Android Phone Fans |
- iPad Air wins Best Tablet at Mobile World Congress, and it wasn’t even there
- 2014 Motorola Smartwatch will focus on style, battery life
- Look what popped up: LG G Pop and LG G2 Pop
- Hands-on: Sony Xperia M2
- Hands-on: ZTE Grand Memo 2 LTE
- Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ flexes its ability at MWC 2014
- Huawei brings new Ascend G6, new MediaPad tablets, and new wearables to Mobile World Congress
- Hands-on: the next generation YotaPhone [VIDEO]
- Hands-on: LG L65, L70, L80, L90 [VIDEO]
- PrivatOS Blackphone protects privacy nuts for $629, aims for $60M in sales
- Hands-on: LG F70 and F90 [VIDEO]
- Sprint brings Spark and HD Voice to Jacksonville and Salt Lake City
- SanDisk has the first 128GB microSD card you need for these new phones
- Hands-on: Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo [VIDEO]
| iPad Air wins Best Tablet at Mobile World Congress, and it wasn’t even there Posted: 25 Feb 2014 03:39 PM PST Interesting fact: the iPad Air won the GMA’s Best Tablet award at MWC 2014 despite not being in attendance. Silly, right? It’s not that the iPad Air isn’t deserving of praise. It’s actually a pretty fine device in its own right.
But the announcement that it won best tablet screams “automatic win,” “default victory,” and “handed to Apple on a silver platter.” With Apple’s reputation for being awarded brownie points based on sheer reputation, we wouldn’t blame anyone for thinking those things. Some of you might be of the opinion that there are many more devices deserving that recognition and we wouldn’t be quick to disagree. Here are 5 tablets we feel are more deserving of GMA’s Best Mobile Tablet award handed out at Mobile World Congress given their performance and, you know, the fact that most of them were actually at MWC. Samsung Galaxy Note ProThis might be the safest bet there is, but the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro definitely deserves to be talked about among the greats of yesteryear. The device comes in three different sizes — 8.4, 10.1, and 12.2 inches — yet all of them come with an astounding screen resolution of 2560 x 1600 (compare that to the iPad Air’s 2048 x 1536).
Samsung’s decision to go with the 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 or, depending on the model, Exynos 6 chipset definitely stands out, and you aren’t going to find many other devices packing 3GB of RAM right now. Add to that the fact that it has a slimmer profile than that of the iPad Air’s and includes the Wacom-enabled S Pen technology the Note series has become famous for, and it’s stunning that Samsung didn’t get any recognition here. We’re hoping the oversight is because GMA decided to go with what launched in the 2013 calendar year more than anything, because then at least this decision would make a lot more sense. Need more convincing? Maybe Samsung’s barrage of jabs at Apple in their latest advertising campaign would do the trick. Nexus 7The Nexus 7 always seems to get a few brownie points due to its status as a Nexus device and its ridiculously low price tag, but we can’t feel guilty for considering those things. You’d be hard-pressed to find another tablet worth getting for the money, and we’d venture to guess it’d attract a lot of attention even with a couple hundred more dollars tacked onto the cost of admission.
Always on our minds when it comes to talking about the Nexus 7 is its 7-inch 1920 x 1200 display, though the rest of the tape reads just as nice. Under the hood is a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro clocked at 1.5GHz, 2GB of RAM, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, a 5 megapixel camera and more. You put this one on the ballet next to the iPad Air and you’d have our vote. LG G Pad 8.3LG’s G Pad 8.3 wasn’t the most powerful device among its Android-donning peers, though it can still go toe-to-toe with any tablet in terms of sheer performance. The combo of a Snapdragon 600 processor and 2GB of RAM ensure that, no doubt. But LG’s main focus with the G Pad 8.3 was to provide a tablet that felt “just right” in your hands. The 8.3-inch form factor was received rather well from those who’ve used it, and LG certainly did do a fine job of striking a nice balance between ergonomics, looks and screen real estate.
It’s a tablet that feels “just right” in your hands, which is important for anyone looking to tote these around day-to-day.And you just won’t find multi-tasking features like Slide Aside, QSlide, and QRemote on an iPad Air. Sony Xperia Z2 TabletThis was a tablet announced just this week at Mobile World Congress, so we doubt its name was near any mega-tablet-voting-booth setup the GMA may or may not have used. The Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is admittedly the first one that really got our attention from the electronics giant from Japan, and we’d definitely hold out for its arrival up against dropping $500 for an iPad Air today.
