الرئيسية / جميع المشاركات

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

LG G5 (LG UX) vs Samsung Galaxy S7 (TouchWiz) vs Apple iPhone 6s (iOS 9): how they differ visually

LG G5 (LG UX) vs Samsung Galaxy S7 (TouchWiz) vs Apple iPhone 6s (iOS 9): how they differ visually

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LG G5 (LG UX) vs Samsung Galaxy S7 (TouchWiz) vs Apple iPhone 6s (iOS 9): how they differ visually
A smartphone's design and build quality are unquestionably important. Nobody wants a phone that feels awkward and gets damaged easily. But at the heart of each and every unit is the user experience, which can quite literally make or break a device. The interface completes a manufacturer's vision for what its product is supposed to mean to you. It's also the mediator between all that amazing hardware packed inside your smartphone and your intentions. If the interface is lacking – unsightly, confusing, jittery, and otherwise unreliable – you simply won't bother using the device in your hand, no matter how perfectly polished of a rectangle it seems to be.

SMARTPHONE INTERFACES HAVE MATURED QUITE A BIT, BUT THEY STILL HAVE WAYS TO GO.

Thankfully, this isn't the case with any of the three top-shelf smartphones we've lined up here – the LG G5, Samsung Galaxy S7, and Apple iPhone 6s. Not only are they among the finest-looking, best-handling handsets available on the market, but each one is pretty much a breeze to use thanks to the combination of fast hardware and a polished user experience. Different as they are in terms of graphic design and organization, LG UX, Samsung TouchWiz, and Apple iOS 9 do share a common goal, which is presenting a wealth of functionality in a straightforward fashion. Featuring plenty of eye candy and being easy to get around, each is a delightful example of modern-day mobile computing.

To give you an idea of how they compare with each other, we took matching screenshots from each smartphone and put them side-by-side. This way, you can easily see what they have to offer in terms of graphics and basic organisation. We won't be making any judgement here, although you can read our user experience impressions in the smartphone reviews that we've published.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Government opens Farook's Apple iPhone 5c without Apple's help

Government opens Farook's Apple iPhone 5c without Apple's help

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The Justice Department announced today that it was able to open up the Apple iPhone 5c that was used by deceased terrorist Syed Farook, without Apple's help. Suspecting that there might be some clues inside the phone about the San Bernardino attack that killed 14, the Justice Department asked Apple to turn over all information it could pull out of the handset that Farook had used. But Apple said that it wasunable to do so without building a new version of iOS that was quickly dubbed Govt. OS. Apple was concerned that if it developed Govt.OS, the code would come out allowing hackers to steal personal information from iPhone users around the world. 


Apple's decision not to comply with a court order forcing them to unlock the device became a nationwide issue; many sided with Apple, and others were unsure why Apple wasn't punished for contempt of court. A court hearing that was going to be held last Tuesday was canceled after the Justice Department announced out of nowhere that it had found a third party to unlock the phone.

The Justice Department released a two paragraph statement today saying that the government has successfully accessed the data on Farook's phone and no longer required assistance from Apple. Thus, it was a win-win situation. The feds get their data, and Apple does not have to risk the privacy of all iPhone users world wide. But the battle will still go on. Last month, a federal magistrate judge in the Eastern District of New York refused a government request to force Apple to open an Apple iPhone 5s to release information in a drug case in Brooklyn. The Justice Department is appealing that ruling. 

The government is remaining silent on how it unlocked Farook's iPhone 5c. Late last week, there was some talk that Israeli software company Cellebrite had entered into a $15,000 contract with the FBI for the purpose of opening the phone, but that has not been confirmed. Some believe that Apple should be given the opportunity to find out how the phone was opened so that it can close the opening and make the phone secure again. But considering how badly the government wanted to unlock this phone, and how it might need to unlock more iPhones in the future, we don't expect the government to be open to that suggestion.

Now that the phone has been opened, the Justice Department has officially dropped its legal case against Apple.







The Government opens Farook's iPhone 5c without help from Apple

source: NYTimes
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) and Galaxy J5 (2016) officially announced

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) and Galaxy J5 (2016) officially announced

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Samsung today announced two new Android smartphones: the Galaxy J7 (2016) and Galaxy J5 (2016), both of which now show up over at the company's official Chinese website. Succeeding the Galaxy J7 and Galaxy J5 from last year, the new J series smartphones offer 5 MP front-facing cameras with LED flashes, so they should appeal to users who take a lot of selfies. On the back, the two handsets have 13 MP cameras (also with LED flashes). By the way, what initially looked like laser auto focus on both phones turned out to be just a rear speaker.

