Samsung Galaxy Note Snap Review

It is time for our Samsung Galaxy Note review, the Samsung Galaxy Note was first launched near the end of last year, unfortunately we didn’t manage to review the device when it was released, so I thought it was about time to try one out.

The first thing you notice about the Samsung Galaxy Note is the size of the device compared to other handsets, the device is designed to be a combination device between a smartphone and a tablet, and it features a 5.3inch Super AMOLED display.

Samsung Galaxy Note Hardware Specifications

The Samsung Galaxy Note’s 5.3 inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, the device comes with Samsung’s S-Pen and processing is provided by a dual core 1.4GHz processor.

The Galaxy Note features an 8 megapixel camera on the back which can record full HD video in 1080 at 30 frames per second, the camera also features an LED flash, up front there is a 2 megapixel camera for video chat.

Other specifications on the Samsung Galaxy Note include Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0 and 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi plus WiFi direct, it comes with 16GB of built in storage plus a microSD card slot which takes up to 32GB microSD cards.

Samsung Galaxy Note Design, Display And UI

The first thing you notice about the Samsung Galaxy Note is the size of the device, especially when compared to other handsets, the photo below illustrates just how large the Samsung Galaxy note is when compared to other devices, as you can see in the photo which shows the Galaxy Note next to the iPhone 4S.

Considering the Galaxy Notes large 5.3 inch display we would have expected it to be thicker and heavier , but the handset measures just 9.65mm thick and weighs in at just 178 grams.

The Galaxy Notes 5.3 inch display is a Super AMOLED display which has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, and as with previous Samsung devices with an AMOLED display that we have reviewed it certainly is an impressive display.

The 5.3 inch Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy Note in excellent, and great for watching videos and movies, also browsing the web, reading emails and playing games is also very good on the display.

The Galaxy Note we tested in this review had Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread and Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface which is great to use, although Samsung has started rolling out their Android 4.0 ICS update to the device.

Samsung Galaxy Note Processor, Camera And S-Pen

As we mentioned the Samsung Galaxy Note features a dual core 1.4GHz processor, the processor feels pretty fast on the device, opening apps and running games on the handset feels fast and responsive.

The Galaxy note features a rear facing 8 megapixel camera which does it great job of taking photos, it also has an LED flash and comes with some cool feature like Panorama, the photo below gives you an idea of how camera on the Galaxy note is, the image has been resized but not edited.

The Galaxy Note’s camera can also record full high definition video in 1080p at 30 frames per second, and it does a good job with video, there is also a front facing 2 megapixel camera for video chat.

One of the more interesting features on the Galaxy Note is the S-Pen, which is a stylus designed to be used with the 5.3 inch Super AMOLED display, i have never been a fan of the stylus with touchscreen devices, but the Samsung S-Pen works very well.

The Galaxy Note features a number of built in apps that are designed specifically for the S-Pen, which include S-Memo, and more plus there are a bunch of third party apps available which are designed for the S-Pen.

Samsung Galaxy Note Battery Life And Call Quality

The Samsung Galaxy Note features a 2,500 mAh Li-on battery which does a reasonable job, and I would say it is better than average considering the handsets large 5.3 inch display.

Moderate users should get at least a full day of usage out of the handset, although if you are a heavy user then you can expect to charge the handset once a day, don’t expect to go for days without charging the device.

The call quality is excellent on the Samsung Galaxy Note, we tested the GSM version on UK mobile carrier three and didn’t have any issues making or receiving calls.

Conclusion

When I first heard about the Samsung Galaxy Note and saw the specifications, and the size of the device, I didn’t think this would be the sort of device I would like to use on a daily basis.

I used the Samsung Galaxy Note as my handset for about two weeks and was pleasantly surprised with the experience, whilst it is one of the largest smartphones I have used it certainly was a fun handset to use.

It has it plus and minus points, as the device is so large I am not sure if I could use this as my regular handset, although if I wanted one device to replace my smartphone and tablet then this would definitely be a contender.

Samsung have done a great job with the Galaxy Note, the design the handset as a cross between a smartphone and a tablet, which some people call a ‘Phablet’, and if you are looking for a device to cover these two areas than the Samsung Galaxy Note fits the bill.

I would definitely recommend that you test out the Samsung Galaxy Note to see what you think of it, it may not be for everyone due to its large size, but it is a great device for those who want one device rather than two.