Reading off this thing’s specs would be like defining the American Dream for us tech geeks:
Of course, specs alone don’t make or break a device. It’s the culmination of all of Sony’s various unique services and features, such as Music and Video Unlimited and all of the great camera features they take pride in, that make up what’s so special about the Xperia Z2 Tablet. You can tell Sony has learned a lot from their early stumbles in the smartphone space, and this tablet is the first one we’d seriously put toe-to-toe with anything Apple has to offer. Peep our hands-on video from Mobile World Congress to see exactly what we’re talking about. ASUS Transformer Pad TF701TASUS might not be the only OEM making major noise in the tablet world anymore, but they’re still putting devices out that are worthy of recognition. The Transformer Book Duet is one-such device. I mean, what more could you ask for from a device that allows you to switch between Windows and Android nearly instantly at the touch of a button? Mind you, it can do that in either tablet or laptop mode, whereas other hybrids typically force you to use Windows in laptop mode and Android in tablet mode.
This concoction is made up of a 13.3-inch 1080p display, a 128GB solid-state hard drive, a core i7 processor and 4GB of RAM. It might cost a lot more than a base iPad Air model would, but the iPad Air doesn’t have a fully functional desktop operating system available to you at the quick click of a button, does it? What’s your pick?All of these are fantastic devices, and there are many more out there that we haven’t even covered. Would you take any of the devices above over the iPad Air? Would it be something else? Would it be anything at all? We want to pick your brains, so be sure to drop a vote and see if we can’t give some of these other great devices recognition for being outright beasts. |
| 2014 Motorola Smartwatch will focus on style, battery life Posted: 25 Feb 2014 03:23 PM PST
The wearable tech space is heating up and lately it’s been all about the wrist. Devices such as the Pebble Steel, Fitbit, Nike Fuelband, and Jawbone UP are selling like hotcakes. Android manufacturers want in on the action too: the newly announced Samsung Gear Fit looks amazing, they’ve also announced the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, and it won’t be long until we see the LG Lifeband Touch. Don’t forget about Motorola. I know: forgetting insinuates that at one point you had a Motorola Smartwatch in your memory. Dare I remind you of the Motorola MOTO ACTV that we reviewed back in 2011? Okay, perhaps it’s better that you forgot. The MOTO ACTV wasn’t exactly a home run, but let’s just say it was a few years before its time. Motorola is rethinking their smartwatch strategy and a tweet by Senior VP of Product Management, Rick Osterloh, is promising a brand new Motorola watch in 2014 with a focus on style and battery life. I think we’d all agree that style and battery life are two of the most important features for consumers. I’d wager a bet that price, feature set, and thickness (or lack thereof) round out the Top 5. Let’s hope Moto can manage them all. Rumors have swirled that a Google Smartwatch will debut at Google IO 2014, potentially made by LG. Considering LG made both the Nexus 4 and the Nexus 5, and Google recently sold Motorola to Lenovo, we wouldn’t find this news surprising. But then again, Google continues to excite and surprise us with their Nexus selections, and might surprise us further by killing off the Nexus bloodline completely. One thing is for sure: if you’ve been wanting a Motorola smartwatch, you can officially start saving your money.
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| Look what popped up: LG G Pop and LG G2 Pop Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:51 PM PST The USPTO has been a tech treasure trove of new trademark filings lately. We’re most eagerly awaiting further word on the Samsung Z, wondering if it will in fact be their first Tizen Phone, and now LG is elbowing in on the anticipation action. LG has pushed at least two new potential mobile phones through the USPTO – the LG G Pop and the LG G2 Pop – along with the LG G Mini.
If we were forced to guess, we’d be inclined to say the LG G Pop and LG G2 Pop would be colorful alternatives to their popular G series. The colorful route has been popular this past year, with the Moto X and iPhone 5C initially battling it out, and that “G Pop” name certainly sounds of the same ilk. G Pop: it’s a great name for a google-inspired colorful accessory brand. Such a great name, in fact, that it’s already being used. Google Glass Explorers know “G Pop” as the stylish decals you can apply to Google Glass, giving them your own personal flair.
