During the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona, Lenovo introduces a lineup of new tablets called the Tab 4.
Now – six months later – the Lenovo Tab 4, Tab 8, as well as Tab 4 8 Plus and Tab 4 10 Plus are available for grabs in the US via Amazon, B&H Photo and Newegg for affordable price tags.
The first model called the Lenovo Tab 4 is an entry-level tablet equipped with an 8-inch HD display and a 64-bit quad-core Snapdragon 425 processor clocked at 1.4GHz aided by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The tablet relies on a battery which should be able to sustain up of 20 hours of life on board.
As for the Lenovo Tab 4 8 Plus it swaps out the Snapdragon 425 for a more powerful octa-core Snapdragon 625 clocked at 2.0 GHz. RAM and storage remain the same, but in this case, Lenovo also throws in a microSD card slot for memory expansion. The display resolution has also been bumped up to fullHD.
When it comes to the two 10-inch models retain the same internal specs. The only difference is that they include a larger 10.1-inch display instead of an 8-inch one. The Tab 4 series runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.
Users with kids will be glad to know they can easily transform these slates into child-friendly devices thanks to the Kid’s Accessory Pack which includes a shock-resistant bumper, blue-light filter, and stickers. The bundle also includes curated content, as well as parental controls.
How much for a Lenovo Tab 4 tablet? Check out the prices below
It appears that 18:9 aspect ratio displays which debuted with phones like the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8 have been very well received by smartphones enthusiasts. Unfortunately, most models that incorporate this tall and narrow format are high-end devices which cost a lot of money.
But fortunately phone makers have taken note of the rising interest and have started to provide users with wallet-friendly alternatives. Just below you’ll find some examples of 18:9 aspect ratio phones that won’t break your bank account.
LG Q6
The LG Q6 is basically a watered-down version of the LG G6. On the outside, however, the two phones look very similar, but LG’s flagship is mostly made of glass, while the affordable version was created from 7000 series aluminum. The LG Q6 takes advantage of a 5.5-inch “FullVision” display with 2,160 x 880 resolution, but draws power from a lower Snapdragon 435 processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB expandable stage. The product also includes a 16-megapixel/5-megapixel camera combo and runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box.
While the LG Q6 is yet to make a debut in the US, we expect the phone will land in the country by the end of the year. The model sells for £269.99 in the UK, so maybe when it lands across the pond the LG Q6 will come boasting a $269 price tag.
NUU G1 & G3
NUU Mobile recently introduced two unlocked phone models with 18:9 aspect ratio displays. Both devices feature a 5.7-inch HD+ display with rounded corners, but only the G3 boasts curved glass on the sides.
The G1 is powered by a MediaTek chipset clocked at 1.5GHz, aided by 1GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage, while the G3 has a MediaTek Helio P25 under the bonnet, as well as 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The G3 also follows this year’s smartphone trends by incorporating a dual-camera setup that consists of a 13-megapixel main sensor + 5-megapixel secondary one.
Pricing for the two models hasn’t been announced yet, but we expect the G3 to sell for under $300, while the G1 will probaly not exceed $200.
BLUBOO S8
Chinese smartphone marker, BLUBOO launched its own Galaxy S8-alternative. Not only does BLUBOO copy the design of the Samsung flagship but also its name. So meet the BLUBOO S8, which comes boasting a 5.7-inch 18:9 aspect ratio display with 1440 x 720 resolution and a MediaTek Helio X30 under the hood.
The phone is available in two configurations, one with 4GB of RAM + 64GB storage and another with 6GB of RAM + 128GB storage. It also includes a dual camera setup (13-megapixel+3-megapixel) and a 5-megapixel selfie snapper.
The BLUBOO S8 is currently available for $149.99 a pop from places like Bang good.
UMIDIGI S2 Pro
The UMIDIGI S2 Pro was recently announced with a bezel-less design and a 5.99-inch display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The device boasts a full metal body, inside of which lives a MediaTek Helio P25 CPU alongside 6GB of RAM with 64GB of internal storage.