The model tested in this review was the GSM Galaxy Note running Android 2.3.5 and it was on UK mobile carrier Three, the handset is available for free on a number of different contracts and you can find out more details over at Three, the device is also available from other mobile carriers here in the UK, have a look at the photo gallery bellow. - source

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List of Best Android Smartphone

A lot of web sites will tell you what today’s best Android smartphones are, whether in terms of camera performance, display size, or default software features. However, you can expect many of the phones present in these “best of” lists to be invariably expensive, often costing upwards of $500 or $600 a piece. Are end users really always doomed to break the bank if they wish to enjoy technology?

Of course not. Not all phones require you to drop half a dozen Benjamins and sign up for a mandatory two-year contract just so you can paw at them through your daily existence. There are good models out there waiting to be acquired right now for about a hundred bucks — and some cost even less than that. Those are what this particular list is all about: the best cheap Android smartphones available, both with and without a contract. Read on to find out what phones these are now.

It may no longer be LG’s latest flagship Android phone, but the Optimus G is still one of the best Android-powered models with an inexpensive price tag. Currently, it may be purchased from the likes of AT&T for less than $50 outright, as long as you sign up for a new two-year contract. And if you’re quick, you may even get it for lower than that thanks to some other promotions.

For its price, you’ll be getting an Android phone that’s often overlooked yet is actually one of the most impressive ones that has ever come out in the past 12 months. It’s considered by some people as the blueprint for the current Google-branded Nexus handset, and it can run the latest version of Android just fine, even though it’s a fairly old model if you think about it. Given that it has a 4.7-inch HD screen, a 1.5GHz quad-core CPU with 2GB RAM, an 8MP camera, and 4G LTE network connectivity, you can rest assured that not many people will be calling it outdated any time soon.

For about the same price as the LG Optimus G, you can also get yourself a Motorola Atrix HD. We know, Motorola hasn’t really been active around these parts lately, but that doesn’t mean that the old Atrix HD is any less of a must-have for it.

Part of the Motorola Atrix HD’s list of features are a 4.5-inch HD display, an 8MP camera with 1080p video recording capability, and support for 4G LTE. But its most interesting feature is probably its Dupont Kevlar construction, which makes it very sturdy. Combined with a splash guard coating, this makes the Motorola Atrix HD one of the few inexpensive choices for people who lead an active lifestyle.

As mentioned earlier, it can be purchased for only $49 with a contract. But if you’d rather use a prepaid SIM card, its price tops off at just $350 without one.

Many of the Android phones in this list have sub-5-inch screens on them. But not this one. The Sprint Vital comes equipped with a 720p HD 5-inch display that’s capable of showing off the wonders of the latest version of the Android OS easily. It was just announced earlier this month and it has already generated some excitement. This is mostly because it uses Android “closer to the way it was intended.”

Don’t let its simple outward appearance fool you. The Sprint Vital comes with a 2,500mAh battery, which should work well with its built-in 13MP camera and 4G LTE connectivity. If that sounds appealing, you’ll be glad to know that it will be sold for only $99 with a new two-year contract.

This one is a bit late when compared with the others on this list, software-wise. The Pantech Burst, which was announced as one of the cheapest LTE-enabled Android phones in the U.S. last year, is still around. And it’s stuck on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. However, that doesn’t mean that it can’t be put to good use anymore.

The Pantech Burst has a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED touchscreen display, a 5MP camera with 720p HD video recording, 16GB of internal storage, and a 1,650mAh battery. Sure, it’s not the most powerful one out of this entire lot, but it certainly looks like it’ll get the job of a proper smartphone done. And with a $0.01 price on contract ($350 without), we’re not complaining.

Here’s a phone that you might easily dismiss as something that can’t possibly be useful, especially when similarly-equipped affordable handsets are coming out left and right. The HTC First, long-rumored to be the “Facebook phone” before its official announcement, is different from the many other entry-level and mid-range handsets out on the market right now. And the reason is because underneath its layer of Facebook-centric features lies the stock Android experience.

On top of that, it’s really not that bad when it comes to hardware either: it has a 4.3-inch HD screen, a 5MP camera with 1080p video recording, a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 2,000mAh battery (not to mention the world-famous HTC brand of quality). All of that can be yours now for only $99. If you can find a place that still sells the HTC First, that is.

