How-To Safety Hard Reset : Easily Master Format SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ)

Tips and solutions for solving problem at SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ). I want to have smaller LCD screen then SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) is one options to choose, because it have 4 inches LCD screen and the processor is standard single core 1.2 Ghz clock speed. The price for SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) is cheap, but it still have good camera with 3 megapixel using CMOS sensor and this phone also already have Light LED flash for help us get more better photos at low light conditions. SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) have VGA front camera, we are recommended to use this resolutions for having video call or make avatar or picture profile, but of course the front camera of SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) is not recommended for having important documentations.

What is Advantage of SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) Specifications:

• GSM 3G HSDPA Dual Sim (GSM GSM)
• LCD 4 inches
• Internal memory 4 GB
• RAM 512 MB
• External memory microSD, up to 64 GB
• Main Camera 3.15 MP, 2048 x 1536 pixels, LED flash
• Front Camera for video conference
• Processor Single-core 1.2 GHz
• Operating system Android OS, v4.4.2 (Kitkat)
• Battery Li-Ion 1500 mAh

How to Fix or Problem Solving for Recovery SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) hang or not responding or malfunctions or stuck or freezing or bricked ?

SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) have 4 inches LCD screen use TouchWiz Essence UX for give the users good experience using Android Kitkat operating system. There are also some native factory default applications which has already installed at this phone. However, we still can install more applications like Chatting Whatsapp, BBM, Line Messenger, Kakaotalk, Skype, Wechat and social media applications like Facebook, Twitter, Path, Instagram and something similar like that. But we have to becareful while install not popular application from Google Play Store, because some of them are face apps that contain malware and virus, some of them also can make our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) become freeze or hang or stuck or bricks or blank and the LCD touch screen not responding. IF we get this problems, we have to force soft reset or reboot or force shutdown to stop not appropriate applications and remove the temporary files or cache from internal memory. If the problem still happen then we have to hard reset or master format our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ). If we have important data, then please try to backup all data first, because doing hard reset will remove or wipe all important data and additional installed applications.

How to Force Shutdown or Force Soft Reset or Reboot or Restart SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) ?

If our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) get trouble like freeze or stuck or hang or LCD touch screen not responsive with our finger touch, then we have to force shutdown or force soft reset or restart to clean cache and temporary files. The easiest steps to force soft reset or force shutdown is by remove the battery of SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) after open the back case caver and wait about 5 seconds before we put again the battery at the right positions. Press POWER button to turn on this phone again. The soft reset or restart also can be process when our phone still at normal situations, by press and hold POWER button until pop-up menu appear, choose Reboot / Restart / Power off. Do not worry to do soft reset or reboot anytime we want, because this procedure will not remove any important data from our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ).

#Option 1, How to Hard Reset SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) with software menu:

1. Turn on SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ)
2. Make sure SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) battery already charge properly
3. Go to menu: Setting > General tab > Backup & Reset > Factory data reset > Reset device
4. Choose Erase Everything
5. SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) will do the process to Master Reset to Factory Default

#Option 2, How to Hard Reset SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) with Hardware key button:

1. Make sure the battery of SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) charge properly
2. Turn off SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ)
3. Press and hold together : Power Button + Volume Up + Home Button
4. If the button at number 3 not work, we can try with press and hold together Power Button + Volume Up Button
5. If we see the menu at LCD screen, choose Wipe Data/Factory Reset with Volume Button to select and use Power Button to ok or enter.
6. The SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) will doing the process of restoring to factory default.

How to Restore and Reinstall Clean Android Operating system / firmware at SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) (Reformat) ?

Android Kitkat is the first factory default SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) operating system and firmware when the first time release to market. We have to know that the file source of factory default Android Kitkat operating system already saved safely inside SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) ROM. Actually at normal conditions, we can not access this files so it will be safe. If our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) operating system start get trouble or not work properly or corrupt because applications crash, then we have to reformat or reinstall or restore clean factory default from file source location, so we do not need to copy from other gadgets. Just follow the steps to hard reset above, then the clean factory default Android operating system or firmware from SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) ROM will be reinstall automatically.

How to Unlock or Fix or Bypass or Solutions for SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) forgot password code or security lock screen pattern or pin (lost password)?

We always suggest all Android users give more security protections to protect our confidential data. There are several options that we can choose for give default security protection without install anything from Google Play Store. Usually we recommended to use screen lock pattern protections because it is more easy and fast to open, but some users also like to use other security choose like password pin protection. The problem happen when we forget SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) security protection answer. Do not worry, because Android already have simple steps to bypass or unlock forgot security protections using Google account or Gmail username and password. Please try to give several time wrong answer continuously until SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) freeze or locked about 30 seconds. At this time we can find Forgot Password / Pattern button, please press this button, then we will find field for type our Google username and password that we have already signed in before. If we can not access our Google account, then we have to do hard reset or master format.

How to Improve Performance SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) to make run more faster?

Why our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) become slowly? Mostly this problems happen because there are too many applications run in the background. We have to aware that SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) RAM is not too big, this phone only have 512 MB RAM. This RAM will easily insufficient if we install and running some applications together. Although we never run many applications, but some chatting or social media applications will keep run in the background because they have to wait for data update or wait for some command. Please try to reduce some installed applications to give more free RAM and processor resources. If we want to make performance of SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) run more faster again like new, then we have consider do hard reset or reformat to factory default.

Is That Any Secret Code for Doing Format SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) ?

We can try to use secret code for doing hard reset SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) is *2767*3855#. But please remember to always be careful typing that code, because the SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) will doing hard reset and remove all data and installed applications.

How to Upgrade SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) to Android Lollipop Official Update ?

As far as we know, Samsung will not give official Android Lollipop firmware update for SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ), because the specifications are limited. However, using Android Kitkat is enough to run daily activity. Maybe some other community have information to install Android Lollipop custom ROM, but we not recommended to do this, because sometime not all features run properly with custom ROM and some wrong steps to install will make our SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) become corrupt and can not use anymore.

How to Improve Battery Life Longer of SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) For Solving Battery Drain Faster Problem (Battery Saving / Extent Battery Life)?

First we have to know that if we run more applications at our phone then this phone will consume more battery power, that is why when we install too many applications and run together, the battery life will become shorter. There are some tips for extend the battery at SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ). Please try to turn off some not use connection like Bluetooth / Wifi / GPS. We also recommended to set manually the LCD brightness as low as possible.

How to Deal with Insufficient Internal Memory at SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) (not enough memory) ?

SAMSUNG GALAXY V (DUAL G313HZ) will need some free space of internal memory. If our internal memory already less then 300 MB, then we can not update or install new applications from Google Play Store because not enough internal memory. Using external microSD card will not help to give more free space for install applications, because all applications by default will install to internal memory. Therefore we have to reduce the installed applications by uninstall some not use apps.

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How-To Safety Hard Reset : Easily Master Format LENOVO A850

Tips and tricks for solving LENOVO A850 problem. When we need Android smartphone with big LCD screen and reasonable price, then LENOVO A850 is the answer. Because LENOVO A850 have 5.5 inches LCD screen width IPS capacitive touch screen. If we like to take pictures a lot, LENOVO A850 will help you to fulfill that need by using 5 megapixel digital camera and also have LED flash to help taking better photo in low light conditions.

