Samsung promotes Galaxy tab S with hunger games tie in.

Samsung’s latest tablets are out now, marrying high-res quad HD displays with the bold colors and deep blacks afforded by the use of OLED panels: the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and 10.5. And though these tablets may be currently available for purchase, they could use a little push to help get sales going; the delayed availability of the LTE models, and corresponding lack of carrier promotion, certainly can’t be helping. So Samsung is turning to other companies to help bring the Tab S into the spotlight, and today announced an unorthodox promo campaign, using the Galaxy Tab S to introduce the next installment in Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games series.

Samsung will premiere the trailer for the upcomingMockingjay – Part 1 exclusively on the Galaxy Tab S at the San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 25. Following that, the trailer will be shown in Samsung Experience Shops within select Best Buy stores on Saturday, July 26.

While not the most conventional way to promote a tablet, we suppose it makes a degree of sense, as the big selling point for the Tab S is this bright, beautiful display, and if you can use that screen to show off content that millions of fans are anxiously waiting for, so much the better. Those who come to see the trailer at Samsung Experience locations will even be able to pick up a free pass for the film when it’s released this November (while supplies last).

Source: Lionsgate

Games with in-app purchases no longer to be listed as “free”

It feels like complaints about in-app purchases have been rolling in ever since the feature arrived, as users found themselves (or family members with access to their devices) inadvertently racking up excessive bills. And over the years, we’ve seen the companies behind these app stores implement additional restrictions, protections, and notifications to try and mitigate user concerns. Still, regulatory agencies have been quite critical of what they see as inadequate steps to address the problem, and continue to go after app stores that they feel aren’t doing their best to rein in unwanted spending. In a new statement today, the European Commission acknowledges the progress some of these companies are making, while criticizing those that fall short.

Google, says the EU, has been making the sort of changes it wants to see, and points in particular to a shift set to occur near the end of summer that will no longer advertise free-to-download apps with in-app purchases lurking within as “free” in the Play Store.

Apple, on the other hand, has been slower to commit to change, and while it has proposed ways it might address the EU’s concerns, has neither agreed to take specific steps nor set up a firm timeline for when action might happen.

As for Google, we’re quite curious to see what form these changes might take. How would these apps now be listed if not “free?” Will we see the addition of new tracking categories: no longer just “top paid” and “top free,” but “top freemium?” Or would the presence of “free” within “freemium” continue to mislead under this EU directive? We should find out in just a couple months.

Source: European Commission
Via: Engadget

Google unhappy with Samsung smartwatch.

Samsung and Google have a complicated relationship that’s seemed more than a little strained over the past year or so. Back in January things really came to a head, as Samsung debuted the Magazine UX for its latest tablets. Google was concerned with the extent to which Samsung seemed to be reinventing Android, pushing its own look and own services to the forefront, at the expense of Google’s efforts. But the companies quickly came to an understanding, and the signing of a long-term licensing agreement appeared to indicate that peace had been brokered. But would that last? A new report suggests that Google is once again a little peeved at Samsung, this time because of the company’s wearables.

It’s not just one problem, either, as Google’s supposedly taken issue with nearly every recent smartwatch move Samsung’s taken. First, Google was apparently upset that Samsung launched the Galaxy Gear as an Android device in 2013, without waiting for this year’s arrival Android Wear. And while Google’s said that it’s OK with Samsung’s efforts when it comes to Tizen smartphones, the company is reportedly not too happy with the extent to which Samsung has been promoting its Tizen smartwatches, while not giving the same level of attention to the Gear Live. And once again, those old complaints of Samsung delivering apps that try to replace Google apps return.

Right now, at least, both companies are still pretty reliant on each other when it comes to smartphones; Android devices both bring Samsung a lot of money, and for Google help keep global usership as high as it is. But if these firms can’t get on the same page going forward, well… something’s got to give.

Source: The Information
Via: BGR

Oppo joins OEM's to sponsor XDA dev con 2014.

The companies behind smartphones aren’t alwayson the best terms with devs. Sure, they want to see new apps come out that help really show off their hardware and software, but some can also be a little resistant to devs interested in more elaborate hacks, like the kind we see from the custom ROM community. That’s why it’s reassuring when OEMs make a point to publicly support developer efforts, and that’s what we’re seeing from Oppo tonight, as the company announces its involvement as an Elite Sponsor for this year’s XDA:DevCon gathering.

