Let's Talk Tech
The Active uses a lower res camera sensor than the regular GS4, and it’s one we’re very familiar with. First making an appearance on the GS3 and Note 2, this sensor doesn’t hold any surprises, though Samsung’s camera app has improved over the successive phones utilizing this hardware.
It does come with one really neat trick though. How waterproof is your current smartphone?
Let’s take a look.
They say good things come in small packages…
I was a big fan of Ultrapixels on the HTC One, and now they’re making an appearance on the One Mini.What’s missing however is optical image stabilization. Let’s take a look at some samples and see if the One Mini camera can hang with other mid-range handsets.
No joke. Nokia nailed it.
The Lumia 1020’s monster 41 megapixel PureView sensor is an absolute beast. Even when the output is scaled down to 1080p video, you just wont find a phone camera as capable of delivering the kinds of photographic output you’ll receive from this Lumia. Plus it has the first digital zoom which is actually worth using! It’s a whole new tier above what we would normally consider “premier” smartphone optics.
Yet with all of the accolades I can throw at this phone, no camera is perfect. Let’s go hands on with some video samples!
Benchmarks really can’t tell you how a phone will perform in real world situations, but they can show relative performance between devices. Android seems to be entering a phase of “efficiency”, with mid-range phones utilizing dual-core processors. Even the Moto X, which stands as a premier handset for Motorola, only uses two cores to get the job done.
Let’s take a look at how the HTC’s Mini performs in a number of synthetic benchmarks against its big brother One and an older handset running similar internals.
It’s like listening to the future.
Bone conduction is a fascinating tech which is starting to work its way into the consumer space. The ability to interact with audio without blocking or covering your natural sense of hearing is like having a super power. Plus this tech should encourage safer behavior from people who use headphones while jogging or (cringe) operating a motor vehicle.
Plus they’re even cheaper on Amazon than when I originally shot this video: http://goo.gl/6PgjVU
My friend Tom Costello is a working actor in LA, and he was kind enough to sit down with me to chat about his experiences using his Nokia Lumia 520.
I hope to continue this as a semi-regular series on how real people (not tech bloggers) incorporate tech into their daily lives. You can catch our first Real Person Review of Marie talking about her Galaxy S4.
We had a few teething pains with Google Hangouts getting the interview started, but it settled down once we got to talking.
I really want to thank Tom for sharing his experiences, and to keep track of his projects, please check out his IMDB profile: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1843641/
Admit it.
You use your tablet so much it’s starting to give you back and arm pain. You’ve tried propping it up on pillows or on cradles. It’s embarrassing. I get it. It’s ok. This happens to the best of us. No judgement here.
Well DreSuit might have just the trick to help you use your iPad in creative positions. Best of all, it’s quite inexpensive!
DreSuit Bed Stand for iPad on Amazon: http://goo.gl/t6jQRs
Motorola is on an interesting track, attempting to make specs less important than experience. It’s a difficult sell in AndroidLand, where phones are marketed by numbers on pieces of paper. Through a clever combination of design and optimization, they might just be able to convince people they’re right however.
Let’s take the Moto X for a spin, and see if it has the goods!