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The Moto 360 Sport smartwatch leaks

Matt Adams
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0

Are you waiting for the next version of the Moto 360 to drop before splashing your cash on a smartwatch? Well your decision may have just gotten a little more difficult on which one you want to pick up.

Leaker upleaks has given us our first look at a new Moto 360 variant named the Moto 360 Sport. It’s said to have a Hybrid Display optimized for outdoor use, 3ATM Water Resistance (30 meters), GPS, and Barometer. The Moto 360 has already gone up for pre-order but you may want to hold off if you’re the outdoorsy type.

https://twitter.com/upleaks/status/638610490961195008

Motorola is releasing a whole host of new devices in the second half of the year from the new Moto X line to the new Moto 360 line as well as a rumored Motorola Bounce, also brought to us by upleaks.

https://twitter.com/upleaks/status/638322226815590400

Looks like Motorola means business in the second half of 2015.

Source: upleaks

LG trademarks “G4 Note”. New flagship incoming?

Matt Adams
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5

We know for a while that there will be another LG flagship phone this year. LG has confirmed as much. We’re expecting another LG flagship in the second half of 2015 and with only 3 months left, we’re running out of time. But we may be getting some indication of LG’s plans based on a trademark filing uncovered from the USPTO, the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

g4 note filing

 

We haven’t seen a ton of leaks of the G4 Note so far, one being back in March from XDA Developers. According to the leak, the G4 Note will feature a stylus that comes out of the top, unlike the Galaxy Note line which has theirs placed in the bottom of the phone. But can LG make something that beats Samsung at their own game? Part of the strength of the Note series is the stylus and from the leaks, the G4 Note’s appears to be really weak. Can we expect the same functionality from the Wacom Stylus, known as the S-Pen? The S-Pen and it’s software have had a nice evolution since it’s debut years ago. It makes your takes more convenient to complete. Can LG hope to match that?

g4 note stylus

We will see. A stylus, removable back, removable battery and Micro SD card slot are going to be very attractive to previous Note owners who are disappointed in the Note 5’s redesign and looking to upgrade.

Source: Phandroid, XDA Developers

Dead Weapon: Zombie – a game as dead as its title

Austin Hyde
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0

I should preface this review by letting you know that I enjoy zombie related media. The Walking Dead is one of my favorite TV shows. I enjoy games like Dead Island, Left 4 Dead, and Plants vs. Zombies. I also like movies like 28 days later, Resident Evil, and Zombieland.

Now I don’t blindly gush over everything zombie, but when done right, zombies can make for some compelling storytelling. This game is not a good example of how to make a zombie game.

Dead Weapon: Zombie overview

Dead Weapon Zombie

Dead Weapon: Zombie is a 3D FPS game that has 5 game modes.

  • Campaign
  • Wave
  • Defense
  • Arena
  • Minigames

The campaign mode has levels that you have to advance through. You start with a tutorial that walks you through the basics and then move on to the first level, which is much, much harder than the tutorial.

The first level gives you a club with nails in it for a weapon. You can purchase more weapons in the store using the in-game currency, coins. You earn coins by watching advertisements, or you can buy coins via in-app purchases.

The club is incredibly difficult to use, so I recommend you upgrading to a firearm as quickly as possible. To conserve ammunition, you will want to go for the head shot as often as possible.

Don’t forget to buy ammunition for your firearms, because there is no other way to gain ammunition in the game. Also, the ammunition does not replenish when you die, in fact if you die after running out of ammo you start over out of ammo as well.

The mechanics of shooting are fairly simple. Aim and the gun will fire automatically when a target is in sight unless you are aiming through the sites, in which case you need to tap to fire.

The wave mode is fairly self-explanatory. Zombies come at you in waves and you have to kill them. The only problem is that they don’t come all at once or even in the same area. I couldn’t even finish the first wave, because after I killed 6 zombies, I couldn’t find the other 4 that I needed to finish the wave.