Yep, we totally saved the best for last with this one. As one of today’s leading Android-powered devices, as well as the latest model in Google’s long-running Nexus series of handsets, the Nexus 4 certainly belongs in any list of best Android smartphones. It managed to land on the top spot of this list in particular because apart from having many of today’s best smartphone hardware features (with a few exceptions), it also has a shockingly low price tag.

Google broke hearts when it announced that the Nexus 4 was going to sell for as low as $299 without a contract. It’s definitely a bargain, even with only 8GB of fixed storage space (the 16GB model costs $350), considering it has other top-notch hardware features to go along with it. And of course, as a Nexus phone, it’s not just all about the hardware. Software plays a very important role for it, too.

Nexus 4 users can expect to upgrade straight to many later versions of Android as soon as Google releases them. Indeed, that’s the beauty of having a Nexus 4 — you pay once, and you get to see your phone undergo a transformation (or maybe even a rebirth) again and again.

What other models do you think should be included in this list of the best cheap Android phones? Are there any ones here that you think should be taken out?

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Huawei’s Ascend P1 S : World’s Slimmest Android Smartphone

Huawei has staggered its device announcements over the course of CES 2012, beginning with the unveiling of the super-slim Ascend P1 and P1 S and ending today with an LTE version of the phone. The family all have similar specifications, and represent the most powerful phones the Chinese manufacturer has released to date.

It’s the Ascend P1 S that’s the standout model of the three, thanks to an astonishingly slim chassis measuring just 6.68mm. Forget the Galaxy S II, the iPhone 4/4S and even the Droid RAZR, with the P1 S Huawei has grabbed the “world’s slimmest smartphone” crown and now confidently wears it at a jaunty angle, knowing this figure is going to be tough to beat.

The phone is dominated by a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen with a 540 x 960 pixel resolution, and the whole thing is powered by a dual-core 1.5Ghz processor, 1GB of RAM and a PowerVR graphics chip.

Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich comes already installed, and there’s an 8-megapixel camera with 720p video recording on the rear, plus a 1.3-megapixel video-call lens around the front. The feature list is rounded out with GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, 4GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot.

There are two variants of the Ascend P1 S, named the P1 and the P1 LTE. While the P1 LTE is exactly the same as the P1 S aside from the 4G LTE radio inside, while the standard Ascend P1 has a 1mm thicker chassis than its record-beating sister device.

According to FierceWireless.com, Huawei is in talks with US carriers and is hopeful of a launch before the end of the summer. In Europe however, the P1 S is ready for a March release. Pricing will be set at that time, but expect a tag of around $400 in the USA before any network discounts are applied.

Via digitaltrends

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Nexus 5 Best Smartphone 2013

Nexus 5 is soon to be released and it will feature all-new software with high-class hardware components. It is expected to be inexpensive compared to other Android phones and definitely more powerful than Nexus 4. Nexus 4 owners should know why they should upgrade soon to Nexus 5.

Android 4.4 KitKat Operating System

Be the first to have and experience Android 4.4 KitKat version on the Nexus 5. Google will probably use the next-gen Nexus smartphone to demonstrate the innovation on the major software update. Certain features are exclusive on the Nexus 5 and you will not find in the Nexus 4.

- Narrower bezel
- Larger screen display
- LTE connectivity

Android 4.4 Features

•  Miracast updates
• New Gallery app visualization
• New APIs for animations
• Updated UI and preset palette colours
• New notifications widgets
• Enhanced battery life
• Wider network coverage
• Smoother and lighter system performance

Hardware Components

Google isn't going let the iPhone 5S outmatch the Nexus line and so the company includes several hardware upgrades on the next-generation Nexus phone. Nexus 5 will have 5.0-inches of screen display with full HD resolution, quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, higher battery level than Nexus 4, 13MP camera with optical image stabilization, LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Smart.

Performance and Applications

Google services are the only bloatware included to the Nexus 5 and it will use pure Android Vanilla UI. Expect the appearance of Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Google+ and more from Google installed directly on the device.

Android 4.4 KitKat may include some exclusive features to certain applications such in camera which happened in Nexus 4 upon receiving Android 4.2.2 supporting Photo Sphere panorama. The 2GB of RAM supports intense multi-tasking power and blazing fast processing speed with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor which not only execute tasks faster but also improve data downloads greatly.

