HTC

HTC has produced some brilliant handsets over the last couple of years and even through all their device releases, they are still struggling immensely to re create their brand and become a major player again in the Smartphone market which is being dominated by Samsung and Apple. HTC released the Butterfly S awhile back now but it has yet to hit any carriers in North America. This device screams with performance, beauty and quality. HTC packed in some great specifications and currently the second largest battery on the market. HTC should have brought this device in along side the ever popular One which would give the Samsung Galaxy S4 some very healthy competition. If HTC keeps going on with this trend of releases and carrier exclusives, they will keep slipping farther back as Sony and LG continue to deliver amazing handsets to a broader market(Sony Xperia Z Ultra and from LG, the LG G2). Here are the specifications of the Butterfly S in all its glory. 

HTC Butterfly S Specifications -

- 5.0 inches display screen (1080 x 1920 pixels)
- Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen
- Corning Gorilla Glass 3 (HTC Sense UI v5)
- Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600
- Quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300
- Android OS 4.2, have the plan to update with 4.3
- 4 MP (Ultra pixel camera) full feature
- 2.1 MP of scondary camera
- 16 GB internal memory 

- 2 GB of RAM
- MicroSD up to 64 GB
- Li-Po 3200 mAh battery

Moto X Review - Do you believe?

 

Has Motorola created a near perfect experience in the Moto X? Have they quieted the doubters? It looks to be so. With every new review that lands on Internet land, people are leaving with a good impression to say the least. Motorola has implemented some of the greatest most intuitive software features to date in Hands free voice control and a notification screen that works for you, not the other way around. In the spec realm of things, on paper, it looks to be mid range comparable with IPhone and other devices but real world use is showing us otherwise. Motorola excels in battery technology and antenna hardware, both of which run supreme on the Moto X. Motorola has put a great package together and with Motomaker, their custom phone builder website, options abound in the multitudes.

http://www.technobuffalo.com/reviews/moto-x-review/

TechnoBuffalo has put up a great review also embedded with a video review by Jon Rettinger.  Have a look and let me know what you think.

LG G2 @Negri Electronics

http://negrielectronics.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=LG+G2&price_from=535&price_to=690

LG G2 Features

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sprMilcPj8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The Above link is from launch day of the LG G2 and what 5 major components were focused on in the creation of this flagship device manufactured by LG Mobile Electronics Corporation. Some initial pricing coming out of the UK indicates the starting price of the 16GB variant to come in at $600 which is over $100 dollars cheaper than the Galaxy S4 which is the most popular Android handset on the market. LG has positioned themselves in a very good position to sell a feature rich, power packed and beautiful device at a very competitive price.

LG has developed now 4 very compelling and awesome handsets and has something catered to everyone looking into their next smartphone purchase.
Optimus G, Nexus4, Optimus G Pro and the Lg G2. 

Play Store Available

Just a short few minutes ago, the. New Nexus 7 has become available in the Google Play store for Canadian purchase. Both the 16gb and 32gb variants are up. Other local stores like Future Shop and Best Buy also carry the 16gb version but few have the 32GB. 

Android is better

One of the best Android/IOS related articles I have ever read. Its spot on accurate. Take sometime to read this as it puts a whole new perspective on Android and its ecosystem.

http://paulstamatiou.com/android-is-better

Open table & Facebook

http://www.appy-geek.com/Web/ArticleWeb.aspx?regionid=3&articleid=11924231

Sony Xperia Z Ultra- indepth look.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra, a behemoth smartphone with a tablet like look and feel has been released to a small market and a handful of end users and some reviews are starting to come to light on the web. Official worldwide release is slated for mid September. Below are links and web pages in regards to Z Ultra and everything there is to know about it.


http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/phones/xperia-z-ultra/


http://asia.cnet.com/product/sony-xperia-z-ultra-46729377.htm


http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/mobile-phone/3455049/sony-xperia-z-ultra-hands-on-review/


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8ltXlKog9bo


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rqr9ZNsN0kc


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jtiSLo9rgNc


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3rCfdWJ-5KU


This should give you a clear understanding of all the goodness of the Sony Xperia Z Ultra.