We’re not trying to incite an intellectual property battle – we’re too darn sick of those – but if LG does intend to go the stylish “make your own” route with a soon-to-be-introduced G Pop brand, we’re curious where that road might lead. And remember, we merely suggested it as a possibility after you forced us to guess. Assuming our hail mary heave from left field is incorrect, what could the LG G Pop and LG G2 Pop be? They might not even be phones: maybe they’ll be colorful cases. Or how about LG’s own apps for sharing news, memes, and interesting articles? Maybe they’re trademark landmines, filed to keep competitors guessing. Grains of salt might be needed, but our trademark hawk eyes usually prove pretty good. After all it was only a couple weeks ago that we spotted some LG trademarks and now we’re at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona getting hands-on videos with those exact phones. Or maybe… just maybe… LG trademarked “G Pop” in anticipation of Google’s next iteration of Android?
Forget about that grain of salt, we’re going to need a fleet of salt trucks from a Syracuse winter. |
| Posted: 25 Feb 2014 10:25 AM PST
Yesterday we visited Sony’s booth during Mobile World Congress to take a closer look at Sony’s latest flagship devices — the Sony Xperia Z2 and Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet. With those devices getting all the buzz, it appears we may have overlooked another newly announced device, the Sony Xperia M2. At first glance, it’s easy to confuse the M2 from its bigger brother, the Xperia Z2. They both feature Sony’s design language throughout and when held side-by-side, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between the devices. Upon closer inspection you’ll find the M2 to be lower-cost, mid-range Sony device still worthy of the Xperia name. In fact, Sony is so proud of the M2 they claim it offers the best specs in its class (although they were mum on exactly which class the device falls under), offering a with bigger display, more processing cores, and a higher MP camera than the competition (Moto G, perhaps?). It’s okay, we’ll let you decide. Here’s what the Xperia M2 offers Android users on a budget: Sony Xperia M2 specs
Let’s also not forget that the Xperia M2 measures in at barely 8.6mm thin and offers NFC, and LTE connectivity — something the Moto G can’t hold a candle to. Whether or not that warrants a likely higher price tag than the G is up to you. Expect the Sony Xperia M2 to launch sometime in April in black, white, and purple, carrying with it roughly a $300 price tag.    |
| Hands-on: ZTE Grand Memo 2 LTE Posted: 25 Feb 2014 10:07 AM PST
In the midst of all the big guys announcing ground-breaking devices, ZTE has always differentiated itself by offering affordable, yet fun devices. We are at MWC and the Chinese manufacturer has a not-so-little something to show us – the ZTE Grand Memo 2 LTE. ZTE Grand Memo 2 LTE specs
To summarize, the ZTE Grand Memo 2 is pretty much a mid-end, super large phone. This is a bit interesting, because we have been accustomed to see big phones as high-end devices. This trend is starting to change as people show more interest in large screens, though. Think of a larger Galaxy Note with mid-end specs. That is pretty much what the ZTE Grand Memo 2 is… which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad! It will probably be an affordable smartphone that some of you will be able to take advantage of.
The device is not super fast, but it also wasn’t stuttering all the time. It was smooth, but constantly slow. It feels a lot like a Moto G in terms of performance, which is not bad either. Many of you enjoy large screens but don’t need to play hard core games or don’t want to pay the premium price of the top-of-the-line phablets. For those pocket-conscious and casual users, the ZTE Grand Memo 2 might be a great option! Especially considering it does come with 4G LTE compatibility. Price is still not put in stone, but we assume this big guy needs to come with a good price to sell well. Those interested in buying the device will be able to do so starting April, when it will be launched in Asia. Europe and North America will follow soon afterwards. Take a look at the video and let us know what you think! Oh… and here you go, guys! ;)
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| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ flexes its ability at MWC 2014 Posted: 25 Feb 2014 09:54 AM PST I must admit: I’m not much of a tablet kind of guy. Mostly because when I want one, I’m in an awkward position that makes holding it uncomfortable. And even then, when the battery dies 1 hour later, I’m left disappointed. Lenovo’s Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ quells many of my tablet fears, taking their “Hold, Tilt, and Stand” mantra into the Yoga’s next generation. Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ SpecsImproving on the original Lenovo Yoga Tablet from MWC 2013, the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ makes a number of expected improvements, but most noticeably a much more crisp and beautiful screen along with a spec boosts in processor, camera, and more.
Yoga Stretches Its CapabilitiesThe hold, tilt, and stand are not new, but relative to other tablet form factors, still feels incredibly fresh. The cylindrical battery at the Yoga’s bottom gives it a very different look that also enhances its battery life and flexibility, though I’ll let you be the judge if it makes fitting into a large purse any more difficult.
