Android Phone Fans |
- LG G Watch in ‘Champagne Gold’ pictured, will feature always-on display
- Google tweets screenshot of new Dialer app complete with blue accents
- Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet now available for pre-order, begins shipping on May 3rd
- Super low-priced Moto E launching in the coming weeks [RUMOR]
- This Project Ara dual-analog controller concept has us licking our chops
- Alleged Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime (SM-G906S) appears in India
- The truth about the Galaxy S5 IP67 Water Resistant Certification
- HTC is now keeping us up-to-date on Sense 6 progress with their new update page
- New Hangouts update brings merged SMS/Hangout conversations, widget and more
- Forthcoming Glassware update brings new calendar app to Google Glass
- Microsoft, Nokia to seal their big deal this Friday
- Oppo Find 7a Review
- Newly-leaked OnePlus One camera samples showcase crisp 4K video, DSLR-like images
- HTC said to be responsible for upcoming 8-inch Nexus tablet, could be Google’s last one
- You can now buy your slightly-less-nasty Domino’s Pizza using Google Wallet
| LG G Watch in ‘Champagne Gold’ pictured, will feature always-on display Posted: 21 Apr 2014 07:08 PM PDT We’ve seen enough official product shots of the LG G Watch to know what the watch will look like when it debuts later this year. It’s black-on-black. Oh, and square… and that’s about it. Nothing too inspiring. But it seems the smartwatch will come in another color as well — Champagne Gold. LG took to their social networks to post new images of the gold variant, feature a white rubber strap with gold accents. It’s not too flashy, and should satisfy the tastes of those looking for something a little brighter than what we original saw from the G Watch. LG also updated their landing site with additional images, showing their watches and a few more details like it’s water resistance and always-on display. We can’t help but wonder how much battery life these watches will get, and if we’ll need to be plugging in every day to keep them juiced. Expect more details like pricing and availability coming soon.
[via LG] |
| Google tweets screenshot of new Dialer app complete with blue accents Posted: 21 Apr 2014 05:46 PM PDT Looks like the Google Nexus account may have inadvertently tweeted out an image of a new Android Dialer app, completely with fancy blue accent bar. We know, it sounds silly to get excited over this kinda stuff but we have a feeling this just another one of Google’s stock Android apps receiving a splash of color, like the recently leaked Calendar app. We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed the Dialer, like the recently released Google Camera, will also be making its way into the Google Play Store for quick updates and installation on non-Nexus devices. It wasn’t too long ago we saw Google Keep updated with a new yellow bar and a leak showing a redesigned version of Gmail (also with more color). This newly “leaked” Dialer could be just another piece of the puzzle. |
| Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet now available for pre-order, begins shipping on May 3rd Posted: 21 Apr 2014 05:33 PM PDT After taking a look at the tablet during this year’s Mobile World Congress 2014, the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablets are now officially up for pre-order. You’ll find them direct from Sony for $500 (16GB), and $600 (32GB) and before you pull back, remember these are premium Android tablets, offering not only top of the line specs, but Sony’s amazing attention to detail — including front facing stereo speakers. Just so you know what you’re getting in terms of specs, here’s what the Xperia Z2 Tablets offer: Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet specs
Sony’s managed to cram all these specs into a tablet that is barely .25-inches thin and weighs only 15.5 ounces. While Sony touts the Z2 Tablet as waterproof, water resistant is probably a better term. The tablet is rated IP55 against water jets, and IP58 for water submersion. If you need a better understanding at what all of this means, don’t forget to check out our post talking about IP ratings and what they really mean. The Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is available in both white or black, with pre-orders shipping out on May 3rd. For those interested, links provided below. Thanks, Van! |