Oppo joins manufacturers like Sony and OnePlus in sponsoring the conference, as well as component makers like MediaTek. The event is set to take place in late September in Manchester, England, and seeks to encourage the same sort of dev engagement that occurs online in the always busy XDA forums.

In its announcement of its DevCon sponsorship, Oppo reflects on the results it’s already seen from its work with the dev community and says that it’s “considering further engagement with the developers as a way to bring an enhanced user experience through our devices.”

XDA:DevCon 2014 kicks off Friday, September 26; tickets are still available.

Source: Oppo

Nvidia makes a new tegra tablet.

What new Android hardware will NVIDIA deliver this year? So far we’ve been talking about two devices this summer, a new Shield handheld console – basically an Android phone (sans cellular radio) with integrated gaming controller – as well as a Shield tablet. As time goes on, though, a lack of new Shield 2 evidence has us wondering if that FCC listing from last month really was just a wireless controller (rather than a full-fledged gaming system), and if the Shield tablet alone might be the direction the company’s taking for its 2014 hardware. Today we get our first look at how the slate might arrive, with a leaked render showing off the new design.

As you may recall, last year NVIDIA created its Tegra Note as reference platform for a tablet design, and instead of manufacturing the device itself, licensed it to companies that would build and release their own hardware. While this Shield tablet may drop the Tegra Note name and be manufactured by NVIDIA itself, it shares more than a passing resemblance to the Note.

The most obvious changes compared to the Tegra Note are lengthened speaker grilles on each end, a narrower bezel along the long edges, and what appears to be a repositioning of the tablet’s camera from the bezel to within the speaker area itself – an unusual choice, if that’s indeed what we’re seeing.

What we don’t see, though, are any obvious gaming hardware features – anything like a thumbstick or other controls – leading us to wonder just what NVIDIA’s planning that would help establish this device as a Shield product, rather than the Tegra Note 2 it looks like.

Source: @evleaks

Microsoft surface 3 update should fix the Wi-Fi issues.

It’s only been a few weeks since we reported thatMicrosoft had acknowledged that the Surface Pro 3 was giving customers issues with Wi-Fi connectivity. If you remember, users were complaining about the Wi-Fi drivers completely disappearing after the Surface Pro 3 returned from sleep. Surely you could fix the issue by resetting your Surface, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was an annoying procedure, and one that Microsoft hopes to fix today.

The company has just released the System Firmware Update 7/16/2014 for the Surface Pro 3. In addition to some other bug fixes and system performance enhancements, you should expect these Wi-Fi issues to be fixed as well. Other enhancements mentioned include some improved performance in wireless connectivity as well, so keep an eye on how well it’s performing from a distance.

Microsoft still has a big challenge in proving that the Surface Pro 3 can replace your laptop and your tablet at the same time. Some of us love this idea,others don’t, and some of us are mixed as well. Bug fixes are key in order to reach the customer fidelity that Microsoft needs, and it’s great to see the company act this fast.

Source: Microsoft News
Via: Phone Arena

Amazon Fire Phone impressions.

AT&T was kind enough to host us at a hands-on event in NYC last night, and of all the things we came away with, one of the biggest was a renewed appreciation for what a crazy-busy review season it’s been. We’d already reviewed almost every single one of the devices AT&T had on display, from wearables like the LG G Watch to affordable smartphones like HTC’s Desire 610 to outliers like the not-quite-so-durable Samsung Galaxy S5 Active.

Standing apart from these devices, though, was the holy grail of the event: thanks more to its rarity than any one distinctive feature, the Amazon Fire Phone was the novelty of the night, with a wait list that stretched into the hours by evening’s end. Amazon was offering ten-minute glimpses of its lone demo device in a guided hands-on format, but sadly (and strangely) no video recording was permitted despite the phone being less than a week from shipping. The venue’s lighting also left something to be desired, so we’ve augmented our handful of photos with contributions from Alex Omoniyi of Booredatwork, who was kind enough to share some of the pictures he shot alongside us.

We still have significant concerns regarding the Fire Phone’s pricing and availability, which we’ll discuss further when it comes time for our full review in a few weeks. But last night’s encounter gave us our first in-person exposure to Amazon’s inaugural smartphone, and we have a few thoughts from our fleeting time with the Nexus 4 lookalike.