Lenovo hasn’t adjusted this successful formula very much although they have improved the kickstand that folds out of the cylindrical battery to put the Yoga in stand mode. The Yoga has 3 additional features you’ll want to keep in mind:
New Yogo owners almost certainly will be buying the Yoga’s form factor, no matter how many propriety offerings Lenovo takes to STUFFit in there. Hello, MOTOYOGAAs you read and watch about Lenovo’s 2014 MWC announcements, keep in mind that Lenovo now owns Motorola. They’ve got a great international track record and popularity and Americans might not fully appreciate how innovative the company has been with form factor. We’re not sure if this might translate into Motorola offering a wider variety of form factors, but it wouldn’t surprise us. Lenovo is known for introducing fresh ideas, and although I’m not sure that’s what Motorola needs to succeed, I’m interested to see how the company leverages their new stronghold.
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| Huawei brings new Ascend G6, new MediaPad tablets, and new wearables to Mobile World Congress Posted: 25 Feb 2014 09:37 AM PST Huawei had a pretty full plate for Mobile World Congress, with the company announced two new tablets, a new smartphone, and even introducing a new wearable. The two new tablets are unsurprisingly part of Huawei’s established MediaPad lineup, while the phone will don the Ascend moniker. Huawei MediaPad M1 8.0This 8-inch device doesn’t throw any serious surprises at us. It has HD resolution, but only at 1280 x 800. Under the hood is a 1.6GHz quad-core SoC from Hisilicon, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot, a 5 megapixel rear camera, a 1 megapixel front camera, Bluetooth 4.0 WiFi N and more.
There will be an LTE version of the tablet to add mobile data and support for dual-band WiFi. For battery, we’re looking at a unit with 4,800mAh of lithium-polymer power. Android 4.2 will be on board to start, with Huawei making some light UI tweaks to set their device apart from the rest. Of note is its thin profile at 7.9mm, as well as stereo front-facing speaker for those yearning for a better audio experience. Huawei MediaPad X1Next up is the MediaPad X1, which offers several improvements over the M1. It’s a 7-inch 1920 x 1200 tablet that has a 1.6GHz quad-core processor (of the same variety as the M1′s), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 13 megapixel rear camera, a 5 megapixel front camera, 5,000mAh battery, as well as a separate LTE option with dual-band WiFi.
Android 4.2 also powers this thing, with Huawei’s Emotion UI 2.0 sitting right on top. The device also enjoys a ridiculous width profile of just 7.19mm. Not too bad. Huawei Ascend G6The latest addition to the Ascend lineup isn’t meant to blow you away, but should be a nice piece of equipment for those not interested in dropping too much cash on a smartphone. It’ll have a 4.5-inch qHD display and a quad-core 1.2Ghz processor.
Most OEMs are trying to get more affordable 4G LTE devices into everyone’s hands, so the option to go with a 4G configuration is definitely welcome. The Ascend G6 also includes NFC, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage with expansion options, an 8 megapixel rear camera with a 5 megapixel front sensor, and will ship with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (with Emotion UI 2.0 on top, if you haven’t already guessed it). Huawei TalkBand B1Of course, an Mobile World Congress announcement wouldn’t be a Mobile World Congress announcement without mention of some sort of wearable. It’s all the rage these days, and Huawei has one of their own to bring to the table.
The TalkBand B1 1.4-inch flexible OLED display and has monitors for tracking your sleep cycles. It can connect to any Android phone with 2.3 or higher, and features a Bluetooth 4.1-equipped earpiece of voice calls (because, you know, everyone needs to get their James Bond on every now and then). AvailabilitySo when’s all this coming our way? Both of the tablets and the activity band will be available in China, Russia, Japan, and the Middle East, while Huawei didn’t have anything to share about the G6′s launch regions. We do know that most of these devices are expected to be out by the end of March, though, with the exception of the 4G-enabled G6 coming our way in April. Find more availability details over at Huawei’s site, and stay tuned as we look to bring you a hands-on look at all this straight from Barcelona.