What is Advantage of LENOVO A850 Specifications:

• GSM 3G HSDPA Dual SIM GSM-GSM
• LCD 5.5 inches touch screen
• Internal memory 4GB
• RAM 1GB
• External memory microSD, up to 32 GB
• Main Camera 5 MP, 2592х1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
• Front camera for VGA for Picture and Video conference
• Processor Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7
• GPU Mali-400MP2
• Operating system Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Battery Li-Ion 2250 mAh

How to Fix or Problem Solving for Recovery LENOVO A850 hang or not responding or malfunctions or stuck or freezing or bricked ?

Having big LCD screen Android will make us feel so happy to play games or install other applications from Google Play Store. But we have to know that not all applications will run smooth in Lenovo A850 because some creator does not make their applications in good functions, especially for Lenovo A850. In this case, if we force to install unnecessary applications, sometime it will make our smartphone become hang or stuck or bricks or frozen or blank or LCD touch screen not responding. If we get this problem, we need to try doing soft reset or reboot or restart Lenovo A850 to delete cache and temporary files. If Lenovo A850 still get the same problem, we need to do hard reset or master format.

How to force Soft Reset or Reboot or Restart LENOVO A850 ?

When we use Lenovo A850 and get hang or stuck or frozen problem in the middle of using applications, we can try to force reboot or restart Lenovo A850 by pressing POWER BUTTON for several seconds. If the POWER BUTTON can not work, then try to remove the battery of Lenovo A850 by open back case cover and unplug the battery for about 5 seconds. After that we can plug it again in the right positions and turn on Lenovo A850 to finish the restart or soft reset step. In normal situations, doing soft reset or reboot can be done by pressing POWER BUTTON for several seconds until the pop up menu appear, then choose Restart or Reboot to soft reset Lenovo A850. Doing soft reset is safe, because this step will not erase or wipe any important data like contact or photo or files from Lenovo A850.

How to Hard Reset LENOVO A850 with Hardware Button key:

1. Confirm and make sure that LENOVO A850 Battery is fully charge or not empty
2. Turn off LENOVO A850
3. Press together : POWER + VOLUME UP about several second, that the warning will appear at the LENOVO A850
4. Choose: Reset Device or Wipe data or Clear eMMC
5. Make sure we already sure than we know that our application and data will be loose or clear while Resetting LENOVO A850

How to Restore and Reinstall Clean Android Operating system / firmware at LENOVO A850?

LENOVO A850 using Android as operating system, in the first production when ship to store, LENOVO A850 use Android Jelly Bean version 2.2 which run very smooth in this smartphone. After using several month and install many applications, sometime the operating system could damage or broken. In this case maybe we need to reinstall or restore clean and factory default Android operating system or firmware. The source file of factory default Android operating system already saved inside LENOVO A850 rom. We do not need to copy any data for preparing the reinstall step. Just follow the hard reset step above, then the clean and factory default setting Android operating system will be reinstall by itself. The time to reinstall will take less than 5 minutes. Please make sure all data already backup before doing reinstall or hard reset, because all data will be wipe or removed from internal memory.

How to Unlock or Fix or Bypass or Solutions for LENOVO A850 forgot password code or security lock screen pattern or pin (lost password)?

The recommended options to give security protections for LENOVO A850 is using screen lock pattern. Some user still also like to use password pin protections. We can easily choose and change how to secure our LENOVO A850 data when the phone away from us, but using screen lock pattern is faster to open then using password in some situations. The problem happen when we forget the answer of that screen lock pattern or password pin protections. We do not need to worry, because Android have option to bypass or unlock forgotten screen lock pattern or password pin protection. Please do several time wrong answer for that security protection continuously until the phone frozen or locked for several seconds. In this time, we will see Forget Password / Pattern button to help us unlock protection using Google account or Gmail account. If we can not use or Google account at this phone, then we need to do hard reset or master format.

How to Improve Performance LENOVO A850 to make run more faster?

Running LENOVO A850 for Games or doing office activity will be fun if the phone does not have problem. But some user have problem with their LENOVO A850 which run more slowly then before. As far as we know, if the phone run slowly, because there are many applications run in the background and the processor LENOVO A850 performance will be working more hard when that applications doing update or work in progress. That is why we are really recommend for uninstall not use applications, especially which run in the background. If we can not find out which applications that make problem, and need to tweak LENOVO A850 performance run more faster again like beginning, then we may need to perform hard reset or master format to clean anything from our phone and run with factory default applications. After that we can carefully choose and install only specific applications that we use everyday.

Is That Any Secret Code for Doing Format LENOVO A850?

There is no secret hidden code for LENOVO A850 to make it back to factory default. Do the options above to hard reset it.

How to Upgrade or Update LENOVO A850 operating system to Kitkat ?

By default the shipping ROM of LENOVO A850 is Jelly Bean version 4.2.2. Base on the specifications, the LENOVO A850 can be upgrade to Android Kitkat version, but unfortunately until we write this articles, there is no official upgrade for LENOVO A850 to Android Kitkat version. However, there are some other unofficial Kitkat ROM for LENOVO A850 from other community homepage, but if we are not sure how to upgrade it, please do it carefully, because it could make our LENOVO A850 broken or can not use anymore. Using official Jelly Bean at LENOVO A850 is still recommended to use everyday without problems.

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Lenovo A850 Snap Review

Lenovo has strengthening its position on smartphone market and the A850 model is not an exception. Providing middle quality of 5.5 inch IPS LCD screen resolution with 200 ppi, the device is advanced in capacity.

Battery of 2250mAh allow to have up to 28 hours of talks in 2G while the quad-core Cortex-A7 processor is responsible for convenient performance. Additionally, the smartphone is equipped with dual SIM option that make it more even more attractive for people wondering to divide private and work life.

The Lenovo A850: A Smartphone To Reckon With

Lenovo, a long time Asian tech market favorite has done it again. The stylish and functional Lenovo A850 smartphone features an incredible 5.5-inch widescreen display for seamless surfing, video viewing or gaming.

Lenovo, consistent in offering superior performance - just like fellow Chinese brand ASUS, has complemented its latest phablet with an able 1.3GHz CPU, plenty of memory with 4GB of internal storage (including expandable memory to ensure additional data can be stored for photos, videos and gaming downloads so that you never miss a moment), and as a bonus, Lenovo has provided you with the industry favorite, Android 4.2 JellyBean. Even with major competition from other leading smartphone brands, the A850 has managed to stand out from the crowd with a savvy savings price. Packed with performance and sleek design, we adore the all new A850 for its powerful specifications, coupled with its economical price.

Specification and Features

• Processor: Mediatek MT6582M
• RAM Memory: 1GB
• Storage: 4GB
• Rear Camera: 5 mega-pixels
• Front Camera: VGA
• Operating System: Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)

Bringing your multimedia to life, Lenovo has endowed their latest flagship with a huge 5.5-inch display. Complete with IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, with a vibrant screen resolution of 540x940 (200PPI). This wide angle 5.5-inch smartphone allows for a better performance whilst viewing videos, images, web browsing and even gaming. If you're looking for more options when it comes to gaming on your phone check out our great range of Sony Smartphones. Running on your favorite operating system, Android OS JellyBean, it is agile, which guarantees optimal performance. The A850's 1.3GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 processor ensures lightning fast speeds for intense multi-tasking, and a smoother experience for your graphics, which is beefed up by the impressive Mali-400MP2 graphics processing unit. The overall result is clear-cut, sharp and fast images throughout your multimedia endeavors. Including 4GB of internal memory and 1 GB of RAM with additional expandable memory of up to 32GB via microSD card, the A850 phablet is pure perfection.