A dual-camera setup (13-megapixel/5-megapixel) will also be included, as well as a huge 5,100 mAh battery. The phone will go on sale in October, but if you pre-order one now you’ll be able to grab it for $179.99 (until September 25).
Xiaomi Mi MIX 2
Last but not least, we have the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 – which is a bit more expensive than the models we showed you so far. That’s because it includes really high-end specs.
Yet, the Mi MIX 2 can still be considered part of the affordable category. The handset carries a 5.99-inch display with 2,160 x 1,080 resolution and harnesses the computing power of a Snapdragon 835 processor. It’s available with 6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB storage options with Android 7.1 Nougat on board.
Pricing for Xiaomi’s new phablet starts at approximately $500.
Is your child a big Lego fan? Then he or she will love Samsung’s new tablet. The Korean tech giant has teamed up with LEGO to release a version of its mainstream Galaxy Kids Tab tablet.
What’s makes this special edition slate stand out is that it comes adorned with characters from Lego’s latest animated movie, Ninjago on the back. What’s more, the colorful gadget also comes pre-installed with Samsung’s own Kids Suite.
The new Galaxy Kids Tab 7.0 Lego Ninjago Movie Edition doesn’t feature high-end specs, but even so it can support all your kid’s video streaming and gaming activities without problems.
The slate features a 7-inch display with 1024 x 600 resolution, a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, as well as 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage. It runs the outdated Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box and the 3,600 mAh battery inside is said to be able to support up to 8 hours of life.
Samsung wants kids to use the tablet for both entertainment and educational purposes, so it has bundled the device with learning apps from DreamWorks Animation, Sesame Street, and National Geographic. This requires a subscription to Samsung Kids, but the first three months of use are on Samsung.
Like it’s the case with all child-friendly tablets, parents will be able to set time limits, as well as monitor their progress through the dashboard.
The Lego Galaxy Kids Tab is coming to the United States later this year for the price of $149.99. Hopefully, parents will be able to purchase it before Christmas.
Last year iconic Canadian smartphone maker, BlackBerry licensed its intellectual properties to Chinese company TCL who is now in charge of building and selling phones under the BlackBerry brand.
Now it seems that BlackBerry might be planning a similar move while smartwatches are concerned. You see, popular watchmaker Timex has recently signed a patent licensing agreement with the Canadian tech company.
The contract didn’t reveal which products or patents are involved, but given that Timex will be making royalty payments to BlackBerry we can speculate the two have teamed up to produce the first BlackBerry smartwatch. And given the latter’s reputation for making enterprise-oriented software, it can be easily assumed Timex/BlackBerry’s first wearable would be targeted at business users.
One of Timex’s current ‘smartwatches’
On the other hand, it’s also quite possible the agreement between the two companies is only about licensing patents and not the brand name or software. Given that BlackBerry owns more than 40,000, Timex might be considering launching a watch that includes features that are covered in said patents. Although, we’re hoping the first theory is the correct one. Actually we do have reason to believe this will indeed be the case.
You see, in the official press release, BlackBerry’s senior director of Intellectual Property Licensing, Jerald Gnuschke makes the following statement:
“This license agreement with Timex demonstrates the strength of BlackBerry’s patent portfolio, and will enable us to focus on further patent licensing opportunities in the mobile communication market.”
That last part is interesting, as it obviously hints at the possibility Timex is indeed building a BlackBerry smartwatch.
What do you think? Would a BlackBerry intelligent timepiece made by Timex be able to revitalize the stagnant smartwatch market?
Just a few days ago we told you the ASUS Zenfone 4 Max landed on US shores. Now another ASUS handset has made it into the country.
This time we’re talking about the Verizon-exclusive Zenfone V (V for Verizon, not 5). For your information, the handset is not a re-branded version of an existing ASUS handset, but a new one which boasts model number V520KL.
Verizon lists the phone as “Coming Soon”, so we don’t know exactly when you’ll be able to purchase it. Customers will be able to grab it for $0 and $16/month for 24 months or for a full retail price of $384.
So what does the ASUS Zenfone V offer in terms of specs? It carries a 5.2-inch fullHD AMOLED display (which is pretty unusual for ASUS which doesn’t make a lot of AMOLED phones). The handset relies on an older Snapdragon 820 processor which is aided by 4GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage and a 3,000 mAh battery.