The defense mode is where there are entry points for survivors to escape to. It’s your job to fend off the zombies so that the survivors reach their destination. In this mode, you get to use the sniper rifle, even if you haven’t purchased it. But again, you’ll need to purchase ammo for it.  I found that this mode was more enjoyable than the campaign mode, but only until I was swarmed by a mob of zombies while I was searching for zombies on the roof top. Then I got frustrated and tried the next mode.

The arena mode is a melee mode. You only get to use melee weapons and the condition of those weapons deteriorates over time. You can repair the weapons after each wave using, you guessed it, coins.

The minigames are really just silly nonsensical games. One of the games allows you to kick soccer, or football if you will, penalties with a zombies head. Another allows you snipe zombies as if they were clay pigeons. This can be a little difficult. Another minigame is war. In this game the zombies are much more aggressive and fast, you also get a fully automatic weapon for this mode. The last minigame is an endless runner. In this game, you dual wield a couple of uzis and run down a tunnel, all the while shooting zombies that get in your way. It’s important to note, that to play the minigames, you must use coins.

I highly recommend that you watch a ton of video ads so that you can purchase the best weapons up front.

Dead Weapon: Zombie setup

The only setup other than downloading and installing the app from Google Play is to log into Google Play Games service so you can track your achievements and such.

Dead Weapon: Zombie gameplay

On one hand, I love the concept. On the other, I think it still needs some work and more polish. The graphics aren’t very good, but that will also allow it to play on lower end devices. I used a 1st generation Moto G and it performed well, even after setting the graphics to high. Even on high graphics, the textures are low resolution.

I found the controls to be difficult, especially when you are trying to use a melee weapon. You have to swipe across a joystick to swing your melee weapon. If you don’t get it just right then you also end up moving your view.

The one thing I liked was that the ads were not mandatory. You only need to watch the ads to get more coins, but you get 250 coins every day, so in theory you could play without ever watching an ad.

What we liked

  • Non-invasive ads
  • Zombies
  • Cool guns

What could be better

  • Controls
  • Better tutorial
  • An actual story for the campaign mode

Dead Weapon: Zombie summary

Overall this game feels like it’s unfinished. There’s a lot to like about it, but in the end that just wasn’t enough to keep it installed on my phone.

[pb-app-box pname=’com.theguild.deadweaponzombie’ name=’Dead Weapon: Zombie’ theme=’discover’ lang=’en’]

1byone portable stereo turntable (review)

Derrick Miyao
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3

With today’s technology we all have access to music pretty much anywhere we go, from our cars, computers, tablets and smartphones. With Google Play Music, Pandora, and the likes, we can listen to music for free or relatively cheap with a monthly subscription. But as great as digital music sounds, and as nice as it is to have access to any songs or albums anytime we want, I still miss listening to vinyl records.

Even the man who brought us the iTunes Store and iPod, Steve Jobs, “listened to vinyl” at home according to Neil Young. Some like Young tend to think digital media is degrading the “quality” of music and as an audiophile I tend to agree. Most of our music is compressed these days into MP3 files to minimize storage space and minimize streaming data. For most of us, we don’t care as music is simply playing in the background. But for those of us who love music and love the sound reproduction, vinyl is second to none which is why vinyl has made such a strong comeback.

In my own personal experience, I was recently visiting my parents in the Sacramento area. I went to a local music store who sold music and to my surprise there were two full rows dedicated to new vinyl record albums with one additional row for used vinyl albums. In addition to the music store, I had to go to a couple of local charities where I was donating my parents old stuff that they no longer used, and when I walked into the stores I found lots of used vinyl records. For many people they donated their old records, and luckily for me I picked up quite a few at a dollar a piece. No, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber were not available in vinyl at the thrift shops, but Chicago, Elvis Presley, The Doobie Brothers, Lionel Richie, Madonna, and Michael Jackson were to my delight.

1byone had just asked me if I wanted to review their portable turntable, and I jumped at the opportunity since I have been knackering to start listening to music the way good ol’ Steve Jobs did.

