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Microsoft, how could you possibly allow more opportunities to pass you by when you're already in last place between the big three in the mobile race? Windows Phone has a measly 3.4% of mobile market share nearly 4 years into its existence. Competition with Google's Android and Apple's iOS operating systems certainly hasn't been easy for the Redmond company. However, Microsoft has one of the biggest aces up its sleeves that truly differentiates it from its competitors: Xbox and gaming.
As a teenage guy, you can only expect that I enjoy gaming, and you'd be correct in making that assumption. I'm not a hardcore gamer and haven't made the jump to a next gen system yet. I don’t do any PC gaming besides a game of Rise of Nations now and then, so I currently own a console - a Xbox 360 in particular. Luckily most of my friends own the Xbox 360 as well and it serves their gaming needs just as well as it covers mine. I love the suite of entertainment apps that the platform supports. It's a great system for me and millions of other people. In fact, I've implemented the console and these apps into my morning routine because they’re so convenient.
Instead of using the controller while I'm trying to navigate the menus and simultaneously eat breakfast or play with my dog, I tend to use the SmartGlass app from my phone. When the app was announced two E3 conferences ago, my interest was piqued. The app is handy for some menu navigation, typing, and has potential to be great within games, though I don't own any games with such integration and that collection is lacking. Every time I use the app I see how much more this service could do and I'm disappointed that Microsoft could pass up such great opportunities for enhancement of their product.
These are features that might be able to sway people over to Windows Phone again. In 2011, Xbox LIVE integration was a huge selling point as mobile gaming continued to gain momentum. Heavy marketing promoting gaming integration rather than Live Tiles in the then named Metro UI (probably) swayed thousands to buy into the Windows Phone ecosystem, but that trend has since cooled. Having LIVE integration to keep up with what your friends were up to without turning on the console, modifying your avatar, competing in mobile games while earning Gamerscore, or even remotely controlling your console were premium exclusive features for Windows Phone at the time. Nothing on Android or iOS could rival the myriad of features from Microsoft’s Gaming Hub besides maybe iOS’s Game Center, but that was locked to mobile games. Microsoft’s offerings integrated with the Xbox experience and allowed you to browse new content for both console and mobile. These features, aside from the Gamerscore piece, were later polished and brought to iOS and Android with the new SmartGlass moniker.
One friend of mine was so enthralled by the Xbox LIVE integration within Windows Phone before SmartGlass was created that he purchased an HTC Trophy over an iPhone, the phone that almost every other student fortunate enough to have a smartphone at 15 had in our stereotypical mid to upper middle class suburban city. At the time, this seemed like a no-brainer because of how important gaming was to him. Admittedly, it took up a bit too much of his time, but he got pretty amazing at Halo - a skill that I could only dream of mimicking.
Obviously Microsoft wanted to bring such great, useful software to all platforms in an effort retain Xbox brand loyalty and customer satisfaction while also innovating within the gaming industry. Expanding with further in-game integration made all phones a second screen and would help move more consoles off of store shelves and into new customers' homes. It was revolutionary integration, but this took away all pull for Windows Phone that appealed to one of Microsoft's most loyal communities. I believe features I’ve thought of that still haven't been added to SmartGlass or Windows Phone seem like rather obvious moves. They might be able to bring back some of Windows Phone’s and/or the Xbox One’s appeal.
Remote Desktop
The remote feature in the current Xbox 360 SmartGlass app for Android. After opening an app, the only way to navigate through menus is by swiping and tapping. The same feature is found within the Xbox One version with a different design.
First off, it's absolutely dumbfounding to me that 2 years following the initial release of SmartGlass that I still can't interact with my console in a remote desktop manner. This would be impractical during gameplay because there would be no way to control the game unless you wanted to use a true controller. After all, SmartGlass was intended to be a second screen to expand on gameplay rather than display it. This would essentially make your phone a roaming TV and lag time would hurt your ability anyway. What I'm suggesting is that I should be able to see what's on my TV screen and navigate quickly through menus by tapping on icons rather than swiping 5 times to get to the option I want to select, whether that be within apps or to access them. Currently the only capabilities similar to this are for launching apps immediately or to browse achievements and recorded videos, but the latter two features are exclusives for the tablet versions of the Xbox One SmartGlass app. You cannot do any quick navigation from the mobile expereince beyond having a swiping frenzy as previously mentioned. This would make navigation less of a headache and allow me to be in a different room temporarily to grab something (most likely some Oreos) and still be able to set up what episode of At Midnight I want to watch when I return to my couch.
Interactive Notifications From Mobile
Sometimes when I game, I use the USB ports on the console to charge my Nexus 4. Of course, this means that I'm roughly 10ft away from my device and will likely miss any important notifications while I'm playing - you can't exactly pause to check email or answer a call when you're being assaulted or chased by multiple people online. Microsoft is missing a huge opportunity here, regardless of whether a phone is plugged into the system to charge or not. It would be amazing if I could be notified of and have the ability to interact with incoming notifications while playing a game in the same fashion that I would if I was messaged or invited to a game session by another player. Technologically speaking, a Bluetooth connection would be required for this system to work, making an updated console required to be capable of such features - currently the Xbox One does not have a Bluetooth radio. I would almost definitely buy the system with Kinect to answer calls and dictate texts. Asking friends to come online could be much easier with this and never interrupt gameplay. Snapping a SMS thread from my Windows Phone device to the side of my screen while we coordinate would be fantastic and would be a huge pull factor towards Windows Phone if it was an exclusive.
The snap feature is only available on the Xbox One, but using the same notification system as if I'm being message from a friend on the Xbox 360 could be used on that console. Image Credit: Xbox - YouTube
If Bluetooth was implemented in some way, Microsoft could kill two birds with one stone. Currently, SmartGlass disconnects whenever your device of choice, phone or tablet, has a screen timeout or is locked because it relies on a WiFi signal with the 360 console and WiFi Direct with the One console. This translates to five seconds or more every time you want to reconnect. You’d miss out on notifications whenever the screen isn’t on, a big caveat to this plan unless they miraculously found a way around this problem with app updates. Bluetooth would fix this disconnecting nuisance and wouldn’t consume much power assuming your device, or upcoming Windows Phones if this is an exclusive feature, had Bluetooth 4.0 LE hardware enabled.
Push Notifications
A minor feature that I’d like to see is push notifications to my device when specific friends go online and start playing games. I have around 30 people in my friends list but only 3 or 4 that I play regularly with. Instead of catching them by chance within the SmartGlass app I wish I could be notified when they come online. You could go a step further by specifying that the app only send a notification when these friends start to play a certain game or only when they start playing games that you own within certain time frames.
The fact of the matter is that Windows Phone specifically needs the market and mind share boost. Even as a person who doesn't game religiously, I’d be hard pressed to purchase a Windows Phone and maybe even pony up the cash for an Xbox One rather than a PS4 when the time comes if some of these features were added. I’d like to see these features come to all mobile platforms, but that wouldn't necessarily make the most business sense in the mobile arena. If they didn't make these features exclusive, consumers would be more happy and they could leverage it to expand the allure for the Xbox One instead. It’s been announced that the PlayStation 4 has been beating the Xbox One in sales for 5 months and I doubt that the new $399 price point will close that gap soon. Before long, some sects within people's social groups may join the Sony camp and bring the rest of their friends with them - definitely not what Microsoft wants.