| Super low-priced Moto E launching in the coming weeks [RUMOR] Posted: 21 Apr 2014 04:36 PM PDT While $200 for an off-contract smartphone like the Moto G sounds reasonable to many of us, there’s been talk around the blogosphere that Motorola could be planning on taking it another tier lower with an even lower-priced handset. On Friday, we took a look at some leaked specs of such a device in Brazil, showing what appeared to be a variant of the Moto G, only with slightly less internal storage and a dual-core processor. This same smartphone — dubbed the Motorola Moto E — has now reportedly been confirmed by the Mexican tech site Xataka. According to their sources, the phone is expected to launch in Mexico in the coming weeks at around 2,999 pesos ($230) and although global availability wasn’t mentioned, we’re expecting to see this outside of Latin American countries as well. It’s important to note how much more expensive smartphone are in countries like Mexico and Brazil (more expensive than the US), so an even lighter version of the Moto G could be another strategic move by the OEM to capture that extremely low-end market. And even though it’s “low-end,” the Moto E could offer quite a lotta bang for the buck. Internal memory, while limited, is so said to feature a micro SD expansion slot for storage of media and (some) apps. Don’t forget there’s also been talk of a LTE equipped Moto G launching later this year, along with a Moto X refresh this summer. Motorola’s new smartphone portfolio could exactly what they need to gain valuable market share and with new help from Lenovo, they just might get there. [Xataka | via phoneArena] |
| This Project Ara dual-analog controller concept has us licking our chops Posted: 21 Apr 2014 03:05 PM PDT There are few advances in the mobile that truly have us as excited as Google ATAP’s Project Ara. The world’s first modular smartphone project, we’re still trying to wrap our heads around everything that could be possible in a smartphone that features removable components. Sure, additional batteries, bigger cameras, or even a QWERTY keyboard are some of the modules that immediately come to mind, but what about when it comes to gaming? We wont beat around the bush — the Google Play Store is chock full of amazing game console emulators. And just imagine playing all those amazing old-school games on the “Flippypad,” a concept controller module for Project Ara from the mind of the The Aether Technician. The controller would merely snap into one of the larger sized modules on the back and not only allow For gaming properly on-the-go, but keeps your screen protected as well. Battery life is always a concern with gaming on our smartphones, but outfit this controller with a few mAh of juice and it might not even matter. The concept’s creator says that although the Flippypad isn’t a real product just yet, it’s possible his concept will inspire someone else to create something similar for Project Ara in time for its release sometime in January of next year. We. Can’t. Wait. |
| Alleged Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime (SM-G906S) appears in India Posted: 21 Apr 2014 01:50 PM PDT It’s long been rumored that Samsung is planning release a higher-end Galaxy device later this year dubbed the “ Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime.” This model will, according to rumors, feature a more premium aluminum body, 2K display, and 3GB of RAM — likely in an attempt at 1-uping one of the year’s biggest smartphone releases: the Apple iPhone 6. Seems no matter how much Samsung denies the Prime’s existence, the phone continues making small appearances online. This time, an alleged SM-G906S/K has popped up in a shipping manifest in India, believed to the be a regional variant of the Samsung SM-G906S (Galaxy S5 Prime). Four of these devices shipped out of South Korea for “R&D purposes,” but other than that, not much else is revealed. Taking a look at the SM-G906S that recently made an appearance in a GFXBench, this alleged Galaxy S5 Prime — which could carry an entirely different product name — could feature the following specs: Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime specs
For some, these specs are exactly what they expected the Galaxy S5 to launch with and could be the reason why Samsung is being so tight lipped on the project. Releasing a more premium version of your flagship device during the same year likely wouldn’t sit well with customers, especially after they purchased the “regular” Galaxy S5. [RBMen | via BGR, PhoneArena] |
| The truth about the Galaxy S5 IP67 Water Resistant Certification Posted: 21 Apr 2014 01:07 PM PDT If you read our Galaxy S5 Review then you know I dropped it in the toilet. If you read our Galaxy S5 vs HTC One M8 comparison then you also know I put it under the kitchen faucet. Despite being touted as dust and water resistant with IP67 Certification, my Galaxy S5 got water damage. It was my fault. User error. An ignorant mistake that I hope other Galaxy S5 owners will learn from: the IP67 certification has limits and you should understand them before doing something stupid (like I did). Below you’ll find the nitty gritty details, but the bottom line: IP67 isn’t only about depth, it’s also about water pressure. The higher the water pressure the less safe your phone, so continue to avoid water contact and instead consider the IP67 certification as a safety net against the worst case scenarios. What is IP67 Certification?Samsung has labeled the Galaxy S5 with IP67 Certification so to understand its level of water resistance we need to understand what IP67 certification means. The certification system is administered by the International Electrotechnical Comission and can be broken down as follows:
Based on this scale (and according to the IEC), the Samsung Galaxy S5 should offer full dust protection and water protection when submerged in up to 1 meter of water for a 30 minute duration. But don’t assume that your phone is protected from all water as long as you remain above ground… Submersion/Immersion vs ProjectionIf you look at values between 0 and 6 for liquid ingress protection you’ll notice it mentions nothing about submersion. It’s all about “projection” which starts with drip, increases to sprays and splashes, eventually landing at immersion at #7. You might assume that since the Galaxy S5 scores a 7, it would be immune to all categories before it, therefore successfully protected against all non-submerged sprays of water. That’s not necessarily the case. Although levels 0 to 6 indicate different methods of uniting the device with water, the common denominator is the amount of force/pressure with which the water is being projected. The protection for drips, sprays, and splashes are measured in kPa (kilopascals) and although no such kPa statistic is offered for IP67, we can still find out the relative water pressure it faces when being submerged in 1m of water. When comparing these ranks by water pressure you’re able to limit the variable of projection vs immersion. Think about it: surely a phone sitting in a shallow dish of water is less likely to be damaged than a phone getting blasted by a fire hose, regardless of whether or not it is submerged. Water Pressure: Let’s Break It DownThe Ingress Protection scale is measured in kPa but let’s convert it to something we’re a bit more familiar with: PSI, aka pounds per square inch, which is the measurement most of us consider when inflating our car tires. Volume of water, duration of time, and distance from stream are all part of the calculation but let’s discard those for the sake of simplicity and focus solely on PSI.
So when considering the water pressure of submerging your phone in 1M based purely upon PSI, it faces greater pressure than drips, sprays, and splashes. Fire hoses typically operate at 150PSI or above, not to mention while dispersing outrageous volumes of water. We should be able to safely assume, then, that our phone should be safe when subjected to situations where it contacts water with 16 PSI or below for 30 minutes or less. So… what situations are those? Rain, Shower, and Sink?If we were playing Clue, the Galaxy S5 camera murder suspect would be Mr. Jackson, in the Kitchen, with the Faucet. There is no way for me to easily measure the water pressure coming from my sink, but some simple Googling reveals averages and norms that we can use for reference. According to the EPA, common water pressure in most households is 60 PSI: that’s more than 3 times the safe limit for an IP67 device! Even the EPA’s “high efficiency” sink standards require a minimum of 20 PSI, which still surpass the 16.1 PSI for IP67 devices. Also consider I was holding my device directly under the faucet, whereas the “water jets” for lesser IPX5 and IPX6 certification are tested at 3 meters- a distance of almost 10 feet. This sheds a different light on what you can expect from an IP67 device and explains why Samsung and other manufacturers stress water resistant vs. waterproof. How water resistant is the Galaxy S5?Could your Galaxy S5 survive being pummeled in the sink, drenched in the shower, or stuck in the rain? Sure… it could, but the Galaxy S5′s IP67 is meant to help protect against accidents, not enable you to perform daring liquid-infused stunts. Here’s what it all boils down to:
Although I’ve heard from a number of people that using their S5 in the shower hasn’t created any problems, proceed at your own risk and with the understanding that putting it directly under the stream of water may exceed the IP67 certification designation. Bringing it INTO the shower and keeping it on the side? Probably okay. Partying and accidentally dropping your S5 in the toilet? I’m confident it’ll be fine… just wash your hands after you retrieve it. Don’t forget that your battery cover and charger door MUST be sealed completely or none of this matters. The Samsung Galaxy S5′s IP67 does not give you a warrant to be reckless with your phone, but rather gives you some peace of mind that should an accident or wet situation occur, your phone’s chances of survival are dramatically increased. In the end, regardless of Samsung’s IP67 certification and the ambiguity of the scale, no form of water damage is covered by warranty. Now you know. Disregard the reviews and videos you’ve seen with bloggers doing crazy things with their Galaxy S5 in water, internalize the information above, and continue being careful with your phone around liquids. The Samsung Galaxy S5′s water resistance is awesome but the phone is FAR from waterproof… pass it on! Thanks to Phandroid reader Jeremy Jameson whose comment on the original article led to this conclusion. |
