Let's Talk Tech
IFA 2017 has just started, crowds of people are checking out the newest consumer electronics, but I’m all done. One last day on the show floor. One last night in Berlin.
Continue reading “SomeGadgetGuy Travel Vlog: Day 5 – My Last Day at IFA (Shot on LG V30)”
A little behind the scenes action on how we survive media events and trade shows.
Continue reading “SomeGadgetGuy Travel Vlog: Day 3 – Surviving a Trade Show (Shot on LG V30)”
I can finally tell you all that I’m using the LG V30 as my vlogging camera. I may have found my phone of the year, but of course, someone had to ruin my view at the LG press event… Sigh…
Continue reading “SomeGadgetGuy Travel Vlog: Day 2 – How to RUIN a Press Event (Shot on LG V30)”
Up, up, and away! It’s a long trip, but Berlin is a hell of a town. Heading out to cover IFA 2017, play with some cool new gadgets, but I have to get there first. Man I wish I could sleep on airplanes…
Continue reading “SomeGadgetGuy Travel Vlog: Day One – Flying to Berlin (Shot on LG V30)”
On this week’s show we look at some of the highlights from IFA in Berlin, we talk about our favorite lifestyle features in our phones, share some responses to last week’s CTA, and read YOUR replies to my Samsung Galaxy Note 5 reviews! Make sure you’re charged and ready. It’s PODCAST TIME!
Also, check out my friend Jaclyn’s Youtube channel, where she talks about oceanography and cool undersea creatures! Next week we’ll be working together on some videos covering ocean science and technology! I might get to play with some sharks… http://www.youtube.com/jaclynfriedlander
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Continue reading “#SGGQA 10: IFA Highlights, Best Lifestyle Smartphone Features, and YOUR Galaxy Note 5 Reactions!”
The original Gear S was a beast of a smartwatch experiment, blending a large curved display with a 3G cell radio. Their follow up looks to be more subtle and refined.
The Gear S2 aims to blend in more, looking like a more traditional timepiece, and it’s the company’s first circular watch face. A 1.2″ screen with a 360×360 resolution, in an 11.4mm thin frame. The smaller screen means Samsung can also shave a little size off the battery and continue offering 2-3 days of use on a charge.
This will not be an Android Wear affair, powered by Samsung produced dual core CPU, it’s a Tizen OS watch designed specifically to pair with Samsung phones. NFC on board will tie directly into Samsung Pay for mobile payments.
Samsung has a number of partners on board supporting apps utilizing the new round display, and it will be interesting to see how current apps might eventually work with this smaller screen.
There will be two flavors of Gear S2, a BT and WiFi only model and the S2 3G which incorporates an “e-SIM” for voice and data services when not directly paired to a phone. Two color options will be available, silver and dark grey, and there will be different band options for those watch bodies.
We don’t have pricing info yet, but Samsung expects the Gear S2 to start shipping in October. You can read the full press release below.
Continue reading “Samsung Reveals Their First Circular Smartwatch, The Gear S2”
I’ll be honest. With the rise of phablets like the Note and Lumia 1520, I’ve almsot entirely stopped using mini-tablets like my Nexus 7. Lenovo is doubling down on big screen phones with the Phab Plus.
We can joke about what this might look like holding it up to your face, but the calls are no longer the primary use for our “phones”. We expect excellent data driven experiences. In a way, it is kind of silly that our LTE enabled tablets can’t make and receive calls…
The Phab Plus sports a 6.8″ 1080p screen paired with a Qualcomm Octa-core CPU and 2GB of RAM. 32GB of storage is built in, and you can add more via MicroSD. A 13MP rear camera and 5MP FFC should handle most photo and video tasks, and the larger body means there’s more room for a larger speaker and “sound chamber” Lenovo claims will offer a more immersive audio experience.
This LTE device will have a 3500mAh battery which Lenovo claims is good for “up to 2 days of battery”, but I would imagine this will likely be a “charge every night” kinda phone.
From a design standpoint, it follow in the footsteps of their Vibe series, rounded aluminum frame.
This mini-tablet phone wont break the bank. $299 seems pretty reasonable for such an audacious experiment. We’re still waiting out shipping info, but expect the Phab Plus before the holidays.
Lenovo unveiled their new line up of Vibe Smartphones at IFA, focused on bring a premium experience to mid-range pricing.
The Vibe P1m and P1 bring HUGE batteries to the table, 4000mAh and 5000mAH respectively. That might sound like overkill for daily smartphone usage, but these phones can also be used to charge up other gadgets over USB-OTG. Handy when you’re out in the field, and also packing a camera for example.
Other specs on board are solid mid-range Android. A Qualcomm 615 Octa-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, 13MP rear camera, 5MP FFC, up to 32GB of storage on the P1 (16GB on the P1m) with MicroSD card expansion. They look nice too, built with an aluminum shell and Gorilla Glass 3 on the face. Not a collection of kit at all, considering the P1m starts at $159 and the P1 will sell for $279.
Stepping up to the Vibe S1, Lenovo thinks they might have the solution for the perfect selfie, and it comes in the form of dual front camera sensors. Flanking the ear piece, you have an 8MP camera for actually taking the photo, and a 2MP sensor for measuring depth and distance. We’ve seen similar solutions before on rear cameras, and it can be a handy trick for blurring photo backgrounds or adjusting focus.
The S1 moves to a MediaTek Octa-Core CPU and 3GB of RAM. It retains the aluminum and Gorilla Glass combo, but shrinks the battery from the P series to a 2500mAh capacity. As this is the most premium offering of the three announced, pricing climbs a little higher, but users will only need to fork over $299 for a “flawless” selfie.