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Here are 6 cases to check out for your new Note 5

Matt Adams
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2

So you have your brand new Samsung Galaxy Note 5. It’s beautiful, right? Protecting that pretty, new and expensive phone is important. We’re here to help with our picks of the 6 best cases on Amazon that qualify for free Prime Shipping for that beautiful Note 5.

Spigen Neo Hybrid Carbon

Spigen is pretty much the biggest name in cell phone cases right now. They make cases for most manufacturers and have a ton of designs, from barely there to max protection. The Neo Hybrid Carbon is a bit of a new take on their extremely popular Neo Hybrid line. The Neo Hybrid Carbon is exactly the same except for the backing now has a carbon fiber texture to add to the looks and grip.

With the Neo Hybrid Carbon you get a ton of protection due to a hard polycarbonate (PC) Frame bumper wrapping around a thethethermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) shell. The Neo Hybrid Carbon is able to provide drop protection without adding a lot of bulk to the phone, which is why it’s so popular. It also comes over the top of the screen so there’s some protection for face down falls and has metalized buttons so you don’t lose the awesome clickiness of the Note 5’s buttons.

The Spigen Neo Hybrid carbon is $17.99 and has 4.5 stars with over 150 reviews. You can pick it up on Amazon with free Prime Shipping in one of three colors, Gunmetal, Dante Red, or Metal Slate.

Product Link: Spigen Neo Hybrid Carbon

SUPCASE Unicorn Beetle

SUPCASE, much like Spigen, is one of the most important names in smartphone accessories out there today. They make very high quality cases that retail on the low end of the spectrum while still providing stylish looks and protection to their customers. The Unicorn Beetle, which is the weirdest name ever, is a case built on style and protection.

The Unicorn Beetle is made out of soft TPU and PC meaning that it can take a punch and keep on looking good. There’s a nice subtle curve to the area in the middle of the case that allows you to grip the phone easier while maintaining its great design. The Unicorn Beetle doesn’t take away from the Note 5’s beauty! It comes with a “Frosted Glass” back so you can still clearly see the gorgeous glass back Samsung chose for the Note 5.

The SUPCASE Unicorn Beetle ranges from $9.99 for the frost/blue design to $14.99 black/black design has 4.5 stars with over 90 customer ratings. You can pick it up on Amazon with free Prime Shipping.

Product Link: SUPCASE Unicorn Beetle

Ringke Fusion Crystal

Ringke simply makes some of the best cases on the market. If you’re looking for something super slim to protect your phone, Ringke is probably the company you want to look for. I use the Ringke Ultra Thin case as my daily case on my personal Note 5 and absolutely love it. The Fusion Crystal is a case that takes that ultra thin protection and adds a clear view to the mix.

Like we said at the beginning of the post, Samsung makes some of the sexiest phones on the planet. Protection is important but you still want to enjoy the design of the phone. The Fusion Crystal is the perfect compromise of those two mindsets. Ringke goes one step further than most case makers and has actually added dust caps for the charging port and audio jack to keep that dirt and dust away.

The Ringke Fusion Crystal ranges from $10.99 to $14.99 with a range of designs for the back. It has a 4.5 star rating with over 200 ratings and you can pick it up with free Prime Shipping.

Product Link: Ringke Fusion Crystal

Urban Armor Gear

Urban Armor Gear as a company does one thing, and does it incredibly well, protect your cell phone. Their cases meet military drop-test standards (MIL STD 810G-516.6). That’s seriously impressive. Not only do they protect your phone like no other but they look really good doing it.

The case has an Armor Shell and an impact resistant Soft Core to make sure your phone doesn’t take any impact or get scratched up within the case from a drop. Many cases protect against falls from a foot or two but, Urban Armor Gear is for the type of people who accidentally drive over their phone.

The Urban Armor Gear case for the Note 5 ranges from $29.95 to $32.06 depending on which of the 6 colors you choose and has a 4.5 stars with more than 25 ratings. You can pick it up with free Prime shipping and have to your door just in case drop your phone out of your car going over 100 MPH.

Product Link: Urban Armor Gear

Rock Synthetic Leather Flip Case

Rock is a company that I’m just getting familiar with but they look like one of those companies whose strategy is to do it better and cheaper than everyone else to build up their name. And it looks like it’s working. The Rock Synthetic Leather Flip Case has a ton of positive reviews and looks great.