Close to Perfect.

2013 Nexus 7 has thus far been praised as being the pound for pound best tablet in the Android market. Many will go as far to say it is the best tablet, period. I for one, rest with the latter statement.  Take the time to go and check out the new Nexus 7 2013 in your local store and you will see why the masses are praising this tablet.  From the gorgeous Full HD 1080p panel, amazing battery life, quad core chip set backed by 2gb of Ram all resting in a beautiful shell cover by Gorilla Glass 3, its a site to behold.  Offering the latest from Google in Android Jelly Bean 4.3, buttery smooth and lag free operation, makes this tablet a pleasure and joy to use.

With  all the features and pure Android goodness, there is but one thing I do not know why it was left out. This tablet lacks an IR blaster. It may not sound like a big deal but there are other tablets that do have this feature and the Galaxy Note 10.1 is one of them. All of this years flagship smartphones do carry them and have been received well by consumers. In short, an IR blaster would add another dimension to an already fantastic product in which is designed as a media consumption device. To have control over Audio and Video with your house simplifies having so many other remotes to do the job of what one device can do. It would make home automation even better and convenience those who want to shy away from owning another universal remote. HTC One and Samsung S4 owners love this simple yet effective feature included in their devices. That being said, the form factor and portability of the Nexus 7 make it a versatile product, a take anywhere device that could do it all. Maybe 2014 Nexus 7 will bring this hardware to the market making a great tablet even better.  Would this be a feature you would want in a tablet?

S Pen Stylus

With all the recent announcements of large display smart phones, very few offer any kind of input via stylus or pen. Samsung with its Note lineup has created a product that can be as versatile as any device out there.  Samsung's move into the phablet market with the original Note created a lot of buzz, both positive and negative. Nay sayers are mocking its large size, saying it is and was just simply to large of a device to be usable as a daily driver device. Samsung in listed the company Wacom who is world renowned for its digitizer input technologies, to help in the creation of the S pen. With great success, The original Note was born. It was a device on its own. A class of itself. It truly signified the beginning of something special. To see visit www.Samsung.com 

The Galaxy Note offered something that had once upon a time been successful only to slowly fade away with Palm and their products. With 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity also found in Wacom tablets, the S pen became an instant success for image editing to drawing to simply quick and efficient note taking and writing. In one word, to summarize the ability of the S Pen, " Versatile" would best describe it. Samsung has continued to develop it along with developers to increase productivity and overall usefulness.

With soon to be released devices like the Xperia Z Ultra and HTC One Maxx codenamed T6, the Galaxy Note Series still moves along with its S input and with the Note 3 due to be announced in early September, it looks as though Samsung will continue to dominate the market. Sony has introduced a methid using a pen or pencil input, as long as the tip is greater than 1 mm, it will receive input onto the screen. This works quite well via demonstration but lacks any true depth to what it could be. Sony has a good start with this feature but it lacks the core greatness of what can be achieved and what Samsung has been able to do.

Many people are eagerly anticipating the Note 3 and by the looks of it, it will sell millions more and forge Samsung forward and keep them in the #1 spot for a while to come.

Sony Xperia Honami

The Sony Xperia Honami camera sample appears to be of a bike with a digital display. The EXIF data next to the photo shows that it was taken on August 10 using the Sony C6902 camera. The photo has a size of 3936 x 5248 pixels and an aspect ratio of 4:3. It was also taken with an aperture of f/2.0 and captured without the use of flash.

Earlier rumors have suggested that the Sony Xperia Honami will have a 20 MP Exmor RS camera that features a Sony G-lens, a BIONZ image processor, and a 2.3” image sensor. Last month, the smartphone’s 20 MP camera had been spotted as one of the features of the smartphone on a Taiwanese e-commerce website. The same has been revealed to support 4K video capture according to a leaked system dump.

This powerful camera will likely be one of the key selling points of the Sony Xperia Honami. Such smartphone is expected to provide some competition to the Nokia Lumia 1020 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, both of which also give much attention to their cameras.