ASUS also promises the phone will be able to deliver phenomenal audio thanks to the 5-magnet speakers. The embedded NXP Smart AMP will deliver richer sounds with 20% louder volume, 42% less distortion and 17% deeper bass.
On the photography front, the Zenfone V features a 23-megapixel primary camera with f/2.0 aperture lens and OIS (optical image stabilization), as well as an 8-megapixel selfie camera. The phone ships out with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.
What do you think of the new ASUS handset? Would you pay $384 to get it?
Mobile users often take convenience for granted in today’s world, considering the role our mobile devices and the data in them play in our lives (mobile devices are being considered by some to be extensions or expressions of human identity). And yet, no matter how convenient our apps and information are, things can always improve. Google has done this with Gmail for Android, as the search engine giant and Android owner has given the app an update that allows users to access their Google Account settings right within the app.
Google Account settings includes features such as Sign-in & Security, which lets you add 2-step verification to your account, a one-time security code for log-ins, and even set up a recovery phone number and email address in the event you find yourself unable to access Gmail. You can never have too many backup plans for mobile security.
You can view recently used devices, giving you access to where and when you’ve accessed your information to ensure there’s no suspicious activity. One feature users will definitely appreciate is the “Password” setting that lets you change your password in the new Google Account settings. Personal info & privacy settings let you add a new photo to your profile and control the information others can see about you. We know a number of users like to “shake-up” their profile photo every now and then, and many discover they’re allowing too much personal data to be too visible and want a way to restrict access.
To access the new user Google Account settings, you’ll need to update your Gmail for Android app to version 7.8.27.168289052 (it’s showing as a September 11th update), then head into your Gmail settings and look for “My Account.” You can accomplish this by either waiting for an update prompt in your Play Store apps or you can head over to the Play Store in your “My apps & games” section and manually update Gmail for Android yourself.
What do you think of the new Gmail for Android update? Glad to see this function come to Gmail?
With the Galaxy S8 pushing the boundaries of the display by extending the bezels on the device it set the way for other manufactures to follow suit. Samsung followed with the Note 8 and even Apple got into the game with the iPhone X.
The subtle differences between the Samsung and Apple implementation of a bezel-less display saw Apple opt for a top notch to house the front facing camera and various sensors, while Samsung extended the top bezel the entire way across the device.
One concept that has surfaced suggests the Samsung may take a design cue from Apple when it comes to the Galaxy S9 and reduce the bezels of the device even further with the top cutout.
We’ve seen this design on the Essential Phone as well where the camera is cut out from an otherwise edge-to-edge display.
The latest Samsung Galaxy S9 concept comes from the YouTube channel DBS Designing that sees the top and bottom bezel almost completely eliminated.
At the top of the Galaxy S9 there’s a small cutout to house the camera, speaker, iris scanner, and other sensors. The iPhone X cutout is more pronounced than that of the Galaxy S9 concept but arguably the cutout on the iPhone is that size for a reason given the available technology it has to pack in that small space.
Other key points of the Galaxy S9 concept are the inclusion of the 3.5mm jack that the designer believes Samsung will retain. The concept also has dual front-facing cameras with a 18:9 aspect ratio Quad HD+ Infinity OLED display. The device is said to have 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage and will be the first device to run the upcoming Snapdragon 845 SoC.
We’ve heard previously that Samsung may expedite the arrival of the Galaxy S9 to combat sales of the iPhone X that may see a January or February arrival, a few months before when it is actually expected.
While there’s no doubt Samsung will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible with display technology, it could be very possible Samsung reduce the bezels even further to mimic the design of the iPhone X. However, I think reducing the bezels to the amount shown in the concept simply isn’t possible with the available technology and the size of the components needed in that notch.
The Moto X Play was a great device for those looking for something with a bit more battery life than your regular smartphone offering. However, the device isn’t as young as it once was and with apps getting more resource demanding, you could find the Moto X Play to be slowing down. Luckily there is a hidden feature that you can change that will instantly speed up your device.