Speaking of the PS4, Sony is also missing out on these features with its own companion app and has virtually zero pull on its gaming community to purchase a Sony Android device (Z2 anyone?). The PlayStation app focuses more on the social aspects of gaming with group messaging threads and the ability to watch your friends play their games when they’re live streaming. Sony could just as easily add the aforementioned features and boost their console sales further. Sony desperately needs to get more content connecting the PS4 to their Xperia devices exclusively rather than spreading all of the love to other Android and iOS devices. Currently, Sony holds only 3.8% of global handset shipments, making this an even better opportunity to expand their share of the mobile pie. While this wouldn't necessarily make some customers happy or be pro-consumer, it would make some business sense for their struggling handset division. Both systems are rather equal in my mind at this point. Whichever company integrates similar features may be able to take my money and convert me to their mobile platforms as well.
Let me know what you think of these features I’ve thought of in the comments below! Obviously, I’d love to have them but I’d like to see what you think. Are there any other features you’d like the gaming divisions of Sony or Microsoft to integrate into their mobile platforms?
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, PhoneDog
Image Credit: Microsoft - Xbox
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A Year Later: LG Google Nexus 4 In-Depth Written Review
Reviewed and Written by: Tom Miller
In November of 2012, Google and LG joined forces to bring the much anticipated next generation in the Nexus line-up to the market. It led the pack in the specification race at its time. By today’s standards, the specifications the Nexus 4 delivers aren't considered industry leading or superior like they once were; however, they still combine to bring a smooth and enjoyable experience - with some caveats of course. The price proposition was extremely competitive at $300/$350 unlocked for 8GB and 16GB storage variants, respectively. Buying a device comparable to the Nexus 4 would normally cost upwards of $650 full retail at the time. Considering this, it's easy to see how great of a deal the Nexus 4 was. With the Nexus 4’s successor (the Nexus 5) having been released roughly 8 months ago, the Nexus 4 has logically become cheaper as newer devices surpass it technologically; however, this fact doesn't necessarily translate to a poor experience any longer. Many consumers have no problem buying a device from a previous generation anymore due to the price reduction benefits, but is the Nexus 4 still able to handle the workload modern services require and consumers now come to expect?
If you’re in the market for a low cost but high performance device, should you buy a Nexus 4 or a comparable last generation industry leader like the Apple iPhone 5/5c, Samsung Galaxy S4, or HTC One (M7)? Is this still a viable choice for consumers in the current market? Was it even a good phone to begin with? I’ve owned my Nexus 4 for a year and three months now and believe I can help answer this question. Here’s my review of the LG Google Nexus 4, a year later.
Exterior Hardware:
The Nexus 4 is still considered by many to be one of the most beautiful phones ever produced by any manufacturer, and I can’t say I disagree. The design is a result of LG blending the Samsung Galaxy Nexus’ and LG Optimus G’s builds together, bringing us one of the most elegant devices ever to grace the market to this day.
Both faces of the phone are glass with soft touch plastic banding around the sides of the device. The glass on the front face of the phone smoothly curves over the edge, helping to create fluid motions when swiping left and right on the display. It’s one of the most subtle and one of my most appreciated features of the design. It makes the device feel more luxurious than its price would suggest. The soft-touch plastic material banding around the edge assists with grip and provides an overall comfortable grasp on the device. It has slight curves nearing the back face to make the phone easier to hold in the hand. Instead of feeling a hard and unwieldy glass brick you get a hard but still somewhat ergonomic KitKat bar. At 9.1mm thick and weighing in at 139 grams with this glass and plastic unibody chassis, the Nexus 4 feels solidly built yet light in the hand. Utilizing on-screen navigation keys, the front of the device is completely clean with an exception of the earpiece. The rear of the phone is where it gets interesting. Much like its cousin, the LG Optimus G, a speckled design is found under the glass. These circular specks shine when light hits them certain angles. They, much like the silver plastic accent that folds around the front edges of the display, add elegance and allure to the design.
The front faces of the Nexus 4 and its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, are nearly indistinguishable from each other. The ambient light sensor is on the top left with the 1.3MP front facing camera to the top right of the phone. The notification light is capable of producing multiple colors when it pulses. It’s centered below the on-screen home button. Port and button placement along the edges are almost identical too. The volume rocker is found along the left edge with a micro-SIM card slot below it. The micro-SIM slot is svelte with the soft-touch plastic band and almost completely unnoticeable. Along the right edge lays the power/unlock key. The power/unlock and volume rocker keys are placed towards the top of the device for easy and comfortable access. My thumb is able to effortlessly reach up to hit the unlock key and the same can be said for my index finger and the volume rocker. They’re made of the same silver plastic that the accent banding is made of and are lifted from the sides making the buttons tactile and easy to find.
A standard 3.5mm headphone jack is found on the top of the device alongside a noise-cancelling microphone while the micro-USB charging port and the main microphone are found on the bottom between two unapologetically exposed screws. These screw holes aren’t very noticeable when using the phone; however, they do become a nuisance when attempting to find the top of the device as the holes are often mistaken for the headphone jack in the dark.
Following my year of use, I’m now certain that I’ll never buy another phone with a glass back. Even after being the most careful person with my devices, the back of the Nexus 4 got brutally scratched. Within a few months, the first hairline scratches became visible near the Nexus branding on the rear. Soon those hairline marks evolved into full blown scratches and I was forced to purchase a case in an effort to save the glass over the camera by elevating it above any potentially harmful surface. It was puzzling that this phone was able to attract so many scratches because I almost never left it on abrasive surfaces (in some cases I even laid out tissues or towels to avoid placing it on wood for fear of making these scratches worse). The only benefits of the glass are the ease in reducing the temperature when it rises above 100 degrees from intensive processing and its beauty in the first months until it becomes unsightly. Although the glass helps dissipate heat quickly, it makes heat much more noticeable when it does rise above roughly 95 degrees Fahrenheit which occurs regularly with my moderate to heavy usage patterns. It also invokes inherent anxiety for fear of cracking the back glass as so many other people had within their first few hours or days with the device. Damage like cracking and scratching would occur much less had the rear glass been a variant of Gorilla Glass like the glass on the front of the phone.
Aside from back glass anxiety, the silver plastic accents are easy to chip. There are two chips and one slight scuff on my device following some unfortunate introductions with edges of tables and once when the glass made it slide down the side of a couch. As long as you plan on purchasing a case of some sort or don’t care much for scuffs and scratches, you’ll be fine with this device.
Display:
The Nexus 4 has a brilliant 4.7” TrueHD IPS display at 720p resolution with 320 ppi. What this translates to is a bright, clear image with nearly indistinguishable pixels. The only time you’ll notice pixels is when holding the device less than 5 inches from your eyes which rarely happens. Even then the pixels are small enough to make no difference in your viewing experience. Colors are accurate and vibrant. Text is sharp and easy to read. Viewing angles are absolutely fantastic with colors maintaining accuracy at almost 180 degrees, the max viewing angle. The display is easily readable at 50% brightness in direct sunlight.
The display is large enough for a great media viewing experience, whether that be with gaming, reading, or viewing photos and videos. The Nexus 4's display and chassis is wider than other phones. It may seem slightly odd at first, but there are some benefits to this. For one, you get a more spacious keyboard experience. Also, you get ever so slightly more space horizontally for text and other visuals for your portrait viewing experience.
Ghosting is a prominent problem I've experienced with the display panel as the device has aged. Upon exiting an app after a few minutes of use, stationary software design elements tend to faintly remain on the display for minute or two. Modern LCD panels should not have this issue which makes this finding rather disappointing. Thankfully, when I do have these issues, it is only temporary and hasn't left any permanent burn-in.
