Android Phone Fans |
- OnePlus One press renders leaked – wood, carbon fiber, and denim back covers too
- Moonshine UI themed icons now available on Google Play
- Motorola working on an even lower spec’d Moto G, could it be the $100 Nexus? [RUMOR]
- Battle of the Blur: Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, Google Camera
- OnePlus One 50MP camera samples leaked, show an incredible amount of detail and bokeh
- Phandroid Recap: Cortana vs Google Now, Galaxy S5 Review, and more! [April 13-19]
- Party like it’s 1998: Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition makes its long awaited debut on Android
- Will Google bring a MediaTek-powered Nexus for under $100?
- Samsung Galaxy S5 vs HTC One M8
- 10 “hidden” Samsung Galaxy S5 features you probably already know about (as told by Samsung)
- Mobile Roar Podcast 41: Chris’ Galaxy S Fail
- HTC said to be working on optical zoom lenses for 2015
- Verizon LG G2 KitKat upgrade now available through PC tool
- Verizon DROID MAXX now available in two new colors, half the storage
- HTC looking for marketing boost by hiring former Samsung mastermind
| OnePlus One press renders leaked – wood, carbon fiber, and denim back covers too Posted: 18 Apr 2014 07:04 PM PDT We’ve had our reservations about the OnePlus One. An upcoming smartphone that’s made a name for itself for being different from “the other guys,” we haven’t actually seen any product. To top it all off, the leaks we have seen appear to be nothing more than a rebranded Oppo Find 7. But all of that may have changed tonight. Some new “leaks” are once again piquing our interest, showing not only the device in a variety of press renders, but the removable back covers that will be available for the device as well. We have to admit, the phone and the “StyleSwap” covers look pretty damn cool. Design wise, the phone looks very similar with the Oppo Find 7 only the display looks as if it’s floating on the front of the device. An interesting design choice, we’re wondering if this might be in an effort to keep the display from shattering should the phone fall on one of the 4 corners. You’ll see USB cables featuring both micro and Lightning connectors. Only white and black were pictured, but we’re guessing the red “Never Settle” back cover we saw in a previous leak will also be available around launch. With CynogenMod Inc. on board, it’s strange we see a UI more in tune with Xiaomi’s MIUI than AOSP. It’s possible CM could be loaded for western markets, while that custom UI we’re seeing in the above images is for China. After taking a good look at the device, what do you think? This is the final puzzle piece as we await the phone’s launch on April 23rd.      
[OnePlus BBS Forum | via Android Authority] | ||||
| Moonshine UI themed icons now available on Google Play Posted: 18 Apr 2014 07:01 PM PDT Earlier this week, we got a supposed sneak peak at Google’s upcoming icon changes for a future version of Android, dubbed internally as Moonshine. If you’re anything like me, after seeing Android’s upcoming Moonshine UI icons, you’ve been drooling to get that sexy, flat design on your Android devices. Thanks to talented Android designers, you can now rock those new icons inspired by Google’s upcoming designs. The Moonshine icon pack on Google Play aims to get the job done with currently 60 icons in XXX-HDPI as well as 6 gorgeous wallpapers that complement Moonshine’s theme. Nexbit Designs, the brains behind the icons, plan on adding new icons as they go and they’re even accepting suggestions if you want something included that currently isn’t themed. To get started, all you’ll need is a supported launcher such as Nova, Apex, ADW, Smart, Unicon, or Action Launcher. Then, head on over to the Google Play Store and download ‘Moonshine‘ for FREE. Get your flat on. | ||||
| Motorola working on an even lower spec’d Moto G, could it be the $100 Nexus? [RUMOR] Posted: 18 Apr 2014 02:31 PM PDT Looks like Motorola may have found their market. In an attempt to build upon the success that was the low-cost Motorola Moto G, the soon-to-be Lenovo owned OEM may soon release an even lower spec’d smartphone to help further capture the low-end market. Uncovered by Brazilian site TechnoBlog, this unnamed phone (Moto E, perhaps?) will come in 3 slightly different variants (XT1021 with single SIM, XT1022 dual SIM, and XT1025 dual SIM with digital TV). If the Moto G wasn’t quite so low-end for you, this Moto G Lite drops them as far as anyone should be willing to go. Here’s a quick spec list:
Currently, the phone is rumored to launch in May, although whether or not we’ll see this outside of emerging markets remains to be seen. We should note an earlier rumor from today that mentioned we could see a new $100 Nexus smartphone. Given Motorola’s history with releasing Google Play edition variants of their devices in the Play Store, we can’t help but wonder if it could be the smartphone leaked with the specs above. But it seems the real question is: how low can Motorola go? | ||||
| Battle of the Blur: Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, Google Camera Posted: 18 Apr 2014 01:33 PM PDT The trend in smartphone camera tech this year seems to be the addition of hardware and software that help users blur backgrounds, creating stunning effects previously reserved for high-end cameras and DSLRs. You saw it on our reviews of the HTC One M8 and Galaxy S5, only to have Google bring their own solution with the announcement of Google Camera app on the Play Store. We marched our way to Building 44 – home of the Android Dessert Statues – and tested out all three to determine the differences. This will make the debate of the Galaxy S5 vs HTC One M8 a whole lot more complicated. HTC One M8 CameraThe “blurrred background” effect sits squarely on the One M8′s turf. This is one of the primary reasons HTC added a second lens: the first takes the actual picture and the second collects depth information, allowing the user to not only blur backgrounds after the picture is taken, but to change which item in the picture is the focal point, subsequently blurring the rest. Here’s a picture taken with the HTC One M8 Camera in automatic mode. Then I used HTC’s UFOCUS to tap on the KitKat and blur the background with ease. Quite beautiful, although you can see it had a little trouble around the edges of the KitKat due to it’s shiny, reflective surface. Supposing we wanted a different dessert as our optical delicacy? No problem. Same picture, different tap, different result, equally awesome. One of the great and unique things about the HTC One M8 camera is that you can select a different item to serve as the focal point- you won’t find that on the Galaxy S5 or with the Google Camera App (on any phone). Now let’s stick with the HTC One M8 but give Google Camera a try for the preferred software. HTC One M8 with Google CameraThe Google Camera is available for download and can be used on any Android phone with Android 4.4 KitKat or above. For this comparison, we fired up the app on both the HTC One M8 and the Galaxy S5 and took photos with each, comparing the results with the native camera of each. We took the pictures from a number of distances. From further away the Google Camera had some difficulty- here it not only focuses on the KitKat, but also keeps the lawn and jellybean in focus. This is mostly due to the feature being designed for closer up pics, but despite the quality, it’s cool that you can use it wherever you want. As we could predict, when we got closer the quality was much better and the blur was much more accurate. At times, with the right distances and lighting, we’d even say the quality of the effect was excellent. But at other times it faltered, possibly due to human error in the process of taking the picture and guiding your hand upward. The Google Camera works differently than either the HTC One M8 or the Galaxy S5. Whereas the HTC One M8 effect is made possible from its hardware, Google Camera achieves blurred backgrounds with its software. To achieve the effect you move your camera vertically, similar to the motion of taking a panoramic picture. To put it in video game terms: you strife with the camera upwards. Now let’s jump over to the Galaxy S5 Galaxy S5 CameraWhat a disaster. The Samsung Galaxy S5 was able to take some great photos of the statues, but no matter how close or far we stood to various statues, the selective focus would not kick in. We got a pretty great picture of the scene itself, but as you can see, blurred backgrounds are nowhere to be found, no matter the distance.
The Galaxy S5 Selective Focus feature seldom works unless you’ve got just the perfectly right conditions, subject, background, and distance. Here is an example of it working properly with a nearby Google sign. Now let’s stick with the Galaxy S5, but open up the Google Camera app and give that a whirl. Galaxy S5 with Google CameraThis is pretty shocking: whereas I couldn’t get a blurred background picture of the statues to save my life on the S5, I was able to do it with ease on the Google Camera using the Galaxy S5. The resulting photos were pretty amazing, from a number of different distances.
Downsized PhotosThere is one really important caveat with the Google Camera: it downsizes photos. The Galaxy S5 maintained huge image sizes with the blurred effect and HTC One M8 photos were as expected. Both were larger than the somewhat tiny resulting photos of the Google Camera.