It feels as minimal as it looks

Photo credit: Alex Omoniyi

Depending on how it’s used, the term “minimalism” can serve either as a compliment or a masked yawn when it comes to smartphone design … and here, it’s probably closer to the latter.

To be sure, there’s nothing really wrong with the Fire Phone: its Gorilla Glass 3 front and back panels lend it a typically glossy and expensive feel, while the rubberized polyurethane border joining them gives it some needed grip in the hand (and a slight degree of bouncy shock absorption if it’s dropped). But we’ve seen all that before, most notably in the Nexus 4 that the all-black Fire Phone most closely resembles. In fact, were it not for the small home key below the display and the four tiny camera lenses dotting its corners, we’d have a hard time telling this device from any other generic Android smartphone at a glance.

Dynamic Perspective is insanely cool and probably addictive

Photo credit: Alex Omoniyi

Those four cameras enable the most interesting of the Fire Phone’s features – and the one most difficult to capture on camera. Amazon’s Dynamic Perspective isn’t just another tired take on the concept of a 3D smartphone screen, with headache-inducing blur and crappy resolution. Instead, the phone constantly tracks your face with the front-facing cameras and adjusts its display perspective accordingly, using any two cameras at a time (so even if you cover one or two lenses with your fingers, the feature still works flawlessly).

The phone is smart enough to know when it’s been passed from one person to another, and it won’t be fooled even if someone’s watching over your shoulder: the screen reliably and consistently delivered a wild 3D ride during the entirety of our demo period. It feels like something more futuristic than just a smartphone display: looking at images on the Fire Phone feels like peering into another world through a handheld portal. (We’d call it theIconian Phone if we thought more than ten people would get the joke.) Combined with gesture-driven controls like “flicking” the device in the hand to access pop-out menus and rotating it to scroll through a webpage in the browser, Dynamic Perspective almost single-handedly makes the Fire Phone one of the more interesting devices we’ve held in the past year.

The new Fire OS looks like the old HTC Sense (the bad one)

Photo credit: Alex Omoniyi

Unfortunately, some of that added perspective shows off corners of the software better left hidden. Amazon’s Fire OS isn’t ugly per se, but it sure isn’t pretty either: with a carousel of oversized preview thumbnails of all shapes and sizes, there’s no continuity to the experience, no takeaway beyond “oh wow there’s all kinds of … stuff in here. And if I tilt the phone I can sort of see behind it, for some reason. Cool?”

The software is much easier to live with inside of apps. That’s particularly true in the case of Firefly, whose namesake sprites are very pretty as they flit about and swarm objects of interest in the viewfinder, eventually chewing them up and excreting an Amazon store link so you can get one of your very own said objects. It’s easily the most gorgeous method of online shopping there is, and from what we’ve heard, its unique Tinkerbell aesthetic isn’t coming to other devices anytime soon – so the Fire Phone is the only way to get the “full Firefly experience.”

Other basic elements work as well as you’d expect: the brightness control in the notification shade, the swipe-driven gestures, and so on. But overall, the aesthetics of the Fire OS conjure memories of the old HTC Sense. Not the new hip Sense, but the old skin from “the dark times,” when manufacturer interfaces were at their most bloated and overwrought.  It remains to be seen just how well or poorly Amazon’s software performs out in the real world, but it’s probably not going to win any cosmetic awards.

It’s something different … and that’s awesome

Photo credit: Alex Omoniyi

With no “real” Google Play support, a puzzling exclusivity arrangement and a ludicrousquestionable price tag, we continue to have real concerns about the Fire Phone’s viability – but those doubts are easily matched by our excitement at the opportunity to try something new from one of the world’s smartest companies. Dynamic Perspective might not add any utility to the smartphone experience, but seeing it in person has convinced us that those hands-on reactions we saw in Amazon’s teaser video were very real indeed. If nothing else, it’s a feature that makes you stop and say “whoa,” a rare occurrence in this increasingly homogenized smartphone world. And between the gratis year of Prime membership, unlimited free online storage, Mayday support and other unique Amazon offerings, the Fire Phone definitely brings more to the table than its humble hardware would suggest.

At the end of the day, the Amazon Fire Phone is a device we’re excited to review – and given the exhausting pace of the review season that’s led up to this point, that’s no small compliment indeed. If you’re interested in preordering one, you can do so here.