As its name suggests, the Galaxy J7 (2016) is the larger, and more powerful smartphone among the two. Sporting a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with 1080 x 1920 pixels, the device relies on an octa-core processor clocked at 1.6 GHz (this could be an Exynos 7870, though Samsung has yet to confirm that). The J7 (2016) further features LTE connectivity, NFC, 3 GB of RAM, 16 GB of expandable storage space, and a 3300 mAh battery. The device measures 151.7 x 76 x 7.8 mm, and weighs 170 grams. 



Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)

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The Galaxy J5 (2016) only sports a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display with 720 x 1280 pixels, weighing 159 grams, and measuring 145.8 x 72.3 x 8.1 mm. The handset is powered by a quad-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, coming with just 2 GB of RAM, and a 3100 mAh battery. The rest of its features are similar to those of the J7. 



Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)

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Samsung will soon release the Galaxy J7 (2016) and J5 (2016) in China, but there's no word on the phones' prices. We don't know if the handsets will be launched in North America, though we must mention that the lower-end Galaxy J3 (2016) is already available to buy in the US - thus, the J7 and J5 could join it at some point. We'll let you know if that happens. 

source: Galaxy J7 (2016), Galaxy J5 (2016) via WinFuture

Saturday, March 26, 2016

New HTC 10 (One M10) wallpapers leak out

New HTC 10 (One M10) wallpapers leak out

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Not long after we saw the very first Quad HD Sense 8.0 wallpaper for the HTC 10, we can now check out three other wallpapers - which, thanks to HTC ROM developer @LlabTooFeR, are available to download for anyone who's interested. 

The three new Sense 8.0 wallpapers, which should be included by default on the HTC 10, share a somewhat similar geometrical simplicity, and look pretty cool (sure enough, that's a subjective thing to say). 


As a reminder, the HTC 10 will offer a Quad HD display measuring around 5.1 inches, so all wallpapers have 2880 x 2560 pixels. You can get them below - double click/tap to zoom in and save as. 


HTC will announce its new flagship smartphone (previously known as One M10) on April 12. The handset could be available to buy starting April 15 - at least in Taiwain, HTC's home country. 

It seems that the HTC 10 blends design elements from the One A9 and One M9, having a metal body, and a fingerprint scanner on the front. According to HTC, the device features a new kind of "boom" sound, plus "world first, world class" rear and back cameras. Other highlights should include a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, and 4 GB of RAM. Are you interested?



New HTC 10 Sense 8.0 wallpapers

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source: @LlabTooFe
Apple now allows you to see what your personally designed Apple Watch will look like

Apple now allows you to see what your personally designed Apple Watch will look like

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A change to the Apple website allows you to see an image of the watch case, band and watch face of a personally designed Apple Watch before deciding which case and band you want to buy. Apple calls this the Apple Watch Gallery. The choices are so up to date that even the latest band styles are represented in the Gallery. That includes the Woven Nylon bands that Apple introduced during Monday's event.

Apple dropped the starting price of the Apple Watch by $50 to $299 on Monday, and indicated that the device is not only the top selling smartwatch in the world, but is number one in customer satisfaction as well. And with 33% of Apple Watch owners regularly changing the band on their device, the Gallery is a great way to see what a new band will look like on an Apple Watch.


To get to the Apple Watch Gallery, simply click on the sourcelink. Or, you can go to Apple.com, click on Apple Watch, and you'll see the link to the Gallery. Either way, using the Gallery can help you create the exact look that you want before shelling out your cash to purchase an Apple Watch, or a new band (if that is all you need).


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Apple Watch Gallery lets you check out what your personally designed Apple Watch will look like

1. Apple Watch Gallery's version of ready, set, go

2. First, select a case...

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4. ... and a watch face just to see how the combination will look
source: Apple via RedmondPie
Marshmallow update prevents Sony Xperia Z5 users from opening the Google Play Store

Marshmallow update prevents Sony Xperia Z5 users from opening the Google Play Store

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Sony's online support page is full of stories from Sony Xperia Z5 users whose phone "broke" following the recent update to Android 6.0. According to those complaining, following the installation of the new Android build, a sign pops up on the Xperia Z5 screen stating that the Google Play Store has stopped. At the same time, users of these handsets cannot open the app.