Although the Google Camera produced much better quality than perhaps even the HTC One M8, photo size is something you’ve got to consider depending on where these photos will end up. Side-by-Side ComparisonHere four images stacked for easier comparison: HTC One M8: Google Camera (on the HTC One M8): Google Camera (on the Galaxy S5): Galaxy S5 Fail: This will definitely heat things up in the already viscious battle of the Galaxy S5 vs HTC One M8. If you haven’t already, check out our full Samsung Galaxy S5 Review and HTC One M8 Review! What combination do YOU think performs best? | ||||
| OnePlus One 50MP camera samples leaked, show an incredible amount of detail and bokeh Posted: 18 Apr 2014 12:06 PM PDT Throwing even more coal into their hype train’s furnace, the folks at OnePlus are now (officially) showing off the photo capabilities of their upcoming handset, the OnePlus One. Taken by OnePlus forum member Martin Mal, the images show, not only an impressive amount of detail, but a healthy helping of bokeh as well. This is actually the second time photos from the handset have “leaked,” the first time showing a few snapshots that weren’t in their full resolution. First thing you may notice is these are actually 50MP images, delivering an output of 8,160×6,120 resolution and weighing about 10MB in size. We’re guessing the phone is employing a similar feature to that of the Oppo Find 7 — especially after the most recent leak — that allows the phone to piece together 8MP images into a single 50MP shot. If you look at the HDR image here, it’s shot in a more typical 4,160×3,120 (13MP) resolution at only 3MB in size.       Once again, the depth of field is incredibly impressive from a smartphone standpoint, especially considering it doesn’t appear to be the typical software tricks we’ve seen from HTC or Samsung. Not bad, OnePlus. Not bad at all. We know how much importance some of you place on your smartphone cameras, making the OnePlus One’s low $400 price point sound even more attractive. We can’t wait for the phone to be unveiled, even if you’ll need an invite to purchase one at launch.
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| Phandroid Recap: Cortana vs Google Now, Galaxy S5 Review, and more! [April 13-19] Posted: 18 Apr 2014 12:06 PM PDT Is it Friday already? Yes, it is, which means it’s time for another Phandroid Recap! Once again we had a lot of great stuff go up on the site this week. Reviews, hands-on videos, comparisons, lists, and much more. With all of this content going up you probably missed a few things. Below you will find a “cheat sheet” for all the big stories and features. Read up so you can be informed about all the things your geeky friends will want to talk about this weekend. We won’t tell them you cheated. Samsung Galaxy S5 ReviewWe reviewed Samsung’s latest flagship device this week. Most places rushed up reviews after just a few days of use, but we wanted to use the phone for a week before sharing our thoughts. Overall we liked the phone a lot, but it definitely has its flaws. Rob gave the Galaxys S5 a very good 4.5 out of 5 score. Here is an excerpt from the full review: We've grown to expect an awful lot from Samsung, perhaps even holding them to a higher standard, which is why not being absolutely blown away by the S5′s awesomeness seems like a disappointment. The fact remains: the Samsung Galaxy S5 instantly becomes one of the best phones on the market, perhaps is the best all-around phone, and the vast majority of users will be pleased and impressed by its performance. Google Now vs CortanaThere is a new kid on the block, and her name is Cortana. Earlier this week Microsoft released Windows Phone 8.1 for developers around the world. Included in the update is their new virtual assistant that they hope will compete with the likes of Google Now and Siri. We went hands-on with Cortana to see how she stacks up against Google Now. We asked them both a wide range of questions to see how they each handle things. The results may surprise you. Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 5SThe vast majority of smartphone owners in the world have either an iPhone or “Galaxy.” These two devices are dominating the market right now. Naturally, we had to put the two up against each other and compare them. The Galaxy S5 easily wins the spec battle, but the iPhone wins in things like build quality and design. Things like the camera and software are much more even. If you’re interested to see how these two device stack up check out the full comparison. We can spend all day giving you our opinions on the matter, and we hope they help making an informed decision easier, but ultimately the device you buy comes down to personal preference. Do you favor a big, beautiful display above all things? Go with the Galaxy S5. Is an intuitive interface and access to apps a priority? Then the iPhone 5s is a no brainer. Official Google Camera app released to Play StoreThe biggest news story this week was Google releasing their camera app to the Play Store. This is the app that can be found on Nexus devices, but now it has been stripped out of the OS like so many other Google apps. Along with the release came a brand new user interface and some cool new features like Lens Blur. Google has made some big improvements in this version. If you have a KitKat device you can download Google Camera for free. 12 weirdest Android device names everThere was a time when Android phones were coming out so often that companies were using anything and everything for names. Rocks, stones, metals, liquids, animals, weather conditions, an even emoticons were used as inspiration. Since those days the names of devices has gotten a lot better, but we can’t forget those horrible names of the past. We compiled a list of 12 devices that we consider to have the weirdest names. What other devices do you think should be on this list? Honorable Mention