| HTC is now keeping us up-to-date on Sense 6 progress with their new update page Posted: 21 Apr 2014 12:21 PM PDT As the current underdog in the race for smartphone market share dominance, HTC has been going that extra mile to keep their customers (the ones that care, anyway) up to date with the progress on software updates. Because guessing is never fun, when HTC announced that they would soon be updating last year’s HTC One (M7) to the latest version of Sense 6, you can now keep track of its progress every step of the way via HTC’s new landing page. The page, which was at one time geared towards KitKat updates, now puts the focus on Sense 6. According to the page, Sense 6 is already in the certification phase for the HTC One (M7), HTC One Max, and HTC One Mini on a variety US carriers (with the exception of the T-Mobile HTC One, which is still in the development stage). Of course, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this page and you should too. Nobody likes to to be left in the dark when it comes to software updates for their new (or old) smartphones. Other Android manufacturers, take note. |
| New Hangouts update brings merged SMS/Hangout conversations, widget and more Posted: 21 Apr 2014 12:11 PM PDT Quick app update for those of you who have taken a liking to Hangouts after recent updates. The first big change you’ll want to know about is that you can finally merge Hangouts and SMS conversations, meaning you and a friend can exchange messages via either SMS or Hangouts (if they have it) and those conversations will all appear within the same conversation list. You can decide whether to send a message as a Hangout or SMS at the quick flip of a switch, and you can enable and disable merged view as freely as you want (or need) to. There aren’t a ton of practical scenarios where one would have to hop back and forth between SMS and Hangouts, but it’s nice that this option is there for when those needs arrive. That’s not all, though — here’s everything else we’re told to expect:
Google says the update is rolling out over the course of this week, so don’t be too worried if you aren’t able to grab the latest version from the Google Play Store right away. Let’s hope an APK eventually leaks for those who don’t have the patience of a xen master. [via Google+, thanks base!] |
| Forthcoming Glassware update brings new calendar app to Google Glass Posted: 21 Apr 2014 11:33 AM PDT Google is preparing some great changes for Google Glass Explorers following last week’s big, long-awaited update. This time, MyGlass is getting some new wares. One of those changes is worthy of a quick mention — iPhone users will now be able to view SMS text messages on their Google Glass unit. They won’t be able to reply like us Android folks can, but it’s better than nothing. More to the point for everyone else is a new Calendar Glassware that can now display your appointments in an agenda view to the left your home-screen. You can edit an event’s title, time, location, and RSVP status, you can delete it entirely from your calendar, or you can dismiss it from agenda view if you don’t want to delete it but no longer need it. So how do you get it? It’s as simple as signing into MyGlass and enabling the new Calendar app, though you’ll have to wait a few days as Google hasn’t rolled it out just yet. We’ll be keeping our eye out for it in the meantime, though, and you can bet we’ll holler whenever those changes go live. [via Google+] |
| Microsoft, Nokia to seal their big deal this Friday Posted: 21 Apr 2014 09:41 AM PDT It’s official, folks — Microsoft and Nokia are expecting to close their big acquisition April 25th, with the former swallowing up the latter in a $7.2 billion blockbuster deal. It’s one of the biggest in the tech world in recent months, paving way to a future where Microsoft has a hand in a company that can build they devices they want. Microsoft’s influence over Nokia was quite strong well ahead of the acquisition, with the Finnish company deciding to get in bed and create mostly Windows Phone devices. Of course, that trend was broken with Nokia’s launch of the Nokia X line of smartphones, which are priced to be affordable at the expense of gaudy specs. Whether or not Microsoft will allow Nokia to continue their Android musings beyond the Nokia X remains to be seen, but for now they are probably happy to just sit back and celebrate the new marriage finally being made official. [via Microsoft] |
| Posted: 21 Apr 2014 09:04 AM PDT When it comes to Android devices, Oppo generally isn't a household name, but that doesn't mean you should look the other way either. The Chinese company's previous offerings, the Find 5 and N1, were high quality devices that packed just the right amount of innovation. This time around, Oppo is releasing two variants of their next flagship phone: the Find 7 and Find 7a. The Find 7 is the premium version with a little more juice in the specs department and the Find 7a is the standard version. While many Android fans will opt for the Find 7 because it has bigger numbers (and a higher price) the Find 7a isn't something you want to overlook and it's the closest phone to the upcoming beast of a device that will be released in the future. Oppo's latest flagship smartphone, the Find 7a – the younger brother of the upcoming Find 7, does follow Oppo's previous track record, bringing impeccable hardware, incredible design, and just the right amount of innovation to make any smartphone fan salivate. Hardware: Impeccable hardware and an amazing camera. When you first look at the Find 7a you'll notice the device has plenty of screen real estate at 5.5 inches. The IPS display with Gorilla Glass 3 sports 1080P full HD at 1920 x 1080 resolution with 403 pixels per inch. According to Oppo, the display on the Find 7a was designed to work flawlessly with small amounts of water droplets or with gloves. I tried various styles of knit gloves and was not successful, maybe leather gloves would produce better results. As for water droplets, the screen did function as intended with wet fingers. While using the Find 7a outside in the Spring sunlight I was able to see the screen in direct sunlight for the most part, after all, the Find 7a uses an IPS display with a high amount of brightness. Below the screen you'll see that Oppo opted to use hardware capacitive keys. While some Android users prefer hardware keys over software keys, sadly Oppo opted to use Android's ancient Menu key instead of the more modern Recents navigation key. The Find 7a also takes an untraditional approach again by placing the Back button on the right side. While I may not be a fan of hardware keys, all isn't doom and gloom though. The Find 7a allows users to tweak the key settings slightly by opting to turn them on for 6 seconds after the phone is touched, completely disable the key lights altogether, or to keep the keys lit the entire time the phone is in use. Right below those hardware keys you'll find the Skyline Notification system. This LED notification is by far one of the best implementations of a pulsing notification light I've seen to date. It's quite aesthetically pleasing and very easy to be seen, ensuring you'll never miss a notification. This LED also can be configured to turn on when charging with the screen off or when the battery is below 10%. Oppo's Find 7a ships with a 2800 mAh battery under the removable back cover, which can be easily accessed via a small access button on the lower right side. Under the rear hood you'll be able to expand your storage up to 128GB, slap in your SIM card of choice, and swap batteries if the need would ever arise. Speaking of batteries, the Find 7a comes with VOOC Rapid Charge technology. This allows for 4x charging over conventional chargers. Oppo says that a 5 minute charge will allow you to make a 2 hour phone call. While I never talk on my mobile computer that long, I was able to back up their claims of a 75% charge in just 30 minutes. As for battery life, I was able to get through most of the day with 2-3 hours of screen on time depending on my usage. I thought I would get a bit more usage out of my battery, however I've been using non-finalized software builds. Oppo has assured me that fixes are along the way and planned prior to launch. That said, if battery doesn't last as long as you'd like, VOOC Rapid Charging does help. The Find 7a doesn't have the best battery life when compared to other flagships, but it certainly doesn't have the worst either. Unlike the Oppo N1, the speaker on the Find 7a is situated on the back of the phone and raised slightly but a little nub or nipple. The Find 7a's speaker is very loud, allowing me to fill a quiet room or car with just the speaker. This is in part thanks to MaxxAudio sound enhancement technology by Waves. The Camera of the Find 7a is simply stunning. The camera on the Find 7a is, in my opinion, the best damn camera I've used to date. The Find 7a has a 13-megapixel Sony Exmor IMX214 BSI sensor on the rear and the front shooter is a 5-megapixel camera with an 80 degree wide angle sensor. Both cameras have aperture of f/2.0 which allows for more light in low light conditions. The included Sony sensor allows for absolutely gorgeous photos whether that be at night in low light conditions, using a 32 second long exposure shot, creating vibrant HDR photos, using "Super Zoom" to create a 50 megapixel gargantuan image, shooting stunning 4K video, or creating a slow motion video. "Super Zoom" or Ultra HD photos are captured at 50 megapixel as mentioned above. This is accomplished by taking 10 photos back to back all with the press of a button. The phones camera software then automatically combines them into a 50 megapixel photo with stunning quality, perfect for prints. The whole process takes about 2 seconds. The only problem you'll come across is deciding on which type of photo you want to take. If you like HDR and want very vibrant photos, an HDR image will run you an extra second to process, but it's worth the wait. If you don't like HDR and just want a high quality photo, then load up Ultra HD mode and have at it. If time is of the essence, then normal mode will still get the job done nicely. In many of the photos shown below I've included Ultra HD, HDR, and Normal modes of the same shot.                                             Besides being able to snap gorgeous photos, the Find 7a can shoot high quality 4K video and 720p slow motion video. If you have a 4K TV or monitor, you’ll have to let me know how the 4K test looks. As for the slow motion video, I assure you the train is moving along at a much faster speed than it looks.