Audio:
The main speaker on the rear of the device is unimpressive. It’s not absolutely terrible though. It gets loud enough to hear down a hallway away from the room it’s located in, but the quality of the sound is somewhat poor with little depth or fullness. You’ll want to get an external speaker or rely on headphones if you want good, full sound quality from this device. If you have a Bluetooth speaker, it’s important to note that the Nexus 4 supports Bluetooth Low-Energy (LE) for minimal battery drain. Audio doesn’t get jumbled or muffled at the high end and performs well at all volumes for what it’s worth. At such a low price point something had to give. I wish it would have been on the back glass design, no matter how elegant, rather than such an essential part of the phone that creates a true interactive experience. It’s definitely enough for a few YouTube videos or a podcast in the background, but if you’re looking for a device with definition in the audio for a quick jam session, this isn’t the device for you.
Another gripe of mine is the headphone jack with its port placement at the top of the device. The tendency (for me at least) is to put the phone in a pocket upside down - it’s simply the most natural movement following usage. Whenever I have ear buds in while listening to Spotify or a podcast, I have to consciously shuffle the device around in order to have the jack facing up out of my pocket. It’s a design decision that will annoy me no matter how minute the issue is.
Camera Performance:
The Nexus 4 has a 1.3MP front-facing camera for the occasional video call or selfie if you're someone who partakes in that trend. The front-facing camera will leave your Snapchat or Instagram pictures poorly colored, soft (focus wise), and noise filled. Under good lighting you’ll obviously get better results, but if you really care about the quality from the front facing camera you’ll want to look at the iPhone or a comparable Android device.
These two images have gotten the most comments online from friends and family. “Wow! You took that on a phone?” is the common theme in their comments. You can see a crumb on the counter and even water droplets on the crabapple tree’s blooming flowers.
Its main 8MP shooter has gotten some flak from reviewers and I can’t say I totally disagree with the popular dissatisfied sentiment. When the conditions are perfect you’ll be able to get stunning photos from this device, but more times than not the camera takes its time to miss focus, delay the shutter, or simply make the colors and definition in detail look rather flat and washed out. Chromatic aberration and noisy photos aren’t too common in my experience, though attracting white glare from excess sunlight through a window happens all too often. It’s usually much more severe than the example image below will show. Low light performance isn’t great, partly due to the lack of optical image stabilization (OIS). Having a black dog that I love to take pictures of makes this a perfect storm for the camera to fail. A black dog in low light means you can only see some outline and eyes. When he moves around outside I can’t always focus on him or get motion blur unless I’m lucky. Lack of a burst mode makes action shots difficult to grab, but I have been able to get a few keepers.
I had to manipulate the camera settings quite a bit to get good pictures, but when you have the know-how and time to do so, you can get some great shots. Overall, the camera is inconsistent, but when it performs as intended it’s fantastic.
You may not be able to see it from these small files, but zooming in reveals small hairs on the budding leaves and vein-like structures on the wings of the dragonfly.
It took a while, but by using my hand in front of the glass I was able to trick the phone into focusing correctly. I have to do this more often than I’d like to for objects that are close.
When the phone focuses correctly, detail is crisp and it produces rather impressive photos. I’m surprised at times by how I’m able to pick up small details when the phone performs as intended. A decent depth of field can be achieved without special camera modes too.
The original shot (right) was able to be non-destructively edited within the gallery to salvage the under-lit and poorly white balanced image of my dog running through the snow on a sub-zero day here in Minnesota. As pictured are options for filters and frames as well as rotation, cropping, and general color/exposure modification tools.
Editing tools are built into the system’s gallery and are quite useful. Some tools that are included in the built-in software aren't even included on software provided by Canon for my DSLR, most notably the “locals” tool. I've been able to salvage some photos using the built-in tools that I’d otherwise have to discard. These tools are easy to manipulate and understand. They’re even more straightforward than some third party options I use like Snapseed. Speaking of third party tools, the editor comes with pre-installed filters much like Instagram. I don’t use these filters, or Instagram for that matter, but I know many people will enjoy this extra feature.
Battery Life:
The 2100 mAh non-removable battery leaves some to be desired. The phone typically lasts roughly 13.5 hours with 2-3.5 hours of screen on time and takes 1.5-2 hours to charge. A day out with moderate use and some GPS navigation will leave you searching for a car charger on your way back home. The lack of a removable battery makes this a relatively big issue because you can’t purchase a larger capacity battery as a replacement or spare. There are many times where I've come close to running out of power without an outlet or charger nearby when I’m at an event. Relying on airplane mode to keep my phone alive until I get home isn't ideal as early as 5PM. In an office environment, the Nexus 4’s Qi wireless charging capabilities could make this problem easier and more convenient to manage than hauling around a cord, but purchasing a Qi wireless charging pad is another investment. The low price point should make this extra cost easier to bear if you’re interested. It’s disappointing that the battery capacity couldn't be increased or software efficiency be optimized further to help avoid these problems.
Storage:
Regarding storage space, the Nexus 4 comes in 8GB and 16GB variants. The 16GB variant has served me well in the past year, but 126 apps and several hundred photos later I’m nearing the storage limit. Thankfully Google has many cloud based services like Google Drive, Google+’s automatic opt-in photo backup feature, and it’s cloud music, movies/TV, and books platforms in Google Play to alleviate this problem. These Play services on Android have some benefits over the iPhone in that they don’t save files locally like iTunes does. This way you avoid hogging space with videos and music. The Play Music service conveniently allows you to upload up to 20,000 songs from your iTunes library making this service more appealing even if you don’t use it currently. Instead of being locally stored, your downloaded content is streamed via a data connection. This poses a question: do you value saving space or offline capabilities more? Either way, these services provided by Google will only go so far. If you’re an app hoarder or photo freak like me, you may want to research 32GB variants of comparable devices listed earlier. Samsung devices from the Nexus 4’s generation typically have external storage expansion options for microSD cards that other devices don’t offer, the Nexus 4 included.
Performance:
The 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM combine to create a consistently snappy experience. When the device was released, these two specs alone were groundbreaking. It was the most powerful and advanced cell phone released at that point in mobile history. In the current market, these specs are now considered “mid-range,” though this label is misleading. This set-up handles a heavy workload with speed regardless of how dated it is. It can still run graphically intensive and many-times updated games like Real Racing 3 with ease. Surprisingly, the device still runs like it’s on day one following several system updates that could potentially cause a device to decrease in performance.
Software:
As a Nexus branded device you’ll see no carrier branded or pre-loaded apps. It runs stock Android with only core Google and system apps initially installed. Also, you will not have a “skinned” Android interface like other manufacturers include on their devices. The most popular of these skins are Samsung’s iconic TouchWiz and HTC’s Sense UI which are designed to enhance the pure stock Android experience that Google provides, though popular opinion suggests that these skins only bloat the experience - that’s between techies though. Without the added “bloatware,” referring to carrier branded apps and other pre-loaded services from the manufacturer, this device runs buttery smooth.
With a Nexus device, you’re virtually assured that your device will be supported with regular system updates for the latest version of Android. This means you’ll get to experience almost all of the new features from new versions of Android for years to come, making this device rather future-proof. I've run every point version of Android from 4.2 Jellybean to 4.4.3 KitKat which comes out to be around 5 system updates since I purchased it. Recently, Google had to make a slight departure with software design between the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5’s versions of Android, presumably due to technical limitations, but they've amended this deviation through an installable custom launcher which I currently use.
Above is Android 4.4.3 as you’ll see when you purchase your phone. I prefer the launcher version of software as displayed below.
I enjoy the stock Android operating system, though it’s definitely not for everybody. In some cases, the skins on non-Nexus branded devices make the experience better tuned toward a general consumer rather than a tech enthusiast like myself. Some have additional features installed, though many are gimmicky and there are only a few that are useful in day to day use from my observations. This in no way means that you won’t enjoy the experience the Nexus 4 has to offer if you don’t identify as a techie.