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Design

The 1byone 3-speed portable turntable is the size of a standard briefcase and is not heavy by any means. My unit came in faux baby blue leather with chrome accents which gave it a nostalgic look from the 70’s and 80’s. I was born in 1980 and my entire family listened to vinyl so I was excited to see how well designed the portable turntable turned out. Everything is included from 1byone to start listening to music instantly.

Back in the day, we had record players but they were all hooked up to amplifiers which jacked up the signal to play through large speakers. 1byone included two front facing speakers in the briefcase so all you need to do is plug it into a wall outlet, put on a record and you’re instantly listening to music the way it should be. Music should be enjoyed. Take the time to listen to the words and the instruments. Sit down and relax with this vinyl player.

Included in the briefcase was an adapter for 45rom records, and I found my sister’s stash in the basement and did need this adapter. There’s even a holder for it on top of the briefcase so you don’t lose it.

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On the side of the 1byone portable turntable is an audio out for connecting to an amplifier if you have a home stereo, an audio in for playing music through the built-in speakers, as well as the volume button and 3.5mm audio out jack for headphones. All in all, 1byone added everything needed to this briefcase to enjoy vinyl at home or on the go.

Specs

  • 33/45/78 rpm speed setting
  • Balanced tone arm with damping control
  • Dual front-facing speakers
  • RCA output
  • Headphone out jack

Usage

In a simple phrase, I love this portable turntable. I forgot how much I missed vinyl records. The sound quality is just different, but to me it feels “alive”. Yes you hear the dust and pops on the record, but the music is just lovely when listening to the 1byone portable turntable. The dual speakers are more than adequate, as they do get quite loud, but at higher volumes they can get a bit too high toned for my ears.

Given that the speakers were made for portability, I tried hooking it up to my home audio system. In my home office I have an amplifier with two tower speakers with a 15″ subwoofer. Once I hooked it up to my home stereo I was rocking out like it was 1985. The sound was simply incredible and the record player is definitely worth the asking price of less than $100. I remember buying my own record player as a kid and spending over $300 dollars and that was in the 80’s when gas was something like 35 cents a gallon!

My mom also loved the record player so much so that I had to order her one with my own money. Her eyes lit up when I set it up for her and put on her favorite Barbra Streisand album I resurrected from the basement. She and I sat for hours enjoying listening to music together and that is a memory I will have for the rest of my life. I love making my mom happy and seeing her eyes light up made my day. We listened to Elvis, Chicago, Madonna, Doobie Brothers, Bee Gees and many more for the night.

Summary

Right now, 1byone has the portable turntable listed on Amazon.com for just $80.99. At that price this turntable is a steal. Some of you have vinyl records stored away at home somewhere, or you probably know someone who does that wouldn’t mind loaning you some records for your listening enjoyment. For others, you may have never heard a vinyl record play before and if you’re one of those, I highly suggest you give this portable player a try. Most new music is available on vinyl records as it has made a strong comeback, and those records usually come with a code so you can own the digital copy of the music as well.

The sound quality from this portable turntable by 1byone is top notch, and you cannot go wrong with the price point. For nostalgia, or listening to high quality music, you need one of these players in your music arsenal. I highly recommend it and I highly recommend taking the time out of your day to sit and enjoy your music.

If you love vinyl records like I do, let me know in the comments below.

Is the Moto G 2015 the King of mid-range devices?

Andrew Allen
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2

As the last week has proven, the majority of everyone cares more about those high-priced, powerful phones that dominate headlines for weeks. Not only do those devices dominate headlines, but they also dominate our wallets. However, even with these high-profile devices taking our wallets hostage, there are more economical devices becoming more and more relevant.

The OnePlus One shocked everyone with flagship-like specs while only costing about $300 for the base 16GB version. Naturally, the OPO was dubbed the flagship killer of 2014, and OnePlus just released their sequel, the OnePlus 2. However, in 2013, Motorola started hitting our pockets in a different manner.

A few months after the release of the original Moto X in 2013, Motorola debuted the Moto G. The premise behind this device was to provide a very solid alternative to flagship devices which would be an easier hit on our wallets and make everyone think twice about getting those high-priced flagships. The past two years have been no different, and Motorola has really followed through on improving the Moto G since its inception.