Future-proof?

Upgrading to Nexus 5 gives you instant access to exclusive Android software updates and Google services. Android 4.4 KitKat would likely lasts until September 2014 and expected to be updated again with another version, possibly Android 5.0 or 6.0. Your Nexus 5 is also one of the first getting the update unlike with others constantly waiting from manufacturers.

Price, Deals and Variants

Normally, Nexus smartphones do not support SD card but Nexus 5 may have a 64GB variant upon release. Google will also release the phone with cheaper price tag compared to iPhone 5S, Galaxy S4, One and Xperia Z. Nexus 5 variants such as unlocked and contract-free, and a developer's model may also become available soon.

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Android phone sells more than iPhone

Smart phones has taken the world aback. Giving us all the power to carry a pocket-sized computer and has become a daily necessity for every people. Though Apple’s iPhone made its entry in the mobile market earlier, Android has gone head to head beyond their delayed introduction.

We cannot deduce the fact that Apple Inc.’s minute devices revolutionized the world of mobile computing but with cheaper price tag and notable outstanding features this will definitely make you switch sides.

What makes Android preferred by most people?

There are several reasons why many people are going for the green robot:

• Cheap
• Multitude of free apps
• Removable and replaceable batteries
• Highly customizable through widgets and screen launchers
• Competetive performance
• A wide range of models, brands and manufacturers to choose from
• Largest community support from developers and endusers

Imagine what you can do with an android smartphone than just calling or sending text messages. It is in itself a swiss army knife for computer people. It has tapped an endless line of opportunities for smartphone users. Mobile computing in its golden age.

For sometime I did yearn to have an iPhone as part of my gadget collection but the skyrocketing cost delimits my capacity to have one. Luckily, Droid came into the scene and somehow justified my longing for a smart phone.

My experience with Android powered devices has never been more satisfying especially for a technogeek who has the passion for tinkering. The droid really did satisfy my hunger and kept me at work for long hours. Feeding my need for information, discovery and innovation. Reminding me how I did with my first PC.

I am not saying that iPhones are not that good. But if you could buy something so cheap that performs just the same as the good one. Why spend more?

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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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MediaTek likely to launch first 8-core CPU

MediaTek is expected to officially launch its first 8-core processor, the MT6592, in the second half of November, according to industry sources familiar with MediaTek's roadmap.

The availability of the MT6592 prior to the end of 2013 will enable smartphone vendors, particularly those in China, to launch new models for early 2014, the sources noted.

The release of the MT6592 will also help MediaTek ramp up its penetration in the high-end smartphone segment and serve as a growth driver in the first half of 2014, added the sources.

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Snapchat Deletes $3B Facebook Bid

Snapchat's whole premise is "now you see it, now you don't," and that might be true of the $3 billion in cold cash Facebook is said to have dangled in front of Evan Spiegel, its 23-year-old CEO. "I'm amazed at the amount that Facebook offered for Snapchat," said Asymmetric Insights analyst Alan Webber. "To me, that's absolutely incredible. Whether they're actually worth more or not, I don't know."

The furor around popular technology startups shows no sign of letting up. The latest big-money rumor centers on Snapchat, the company behind the eponymous 2-year-old smartphone messaging app that has yet to earn a cent. Its would-be suitor, Facebook, reportedly made an all-cash US$3 billion offer in recent weeks. However, Snapchat turned it down.

The offer and subsequent snub came as Snapchat reportedly was considering a potentially more lucrative deal: a $200 million round led by Chinese Internet firm Tencent Holdings that would value it at $4 billion.

Price Wasn't Right

Snapchat cofounder and CEO Evan Spiegel seems to believes the company is worth more than the $3 billion Facebook was willing to part with, and won't seriously consider a buyout or investment until early next year at the earliest, according to The Wall Street Journal , which cited sources close to the matter.

However, investor Benchmark Capital played a role in the decision to reject Facebook's offer, according to a New York Times report. Benchmark was an early investor in Instagram and apparently was disappointed when the company behind the popular photo-sharing app agreed to be acquired by Facebook for $1 billion last year.

Instagram could have found success by itself or found higher offers, in Benchmark's view. Around eight months after the Instagram sale, Benchmark made a $13 million investment in Snapchat.