Android OEM teases sapphire glass.

What company springs to mind when we’re talking about smartphones with extremely scratch resistant sapphire crystal displays? Apple, with its big investment in sapphire and the multitude of rumors pointing to such a screen coming to its next-gen iPhones? Or maybe even last year’s failed effort from Ubuntu, and its plans to deliver the sapphire-screened Edge? We’ve got one more name you should add to that list, as Kyocera drops a teaser for what sure sounds like a sapphire-screened phone of its own.

We’ve already covered ruggedized Androids from Kyocera in the past, so it’s not the biggest leap to see the company expressing interest in jumping on the sapphire bandwagon. Though to hear Kyocera tell the story, as you can see in the teaser video below, it’s been involved in sapphire production for decades, so bringing that tech to a phone is only the next logical step in a long line of experience working with the material.

Leaks from earlier this month seemed to reveal the company testing sapphire screens in a smartphone-sized frame, and today’s teaser gives us a name: Kyocera Sapphire Shield. It’s still not clear just what form this phone will take (or honestly, if it’s a phone at all and not something like an add-on screen protector), nor when it might become available, but we’re likely looking at another Android device, and the company promises that more info is coming soon.

Source: Kyocera (YouTube), CNET

Android Wear Watch face APIs to be released.

Google hasn’t necessarily taken the world by storm with its Android Wear offerings. Some people claim to still be waiting for the Moto 360, and others have found that being an early adopter is not such a good idea. If you read Michael Fisher’s reviews on the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, you’ll learn that even though these two products are cool, their biggest shortcomings are found within their software. Basic issues like not allowing developers to create custom watch faces is one of them, and Google has decided to end the complaints with a statement.

Wayne Piekarski, a senior developer advocate at Google has decided to explain why Android Wear devices have this limitation, and what the company’s plans are in supporting third party watch faces. At the moment there are some custom watch faces, but these are actually apps and not really what Google intends watch faces to be. The reason why is because of the way these watch faces should interact with the existing card UI. According to Piekarski, we can expect for a developer API to launch along with the release of Android L for these smartwatches. His statement reads:

“Custom watch faces are activities running inside another process. However, they have some special considerations due to interactions with the stream and always-on ambient mode–including using a shorter peek card, moving the status indicators for battery and mute, and rendering the faces differently in ambient mode. Right now, without an official API, making a really great watch face currently takes a fair bit of tweaking.

We are working to make this as simple as possible for you so that it’s easy to make good-looking faces that work well across multiple form factors, conserve battery, and display the user’s card stream nicely. Some of these changes won’t be ready until we migrate Android Wear to the Android L release later this year, but don’t fret: they’re coming!”

Android L is expected to launch across Google’s hardware offerings later this year. Hopefully this will also include some extra functionality for Android Wear devices, as many of us are still disappointed with what it can currently do.

Source: Wayne Piekarski
Via: Android Central

Apple iPhone 6 to have better battery ?

As popular as the iPhone is today, there is a big crowd of people that stay away from buying one because of its spec sheet. The iPhone doesn’t need a big engine to run, and yet the fact that 20 megapixel cameras are now the mainstream, and the fact that battery life is slowly becoming less and less of an issue, and it’s hard to buy an iPhone just because it can perform well with what it has. Apple has taken all these factors into consideration, and in additional to some significant changes in design, rumors point to what Apple will change in the spec sheet as well.

Chinese sources are already claiming that the iPhone 6 will sport a 13MP Sony Exmor sensor. The report claims that Apple is most likely choosing the old Sony Exmor RS IMX220 instead of the current 20 megapixel sensor found on the newer Xperia models due to size constraints. Still, this new sensor will allow Apple to bump some extra features to its iPhone 6 camera, like for example 4208×3120 resolution, improved color accuracy and less visual noise in low-light conditions, as well as support for high-resolution HDR videos, 4K videos, and full-resolution HDR panorama images.

Other rumors point to the new battery that we should expect on the iPhone 6. The current battery on the iPhone 5s is of 1560 mAh and the report points to a more decent 1810 mAh battery coming to the new generation. It’s hard to predict how well this battery will handle a larger iPhone display, but we should expect Apple’s rumored A8 chip to do some magic in that department.

