Category: Reviews

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A MONSTER Video Review of the iPhone 5S from a Windows Phone/Android User

apple iphone 5s gold camera lens sensor dual LED flash review somegadgetguyIt’s time folks. I was there for the iPhone 5S launch day. I’ve played with the phone for a while now.

It’s time to talk iPhone.

I have not used an iPhone since the 3G. I’ve recently become a fan of Windows Phone, and I still use Android as my daily driver. iOS7 has brought some pretty significant changes to the Apple ecosystem, and now we have the first generation of iPhone purpose built for this new software.

Let’s see how it holds up to the expectations and ramblings of an angry smartphone geek.

Related:
Our comprehensive iPhone 5S camera and speaker tests!

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The iPhone 5S in Action! Testing the Speakers and Camera of Apple’s Newest Phone!

apple iphone 5s gold camera lens sensor dual LED flash review somegadgetguyI’m almost wrapped up with my full long term review of the 5S, but I thought I’d tease some of the videos we’ll be using to showcase the performance of Apple’s newest handset.

Starting off with the most comprehensive camera test you’ll find on this phone online, shooting in a variety of scenarios including bright outdoor scenes, low light, indoor, night time, tracking movement, and we played with slow motion video. If you’ve been curious to see how this new image sensor stacks up against Nokias and Androids, we have a ton of samples to show off!

apple iphone 5s gold speakers headphone jack audio quality review somegadgetguyAlso, no discussion of a multimedia phone would be complete without some speaker tests. The iPhone is a svelte slab of phone. I was really curious to see if Apple could cram in a speaker which would be able to compete against recent outings from Nokia and HTC. I was very surprised by the results of our speaker test, and you can hear the iPhone playback movie clips and music in our video below.

Be on the lookout for our full long-term review in the coming days!

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Real Person Review: Tony Talks About His Nokia Lumia 925

nokia lumia 925 review (1) fatboy wireless charging sled somegadgetguyTony is a pal of mine in Florida, and he owns a Lumia 925 on T-Mobile. Having previously owned an iPhone, I asked him a couple questions about making the switch to Windows Phone.

What phone/phones did you use before the Lumia 925? Which have you liked? Which have you disliked?

The only other smartphone I’ve had was the iPhone 4. I did have a Motorola Krzr long ago, but there isn’t enough room on the internet for me to fit all my praise for that phone. Despite having switched to an entirely different OS now, I didn’t have major complaints with the iPhone and it really was quite a good device. One thing I did find frustrating was the restrictiveness of iTunes and the difficulty in using my iPhone as a mobile music library shared between my computers at home and work.
Thoughts on build quality, design, and ergonomics?

nokia lumia 925 review (4) rear back plate sled somegadgetguyThe Lumia 925 is just a beautiful phone. The colorful plastic cases of other Lumia models are fun, but I really like the sleek aluminum frame on the 925. The curved edges make it very easy and comfortable to hold in a single hand. My one complaint may be nitpicky, but I noticed the non-removable plastic back of the phone isn’t firmly attached near the top and has small but noticeable give when pressed. I don’t think I would mind as much if the entire phone were plastic, but this minor defect undermines the feeling of solidness given by the glass front and aluminum frame and slightly cheapens the experience in my mind. Continue reading “Real Person Review: Tony Talks About His Nokia Lumia 925”

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Hands on with Nokia’s Lumia 2520 Tablet, 1520 & 1320 Phablets

WP_20131024_19_19_31_ProNokia is looking really hot right now. I think we’re hitting a Windows Phone tipping point where Live Tiles are starting to be taken seriously as a third place alternative to iOS and Android. This has been built pretty much solely on Nokia’s back as they’ve been making the most compelling hardware for the ecosystem.

Taking that up a notch, we’ve got some footage to share of the up coming Lumia 2520 tablet, and two large screened phones, the Lumia 1520 and 1320. Enjoy!

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October #LootCrate: ZOMBIES! – I’m giving away a copy of ‘The Zombie Survival Guide’!

lootcrate zombies survive october unboxing somegadgetguy (2)I’m a little late to this party, but damn I’m glad I finally arrived.