Made with a minimalist style the Flip Case doesn’t cover up the bottom of your phone so that you have easy access to your charging port, audio jack and S-Pen with no issues. The flip case on front is raised around the home button so there are no accidental presses and protects your phone from scratches and drops.

The Rock Synthetic Leather Flip Case ranges from $10.59 to $10.99 across their three colors, black, blue and champagne gold. You can pick up one of these perfectly 5 star rated cases with free Prime shipping.

Product Link: Rock Synthetic Leather Flip Case

OtterBox Symmetry

OtterBox is THE name in cell phone protection. There have recently been some companies like LifeProof releasing cases that offer great protection but OtterBox is the original, and according to many, the best, at cell phone protection. But many people have shied away from them recently due to their lack of product design.

With the Symmetry series, OtterBox has addressed this concern in an impressive way. There’s still all the protection you could want, but we actually have attention to detail in the design department now. There are seven colors to choose from and all come with a smartly chosen accent color as well. OtterBox has tried to be as sleek as possible while still providing maximum protection. This isn’t going to be as low profile as the Ringke case mentioned above, it will definitely adds some bulk, but it’s a far reach from the OtterBox Defender series of years past.

You can pick up any of the 7 colors for $49.95. The 4.5 rated case can be at your door in 2 days for free with Prime shipping.

Product Link: OtterBox Symmetry

What do you think of our list? Will you be picking up any of these cases? Let us know in the comments some of your favorite cases we may have missed.

dbrand // Samsung Galaxy Note 5 skin review

Dan Bartram
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2

No stranger to quality skins for your device, dbrand have done it once again with their Samsung Galaxy Note 5 skin in a variety of colors. They sent across their carbon fibre and gold metal skins for the Note 5 for us to review.

If there’s any testament to just how easy it is to apply a dbrand skin then it’ll be managing to apply the carbon fibre skin to my Galaxy Note 5 one-handed whilst juggling a newborn baby in my other hand. It was a simple, and first time, application without any air bubbles whatsoever. That’s thanks to the quality material these skins are made of and the easy application process.

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My favorite of these two Note 5 skins is definitely the carbon fibre, which gives the Note 5 such a premium and unique look. What is especially good about applying a dbrand skin to the Note 5 is the feel that it then gives the Note 5 back after application. The new glass back of the device is especially slippery and a fingerprint magnet, so whilst it looks great, isn’t the most practical. The dbrand case changes this and gives it a nicer, grippier feel.

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On the negative side of the Note 5 dbrand skin is the way it sits on the curved rear glass of the device; the carbon fibre skin I have applied doesn’t seem to sit flush with the curves and is slightly raised, which gives a bit of a sharp edge to the skin. I can see it’s not fully stuck down to the curves and do have to occasionally apply pressure to re-stick it. It by no means flaps about, but is certainly not fully flush to the edge. I plan on testing this out with the gold metal version to see if it exhibits the same behaviour.

Otherwise, dbrand have delivered another quality skin for the Note 5 that not only improves the look and feel of the device, but provides a lot more grip to the glass back. You can check out the full range of dbrand skins for the Galaxy Note 5 at the dbrand store.

Upcoming Android powered BlackBerry to be called ‘Priv’

AndroidGuys
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0

Oddly enough, one of the mostly anticipated Android devices that is going to hit the shelves later this year is made by BlackBerry. The device which has the code name ‘Venice’, has been leaked quite thoroughly. Most of those leaks have come from ex-leaker @evleaks, and he doesn’t seem like he’s going to stop anytime soon.

BlackBerry Priv render

Evan Blass states the new device will be called the BlackBerry Priv, not Venice. If that wasn’t enough excitement for you, he also leaked a new press render which exposes the device’s slide-out keyboard. Not only did we get ourselves a new press render, but Evan was also able to obtain us the default wallpaper for the Priv, which we posted yesterday.

To give a quick refresher on the BlackBerry Priv, it is looking at a November. It will come with what is expected to be a 5.4 inch QHD display with curved edges, similar to that of the S6 edge/edge+, a Snapdragon 808 processor, 3 GB of RAM, and an 18 megapixel camera. To top it all off, it will include the slide-out keyboard of course.

One of my first true ‘smartphones’ was a BlackBerry Pearl and it was the greatest thing since sliced bread for me at the time. There was nothing like passing time in class playing Brick Breaker. I’m actually pretty excited about the device, even though I’ve phased out mobile keyboards from my life since the MyTouch 4G slide. If T-Mobile carriers it, which it is expected, I might be picking this thing up. What about you?