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| Hands-on: the next generation YotaPhone [VIDEO] Posted: 25 Feb 2014 09:22 AM PST For those of you who followed last year’s coverage of Mobile World Congress might remember a unique little smartphone called the YotaPhone. The brain child of a small Russian startup, the YotaPhone was an interesting device crazy enough to combine a stock Android experience with the power of an e-ink display on its back. The results were nothing short of magical, making the YotaPhone one of our favorite devices from MWC last year. With mobile technology seemingly plateauing at the moment, you can either slap more cores into a device, or try and think outside the box and come up with something truly useful. This is exactly what the folks at YotaPhone did after successfully launching the first generation device in select markets back in December. This year, YotaPhone is back again with an all new, spruced up model for 2014.
Let’s be honest, last year’s YotaPhone was a bit of an eyesore. For 2014, the next-gen YotaPhone is a far more visually appealing device, mixing equal parts beauty and function. It’s like those teenage movies where the sweet nerdy chick gets a hot new makeover. For those only interested in raw specs, here’s what the upcoming YotaPhone 2 is packing under the hood: YotaPhone 2014 specs
Software Because the YotaPhone is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in Android (or mobile for that matter), it takes a suite Yota’s specialty apps to get the secondary e-ink display working with the software. Apps for calendar, to-do lists, wallpapers, social networks, RSS feeds and so forth were all created specifically to beam to the back of the device, where they’ll remain, always visible, even if the phone runs out of battery and is powered down. Epic. Besides always displaying information at a glance, the back e-ink display is also touch activated. Normally locked, a gesture can unlock the touch screen functionality, allowing users to read through RSS feeds, scroll through tweets, or flip through the pages of their favorite book. When taking a pic, the back of the device displays an old fashioned camera, displaying the picture to the subject immediately after it’s been snapped. Battery drain It’s not hard to see the benefits a secondary e-ink display offers users. A significant amount of our device’s battery drain comes from simply powering our battery hungry displays. Checking Facebook, Twitter, or other notifications begins to take a toll. With e-ink, virtually no battery is required to keep an app displayed with YotaPhone promising up to 50 hours of battery life in stand-by mode with e-ink activated. Simply place the device on your desk and at a glance, you’ll always be up to date with whatever is going on in your life, be it work or play. Availability
With the first generation YotaPhone, the smartphone startup mentioned the device was more or less an experiment, meant to test the waters and gauge consumer demand for their device. YotaPhone understands that early adopters might not be as receptive to the announcement of a newer, improved YotaPhone only a few months after the original was released. This is why Yota is promising a “generous” trade-in program for first generation YotaPhone buyers looking to upgrade to the new model when it hits the market Q4 of this year. YotaPhone coming to the US? When it comes to US availability, don’t expect to find the YotaPhone at your local carrier store but don’t let that get your hopes down. Even without carriers chomping at the bit for the device, Yota did promise a US compatible version of the device to launch within a few months after it launches in Europe. That’s still quite a ways off, so whether or not you’ll want one by then remains to be seen.         |
| Hands-on: LG L65, L70, L80, L90 [VIDEO] Posted: 25 Feb 2014 09:20 AM PST
The LG L Series represents the Korean manufacturer’s mid-end devices. Much like the F Series, LG’s L Series brings good value and affordable smartphones to the market. These mid-end smartphones usually come in many configurations, so I thought I would share with you what this year’s additions are like! In this post we will take a look at the L65, L70, L80 and L90. These vary in sizes and specs, but the overall feeling is that of affordable smartphones. Build quality could be improved, specs are not high-end and the devices are not the fastest, but they will be among the most affordable. LG’s L Series smartphones usually do well in developing countries and pocket-conscious users. After all, many users don’t need a super powerful phone – why spend the money on one? Here is a quick look at all the devices. I am a huge fan of LG’s G Series and own an LG G2. This makes me very spoiled and I easily notice these devices’ downsides. I would also not doubt to recommend them to some people if priced right, though. This means that these devices could accomplish what LG wanted them to accomplish. There is a huge market for affordable devices, and devices continue to get better and better. LG’s lower-end devices are no exception. Price and availability are still unconfirmed, but we will keep you updated as soon as wel learn more!    |
| PrivatOS Blackphone protects privacy nuts for $629, aims for $60M in sales Posted: 25 Feb 2014 08:40 AM PST Remember GeekPhone? In the early days of Android – 2009 to be exact – the Spanish company captivated hardcore Android enthusiasts with a device called the GeekPhone One. Seems like a different century: that device ran Android 1.5 and had a 3.2-inch resistive screen. Though they never reached critical mass, the Geekphone team is still at it, now teaming up with security firm Secure Circle to produce the Blackphone.
