Author: Juan Carlos Bagnell

Juan has been obsessed with consumer electronics since before computers had GUI’s. Out of college he worked on a JIT computing contract which supported DOE facilities in New Mexico. He’s been featured on numerous podcasts and radio shows lending his tech insights. You can also find him in LA directing voice over actors and producing spoken word recording.
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AT&T Offers Up Samsung Galaxy S5 Active Rugged Phone for $199

samsung galaxy s5 active ATTAT&T has finally taken the wraps off of their next rugged Galaxy Smartphone. Following in the footsteps of the Rugby and the Galaxy S4 Active, the Galaxy S5 Active improves upon the line by offering up a more ruggedized experience with none of the previous compromises made by other “tough” phones.

The S4 Active was similar to the regular S4, but had an LCD screen instead of Samsung’s juicy AMOLED display, and the camera was an 8MP shooter instead of the normal S4’s 13MP shooter.

samsung galaxy s5 active ATT frontThe normal Galaxy S5 is already water resistant, capable of surviving being completely submerged for short periods of time. This means very little re-engineering needed to happen to toughen up the S5 Active. It’s the same terrific AMOLED display with the incredible new 16MP camera sensor capable of shooting 4 video. This new Active is the same hardware, but bulked up in a more rugged shell. A little thicker, a little wider, but capable of taking more abuse.

The hardware navigation buttons also make a return. These have proven to be terrifically handy, allowing you to partially operate the phone when water or muck is on the screen, or when the phone is fully submerged. Capacitive touchscreens don’t work well with water, especially when they’re under water.

If the S5 is Bruce Banner, the S5 Active is the Hulk. It’s available now as an AT&T exclusive for $199 on contract, and customers can receive a $50 credit if they buy one with a Gear Fit smartwatch.

Related:
Galaxy S4 Active Review
Galaxy S5 Review

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Ohio Congressman Submits Bill Blocking FCC from Reclassifying Broadband as Utility

480px-Bob_Latta,_official_110th_Congress_photo_portraitIn our on going saga reporting on net neutrality, one potential outcome has always been Congress getting involved directly to craft legislation. Of course that knife can cut both ways, and while bills supporting online consumer protections have withered, a counterpoint has been introduced by Ohio Republican Bob Latta.

“At a time when the Internet economy is thriving and driving robust productivity and economic growth, it is reckless to suggest, let alone adopt, policies that threaten its success,” he said. “Reclassification would heap 80 years of regulatory baggage on broadband providers, restricting their flexibility to innovate and placing them at the mercy of a government agency.”

Latta’s bill would block the FCC’s ability to classify broadband networks as Title II or “Common Carriers”, the last threat the FCC had to keep carriers and ISPs in line.

Cable companies applauded the legislation, while we can be fairly sure that companies like Netflix, Google, and many other online services wont be thrilled by this latest move.

While we wait for the FCC’s proposed “Fastlane” rules which would essentially end the neutral internet, Ted Cruz is also planning on introducing similar legislation to the Senate.  No small wonder considering the teams of lobbyists currently campaigning in DC…

 

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Review: Toast Real Wood Cover for the Samsung Galaxy S5 (Made in the USA)

Toast is back with another slick cover! This quirky Portland based company cuts all their cases here in the USA using renewable energy, and delivering on a unique, organic experience for our favorite gadgets.

Let’s take a look at their newest cover the Galaxy S5!

Click here for more info on Toast covers!

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Wireless Charging to Get Less Confusing Thanks to New Broadcom SoC

PR_IMG_BCM59350_Wireless_Charging_HiResOk, so wireless charging isn’t that confusing a concept. You take a device, slap it down on a pad, and it charges the battery. What IS confusing is having to deal with two different standards for wireless charging which aren’t cross compatible.

There are two different versions of chargers Qi and PMA, and each has carved out a niche of the market. It gets even more confusing with companies like Nokia. International Lumias support Qi, but AT&T is partnered with PMA, so their phones wont support Qi chargers anymore. It’s a tricky roadmap to navigate for consumers who want to know which accessories will work with their phones.

Broadcom has announced a new SoC which should eventually ease that confusion as it’ll work with both standards. It’s an exciting innovation. Having competing “standards” is a sure fire way to halt progress of a new technology. Anyone remember the Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD war for HD content? Of course you don’t we all moved over to Netflix.

Broadcom’s full pr below for all the technical details.

Continue reading “Wireless Charging to Get Less Confusing Thanks to New Broadcom SoC”

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Google Shows Off Driverless Car Prototype With No Steering Wheel

Vehicle Prototype Image Banner Cropped 600pxTil now, Google’s prototype driverless cars have been actual production vehicles, often Toyotas, retrofitted with sensors and cameras.

Well Google is following in Tesla footsteps by building their own vehicle designed from the ground up to be a self driving people mover. It looks like a toy version of a Fiat or Smart, but it carries two people in comfort. It’s basically a rolling couch with seatbelts and some navigation equipment.

As  this is very much a prototype, the initial run of vehicles will be capped to 25mph, but they have enough faith in the platform to build out 100 of these little cars to push the driverless program forward. Google is hoping to bring cars like these to market in the next couple years, and it’s no small stretch to think we might see them start filtering into taxi fleets or partnering with services like Uber.

You can see the little prototype in action below.

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Sign Me Up. I’m Ready For Driverless Cars In California.

google self driving carThe open road. The freedom. The romance of wide open throttle on a long stretch of asphalt.

None of that exists in Los Angeles anymore.

Sure, on a holiday weekend at three in the morning you can let loose a little, but the normal condition for Los Angelinos is a bumper to bumper, stop and go, passive-aggressively, road ragey experience. You can’t live in the state for any length of time without witnessing the most common stories we all share. The jerks who skip the line of cars to merge at the last possible second. The jerks who cut you off while driving ten miles an hour slower than you were going. The INSANE number of people doing anything else instead of focusing on driving, even watching videos on tablets (actual pic from one of my commutes)… Continue reading “Sign Me Up. I’m Ready For Driverless Cars In California.”

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LG Announces G3 Flagship Phone with Quad HD Screen

LG_G3_3Today LG took the wraps off of their long awaited follow up to the popular G2 Android phone. The LG G3 continues in the design language of the G2 and G Flex, while taking the brand upscale and including some bleeding edge specs.

LG_G3_Metallic_Black_BackThe G3 retains the power button placement on the back of the phone under the camera, but now the build material of that backplate has a metallic finish which LG claims is fingerprint resistant.

The screen has also increased over the G2’s 5.2″ diagonal to a 5.5″ diagonal, placing the G3 screen firmly in the territory of last year’s phablets. The major talking point however is the bump to screen resolution. Called “Quad HD” the G3 display contains 2560×1440 dots, or four times the resolution of a 720p display. This delivers and insane pixel pitch (538ppi), which should make text and fine photo detail crisp. Continue reading “LG Announces G3 Flagship Phone with Quad HD Screen”

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Samsung Galaxy S5 Camera Tip: Should You Leave Picture Stabilization on for Low Light Photos?

Samsung is doing something a little different with the electronic image stabilization on the Galaxy S5 Camera. Does it really result in better pics with less noise?

Let’s take a look!

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