Via

Moto Hint (updated version) Review

Benton Trerise
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1

MOTO-HINT-DARK-FABRIC-540w37iwbteMotorola has been in the communications game for awhile. From radios to cell phones, there is probably no form of communication Motorola hasn’t delved into. This includes Bluetooth earpieces, which they’ve been making since they became popular. With their recent focus on design and ease of use for their consumer products, the Moto Hint was a natural extension for Motorola. The Moto Hint seeks to provide a minimal design while providing tons of functionality. Let’s see if its up to the task.

 

 

 

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[df-subtitle]Setup[/df-subtitle]

Setup with the Moto Hint was simple enough. My biggest issue was I wanted to figure the device out for myself, so I assumed things instead of reading the instructions (insert joke about man’s pride here). So I could not figure out how to turn the stupid thing on. Well, turns out it doesn’t turn on until you place it in your ear, and then you are given prompts on how to pair the phone. Yeah, you bet I felt a little dumb.

So, already we have proof that this is meant to be as simple as possible, to the point that the device is telling you how to set it up.

[df-subtitle]Usage[/df-subtitle]

If I had any gripes about the Moto Hint, its that remembering the various gestures and voice commands at first seems too much to handle. However, after using it for a few days, I realized once again that it is all meant to be natural and simple. Once I realized that, and after a few days of practice, I was a Moto Hint ninja in no time. So, my gripe no longer means anything.

_TDT2543The first aspect of the Moto Hint that needs learning is its charging cradle. At first I thought the best way to use it was to stick the Moto Hint inside whenever I didn’t have it in my ear. However, trying to take the device out of the cradle while your phone is ringing causes more fumbling than one would like. Really, the cradle is meant for storage (meaning, its a place to put it when you don’t want to use it at all) and charging the battery. See, the device is so small that its battery isn’t very large (we’re talkin’ 46 mAh here), giving approximately 3 hours of talk time. This is extended with the use of the cradle, which acts as a sort of external battery for the Moto Hint.

Anyways, so the idea is you either keep the Moto Hint in your ear all the time, or you place it on your desk, and then just stick it in your ear when you get a call, which will answer the call immediately. Once I started using this, it worked quite well. There’s a neat feature that uses the microphone on the Moto Hint to pass sounds around you through the Moto Hint into your ear, so that you’re not deaf on one side However, this takes a pretty significant hit on the battery, so it normally wasn’t worth it to use it for me.

The next aspect of the Moto Hint to learn were voice commands. Now, if you have a Moto X (or really, any phone that has a launch phrase for voice commands when the screen is off), you supposedly can use your custom launch phrase through the Moto Hint in order to give various commands, and really anything that Moto Voice or Google Now can do. However, I was not able to get this to work consistently, and instead found myself just tapping the Moto Hint, which activates Moto Voice, and then giving a command. Really, this isn’t that big of a deal, because tapping the Moto Hint takes all of a second. Still, it’d be nice to be completely hands free, especially while driving.

Probably one of the coolest parts of the Moto Hint is how unnoticeable it is when its in your ear due to its size. Most people didn’t even notice, and when they did, their reactions to it where pretty funny. I can’t tell you how often people tried to tell me I had something in my ear, as though I didn’t know.

Nevertheless, its minimalist design is great. It’s light, and even in its cradle, its easy to stick in your pocket and forget about it. Being able to pick it up and stick it in your ear for almost-instant usage is phenomenal, and the voice prompts always helped guide me in the direction I needed.

[df-subtitle]Sound Quality[/df-subtitle]

Just because its small, the sound quality of calls on the Moto Hint was no compromise. Every conversation came through loud and clear, and at times was even better than my phone’s earpiece. Every time I asked, people said they could hear me great as well. In terms of sound, the Moto Hint made no significant impressions, but it worked well, which is what I expect of Bluetooth device such as this. In fact, it was good enough that I even tried listening to music and podcasts through it a couple of times, and that worked out well. Obviously it won’t last too long this way, but at least you can listen to something while walking between meetings or classes.

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The Moto Hint is a wonderfully designed device whose size makes travel easy and use almost unnoticeable. Setup is easy, usage has a bit of a learning curve, but becomes more natural the more you use it, and sound quality is good. Likely the biggest thing to notice about the Moto Hint is its price tag: $130. So you have to ask yourself the question: is easy control, great design, and small size enough to make you want a Moto Hint?