Apple’s iPhone 6 is expected to launch in just a couple of months. We’re not sure if these specifications will be the same for both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch model, but we’ll report more details as they emerge.

Source: Digi-Wo.com
Via: iLounge.com

For awesome things about Android wear and smartwatch's.

Out of the box Android wear can do a lot of amazing things (although, as we mentioned in our review, it’s still somewhat buggy and inconsistent). We’ve all seen the commercials showing you howAndroid Wear can set a reminder or even hail a cab. While those are certainly noteworthy, there are some even cooler things that your Android-powered wristwatch can do today.

There are a few ways you can add features and functionality to your Android Wear smartwatch, regardless of who makes it. Both methods start with grabbing some apps from the Play Store, and one is super-charged through an amazing online service. Let’s dive right in!

Find my phone!

I recently bought some new shirts, polos. Traditionally I wear button-down shirts with a breast pocket, which is where I typically carry my smartphone. These new shirts don’t have any pockets.

Since the change, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked away without grabbing my phone. Luckily it’s been in safe places: at home on the charger, at my desk, or in the car. Regardless, I’m worried that one day I’ll leave it someplace and not realize until it’s too late. Sure, I’ve got it set up to be remotely located and wiped, if need be, but prevention, as the saying goes, is the best medicine.

Android Wear Find My Phone is an app built for your watch that has basically two functions. First, whenever your watch strays too far from your phone (or vice versa), an alert is displayed on your wrist asking if you might have left your phone behind. The alert is subtle, but it works extremely well!

Once you’ve learned that your phone isn’t in your pocket, the app lets you sound an alarm on your phone. While this isn’t going to help you find a phone that’s across town, it sure comes in handy when the couch may have swallowed it.

Someone’s in your house!

I’ve been a fan of IFTTT (If This Then That) for a long time. I even purchased the Pushover app so I could get notifications from the service pushed to my Pebble smartwatch. Now that IFTTT has an Android app, Pushover isn’t necessary.

For those of you unfamiliar with the service, IFTTT lets you set up rules where one condition triggers an action. You can customize the triggers and the actions based on an ever-expanding list of “channels”.

Some of the latest channels to be added are geared toward products by Nest. Nest’s learning thermostat has a feature called  “away mode”. The theory is that when you aren’t at home, your HVAC system shouldn’t be spending time heating or cooling your living space. Sensors inside the Nest detect when you’re not home and can automatically set your thermostat to “away”.

What happens when you’re at work, the house is empty, and your Nest detects that your home is no longer unoccupied? Thanks to IFTTT, you can set an alert that will send a notification right to your watch indicating that someone might be in your house. While this shouldn’t replace a quality security system, it’s a good way to know when your roommate has arrived early.

“Computer, lights off”

Okay, maybe it’s not quite as cool as barking out commands to the computer on the U.S.S. Enterprise when you arrive in your quarters after a long day scrubbing intake manifolds, but tapping on your smartwatch to turn your lights on or off is probably a close second.

Again, this uses an IFTTT trigger, this time talking to the Philips Hue channel. Of course that means you have to have the “not-inexpensive” Hue bulbs installed and hooked up to your WiFi network, but that’s a small price to pay for being able to have all that convenience sitting right there on your wrist, isn’t it?

Dude, your house is on fire!

One of my recurring nightmares is my house catching fire, then sleeping through the smoke alarm. If you’ve got a Nest Alert smoke and carbon monoxide detector, your watch might be able to wake you up so you can get yourself (and your loved ones) to safety.

This one has a lot of potential points of failure: your Nest has to detect the smoke, it must be connected to your WiFi network, the Internet must be up, your phone must be charged and turned on, your Android Wear must be charged and connected to your phone via Bluetooth, and it must be on your wrist (which it probably isn’t because it’s the middle of the night). All those notwithstanding, the concept is pretty awesome, right?

Your turn!

There are four awesome things that you can do with your Android Wear — providing you have the requisite hardware to do so.

Now it’s your turn! What are some of the awesome things you can with with Android Wear right now? Head down to the comments and let us know your favorite or most useful tips!

Plastic vs Polycarbonate

The great debate about the build quality and materials of smartphones may never end.

Some smartphone users prefer all metal smartphone construction as seen in the HTC One M8, while others tend to lean towards the more lightweight, resilient plastics found in Samsung or Nokia smartphones. And, believe it or not, some people still prefer a bunch of smartphone components sandwiched between two slabs of hardened glass.