New Improvements

Weighing in at a comfortable 184 grams, the A850 has impressed us all with a robust battery life, which lasts up to 28 hours of talk time on 2G and 14 hours of talk time on 3G, powered by the Li-Po 2250 mAh replacable battery. It's BlueTooth compatible, and outfitted with the ever popular Dual-SIM, which allows you to mix two worlds into one! Other A850 specs include being the CA satellite controlled GPS will help you find your way around town whether driving or on foot. This feature works in offline mode or when connected to the net. So never fear losing your way again! The primary camera is an autofocus 5 megapixel with 2592x1944 pixels and LED flash, with top notch features like geo-tagging and touch focus. It also comes equipped with a front 0.3 megapixel camera, perfect for video chatting. Take great high resolution HD pictures and videos that will help you remember your most treasured moments.

Worth buying

A true work-of-art, this amazing low/budget phone is top quality and out performs its price class. Lenovo phones along with LG Smartphones truly outshine their class. For those looking for power, speed and versatility, this sleek and sophisticated phablet is the answer. It comes with either 2G or 3G connectivity, depending on network availability. For those looking for an even cheaper option, but less powerful, Lenovo Mobile offers a great range of other smartphones including the Lenovo K900.

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Canon PowerShot S100 Snap Review

Thanks for joining me from my article entitled COMPARISON: Nikon 1 V1, Fuji x10, & Canon s100 (plus Fuji x100 and Canon G12 & s95)! In this article I’ll review the Canon PowerShot s100 on its own merits using the methodology described in the intro article. I reviewed the s95 in the past and came pretty close to buying it when I decided to go with the G12 instead. On paper all of the improvements to the s100 made it seem so good that I thought I might be giving up my G12 to get one, but after extensive use I didn’t find it to live up to my expectations based on its specs.

Please note that excluding the two s100 product shots (courtesy of Canon USA), all of the photos in this article are unedited in-camera JPEG’s).

What’s New

• Longer lens range (equivalent to 24-120mm) at a range of f/2.0 to f/5.9
• 12.1 megapixel 1/1.7" Canon sensor (CMOS)
• ISO 80-6400
• DIGIC V image processor
• 2.3 fps continuous shooting (and up to 8 frames in High-Speed burst scene mode – JPEG Full Auto only)
• Full HD 1080p video recording with support for both  H.264 compression and the MOV file format
• Optical zoom in movie mode
• Super slow motion movie recording (640 x 480 @ 120fps, 320 x 240 @ 240 fps)
• Direct movie record button
• Built-in GPS unit with image tagging and logger functions

Living with the s100

Canon has packed the s100 full of great features like built-in GPS tracking, a huge LCD on the rear for its size, amazingly good high ISO performance up to 6400, and an innovative ring selector on the front that is programmable so you can have your favorite feature readily accessible without going into menus. Its slender size and these are the things that made me excited about this camera.

Now that I’ve said what I like, it’s time to be blunt. I’ve been very unimpressed with the build quality and reliability of both the s95 and s100 I’ve tested. The s95 quickly developed a dead row of pixels on the sensor and this s100 suffers from obscenely short battery life (sometimes as little as 30 minutes of normal use (i.e., not video or continuous on), despite coming off a full charge. I also find that despite how great it seems in the tech specs when you compare it to the G12, the reality is that when you are out shooting kids in the real world it just can’t keep up as well as the G12 can (in Av/Tv/P modes).

Despite its faster Digic V processor and its f/2 lens, The s100 seems to have a longer delay from the time you push the shutter release until it actually takes the shot, which for kids means you’ve missed the shot. While you can use the High-Speed Burst HQ scene mode to get a fast burst of 8 shots, or the “Kids & Pets” mode, RAW is not supported and frequently the subject is out of focus. 

f/5.9 for 1/125 sec at ISO 6400 (26mm) Aperture Priority / Tungsten White Balance
Unedited from In-Camera JPEG

I also found myself getting a large number of out of focus shots in real world indoor shooting. In the shot above I was in my studio under reasonably decent Solux lights with my model on a bright white studio paper background. I also put a reflector under face, so she’s the best indoor lighting situation you are going to find. While I could have shot this at f/2, the reality is that when I’m shooting a person and want to create a flattering shot I’ll typically back off and zoom in to make the body features appear a bit slimmer. This model has a wider face, so shooting at f/2 or f/2.2 would get me down to ISO 500 (this creating a sharper image) at the expense of distortion and a more full body framing (unless I got obnoxiously close when shooting) as shown here: 

f/2.2 for 1/60 sec at ISO 500
Shooting wide open isn’t always desirable
when indoors due to distortion and working distance
Unedited from In-Camera JPEG

I really want to love this camera because its form factor is brilliant. I love the size and weight – especially when it is closed up. It seems to be significantly better than the s95 based on my unscientific analysis of everyday real world shots I was able to get from the s95 vs the s100. The s100 images appear to have more dynamic range and the high ISO performance, even in RAW, is excellent (much better than the G12 in fact). That said, it’s not even close to the quality found in the x10, but its about half the price and size so that’s forgivable. 

f/2 for 1/30 sec (handheld) at ISO 250 (5.2mm) Macro Mode
Full Auto HDR Creative Filters Mode
Lens was about 1 inch from the flower
Unedited from In-Camera JPEG

I was very happy with the macro mode on this camera as the minimum focus distance when you are in macro mode is quite good. I was able to get within an inch at min zoom and about 6 inches at max zoom (in macro mode) and acquire clear focus to get the shot. This makes it a great tool for the amateur macro photographer and teens.

Built-In Intelligence is Very Good

The Auto mode as well as the Special Scene (SCN) and Creative Filters modes are technology marvels. While some modes are downright cheesy (Super Vivid) or useless (Color Swap), many are brilliant for the amateur photographer that doesn’t own a DSLR or Photoshop. As I mentioned in my G12 review, modes like Miniature Effect, Fisheye and HDR will are very fun to play with and the results are respectable. There’s a brilliant Smart Shutter mode that will wait for the subject to smile and then automatically take 3 photos (including raising the flash automatically if required). It works well under the right conditions, and nearly always gets a clear shot (even if the shot looks like crap due to direct flash or poor lighting conditions that are beyond the camera’s control).

I was very happy with the built-in image stabilization – it really works quite well on static subjects. Naturally no image stabilization will help you when your subject moves – that’s still a shutter speed issue – so indoors you still need to find the light or God forbid use the flash to avoid the typical point and shoot motion blur. 

The built-in stitching mode for panoramas hasn’t changed, and in my mind is the most useless and unfriendly design on the market. I rarely get a usable result, but if you’ve used it and mastered it then this may not be an issue for me. I do wish Canon would see what Fujifilm has done for their panorama modes on the x100 and x10 – it’s the most brilliant and idiot proof design that just works flawlessly 90% of the time (on static subjects).

