Let's Talk Tech
Looks like Samsung will be focusing on the stylus action for their upcoming super-phablet, the Galaxy Note 4.
Humans used tools from the very beginning.
Samsung GALAXY Note has introduced yet another tool.
Fit for the way we live today, the S Pen is a truly notable invention since, well… the pen.
Innovation for today and tomorrow.
Expect more on your Note for writing. Ready to Note?
Yeah Samsung. We’re ready, and apparently we’ll learn more come September 3rd!
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!
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Shop the HTC One M8 on Amazon to support this channel!
A new iPhone will be announced soon, and stores are trying to clear out existing inventory. Walmart is making a move to push out the somewhat unpopular 5C model by cutting the on-contract price to only 97 cents. At “near free” one would hope it would finally give the aged 4S a run for its money. Walmart has also cut the price on the 5S to $79 with a two year contract.
Consumers were right to be a little cautious with the 5C. It was a brand new phone line, which wasn’t compatible with many accessories designed for the 5/5S. It was unclear how it would be supported by third party manufacturers and by Apple itself. Would it receive software updates like the iPhone 5 or will it continue receiving support like the 5S? Will Apple launch a follow up “Cheap” model alongside the iPhone 6? Those ecosystem questions are becoming more and more important to consumers.
Though if you’re looking for a good deal on iOS, 97 cents is hard to skoff at. Still, someone might want to teach the Walmart web designer how to use a decimal point… Looks like the 5C is 97 DOLLARS… Just sayin…
Borrowing the design language of the G3, LG is introducing two new “L Series” phones built for emerging 3G markets. Following in the footsteps of Motorola and Nokia, It’s another attempt at building out a higher quality experience at an entry level price.
The L Fino features a 4.5″ screen at a resolution of 800×480 powered by a low power 1.2GHz quad-core, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of storage, and a 1900mAh battery.
The L Bello bumps up all of those numbers with a 5″ screen (854×480), a 1.3GHz quad-core, 8GB of storage, and a 2400mAh battery.
Both phones will feature 8MP rear cameras, with LG boasting best in class camera performance, and will run Android 4.4.2 KitKat. HSPA+ (21Mbps) radios will power the 3G connection. Not a bad collection of specs, and just reinforces our stance that the next area of hot smartphone growth will be at the entry level as the premier flagship market is pretty well mature.
They’ll launch first in Latin American markets, followed by countries in Europe, Asia, and CIS following shortly after. Pricing and availability will be announced locally. Full PR below.
Continue reading “LG Brings Two “L Series” Smartphones to Emerging 3G Markets”
Apparently Verizon’s claims of exclusivity weren’t entirely accurate, as we’ve just received a press release from Big Blue that they too will be carrying the Windows Phone flavored HTC M8.
The HTC “W8” will join the most complete collection of Windows Phones offered up by any USA carrier, and should give some of those Nokias a run for their money.
While I’m really looking forward to see how HTC customizes the WP8.1 experience, I still think the name of this phone is tragically confusing. As I said in my VZW write up, “M8 FOR Windows” makes it sound like some kind of accessory for a Windows PC. I was really hoping to see a sleek sophisticated ad where the “M” in the M8 title flips upside down to become a “W”. Sigh… But I digress…
AT&T PR below.
Continue reading “AT&T Confirms They Will Carry The “HTC One M8 For Windows””
If you’re shopping Big Red, or looking to re-up your plan (and you’re not on “unlimited” data), VZW has a limited time offer which might be a smart buy for you.
For a limited time, if you sign up for a More Everything plan with at least one gigabyte of monthly data, you’ll receive one extra gigabyte of data per month free for two years. Â A single line plan with one gig of data will run you $80 a month.
More Everything plans come with unlimited talk and international text, Hotspot, 25GB of Cloud Storage, NFL Mobile app, and a few other nice features.
You can read Verizon’s full press release below.
Continue reading “Verizon Wireless Offers Up Extra 1GB on More Everything Plans (Limited Time)”
The LG G3 is a monster phone on paper, with bleeding edge specs for a flagship. While we’ve really liked the improvements to the camera, there’s always room for improvement.
How would we fix LG’s camera? Let’s have a quick conversation about Metering and Exposure controls…
I’ve droned on about this before, but we’re getting more sales data which would indicate the mid-range handset is under-performing.
Often called a “mini”, like the Galaxy S4 Mini, HTC One Mini, or the Xperia Z1 Compact, these middle child devices face intense competition from premier handsets and a new batch of less-painful-to-use entry level fare.
These phones often make compromises to arrive at more competitive pricing, reducing the amount of RAM and storage, swapping to a lower powered processor. The pricing however only typically saves consumers around $100 to $150 off the cost of a brand new flagship phone. These mid-rangers are often bested in the specs department by year-old flagship phones. A Galaxy S3 can tangle with a Galaxy S4 Mini. The HTC One Mini 2 struggles against the HTC One M7, and so on. Consumers also get the benefit of sporting a “Flagship” instead of a “cheaper” phone. An extreme example of this tech “fashion” trend being the severely negative reaction Apple fans had towards the iPhone 5C when it was launched.
The savvy consumer on a budget also has options at the low end which work much better than in years past. Thanks to Moto G’s and Lumia 5XX and 6XX phones, it’s entirely possible to get the smartphone basics covered at less than $200.
Companies like HTC are also flirting with other ways to reduce handset costs. The HTC One Mini 2 faces even more internal competition from the newly announced HTC One E8. It’s very similar to the flagship M8, but made out of plastic instead of metal.
It would seem that a four device strategy these days would make the most sense. Smaller screen entry-level handset, last years flagship for the mid-range, this year’s flagship, and a phablet to utilize bleeding-edge tech. If you’re shopping a new phone, are you considering a “mini” or other mid-ranger? Drop us a comment below!