Ephemeral Messages

Snapchat allows users to send ephemeral messages to each other that expire for good, typically within 10 seconds after recipients view them. In September, Snapchat users sent 350 million such messages daily -- up from 200 million in June -- according to the company.

Spiegel apparently believes there's plenty of room for growth, although Snapchat has not revealed its number of users.

"Facebook is great as a platform, but there's not a lot of real instant interactivity going on in the context of the engagement or what's taking place there," Alan Webber, technology industry analyst at Asymmetric Insights, told the E-Commerce Times. "I think Facebook is looking for other opportunities for people to engage faster and quicker. Not quite Twitter-level, but something more like instant messaging, which is what Snapchat is."

Social Media Boom

The commotion around Snapchat comes at a time when social media and smartphone messaging services are enjoying a boom in the marketplace. Twitter held its initial public offering last week and saw its stock soar 70 percent above the $26 price the company established, carrying it to a $25 billion valuation, despite its lack of profits.

Pinterest, meanwhile, last month raised $225 million for a $3.8 billion value, though it has not yet monetized its popular website.

Instagram's lack of profitability -- though it recently has started displaying ads -- didn't dissuade Facebook from snapping it up. Borrowing a page from Snapchat's playbook, Instagram last year launched Poke, an app that mimics Snapchat's key vanishing-act functionality.

The Young Crowd

Facebook may be particularly keen on Snapchat due to its popularity among young audiences, who are increasingly aware of the risks of public-facing social media to their future prospects should they post unflattering information about themselves or others.

More of Facebook's users are accessing the service through smartphones, which increases mobile ad revenue, but fewer young teens are visiting the site on a daily basis.

"As moms and dads and grandparents continue to start getting on Facebook, the kids are worried their activities are going to be seen by their parents," Gordon Owens, digital marketing professional at GO Digital WSI, told the E-Commerce Times.

"The kids in my life -- their parents have required them to be friends with them on Facebook as a caveat of them being on Facebook. I'm sure the kids are quick to adopt anything the parents haven't heard of, especially Snapchat. The whole premise is that everything you do goes away and it's not a permanent record," he noted.

"I'm amazed at the amount that Facebook offered for Snapchat," Asymmetric Insights' Webber said. "To me, that's absolutely incredible. Whether they're actually worth more or not, I don't know. It's one of these shots at a younger audience, which is what Snapchat has."

The Third Man

Snapchat is not without its controversies. The company's founders, Spiegel and CTO Bobby Murphy, as well as its investors, are being sued by Reggie Brown IV, who claims he was the third cofounder of Snapchat and was kicked out of the company by Spiegel and Murphy.

The two tried to cover up his ouster, Brown alleges.

Meanwhile, it's up for debate whether Snapchat has a real shot as a successful, independent entity in the long term.

"Facebook would be a logical move -- but the same time, when you look at some of the new technologies that are out there, Facebook is starting to get a little long in the tooth," Webber noted. It's a fairly old technology. I think [Snapchat] has to start monetizing, or they're going to have to look for a really great platform to integrate into."

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5 Best Great Free Android Apps

Android is rapidly catching up with Apple in the smartphone war, mainly thanks to it’s great App Store, which is the only one anywhere near large enough to have a chance at taking down Apple. So let’s have a look at some of the best free Apps on the Android Marketplace, you’ll find some of them are also found on the App Store as well.

(I’ve added the QR Codes so you can quickly download them from the Android Market by scanning them)

1. Shazam

By far one of the apps I use the most. This great little app can be found on the App Store as well, but on the Android Market it’s completely free! What it does is allow you to tag songs that you hear so you can download them later. Say for instance you were listening to the radio and you heard a song that you liked, but you didn’t know the name of it. Fire up Shazam and it will listen to the song and identify it. It will then give you the option to search for it on Youtube or download via Amazon.

2.Barcode Scanner

There’s a couple of different Barcode Scanners on the Android market, but in particular is the one from the ZXing Team. Once again it’s free, and what it does is use your Smartphones camera to scan a barcode and grab barcode information. It works with both the Android Market QR barcodes and barcodes that you find on every day products. It doesn’t always work, but generally it does. Once it finds the barcode information, It then presents you with three buttons for Product Search, Web Search and Google Shopper that you can use to find the lowest price of the item on the web.