Night Shooting & HDR Mode

Using a Gitzo GT1541 tripod (with no head for extra stability), and the 2 second timer mode (to reduce interference from hand induced camera shake), I experimented with taking a shot using the full auto mode, the HDR Creative Filter mode (which takes 4 shots and merges), and the Handheld Night Scene mode. It was after midnight and it was raining lightly, but no wind. There was ambient light from the porches of two houses, but cloud cover made it a pretty dark night. Here’s what I ended up getting in these three modes (visit the gallery here for full-size originals):

HDR Creative Filter Mode on a Tripod with 2 second Timer
Great dynamic range, but disappointingly blurry
(note: default IS mode was used – not tripod IS mode)

Handheld NightScene Mode
f/2 for 1/15 sec at ISO 3200 (auto best of 4)
Impressive, but a touch dark and blurry

Full Auto Mode – Night Scene Detected  (Tripod with 2 second timer)
Very sharp and clear, but less dynamic range than HDR
f/2 for 1 second @ ISO 400
(note: default IS mode was used – not tripod IS mode)

Personally I like the last one best which proves that the old tried and true method of using a tripod for a long exposure isn’t a bad way to go even in these days with technical gadgetry. It’s cool that all three modes are offered though, and at the end of the day there may be times where the auto modes could make the difference between getting the shot and not. After all, how many people will really have tripods (or natural support in the exact right space) when your out with your point and shoot?

Color Accent Mode

With solid colors in isolation, the Sin City look is instantly possible in-camera

Even though this feature has been around for a while, I haven’t discussed it on my blog before. The way this works is you turn the mode dial to Creative Filters mode, and isolate a color via the LCD and the control dial. The color you choose remains in color and everything else goes to black and white. As shown above you get the typical “Sin City” look, but it works best on solid colors. When trying to apply it to flowers it doesn’t work as well (although the LCD view will fool you into thinking its perfect):

It’s a bit of a fail when there’s more than one tone though

Image Quality

For a point and shoot camera, the image quality of this camera is actually quite good. When using in-camera JPEG’s, images up to ISO 6400 are usable even if they are a tad soft. Using noise reduction software on the RAW’s can leave you with an outstanding result for a sensor this small. Part of the improvement comes from a new sensor and in-camera processing that does a much better job of reducing the noise at the RAW level before creating the in-camera JPEG. The net result is that more detail is preserved over the s95 when those JPEG’s are created. 

Click to view the original to see that detail in the shadows and bright areas is respectable
f/2 for 1/30 sec (handheld) at ISO 500 (5.2mm) Full Auto Mode

The dynamic range appears to have been improved in this over the s95 or even the G12, but the images seem to be lacking something that is hard to quantify in scientific terms. They just frequently fail to please me – especially when viewing them in Lightroom. DPP does a great job of making the images look their best (both RAW and JPEG) and printing direct from DPP to a professional Canon printer (like the Canon ipf6300) from a RAW image can often create astonishingly good results with no photo editing at all (go to any Canon trade show event to see this in action to see what I mean).

Overall this camera has the typically good in-camera color that Canon is known for, but when pushed the reality of its small sensor become apparent (2nd shot below). 

Under the right conditions, the color rendition was excellent

When pushed, the limited dynamic range became apparent

Features

The s100 offers the standard modes of Program (P), Shutter Speed Priority (Tv), Aperture Priority (Av) , Manual, Custom (user-defined variant of the previously mentioned), and full auto (JPEG) only. There’s also a movie mode which can now be accessed directly via the new record button shown above.

Two of the most useful point and shoot modes (JPEG only) are Creative Filters and Special Scene (SCN) modes because that’s where all of the engineering intelligence in this camera lives. I’ve discussed some of the features already, but these modes are great for times when you don’t want to think – you just want to take pictures. You give the camera a little more input about what you want to do (i.e., beach, underwater, sunset, kids & pets, etc…) and it uses all its power to give you the best result for that scenario. Using these modes I got significantly more in-focus and usable shots than I did when I tried to use Aperture Priority (Av) or even Program (P) mode. You don’t get an option to save RAW images when you do this, so what you get is pretty much what you get, but the camera does everything in its power to give you a sharp shot with a balanced histogram. As a result these images are typically salvageable for post-processing and in-focus

The controls of this camera are excellent, and the addition of the record button and better focusing options have made this iteration more friendly in daily real world use over its predecessor. I found myself programming the ring dial in the front to exposure compensation really helps a lot, and the auto ISO seems to do a good job of making the right tradeoffs of ISO versus the appropriate shutter speed.

The built-in GPS support was useless indoors as it would never acquire a satellite signal, but if you went outdoors and had a clear signal then it would pick up after a few minutes. This is typical GPS behavior for devices that can’t do triangulation so don’t expect the GPS to record all the places you’ve been on your trip if you’ll be shooting a lot indoors. You can leave GPS logging on to help with that scenario, but bring about 30 batteries because you’ll need it.

Beware – you need LOTS of batteries

Speaking of batteries, the biggest gripe I have about this camera is its battery. While it is nice and compact, it seems that all of the technical hoo ha of this camera drains the battery very quickly. It’s pointless to disable all of those features, so you’ll need multiple spare batteries with this camera. The best performance I got on a battery was about 3 hours of usage (at a car show), and the camera was only turned on when needed. I didn’t have GPS turned on (especially logging which would get you down to about 30 minutes), so the rest was in what I’d call normal out of the box settings.

Factor this into your cost as the batteries were $43.95 EACH at the time this article was written, so you may not be saving much over more expensive cameras when you add the batteries required to get an equivalent shooting time.

For a full feature list, visit Canon USA.

s95 & G12 Owners – Upgrade Advice

If you own a s95 and love it, I think this camera is worth the upgrade based on image quality and performance alone. The 1080p video is a big plus as well. The GPS feature is a battery sucking vampire on a camera that already drains the battery faster than a frat house keg on graduation night, so consider that issue (and cost) when upgrading.

If you own a G12, this camera does offer some nice new features and performance (especially in the dynamic range and higher ISO’s), but fundamentally the G12 is the better camera for those who won’t be shooting in the full auto – jpeg only modes. It also lacks the durability, reliability and pivoting LCD of the G12 so I’d advise against replacing a G12 with a s100.

Sample Photos

To see a gallery of test images (including original in-camera JPEG download). Here’s a few medium size samples that show off what this camera can do:

Conclusion

All of the technical wizardy of this camera is impressive and is sure to please the average consumer who doesn’t have a DSLR. If you don’t care about RAW images and just want to capture memento photos, the special scene and creative filter modes will help you get the shot that is suitable for posting on your favorite social networking sites.

If you are a DSLR owner looking for a pocketable alternative to the beast, I suspect you’ll be disappointed with this camera. While the images aren’t bad, the dynamic range just isn’t there and is sure to dissapoint. While the price might suggest that its is good enough, when you’ve seen other alternatives like the more expensive Fujifilm X10, you realize that small doesn’t have to mean poor quality.

This isn’t a bad camera and the form factor is excellent, but it’s just not one that I think my average reader is really going to be happy with. Do you want your trip to Disney, or that birthday celebration to have shots that are blurry and bleached out looking? I don’t, so I’d rather see Canon do something like Fujifilm’s EXR mode to useless megapixels, but create a significantly better image (in terms of quality and dynamic range). Few people will be printing massive posters using images from their point and shoot, and even a 4 megapixel image is sufficient for a nice letter size print these days (or greater, depending on viewing distance).

I also hated the fact that the battery just doesn’t last very long so you’ll need a bunch of them. I’d seriously have about 4 of them pre-charged if I were going out to Disney all day, so that adds nearly $200 to the cost of this camera. For that price you can get the superior Fujifilm X10 which offers significantly better image quality and performance.