The reasons for different materials such as metal, glass, and plastic aren’t purely preference, even if that’s what it boils down to in the end for most. Manufacturers intelligently choose different materials for a multitude of reasons.

Arguably the largest reason of all is cost. Polycarbonates are much cheaper to form and mold than metal or glass.

Several other factors play a part, as well. Radio reception is a factor that can be heavily affected by a metal casing on a smartphone or tablet. (We saw a great representation of this with the ASUS Transformer Prime.) As such, smartphones made of plastics and glass typically have better reception. On the flip side, polycarbonate does not conduct heat well, meaning it can actually affect the performance of the phone under a heavy workload.Joshua Ho of AnandTech explains:

“For reference, the thermal conductivity of aluminum is 205 watts per meter kelvin, 156 W/mK for magnesium, .8 W/m*K for ordinary glass, and .22 W/m*K for polycarbonate. The unit refers to the rate of energy transfer needed to heat up a length of material by a certain unit of temperature. This means that in today’s phones and tablets, one made from plastic will generally run slower in intensive games than one made of metal or glass, if all else is equal.”

And, well, despite being chemically strengthened and having a superior atomic structure (as opposed to normal glass), the Corning Gorilla Glass most smartphones use still scratches and shatters quite easily.

Still, undeniably the greatest debate in the entire smartphone material realm is over the different types of plastic used.

Comment sections of reviews, comparison videos, and all other smartphone content on the Web are littered with comments that show users’ distaste for different types of plastics. “It’s not plastic, it’s polycarbonate!” “Polycarbonate is better than plastic.” “I hate the plastic Samsung uses, I wish they’d use polycarbonate.”

A lot of misinformation about polycarbonate and plastic – specifically in regards to smartphones – is spread around the web, and the seemingly purposeful lack of information paired with precision marketing could be to blame. Shortly after the Galaxy S III was announced, Samsung released a statement on the construction of the S III:

“Polycarbonate is used on the battery cover. Polycarbonate is lightweight, solid and is already being widely used in the mobile industry. It was chosen as the best material to represent the minimal organic design of GALAXY S III. Using three layers of high quality, pure and clear polycarbonate, not only is the phone’s aesthetic elevated, but the durability and scratch resistance is maximized.“

But what’s the difference in plastic and polycarbonate? What advantages does polycarbonate offer over plastic? How do the two compare?

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) definition of plastic is a “generic term used in the case of polymeric material that may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce costs.” The definition of polycarbonate is “a synthetic resin in which the polymer units are linked through carbonate groups, including many molding materials and films.”

In other words, polycarbonates are plastic. Yep, all of them. At the same time, it isn’t true that all plastics are polycarbonate. Think of polycarbonates as a genre of plastics. Just like Corning’s Gorilla Glass is still glass, at the end of the day, a polycarbonate is still plastic, just with a fancier title and more specific uses.

That said, it’s a special type of plastic, which is more durable, flexible, and resilient than run-of-the-mill plastic. Applications for polycarbonates range from optical lenses for glasses, construction materials, and consumer electronics, to drinking bottles and food containers. The latter two, however, are often scrutinized for the presence of BPA in the manufacturing process.

The confusion arises when different manufacturers bring polycarbonate smartphones to market with vastly different designs and finish qualities.

Nokia and HTC, for example, both use polycarbonates in the construction of their smartphones. All the Lumia models are made of some type of polycarbonate that feel thick and robust. They often sport a matte finish and feel thick and sturdy. They also seem quite resilient in terms of bumps and scratches. The One X was a perfect example of a very similar type of polycarbonate from HTC. Both Nokia and HTC have put a smooth, shiny polish on polycarbonate smartphones, as well. The Lumia 920 and therecently-reviewed Desire 610 are great examples of a polycarbonate that’s much more smooth, slick, and susceptible to scrapes and gashes.

Samsung also uses polycarbonates in its smartphones, yet with either a very slick finish or one that imitates another material, such as leather, and removable battery doors which are ultra lightweight and flexible. People often perceive these plastics as “inferior” or “cheap”.

I have no knowledge of what grade or type of polycarbonates each manufacturer uses. With several thousands of different types and grades of polycarbonates, it’s impossible to know.