This tip will help speed up your Moto X Play by reducing the impact of the aging processor and resource hungry apps, as well as the lower processing power in the device, by reducing unnecessary animations that will make it feel the device is quicker. The best bit is there’s nothing extra to install or tons of settings to change, just a simple case of changing a setting with developer options enabled.
The little hack revolves around the animations applied to transitioning between windows and turning the device on or off. By simply turning this off, it contributes to making the device seem extremely snappy and fast by reducing the delay applied to the animation.
First, you’ll need to enable the Developer Options hidden menu. To do this, go into Settings -> About Device and scroll down to “Build Number”. Now, tap on “Build Number” five times and you’ll see a notification saying that “Developer mode has been enabled”.
With that hidden menu now enabled, we can head on into it to begin fastening up our Moto X Play.
Head on in to Developer Options in Settings.
Scroll down to the Drawing section.
Of interest here is the Window Animation Scale, Transition Animation Scale, and Animator Duration Scale.
Click on them individually to change the scale.
You are able to turn the animations off completely, or set them to 0.5x (default is 1x) so the animations will be double speed for those who would like to retain them.
You’ll notice your Moto X Play feels substantially quicker without any hacks that affect your software, warranty, or device battery life. Let us know your comments in the section below.
I shouldn’t even introduce a brand like Fender. They are so famous and renowned throughout the world that there’s nothing I could say that you didn’t know already… Except for one thing: they are now making Bluetooth speakers. It’s like a match made in heaven: a brand that has dedicated its entire life to creating music instruments is now manufacturing their own Bluetooth speakers. What could go wrong?
The answer is: almost nothing. Fender didn’t make these devices just for fun or for making a quick buck. They actually thought this through and has come up with a superb product that, despite some very minor flaws, matches or outperforms its competitors.
Specs
These are the specs for the Fender Newport, right out of Fender’s official website:
Maximum Output Level: 30 watts.
Speakers: Two woofers and one tweeter.
Dimensions: 3″ (7.5 cm) W x 7.25″ (18.41 cm) L x 5.25″ (13.3 cm) H.
Bluetooth: Version 4.2, range of approximately 33 foot, codecs apX, AAC, SBC
Microphone: Integrated, echo cancellation.
In the box you will find the speaker, AC adapter, 3.5mm audio cable, a USB to microUSB cable, and manuals.
Design and Build
Upon receiving your box, the first thing you will notice will be its weight. It’s not an assumption, it’s a fact. This thing is heavy, but it could be worse. Other speakers with similar prices, such as the Marshall Kilburn and JBL Xtreme are even heavier. However, the Bose SoundLink Mini II and Marshall Stockwell are lighter, allowing easier transportation.
I had to carry this around New York City while taking pictures of it and it was definitely noticeable. It is not something you would carry with you “just in case,” but rather because you are 100% sure that you are going to use it.
After you stop lamenting about the speaker’s weight, you will be amazed at how good it looks. You will not mistake it for one of Fender’s original amplifiers (like you might do with a Fender Monterey), but this is no conventional Bluetooth speaker either.
The metallic grid on the front accompanied by the Fender logo looks and feels superb. While the Monterey used a rugged plastic that closely resembles an amplifier, the Newport uses a soft, smooth surface that still manages to avoid feeling cheap.
On the top you will find perhaps the most unique aspect about this speaker. If the overall design wasn’t enough for you, Fender made sure that you actually feel like you are using an amplifier by making its controls look like one. Instead of having buttons only, the Newport has three knobs (for volume, bass, and treble), one switch for power, two small buttons for pairing and answering calls, and one indicator light. They all feel incredibly sturdy and premium.
I had the chance of checking out some actual Fender amps and the similarities are incredible. The Newport knobs feels strikingly similar to the ones in real Fender equipment.
As always, looks are subjective, but this device has caught the attention of absolutely everyone that has seen it. I always get a “that is so cool” (or its equivalent in Spanish) from the people I’ve shown it to, and the fact that it is made by Fender means that everyone immediately associates it with high quality and superb sound. Of course, it was just a small social experiment that I made, but I think it is safe to say that Fender has done a superb job in the design department, and that very few devices in the market look as good as this one.