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| Party like it’s 1998: Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition makes its long awaited debut on Android Posted: 18 Apr 2014 11:25 AM PDT T’was the year of 1998. Chumbawamba was getting knocked down (only to get up again), the Denver Broncos beat Green Bay Packers at the Super Bowl, the WB kicked off its new network, A Bug’s Life had barely hit theaters, and President Clinton officially found himself out of a job. While all that was happening, there were those too busy playing the newly released Baldur’s Gate in their parent’s basement to even notice. After numerous delays and launching in late 2012 for the iPad, Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition is now finally ready to make its Android debut. Priced at a whopping $10 on Google Play, the game doesn’t come cheap. But those of you who have been playing the game since it released almost 16 years ago can maybe educate some of the younger whipper snappers on what they’ve been missing. Based on the Dungeons & Dragons and universe, Baldur’s Gate is a point and click RPG through and through. The game runs on an improved version of the original Infinity Engine, a time when sprites still reigned as king (no fancy 3D polygon characters here). Keep in mind that even though it is a $10 game, it does offer in-app purchases as well. Here’s what you can buy in addition to the actual game:
Given Baldur’s Gate II: The Enhanced Edition sequel was also promised to be making its way to Android nearly 6 months ago, we imagine it wont be much longer before its sequel also arrives on the Play Store. For those wondering what all the hoopla is about, you can check out Machinima’s quick explanation of the game below. UPDATE: Might wanna be leery if you plan on playing the game with your smartphone. Due to the small font in the game, it appears it might be unplayable on anything smaller than a tablet. (Thanks, ScottyByrd!)
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| Will Google bring a MediaTek-powered Nexus for under $100? Posted: 18 Apr 2014 11:00 AM PDT The Nexus line has always brought us affordable devices without any carrier or OEM influence (well, except for that one Verizon Nexus phone which shall not be named). New rumors suggest Google feels like they haven’t gotten the cost of admission low enough, though, with murmurings of a budget option coming by way of MediaTek. According to a report by MTKSJ, Google will look to target that nice $100 price point that the Moto G was introduced at. Unfortunately it doesn’t sound like this device will be quite as stout as the Moto G is for the cost. MediaTek silicon isn’t often impressive in the few devices that use them, with quad-core and octa-core chipsets in various phones often feeling more sluggish than some dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon devices. We can’t pass judgment on anything that isn’t officially known to exist, though, so we’ll just leave it at that. It’s not surprising to see Google attempting to emulate the same success the Moto G had for Motorola, which became the company’s best selling smartphone of all time. Let’s just hope they don’t have to cut too many corners to achieve that. [MTKSJ via Electronista] | ||||
| Samsung Galaxy S5 vs HTC One M8 Posted: 18 Apr 2014 09:43 AM PDT So you’ve read both our HTC One M8 Review and our Samsung Galaxy S5 Review and you still can’t decide which to get. Welcome to the universe… you’re not alone. They’re both great phones – best on the market, even – but neither are perfect. Read on as we pit them head to head in several categories before giving you the verdict on which to call your own. Design & HardwareHTC and Samsung have gone two very different directions with the designs for their flagship phones. HTC has worked hard to craft a device that looks and feels premium, putting appearance and personality above all else. That all starts with a metal unibody frame that looks beautiful, feels sturdy, and has some nice heft. The iconic front speaker grills command attention. Samsung foregoes some luxury for the sake of mass marketability, attempting to build the one-size-fits-all device that everybody loves. They’ve done a pretty darn good job thus far. The Galaxy S5 looks more typical, is covered in plastic, has some questionable finishes, and a removable battery cover. If that doesn’t seem very glamorous, that’s because it isn’t, but those choices also allow Samsung to pull off a bigger screen, in a smaller and lighter package, while cramming in more hardware. That flexibility will help Samsung in other areas, but from a design perspective the HTC One M8 is a notch above all of the competition, including Samsung’s S5. Hardware Winner: HTC One M8 Display/ScreenWhether you’re talking about phones, TVs, computers, or even touch panels on household appliances, displays are something that Samsung always seems to get right. The Galaxy S5 screen is no different: it’s hands down the most gorgeous screen I’ve ever seen on a mobile phone… and I’m not the only one with that opinion. That’s a bold statement, but it’s worth noting that the HTC One M8 isn’t far behind. The key difference is the outrageous level of brightness, vibrancy, and contrast found on the Galaxy S5 display. For some people the One M8 screen might be preferred because it looks less artificial with more natural colors. If that floats your boat, go for it- but I’m personally picking the S5 and sticking with it. From a spec standpoint their displays are nearly identical:
This is a matter of preference of course and the choice is made much more difficult when comparing the phones side by side. In reality, whichever phone you choose to use, you’d be incredibly happy with the display. Both the One M8 and Galaxy S5 have market leading screens, but I heavily prefer the latter above all else. Screen Winner: Samsung Galaxy S5 Software & ExperienceThe Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 both run Android 4.4 KitKat and each overlay their own custom UI- the S5 with Touchwiz and the One M8 with Sense 6. Taking advice from users longing for more of a stock Android experience, each company has vowed to tone down the bloat while still delivering added value through unique integrations throughout the software. For home screen experiences HTC brings Blinkfeed to the table while Samsung offers My Magazine. They both let you customize an easily accessed feed with social network accounts and news content, but Blinkfeed is much more robust while My Magazine seems a bit half baked. Thankfully you have the option to remove both- but give Blinkfeed a chance, it works well enough to consider keeping onboard. Navigating your pages and apps is much easier with the HTC One for two primary reasons: the app drawer is designed distinctly different from your home pages and the it follows many more of Android’s standard guidelines. Samsung’s Touchwiz app drawer looks so similar to the home screens that it’s easy to confuse the two, wander with your finger, and get lost. Diving into the settings is where the software customizations go next level. Samsung has thankfully buried some of its highly touted settings of generations past, but they’re mostly still available, which makes exploring and finding the settings you want a bit of a chore. Each have some really great comparable features worthy of praise such as:
That being said, Samsung still has some fat to trim from Touchwiz. In addition to a slight delay when opening native apps like dialer and contacts (we’re talking fractions of a second), the experience can seem scattered, with incomplete experiences in some areas and too many options in others. If Samsung can choose focus areas and reinvest their energy to initiatives they deem most important, they’ll be doing themselves and their customers a huge favor. Right now they seem undecided on far too much, which provides HTC with the opportunity to walk away with the software category. Software Winner: HTC One M8 CameraThe divergent approaches of Samsung and HTC don’t end with design: they’ve gone completely different routes with their cameras. Mobile cameras have become somewhat of a megapixel marketing war with consumers crowning the bigger number the better camera. If you chose the better camera based purely on megapixels, Samsung would be crowned prince automatically, besting HTC by a megapixel count of 16MP to 4MP. The Nokia Lumia 1020 – a Windows Phone with a 41MP camera – would be crowned King. But it isn’t all about megapixels. Really, megapixels determine how many pixels are in your photos, which directly correlates to their size (in dimensions and file size). The majority of photos taken with your phone are shared only on the web, which means even the 2688 by 1520 pictures taken with the One M8′s 4MP camera are too big for Facebook. That doesn’t make the Galaxy S5′s 16MP camera overkill, though- it has its benefits. Want to blow up a picture as a poster or canvas? Or perhaps zoom in on a part of a picture? The Galaxy S5 is the only one between the two that can perform this luxury with any significant quality. The prerequisite of doing anything with your photos is having good photos you want to do something with. In perfect, sunny conditions, the Galaxy S5 probably slightly edges the One M8 in terms of photo quality. As soon as those conditions change it’s the HTC One M8 camera that is better able to handle adversity. I want consistency in a smartphone camera and if I wanted a great camera for traveling I’d opt for a DLSR, point-and-shoot, or Galaxy Camera before either of these. But wait: the HTC One M8 has some magic up its sleeves. It doesn’t just have a dinky 4MP camera on its rear… it’s got TWO lenses: one actually takes the photo and the other collects depth information, allowing for some amazing effects and wizardry with what HTC calls the Ultrapixel Duo Cam. Samsung has a software-based post production alternative, but it doesn’t come close to touching HTC’s 2 lens phenom in that department. The duo cam is not a gimmick… it works amazingly well and is an absolute blast to use.