The debate over what material is best for smartphones will go on, and that’s fine, but the misinformation doesn’t have to. When you see someone comparing “Samsung’s plastic” to “Nokia’s polycarbonate” in comment threads, go ahead and educate them. Tell them polycarbonate is plastic, and both companies actively use polycarbonates in the construction of their respective smartphones.

It’s not a matter of polycarbonate vs plastic, but rather who uses the best grade and type of polycarbonate, how they refine it, and what the final product looks and feels like in the hand. And ultimately, most of those things boil down to personal preference anyway.

Samsung Galaxy Z Tizen phone shows up.

A month and a half ago, Samsung announced its first commercial Tizen smartphone, the Samsung Z. The hardware seemed pretty capable, with a 4.8-inch 720p display and even the heart rate monitor from the Galaxy S5, but it didn’t take long before we started developing some concerns about the phone’s arrival, especially as Samsung withdrew the phone’s announcement from a planned event at a Russian Tizen dev conference, citing a need to beef-up its app portfolio. The manufacturer said the phone would be appearing “later,” and we were still in the promised Q3 availability window, but after all the delays so far, it was easy to worry about the Z’s fate. We still haven’t seen sales begin, but the phone did end up making a lower-key appearance at the dev summit after all, captured here on film.

It’s the same phone we saw in the official renders, but these hands-on pics give us some new appreciation of its build. For instance, we get to see the shiny finish along the handset’s edge, in contrast to the faux-leather-textured back. But really, this is mostly just whetting our appetite for the chance to put this model to the test ourselves.

Samsung’s got a lot of proving to do when it comes to Tizen, and that’s all going to start right here with the Z… well, once the phone actually hits store shelves, anyway. We’re all waiting on you, Samsung.

Source: Tizen Experts
Via: phoneArena

GoTenna accessory frees your smartphone from the cell network

Cellular networks the world over are constantly improving, delivering higher speeds and better coverage, but for all the strides they’re making, it’s still all too easy to find yourself in an area with no coverage. Maybe you’re out hiking off the beaten path, or boating around offshore; once you’re out of range of the nearest cellular tower, your smartphone suddenly becomes a lot less useful. Or maybe the tower is just operating at capacity, or suffering other technical issues. A new accessory called GoTenna intends to help do something about all that, allowing users a backup communication system that can span long distances even where cellular signals aren’t available.

GoTenna pairs with an iOS or Android phone over Bluetooth, and then uses a radio in the low-frequency 150MHz band to communicate with other GoTennas – this is all peer-to-peer, with no central towers to worry about. In the right conditions, that signal can travel dozens of miles. With the GoTenna app on your phone, you can send messages to other users, either individually or as group. It also lets you share your GPS coordinates, and paired with its offline map, can help split-up groups find their way back together.

While that won’t give you full-fledged internet access out in the middle of nowhere, the messaging capabilities sound pretty useful for people who are camping, or maybe for aid workers in areas where cellular infrastructure is spotty at best. Right now GoTenna is still seeking FCC approval, but it’s accepting pre-orders for pairs of GoTennas for around $150. After that initial batch is gone, the full-priced version will sell for more like $300 a pair.

Source: GoTenna
Via: CNET

Microsoft Surface 3 benefits.

Traveling can be a harrowing experience. Traveling with a child, even more so. Traveling with a child while testing a new device can be a disaster waiting to happen. That’s the situation I found myself in this past weekend. Full disclosure – I wasn’t traveling very far nor for very long, and I was with my son who my wife and I call “the easy one” and I’m not completely ignorant to the ways of the Surface, so I liked my odds, but still.

Since I was traveling a few hundred miles to nearby Indianapolis for a quick two-day excursion, I decided to go all-in with the Surface Pro 3 which had arrived on my doorstep less than 24 hours earlier. This was an exciting experiment, but not without its risks since I had a Week in Review column due the following morning. Once I left the house with the Surface Pro 3 and the Macbook still sitting on my coffee table, it was Surface or bust. I was fully confident in its ability to deliver.

Ok, well, mostly confident.

The nice thing about the situation was the Surface eliminated the need for any other device at all – No Macbook, no iPad, no Nexus 7. I was completely device free (except for my Lumia 920 that is) which made for a refreshing change. My backpack dropped a few hundred grams, and when I reached in there to grab a device to do anything, I was always grabbing for the same thing. You’ll have to wait a bit for the full review rebuttal, but for now I wanted to share a bit of the good and the bad that I ran into.