Motorola is trying to combine these mid-range internals while still providing one of the best experiences for a mobile device, while hitting a sub-$200 price mark. Speaking of those internals, let’s take a quick peek.

[graphiq id=”7c6fo8iSeB7″ title=”Motorola Moto G 3rd Gen (2015)” width=”600″ height=”400″ url=”//www.findthebest.com/w/7c6fo8iSeB7″ link=”http://smartphones.specout.com/l/3911/Motorola-Moto-G-3rd-Gen-2015″ link_text=”Motorola Moto G 3rd Gen (2015) | SpecOut”]

The Moto G doesn’t have the most impressive spec sheet, but that’s the point. Since their remodeling, Motorola has been trying to drive the point home about software integration by showing everyone how well these devices can perform without having the top of the line specs. The Moto G is the epitome of this new initiative..

Design

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I loved the feel of the original Moto X. I thought the smaller form factor, with the smooth back was a dream to hold and use. However, I have since switched to larger phones, and even though the Moto G 2015 is taller, this phone is feels really good in the hand as well. The back-plate has a textured feel to it, making it easier to grip, which in turn makes me worry less about dropping it. In fact, I never once felt that the Moto G was going to slip out of my hands and on to the ground, desk, or anything else.

[df-gallery url=”https://www.androidguys.com/gallery/moto-g-2015-in-the-flesh/”%5D

The rest of the Moto G 2015 has the appearance of the Moto X 2014, with the slightly curved back and the metal sides. However, the sides of the Moto G are not made of metal, instead, they are plastic but maintain the appearance of the silver sides found on the Moto X. The back of the device has a silver strip going down the middle with the camera nestled at the top and the flash right below. The signature Moto dimple can be found at the bottom of this silver strip

The back-plate does come off, and while you can’t replace the battery, you can get access to the microSD card slot, and SIM card tray. Motorola also is allowing users to be able to swap the backs around to suit your personal style. Be careful through all the switching and such, because this device is IPX7 water-resistant, you don’t want to forget to snap the back all the way on and get water damage in your device.

Speaking of which, whenever the back plate is removed from your device you will get a notification stating that you need to ensure that the case is fully snapped on. This is to make sure that you won’t ever encounter any water damage on account of everything not being put back into place.

Software Integration

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Moto G Homescreen

The 3rd Generation Moto G is rocking stock Android 5.1 Lollipop with a few of Motorola’s added features. The biggest addition to the Moto G was the introduction of Moto Display. Moto Display was already introduced back with the original Moto X and basically has turned into an extension of your device.

For those who are new to the Motorola game, Moto Display is a baked in replacement for your lock screen. Instead of having to turn your display on every time you get a notification, Moto Display takes care of that for you. Once you receive a new notification, you are presented with interactive icons. When pressed, you will see a preview of the message and either swipe up to open the application, or down to just unlock the device. Of course, you can just let the notifications pile up and view them one by one, without ever unlocking your device and wasting that precious battery life.

Out of the box, the Moto G is using Google’s stock launcher that was introduced with Android Lollipop. You don’t have to worry about any overlays or anything that is unnecessary while navigating through your home screens. What you do get is the goodies of stock software with SOME of the Moto Display features. You also get the gestures for quickly turning on the flash light (chop-chop) and activating the camera (flicka-da-wrist).

In my time with the Moto G, I never experienced any lag while navigating the home screens, scrolling through my apps, or switching quickly from one app to the next. I did experience a bit of stutter when I played Mountain Goat Mountain, but since that game has the ability to change the frame rate, I just bumped it down and kept going stutter free. However I did play hours worth of Riptide GP 2, which is graphically challenging, and never had a single issue. Even when I was playing for hours, the back of the phone only felt warm, and was never uncomfortable.