Apart from a 20 MP camera, however, the Sony Xperia Honami is believed to offer a 5-inch 1080p Triluminos display, 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage, a microSD card slot for expansion, 3000mAh battery, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, resistance against dust and water, and a 2 MP front-facing camera to complement the 20 MP snapper. Furthermore, it will support Wifi(802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Wifi Hotspot Function, Bluetooth EDR and Bluetooth 4.0, GSM/UMTS/LTE. The smartphone will supposedly measure 144 x 73.9 x 8.3mm and come in three color choices: white, black, and purple.

Sony will unveil the device on September 4th in Berlin, Germany during IFA 2013. A poster teasing the device has already been leaked a few days ago, showing such launch details.

Check out these alleged image renders and photos of the Sony Xperia Honami to get a glimpse at the upcoming device. Courtesy of android guy.

Exynos 5 Octa-Core Gen.2

Exynos 5 powers a few handsets from Samsung and now they have re worked their Octa-processor for this next generation of mobile devices. Did they succeed in their attempts to make it more powerful yet increasing efficiency and battery power? Are Octa-core processors needed in this day and age of computing? I'll let you be the judge. Here is a description of Samsung's new chip set -Exynos Octa Chipset

.

The Exynos 5420 Octa and ARM's big.LITTLE platform work together in a way that ensures that a device gets the maximum power as and when needed - without draining its batterydry. In fact, backed by its six-core Mali-T628 GPU, the new Exynos processor promises users 'more than twice' the graphical capabilities of its predecessor, the Exynos 5410 Octa chipset.

Not only does the new GPU pack in support for OpenGL ES 3.0, it also comes with a GPU Computing functionality. With this feature, the GPU steps in and helps the CPU to perform certain tasks which it can handle both faster and more efficiently. The functionality also brings support for features like video and image stabilization and editing, facial recognition etc.

Motorola Nexus?

Earlier today, a interesting bit of interesting information was leaked to a select source that might reveal who will be the next manufacturer of the Nexus 5. This could also just be a rumor. From what we gather, Motorola will be the maker of the new Nexus but it will also not be based off the new Moto X. If true, this is a decent move as the Moto X has not lived up to its hype. While Motorola is owned by Google and has the capability of producing some amazing products, LG is still highest on the radar and has been for the last few months. LG and Google did a remarkable job in the Nexus 4, pound for pound, dollar for dollar, the best device on the planet for 2012 and still my go to handset.

If LG is to make the Nexus 5, and if history is correct, the N5 will be based off the monster LG G2 which currently is the benchmark which all others will be measured. The Nexus 5 or whatever it is to be called will no doubt truly show off the best Android has to offer.

Moto X Engineer fires back!

Here we go again. Now that the Moto X is official and has been put through the ringer by various websites and reviewers,  it has received mixed reviews. Many believe it is under specified, lacking a 1080p panel, a much larger battery and being dual core. It seems as though a top line engineer from Motorola has sent some shockwaves through the industry, directly attacking the likes of Samsung and HTC, calling their offerings inferior to Moto X.  Below is the letter from the Moto X engineer. 

Arshad on why you don’t need a quad-core CPU, and why their dual-core CPU is not “last year’s”:

For one, we are not using last year’s Qualcomm processor. It’s this year’s processor. It is a dual-core processor, but the thing people have to understand is that in mobile devices, more CPUs don’t necessarily mean better or faster devices. In fact, in most instances no more than two CPUs are being used at any given time. In order to save power, the algorithms controlling the device are often trying to turn off CPUs.

In the stress tests we have conducted on competing devices, we launched 24 websites at once on the device, and none of the devices used more than two CPUs at once to do this.

On changing how smartphones work, and the first dig at Samsung:

If you think about it, the market has been relatively stagnant. Everything is built on these standard chips and displays. And we are all trained to respond to those small incremental changes in these components. But Motorola’s vision is to really change how smartphones work. The small computers we carry around in our pockets aren’t really “smart.” I mean what can you do with the Samsung Galaxy S3 that you can’t do with the Galaxy S4? The answer is nothing.

We aren’t developing technology for technology’s sake. But we are trying to make mobile computing more intelligent.