Connectivity
Fender didn’t stop with the amplifier resemblance at the design level. Each action that you do will trigger a nice guitar sound. The company has included tunes for turning it on, pairing, low battery, and everything in between.
My only gripe with them is that they don’t respect the volume knob setting. Even if I have it at position 0, it still sounds loudly. I feel sorry for my flatmates, since they have to listen to these guitar tunes every day every time I turn the speaker on and there’s no way I can make something to avoid it.
Pairing the speaker with your preferred Bluetooth device is extremely easy. You just need to press the Pair button, select it from the available devices in your device, and away you go. The speaker will make a sound accordingly and the pair button will stop blinking to let you know that everything went as expected.
I haven’t had any connection drops, even when I moved my device to other rooms with several walls between the speaker and my Samsung Galaxy S8.
I did notice a couple of skips when testing with a Huawei Honor 7 Lite, but, since these skips were not present when testing with the S8, I attribute it to a poor antenna in my Huawei phone rather than a flaw with the speaker.
Apart from the Bluetooth connection, the speaker has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. The first one is a regular AUX port. I tested it with the included cable and found no troubles with it whatsoever. I would definitely not use it but it’s good to know that it’s there for people who prefer the reliability of a regular AUX connection.
The other one is a USB port. No, not a microUSB port, but a regular USB port. You can use this port to charge your device. I am really glad that Fender decided to add this to the speaker because there’s nothing sadder than having to stop the music at your social gathering because the phone with the premium Spotify account just died (been there).
Sound Quality
Of course, any connectivity features or nice looks are irrelevant if the speaker sounds bad, right? Fortunately, it doesn’t. From the moment I played my first tune, I quickly realized that this was one of the best Bluetooth speakers that I’ve had the chance of using.
This is courtesy of Fender’s tri-driver system, in which they have incorporated two woofers and one tweeter into the speaker. The arrangement produces a (maximum) output level of 30 watts. Fender hasn’t provided figures for the frequency range of the speakers, though, but it is probably no different than competing products, around the 90 to 20000 Hz range.
Sound is clear and powerful, but it’s is fairly balanced. There is no emphasis on anything, just a balanced, crisp sound. You could say that bass sounds a bit muffled and not as strong as it could be, but, other than that, the sound that the Newport produces is top-notch.
In case the default sound is not up to your standards, you can change the bass and treble knobs to adjust the output. I normally setup my devices to have a bit more bass than the default. I found out that setting the Bass knob on 10 is not as noticeable as one would expect, but it is a huge improvement from the normal setting.
I don’t consider myself a person with a varied taste in music, but I did test songs like The Solace System by Epica, Panic Station by Muse, Hell Yeah by Rev Theory, and On the Rocks by Amaranthe. Songs like Panic Station, which rely heavily on bass (you could say the same for a lot of Muse’s songs, frankly), are greatly enhanced with the bass knob turned up a bit. Songs from Dragonforce, for example, that don’t rely as much on bass sounds, benefit from adjusting the treble instead. It’s just a matter of finding what works best for you, but when you do, the Fender Newport sounds as good as the best speakers in the price range.
Another thing. This thing can get VERY LOUD. At first, I thought that it wasn’t as loud as I would expect when testing it with my S8, but nothing ever tested with this phone is loud. That’s when I figured that maybe I should try it with something else, and my Honor 7 Lite came to the rescue.
The first time I tested the maximum volume, my mother freaked out about the fact that I would disturb our neighbors. This is incredibly handy in open spaces and gatherings with several people, where a speaker with middle-range volume won’t cut it.
Finally, in case you receive a phone call, the Fender Newport has a built-in, echo-cancelling microphone. When you receive a phone call, the Talk button will flash on the top of the speaker and you will be able to answer the call. Overall, it worked pretty well the two times I received a phone call while testing this, and the other party didn’t mention anything in particular, neither positive nor negative. It’s there and it does its work the way it should.