3.Google Goggles

Now this is a cool little app from Google. What it does is allow you to look at something with the camera on your smartphone. It could be a landmark, a book, a bag of crisps, anything, and it will try and recognize what it is and do a search for it on Google. It can work things out based on your location, so say you were looking at the Eiffel Tower, and it found that you were in Paris, it would put two and two together and show you search results for the Eiffel Tower. A great app for using in every day life and showing off to your friends.

4.Google Sky Map

This app just blows me away, it’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Again it’s from Google and just like all the other Apps it’s free. You fire this baby up and it will use the phones compass, date and time, accelerometer and GPS (where possible) to show you a map of the sky where your looking. So say you point your phone to a certain star that you see, it will tell you what one that is, and what star constellation it’s part of. Point it anywhere in the sky and it will give you a detailed map of exactly what you’re seeing. You can even browse it manually and search for planets and stars. It will then direct you where to look in the sky so you can see them for yourself. Definitely one of the coolest Android Apps going.

5.Where’s My Droid

How many times have you put your phone on silent, and then can’t remember where it is? You can try calling it, but it’s on silent so you won’t hear it, and if it’s fallen down the back of your sofa, good luck finding it. But that’s where this great app comes in. Where’s My Droid, allows you to send a message to your phone containing a certain pass-phrase. Once it receives the message it will start ringing your phone at full volume, over-riding the silent mode until you find it. It can even give you a GPS location if you have GPS enabled. A great app, and could be a life saver some day when you lose your phone.

So there are 5 of the best free Android Apps, what else have you got to add to this list?

Let me know in the comments

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Moto X

The first thing I would like to bring up is that a lot of these features are vaguely described – we sort of know what to expect, which makes me wary of coming up with rumors on exactly what they mean. Especially because I have a tendency to be very, very wrong (which isn’t so bad when I’m wrong for all the right reasons, i.e. expecting HTC to set themselves up for failure with the One when they’ve done very well given their resources) but I digress. Since they have given us some details, I’d like to at least touch base with them a little bit.

The first thing I read was that the Moto X is being built in a factory in Texas, making it the first smartphone to be built right here in the good ol’ US of A. I’m excited at the hope that this will provide a few more good jobs for American citizens in the economy that we are slowly rebuilding. The phone will be about 70% American-made, as different parts of the phone will be imported from the help of countries like Taiwan, Korea, and more. As the first smartphone to be primarily American-made, I wish it the best of luck in its production and hope to see great quality come of it.

Speaking of great quality, another intriguing quote from Mr. Woodside during his interview came off as very Google-esque: According to The Verge, Woodside mentioned that, “… one of the areas Motorola sees as promising is in high-quality, low-cost devices.” Sounds almost like they’re working on the next Nexus line, but I wouldn’t place any bets on this device turning up to actually be featured as the next Nexus. Not to mention, Motorola arguably has the skin that’s closest to stock Android over any other manufacturer, so even if it doesn’t turn out to run stock Android it’s not that big of a turn off. Regardless, at least we can kind of anticipate a premium device that’s also cost-effective.

And quite frankly, the little details we’re getting about this phone makes it seem like it is very much aiming to be as "premium" as possible, with Woodside stating that it would be in direct competition with devices like the Galaxy and the iPhone lineup.

There are some peculiar features that stand out about this future device, one of which sounds sort of eerie once you think about it, but is also my favorite quote: “… we know when it's in your pocket, we know when it's in your hand, it's going to know when you want to take a picture and fire up the cameras.” Sounds futuristic, but no real details on what it really means. The article from The Verge even says that the phone will know when you’re in your car. Creepy or cool? Maybe a little of both.

I really hope that the music played at whatever launch event is hosted for this phone consists of “Every Breath You Take” by The Police and “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell.

But I digress.

One of the last main components of the article also mentions that Larry Page, co-founder of Google, has put a lot of focus on breakability and battery life in the new Motorola device – which is practically music to my ears. Despite always putting a case on my phone, you can’t go wrong with a little extra armor added in to the phone itself – you know, in case whatever perils it endures ends up hitting that Achilles’ heel that every device has. I’m also keen for extra battery life, even if that means sacrificing a lighter, thinner phone.