I’d rather have a 3 megapixel version of this camera that had much better dynamic range and faster performance. Despite its great stats on paper, a car analogy is in order – it’s much like comparing a Ford Mustang GT to a Porsche Cayman S. While the Mustang might fare well on paper, and looks are subjective, when you actually use both you realize there is no comparison.

My wife liked the s95 when she compared it to the G12, but we ultimately went with the G12, Now that she’s a seasoned G12 owner, she lasted 10 minutes with this camera before she handed it back to me in disgust and resumed using the G12. She said she still loved the compact size, but we made the right decision getting the G12.

Posted by guest blogger via ronmartblog.com

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Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, debuted September 19

At a Glance

Apple recently introduced the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. Both devices launched on September 19 in the first wave of countries. The first reviews describe the units as "thin and sexy", "bigger and better", with impressive battery life.

Specs

• 4.7-inch iPhone 6 features a 1334 x 750 display
• 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus features a 1920 x 1080 display
• 16 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB
• $199, $299, and $399 / $299, $399, and $499

Apple has launched two new iPhones, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. Along with larger screens and a completely new iPad-style design with an ultra thin body and rounded corners, the two new phones offer faster processors, better cameras, and Apple's new Apple Pay payment system.

Apple's new iPhones are available in Gold, Silver, and Space Gray, and are available in 16, 64, and 128 GB capacities. The iPhone 6 pricing starts at $199 on contract, while the iPhone 6 Plus pricing starts at $299.

While both models include the same 64-bit A8 chip and the same general design, there are several differences between the two phones. The iPhone 6 measures in at 6.9mm, while the iPhone 6 Plus is slightly thicker at 7.1mm. Apple's iPhone 6 Plus also has three major differentiating factors: optical image stabilization for the camera, and a longer battery life, and an iPad-style landscape mode that displays more content on the screen.

Though the iPhone 6 Plus has optical image stabilization, both phones got some major camera improvements in form of sensor upgrades, improved tone mapping, better noise reduction, and new "Focus Pixel" technology, which improves the phone's ability to select autofocus points. For videos, there's a new 240fps slo-mo option, along with support for shooting in 1080p at 60fps. The front-facing camera was also upgraded, with an f/2.2 aperture that lets in more light and new burst mode capabilities.

Both phones have an impressive new "Retina HD Display," with the iPhone 6 featuring a resolution of 1334 x 750 (326 ppi) and the iPhone 6 Plus featuring a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (401 ppi).

Design wise, the phones more closely resemble the iPad and the iPod touch than the iPhone 5s. Both models have soft, rounded corners and a curved glass screen that melds smoothly into the thin metal body of the device. The volume buttons on the left side of the device are now pill-shaped, and the power button is located on the right side of the device for easier one-handed use.

How to Buy

The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus launched on September 19 in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, and Singapore, following pre-orders that began on Friday, September 12. On Friday, September 26, Apple expanded iPhone 6 and 6 Plus availability to more than 20 additional countries, including New Zealand, Italy, Denmark, and Taiwan, and on October 17, the two devices became available in China, India and Monaco. Later in the month of October, Apple expanded availability to 33 additional countries.

Apple is selling the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus both online and in its retail stores. Though supplies were initially constrained, stock of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus appears to be improving in the United States and other countries around the world. In the U.S., new orders of both devices ship in just 1 business day for 16 and 64GB models and 3 to 5 business days for 128GB models.

In store supply of both devices is also improving, with retail stores receiving shipments on a near-daily basis. The iStockNow tracking tool can be used to see which models of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are currently in stock at a variety of stores, including Apple's retail stores.>

According to an Apple representative, response to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus was "incredible," setting a new record for pre-orders, and sales topped 10 million during the phone's launch weekend. While it remains uncertain whether consumers preferred the smaller iPhone 6 or the larger iPhone 6 Plus, early analysis suggests buyers favored the iPhone 6 3:1 over the iPhone 6 Plus.

Apple's iPhone 6 is available in 16, 64, and 128 GB capacities, priced at $199, $299, and $399, respectively, with a two-year contract. The iPhone 6 Plus is available in 16, 64, and 128 GB capacities and will be priced $100 higher at $299, $399, and $499, respectively. Both the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus are available in Space Gray, Gold, and Silver.

Issues

"Bendgate"

Shortly after the iPhone 6 Plus was released on September 19, reports of the device bending when placed in a pocket began to surface. One user, for example, reported slight bending after the iPhone was in a pocket for approximately 18 hours, and after that, several other reports trickled in.

Inspired by the reports of bending, a YouTuber created a video depicting him bending the iPhone 6 Plus with his hands, causing significant damage to the device. The video went viral, and began people worrying about bending the iPhone 6 Plus in their pockets.

It is important to note when watching the video above that the amount of pressure placed on the device is unlikely to be replicated in daily usage. While images have depicted slight bending, there has been no extreme warpage in the casing due to carrying the device in a pocket.

Affected users have reported that Apple has replaced devices that have bent. As shown in another video, the iPhone 6 Plus is less vulnerable to bending when placed in a rigid case, and users can also avoid bending the iPhone by removing it from a pocket before sitting down.

A followup bending video featuring the iPhone 6 demonstrated that the smaller-screened device is much harder to bend and therefore likely less vulnerable to bending when placed inside of a pocket.

In response to all of the media attention that the iPhone 6 Plus bending issues garnered, Apple released a statement to several different sites saying that with normal use, bending in the iPhone is "extremely rare." The company said that only nine customers had complained about a bent iPhone 6 Plus.

In addition to releasing a statement, Apple also invited several reporters to visit its the facility where the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are subjected to several different tests to ensure strength and durability. As described in reports, the iPhones go through five different tests, including pressure point cycling, three-point bend tests, torsion testing, sit tests, and real-life testing scenarios where Apple employees use the devices.

According to Apple's head engineer Dan Riccio, the iPhone 6 was "the most tested product" Apple's ever created. The company reportedly conducted 15,000 tests on the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. Apple's head of marketing Phil Schiller said that bending was extremely rare, and that the company had "designed the product to be incredibly reliable throughout all your real world use."

Consumer reports went on to test the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus after reports of bending, and found that the two devices are not quite as bendable as the media has suggested. In a three-point flexural test, the iPhone 6 Plus withstood 90 pounds of force before bending, while the iPhone 6 withstood 70 pounds of force, which is more force than the two devices are likely to be subjected to during daily use.

According to Consumer Reports, though the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are not indestructible, they "should stand up to typical use."

Crashing Issues

Some 128GB iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units have reportedly been having crashing and boot loop issues, which could potentially be a hardware issue related to the NAND flash in the devices.

Reviews

Initial impressions on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are gathered below to highlight the general release reactions to the two new devices.

Apple's two new devices are essentially identical in design aside from the difference in screen size and the battery life/optical image stabilization in the iPhone 6 Plus. One notable improvement in both devices is the longer battery life afforded by the larger batteries. The iPhone 6 Plus is said to last up to 2 days, while the iPhone 6 may last a day and a half.