The Oppo Find 7a looks great and feels great. The Find 7a is a big phone. There's not denying it. Coming from a Moto X, I thought it would be a bit hard to get used to the massive size. Oppo did a great job designing this phone as it feels much smaller than it is. The Find 7a clocks in at 152.6 × 75 × 9.2 mm and weighs just 170 grams. The phone is extremely well balanced and surprising thin. The Find 7a feels very solid and screams quality, thanks to the devices metal frame and all glass front. Due to the size of the Find 7a, I thought it would be hard to use one handed. That's not the case here with the Find 7a. This phone isn't difficult to use and the power button and volume rocker are placed just right, lining up perfectly in my hand. The Find 7a doesn't feel like a 5.5 inch phone. The back of the Find 7a is very smooth and feels nice in your hand, no faux leather or slippery surface here. I was able to easily hold onto this phone while snapping photos, shooting video, and of course normal day to day use. Oppo Find 7a full hardware specs.
Software: ColorOS is great for customization. The Find 7a rocks a highly customized version of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean which Oppo calls ColorOS. We've seen ColorOS before on the Find 5 and during our review of the Oppo N1. Seeing as Android 4.4 KitKat has been out since last fall, it's a little disappointing to see a flagship device of this caliber launch with last year's Android version. However, ColorOS is quite unique compared to other UI's from other OEM's. If Oppo's custom UI doesn't work for you or just doesn't feel right, ColorOS comes with a built in theme application allowing you to customize your lock screen style, launcher, and icons. Plenty of free themes are included, allowing you to easily download one to your liking. Me, I eventually chose the Jelly Bean theme as I like a more simple approach to Android UI's. It's worth mentioning that themes won't modify the settings application of ColorOS, won't change the notification area, and themes won't modify any ColorOS stock apps like Phone, Messaging, Calendar, Contacts, etc. A lot of the nifty features of ColorOS revolve around included gestures or unique ways to interact with the Find 7a. For example, you can double tap the screen to turn on the phone or you can double tap the home button to put the device to sleep. No need for a power button here. Swiping down from the top right or down from a vacant area of the home screen brings down the notification shade, which includes every type of quick setting or toggle that you could ever need. You can also swipe up on a vacant area of your home screen to customize your home screen with widgets, wallpapers, themes, etc. Swiping down from the far left side brings down the custom gesture panel, where you can create and use your own gestures for opening various apps or performing minor tasks such as launching the camera, controlling the volume, taking a screenshot, you can launch the flashlight, and much more. If you're not a fan of gestures or accidentally invoke the gesture panel, you can easily disable it with a toggle switch. Coming from the Moto X, I was happy, and quite surprised to see the Oppo Find 7a support an always on listening microphone, allowing me to launch Google Now from anywhere, even if the screen is turned off. This should come as no surprise, seeing as the Find 7a's 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Quad Core (MSM8974AB) processor fully supports this functionality. It seems Oppo didn't customize the default wake command though. To wake up your Find 7a, you'll have to say "Hey, Snapdragon". While it's not trainable like the Moto X, only answering to your voice, I was able to launch Google Now every time by speaking the hotword / phrase. ColorOS apps – Guest Mode, Holiday Mode, Data Saving, privacy and security. As I mentioned about when talking about hardware, the camera is on of the most oustanding features of this Android phone. Seeing as the hardware is top of the line, the camera software doesn't disappoint either. The Find 7a's camera sports many features you'd like to find in a flaghship phone and a few surprises. You can shoot videos and photos in HDR, various scene modes, make animated gifs, capture slow motion video, and of course use Oppo's famous beautify mode, which allows you to auto touch up your shots. Guest Mode can be configured to hide private contacts, photos, videos, and even hide applications from other users. Unlike other guest modes or multi-user implementations, Guest Mode on the Oppo Find 7a is activated by simply unlocking