Battery Life
The official specs say that this speaker can last for up to 12 hours. You don’t have to be so modest, Fender. This thing lasts forever. I haven’t been able to replicate this figure, but I’ve been getting at least 15 hours of playback time consistently. This is while having it on max volume (through the hardware knob only, not through Spotify) throught days and days of testing. I’ve always had the bass and treble on five (out of a possible ten).
Granted, I’m not much of an outside person, but knowing that, if the time comes where I have to see the outside world, I can just take this speaker with me and blast some Nightwish for 12 to 15 hours in a row, makes things much easier. I use this speaker every day for at least a couple of hours in my apartment, and not having to worry about its charge is something I appreciate a lot.
If that wasn’t good enough, the charging time for the speaker from 0% to 100% was approximately one hour and a half. However, this is possible thanks to a propietary charger that comes with the device.
Hopefully you are careful with your stuff, since, if you lose it, then that’s the end of your air jamming sessions. In case you were wondering, you can charge it and play music at the same time.
Apart from laptops, I can’t think of another device that comes with a propietary charger these days. It’s either microUSB, USB-C, or Lightning, and any of the three are easily available. I’m pretty sure that you could find this charger online as well in case something happens to yours, but I would gladly trade up charging time in return of a more universal cable.
On the bright side of things, this charger is capable of accepting 110V to 240V currents, so you can just use an adapter if you buy the US version and want to use it in Europe, for example. Believe me, that’s exactly what I did.
Conclusion
Even though it is Fender’s first foray into the Bluetooth speaker scene, it is definitely a solid one. It should definitely be on your list if you are in the market for a high-end Bluetooth speaker. If you want to buy one, you can head to Fender’s website and get yours. It will set you back $199.99/€225. This positions the Newport in the upper end of the market, competing with products like the Bose SoundLink Mini II, Marshall Kilburn and JBL Extreme. However, you get a quality, good-looking speaker with great sound quality and impressive battery life for your hard-earned cash. That sounds like a good deal to me.
The iPhone X was recently announced for a ludicrous price of $999 and perhaps the less we talk about that the better. What was significant about the launch of the latest iPhone was Apple dropping the traditional fingerprint sensor – Touch ID – in favor of a ‘new’ facial recognition Face ID.
Instead of using your fingerprint as a security mechanism to unlock your device you simply now look at your device for it to recognize your face and unlock the device. While Apple presented Face ID as some new kind of technology, did you know the facial recognition already exists on Android and has done for some time?
Samsung obviously introduced its own implementation of facial recognition with the Note 7, Galaxy S8, and Note 8, but the feature has been available since Android 5.0 Lollipop.
The feature is called “Trusted Face” and the idea is exactly the same as the iPhone X Face ID. You simply wake your device, look at your phone, and it’ll recognize your face and authorize your smartphone to be unlocked without needing to enter a PIN.
To address the elephant in the room, yes the iPhone X has additional sensors that will improve the accuracy and reliability of the facial recognition but the fundamentals are exactly the same.
If facial recognition like Face ID is something you think would like on Android then follow these simple steps.
Enable a lock screen method such as a PIN or password.
Head into settings and into the security menu.
You’ll see “Smart Lock” as an option where you’ll be asked to confirm your PIN.
From the Smart Lock menu, select “Trusted Face”.
Follow the instructions to register your face by aligning it with the red circle.
Lock your device and stare at your camera to unlock your device.
Pretty cool huh?
Ultimately results will be varied depending on lighting conditions and your smartphones camera quality but will nevertheless provide you with facial recognition similar to that found on the new iPhone X and Note 8.
Drop us a comment and let us know what you think of the feature and if it’s working well for you.
Fender didn’t stop with the amplifier resemblance at the design level. Each action that you do will trigger a nice guitar sound. The company has included tunes for turning it on, pairing, low battery, and everything in between.
Another thing. This thing can get VERY LOUD. At first, I thought that it wasn’t as loud as I would expect when testing it with my S8, but nothing ever tested with this phone is loud. That’s when I figured that maybe I should try it with something else, and my Honor 7 Lite came to the rescue.
If that wasn’t good enough, the charging time for the speaker from 0% to 100% was approximately one hour and a half. However, this is possible thanks to a propietary charger that comes with the device.