SportScore helps you stay ahead (App Review)

Jason Botha
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0

There are various apps out there to help you keep up with your favorite sport team, and today we’ll be looking at one app in particular, namely SportScore. Although the name states “Sport”, it only offers Soccer matches from English clubs, so it may not fulfill your expectations.

Setup

As soon as you open the app for the first time, you are prompted to sign in with your account. As it’s likely you don’t have one, you will obviously need to create one. While inconvenient, this allows you to save your selected teams and fixtures if you decide to use the app on a different device. It should be mentioned that you can also log in with your Facebook account.

Other then that, you are free to go ahead and start using the app. It is simple enough to go right in without a tutorial.

Functionality

The app is designed to be used for keeping up with what’s happening in the world of English Soccer clubs. You are able to bookmark upcoming matches, select your favorite teams and generally be able to see what’s up with your clubs of interest. Live scores are fed into a dedicated panel, and provide scores as the game is played.

The simple UI is relatively enjoyable; the banner advert at the bottom is perhaps the biggest inconvenience, and I could not find any way to remove them with in-app purchases. Putting your phone in airplane mode will not help as the app unfortunately requires an internet connection. There is also a ‘Save’ button that appears permanently in the view, instead of just when you are saving any changes you made to your subscribed clubs. Otherwise, results are posted quickly and accurately, and I found the app easy to use. It will certainly come in handy for any fans who keep a close eye on clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United.

Is it for me?

Only if you are a supporter of English football. The clubs are all based in Britain, and is really ideal if you are the right person.

What we liked:

  • Simple UI
  • Wide range of actions you can do with the app
  • Ability to keep track with your account

And not so much..

  • Annoying ‘Save’ button

Granted, if you like English football clubs, SportScore is likely to bring convenience to your daily life. With a host of handy features, you’re guaranteed to never miss a score and always know who is on top of their game.

[pb-app-box pname=’com.frt.sportscore’ name=’SportScore’ theme=’discover’ lang=’en’]

LG video teases unconventional display in upcoming phone

Scott Webster
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0

[df-subtitle]Due October 1, the forthcoming handset should feature a second, “ticker” display[/df-subtitle]

LG has published a video which looks to be teasing a rather unique display for an upcoming smartphone. There’s no outright mention of a handset nor are there any specs highlighted in the short clip which has been posted to YouTube. What it does offer up, however, is a glimpse at how the screen might operate.

In short, we should expect to see extra an display. Said screen will likely be used to show notifications for messages, missed calls, emails, and more. We don’t anticipate it being all that much different than what the “Edge” does for select Samsung smartphones.

Rumors have circulated for a few weeks that LG plans to announce a smartphone with a secondary “ticker” display. The teaser video somewhat confirms that the bonus screen will be at the top, to the right of the camera.

We won’t have to wait long to see what LG has in store for us. The YouTube video indicates all will be revealed on October 1.

Pebble Time Round smartwatch announced, up for pre-order

Justin Marden
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0

dimensions-eb652126ac7fe1f75c32c75cdb94cfaePebble is arguably the first successful smartwatch manufacturer, and we’ve seen some great updates from them in the past year or so. Pebble Steel and Time were both highly praised additions to the family, and it looks like we can add another name to that list. Meet Pebble Time Round.

As the name indicates, this is Pebble’s first round smartwatch. It’s the thinnest and lightest smartwatch ever made, and it runs on the updated “Timeline” OS that we saw launch with Pebble Time. You can expect a color e-paper display, flanked by those four buttons — one on the left side, three on the right — that Pebble users will surely find familiar.

battery-7adcbff022a3baa99b1e6ea6121e62f5Pebble is claiming roughly two days of battery life with this new smartwatch. It looks like there’s been a focus on fast charging, as the Time Round can supposedly get enough juice to power through a full day in just a 15 minute charge. It will be interesting to see if original Pebble owners will migrate to the new, round watch, given that the original Pebble could easily last a week on a single charge. Pebble Time Round will use a proprietary charger not unlike the one made for the previous models.

personalization-af7ea257570f65df8ca83d96f072ef53From what we can see, there is more focus on customization with this watch as well. There are three different colors that are coupled with a 14mm band, and two with the 20mm band. So overall, buyers will have five choices with the Time Round. It is also worth nothing that, according to the product page, metal bands are coming soon. It retails for $249 and you can order one directly from Pebble. Keep in mind that the watch won’t ship for 6-8 weeks, so you won’t be able to get your hands on it right away.