the phone with the guest password or guest pattern. If the secondary guest method is used to unlock the phone, guest mode is immediately activated. To exit, you simply lock the phone and unlock with the owner method and you're good to go. Those of you with little rugrats running around your house will find this very useful. How many times has your little loved one accidentally called, texted, or got into something they shouldn't? It happens. Guest Mode makes those accidents a thing of the past. As if Guest Mode wasn't enough, application security can be taken a step further with the Application Encryption feature. This feature, while sounding extremely security conscious is a bit misleading. The feature does not encrypt selected applications, but instead allows you to setup per-application passwords and security patterns – which can be very helpful. Think of this app as more of a privacy app and not a security app. And speaking of privacy, ColorOS sports a Permission Monitor app that allows you to view all of the application you have installed, grouping them by the permissions they need. For example: you can see which applications have access to NFC or can send SMS messages. ColorOS also comes with a call blocking application, Block, that does exactly what it sounds like. Next up is Holiday Mode, which is simply an extended privacy mode. When enabled, calls and notifications from contacts that aren't white-listed will be muted when the screen is off. However, you can still be reached in an emergency if the contact calls you 3 times within a 3 minute period. The Find 7a also comes with a Data Saving application which is essentially a firewall and resource control tool, allowing you to pick and choose which apps can consume network data and CPU while running in the background. If you're on a small, limited data plan, this could come in handy. If you're just not a fan of ColorOS, but love every other aspect of the device from camera to hardware keys to overall build quality and you're okay with running a custom ROM, in the past Oppo devices have been very developer friendly. I'm sure in the coming week's well see ROMs from Omni, CyanogenMod, and probably more for the Find 7a. Conclusion: 4.5/5 The latest from Oppo continues to show that this Chinese company needs more global recognition as one of Android's top hardware manufactuers. Their devices are of utmost quality in both design and performance, providing a very pleasurable experience. I'm going to give the Oppo Find 7a a 4.5 out of 5 possible points. I'm deducting half a point for launching a flagship device with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean when KitKat has been available for over 6 months. Personaly, I'd deduct another half a point for using hardware keys and the menu button, but Oppo isn't the only Android OEM that does this travesty, so I'll let it slide. The Oppo Find 7a has a gorgeous screen and as you can see from the photos above, takes immaculate photos and video. I'll overlook the Find 7a's minor flaws and I'll be putting my Moto X back on the nightstand for a bit longer while I continue to use the Find 7a. The hardware is worth it. You can pre-order the Oppo Find 7a from OppoStyle.com for $499 today. Have questions about my new favorite Android phone? Ask away in the comments. |
| Newly-leaked OnePlus One camera samples showcase crisp 4K video, DSLR-like images Posted: 21 Apr 2014 07:56 AM PDT Ready for even more OnePlus One samples? It seems we can’t get enough of these leading up to Wednesday’s grand unveiling, and each time we see samples from the on-board 13 megapixel sensor we continue to be amazed. The latest comes from prominent OnePlus forum-goer Martinrm, who has had the pleasure of using the OnePlus One for quite some time now.    He pitted the OnePlus One’s 13 megapixel f/2.0 sensor up against the Oppo Find 5′s 13 megapixel f/2.2, and a 13 megapixel Nikon D3100 with an 18-55 f/3.5-5.8 variable zoom lens. The tests were all performed under different lighting conditions and shooting scenarios, including broad daylight, soft daylight, medium light, low light and extreme low light, as well as macro shots.    The result? The OnePlus One was quite comparable to the entry-level DSLR, which is not something a whole ton of smartphone cameras can boast. The OnePlus One’s post-snap processing creates a more yellow tinge in various shots, but otherwise comes out looking like a very capable camera.    