Some quick Blackphone specs:
The Blackphone is a tough competitor when you place it against today’s upper midrange Android devices, suffice to say the specs aren’t what make the Blackphone “the Blackphone”. Dubbed with a name not unlike the strong, sturdy, unbreakable box found on airplanes, the Blackphone exists to be the most secure and privacy protected smartphone known to man. How does the Blackphone keep you safe?The Blackphone is a highly customized version of Android, locking down system level implementations as well as applications and stacks that sit above the operating system. At its core, Blackphone offers the following Secure Circle services:
Pretty interesting offers for folks especially concerned about the security of their data and privacy, but you don’t need the Blackphone for these, they’re already available as paid apps on iOS and Android. With the Blackphone you do get a 2-year subscription, but then you’ve got another problem: these apps are only secure when both users have a Blackphone and/or these Secure Circle apps. To remedy this limitation, Secure Circle is giving Blackphone customers 3 invites for 1-year subscriptions to these services, presumably for the family and friends you call the most. Supposing you like the service, though, they’ll be left in the dust on that second year and have to pay for the service themselves. PrivatOS vs AndroidFrom one standpoint, you could consider the Blackphone as a marketing tool to gain better visibility for their Secure Circle apps. That being said, just as rooted Android Phones are able to accomplish more than non-rooted phones, the Blackphone has some capabilities that simply downloading the relating apps can’t offer.
The Blackphone has a number of other incorporated services through various partnerships, outlined extensively by The Verge, but two additional services are of particular interest:
Because most of the nefarious activity happening on Android phones comes directly from rogue apps, Security Center and Ad Blocker – in my opinion – should be the two biggest draws from consumers looking for a secure solution. The Blackphone is now available for pre-order at $629 and the company hopes, within three years, to be selling $60 Million in phones each year. Blackphone or Wackphone?The debate on privacy and data security often has two camps:
It’s all a matter of perspective, but given recent data breaches that have exposed millions of credit card numbers and social security numbers, there are a growing number of citizens who are concerned with securing their information. Unfortunately, not many people actually know how to do this. The Blackphone could be one fool-proof plug-and-play style option. Is the Blackphone up your alley? Do you think it’s a waste of time capitalizing on people’s fears? Or maybe you already accomplish a bunch of this stuff with a rooted Android device and a mixture of your own favorite apps? |
| Hands-on: LG F70 and F90 [VIDEO] Posted: 25 Feb 2014 08:35 AM PST
LG has a very strong foothold in the affordable smartphone market. In fact, that was what they were first doing when they first jumped into the Android bandwagon – mostly making affordable handsets. The Korean manufacturer is making some rather impressive devices lately. The LG G Pro 2 and the LG G2 are testament to that. Not all of us want a super high-end, powerful smartphone, though. Some people want a casual experience for an affordable price, and the LG F Series does very well at delivering that. These two new devices bring modest specs for an affordable price. We are not sure what the price and release date are, but that is really what will determine if this device is worthy our cash or not. These are not bad phones for the casual user, though, as long as the price is right. They do feel plasticky and are not as fast or smooth as the premium LG devices, but they work well in most tasks. They handle your email, browsing, social networking and a bit of casual gaming pretty well. Don’t try to get too heavy on them, though, because they will start stuttering. These do offer 4G LTE, though, which is pretty neat for an affordable smartphone! LG F70 specs
LG F90 specs
      As you can see, these are not the best of the best. And they definitely don’t perform like they are, either! You will get a fair smartphone for a good price, though. I love that these also come with 4G LTE, which other affordable devices, like the Moto G, don’t feature. In addition, battery life is expected to be awesome in these devices. Especially with the LG F90, which sports a hefty 3,000 mAh battery. That is up there with the Galaxy Note 3 and the LG G2! And with the lower specs, this little guys should last you well over a day. |
| Sprint brings Spark and HD Voice to Jacksonville and Salt Lake City Posted: 25 Feb 2014 05:57 AM PST