On how innovative X8 architecture is and why no one else is doing it (Samsung and HTC):

We have come up with a new processing architecture that allows us to do things like touchless control without sacrificing battery power. For a Samsung or HTC device to offer the same kind of functionality would require three batteries. And that is the reason why no one else has done touchless control. Nobody has done it because it kills the device’s battery life.

None of those other processors could do all the noise cancellation and offer the same level of intelligence and still be low power. What we have done with the Moto X has not been done before. It’s the world’s first.

On defeating the spec war that chip and display manufacturers have created:

It’s hard because people are programmed by the industry to look at things like how many cores a chip has or whether the display is 1080p. That’s how chip and display manufacturers differentiate their products. But we’ve spent thousands of engineering hours building a new kind of processing architecture that will really change how people use their phones.

On the Galaxy S4 “beating” the Moto X’s display in terms of pixels per inch:

First of all, what Samsung has done with the GS4 screen is not true 1080p. Instead, Samsung is using a PenTile display. Each pixel is made up of three color sub pixels. It’s missing one of the pixels. We are using a true RGB pattern custom display that gives true color reproduction without wasting battery life.

Samsung is using a graphics processor, but they’re using it the wrong way and their performance is actually worse than ours. They are burning more battery life. In the case of HTC, they’re using an LCD screen, which is simply an inferior technology.

Also, the human eye cannot discern resolution beyond 300 pixels per inch. And we exceed that. So the eye can’t even see the difference. But the human eye can see big differences in color saturation and reproduction. In fact, I’d say that is even more important than resolution. So we decided to focus on that aspect instead.

On adding future customizable features to Moto X (like RAM, screen size, processor, etc.):

We do have a road map for extending the capabilities of the device and customization in the future, but I’ll talk about that in the future.

Yeah, I’d say Arshad has heard about enough when it comes to criticism of the specs of his Moto X.

LG G2 official

Abandoning the Optimus branding for its highest-end devices, today LG finally announced their latest flagship - the LG G2.

At 5.2-inches, the LG G2 has a slightly bigger screen than the current crop of high-end smartphones. The resolution however, is the same at 1920 x 1080 px. The screen is a IPS unit with a brightness rating of 450nits. The LG G2 display uses something called Graphic RAM (GRAM) to reduce power consumption up to 26% when displaying a still image. LG claims this increases the expected overall battery life by up to 10%.

What's particularly striking about the phone is ultra-slim bezel and the lack of any hardware keys on the front (or sides, for that matter).

The only hardware key is actually positioned on the back. It's actually a combo of several buttons in one. That's the power/sleep key dead center along with the volume keys. The volume keys also double as shortcuts for the camera and Quick Memo feature. The reason behind the decision to position this key here is to make handling extra large smartphones easier and less prone to dropping.

The LG G2 is based around a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset with 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 GPU. According to Qualcomm's CEO, who appeared in stage today, the G2 is the first phone to launch on a world-wide scale with this top-shelf processor.

The storage capacity is set at either 16GB or 32GB. Supposedly, there is a microSD slot as well, but it seems that will only be available in certain markets and the units LG brought to NYC didn't have such a thing.

The 13MP camera is on par with the rest of the top notch hardware. It's got optical image stabilization (OIS) and can record FullHD 1080p videos in up to 60fps.

LG has also worked hard on the quality of audio output. The phone can reproduce Hi-Fi 24 bit/192kHz. LG has also collaborated with the Vienna Boy's Choir to freshen up the available sounds and ringtones on the device.

The LG G2 runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box.

As customary for Android flagships, the LG G2 offers several proprietary features to differentiate. You can double tap on the screen to wake it up and tap again to turn it back off. The phone will readily auto answer a call when you pick it up to your ear. There is an innovative Guest mode to secure the privacy of your data when friends want to check out your new smartphone or when you hand down your phone to your kid.

Finally, you can get rid of a currently active app and minimize it by a three-finger swipe across the screen.

Speaking of multi-tasking, the G2 can store your app progress in up to three different apps. The screenshotting feature can capture a whole webpage or a long email, not just the content in your viewport.

The LG G2 also has an Infrared port that can be used to remotely control home entertainment devices by learning from their conventional remotes.