The launcher version of Android 4.4.3 KitKat is displayed (left). The launcher doesn't modify the appearance of settings menus. Quick settings toggles (right) are accessed with a two-finger gesture and can be manipulated using long presses to activate WiFi, Bluetooth, or location services while single taps are used to access the other menus.
The software design without the launcher I've installed is a bit gaudy to look at nowadays with its smaller icons and black backgrounds. It’s definitely not terrible, but after experiencing the current version of stock via the launcher, it’s hard to look back. The launcher version mimics the design that is currently found on the Nexus 5 and is displayed in the screenshots within this post. The launcher-KitKat design is very light. It’s beautiful, plain and simple. With every design iteration of Android the software gets progressively more minimalist and less intimidating. The navigation keys, notification tray, and app drawer are transparent with white icons making the operating system feel a lot lighter and consumer oriented. The non-launcher version of Android has similar design cues, but it’s heavier. The smaller icons can be easy to miss sometimes and the black notification shade and navigation keys makes everything feel cramped. Instead of having a transparent background within the app drawer like the current version of Android (launcher version), you’ll have a dull black background which is more intimidating and lackluster. Both versions perform well, but I suggest installing the launcher (that's only available for Nexus and Google Play Edition devices) if you choose this device
The swiping and two-fingered gestures to access menus and services are intuitive and useful. A swipe up from the navigation keys brings you to Google Now no matter what app or menu you’re in while a two finger gesture down on the notification shade opens a quick settings menu to quickly toggle things like WiFi, brightness, or Bluetooth. It also allows you to check on data and battery usage. A two fingered gesture on an actionable notification will expand it to display more information or, in some cases, quick reply or action keys to interact with a service from the notification shade rather than having to reopen the associated app first. Multi-tasking is easy to access and makes me considerably more productive than I might be on other systems. My friends are amazed at how quickly I’m able to navigate through the system and execute whatever task I desire with such efficiency.
Multi-tasking helps me find and execute tasks with ease whether it be for productivity or leisurely browsing.
A huge benefit of Android over iOS and Windows Phone are the customization options. As mentioned before, you can apply custom launchers to alter the look and feel of the software experience. Adding interactive widgets makes accessing information without opening apps a breeze. Lockscreen widgets are convenient too. I don’t have to unlock my display to see the weather, upcoming calendar events, or even some details of missed notifications among other utilities. With these lockscreen tools I can determine if a notification deserves my attention without even unlocking my device. Quick access to the camera from the lockscreen is useful too for those spontaneous shots - for me these are mostly of my dog whenever he is having fun outside running around. With the open operating system, you can modify the design to make a device useful and aesthetically pleasing on the software side through things like launchers as previously discussed, specialized software, and/or third party apps with various functions. Personally designing on Android goes further than what you can achieve on other operating systems because design goes beyond app/folder layout and changing your background. With Android you also can design with intuitive tools and widgets. It can be a time commitment depending on how much you want to customize your device, but it can have a very satisfying payoff once you’ve perfected your design and made the layout truly unique.
The open nature of Android means that apps can easily talk with each other, a feature coming to iOS in the Fall with iOS 8. This is highly beneficial for third party apps. You can set them as defaults and use them in any way you want rather than what the device manufacturer says you can do. Android has had this feature for years. The most common use case of the open OS is with sharing options between apps and cross-platform integration. I can be in a web page looking at an image or article and hit share. That brings up options to send that picture or article to a myriad of services that can interact with the item. I could send it to a friend with a messaging service, Evernote or Pocket to remember to read or view it later, or the cloud with Google Drive, Dropbox, or even OneDrive. This is more convenient than having to save said image and then upload it from within another app. Another implementation of the openness of the system is for custom tools built by developers which can do a myriad of things. These tools could do anything from toggle settings when physically entering geofenced locations or implement further integration with services on a computer and anything in between. If you can program it, Android is almost certainly capable of doing it.
Unsurprisingly, there is heavy Google integration in all variants of Android. I primarily use a mixture of Microsoft and Google services personally. Thankfully, Google accommodates other services (primarily with email services) within its operating system. Google integration is extremely convenient. Whatever I do within Chrome on my computer is accessible on my phone and vice versa. Searches, settings, and history are all synced seamlessly. If I purchased a movie, TV show, music, or books on my phone with Play services, I can access them on my computer as well. I can search for a place on my computer in Google search or maps and navigation will be ready within Google Now in case I want to take action on those searches at a later time. If you use Google services you’ll be extremely satisfied with the convenience Google integration brings.
Features:
Stock Android doesn’t offer many extra features to speak of because this software is meant to be a standard for manufacturers to base their own software off of. The most talked about features of a stock device are quick access to Google Now, Photosphere, and root access. Because the Nexus line is a reference for manufacturers, recent Android devices have (almost) all special features that were initially released on Nexus devices aside from easy root access, but rooting is only for the most dedicated of Android programmers and app developers.
Google Now is pictured above with only two of its dozens of cards that it can display. Say “Ok Google” followed by a question or command with natural diction and you can access pretty much any information you would need.
Google Now is one of my most used utilities on Android. It uses natural voice dictation, text input, and its card interface to execute tasks. It can use your searches and details within your Gmail account to predict what type of information you’ll need at any time which it will then display in a card style interface. It has utilities and cards for setting reminders, following stocks, keeping up with favorite sports teams, following shipping progress on packages, giving updates on topics you’re interested in based on past searches, weather, and even TV and movie recommendations. It goes further with analyzing how far you’ve walked in a particular month, notifies you on detours on your daily commute route, can notify you of delays or bring up a boarding pass before you get on a plane, and so much more. It’s extremely convenient to simply swipe up from the home key and say “Ok Google” to begin a search, set a reminder, or launch an app. It’s a large benefit of any modern Android device over less involved voice assistant alternatives from Microsoft and Apple.
Photosphere is another notable feature that amazes all of my friends whenever I’m at an event and create one. Essentially, you create a Google Street View image by panning your camera to dots on your display. Software stitches these images together and then you’re able to explore the place again at a later time. Currently, the only social network capable of displaying shared Photospheres is Google+ which can be spotty with it’s uploading methods. Oftentimes my uploads are distorted when they look perfect and vivid on the Nexus 4. You can look at examples here. Every time I take a Photosphere my peers crowd around me and ask what kind of phone I have because it’s such a cool feature. I’m not going to lie, it’s quite fun to show off! Only Nexus devices and Google Play Edition phones have access to Photosphere capabilities.
Availability:
The Nexus 4 has been discontinued since its successor’s release. If you’re interested in purchasing a unit for yourself, you’ll have to look for a refurbished or used model online. The cellular radio is compatible with GSM networks worldwide. AT&T and T-Mobile and affiliated carriers that use either’s networks (like Straight Talk for example) will service it in the US. If you don’t reside in the United States, you can check the cellular radio frequencies that the Nexus 4 supports at this page to see if it’s compatible with your carrier of choice.
The Nexus 4 is not capable of using 4G LTE data connectivity. Instead, it uses a typically slower version of 4G called HSPA+. It uses the HSPA+ 42 variety on T-Mobile which performs faster than the HSPA+ 21 version that AT&T utilizes. Lack of LTE speeds can be a problem in many areas. Luckily, T-Mobile’s coverage in my area is quite good. I get faster speeds on HSPA+ in the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities in Minnesota than some people with LTE service get in other areas of the country, but this is atypical. I generally get about 20Mbps down and 3Mbps up. Check coverage and HSPA+ speeds in your area before purchasing this device. Speed may suffer heavily. If you’re around WiFi most of the time like me, this likely won’t be much of an issue.
Note: Typically, unlocked devices tend to switch between data network technologies quite a bit. What I mean by this is that you'll experience more data speed swaps between 3G and HSPA+ speeds while using this device compared to a carrier specific phone.
