Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Edge Brings a Different Bend to the Curved Screen

galaxy note 4 edge front and backSamsung’s Unpacked event at IFA this year saw a couple of exciting announcements. Of course most were on tap to see the release of the newest member to the Galaxy Note series. Rumors were flying about a curved AMOLED display. We’d seen previous attempts from Samsung with the Galaxy Round, and LG released a banana curved G Flex, but toying with the popular Note could have been a risky proposition.

For the Note 4 Edge, Samsung has done something a bit asymmetrical. The right hand side of the screen tapers off giving the device a screen which wraps around that corner. It’s a dramatic effect, and Sammy is using it for a variety of functions. It can act like a dock for app shortcuts, it can display time and notifications. It handily houses settings for the camera app (keeping the viewfinder free). Scrolling widgets can be housed on the edge, and while the main screen area is off, the side can still display time allowing it to act like a bedside clock.

What’s a little curious is that Samsung hasn’t made both sides taper off. It could have been our first side bezel-less phone. Hopefully this doesn’t affect the usage for left handed folks. Otherwise, the Edge very much resembles the Note 3 in terms of general design, but thankfully the guts of this phone are getting an upgrade. Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Edge Brings a Different Bend to the Curved Screen”

Lenovo Offers Up New Android Tablet and Windows Gaming PC’s

Lenovo TAB S8_1Lenovo has led the PC market in sales for five consecutive quarters, while also making substantial gains with their tablet offerings.

At IFA in Berlin, Lenovo took the wraps off of their first Intel powered Android tablet and some new gear for gamers.

The Tab S8 has an 8″ full HD screen (1920×1200) powered by an Intel Atom quad-core processor. The screen is bordered by tiny bezels with front facing stereo speakers, there’s an 8MP rear shooter, and features 2GB of RAM with 16GB of storage.

Base model will be available in September for $199, and there will be an LTE enabled model released later.

Also announced were a pair of gaming PC’s.

Continue reading “Lenovo Offers Up New Android Tablet and Windows Gaming PC’s”

App Review: Protect your Android Phone or Tablet with Device Manager

We recently covered the news that California will become the second state to mandate a smartphone kill switch on all new smartphones sold after July 1, 2015.

Of course, that’s almost a year away, and for you folks using an Android here’s how you can better protect your phone or tablet today!

Long Term Review: Four Months with the HTC One M8 on AT&T (Sexy Metal Beast)

Whelp. It’s been four months with HTC’s newest flagship, and we’ve just received official word that there will be a Windows Phone variant of the One soon out.

The M7 was my favorite Android of last year. Has the M8 lived up to the expectations set by its predecessor? Let’s take a look!

Related:
M8 vs M7 Speaker Comparison
M8 vs GS5 Photo Comparison
M8 vs GS5 Video Comparison
Slickwraps Real Cork Skin for the HTC M8
Shop the HTC One M8 on Amazon to support this channel!

SomeGadgetGuy’s Ultimate Collection of LG G3 Reviews and Comparison Videos!

Last year LG delivered a phone well ahead of the curve in the G2. This year they’re continuing to push the envelope with the G3. On paper, it should be an absolute monster with a QHD screen, incredible battery life, and a new laser focusing system for the camera.

Has LG succeeded in redefining the Android experience?

We’ve produced a series of videos testing out the speaker and camera. Plus we’ve shot comparisons of the G3 against popular handsets like the GS5, Lumia Icon, and HTC M8. Lastly, we’ve taken a full tour around the hardware and software in our first impressions video.

If there’s any aspect of this phone that you’ve been curious about, chances are pretty good we’ve covered it. In detail. Hit the videos below if you’ve been curious about LG’s newest flagship!

Continue reading “SomeGadgetGuy’s Ultimate Collection of LG G3 Reviews and Comparison Videos!”

Mirror your Android Screen on Your TV Through Chromecast

One of the most requested features asked of Chromecast was the ability to broadcast our phone or tablet’s screen on our TV. Looks like that’ll be finally coming our way!

Announced on the Chrome Blog today, there will be a new menu setting in the Chromecast app allowing you to broadcast what’s on your screen. Through other apps we could send videos, photos, and music, but now we’ll be able to cast a game or even just a home screen if we want to show off on a larger TV screen.

The 1.7 update of the Chromecast app will be rolling out soon supporting popular handsets from LG, HTC, Samsung and more. Nexus devices will of course be able to jump in on the fun too.  Full PR below.

Continue reading “Mirror your Android Screen on Your TV Through Chromecast”

Android One reference design to bring low cost phones to developing markets

android one micromaxIt’s an area where Android often lags. How to bring functional low cost phones to developing markets?

Google has been looking at software optimization with KitKat, who to provide a less punishing experience for low power handsets, but that still requires manufacturers to tailor the experience on the phones they produce. That can be a tough decision for a company to make, how much man power to assign to a device which likely wont generate as much profit as a flagship phone.

Android One is a program which aims to streamline the development, manufacturing, and support process. Android One devices will run stock Android like Nexus phones, though carriers and OEM’s will be able to pre-load apps to customize the experience. Google will also be responsible for providing updates to One phones as further incentive for manufacturers, saving them a little on support costs.

Micromax was on hand to show off an example One device and they’re expected to release a dual SIM handset with a 4.5″ screen and SD card slot for under $100.

Android One will start up in India first, with devices expected to drop later this Fall.

Google Docs To Receive Native Office Support and Mobile ‘Slides’ Presentations

google docsGoogle acquired QuickOffice around two years ago, and we’re now seeing the fruits of that acquisition.

Often when a Google user receives a Microsoft Office file, it needs to be converted to work in Google Docs. As we all know, any kind of conversion will often break SOMETHING in a doc or spreadsheet, be it formulas or formatting. Now Google will be rolling out native Office support built on the QuickOffice system with support for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Files will still need to be converted however for full online collaboration.

We’ll also see a Docs update to provide full presentation creation and playback support for mobile and tablet users.

A new Drive for Work program with enhanced encryption and admin controls, audit and activity API’s, and unlimited Drive storage for $10 per month per user. It’s a tactical move to keep the pressure on Microsoft as a number of companies are investigating the move to cloud services.