Connectivity-wise, the LG G2 makes use of the latest generation LTE-A connectivity (up to 150Mbps), as well as dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.

For power backup, the LG G2 relies on a 3,000mAh Li-Po battery.

LG G2 will be available in black or white and will launch to over 130 carriers in the next eight weeks starting in South Korea, followed by North America, Europe and other key markets

Official LG G2 press release images

On The eve of the big announcement By LG Electronics, credible images have surfaced from the infamous EVLeaks showing what could be the final and full production device from LG, G2. Super slim profile, a unique button location and now what is believed to be a fingerprint scanner( which has been unconfirmed over the past month ) and a gorgeous Super IPS LCD panel, that which LG does so well. Nexus 4, Optimus G and G Pro all house stellar panels. At 8am PST, LG will fully disclose and take the wraps of their next Flagship Super Phone.

LTE-A (advanced) How it works

LTE Advanced is the next major step in the evolution of our LTE networks. It’s a new network technology that’s expected to both help band-aid the massive increases in mobile data demand, and deliver much higher data speeds for all. That means better coverage, greater stability, and faster performance. And it’s not just a little faster. Most of today's flagship devices( HTC One, S4 and Sony Z Ultra) all run on standard 4G LTE with Samsung announcing a S4 variant to be LTE A certified. The table below explains further how fast LTE-A really is. 

LTE Advanced is a lot faster

This table gives you an at-a-glance idea of how the likely speed ranges compare. We’ll have to wait for the release to get solid figures.

	3G	WiMax	HSPA+	LTE	LTE Advanced
Peak rate	3 Mbps	128 Mbps	168 Mbps	300 Mbps	1 Gbps
Download rate (actual)	0.5 – 1.5 Mbps	2 – 6 Mbps	1 – 10 Mbps	10 – 100 Mbps	100 – 300 Mbps
Upload rate (actual)	0.2 – 0.5 Mbps	1 – 2 Mbps	0.5 – 4.5 Mbps	5 – 50 Mbps	10 – 70 Mbps

The highest possible rates are never achieved in real world conditions. Actual rates will be variable, but we can expect LTE-A to be at least five times as fast as most LTE networks today, and that’s great news for video streaming addicts, as long as they have a healthy data allowance.

How did we get here?

The roll out of 4G (fourth generation) mobile networks in the U.S. was slightly complicated by the fact that some carriers decided to label what was really enhanced 3G tech as 4G. This led to the LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard being described as “true 4G” or “4G LTE” when it finally rolled out, but actually that turned out not be strictly accurate either. Check out our 4G Guide for more details on the various flavors of “4G” currently on offer. The first LTE roll-out did not meet the requirements for 4G when it came to things like peak data rates, which were defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Now that LTE Advanced is on the horizon we will be enjoying 4G for real, but what exactly is it? Let’s take a closer look and try to explain.

How LTE Advanced works

LTE Advanced is supposed to provide higher capacity, an enhanced user experience, and greater fairness in terms of resource allocation. It does this by combining a bunch of technologies, many of which have been around for some years, so we’re not really talking about the implementation of an entirely new system here.

According to Jeanette Wannstrom, in an article for 3GPP, “The main new functionalities introduced in LTE-Advanced are Carrier Aggregation (CA), enhanced use of multi-antenna techniques (MIMO) and support for Relay Nodes (RN).”

Carrier Aggregation enables greater speeds because it allows you to download data from multiple sources at the same time. Instead of connecting to the best signal in your vicinity, your smartphone can combine multiple signals, even on different frequencies. Up to five of these “component carriers,” each offering up to 20MHz of bandwidth, can be combined, which creates a maximum aggregated data pipe up to 100MHz.

MIMO stands for Multiple Input Multiple Output, and it can increase the overall bitrate by transmitting two (or more) different data streams on two (or more) different antennas. Qualcomm’s LTE Advanced white paper explains that by leveraging more radio links through more antennas, you get “higher spectral efficiency.” In plain speak, these networks are able to do more with less.

Relay Nodes are described by Wannstrom as, “low power base stations that will provide enhanced coverage and capacity at cell edges.” They’ll increase the range of coverage and ensure that speeds are good, even if you’re on the outskirts of your network.