The low-light shots from the device are most impressive, with the phone able to handle photo taking duties in those less-than-ideal conditions nearly as well as the DSLR did. Of course, the Oppo Find 5 was quite the loser in many of these categories. Also tagging along for this ride is a 4K video sample of a peaceful stream. While most of you probably don’t have 4K panels to see the true quality of the video, the 1080p playback does just as much to show us the prowess of the camera. The OnePlus One captures a tremendous amount of detail — a moving ant on one of the leaves caught my attention just as easily as the waves of water rushing behind it. I can only imagine just how insane all of this looks on a 4K display. OnePlus says their goal is to Never Settle, and with as much noise as they’ve been making about their camera sensor as of late we’re glad to see they’ve been able to stay true to that. April 23rd is the day where we find out if the rest of the phone lives up to those lofty expectations. Find more samples at the jump! |
| HTC said to be responsible for upcoming 8-inch Nexus tablet, could be Google’s last one Posted: 21 Apr 2014 07:14 AM PDT Google and HTC haven’t exactly been BFFs in the Nexus world, with their only device — the original Nexus One — being a long afterthought at this point. But the duo could be pairing up to bring the next Nexus Tablet if the latest reports by DigiTimes are to be believed. According to them, Taiwanese component manufacturers have been receiving orders for 8-inch HTC devices that will launch under Google’s Nexus brand. It’s nothing we haven’t already heard before, though earlier rumors suggested the device would actually be 8.9 inches. We’re told to expect a third quarter launch of this device which could mean a grand unveiling at Google I/O on June 26th. Google’s short line of 7-inch Nexus tablets have traditionally launched right around this same time, which could suggest this is less of a supplement and more of a replacement. ASUS will apparently take this break to focus on pushing their own devices. That’s said to be the exact reason HTC declined Google’s olive branch when they were first asked to make the 7-inch line a couple of years back. This wouldn’t be HTC’s first crack at the tablet scene, with the failed HTC Flyer and the HTC Jetstream duly noted in the company’s history. HTC is already rumored to be attempting a second go at the tablet market now that they have had time to sit back and evaluate their mistakes, and a Nexus device wouldn’t be a bad way to get their feet wet again. More troubling in this report are murmurings that this will be Google’s final Nexus tablet. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve heard a rumor like that, with earlier reports stating Google will eventually look to sunset the Nexus line. The stated cause? Because the Nexus tablets were only ever made to boost market penetration for Android tablets, and now that they’re beginning to beat out the iPad in sales that task is reportedly checked off as complete. At the same time, Google’s device strategy might not end there. The company is expected to continue offering devices with stock Android through the advent of Google Play Edition phones and tablet, many of which are already available over at Google Play. If you aren’t already educated on GPe, they are versions of popular OEM flagship devices without typical OEM customization. We wouldn’t mind such a future, though it’ll be hard to let go of the notion of getting feature-packed smartphones such as the Nexus 5 for as little as $350, or tablets like the Nexus 7 for as little as $230. Onward to Google I/O to see how this one might unfold. |
| You can now buy your slightly-less-nasty Domino’s Pizza using Google Wallet Posted: 21 Apr 2014 06:44 AM PDT Much has been made about Domino’s and their “new and improved” recipe — some think it tastes great, while others consider it just a half step above the cardboard they were serving for years. But one thing D0mino’s has always done right is their ordering process, and things are getting even better for those who like to do that from their phone. The latest Domino’s update brings the ability to pay for your pizza using your Google Wallet balance, just in case that trusty old credit card or cold, hard cash isn’t doing it for you. Even if you don’t use Google Wallet, there is some incentive to placing your next order of $10 or more using the service — you’ll get a free order of Domino’s new Specialty Chicken if you do. That particular deal lasts until June 15th, so you’ll have plenty of time to decide if you want to give Domino’s another go if you aren’t already a long-time customer. Download is awaiting you over at Google Play. [via Domino's] |
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