phone so special. It is based on the Honor 6 which I reviewed and throughly enjoyed. The Honor 6+ is for the digital photographer who wants more creativity. Capture unparalleled selfies on the 5.5-inch screen using the 8MP front facing camera. Unlike some phones, the Honor 6+ has an incredible 3,600 mAh battery which provides 2 days normal usage and that is without using the power saving modes. Now the rear cameras offer something extra. Featuring a parallel dual-camera, that’s two x 8mp rear lenses, blurry-night time photos are a thing of the past with the Honor 6+. The dual-lens camera means that the Honor 6+ captures double the amount of light. Coupled with a focus time of just 0.1 seconds, youâll be able to capture beautiful night-time scenes that offer a level of clarity never seen before on a smartphone. Other features of the camera include a night mode with up to 32 second exposure. You can refocus the shot after taking and adjust the f stop from f/0.95 to f/16The display is a 5.5inch 1080p JDI Nega-LC FHD screen. Enjoy deep blacks and rich colour thanks to a stunning 1500:1 ultra high contrast ratio. A Kirin 925 octa-core processor powers everything with 3GB RAM, 32gb storage AND micro SD card support up to 128gb.
Pebble announced yesterday the Pebble Time Steel. This is the stainless steel version of the Pebble Time, with the same interface and software, but in a machined metal case that comes in silver, gold and black finishes. Pebble have also increased the battery life by another 3 days to 10 days in total.
Also the new watches will have âSmartstraps,â which allows third-party developers to build smart straps as add-ons to both the standard and Steel watches. The watch has a port on the back, which will allow hardware makers to access and communicate with the Pebble Time. The smart strap would add extra sensors and electronics, batteries perhaps, heart rate monitor, gps chip and more.
The Pebble Time Kickstarter has raised over $12 million so with over 54,500 backers having pre-ordered around 65,700 smartwatches. The new Pebble Time Steel will retail for $299 and will be available to early Kickstarter backers for $249. Existing backers can choose to upgrade to the Pebble Time Steel without losing their spot in the queue. However, Pebble Time Steel starts shipping in July, instead of May for the first crop of standard Pebble Time devices, and June for the current backer group.
A bold move and lets hope it works for Pebble. And that gold finish Pebble Time Steel looks fairly similar to the Apple Watch in rose gold!
Bradley Horowitz from Google confirmed the following today – “Just wanted to confirm that the rumors are true — Iâm excited to be running Googleâs Photos and Streams products! Itâs important to me that these changes are properly understood to be positive improvements to both our products and how they reach users”
Via Forbes, “But Pichai said that two important parts of Google+, Photos and Hangouts, may soon be separated from the main product. âI think increasingly youâll see us focus on communications, photos and the Google+ Stream as three important areas, rather than being thought of as one area,â he said.”
This may really impact some online communities on Google+, but I suppose we will just have to see how everything pans out.
At Mobile World Congress 2015, Microsoft unveiled new devices, services and partner offerings to help every person and organisation on the planet achieve more.
The company announced:
– The Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL, affordable smartphones running Windows 8.1 with signature Microsoft experiences built-in. The 5â Lumia 640 and 5.7â Lumia 640 XL deliver powerful hardware and a yearâs free Office 365 personal subscription, and will be upgradeable to the Windows 10 service when it becomes available later this year. Lumia 640 pricing is estimated at 139EUR for 3G and 159EUR for LTE; Lumia 640 XL pricing is estimated at 189EUR for 3G and 219EUR for LTE (actual market pricing may vary).
– The Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard, an ultra-thin and lightweight accessory that works with iPads, iPhones, Android devices and Windows tablets.
– The AT&T Mobile Office Suite, a cloud-based, mobile collaboration solution for small-to-medium sized business customers, exclusively from AT&T and Microsoft in the US.
The key bonus is the free Office 365 Subscription with 1 TB of data. For some people this will be a good deal.
With regards to a new flagship phone this will come later in the year along with the new Windows 10 release.
Motorola took the wraps off the new Moto E which now includes LTE. It will sell for ÂŁ109.
Whatâs New with Moto E:
– 4G LTE / 4G speed
– Faster, with a quad-core processor QualcommÂŽ Snapdragon⢠processor with a 1.2GHz quad-core CPU
– a 2390 mAh battery, the new Moto E is designed to last a full day.
– The new Moto E comes with a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a second camera in front. With two twists of the wrist, you can launch the camera with Motorolaâs Quick Capture feature. Want to take a selfie? Just twist your wrist again to switch to the front-facing camera.
– Start with the latest Android⢠OS, Lollipop
– Give your phone a splash of color with interchangeable Motorola Bands and Grip Shells. Start with a black or white phone and then choose from six Motorola Bands like turquoise or raspberry, or attach a colorful Grip Shell for added protection from scrapes and spills.
– the new Moto E, you get premium Moto experiences like Moto Display for notifications and updates without interruptions and Moto Migrate to quickly and easily transfer contacts, photos and videos to your new phone.
– A new watch called Pebble Time with a new timeline interface.
– Pebble Time features a new colour e-paper display and microphone for responding to notifications.
– No compromises on what you love about Pebble: up to 7 days of battery life, water resistance and customisability.
– Pebble Time is fully compatible with all 6,500+ existing Pebble apps and watchfaces.
– Three colours available exclusively on Kickstarter. Pebble Time starts shipping in May.
– Works with iOS 8 on iPhone 4s and above. Works with all Android 4.0+ phones including Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG, Google, Motorola, Xiaomi and more.
Pebble Time comes in three colours:
– Black watch case and silicone band with black PVD stainless steel bezel
– White watch case and silicone band with silver PVD stainless steel bezel
– Red watch case and silicone band with black PVD stainless steel bezel
30,000 people have bought in to the kickstarter campaign already. Buying Pebble gets you access to apps and an existing developer base.
My only view is the watch is not attractive. A watch needs to look like a watch or a rugged type of watch or futuristic, and in my mind the Pebble Time is none of these. It is a geek smart watch. To get a female point of view, I asked my wife for her view on the Pebble Time. She totally agreed with my views on its styling and would never want to wear it.
Whilst the Pebble will have tons of options it still lacks focus in my mind. It is neither an advanced fitness device or a smart looking device, it is simply something for notifications on a wrist. It is a shame the hardware did not have a heart rate monitor included, as that would have made it an excellent fitness device. Maybe some of the special straps will include this? Or maybe some of the alternative straps will adds some life to the design. The only colour I would buy is the red finish. Maybe a metal version is in the pipeline. This may look much smarter.
In the meantime, its future is in good hands due to 35,000+ backers in the Kickstarter program. So what did you think?
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 