Tag: smartphones

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Amazon Fire Phone Coming Exclusively to AT&T – 32GB for $199 on Contract

feature-fireos._V349436017_The long rumored Amazon phone is official!

The Fire Phone builds off of Amazon’s Kindle ecosystem, delivering a similar “FireOS” user interface running on top of a custom build of Android. This means 3rd party Android apps will be compatible, but Google services wont be included as this will use the Amazon App store instead of Google Play.

The hardware is a mix of mid-range and high-end. I’m glad to see the slightly smaller 4.7″ screen, though it’ll come in at 720p instead of the terrific 1080p found on the HTC M7. The venerable Qualcomm 800 quad-core is on board backed up by 2GB of RAM, plenty powerful for gaming on this screen resolution. Storage comes in 32GB and 64GB flavors, with no MicroSD card expansion it seems like a good platform to push Amazon Cloud Storage, as you can upload photos taken from a Fire Phone for free. Continue reading “Amazon Fire Phone Coming Exclusively to AT&T – 32GB for $199 on Contract”

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Samsung Announces First Smartphone Running Tizen OS

Samsung Z_Gold_DynamicThe game is afoot.

The number one manufacturer of Android handsets is now taking a stab at releasing a phone with their own operating system. We’ve been hearing about Tizen for a while now, and it made its first commercial appearance on the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches. Now Sammy thinks it’s ready for the big time.

The Samsung Z is an upper mid-range phone sporting a 4.8″ 720p display, powered by a 2.3GHz quad core processor. 2GB of RAM will be on board, and the normal split of 16GB and 32GB storage options will be available, backed up by a MicroSD card reader for expansion.  An 8MP camera is on the back, and the whole affair is juiced by a 2600mAh battery.

For a first phone, Samsung is packing in a surprising number of high end features from their Galaxy line. IR Blaster for universal remote control function, finger print scanner, NFC, Heart Rate Sensor with S-Health, and the Downoad Booster which uses WiFi and LTE to improve data speeds.

Samsung Android phones are a heavily customized experience, with a number of services built directly by the manufacturer. It’s clear that Sammy believes a “Touchwiz” phone can stand on its own regardless of what OS lives underneath the candy color UI.

We’ll have to see how developers embrace the platform, and what apps will be available as we can be pretty sure that some core Google services like Maps, will likely not be found on this phone. Samsung will be releasing the Z in Russia during Q3 of this year with pricing info to follow soon.

Would a “pure” Samsung device interest you? Can any company launch a new OS in this maturing smartphone market? Drop us a comment below!

Continue reading “Samsung Announces First Smartphone Running Tizen OS”

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Top 5 Best Non-iPhone Smartphones for Audio Playback Over Headphones!

Here at SomeGadgetGuy, we have the most comprehensive collection of speaker reviews available anywhere on the internet.

However, when listening to music, playing games, or watching movies, we often listen over headphones. This video, we’re taking a look at the best non-iPhone devices to offer up the highest quality playback over their respective headphone jacks!

Continue reading “Top 5 Best Non-iPhone Smartphones for Audio Playback Over Headphones!”

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AT&T Offers Up Samsung Galaxy S5 Active Rugged Phone for $199

samsung galaxy s5 active ATTAT&T has finally taken the wraps off of their next rugged Galaxy Smartphone. Following in the footsteps of the Rugby and the Galaxy S4 Active, the Galaxy S5 Active improves upon the line by offering up a more ruggedized experience with none of the previous compromises made by other “tough” phones.

The S4 Active was similar to the regular S4, but had an LCD screen instead of Samsung’s juicy AMOLED display, and the camera was an 8MP shooter instead of the normal S4’s 13MP shooter.

samsung galaxy s5 active ATT frontThe normal Galaxy S5 is already water resistant, capable of surviving being completely submerged for short periods of time. This means very little re-engineering needed to happen to toughen up the S5 Active. It’s the same terrific AMOLED display with the incredible new 16MP camera sensor capable of shooting 4 video. This new Active is the same hardware, but bulked up in a more rugged shell. A little thicker, a little wider, but capable of taking more abuse.