Sprint has announced that their Sprint Spark network improvements have spread to two new cities. Jacksonville, Florida and Salt Lake City, Utah are the recipient of the upgrades, so folks in those cities should be looking forward to improved network reliability and overall speed improvements. It also brings HD Voice for higher quality phone calls. Of course, you won’t be seeing those improvements unless your device has the radios necessary for Spark, a club which only includes a few select devices at the moment. If you don’t have an LG G Flex, Nexus 5, Samsung Galaxy Mega, HTC One Max, Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, LG G2 or a smattering of Sprint’s latest hotspots, you’re a bit out of luck (though a forthcoming smartphone upgrade would take care of that no problem). To date, Sprint has spread 4G LTE to 382 cities, and expects to cover 250 million people with it by the end of the year. As for these Spark upgrades, the list now consists of 16 locations:
It’s no secret Sprint got off to a bit of a slow start when it comes to their network upgrades compared to the big guys, but the most we can ask for right now is that they’re making any progress at all. Be sure to give it a whirl on your Spark-compatible device if you have one. [via Sprint] |
| SanDisk has the first 128GB microSD card you need for these new phones Posted: 25 Feb 2014 05:13 AM PST
If you haven’t noticed, a few of the latest and greatest smartphones are sporting microSD card slots that can accept memory up to 128GB. The newly-announced Samsung Galaxy S5 is one such smartphone (be sure to check out our hands-on). The only problem is there hasn’t been a 128GB microSD card to buy in the market… until today. SanDisk has announced the world’s first 128GB microSD card. The product itself is self-explanatory: you stick it into your phone, drop loads of songs, movies, and photos on it, and do that until you fill it up. Except, of course, it’d be very hard for most people to fill up 128GB of data on a mobile phone (unless they shoot a lot of 4K videos and have absolutely steered clear of music streaming services). Beyond the chip’s capacity, its class 10 classification means you’ll be seeing read speeds of up to 30 megabytes per second. The price is going to repel quite a few bit people, most likely — $200, if your pocketbooks can handle it. You’ll be able to snap them up from Amazon and Best Buy right away, so hop to it if 64GB isn’t enough and you anticipate you’ll be grabbing a smartphone that supports it. [via SanDisk]
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| Hands-on: Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo [VIDEO] Posted: 25 Feb 2014 02:22 AM PST
Samsung’s first foray into the wearable tech scene, it’s no secret that the original Galaxy Gear didn’t perform, sales wise, the way Samsung had expected. But here we are nearly 6 months later and Samsung is gearing up to release it’s sequel(s) — the Samsung Gear 2 and Samsung Gear 2 Neo. After being rumored for months, Samsung officially unveiled the smartwatch during their Unpacked 5 event in Barcelona, Spain (and New York) for Mobile World Congress. For some, we know, it’s hard to get excited about smartwatches (especially when most of our phones are plenty smart enough). But as someone who recently purchased and fell in love with the Pebble, I was excited to check out Samsung’s latest offerings. Samsung Gear 2 specs
Build quality Samsung often receives a lot of flak over the build quality of their mobile devices. Maybe it’s because they’re simply on top and we feel the need to keep their ego in check — who knows. Whatever the reason, those who are concerned the Galaxy Gear 2 might feel plasticy or cheap need not be. As premium as a smartwatch can come, the Gear 2 creams other wearables like the original Pebble. Even when compared against the likes of the higher-end Pebble Steel, the Gear 2 offers a much more compelling set of specs (higher resolution SAMOLED display, camera, heart rate monitor, pedometer, etc). The textured rubber straps, can easily be swapped out with other straps, allowing users to customize the Gear 2 to their liking, outfitting the watch with even higher-end designer leather or even steel straps. Performance Performance wise, the Gear 2 ran well in our short time with the device. It wasn’t buttery smooth by any means, but opening apps and making calls was quick enough. No way to tell is this had more to do with Tizen or the device’s dual-core processor, but we were pleased. We were particular impressed when jumping from homescreen to camera, and firing off a shot. It was incredibly fast and something that adds a little more justification to having a camera strapped to your wrist. Sure, it’s not a feature everyone wants, but it could prove useful in certain situations (capturing a fleeting moment in the blink of an eye). It’s all about convenience To address concerns of the Gear 2 running Tizen instead of Android it makes little difference to us. It’s possible for wearables to run other OSs better suited for the small screen and optimized for battery life — and we’re okay with that. The Gear 2 is merely a companion device meant to compliment Samsung’s lines of smartphones by offering consumers with the convenience of rarely having to pull out their smartphone to check notifications, make phone calls, or even snap pics. We can’t wait to officially get our hands on one when they launch later this year. Full gallery below.      
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