Call Quality:
I've had a great experience with sound quality from my Nexus 4 on T-Mobile's network outside of the Twin Cities metro area. I can clearly hear voices from the earpiece and listeners on the other end say the same for quality coming from the phone's main microphone. This phone, like most phones, is not compatible with T-Mobile's HD Voice program which would make calls between two capable phones sound crystal clear, but for what's available I would give this a passing grade. The earpiece has a great range of volumes for whatever situation you're in without causing brief deafness at the loud volume end.
Speakerphone quality is good too. The primary microphone picks up the sound of my voice well from two to three feet away. The main speaker performs much better with speakerphone and while playing notification sounds compared to when you're trying to listen to a song or video.
If you're a business person that's constantly on calls, you won't be disappointed with this choice.
Wrap-up and Who It’s For:
Overall, the Nexus 4 is still a viable option for people to consider despite its shortcomings. I'm really nitpicking when I criticize this phone. I can see myself using this for another two years if I so choose. The beautiful design, although scuffed now, is still attractive enough to flaunt. It feels good in the hand and at times disappears in my pocket. The experience is still smooth regardless of apps now being optimized to run on more powerful hardware. With a clear and bright display, the device is a pleasure to look at and use. The combination of great software and alluring design creates an aesthetically pleasing experience through and through.
Sure the speaker and camera may not perform as well as I’d wish, but for $350 or less, I can’t complain. The battery and storage issues are difficult to ignore, but I've been able to get by for the most part.
Google services and the Android experience combine together to make intelligent and appealing software design that encourages productivity and customization. With an open operating system like Android, some of the most innovative services and customizations can be implemented.
The Nexus 4 will service anybody who doesn't absolutely need the latest and greatest. With stock Android you can customize and tweak to your heart’s desire with ease. That’s not to say you can’t do the same on other Android devices, you definitely can, but some carrier and manufacturer restrictions may impede some more in-depth customizations. As long as you aren't an app hoarder and/or a picture and video fanatic, then you should be more than pleased with this device. You might need to have some charging cords around just in case you run into issues.
The Nexus 4 has served my friends who also own a unit very well too and they certainly aren't technology gurus. In fact, they picked up their units based solely on their experiences in-store. They found stock Android easy to grasp and they enjoy the extended update support that other devices lack.
If you don’t need all of the benefits of stock Android or need something more consumer oriented with extra features, you should look at the aforementioned Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One (M7) - assuming you’re sticking with a last generation device. These devices will provide you with larger storage options, better quality cameras, less fragile design, are more available in the market on all major US carriers, and have special features that just about anybody can find some use for. If you could care less about customization and just need a phone that can take care of phone calls, email, and connects to every service you can think of - variants of the iPhone will probably suit you best. That’s not to say that iPhone isn’t good for anything else though. It’s a very capable device in all areas and has one of the best cameras on the market with a very consistent design experience. You generally can’t go wrong with any of these other devices.
Even a year later, I still feel comfortable endorsing the Nexus 4. If you do choose to purchase a Nexus 4, I hope you’re as happy with it as I am. It’s a great device that has served me well and I hope it continues to in the years to me.
Amazon Prime Music Live Ahead of Official Announcement
At 2AM Eastern, Amazon’s site for Amazon Prime Music accidentally went live. As of writing this post, it is still up here. Speculation has risen in the recent days regarding an announcement and proper launch of the streaming service - potentially being announced later today, tomorrow, or during Amazon's June 18th event where we're expecting to see its phone with an odd 3D display feature.
The page gives some key details regarding Prime Music’s selection and features. As expected, it will offer “unlimited, ad-free steaming” and presumably mimic similar services like Spotify, Rdio or Pandora with thousands of preset playlists and “over a million songs.” The selection won't match that of Spotify which has the rights to stream over 20 million songs..
The service will be available from mobile phones, tablets, and computers but the platforms it supports aren't detailed on the launch page at this time.
Update: 9to5Google has uncovered some more details. It seems that Prime Music will differentiate from comparable services by focusing more on the preset playlists rather than allowing users to select specific songs. They also specify that mobile apps for iOS and Android will be available at launch and that there will be unlimited offline playback.
Additional information and image credits: 9to5Google
Edit added extra images from 9to5Google and additional updated information as noted.
HTC has stepped up their game in 2012 as they focus on quality over quantity. We've seen some of the best Android phones of all time from HTC and the upcoming Windows Phone 8X and 8S are shaping up to be some pretty hot devices ready for this holiday season. Although HTC has stripped back their Sense Android skin, has some of the best camera sensors and complimentary software, improved design elements, and overall features packed into their recent devices, there are still a few things we'd like to see improved.
UI/UX
Along with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich came Sense 4, HTC's software skin over Android, which contained a plethora of improvements that awed the techies of the world. I personally think it's one of the best skins on the market that we have to choose from if we don't want to go with Google's stock Android line, the Nexus series. Although I believe that it's one of the best skins available, there are still a few things that bother me with the UI/UX that I think could really improve their devices.
For starters, I still hate some of the icons. They don't so much bother me as much now as they did back with Sense version 3.6 and earlier, but there still could be work done. The icons need to pop a little yet remain subtle which is what they've done but with extensively cartoon-ish and clunky symbols, especially in on the "Internet" app. Some seem bland, clunky, dull, emotionless, and/or uninspired at this point while others are in the way and too bold. For me, I see the "Mail" icon as an example of this bland and dull portion of the problem. It's out of the way and doesn't bring much attention, but it doesn't have any flare that makes it look as elegant as other icons I've seen.
Of course, all software has cartoon-ish icons but something still irks me about their current setup. It seems to me that they tried to be more sleek and sophisticated with it, which they did especially seen in their new clock widget, but they still are reminiscent of their old icons which were bulky and in your face trying to be fun and "hip" which put a bad taste in my mouth previously. Business users most likely will dislike the cartoony and fun icons and will prefer something more sleek found in something like iOS which is smooth, unobtrusive, and popular.
I know HTC will take steps to move in a sleeker direction with upcoming versions of Sense as they have demonstrated with Sense 4 earlier this year and Sense 4+ more recently. Sure, I'm probably reading way more into this than I should and I'd still be delighted to use Sense icons and all, but it's still something that irks me to this day that could easily be improved. Speaking of apps and icons, the app drawer could use an update also.
The app drawer is eerily reminiscent of previous versions of Sense that again, leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It again seems dull and old. Just like in previous versions of Sense, the app drawer has a black background, three toggles at the bottom of the screen, and a green and black- gray theme. Don't get me wrong, the refinements are great like the new transitions within the toggles and moving to left to right swiping instead up their old up down fashion, that oftentimes slowed down the device, but I'd like to see a fresher version of this in the future.
Battery
Battery, battery, battery! HTC is known for not having large batteries in their devices and of course this leads to battery life complaints and users not being able to get through and entire day with their device which is obviously a huge problem. In their flagship device for the first half of 2012, the HTC One X, we saw killer specs and features including the gorgeous 1280 x 720, 720p HD SLCD-2 display, 8 MP camera with ImageSense, 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 (in the US) processor, and Beats Audio. The main place where this phone fell flat was the somewhat measly 1,800 mAh battery that plagued users.
This of course isn't the first, and probably isn't the last, time HTC will underscore the battery unfortunately due to the fact that they tend to prefer to create thinner and lighter phones rather than slightly bulkier and heavier devices. This is unfortunate because users often times can't make it through a full day with those type of high end specs taking a toll on that battery. I'm sure I speak for nearly every consumer when I say that I'd rather have a slightly heavier and bulkier device so I can actually use the device in my waking hours rather than having to constantly be around a charger. Also, the added bonus of that bulk is the benefit of improved ergonomics which HTC already has somewhat with their current line-up of devices.