Brad Molen, Engadget:

Both iPhones are thinner than their predecessor. Whereas the 5s was 7.6mm thick, the 6 comes in at 6.9mm, with the 6 Plus measuring a hair thicker at 7.1mm. I don't always subscribe to the "thinner is better" mantra, but it's a benefit in this case because larger iPhones wouldn't feel as comfortable if they had the same shape as the 5s. If I had to choose based on in-hand feel alone, I'd pick the 6 over the Plus. I can still wrap my fingers around the 6 just as easily as I could with the 5s (and its curved sides don't cut as sharply as the edges on the 5s), but the large-screened 6 Plus is... well, it's manageable.

David Pierce/Nilay Patel (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), The Verge:

Huge phones get to have huge batteries, and the iPhone 6 Plus is a huge phone with a huge battery: I consistently got about two days of battery life from the 6 Plus in regular daily use -- slightly more than the day and half we got from the iPhone 6, and basically the same as the Note 3.

Walt Mossberg/Lauren Goode (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), Re/code:

In my tests, I found the iPhone 6's Wi-Fi speeds -- both downstream and upstream -- were roughly double those of the 5s, and about 25 percent faster than those of the Samsung Galaxy S5. But I saw little difference in LTE speeds, either on Verizon or AT&T.

Jim Dalrymple, The Loop:

The 6 Plus was awkward for me to use at first--it was kind of like using a smaller version of the iPad mini, but it was a phone. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of using it on an ongoing basis, but the larger screen eventually won me over.

In More Detail

Design

Measuring in at 4.7 and 5.5-inches, the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus dwarf previous iPhone models, but at the same time, the two phones are Apple's thinnest yet, measuring in at 6.9 and 7.1mm, respectively. For comparison's sake, the iPhone 5s was 7.6mm thick.

According to Apple, the thinner profile was made possible by the company's "thinnest display yet," which is made of slightly curved glass designed to flow seamlessly into the body of the device to highlight the "Retina HD" screen of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Both devices include prominent antenna bands on the back enclosure, along with a protruding rear lens. The volume buttons are pill-shaped, much like the buttons on the iPad Air, and the power button has been relocated to the right side of the device.

The iPhone 6 measures in at 5.44 inches long and 2.64 inches wide, and weighs 4.55 ounces. The iPhone 6 measures in at 6.22 inches long and 3.06 wide, weighing 6.07 ounces. In comparison, the iPhone 5s is 4.87 inches long, 2.31 inches wide, and it weighs 3.95 ounces.

Retina HD Display

iPhone 6 rumors largely suggested Apple would use a sapphire display cover in the device, but that turned out to be false. Instead, the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus use "ion-strengthened" glass with an improved polarizer (for better outdoor viewing), a photo aligned IPS liquid crystal display, and a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating.

The iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch display with a "2x" resolution of 1334 x 740 (326 ppi) while the iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5-inch "3x" resolution of 1920 x 1080 (401 ppi). Both phones are said to offer higher contrast, better brightness, and improved white balance.

According to a test conducted by DisplayMate, the iPhone 6 Plus display is the "best smartphone LCD ever tested." The iPhone 6 display also received high marks.

Apple has implemented several "Reachability" features to improve the viewing experience on its larger devices, including Display Zoom and landscape view (iPhone 6 Plus only). Display Zoom lets users zoom in to get a closer view at their apps, while standard zoom displays more content on the screen.

Landscape view on the iPhone 6 Plus is designed to make the most of the 5.5-inch screen and to help users be more productive. When in landscape mode, the device will display apps like Mail, Calendar, and Stocks in a wider view similar to the way they're displayed on the iPad.

The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus take advantage of dual domain pixels, which improves viewing angles. AnandTech has given an in-depth overview of dual domain pixels, explaining that the technology alludes to the fact that the electrodes in the pixels are not all aligned. Instead, the pixels are "skewed when viewed from the perspective of the lines defined by the rectangular edges of the display," allowing them to compensate for uneven lighting.

Battery Life

The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus both offer improved battery life, but due to the larger size of iPhone 6 Plus, it is able to accommodate a larger battery. The iPhone 6 has an 1,810 mAh battery, while the iPhone 6 Plus has a battery capacity of 2,915 mAh.

Because it has a bigger battery, the iPhone 6 Plus has a longer battery life than the smaller iPhone 6. 3G talk time for the iPhone 6 Plus is at 24 hours, compared to just 14 hours in the iPhone 6, for example, while HD video playback is at 14 hours for the iPhone 6 Plus and 11 hours for the iPhone 6.

Reviews of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have suggested that the iPhone 6 can last up to a day and a half on average, while the iPhone 6 Plus can last up to two days on a single charge. A battery life test conducted by AnandTech showed the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus beat out many competing Android devices, lasting longer than the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8. The iPhone 6 Plus had the second longest battery life of any device tested, coming in behind the Huawei Ascend Mate 2.

Despite shipping with a 1A/5W battery, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are capable of drawing up to 2.1A/12W of power, which means that iPhone users can likely obtain a faster charging time using an iPad adapter. According to early testing, charging with a 12W iPad adapter charges the iPhone 6 Plus in approximately two hours.

A8 Chip and M8 Motion Coprocessor

Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus have a new 64-bit A8 processor built on an advanced 20-nanometer process by TSMC. Not only is the chip smaller than the A7 in the iPhone 5s, it's also able to deliver 25 percent faster CPU performance while being 50 percent more energy efficient.

The A8 takes full advantage of Metal, Apple's gaming technology that lets developers create console-style games on the iPhone. According to Apple, Metal is designed to let the GPU and CPU work together to provide detailed graphics and complex visual effects, which means gaming on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is going to be better than ever.

Alongside the A8, there's also a new M8 motion coprocessor, which is the successor to the M7 motion coprocessor introduced in the iPhone 5s. The M8 measures data from the accelerometer, compass, and gyroscope, along with a barometer, which is new to the iPhone 6.

With the addition of the barometer, the M8 motion coprocessor can measure elevation in addition to steps taken and distance traveled.

AnandTech has published an analysis of the A8 processor that points towards significant GPU enhancements and an enhanced Cyclone CPU at 1.4Ghz.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have topped CPU benchmarking tests (compared to competing Android devices and the iPhone 5s), but the iPhone 6 Plus lags slightly in graphics performance due to the device's larger screen.

Camera Improvements

The iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus continue to sport an 8-megapixel f/2.2 rear camera, but the addition of several new features will result in vastly improved picture quality. Continuing to offer improved camera capabilities has always been a priority for Apple, with the company even opting to include a protruding lens design to avoid making image quality sacrifices for the sake of the thin design of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

The first major new feature, "Focus Pixels," are designed to speed up autofocusing by providing the sensor with more information about an image, while improved auto image stabilization will compensate for slight amounts of motion blur and hand shakiness. Focus Pixels will vastly speed up autofocusing times and improve autofocusing in low light situations, as demonstrated in a review of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus cameras.

Both phones also have improved face detection capabilities and more control over exposure, and the Panorama feature now supports high-resolution panoramic photos of up to 43 megapixels.

Video options have been improved in the two devices, and it's now possible to capture 1080p HD video at 60fps. There's also a new 240fps slo-mo mode, and time-lapse video, which was introduced with iOS 8.

The iPhone 6 Plus has one slight advantage when it comes to the camera, however, as it takes advantage of the M8 motion coprocessor to offer optical image stabilization. Optical image stabilization better compensates for hand shake and slight movements in low light than standard auto image stabilization techniques. As a result, it's likely the iPhone 6 Plus will be able to deliver higher quality low-light photos than the iPhone 6.