Battery

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Speaking of the battery, it’s amazing. While testing the Moto G, I never once ran out of battery, and there would be times I would take it off the charger at 530AM and would still have about 20-30% of battery left at midnight. The battery really impressed me, and I’m not sure if it’s a combination of the lower-res display with the Snapdragon 410, but I couldn’t get over how much I could use the G without it running out of juice.

Moto G 2015 Battery Stats

I would deliberately try and run the battery out, and only succeeded after using the Moto G for tethering capabilities with my laptop while I was out and about. There also were never any issues encountered with random battery loss from standby time. The Moto G is a beast in just about every manner when it comes to the battery.

One thing to take note of with the 2015 Moto G: there is no quick charge capability built-in, so you can’t get that extra fast charging when you’re low on power. However, with the stunning battery life on this device, the chances of you needing quick charge, is slim-to-none.

Camera

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I wanted the camera to be better than the one found in the Moto X 2014, but it seems that it’s more on par with that camera. The camera is definitely nothing spectacular, and you can tell as soon as you try and take your first picture. The built-in camera software is still a little off when it comes to focusing, and unless you try a different app, you’ll have to just hope you can get the picture to focus at the right time.

[df-gallery url=”https://www.androidguys.com/gallery/moto-g-2015-camera-examples/”%5D

It definitely felt like I was playing a game of cat and mouse when it came to trying to focus, but we knew that going in. Hopefully, Motorola can get their stuff together and make the app better while removing the focusing issues.

As stated above, the camera is nothing to write home about, but for what you get in an 13MP camera, you can’t really expect too much. This will do just fine with your run-of-the-mill pictures, but they won’t be “featured” in anything important. I would say that the camera is perfect for the price range that the Moto G is set in.

Moto Maker

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When Motorola was generous enough to shock the world with Moto Maker for the Moto X everyone was super stoked about it. You mean to tell me I can customize my device to the T, and don’t have to settle for just black or just white? Well Motorola did something pretty awesome with the Moto G 2015. After bringing Moto Maker to the Moto 360, and the Moto X, you can now customize your Moto G on Moto Maker.

Moto G Moto Maker

With a slew of different combinations, Motorola really has taken customizing your device to a whole new level. There are two color options for the front, 10 different options for the back-plate, and 10 different options for your accent color, the possibilities are endless.

Conclusion

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The Moto G 2015 follows in the steps of its predecessor and big brother, by offering a great combination of specs, decent camera, and customization options to bring one of the best mid-range devices to the forefront. Now, just as a note, there are two different variants of the 2015 Moto G. The first is one that features 8GB of storage with 1GB of RAM for $179, or the version that was reviewed today with 16GB of storage and 2GB of RAM for $219.

If you can afford the extra 50 dollars, I would definitely opt for the extra storage and extra RAM so you can have that extra boost when you need it. No lag is always a good thing, and you won’t have that issue when it comes to the 2GB variant of the Moto G 2015.

With the introduction of these mid-range specs, addition of Moto display features, and the inclusion of the Moto G to Moto Maker, the Moto G really deserves a chance. Let us know what you think about this awesome device from the folks at Motorola in the comments below.

My LG G4 impressions so far

Jason Botha
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8

I’ve had my G4 for just over 2 weeks now. That excitement of opening the box is unparalleled by most things in the world.  I have to admit that this is the first flagship phone I’ve had. Usually I have some budget phone, my last Android being the outdated LG G2 Mini. I’ll break it up into sections to make it easier to read.

Unboxing

The box is nothing complicated. Sleek with a cool design, I quite like it.

20150822_104921

Open the box, and you’ll see an entire range of goodies. I got the Brown leather version and it came with an additional Gold plastic backing, which actually looks more like a shade of Silver. There’s also a pair of Quadbeats 3 headphones and a charger with a nice, thick USB cable. This no-nonsense, practical approach appeals greatly to me and means it’s easy to use and will last for a long time.

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They were also nice enough to throw in a 32GB MicroSD card. Here’s a close up on that USB cable I was talking about:

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Watch and learn, Apple

Hardware

Please stop moaning if phones aren’t made of metal. Plastic ones feel just as premium if done right, which is evident in the G4. The leather backing, although susceptible to damage, really tops it off and feels good in the hand. The plastic back is also surprisingly grippy in the hand.

