Let's Talk Tech
Photojojo’s Wide Angle Smartphone Lens has a neat trick. It can split in two, to become a macro lens. Especially for us folks NOT using the iPhone, this is a pretty handy camera accessory. Let’s get up close and personal with some macro shots from the Lumia 1020 and 1520!
Shop the Photojojo Wide Angle + Macro Smartphone lens on Amazon.
More info on Photojojo products.
If you were looking to shop a selfie phone for yourself or a loved one, but were concerned the HTC Desire EYE might not make in time for your holiday Selftivities, fret not.
The Desire EYE, and its 13MP front facing camera with dual LED flash, will be an exclusive on Big Blue, and while AT&T does not have a firm release date or pricing info yet, they are confirming that it will be available and shipping before the holidays end. You can catch AT&T’s full PR below for more info! Continue reading “AT&T Confirms HTC Desire EYE Will Arrive in Time For Holidays”
It’s a feature I’ve been struggling with recently.
We’ve quickly stepped up through higher resolution displays, with higher PPI (pixel per inch) counts, and now it’s pretty common to hold pocketable computers which have the same resolution screens as the super large TV’s we enjoy mounting in our living rooms.
Higher resolution screens provide a more pleasant visual experience. Text is crisper. Photos are more detailed. It’s easier on the eyes, and stepping back to lower resolution screens can make you feel like you need to visit an optometrist.
However, after we started building out smaller 720p screens, I worry that we’re starting to see diminishing returns on packing more dots into a phone display. Continue reading “Do QHD Phone Screens Provide Enough Benefit to Outweigh Performance and Battery Woes?”
I try not to editorialize TOO much while covering press releases, but I am bothered by the “bigger is better” trend in smartphones. Flagships are starting to blur the boundaries between “regular” sized and “phablet”. Mini phones are almost always hamstrung versions of their larger stablemates. In Android land, there is exactly one mini phone which still retains higher-end specs, and Sony just gave it a refresh.
The Z3 Compact steps down to a 4.6″ display with a 720p resolution, it loses 1GB of RAM (down to 2GB), and it packs a smaller battery at 2600 mAh versus its big brother’s 3100 mAh. Besides those, it retains almost all of the hardware from the larger Z3. You’ll find the same Qualcomm 801 Quad-Core processor. Both have stereo speakers, and water submerge-able builds.
The Compact has the same 1/2.3″ camera sensor packing 20MP, 4K video, and optical image stabilization. Plus Sony will be bringing PS4 remote play to both the Z3 and the Compact for you console gamers out there.
It’s a largely premier specs sheet. At a time when even Apple will be moving up in screen size, and with the mid-range market getting hammered, Sony is providing a shot in the arm to a segment of the smartphone market which is often ignored. Pricing and availability will follow soon, and you can read Sony’s full PR below.
Continue reading “Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Crushes “Mini” Smartphone Competition”
Samsung’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”
I almost always have either a pocket knife or a tool kit on me, and now this multi-tool case from IN1 will make sure I’m never left high and dry for some tweezers or a pen! This might just be the perfect phone case for former Boy Scouts. Let’s take a look!
Following their recent announcement tackling the entry-level and a new AT&T phablet, LG is borrowing the design language of the G3 for a new mid-range smartphone. This one features the handle trick of supporting a proper stylus.
The creatively named “G3 Stylus” features a 5.5″ screen with a resolution of 960×540, powered by a 1.3GHz Quad-Core and 1GB of RAM. The 13MP camera found on LG’s most recent phones is on the back, but no mention of it supporting optical image stabilization. 8GB of storage is on tap with a MicroSD for expansion, and the 3000mAh battery from the G3 makes a return as well.
Before we scoff too much at the low screen, moving from Q(uad)HD to q(uarter)HD, this phone is also designed for 3G emerging markets, as it won’t initially come with an LTE radio.
What is kind of interesting is LG’s approach to design. It might be a cost saving effort, recycling the plastic body from the G3 instead of coming up with a new mold, but the byproduct is allowing customers to buy a mid-ranger which looks like their flagship. Apple went out of their way with the 5C last year to make it look different from their premium phone, and customers responded fairly negatively.
The Stylus will launch first in Brazil followed closely by Asian, Middle East, and African countries. It’ll land next month when it gets its proper debut it IFA Berlin, with pricing to be announced shortly before launch in each country. Full PR below.
[Tony is a retired firefighter, and was kind enough to share his early impressions of his first Android phone, a Kyocera Brigadier on Verizon Wireless.]
How Do You Like the Build Quality?
It’s big and clunky. It reminds me of old school BlackBerry phones. I had a BB 8700 that could take a hit. My more recent Torch, not as much. The Brigadier feels more noticeably more durable. For someone like me who occasionally tests the ballistic quality of hardware, this is the perfect device for me.
From a regular perspective. The sound is good, the picture is good. I’ve watched video on the (720p) screen. I don’t play games, so I don’t know if it’ll be good for that.
Call quality is good. I had no idea what the term “tissue conduction” meant, but the ear piece is really loud and it’s easy to hear callers.
[The Brigadier screen is actually a large bone conduction surface allowing users to hear calls in loud environments and with ear plugs.]
I’m still unsure about battery life. It’s a little too early to tell if it’ll compare to my BB. My only complaint there is that it does have a built-in internal battery. I liked being able to replace the battery on my Torch. I would carry extras when I knew I was going to be away from a power source. I did buy a portable external battery for the Kyocera, so we’ll see if that is equally practical.
And the Sapphire Screen?
There is a video of a person trying to scratch the screen with a penknife to no avail. I don’t intend to do that on purpose.
In switching to the Brigadier, you also swapped carriers, how has that transition been?
I switched from ATT to Verizon. Verizon has great coverage but I lack 4G LTE coverage inside our condo. It literally works 10’ outside my door. Go figure. What I like about Verizon other than its coverage is that I can turn off that annoying message that tells people to wait for the tone. Like anyone whose been alive during the last 40 years wouldn’t know that. I hate wasting my time and others and all that message did was chew up air time.
Are there Android replacements for your favorite BB features?
One thing I miss from my BB is the autotext feature. I liked the ability to type in an acronym and have it expand to the whole word. I didn’t know that on Android those features aren’t in the “OS” but in the keyboard app. I didn’t realize I had more than one keyboard until yesterday. I just started playing with Google Keyboard which can do something similar for shortcut text, but it’s not the same as the BB.
My wife also replaced her BB with a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini. It feels like it would snap in a strong wind, but it’s a bit more portable by comparison. We are now officially a BB free household. Too bad, they’ve had some good products over the years but seem to have missed the boat on the smartphone market.
After test driving a Nokia, I knew I was going to get an Android. I use a lot of Google services for contacts, mail, and calendar. I already use Google Drive. I bought extra capacity. It works great, and it’s saved us a lot of grief for syncing info.
Thank you Tony for taking the time to share your experiences!