Along with rear camera improvements, the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus have improved front-facing FaceTime HD cameras with a new sensor and an f/2.2 aperture. With these improvements, Apple says the front-facing camera can capture 81 percent more light, resulting in much better low-light photos. There's also a new burst mode for the front-facing camera, which will let users take burst mode selfies for the first time.

In the DxOMark tests from reputable camera testers DxO Labs, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus both scored an 82, overtaking the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the Sony Xperia Z2 as the best smartphone cameras in both the photo and video categories.

According to the testing, both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus performed similarly, with the site noting that both had "very good, generally reliable auto-exposure" in a range of lighting conditions and fast, accurate autofocus.

The optical image stabilization in the iPhone 6 Plus, which is the differentiating factor between the two devices, resulted in better noise performance and less ghosting on HDR images, but it did create a video stabilization artifact that ultimately led to a better score for the iPhone 6 in the video category.

Connectivity Improvements

Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus both offer faster LTE with support for LTE Advanced networks, reaching speeds of up to 150 Mbps, and they offer 20 LTE bands for better connectivity when traveling. A real world speed test has shown some impressive speed gains between the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 5s when LTE Advanced is available.

The devices also include support for Voice over LTE (VoLTE) which allows users to make higher-quality phone calls over LTE. VoLTE will also allow users on CDMA networks like Verizon to use voice and data simultaneously for the first time. VoLTE requires support from both Apple and carriers, and several carriers have pledged to roll out support for the service.

In addition to cellular improvements, the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus are the first of Apple's iOS devices to offer support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi. 802.11ac Wi-Fi is able to offer connection speeds that are up to 3 times faster than existing 802.11n networks. The speed improvements possible going from the iPhone 5s to the iPhone 6 Plus can be seen in the video below.

Finally, the iPhone 6 supports calls over Wi-Fi, which can result in higher-quality calls, especially in situations where a cellular connection is low. Calling over Wi-Fi is another feature that requires carrier support, but again, some carriers, like T-Mobile, have already pledged support.

Memory

iPhone 6 and 6 Plus teardowns have revealed that both devices continue to offer the same 1GB of RAM found in the iPhone 5s.

Other Features

Like the iPhone 5s, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus continue to offer Touch ID, Apple's fingerprint-based security system. With iOS 8, which ships on the iPhone 6/6 Plus, Touch ID will become even more powerful, thanks to third-party Touch ID integration.

Touch ID is also an integral part of Apple's new Apple Pay mobile payments initiative, as is the Near Field Communication (NFC) antenna built into every iPhone 6. Apple Pay is designed to allow users to pay for purchases at thousands of retail stores with just a fingerprint.

Operating System

The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus ship with iOS 8, Apple's newest mobile operating system. iOS 8's main goal is to improve integration between Apple devices, both mobile and desktop, through the use of "Continuity."

This article "Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, debuted September 19" is originally posted at macrumors.com and was posted by guest blogger.

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GJ8018LCD : My Latest Portable SMD BGA Reworks Station

My latest SMD BGA portable reworks station with LCD display another comparison with SAIKE 8858.

Description :

• This product is yet another innovative industry technology breakthrough that bypassing the traditional diaphragm pump air supply and transformer power supply
• And the use of LCD digital display hot air temperature, and its sophisticated design, superior quality

Technical parameters:

• Model GJ8018LCD
• Operating voltage AC220V Operating Current 2.5A
• Power consumption: 450W, Hot air temperature：Condition temperature 450 ℃ (Max.)

Features:

1. Beautiful shape, easy to use and carry space saving operation
2. The quality of imported motor and heating elements, natural and gentle wind, air heat distribution. Easy to adjust the operator to precisely control the temperature and air volume.
3. LCD display hot air temperature, digital thermostat, the operator uses an intuitive, blowing welding handy
4. No way solder contact pads may dispense parts displacement and thermal shock
5. Welding QFP and SOP type IC, welding and soldering can be selected according to requirements of different nozzle
6. Suitable for most surface mount soldering and rework parts, such as: SOIC, CHIP, QFP, PLCC, BGA, etc.
7. For desoldering various shielding box cover board
8. Shrink Heat Shrink Tubing, PVC film and polyethylene materials with metal connections

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Reliable System to Switch a PC on and off Remotely

This subject is sometimes also called lights out management (LOM).

The Goal

To switch your computer (or any other hardware) on/off remotely you have a couple of options:

• Use hardware to cut the power of your device.
• Use hardware to imitate pressing the power button of your devices.
• Use software to log in to your device and reboot / shut down. This is only possible if the device doesn’t hang.

In this post I’ll only consider the hardware options.

In general you can use a microcontroller and build this hardware yourself or buy existing hardware. In the case of servers, the vendor may already be offering a hardware solution to restart the server remotely which could be expensive though.

It is useful if the hardware to restart your device is itself on-line on a network and is in general more reliable than the device to control.

An extra can be to include status monitoring in addition to power control. In the case of a computer, this may be monitoring the status of the power LED and the disk activity LED.

Being able to control and monitor your devices via Ethernet and thus also via Internet is useful and having a web interface at your hand instead of just an API would be great. A web interface that works well on mobile devices is another plus.

While the hardware could imitate pressing the buttons of your computer it would be good if it could also directly cut the power line and monitor the power (‘wattage’) that your device draws from the power line.

Another idea is to include logging of [power state, disk state, wattage].

The Plan

What we need is a circuit that is capable of acting like a switch (like a relay for example) to simulate the pressed buttons. As there is usually just a small current passing the switch this can be achieved by eather the digital outputs of the µController themselves or by transistors.

This page describes how you can use a reed relay or an opto coupler to close the contact of something without the problem of potential differences of your two systems.

Existing Projects

Resetbox

The Resetbox is a project using an Atmel AVR microcontroller with the custom firmware project ethersex and they designed a PCB in the form of an extension card for the PCI(?) slot.

NETIO230A

This is a ready-to-buy product by Koukaam and I designed a software to control it: netio230a.

More Custom Electronics Solutions

• Remote Power Switch For A Computer

Used the AVR based Teensy µC and an IR remote control. Remote Power Switch For A Computer, 

Part 1 Remote Power Switch For A Computer, Part 2

lome6

lome6 is a custom PCB for the AVR platform ethersex using an Atmel AVR MEGA1284-P. See https://github.com/ethersex/ethersex/tree/master/services/lome6/doc.

The switches are connected using PC827 opto-isolators, the power LED using a PC817 opto-isolator. A MAX232 serves as an interface to the device’s / computer’s serial console. A USB headers serves as 5V power supply from the mainboard (no data link). An LCD screen can be connected. A LF33CV serves as voltage regulator for the 5V to 3V3 power supply. Temperature Sensors can be attached via the OneWire bus.

My own plans

Using the Raspberry Pi for LOM

Another idea is to use the RPi for the lights-out-management. I could implement a web interface on the RPi to:

• virtually press the power button
• virtually press the reset button
• read the power LED status
• read the HDD LED status

Via philippklaus

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Alcatel One Touch Inspire 2 Snap Review

I was able to get a hands on with the Alcatel One Touch Inspire 2, an affordable Android smartphone from Alcatel. Just a little trivia, Alcatel is a mobile phone brand co-owned by TCL Communication (makers of TCL LCD TVs) and Alcatel-Lucent of France. The OT Inspire 2 looks a lot like the OT Soleil even on the specs. One difference is the Inspire 2 has single core 1GHz processor while the OT Soleil has a dual core 1GHz processor.