The screen has a subtle curve which is obvious enough that my friends asked me if it was curved. It’s really evident when looking directly at it with the screen off: Your face becomes distorted. It compliments the phone well, taking design cues from the G Flex 2. This is where it differs from the S6. It offers and organic and nature-like fell, while the S6 is industrial with the metal and glass. It’s entirely up to you what you would enjoy.

When the G3 was announced , we all marveled at the resolution, namely 1440 X 2560, or 2K. The colors and brightness weren’t too great, and LG picked up on that and fixed it. Blacks are nice and deep to the point where it’s almost indistinguishable from the bezels. I can easily view what’s happening on it in direct sunlight, granted I’m looking at it directly and not from an angle. Colors and vibrant and pleasing, although it appears that the S6 still has the edge in this department (Get it? Edge?).

Coming from my G2 Mini, it felt natural with the back buttons being on the back. At first I was a bit bummed with the speaker being at the back of the phone, but it’s actually really ideal as the curved back means the speaker isn’t blocked and muffled if you place it on something, but rather the sound will bounce off the surface and improve the audio quality. I was also really surprised how loud it goes. The quality could be a bit better, especially if you use LG’s propriety headset.

Camera

Usually the camera would be under hardware, but this needs a thing all for itself. Here’s one shot I took:

20150816_102803~2 LG went all out with this and managed to overthrow Sammy’s camera on the S6 with the manual mode. I’ve seen several comparisons and they are neck-to-neck, each with strengths and weaknesses. You can do much more with the G4 though, thanks to the manual mode. This allows you to change the shutter speed to intervals between 1/6000 of a second to a full 30 seconds, ISO to 50 to 2700 and manually zoom and set the warmth/coolness. Here is another one with an ISO of 100 and exposure of 30 seconds:

20150815_201950~2
Click me to see the full resolution!

I’m not going to boast too much about it, but I can safely say it’s currently the best camera package on a a smartphone today.

What I really enjoyed was the small things that LG threw in. You can hold up your hand and make a fist to start a selfie countdown. I’d take more selfies simply to use this. Saying “LG” or “Smile also triggers the camera and takes a photo, if you don’t want to look like a self-obnoxious selfie lover.

Software

LG’s built on top of the G3 software with some material design an improvements. When I first used the phone, I was blown away at how much bloatware was included: None. In fact, you can actually delete some of the stock apps like Calculator and QuickMemo+. In all there are a whooping 8 of them you’re able to delete.

I personally love the UI – Colorful and materialistic. I only experienced lag a few seconds after booting up. We’ll look further into it with our review.

Specs

LG couldn’t of made a better choice using the Snapdragon 808. Age is a number, and this case 810 does not mean better than 808. Complimented with 3GB RAM, everything was dead smooth, although I wonder what 4GB would’ve felt like. The 3000mAh battery is sufficient to keep the lights on for an entire day, with mediocre use of course. Leaving home at 07:00, leaving the WiFi on for a few hours and coming back at 17:00 easily left 60% of battery left. If you think that’s bad, please use switch your WiFi teethering on and see how long it lasts.

The screen uses the majority of battery. This is really obvious when you charge the phone. Screen off, it will go to 0% – 100% in less then 80 minutes. With the screen on, however, it takes almost double the time. I drool at the battery life had it been a 1080p screen – like the G2.

There’s only one tier for storage: 32GB. Substantial for most people, the removable back cover allows you to extend this with a SD card. Still, I want to see at least a 64GB in the G5.

Laser autofocus, NFC, IR Blaster. All the bells and whistles for a flagship. What do you think?

Cricket Wireless adds LG G Stylo, HTC Desire 626s

Scott Webster
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1

Cricket Wireless this week began offering another two Android smartphones, the LG G Stylo and HTC Desire 626s. Priced $150 and $200, respectively, the pair of no-contract handsets offer up mostly mid-range specifications.