Chevy owners have to wait until March 2016 for Android Auto

Austin Hyde
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0

Earlier this year Chevrolet announced that they would offer Android Auto in 14 different 2016 models. Today they announced that Android Auto would come by way of an update to their MyLink system starting in March 2016.

Android Auto

Here is the complete list of Chevrolet vehicles due to receive Android Auto.

2016 Model Year Chevrolet Infotainment Systems
7-Inch MyLink Infotainment 8-Inch MyLink Infotainment
Spark Cruze  (Excludes Limited)
Cruze  (Excludes Limited) Malibu (Excludes Limited)
Malibu (Excludes Limited) Impala
Camaro Volt
Camaro Convertible Camaro
Silverado Camaro Convertible
Silverado HD Corvette
Corvette Convertible
Colorado
Silverado
Silverado HD
Tahoe
Suburban

Of course with automakers like Honda and Hyundai already selling vehicles equipped with Android Auto, Chevrolet owners must be feeling a little left out. What do you think? Is the promise of Android Auto enough to persuade you to purchase a Chevrolet? Let us know in the comments below.

[APK inside] Get the Note 5’s Screen-Off Memo feature for your Note 3 or 4

Matt Adams
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1

For some, the Screen-Off Memo feature is one of the biggest selling points of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. I personally have a friend who was sold on the device after hearing how he could eject the S-Pen, take a quick note, re-insert the pen and the phone just saved it for future viewing. It’s one of the most simple and useful features on any phone out there.

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But if you had a Note 3 or a Note 4, you were out of luck. Until now.

Both the Note 3 and Note 4 have the famous S-Pen but the feature didn’t exist for the two phones. Now user xperiacle from XDA Developers has released an APK you can download and install to gain the feature. Xperiacle is a “Recognized Developer” on XDA who has made many contributions to the community. Note that this isn’t a port of the feature from the Note 5, it’s an app the developer wrote themselves to emulate the functionality.

If you’re interested in obtaining the Screen-Off Memo feature for your Note, head on over to XDA developers. Make sure you read the entire post before installing anything. The app is easy to use but please make sure you’re informed before you decide to make the leap and use any app you can install from outside the Play Store.

[graphiq id=”Ou7eaWc1Sd” title=”Samsung Galaxy Note 5″ width=”600″ height=”400″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/Ou7eaWc1Sd” link=”http://smartphones.specout.com/l/3913/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-5″ link_text=”Samsung Galaxy Note 5 | SpecOut”]

Source: SamMobile

Nyrius Songo Portable Review

Benton Trerise
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0

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Despite society’s gripes about functionality, technology exists because we desire a simpler, easier existence. Nyrius aims to do that with their Songo Portable device, which turns an auxiliary into a Bluetooth setup, all in an easy, simple package. Let’s see if the Nyrius Songo Portable is worth getting.

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[df-subtitle]Setup[/df-subtitle]

The Nyrius is easy enough to set up. If you have it plugged in the AUX port, you’ll actually hear voice prompts to help you know what to do next. Once you have it paired to your phone, it should automatically connect every time with no problem.

So, its easy and it works. Well. Glad we got through that.

[df-subtitle]Usage[/df-subtitle]

The cool thing about the Nyrius is that its super small, and theoretically you can charge it, and then use its battery. The battery seemed to last a few days of usage when I tried using it unplugged. Combine those two things and you can tuck the Nyrius away easily. It comes with an adapter to allow you to use a longer AUX cord in the event that is what you want to do. Otherwise, it also comes with a little sticky that uses Velcro, so you can attach it to your dash, and remove it with no problem. Unfortunately, I live in Phoenix, so the heat made it never stay stuck.

Anyways, since pairing is easy, usage is easy is well. The Nyrius is meant to simplify your stereo, and it accomplishes exactly that. I love the design on it, as its cord can be tucked away, making it easy to carry in the event you want to use it in multiple places.

So, its easy and it works. Not sure what else I need to say. And that’s a good thing.

[df-subtitle]Sound Quality[/df-subtitle]

The Nyrius’ sound quality is good. I couldn’t tell a difference between using it and using an AUX cord, or even the radio. Which means that the Bluetooth has a good connection and doesn’t get in the way of the sound.

So, its easy and… I think you get the idea.

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I know this review isn’t super in-depth, but that’s because there isn’t a need for it to be. The Nyrius Songo Portable exists to make your life simpler, and it accomplishes that beautifully. The best part it, its $25. So if you’re looking for a Bluetooth adapter for that car stereo, speaker, or even earphones, the Nyrius Songo Portable is the device for the job.

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