Alcatel One Touch Inspire 2 specifications:

• 1GHz Single Core MediaTek MT6575 processor
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB internal memory expandable via MicroSD up to 32GB
• 4 inch WVGA LCD display (480 x 800 pixels)
• 5 megapixel rear facing camera
• VGA front facing camera
• 3G, WiFi, WiFi hotspot, Bluetooth
• GPS, A-GPS
• 1,400 mAh battery
• Android 4.1 Jellybean
• P4,990 SRP
• Free on Smart Postpaid All-In Plan 500

Likes:

• Design – This is one nice looking device. It has a premium and solid feel when holding it.
• Affordable – Its below P5,000 mark
• Android 4.1 Jellybean – Its surprising to know that this device only has a single core processor. Good thing because the device is running Android Jellybean, lags are minimal.

Dislikes

• Limited RAM- it only has 512 RAM. You cannot play games even those medium sized ones like Candy Crush.
• Single Core processor – There are even more limitations with because of its single core processor. Many apps in Google Play Store works best with at least a dual core processor. Facebook, Twitter, or any social networking and chat apps will work fine here.
• Small screen – a 4-inch screen is already small in today’s standards.
• Camera – The rear facing camera lacks flash and autofocus which is already a standard for a smartphone at this price point. Pictures taken from the 5 megapixel camera looks good on decent lighting but it could be better if it only has autofocus and flash.

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MP3 Player Recovery and Hacking

Loading New Firmware:

The first step to loading new firmware into the MP3 player, or doing a firmware dump from the player, is to set the device into loader mode. In some cases, where the firmware is intact on the device, new firmware can be loaded without setting the device into loader mode.

There are a variety of ways to set the device into loader mode. The most definite, guaranteed to work method is to short a number of the I/O pins of the flash chip with the battery removed, while connecting the player to a free USB port. If the device has two flash chips, the I/O pins on the first chip (closest to the CPU) are the ones to short. While this method should work for pretty much any similar device, it can cause problems, especially if you short the wrong pins.

The safer method for forcing the device into loader mode is to hold down the R/V (recorder mode/volume control) button with the battery removed, while connecting the player to a free USB port.

When the player is plugged into a free USB port while in loader mode, a new device will be detected as "ALi USB 2.0 BOOT LOADER". The LCD and backlight will both not illuminate when this is successful.

Should neither method work in setting the player into loader mode, it is possible that the player itself is damaged, and it may not be possible to recover it.

Useful Software:

Finding software capable of loading firmware to this brand of player was quite challenging, given the similarities between ALi chipset players and S1MP3 players, and that many manufacturers were based in China. This is where the entries on the Polish forums on elektroda.pl were most useful. From rough translations, there were a few software packages that could read and write firmware images to the flash memory.

One such tool is a program called MPTool, which appears to be designed to be used as a factory firmware loader. With minimal documentation available, it is difficult to determine what all the features are used for without risking further damage to the player, however it would appear that the software can be used to change USB vendor and product IDs, reformat the flash memory used for storing MP3s, and changing the inbuilt serial number. This software does not seem to be able to create actual firmware images from scratch, and is not able to dump existing firmware from the device to disk.

A potentially more useful program is the M566x ISP tool. This program is capable of uploading firmware binaries to devices, and is also capable of dumping the current contents of the flash memory to disk. The function of particular interest is the "Save PM" function. This function appears to dump the complete operating system image to disk as a file called PM.bin. At the moment, there is no obvious way of converting this file back to a broken down set of binaries or Cabinet archive as required for loading into a device.

Before you can use the M566x ISP tool to dump firmware images, it is necessary to identify what type of flash memory is used in the player. In most cases this should be printed quite clearly on the flash chip itself, but if it has been rubbed off, or you do not want to open the case of the player, the "Auto ID" button will in most cases identify the type of flash memory used in the player. Clicking "OK" will start the firmware loading process, allowing you to select multiple binary files to be loaded as firmware. If there is a problem with any of these binaries, in most cases it will either crash the program, or cause the write process to fail. This does not seem to destroy the player, but as always be very careful when loading new firmware.

MPTool can be found in many different distributions of firmware updates for ALi chipset MP3 players, and under a wide variety of names. One of the more common names for the MPTool executable is "Factory4.exe". A quick hunt on Google will find many sites with this file, and a zipped barebones copy is available, although this does not include any firmware files. M566xISP (known as the M5661 ISP tool or M566x ISP tool) is considerably harder to find, but can be found within some firmware distributions, most notably within the firmware package of the Z-cyber Zling T-Nax. The tool itself is also available for download below, but again does not include firmware files for any player. If possible, it is best to download these files elsewhere, as the bandwidth of this server is very limited.

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MPTool.zip (485k)

M566xISP.zip (1354k)

The Firmware Itself:

In my case, it took many weeks of on-and-off searching to finally find a firmware image that was compatible with my device. Given the number of M566x based MP3 and MP4 devices out there on the market, it is very easy to find firmware images that may seem right, only to load them and find that the display and controls do not work. Eventually, I found a firmware set that did work for my player, a firmware package built for a Typhoon 1GB MP3 player (obviously another rebrand of the same device sold by Egoman and Yuraku). Within the firmware package for this MP3 player is a file called IEOA_FW16.13.11_060617.CAB. This file contains 94 small binary files, the structure of which are discussed in more depth later on.

While this firmware package did work, it did not have the original "Ministry of Sound" introduction screen which I had grown quite fond of. In order to recover it, I needed a copy of the firmware dumped from a working "Ministry of Sound" branded player of similar design, while the flash memory size was largely irrelevant, the device needed to have the same type of LCD and controls.

Fortunately, I was able to acquire a similar player from a friend who had purchased the 2GB version. Using the M566x ISP tool, I saved a copy of the PM from it to disk and loaded it up in a hex editor. Before I continue however, below is a brief discussion of what I have found out about the firmware files used by the loader software.

It would appear that single file firmware images used by MPTool are Microsoft Cabinet archives of a large number of binary files. Each binary filename starts with a number and usually has a limited text description following it, such as 000INIT.BIN, or 005PLAY.BIN. The number would appear to signify what order in which the overall firmware is to be assembled and where in the memory each section of code is to be stored. The name of the binary file itself after the initial three digits seems to be irrelevant other than describing the purpose of each to developers, and is not stored in the overall firmware image when loaded into the player. The M566x ISP tool does not use Cabinet packed archives of these binary files when loading them into a device, rather it allows you to select the individual binary files for loading. Size of each of these binary files seems to play a role, as it is not possible to load a single large binary file, however the size of each of the binary files is able to be varied.

The saved PM.bin file appears to be a concatenated set of each of the binary files, each padded with some extra bytes which are often null.

From the various firmware files I had found and discovered not to work on my player, I noticed that in many cases the basic files such as (in some cases) 000INIT.BIN were very similar, despite the differences in the players, which meant that the original "Ministry of Sound" firmware loaded on the player must have had a similar structure to the Typhoon firmware that worked when loaded onto the player. It was possible to find the "Ministry Of Sound" introduction animation by finding the end and beginning of the surrounding binaries, which in this case were collections of strings. The data between the end of one string binary and the beginning of the next were copied to a new file, where the padding data was removed, then was loaded in with the working firmware image. - source

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