To top it all off, the HTC One M8 has a 5MP front facing camera that ensures selfie snappers are delighted. Travelers using a mobile phone as their only camera might disagree, but for its consistency, outrageously fun duo cam integration, and attention to selfie detail, I’m giving this highly debated category to the HTC One M8. Camera Winner: HTC One M8 MultimediaThe name multimedia inherently dictates that more than one form of media is being discussed. In the case of this comparison, though, I’m going to cut to the chase: the HTC One M8 BoomSound speakers put it several horse lengths ahead of the Galaxy S4. Most phone’s these days have an earpiece at the top front of the phone and speakers either somewhere on the side or on the back. In the case of the Galaxy S5 it’s on the back, bottom left. The HTC One M8 meanwhile boasts dual front facing speakers that not only look epic, but sound epic. I often find myself in odd situations where I’m using my phone as a jukebox. If you do too, you won’t find a phone whose speakers sound more loud and full than the BoomSound speakers on the HTC One M8. Since some people label gadgets as “sexy”, I’m calling the One M8′s speakers voluptuous: it’s a full and beautiful sound that carries itself well. I find myself wanting that great sound in so many situational moments. Sometimes it’s sitting on the couch playing an immersive game like Dead Trigger 2 and the sound effects bring excitement to the action. Sometimes it’s with a group of friends with whom I want to share a Youtube video without cupping the speaker and oddly switching between looking and listening, looking and listening. Other times it’s just talking to someone on speaker phone and expecting good sound quality. You’ll get okay sound quality with the Galaxy S5 but the further you turn up the volume the more tinny and shaky it sounds. That being said, Samsung’s audio quality while headphones are plugged in or while using bluetooth is very good. Nothing though – and I mean nothing – tops HTC BoomSound at this point in time. Once again, there will be plenty of people who never use their phone speakers who disagree with this pick… and that’s fine. That’s good for you to know and you should calculate it into your personal buying decision. Multimedia Winner: HTC One M8 PerformanceThis is a hard category to pin down, not only because benchmarks between the two devices vary based on what benchmarks you choose, but also because manufacturers have begun adjusting their hardware to specifically perform better in benchmarks. Not to mention, how you use your phone in real-life may vary from what the benchmark scores for and taking it one step further, how YOU use your phone will differ from me- and thus we could have totally different experiences. Based on my experience using both devices extensively for over a week, they were both top notch. They both were as swift and smooth as I’d expect from flagship phones by top manufacturers. That being said, while I experienced virtually no hiccups from the Galaxy S5, I spotted a few roadbumps while using the HTC One M8. It’s quite possible that the blame should be placed on the shoulders of an app developer whose bad coding caused something flukey. In the end, both devices performed so well that the winner came down to a rather nitpicky decision, but I’m comfortable picking the Galaxy S5 since my experience with its hardware performance was close to flawless. Stock Android evangelists may notice a slight delay (fractions of a second) in navigating, which can likely be blamed on Touchwiz. Both devices run a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with the Galaxy S5′s being a tiny bit beefier. Performance Winner: Samsung Galaxy S5 BatteryWhere HTC picks up the win on design it simultaneously picks up the loss on battery life, but not because it didn’t perform well. Both phones had above average battery life that usually lasted me through the day without concern. The S5 and One M8 now both have special modes you can place your phone in for when battery life is at a premium and you desperately need to conserve. Although battery life was comparable, I’m going with Samsung on this category for two primary reasons:
It should be noted that Samsung’s battery is slightly larger at 2800mAh compared to the One M8′s 2600mAh. Battery Winner: Samsung Galaxy S5 WildcardsSome features simply don’t fit into a category and in typical Samsung fashion, there are a bunch in the Galaxy S5. Only this time, instead of packing all the fun into the Software, Samsung has done some really interesting things on the hardware side. The home button now doubles as a finger sensor, allowing you to lock your screen and other areas of your phone by sliding your finger over the home button and scanning your fingerprint. We’ve seen the idea in the iPhone 5S and although Samsung’s version doesn’t work as well yet, it’s still a pretty interesting feature tossed into the mix. On the back of the phone is another sensor- a heart rate monitor. Activate it through Samsung’s S Health app, which is becoming quite the lifestyle hub, and it can read your heart rate by placing your finger over a grooved indentation just below the rear camera. It’s an accurate feature and definitely cool, but similar to the fingerprint scanner you’ve got to be incredibly precise where you put your finger, making it a bit frustrating. The finger scanner and heart rate monitor are cool wildcards, but likely limited in use to a select percentage of the population. However, one new Samsung hardware feature takes the wildcard section all on its own: weatherproofing. The Galaxy S4 is IP67 certified which means you can use it in the rain, drop it in the toilet, use it in the shower, even submerge it in a couple feet of water while still recording video (don’t go any deeper)! If you’ve ever needed to replace a phone due to water damage you’ll appreciate this greatly and in reality, EVERY phone should have this feature. No longer do you need to fear water when you’ve got your S5, you can embrace it! Wildcard Winner: Samsung Galaxy S5 VerdictA tie? Blasphemy! In all honesty it’s a pretty telling conclusion: both phones are great, include some awesome features, but have their flaws. Their pros and cons come in different areas, making each phone suitable for different types of people. Personally, I’d go with the HTC One M8 because I’m dying for its audio experience, love its camera to pieces (simply fun to use), and have a separate camera I use for traveling. I’m a Galaxy Note 3 owner and would love try something new while I keep one eye on the upcoming Galaxy Note 4. The BottomlineDeclaring a decisive winner is up to you, not me, as you’ll weigh the value of the above categories far differently based on your preferences and circumstances. Here are some suggestions based on the above. Should you get the Galaxy S5 or HTC One M8?
If you fit into a combination of the above, walk into a store, play with each, and make your decision with hands-on experience. If you want further counseling, don’t trust one sales person at random, instead head to Android Forums for advice from thousands. And lastly, here is the spec comparison for your convenience: Which would YOU choose? | ||||
| 10 “hidden” Samsung Galaxy S5 features you probably already know about (as told by Samsung) Posted: 18 Apr 2014 09:35 AM PDT Many people are of the popular opinion that TouchWiz has gotten bloated beyond repair. No matter which side of that line you stand on, TouchWiz on the Samsung Galaxy S5 is packed with more features than you know. Samsung has detailed 10 hidden features that many of us may or may not have known about. Grab your Galaxy S5 and get ready to dive in:
And that’s about it. Obviously there’s a lot more that you can do on the Samsung Galaxy S5 — much of which we covered in our review, and some that will be touched on in upcoming tips and tricks articles — but this is a pretty nice starter kit to get you going. Let us know of anything cool you’ve found buried deep into the tons of settings menu this phone has. [via Samsung] | ||||
| Mobile Roar Podcast 41: Chris’ Galaxy S Fail Posted: 18 Apr 2014 09:06 AM PDT Despite all of our warnings, Chris still went out and bought a Samsung Galaxy S5. How does he like it? Let’s just say if you’ve got a HTC One M8 to trade he is interested. Listen to him rant about how much he hates it, and listen to us say “we told you so!” We also talk about some of the weirdest phone names to ever exist, Google’s awesome new camera app, Wins and Fails of the Week, and our App Picks. Big News
Quick Hits
Wins and Fails of the Week
App Picks
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| HTC said to be working on optical zoom lenses for 2015 Posted: 18 Apr 2014 08:13 AM PDT HTC has been taking a lot of flak for the cameras they’ve been sticking on their flagship devices. The HTC UltraPixel sensor from yesteryear is sufficient for most ordinary needs, though there is an eventual ceiling in terms of quality up against sensors inside phones like the iPhone 5S or the Samsung Galaxy S5. But they could be looking to change that next year. Vodafone informant Symon Whitehorn apparently let slip that HTC is closest to the advances the mobile industry needs for smartphones to be able to outdo high-end point-and-shoot cameras, and even approach DSLR-like capabilities. He said in order for any of that to happen we’d need to see some form of optical zoom, noting that we should be on the lookout for something from HTC within the next 12-18 months. Not lost on us is the fact that there are phones with optical zoom lenses out there, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy K. The difference is those phones add quite a bit of girth to add those capabilities — we imagine Vodafone’s insight into HTC’s plans hint toward that being possible in a more traditional, slim form factor. Either way, it’s something HTC’s going to have to do if they want to change the public opinion that has grown about their imaging capabilities with the apparent lack of a vertical jump in their latest offering. [via Vodafone] | ||||
