With IFA just a week away, smartphone fans all across the world are gearing up for announcements of the latest hardware to hit platforms like Android and Windows Phone. But then there’s also the contingent of Apple users out there, and while they don’t have much to look forward to from IFA, they’ve got plenty to anticipate over the next few months as we expect to get word of new iPhones,
The post Apple schedules its September event; who wants a new iPhone? appeared first on Pocketnow.
The Moto X, as modest and bland as it appeared on paper, was, by and large, one of the most impressive smartphones of 2013. Unlike most new phones, I could recommend it to buyers without a sliver of doubt. While its camera wasn’t all that great and the specs were far from the best, it was an incredibly solid, well-rounded smartphone with lots of lightweight value adds in the software.This came as a surprise to most when the
The post What would make you buy a Moto X+1? (Poll) appeared first on Pocketnow.
LG has officially announced the LG G Watch R yesterday, after teasing the device earlier this week.
The G Watch R is a sequel of sorts to the G Watch, but instead features a rounded watch face a la Motorola’s Moto 360, which is expected to hit the wild next week. The G Watch R has a 1.3-inch P-OLED (that’s “Plastic OLED”) display with a 320 x 320 resolution.
Internally, the G Watch R runs on a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 512 MB RAM, 4 GB of storage space, and a 410 mAh battery. Like the G Watch before it, the G Watch R runs the Google’s Android Wear OS.
According to LG, the G Watch R will be available in “key markets” early in fourth quarter of 2014. Prices and availability will be announced at the time of launch.
The post LG G Watch R Provides Another Rounded Smartwatch with Android Wear appeared first on Brighthand.com.
Samsung today unveiled its latest smartwatch, the Samsung Gear S.
The device runs on Samsung’s Tizen operating system, as opposed to the Android Wear OS of this year’s Gear Live. It has 3G connectivity, in addition to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which, according to Samsung, allows users to make and receive calls from the device or have them forwarded from smartphones. This makes it one of the few wearables to have such connectivity as a standalone device.
A dual-core 1 GHz processor and 512 MB of RAM power the Gear S, and 4 GB of storage space is also on board. The display is of the 2-inch curved Super AMOLED variety, and has a resolution of 360 x 480. The whole thing runs on a 300 mAh battery.
Samsung says that the Gear S will roll out in October, with exact pricing details to be made available at that time.
The post Samsung’s Gear S Smartwatch Can Connect to 3G On Its Own appeared first on Brighthand.com.
When Motorola’s Moto X+1 finally launches – which all present evidence is pointing towards happening next week, we’re hoping to get confirmation of a bunch of new custom backplate options. Already, Motorola’s given us a rainbow of colors and a handful of wooden finishes to choose from for the Moto X, and right from the start of X+1 rumors, we’ve been hearing about the phone picking up some additional materials. Namely,
The post More Moto X+1 custom Moto Maker options rumored appeared first on Pocketnow.
Coming up to HTC’s launch of the One M8 for Windows earlier this month, we thought we were looking at a Verizon exclusive. At least, that’s where all the evidence seemed to be pointing, and when the time came for the handset to go official, HTC was calling Verizon its “exclusive launch partner.” But the thing about a smartphone exclusive, versus a launch exclusive like we have here, is that the latter leaves the door open for other carriers to pick up the handset a little further down ...
The post T-Mobile throws its hat in the HTC One M8 for Windows ring appeared first on Pocketnow.
When it comes to phones, I’m definitely more of an outsides guy than an insides guy. I love look and feel type stuff. The specs are important, but really I’m all about what goes on outside that hard candy shell. Opening a smartphone or tablet is a scary proposition to me, but I recently decided to broaden my horizons and try this whole do it yourself kind of thing.I recently cracked the screen on my 2012 Nexus 7. There was no reason why it cracked. It was just in my backpack and came out in more pieces than it went in. That kinda sucked. This was a Pocketnow unit, so I had to replace ...
The post DIY tablet repair – it’s about the journey appeared first on Pocketnow.
As we just looked at in our IFA 2014 Rumor Roundup, Sony’s got quite a few new devices we’re expecting to see launched next week. Those range from phones, to tablets, to wearables, to accessories, and a relatively consistent stream of leaks has been slowly feeding us information about many of them. But in contrast to companies like Samsung or ASUS, which have been delivering IFA teasers that outright identify their upcoming ...
The post Sony’s IFA teaser video helps reinforce device rumors appeared first on Pocketnow.
The Huawei Ascend Mate2 is a 6-inch-plus Android behemoth that walks the line between a phablet for everyday and business users.