There’s still a lot of details being spared about the device, but I’m sure more will surface for us to cover in the following months up until its release in the summer, which Motorola has confirmed. Nonetheless, it’s an exciting time for us in the mobile industry now that we know that the Moto X is a real thing. I know I'm pretty jazzed about it, and it sounds like "multiple carriers" are also pretty jazzed about it, which hopefully means the whole carrier exclusive thing is really starting to phase out. Hopefully.

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iPhone 5 vs Galaxy S3 vs Google Nexus 4

Google has finally unveiled its next generation of Nexus smartphone – the Nexus 4, which is built by LG and designed by Google. The Nexus 4 features a 4.7-inch 1280 x 768 IPS display, a 1.5GHz Quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, 8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera. The phone will come in two variants – 8GB for $299 and 16GB for $349, unlocked and without any contract. Surely this phone is priced very attractively and is a powerful offering from LG and Google.

The Nexus 4 is LG’s first attempt on building Google’s flagship – Nexus branded phone. The technical specs of this phone matches to that of the LG Optimus G smartphone but the Nexus 4 is priced more competitively.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the LG Nexus 4, Samsung Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5.

The Nexus 4 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro clocked 1.5GHz and Samsung is powering their Galaxy S3 by an Exynos 4412 1.4GHz. Apple on the other hand powers iPhone 5 with the 1.2GHz dual core A6 processor, which means that the iPhone lacks the same processing power as its Android rivals.

The Google Nexus 4 debuts with the latest version of Android – the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The 4.2 version is still called as Jelly Bean, which can be considered as an upgraded version of 4.1. Samsung’s Galaxy S3 will soon be upgraded to 4.1 Jelly Bean and the Apple’s iPhone 5 already comes with the iOS 6 – Apple’s latest mobile operating system.

Talking from the storage point of view, then the Google Nexus 4 comes in both 8GB and 16GB variants and doesn’t comes with any microSD expansion. The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB variants and it also offers support to expand the memory up to 64GB via a microSD card. The iPhone 5 offers three variants – 16GB, 32GB or 64GB and doesn’t allows support for microSD card.

One thing that is missing on Nexus 4 is 4G LTE, whereas the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 comes equipped with 4G LTE. But then again, by looking at the price of the Nexus 4 at $299 SIM free for the 8GB model, we cannot complain much. For this price, you are getting a Quad-core processor, big screen and the latest version of Android. Surely Nexus 4 seems to be a budget-user’s dream of getting their hands on Android. - source

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Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II Snap Review

The Samsung Galaxy S II (also known as the Galaxy S2) is Samsung's flagship mobile device, their fastest veer selling smartphone. This isn't surprising, the Galaxy S II improves over the original Galaxy S by a huge margin. When the Galaxy S II was announced, it was the thinnest smartphone in the world with a dual-core processor. Even today the specs of the S II is still considered market leading, rivalled only on paper by phones that aren't yet on the market.

Read on to find out what I think of the Galaxy S II.

Specifications:

• Exynos SoC with 1.2 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU and Mali-400MP GPU
• 1GB RAM and 16GB built-in flash storage
• 4.3" Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen with 480 x 800 resolution
• Quad band GSM and 3G
• 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• 8 Megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and 1080p30 video recording
• 2 Megapixel front camera
• Bluetooth 3.0 and WiFi 802.11b/g/n
• GPS with A-GPS
• Digital compass

Despite being made entirely of plastic, the Galaxy S II's built quality is great. It feels great in my palms, and at 116g, is very light. The plastic does make it feel cheaper than say the HTC Sensation. Regardless, the Galaxy S II is also very thin, measuring 8.49mm at its thinnest point. A solitary 3.5mm headphone jack sits on the top, while the microphone and microUSB port, which supports Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) and USB On-The-Go, are found on the bottom. Unfortunately the MHL adaptor, required for HDTV-out, is not bundled with the device. On either side of the devices you will find the power button and volume rocker.

I have had my doubts in the past, but after a month of using the S II, I have grown to love the large 4.3" Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen capacitive display. The display, which is covered by Gorilla Glass and has oleophobic coating, is absolutely gorgeous. This is the same screen as seen on the Galaxy II, except that the pixels are now made up of RGB stripes rather than the much maligned PenTile stripes. While the resolution is still 480 x 800, the screen remained sharp, with strong contrast and black levels and colours so over saturated I had to reduce the colour levels in the settings.