If you’re not hip to the Loot Crate, it’s a monthly subscription geek box of loot. Each month they pack a whole bunch of cool stuff into a box and ship it to your door. Each month has a theme, but the box contents are always a surprise. Could be cool comics, movies, games, shirts, pretty much anything is fair game.

lootcrate zombies survive october unboxing somegadgetguy (3)For October and Halloween, it’s not surprising that Zombie gear is shambling out of this month’s crate. Featuring a copy of The Zombie Survival Guide and a funny parody “EWOKING DEAD” t-shirt, there are also some fun buttons, a zombie hunter license, a zombie greeting card, and Loot Crate’s monthly magazine which includes an interview with Max Brooks.

You can buy individual Crates for $13.37 + $6 S&H, or subscribe for monthly drops. A three month pass drops the price a dollar per box, and a six month pass drops each box to $11.67 + S&H. Even individually, under $20 a month for fun gear is well worth the price of admission. Getting this first box got me hooked on the idea.

lootcrate zombies survive october unboxing somegadgetguy (1)But you know folks, being the zombie aficionado that I am. I already have TWO copies of ‘The Zombie Survival Guide’, so out of this crate, I’m giving away this new copy. Leave a comment on this post before midnight tonight, and I’ll pick someone at random tomorrow. This is an invaluable guide for helping you survive then next great zombie outbreak, so get commenting.

For more info on LootCrate hit up: https://www.lootcrate.com/
Plus you can see this month’s mini-movie from LootCrate announcing the zombie theme. SURVIVE!

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Review: TRENDnet Powerline 500 AV Adapter Kit – Internet Over Your Home’s Electrical Wiring!

trendnet powerline 500 av adapters home networking somegadgetguy reviewWe recently moved to a new place, and the shape of our new condo means our current WiFi router no longer broadcasts a strong enough signal to our living room to enjoy Netflix with image degradation or tons of buffering.

We didn’t want to string Ethernet cabling all over our new place, so I reached out to the folks at TRENDnet to try out one of their Powerline adapters, which uses your home’s electrical wiring to carry a networking signal.

Let’s see if the 500 AV kit managed to solve our Netflix woes.

For more info on TRENDnet products: http://www.trendnet.com/
Shop for the Powerline 500 AV Adapters on Amazon.

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The New Nokia Camera App for PureView Lumia Phones – Feature Walk Through on the Lumia 1020!

nokia camera app windows phone lumia 1020I’m super excited to see Nokia combine the features of the Pro Camera and Smart Camera apps for Lumia Windows Phones. While Lumia phones often feature impressive cameras with cool features, it was always frustrating having to remember which features were in one app and which were in a different app. Now we have one camera app to rule them all!

But seriously there are some incredibly photographic controls built into this new app, allowing users to control a myriad number of exposure settings. If the camera is the most important part of your smartphone experience, and you haven’t checked out a Lumia, you’re kind of missing out.

Let’s take a look through the new Nokia Camera app on the Nokia Lumia 1020!

Related:

Video samples from the Nokia Lumia 1020 – The best camera on a phone today.

Ask Juan: How useful are 41MP pics from the Lumia 1020 when uploading to Facebook, Instagram, etc?

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Quick Review: 2nd Generation Kindle Paperwhite – Amazon Improves on the Best eReader

kindle paperwhite second generation ereader review somegadgetguy (3)This is the second generation of Kindle Paperwhite. The first gen was largely heralded as being the best digital ink eReader you could buy. Not much needed to be changed or altered for the 2nd gen Paperwhite, but Amazon still found some areas to tweak and improve.

Paperwhite stands as an excellent execution of an eReader. If you’re looking at a gadget to primarily read books on, a digital ink display is critical. For years now they’ve near perfectly replicated the printed page. Digital ink is static, and doesn’t refresh 60 times a second like LCD displays do. Once the page refreshes it stays in place until you turn to the next page. This also radically reduces battery drain, as electricity is only used when turning pages.

kindle paperwhite second generation ereader review somegadgetguy (5)In terms of design, Paperwhite is simplicity at it’s finest. There are no distractions. It’s built for one purpose: reading. We’ve even given up on the illusion that eReaders also have to be MP3 players. Nope. Reading is more than enough to justify the gadget’s existence. There’s a power button and MicroUSB port on the bottom. That’s it. You should only care about the screen and what’s on that screen. No buttons or switches or rockers. End of story.

Continue reading “Quick Review: 2nd Generation Kindle Paperwhite – Amazon Improves on the Best eReader”

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