Sometimes bigger is better. For aging eyes or for people who don’t want to carry a smartphone and a tablet or pay for both, a phablet may be the best option.
But there are times when big is, well, just too big. Try stuffing a 6.3-inch phablet into your pocket or go running with one. You want lightweight and small, not something that’s going to weigh you down on your long runs.
And in the case of the Huawei Ascend Mate2, the phablet is just too big to be considered a pocketable device.
The Ascend Mate2 is large but its slightly curved plastic back makes its comfortable to hold. One can read an eBook for over an hour without any significant strain or discomfort.
The Mate2 measures 6.3 x 3.3 x .37 inches, and weighs 7.1 ounces, making it large and surprisingly solid. It can withstand the wear and tear of everyday use, and holds up well to accidental drops on a carpeted surface. However, like any other tablet or smartphone, the screen will most likely crack if it’s dropped repeatedly onto concrete or other hard surfaces.
Ports and inputs are standard, including a microUSB port, microSD slot, 3.5mm audio jack, and noise reducing mic. If there is one glaring design flaw, it’s the placement of the SIM card. Huawei allows unlocked phones to be updated with existing SIM cards. However, it’s not quite clear how to do so.
First, the back cover has to be pried open in order to install the SIM card, which itself isn’t easy. This requires some force, and at times we feared that we’d snap the plastic.
The SIM card then slots into a depression next to the microSD slot. The problem here is that the arrow pointing to the SIM card slot blends in with the slot itself, making it easy to miss.
Display and Speakers
The Ascend Mate2 comes with a 6.1-inch diagonal Gorilla Glass IPS capacitive touch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720, which translates into 241 pixels per inch. Although many consider 1280 x 720 to be HD resolution, the Mate2’s larger size gives it a “softer” look compared to sharper handsets. It may not be a deal breaker for some, but the difference is noticeable.
But while the phablet works well in indoor lighting, the glare from direct sunlight makes it difficult to read anything on a white background. This is one of the biggest drawbacks because it forces you to adjust the settings for specific lighting conditions, which gets annoying after a while.
The speaker behind the phablet was reasonable, at least for watching streaming TV shows. Surprisingly, the speaker wasn’t tinny and sounded decent enough without headphones. However, connecting a set of headphones brought on a higher quality and immersive screening experience.
The post Huawei Ascend Mate2 Review appeared first on Brighthand.com.
The Huawei Ascend Mate2 is a 6.1-inch phablet that runs on a Quad Core 1.6 GHz. CPU and features Android 4.4 KitKat with the Huawei’s EmotionUI Lite 2.0 skin.
The post Huawei Ascend Mate2 appeared first on Brighthand.com.
Benchmarking applications have been a hot topic as of late, as many manufacturers have cheated and gamed results, making headlines. The most popular benchmarking app out there though, is helping to thwart that by doing what it can – today, the AnTuTu 5 update has gone live in Google Play.The AnTuTu 5 update was first covered by us, in video form and lengthy written form, back when we were able to obtain a beta version for ...
The post AnTuTu 5 update goes live on Google Play appeared first on Pocketnow.
For Verizon customers, it’s the Windows Phone question of the year: Lumia Icon or One M8 for Windows? Both phones offer premium builds and powerful internals, both run
The post HTC One M8 for Windows vs Nokia Lumia Icon (Video) appeared first on Pocketnow.
Samsung came out of left field today with the announcement of the Samsung Gear S earlier today, and as it turns out, this 3G-capable wristwatch actually packs some punches under the hood. What exactly are those, you ask? Let’s find out in our Samsung Gear S specs list.One of the best parts (if not the best part) is the fact that the Gear S offers 3G connectivity alongside standard smartwatch features. While ...
The post Samsung Gear S specs: peeking inside the 3G-supporting wristwatch appeared first on Pocketnow.
We knew that LG was prepping its G Watch R a few days ago, but it was unexpected that the official announcement would come so soon. Well, that’s now upon us, so it’s now time to gaze into the internals of this sucker to see what it’s all about in our comprehensive LG G Watch ...
The post LG G Watch R specs: a truly powerful Android Wear watch appeared first on Pocketnow.
What a day for smartwatches – it’s mere minutes after LG announced its G Watch R officially, and yet another bomshell from Seoul has just been chucked at us. Today the Samsung Gear S has gone official as one of the world’s first 3G-capable smartwatches in the world.The Samsung Gear S features both regular wristwatch features and those allowing you to make use of the 3G connectivity. There’s a 2-inch curved ...
The post Samsung Gear S gets announced as a curved 3G-capable smartwatch appeared first on Pocketnow.