Below the display are three hardware buttons. One, the Home key, is physical and the two (Menu and Back) are touch sensitive. By pressing it down, the Menu key also doubles as a regular Android Search key. Not being a fan of touch sensitive buttons, I am glad that the buttons are not too sensitive. You will find the earspeaker, 2 Megapixel front camera, ambient light sensor and proximity sensor.

At the back of the Galaxy S II resides the 8 Megapixel camera with auto-focus and macro capability. The camera is capable of full HD (1080p) video recording. A single LED flash sits next to it. While some may prefer Xenon flash, I found the LED flash to be more useful as it you can use it as a video light. Near the bottom of the back you will find a small speaker grill. The single speaker itself gives out a loud, but unfortunately unfulfilled audio experience. Best to stick with headphones. Underneath the thin textured battery cover you will find the none hot-swappable microSDHC card slot, a full size SIM card slot and a removable 1650 mAh battery. See Apple, this is how it's done.

The design of the Galaxy S II is simple, almost understated. Overall I liked the design, though I do wish Samsung has put in a bit more effort in differentiating their products. The Galaxy S II reminds me greatly of a couple of phones from Samsung's own portfolio as well as this one popular phone from a competitor of theirs... ;) Overall I liked the design, though I still preferred Sony Ericsson's effort with the XPERIA Arc a little bit more. Continue reading.....

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Huawei Ascend P2 vs Galaxy S3 vs HTC One

Hauwei unveiled some pretty snazzy phones at CES last month, but the company isn’t done trying to impress smartphone buyers around the world. At Mobile World Congress Huawei unveiled the Ascend P2, a follow up to the P1, that bears the promise of being the world’s fastest smartphone. The speediness Huawei claims is not just in the processor, but in the data connection as well. By utilizing LTE Cat-4 generation networking, the P2 can achieve speeds of 150 megabits per second (the iPhone 5 gets 100Mbps). The Ascend P2 even charges faster thanks to 2-amp charging that gets the battery full in less time.

With it’s 4.7-inch display featuring 500 nits of brightness to show off a heavily customized UI on top of Android, the Ascend P2 is in direct competition with Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and the new HTC One.

Here’s how it compares:

Specification	Ascend P2	Galaxy S3	HTC One
Size	8.4 thick (mm)	136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 (mm)	137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 (mm)
Weight	122g	133g	143g
Screen	4.7-inch IPS	4.8-inch Super AMOLED	4.7-inch LCD
Resolution	1280×720 pixels	1280×720 pixels	1080p
OS	Android 4.1 with Emotion UI	Android 4.1 with TouchWiz UI	Android 4.1.2 with Sense 5
Storage	16GB	16/32GB	32/64GB
SD Card Slot	TK	Yes	No
Processor	1.5GHz quad-core	Dual-core Snapdragon S4 (US)	Quad-core Snapdragon 600
RAM	1GB	2GB	2GB
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, 4G LTE	Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+	Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+
Camera	Front 1.3MP, Rear 13MP	Front 1.9MP, Rear 8MP	Front 2.1MP, Rear 4MP
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes, version 4.0	Yes, version 4.0
Battery	2420mAh	2100mAh	2300mAh
Charger	Micro USB	Micro USB	Micro USB
Marketplace	Google Play Store	Google Play Store	Google Play Store
Price	€399	$200+	TBA
Availability	Orange (EU), unlocked (US)	AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon	AT&T, T-Mob, Verizon

The Ascend P2 holds up well in comparison to the new HTC One flagship phone, and out-specs the Galaxy S3 (admittedly an “old” handset) in several areas. What’s surprising is that the P2 doesn’t have full 1080p resolution, which is the trend for new Android smartphones in this size class. It’s great that the phone has wide viewing angles, can be used even with gloves like the new Nokia Lumias, and is protected by Gorilla Glass. Will the lack of full HD matter to everyone?

Huawei is taking the same route as Samsung, HTC, and even LG in putting a heavily customized skin over Android and bundling in a ton of apps and services to enhance the Android experience. Some people love this approach and others really hate it, so the Emotion UI may prove polarizing. That 1GB of RAM could prove a problem in this area.

The 13 megapizel camera on the back is another of Huawei’s selling points. As HTC reminded us recently, megapixel count isn’t the only thing that determines pixel quality. The promise of HDR (high dynamic range) photos and video plus sharper pictures using digital zoom point to a camera that will give even HTC’s ultrapixels some competition.

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