The HTC Desire 626s runs Android 5.1 with HTC UI and features a 5-inch HD display, 8-megapixel rear camera, and 2-megapixel front-facing shooter.

desire626_front

 

Powered by a 1.1GHz quad-core processor, users have 8GB of internal storage with expansion (up to 200GB) coming courtesy of the microSD slot. Other specifications include a 2000mAh battery, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and 4G LTE support. The Desire 626s comes in a dual-color design and is compatible with Dot View cases.

gstylo_front

The LG G Stylo is a larger phone, however the specs are not all that different. Here you’ll find a 5.7-inch HD display as well as an integrated digital stylus. Slightly faster, this one has a 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 8GB internal storage. On the downside, the external microSD card slot only supports up to 32GB. Cameras for the G Stylo are 8-megapixel (rear) and 5-megapixel with both capable of HD video.

Cricket Wireless sells the HTC Desire 626s for $150 while the LG G Stylo can be purchased for $200; both are available immediately.

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Samsung announces Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+ for August 21

Scott Webster
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1

[df-subtitle]As per the norm, all major wireless providers will offer the plus-sized handsets[/df-subtitle]

galaxy_note5-s6_edge_plus

As if we might have expected anything else, Samsung today formally revealed its annual Galaxy Note smartphone. Set to arrive in just over a week’s time, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is the 2015 take on the larger flagship experience.  Additionally, Samsung also revealed the successor/sibling to its curved-edge Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy S6 Edge with the Galaxy S6 Edge+.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

If you’re looking for a revolution, you won’t find it here. The specs change little from last year’s iteration, making the Note 5 a simple evolution. Indeed, the hardware is much like that found in the Galaxy S6 launched earlier this year.

Powered by Android 5.1, the Galaxy Note 5 packs a 5.7-inch display at 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution (518ppi). Although it’s the same size screen as that found in last year’s model, the overall size of the devices has been trimmed down a shade.

In terms of processing power, this year’s model employs Samsung’s own octa-core Exynos chip; four cores at 2.1GHz and four cores running at 1.5GHz. To bolster performance, the Note 5 uses 4GB RAM, up from 3GB in last year’s model.

 

Storage capacities are a somewhat of a bummer; only 32GB and 64GB options are available and there’s no microSD expansion slot.

Battery has been dropped down to 3000mAh for this generation so we’re interested in seeing what sort of impact that has in usage. Betting on a cord-free future, the phone comes equipped with fast, wireless charging; Samsung promises a 0-100% charge in two hours.

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As for cameras, the Galaxy Note 5 offers up a 16-megapixel f/1.9 sensor on the rear with a host of software enhancement modes. Around front we find a 5-megapixel shooter which should be more than enough for selfies.

Like it did for the Galaxy S6, Samsung has opted for the metal and glass approach in this year’s plus-sized phone. While it looks great and has a premium feel, it trades off removable batteries and external storage. As to whether that matters to the average user base, that varies per person.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 also includes the digital fingerprint scanner that’s found in the Galaxy S6. What’s more, there’s also a heart rate sensor on the rear of the device.

Because this is a “Note” model we’re dealing with, you’ll, of course, find an S-Pen digital stylus. And, keeping with its own tradition, Samsung has improved this year’s version yet again.

This time around the stylus has a unique click-in release mechanism. Software has been given a punch up here with enhanced Air Command, PDF markup, and other little touches. Another cool feature we’re keen to try is the Instant Memo which lets users jot notes on the screen even when the display is otherwise turned off.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will be sold in black and white options through Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular. Pricing has not been disclosed so expect your service providers to disclose their own respective costs. Pre-orders begin today.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

Save for the omission of an S Pen digital stylus, specifications for the S6 Edge+ is largely identical to the Note 5. That is, more specifically, in terms of the hardware details that comprise the internals.

 

The key feature of the S6 Edge+ is its curved 5.7-inch display. In short, if you like the idea of the Galaxy S6 Edge but simply want something larger, then this is the device for you.