The hardware navigation buttons also make a return. These have proven to be terrifically handy, allowing you to partially operate the phone when water or muck is on the screen, or when the phone is fully submerged. Capacitive touchscreens don’t work well with water, especially when they’re under water.

If the S5 is Bruce Banner, the S5 Active is the Hulk. It’s available now as an AT&T exclusive for $199 on contract, and customers can receive a $50 credit if they buy one with a Gear Fit smartwatch.

Related:
Galaxy S4 Active Review
Galaxy S5 Review

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Wireless Charging to Get Less Confusing Thanks to New Broadcom SoC

PR_IMG_BCM59350_Wireless_Charging_HiResOk, so wireless charging isn’t that confusing a concept. You take a device, slap it down on a pad, and it charges the battery. What IS confusing is having to deal with two different standards for wireless charging which aren’t cross compatible.

There are two different versions of chargers Qi and PMA, and each has carved out a niche of the market. It gets even more confusing with companies like Nokia. International Lumias support Qi, but AT&T is partnered with PMA, so their phones wont support Qi chargers anymore. It’s a tricky roadmap to navigate for consumers who want to know which accessories will work with their phones.

Broadcom has announced a new SoC which should eventually ease that confusion as it’ll work with both standards. It’s an exciting innovation. Having competing “standards” is a sure fire way to halt progress of a new technology. Anyone remember the Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD war for HD content? Of course you don’t we all moved over to Netflix.

Broadcom’s full pr below for all the technical details.

Continue reading “Wireless Charging to Get Less Confusing Thanks to New Broadcom SoC”

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LG Announces G3 Flagship Phone with Quad HD Screen

LG_G3_3Today LG took the wraps off of their long awaited follow up to the popular G2 Android phone. The LG G3 continues in the design language of the G2 and G Flex, while taking the brand upscale and including some bleeding edge specs.

LG_G3_Metallic_Black_BackThe G3 retains the power button placement on the back of the phone under the camera, but now the build material of that backplate has a metallic finish which LG claims is fingerprint resistant.

The screen has also increased over the G2’s 5.2″ diagonal to a 5.5″ diagonal, placing the G3 screen firmly in the territory of last year’s phablets. The major talking point however is the bump to screen resolution. Called “Quad HD” the G3 display contains 2560×1440 dots, or four times the resolution of a 720p display. This delivers and insane pixel pitch (538ppi), which should make text and fine photo detail crisp. Continue reading “LG Announces G3 Flagship Phone with Quad HD Screen”

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Phablet BATTLE! Nokia Lumia 1520 vs LG G Flex Smartphone Showdown! Fight!

It’s a battle of the biggest screens we can find on our premier phones! Both Nokia and LG deliver a 6″ display, but both take extremely different views on what that experience should be like. Aside from the screen size, let’s take a look at two very different approaches to the phablet.

Related:
Lumia 1520 Long Term Review
G Flex Long Term Review
Shop the LG G Flex on Amazon
Shop the Lumia 1520 on Amazon

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Minnesota Governor Signs Smartphone “Kill Switch” Law

phone with lock image on screenIt’s the first of a likely growing trend in consumer protection laws surrounding our technology.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed off on the state’s “Kill Switch” law today, and the measure will go into full effect July of 2015. The law is aimed at devaluing the black and gray market for stolen smartphones. If a phone is reported stolen, there will be a process acted by the carrier which effectively renders the phone useless. The idea being, if a thief can’t easily profit from stealing a phone, they’ll be less likely to try and steal one.

While there’s always the potential for abuse with any system which can brick a phone, we’ve already seen companies like Apple institute similar features into the iPhone, preventing devices from being activated if they’re classified as stolen or missing. Continue reading “Minnesota Governor Signs Smartphone “Kill Switch” Law”

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