Beats Audio
One gimmick that could have just worked was HTC's partnership with Beats Audio. HTC had purchased 51% of the company in August of 2011 but in this past July Beats Audio purchased back 25% of their company. Beats has a somewhat cult like following that people feed into and that's obviously why HTC partnered with them. Although it's a complete gimmick now, it used to be a great value proposition. You could buy a $200 phone (subsidized of course) and get a free premium pair of Beats by Dre earbuds, valued at about $100, which was a fantastic deal. Unfortunately, due to cost HTC has discontinued their efforts of including these earbuds out of the box. It's a complete gimmick now due to the fact that the only true bonus is a slightly improved audio output from both speaker and software enhancement technologies implemented in the phones.
Had HTC continued to include these headphones out of the box, there would be much more of a value proposition for consumers. The logo and name touting isn't enough anymore, we need implementation where I don't need to pay $100 for a feature that you advertise to work to it's fullest extent. I know that HTC has been struggling to make a profit lately through loss with investments and rough sales figures, even with some of the best devices currently on the market, but consumers don't care about other features - they care about a brand they know in an instant like Beats and that's what makes them want the HTC device at their local store rather than the Samsung, Motorola, LG, Apple, ect. Beats implementation needs to go full circle again with a stronger advertising campaign showing off the products their devices communicate with and that users will get that free pair of earbuds. If they're able to make that happen, I believe they'll truly start climbing out of this hole.
Conclusion
Although HTC has done a fantastic job in 2012 of delivering top notch devices with notable specifications and support from the press, I believe we still need to see some minor improvements as do other manufacturers. Some aspects such as UI/UX elements and battery life will be found in other manufacturers yet they are major factors in my opinion exhibited in HTC's lineup that could somewhat easily be fixed within a generation of devices. Hopefully we'll see these improvements come along soon.
Some aspects that HTC is clearly in violation of are also found in multiple OEM's and will be discussed in a later piece. For now though, I'd like to know what you think. What does HTC need to improve on in your opinion?
Straight out of the gates at IFA comes the Samsung Galaxy Note II! It features a 5.5" 1280x720 HD Super AMOLED 16:9 display, 1.6 GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB/32GB/64GB iterations of built-in-storage, NFC, 4G LTE and 21Mbps HSPA+ network support, 1.9 and 8 megapixel front and rear facing cameras respectively, a 3,100 mAh battery, S pen functionality (with premium S pen apps) and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean! All of this is packed into a 9.4mm Galaxy SIII esque shell as you can see above in the two colors that it will be launching in, Marble White and Titanium Gray.
No US carriers or US launch dates have been announced as of now, but we do know that this device will be launching in major European, Middle Eastern, and Asian markets in October. Hopefully this device will come out in the US before 2012 is out so everybody can get their hands on this device.
Aaron Baker from PhoneDog.com, one of my personal favorite websites for mobile tech news, posted some of the first videos of in-depth looks at the major hardware and software improvements that you'll want to see.
If you'd like to read the press release in it's entirety, it's available in the read more tab below. If you were eyeing a Galaxy SIII but wanted all of the joy of S pen functionality, this is definitely shaping up to be the device for you! Will you guys and gals be picking up this device when it becomes available in your area?
Be Creative, Be Expressive with the GALAXY Note II
The most powerful smartphone sparks everyone’s creative inspirations
BERLIN, Germany—29 August 2012— At the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event held today at IFA, in Berlin, Samsung introduced the GALAXY Note II, a whole new level of innovation for the GALAXY Note category. The new Samsung GALAXY Note II enables unique experiences in personalized and expressive content creation, making it the ultimate smartphone for on-the-go creativity.
“Last year at IFA, we launched the GALAXY Note, which opened a new category of smart mobile devices. This year, again at IFA, I am proud to announce the GALAXY Note II, which will encourage users to 'unleash their inner creativity.’ With a perfect viewing experience and unique and differentiated features, users can discover information and capture their ideas faster, express thoughts freely and manage tasks more efficiently. For anyone who wants to be creative, expressive and unique, the Samsung GALAXY Note II will be the ideal device, allowing users to live a life extraordinary,” said JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics.
Since the first introduction of the GALAXY Note category, Samsung has continued to enhance and expand the GALAXY Note product experiences. In May 2012, Samsung introduced ‘Premium Suite,’ a software upgrade which provided enhanced user experiences. With the Ice Cream Sandwich OS upgrade, Samsung offered innovative new features such as Shape Match and Formula Match, providing a new way for organizing and expressing ideas in their personal and professional life. Also in August, Samsung expanded the category further with the GALAXY Note 10.1, which has a 10.1-inch large screen, a Multiscreen feature for the ultimate multitasking, and enhanced features for users’ productivity, creativity and learning abilities. With further enhancements, Samsung GALAXY Note II will help users unleash their inner creativity by letting them discover information faster, capture ideas, and express them in a more organized and efficient manner.
Perfect viewing experience
The GALAXY Note II features a 5.5” (140.9mm) HD Super AMOLED screen, providing breathtaking visuals and crystal clear detail. Its 16:9 screen ratio ensures an immersive and enriched cinema-like video viewing experience, perfect for watching HD videos on-the-go. Its larger screen allows users to see content clearly and vividly, with much enhanced readability. In addition to the stunning content consumption experiences on a larger screen, users will also be able to accomplish more tasks efficiently and create content freely on-the- go, as the GALAXY Note II comes with a thinner and portable body.
Easy multitasking
Air View allows users to hover with the S Pen over an email, S Planner, image gallery, or video to preview the content without having to open it. This feature enables users to quickly search and see more information in one view without screen transitions.
Thanks to the breadth of the GALAXY Note II’s amazing viewing experience, a feature called Popup Note extends the concept of Popup Play, which lets users open an S Note instantly as a pop-up window anywhere on the screen. For example, when a user pulls out the S Pen during a phone call, the S Note application automatically pops up on the screen, allowing users to jot down a quick note.
In addition, the device’s new gesture pad feature, called Quick Command, lets users quickly activate frequently used apps with the S Pen. The command pad appears when a user just swipes upward on the screen with the S Pen button pressed. Users can quickly send an email, make a call, or search a location as they draw pre-registered marks on the command pad or register a unique mark to allow for quick and easy access.
Furthermore, users will be able to share their experiences with others quickly and easily using Screen Recorder. It allows users to record a whole sequence of actions taken on their screen — a demonstration of how to use an application, for example — and then share it with friends for comment, or just for fun.
Amazing expression tools - Advanced S Pen & S Note
The new S Pen is longer, thicker and ergonomically designed for the perfect grip. Therefore, it provides a more precise, comfortable, and natural writing and drawing experience.
The S Pen’s advanced features also provide enhanced capabilities to capture ideas and inspirations instantly, and to combine handwriting with any digital content directly on the screen. By simply pressing the dedicated S Pen button, the S Pen magically recognizes that users want to clip or edit the selected content on the screen. The Easy Clip feature allows users to instantly outline and crop any content on the screen in any shape to save, share or paste. Once done cropping the image, users can freely edit the cropped content through coloring, shading, or their own personal handwriting. It is quick and easy.
Another amazing expression feature called Idea Visualizer allows users to easily add illustrations by handwriting keywords on the S Note. It provides illustration images that match the handwritten keywords. It’s a fancy illustration match function that will allow users to express, organize and visualize ideas in a more innovative and creative way. Users can even customize and add in their own illustrations library.