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Like the Galaxy Note 5, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ will be launched across the major wireless providers on August 21. Pricing is not defined yet so expect separate announcements in short order. Pre-orders start today at 3PM.

Niantic Labs, makers of Ingress, being spun off into an independent company

Matt Adams
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Niantic Labs, the division behind the super popular augmented reality game Ingress will be spun off into a new company. They’re currently a division within Google but will soon become independent of the search giant. There’s no word on if this is a move brought on by the creation of Alphabet but Niantic will NOT be an Alphabet property.

Google will remain a big part of the company while it looks to bring in “new partners” to reach more audiences. Ingress has 12 million installs and 250,00 active players and will begin to transfer data over from Google to the new Niantic company on September 11th. In an email to customers, Niantic has stated that players will be opt out of this. While this doesn’t seem to be a big deal, just remember that even though Niantic is going to become its own company, they will still operate under the umbrella of Google. So your data will still be safe.

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[blockquote author=”Niantic Labs”]Important Account Information: Niantic Labs is becoming an independent company. We’ll be taking our unique blend of exploration and fun to even bigger audiences with some amazing new partners joining Google as collaborators and backers. Niantic will be building on the success of +Ingress, which has been downloaded more than 12M times, has attracted more than 250,000 people to live events around the world, and has inspired users to collectively walk the distance from the earth to the sun while playing, exploring and discovering. Stay tuned at http://www.NianticLabs.com and our social channels for more information.[/blockquote]

Ingress has been a bit of a phenomenon in Android gaming. While augmented reality games aren’t a huge segment yet, Ingress boasts an impressive player base. It’s even big enough to spawn accessories made just keeping you up and running since the game is so hard on batteries. It’ll be interesting to see where the company heads next.

Source: Android Central via Ingress Google+

 

Lenovo announces they will bet on Motorola for their mobile future

Matt Adams
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During an earnings call on Wednesday, Lenovo announced they will depend on Motorola to design and produce smartphones for the company. Lenovo acquired Motorola from Google in 2014, in an effort to beef up their their smartphone offerings in the United States. Since then, Motorola has gone on to release the most popular smartphone in its history, the Moto G, and what is widely regarded as the best Android Wear smartwatch on the market, the Moto 360.

Lenovo has stated that they will reshuffle their mobile division to offer a more “streamlined product portfolio, with fewer, more clearly-differentiated models.” That’s probably a smart move on Lenovo’s part. While they’re not a complete unknown in the smart phone world, they do only account for 5.6% of the market and that takes into account sales from Motorola. Following the vision of Motorola’s mobile division to put out higher quality smartphones cheaper than their competitors would seem to be strategically advantageous. Lenovo can still release high end phones under their own name like the P90, Vibe X2 pro, and Vibe Shot which were announced at CES.

While some may see this as good news, the earnings call wasn’t all positive. Lenovo is facing increasing competition and negative headlines in both the mobile and computer markets and it shows in their numbers. While quarterly revenue was $10.7 billion (a 3% increase year-over-year), first quarter pre-tax income decreased 80% to $52 million and net income declined 51% to 105 million.

[blockquote author=”Lenovo”]Lenovo saw severe challenges in its main markets. It faced significant declines in the global PC and tablet markets, as well as slowing growth and increasing competition – especially in China – in smartphones. There were macroeconomic challenges in Brazil and Latin America and large currency fluctuations, intensifying competition, which hurt Motorola’s profitability in particular. Finally, Lenovo saw a rapidly shifting technology demand landscape in the enterprise business.[/blockquote]

In addition to restructuring the mobile group, Lenovo also announced that they will preposition their enterprise group to “attack” the most relevant and attractive market segments, accelerate the drive for 30% share in PCs and strive for greater efficiency across all functions. Lenovo says this will save them $650 million in expenses in the second half of this year and $1.35 billion on an annual basis. To accomplish the cuts, Lenovo will cut about 10% of it’s non-manufacturing staff and 60,000 people total.

Source: Lenovo via PhoneArena

 

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