The Good

“One device to rule them all” is a great way to go. I already mentioned the backpack weight loss program that helped with packing. The other packing related benefit was two chargers – one for the phone, one for the computer. With my other arrangement I’d have to pack and plug in no less than 3 separate chargers – Nexus/Lumia, iPad, Macbook. Someday, I dream of one charger to rule them all, but for now, it is what it is. With the built in USB charging port in the Surface charger, I had exactly one outlet to find in my hotel room. I can’t even begin to describe how nice this was.

On top of that, the Surface could do anything I needed it to do. Kindle app for reading, Netflix and a USB port for movie watching (more on that later), and a web browser for everything else. Much has been said about the lack of app ecosystem on the Windows platform, and I can’t rightly argue those claims. But most of what I do (and I bet most of what you do too) can be done in a web browser just as easily (and in some cases, better) as in an app. This won’t be true for everyone, but for a short weekend away, that was the case. I’d even be willing to bet that it would suffice for a week or two on the road.

I mentioned earlier that I had some Pocketnow business to attend to while out of town and the Surface Pro 3 was definitely up to that task. This tablet, and especially the type cover was just outstanding for writing, and the side by side multitasking was perfect for what I needed. Photoshop on the Surface Pro was also great for editing graphics. The work portion of the trip was definitely covered.

The USB port was particularly nice while out and about. A portable hard drive with every Disney movie on it certainly helped fill the long hours in the car for my son. Considering the limited use of the contents of the drive, it wasn’t practical to copy over every single movie on the off chance that my son wanted to watch Cars today and Wreck it Ralph tomorrow. Most tablets wouldn’t have enough storage for all of that anyway. You might argue that a Macbook would, but tablets are better for the car in pretty much every use case. A computer/tablet simply will not win in this arena. But that is not to say there are not downsides.

Can’t really do this anymore.

The Bad

Of course, the major downside in the “One device” philosophy is you only have one device. So if your son wants to watch Wreck it Ralph, you better hope you’re done with your editorial and don’t want to read. This wasn’t too much of a problem on our short trip, and realistically under most circumstances he would have his own tablet, but for the purposes of this experiment, I wanted to eliminate as much as possible. I went into it knowing I might be forced to read or watch Netflix on my phone. So perhaps “One device per person” is a wiser philosophy for daily life.

The Surface Pro is a great device with more than enough screen real estate to accomplish most tasks. Even my day job would be entirely possible on this device. But that does come with a major tradeoff. The screen and the tablet itself is simply too big and unwieldy to use one-handed. Standing in line is a great example of a time when whipping out a Nexus 7 and reading a chapter or two would be perfect. Whipping out the Surface? Not so much.

Overall, the Surface covered my work and play needs quite well. Sure there were some downsides, but the tradeoffs were insignificant compared to the advantages. Admittedly, I could use a Windows 8 refresher course or two after 7 months away, but a lot of what Windows 8 does, it does pretty well. Again, the review rebuttal will cover all that. Bottom line - great tablet, great laptop, great vacation. Win.

Galaxy Tab 5 melts ?? wtf Samsung.

Heat is a fact of life with many mobile devices: when we crank up the brightness on our screens full-blast, or run software that pushes all a processor’s cores into overdrive, we expect a handset to heat up in the process. Running warm may be one thing, butit’s easy to take things too far, and on the upper end of the spectrum we’re looking at glitchy operation, spontaneous power-downs, or even outright damage to hardware. New reports suggest that the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 may be suffering from some serious overheating issues, going so far as to warp the tablet’s plastic back.

At least, that’s what one of Hi-Tech.Mail.Ru‘s readers reports, where following some heavy usage of his new tablet, the Tab S 8.4 became so hot that it created visible regions of distortion on the device’s rear panel. It’s not clear how widespread problems like this may be, but Samsung’s been made aware of the incident and says that it’s “carefully considering” things.

One possible culprit is the tablet’s incredibly thin 6.6mm-thick build, placing that hot Exynos chip in very close proximity to plastic components. That’s not often a consequence we consider of thin construction (usually focusing on things like reduced room for a battery), but it may be something we need to start addressing in the future.

Source: Hi-Tech.Mail.Ru (Google Translate)
Via: SamMobile