| Verizon LG G2 KitKat upgrade now available through PC tool Posted: 18 Apr 2014 07:11 AM PDT Seems Verizon wanted to deliver some KitKat love without drumming up a ton of noise, as they’ve quietly started rolling the upgrade out the upgrade to their LG G2. It’s build VS98024A, but there’s one catch in order to get it — you’ll need a Windows PC, as it’s only available using the Verizon Software Upgrade Assistant. The tool is available by hooking your LG G2 up to your Windows PC using a USB port. You should be prompted to install it automatically. From there, follow all the prompts and you should be well on your way to KitKat. There’s no full changelog to be had at this time, though you can expect everything that comes with the base KitKat upgrade. Any LG or Verizon changes will have to come with official word, but we have a feeling that won’t take long to come to light. Give it a go on your G2 if you have one and let us know how it’s treating you! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] | ||||
| Verizon DROID MAXX now available in two new colors, half the storage Posted: 18 Apr 2014 06:41 AM PDT Verizon’s DROID phones are getting a bit long in the teeth, so the company feels the need to spice things up a bit. The Motorola DROID Maxx — considered to be the highest end model out of the three — is now available in a new glossy red package, as well as the kevlar black with chrome highlights. You can see images of the changes above. But more than that, these things also come in at a $50 discount (making them $99.99) at the expense of half of its storage — down to 16GB from 32GB. It’s a shame Verizon decided to halve the storage considering that was one of the biggest redeeming factors about its lack of a microSD card slot, but if you aren’t down with that then you’re just as free to go with the original model. You can find the models online today if you’re interested, but you won’t be able to get an in-store look until they hit shelves April 22nd. Swing over to Verizon to check them out. [via Verizon] | ||||
| HTC looking for marketing boost by hiring former Samsung mastermind Posted: 18 Apr 2014 05:39 AM PDT From 2012 onward, HTC has seemingly done everything right. They stepped everything up, from the quality of their smartphones to the scaled back Sense user interface that was once seen as bloated and in the way. The HTC One from 2013 built on that formula even further, and this year’s HTC One M8 almost perfected it. But one thing HTC hasn’t been able to do as well is market the thing, which can make or break your smartphone no matter how good it is. The Taiwanese company is looking to change that after a failed $1 billion experiment with Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr, as they’ve gone and scooped up the man largely responsible for the Galaxy brand that has swept the globe. According to Bloomberg, Paul Golden — Samsung’s chief marketing officer for the United States — has been snapped up by HTC on a currently temporary basis to directly advise chairperson Cher Wang. Paul Golden was at his Samsung post for the four year stretch between 2008 and 2012. If you haven’t already figured it out, he was part of Samsung’s whole “Next Big Thing” push that began with Samsung directly mocking Apple in a series of ads to hype up the Samsung Galaxy S2. It was that campaign that started Samsung’s ascension to super stardom in the smartphone world, becoming the top OEM around the globe not named Apple. So can he do the same for HTC? That depends. It’s one thing to have good ideas. It’s another thing to have the marketing dollars to back it up. Samsung has some serious cash flow from the various arms of their big electronics business. They have deep pockets and big bank accounts that can move enough capital to fund a war. HTC, on the other hand, has been in the negative for quite some time, and unless the HTC One M8 can turn things around it’s going to be tough for them to be restored to former glory. At least it shows HTC knows what it needs to do to achieve that, though, and they’re making tangible efforts to get that done. |
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