Powerful Performance
Powering content creation, sharing and multitasking capabilities, the GALAXY Note II comes with the latest hardware technologies. A mighty 1.6GHz Quad-Core processor and HSPA Plus or 4G LTE connectivity delivers easy multitasking, lightning-fast screen transitions, powerful browser performance, and minimal app load time. The GALAXY Note II is powered by Android™ 4.1, Jelly Bean. This brings stunning graphical capabilities and an upgraded Google Now service, including new features such as contextual search, to the GALAXY Note II. The memory options are 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB with an expandable micro SD memory slot. Thanks to a 3,100mAh battery, users can enjoy multimedia content, always be productive on the go, and capture ideas whenever, wherever without suffering from power limitation.
The GALAXY Note II comes with an 8 megapixel rear-facing and 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera with HD video recording. The camera has great features like Buddy Photo Share, Burst Shot and Best Photo, which were introduced on the GALAXY S III earlier in the year. In addition to that, the GALAXY Note II features a unique camera function called Best Faces. Best Faces allows users to choose the most preferred face or pose of each person from group portrait photos. Users can also personalize photos by leaving handwritten notes on the backside of a photo using the S Pen. Handwritten Photo Notes can be shared with others in jpg format.
Available in Marble White or Titanium Gray color options, the Samsung GALAXY Note II is set to launch in October starting in major European, Asian, and Middle East markets.
The Samsung GALAXY Note II will be on display at the Samsung booth # 20 at IFA 2012 from Aug 31 through Sep 5. For more information on GALAXY Note II, please visit www.samsungmobilepress.com.
Full details, video content and product images are available at Samsung’s IFA 2012 microsite: http://www.samsungifa2012.com or mobile site: m.samsungifa2012.com as well.
Great Deals: Motorola and Verizon Offer Steep Discounts on DROID Devices
Written By: Tom Miller
Verizon and Motorola are offering the DROID RAZR MAXX, DROID RAZR, and the QWERTY toting DROID 4 for $100 off. Although they're advertising this as a sale and hinting toward back to school, there's no news on if this is temporary or permanent but my guess is that this is here to stay. After hearing of the event that'll be held on September 5th hosted by Motorola and Verizon where we're almost certainly going to hear about the new DROID RAZR HD(s) or other iterations of the RAZR line, this guess shouldn't come as a shock. Either way, if you weren't holding out for one of the new iterations, this will be the perfect time for you to buy!
AT&T Will Not Charge For FaceTime Over Cellular, Sort Of...
Written By: Tom Miller
After much speculation of AT&T charging iPhone users to utilize FaceTime over cellular in iOS 6, the carrier provided clarification on the situation in a statement released earlier today. AT&T states that they will not charge customers for FaceTime over cellular, but only if the customers are signed up for one of their Mobile Share plans that will be released in the coming weeks.
What does this mean? Well, for one it means that users still grasping onto their unlimited plans or some other offering from the carrier will not be able to access this feature unless they're using Wi-Fi.
Although this does come as some sort of relief for consumers using AT&T for their cellular needs (and even me, a non-AT&T customer), it still isn't acceptable in my view. I know that the carrier wants people to use their new plans but it isn't right to force people out of a service just because they've been using your service with an unlimited plan because they've been with you long enough to have been grandfathered. In my point of view, this is a way of harassing the consumer even if they aren't charging extra for it. If they did charge for it I would be MUCH more heated about this, and as I said earlier - I'm not even with AT&T! What do you guys and gals think? Is this consumer harassment on part of AT&T? Does this even have an affect on your habits?
Samsung Hints Galaxy Note Device For Verizon on Facebook
Written By: Tom Miller
Samsung recently posted on it's Facebook page commenting on a relatively vocal customer's post that they "do not have any news to announce just yet" regarding this customers plead for answers about the rumored Verizon variant of the device. With the Galaxy Note 2 right around the corner, wouldn't it be right to guess that this is the device Samsung Support is hinting toward? In the end, nobody knows what this really could be. This may be either an error in wording or a PR mistake. We'll find out soon enough!
Rumor: Motorola Releasing Both DROID RAZR HD and DROID RAZR HD MAXX in October
Written By: Tom Miller
According to a rumor posted on the site Hot Hardware, a "very reliable source" has tipped them that Motorola is going to release both a DROID RAZR HD and a RAZR MAXX HD variant of the device in October. Although their source didn't confirm any specifications, we've seen plenty of rumors that corroborate through image hosting, benchmark sites, and FCC filings. We now believe that the somewhat disappointing (because of previous rumors of only one device) 2,530 mAh battery will be the normal RAZR HD's battery and that the RAZR MAXX HD variant will hold something that will be 3,300+ mAh. The source also tells us that launch dates will be dependent on how well the original RAZR and RAZR MAXX models sell going into the Fall season which is odd being that it has been almost a year since those builds dropped.
I would have to agree with Kellex from Droid-Life when he says "Motorola would be committing 2012 suicide if they wait until October to release this phone" for the same reasons he states. Our reasoning is that this will be device suicide due to the fact that Apple will be announcing and possibly releasing the next iPhone in September. They have to start selling right away otherwise consumers will walk into their local Verizon and be at the hands of bandwagons and sales reps.
Something Kellex didn't bring up is the loss of sales from cell phone junkies due to the fact that by October we should be hearing more and more rumors of the next Nexus device(s). By that time I may decide to skip out on the RAZR lineup as much as I love Motorola and move on with a Nexus myself.
If there are multiple models of the next generation RAZR lineup, they should definitely be released at the same time with a price differentiation of at least $50. I just hope Verizon doesn't price the MAXX at $300 and the normal RAZR at $250 unless they turn out to absolutely kill the GS3 which isn't totally expected from the rumors we've heard. They're just asking to sell more and more GS3's if that's the pricing scheme they plan to stick with. All in all they should still be great devices worth looking at in your local store when they finally drop!
What are your thoughts on these new rumors? Do you think this is going to be device suicide if Motorola decides to hold out until RAZR sales start to fizzle?
T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note Full Retail Cost Leaked, One Day Before Launch
Written By: Tom Miller
The T-Mobile variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note is finally going to be released tomorrow after months of rumors. Finally, we have all of the pricing details thanks to TmoNews.
They report that "With a Classic voice and data plan, the Galaxy Note will cost $249.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a two-year agreement. Value plan customers with a voice and data plan can expect to pay a $199.99 out-of-pocket down payment and 20 equal monthly payments of $20 per month with T-Mobile’s Equipment Installment Plan." and later go on to tell us that the monster device will be $599.99 retail which isn't actually that bad considering that it's a phablet device, but one thing many of us are trying to swallow is that price due to the age and the rumors of the second iteration being announced at IFA later this month.
Motorola Facebook Hinted Device Is Already Released
Written By: Tom Miller
Just a few moments ago Motorola took to Facebook again with another hint. They confirmed that this device is already on the market in the U.S. with a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor. There goes all hope for a release of the much anticipated DROID RAZR HD (XT926).
I expect the next RAZR variant to be announced at IFA next month along with the next iteration in the Samsung Galaxy Note line. This Fall is going to be a very fun time for techies!
Motorola Hints Phone on Facebook- Reveal on Friday, Razr HD Anyone?
Written By: Tom Miller
Late last night, good ole' Motorola took to Facebook to tease a phone which will be revealed on Friday. More hints will arrive throughout the week and we'll definitely keep you posted incase this turns out to be the rumored DROID RAZR HD device, also known as the XT926. However, the wording of this post makes us think twice about this being a new device at all.
Just because it's a "big reveal" doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to be seeing an entirely new device. Also, the hint of it having 4G LTE means it could be on 3 carriers in the past year which doesn't really help us that much due to the sheer volume of device with this feature that were released. My guess is that this is just a PR stunt to get people speculating and to draw traffic to their page. Let's keep our fingers crossed though because I know that a lot of people have been waiting months for the 720p HD screened, 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 touting, NFC capable, 2530 mAh weilding, Ice Cream Sandwich, 4G LTE device including me!
Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below. What do you think this is? Is this just a PR stunt? Do you think this going to be a new device?
T-Mobile made the Galaxy Note officially official earlier this morning with a press release shown in the "Read More" section of this post. It looks like it definitely is the original variation that has been found on AT&T for months. T-Mobile didn't give us a release date, however they did say that it would be arriving "in the coming weeks". Pricing details weren't released either. From the press release we find that there aren't any hardware improvements, however we do find a few software improvements.
T-Mobile revealed that its Galaxy Note will come with with Android 4.0, Samsung's Premium Suite and the T-Mobile 4G Pro App Pack, which include, most notably, Dropbox, Evernote and LinkedIn. As a refresher on the hardware side of things, the Galaxy Note features a 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor, 8-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front cameras. T-Mobile's variant of the Note is compatible with their 42Mbps HSPA+ network.
Let us know your opinion in the space below, are they going to shoot themselves in the foot for not waiting for the next variant that has been rumored to be coming soon?
Smartphone Delivers Innovative All-in-One Experience With the Perfect Blend of Work and Play Features
BELLEVUE, Wash., — July 17, 2012 — T-Mobile USA, Inc., the No. 1 mobile operator brand in Samsung Galaxy S™ sales, and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S. and the No. 1 smartphone provider worldwide1, today announced the upcoming availability of the Samsung Galaxy Note™. One of T-Mobile’s fastest devices leveraging its 4G (HSPA+ 42) network and running on Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Samsung’s Premium Suite, the Galaxy Note provides an innovative, all-in-one experience that is perfect for work, play and everything in between.
Consumers are demanding larger smartphone screen sizes. In fact, a recent T-Mobile survey2 showed 77 percent of consumers prefer a device with a 4.5-inch or larger display rather than a smaller screen. The Galaxy Note speaks directly to that demand with a 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED™ touch screen — the largest screen on a T-Mobile® smartphone. The device is elegantly designed to handle both business and home tasks with ease.
The Galaxy Note with Premium Suite provides a range of productivity-enhancing features, such as the S Pen™, S Note, S Memo™ and Polaris Office. Now T-Mobile customers can write notes, to-do lists and annotate documents; share ideas and edited content; and create documents, presentations and spreadsheets to maximize efficiency while on the go. S Note helps to professionalize communications by providing templates for seven commonly used documents such as an idea note, travel notes, diary entry, meeting notes and recipes. S Note also allows you to import and annotate a PDF file and convert dictated or handwritten memos to text with the Continual Voice Input and Handwriting-to-Text features. With S Memo, Galaxy Note users have one-touch access to creating a typewritten, handwritten or voice dictated memo; researching information during creation; and adding an image.
The Galaxy Note also has the SAFE (Samsung Approved for Enterprise™) designation, which means it has a full suite of enterprise-ready features and capabilities, including comprehensive IT policy support for top-tier mobile device management (MDM) providers, on-device AES256-bit encryption, enhanced support for Microsoft Exchange, as well as integrated support for a range of virtual private network (VPN) solutions. The Galaxy Note also provides Wi-Fi Calling capabilities and, with a qualifying rate plan, can act as a Smartphone Mobile HotSpot for up to five devices.
“In addition to larger screens, today customers demand more from their devices — from having safeguarded access to corporate email and other productivity features to being able to rely on a speedy network for streaming content,” said Andrew Morrison, vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA. “With the unique and highly innovative Galaxy Note in our lineup, we are even better equipped to help our customers strike the perfect balance as they juggle both professional and personal activities.”
The Samsung Galaxy Note also offers the T-Mobile 4G Pro App Pack, an aggregation of key applications, such as Dropbox, Evernote, Square, TripIt, CamScanner and LinkedIn, that can reduce the complexity and effort associated with finding and downloading business-related applications. By providing an easy path to cloud services such as Dropbox and Evernote, T-Mobile helps professionals easily store and access the documents, files, images and notes that will help them better manage their work from virtually anywhere.
Featuring a snappy Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S3 Processor with 1.5 Ghz Dual-Core CPUs, the Galaxy Note provides customers with incredible 4G experiences, making it the perfect all-in-one device to maximize efficiency and productivity, in addition to fun. The Galaxy Note offers a variety of entertainment experiences, such as T-Mobile TV in mobile HD3 for watching live TV programming, Samsung Media Hub for renting and buying the latest movies and TV shows, and Google Play Music for streaming and purchasing music. The Galaxy Note also features an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, to capture pictures and HD videos to share with friends, family and social networks.
Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Note is expected to be available at select T-Mobile retail stores and online via www.T-Mobile.com in the coming weeks.
1 Samsung is the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the United States and the No. 1 smartphone provider worldwide according to Strategy Analytics, Q1 2012 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipment and Global Smartphone Shipment Reports.
2 About The Survey: The T-Mobile Smartphone Screen Survey was conducted between May 29th and June 5th, 2012 among 1,031 Americans ages 18 and over who own a smartphone, using an email invitation and an online survey. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. The margin of error for any subgroups will be slightly higher.
Kelton is a leading global insights firm serving as a partner to more than 100 of the Fortune 500 and thousands of smaller companies and organizations. Utilizing a wide range of customized, innovative research techniques and staff expertise in marketing, branding, PR, media, and business strategy; Kelton helps drive our clients' businesses forward.
3 Mobile HD TV can deliver a bit rate of 800kbps and 16:9 resolution; the bit rate and resolution you experience will vary based on many factors, e.g., programming, network connection and device.
Samsung, Galaxy, Galaxy S, Galaxy Note, Super AMOLED and Samsung Approved for Enterprise are trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Other company names, product names and marks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners and may be trademarks or registered trademarks.
A few months ago, a little birdy tipped TmoNews, one of my personal favorite websites for phone news (links below), that the Samsung Galaxy Note would soon come to the Magenta U.S. Carrier. They even included a gallery of pictures with one seen above.
But today, there is a new story that everyone is talking about. @TMobileHelp on Twitter told a customer that this device would be coming to the carrier but left no details on when. Although there isn't any news yet on how long we'll have to wait for it to be released, seeing this come straight from T-Mobile itself hints that we probably won't have to wait too long.
Unfortunately, I believe this is too late for T-Mobile to pick this device up. The once AT&T exclusive device has probably already taken everybody who wanted this device's business. Also, weeks after the initial launch on AT&T there was a kernel that could be altered to allow the Note's radio frequencies to interact with T-Mobile towers. Plus, we've already heard rumors about the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 coming in September. If this isn't the next iteration in this line of devices, T-Mobile is just shooting itself in the foot.
What do you guys think about this? Do you think this is going to be the second iteration in the Galaxy Note line? Is T-Mobile shooting itself in the foot by waiting this long?
Today we are announcing the option to submit your content. We want to hear all of your opinions on products and advances in mobile technology so we can extend our horizons and so we can provide more content throughout the day! If you're a regular and we're impressed, we may add you on as a full time contributing editor (once we are large enough to pay people!). Follow the guidelines and we will read all content submitted. You can find the option to submit in the description box on the right side of the page. We appreciate your viewership and your submissions. Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Before we officially launch, we are presenting a brand new logo to the site! It appeared last night at around 11 PM but we would like to make an official post to show it off. Introducing Mobile Talk 101 Logo 2.0!
The inaugural posts will occur extremely soon! We're planning on launching the site by next week. Problems with site configuration have been resolved. Our mission at Mobile Talk 101 is to bring you educative posts and opinions on the progressions in mobile technology to inform you on your next mobile purchase. Eventually, we would like to expand into actually completing full reviews with devices, but at this time we do not have the funds for such a project. Stay tuned for new content!