So how has Sony handled this issue? The manufacturer has suggested that if your Xperia Z5 won't open the Google Play Store following the update to Android 6.0, a factory reset might do the trick. And while it has solved the problem for some, there are still many Xperia Z5 users that still can't access the Play Store even following a factory reset. 


Based on responses to the Sony support forum, the best way to fix the problem is to sync your Xperia Z5 to the PC on your desktop, and head to PC Companion (http://support.sonymobile.com/gb/tools/pc-companion). There, you will be able to re-install Android 6.0. This time however, you won't lose the ability to open up the Google Play Store.

Let us know if this did the trick by dropping your comment into the box below.


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The Android 6.0 update is preventing the Google Play Store from opening on some Sony Xperia Z5 units

1. The Android 6.0 update for the Sony Xperia Z5...

2. ...prevents some units from opening the Google Play Store
Thanks for the tip!

source: Sony

Thursday, March 24, 2016

LG 360 VR and LG 360 Cam prices set at $199.99, pre-orders go live at B&H

LG 360 VR and LG 360 Cam prices set at $199.99, pre-orders go live at B&H

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According to B&H Photo's newly-posted pre-order pages, the LG 360 VR and LG 360 Cam will be priced at $199.99 each.

While major carriers and retailers across the US have already revealed their pricing for the new LG G5, up until today, we've been left in the dark when it comes to the retail prices of the LG 360 VR headset and the LG 360 Cam. 


This mystery unwrapped itself earlier today as B&H Photo Video launched pre-order pages for the two LG Friends accessories, complete with the proper pricing information. Unfortunately, though, both the LG 360 VR and the LG 360 Cam are priced at $199.99, which is a bit higher than most expected.


The LG 360 VR headset, priced at $199.99, doesn't seem to be as competitively priced as Samsung's own Gear VR, which retails for $99.99. However, we also have to take into account the notable difference between the two VR headsets: while Samsung's Gear VR uses the display of a (Samsung) smartphone, the LG 360 comes with a built-in display and communicates with the LG G5 smartphone through the phone's USB Type-C port. 







The advantage of this solution is that the headset is much lighter than competing virtual reality goggles. Unfortunately, you're basically paying a $100 premium for the built-in display.

In the other corner, the LG 360 Cam appears to be a more advantageous proposition. The standalone camera snaps 360-degree photos and captures 2K video content along with 5.1 surround sound. The raw specs include two 13MP wide-angle cameras, a 1200mAh battery, as well as 4GB of expandable internal storage. 


All of that 360-degree video/photo content that the LG 360 Cam will produce can be viewed on any smartphone that's capable of displaying 360-degree video content, aside the obvious compatibility with LG's 360 VR headset.







What do you guys think of the LG 360 Cam and LG 360 VR? Is $199.99 the right price for these accessories?


source: B&H (LG 360 Cam | LG 360 VR)
With "money tight," 25% of Pebble's work force gets axed

With "money tight," 25% of Pebble's work force gets axed

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On Monday, Apple CEO Tim Cook told those watching Apple's new product announcements that the Apple Watch was the top selling smartwatch in the world. That could explain why Pebble is laying off 25% off its staff this week. That works out to 40 employees receiving pink slips. The company first found fame and fortune by running a very successful Kickstarter campaign not once, but twice.

The issue, according to Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky, is the lack of funding. The executive says that venture capitalists are being tighter with their money. This comes after Pebble raised $26 million over the last 8 months, and sold $20 million in watches over Kickstarter since February 2015. A joint venture with Amazon to sell Pebble watches in India will start next month, and could help bring in some much needed cash.


Migicovsky says that Pebble has discovered that its customers want to use Pebble timepieces for tracking their health. As a result, the company will focus on the health and fitness capabilities of its watches. 

One major worry for Pebble is Apple's $50 price cut on the Apple Watch, which was announced Monday. With the Apple Watch now starting at $299, there is only a $49 difference between that and the $250 top of Pebble's price range.

source: TechInsider via Pocketlint