What do we need?

The technology is backwards compatible, so it won’t adversely affect existing LTE users. However, you won’t automatically be able to enjoy LTE Advanced when the carriers roll it out; you’ll need a new device with an LTE-A chip in it. Qualcomm, Broadcom, and Nvidia, among others, have been working on these chips and Samsung has already announced plans for a new version of the Galaxy S4 which will support the LTE Advanced standard.

Information in part provided by digital trends. 

Moto X video review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0zafiziPIc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Sony Xperia Z Ultra

             The world’s largest Full HD smartphone display**

The first Android smartphone with a 6.4” Full HD Display – and the first one ever to incorporate a TRILUMINOS™ Display with X-Reality for mobile – Xperia Z Ultra is the smartphone that takes you beyond your wildest dreams. The result? An on-the-go viewing experience that maximises everything.

Ultra slim and waterproof (6.4mm thin)

Sony has landed and by this I mean with a absolute monster device in the Z Ultra. This device is the epitamy of the Phablet segment. Its Big, its Bold and Bad Ass. Sony has developed  a line of fantastic devices in Xperia Z line. The current 5" Xperia Z and 10" tablet Z, Sony has brought some of the cleanest, sharpest looking handsets on the market.  What Z Ultra offers over the competition is everything and then some. http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Sony-Xperia-Z-Ultra_id7883

Above is a direct link to all the specifications provided by phone arena. By account, there is only the best specs available, being one off if not the first device to launch with the quad core Snapdragon 800 CPU which at the moment is second to none. They have also included some great technology in its input methods. Any pencil or pen with a tip greater than 1 mm will yield flawless user input onto that gorgeous Triluminous display. 

Triluminos

Explained plainly, Triluminos is a technology that enables LCD TFT displays to show a wider range of colors, and thus to display images that are richer and more vivid.

According to MIT Technology Review, a Triluminos display boasts a color gamut that is 50 percent larger than that of a conventional LCD panel. How is this possible? By using quantum dots.

Quantum dots are best described as light-emitting nanoparticles. Basically, they are very small (2-10 nanometers) particles of a material that emits light. Depending on the size of the particle, which can be controlled precisely, quantum dots emit light in a specific wavelength, which the human eye perceives as a specific color.

Conventional LCD displays use a white backlight that passes through red, blue, and green filters to form the color that the user perceives. The problem with this approach is that filters are not very selective – in other words, it’s hard to form very specific colors, and the end result are washed out colors. With Triluminos, the white backlight is replaced by a blue LED, which emits a blue light that causes a film of quantum dots to produce pure green and pure red. The different wavelength light is combined to form the color on the screen. This way the display can show more pure, unadulterated colors.( courtesy of Android Authority). 

Sony has invested a lot into their Triluminos technology and by early reviews and Impressions has made every step in the right direction. With cutting edge, features and Android 4.2 with 4.3 promised, waterproofing their handsets like no other, Sony has moved to class leading as of now. We will have to see what Samsung releases on Sept 4th in the well established and well adorned Galaxy Note 3.

LG G2, Power for All

LG G2, the successor to the popular LG Optimus G, has been slated for an announcement on August 7, to become official to the world. While most of its specifications have been confirmed, who knows what LG will have In store for us. LG has generally held some goodies back for us and I could see and do believe they have ramped up some great software features in their new flagship. What we do now as of now, the LG G2 promises to be a powerhouse in mobile communications with cutting edge specifications, rear mounted power and volume rockers and a stunning 5.2" IPS fullHD display.

Specifications
Qualcomm Snapdragon 800Cpu
Adreno 330 gpu
2610mAh battery(removable)
Nano Sim
13mp Camera/2mp front facing
2 GB Ram(3gb rumoured for months)
5.2" 1920x1080 IPS LCD HD display
Android 4.3

Over the past few weeks, LG has announced a smart cover with a bevy of colour choices to suit every consumer. Coming off a year of LG's best mobile smartphone sales, the G2 looks to keep LG right in the mix of this ever competitive smartphone market.