Changes at Pocketnow (Video)

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

Come January 1, there will be a pretty significant behind-the-scenes change here at Pocketnow. For the first time since 2002, I will no longer be involved in the day-to-day operations of Pocketnow, and I will no longer be Editor-in-Chief. It is with mixed emotions that I make this announcement. Pocketnow is in my blood (literally, as my brother was a co-founder back in 2000) and for many years now it’s been a huge part of my life. I’ve been so incredibly fortunate to have worked closely with the team here, all of whom I consider my friends. And of course, it’s been an ...

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TLDR: I returned my Nexus 5

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

On paper, the Nexus 5 is a stunner. It comes with the latest CPU combined with the newest version of Android, plus a big battery, a camera with OIS, a high-PPI display, and a fantastic price tag. And indeed, we’ve determined (along with the rest of the Nexus 5-buying population) that Google’s latest Nexus is a fantastic piece of smartphone hardware and deserves serious consideration if you’re looking to buy a new Android phone. As has been the case with all previous Nexus releases, I bought a Nexus 5 for ...

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Themer by MyColorScreen takes complexity out of Android theming (Video)

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

One of the chief reasons we love Android because it’s so flexible and open. The best example of this is the homescreen where one can completely customize the look and feel of what is most certainly the most used part of the smartphone. With widgets, icons, custom wallpapers and third party launchers, the possibilities of customization are endless on Android and the results can be truly breathtaking. The website MyColorScreen is home to a community of Android “artists” that put forth their creativity to make beautiful Android themes. ...

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iPhone 5S review: the same, yet different

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

We got two iPhones this year. The lesser model, the 5C, is ideal for those who want an iPhone but want to save a Benjamin and have color choices beyond the typical black or white. The premium model, the 5S, is ideal for those who want the best iPhone. It’s the same as the outgoing iPhone 5, save for three areas: CPU, camera, and fingerprint security. Oh, and there’s a new gold color if you want to stand out a bit. Are such minor improvements enough to satisfy the increasingly demanding ...

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iPhone 5S vs iPhone 5 (Video)

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

Those of you with an iPhone 5 are undoubtedly wondering if the 5S is worth an upgrade. When it comes down to it, you’ll get three things: an improved camera, a fingerprint scanner, and a faster CPU. It’s also possible you might get better battery life. Taken together, these new capabilities make for a fantastic experience on the 5S, but it’s not a vast improvement over the 5. Take a look at our comparison video and decide for yourself. Then, come back for our full review where we’ll more closely ...

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iPhone 5S Touch ID setup (Video)

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

Apple calls its fingerprint sensor “Touch ID.” Its function is actually quite limited as of now: you can use your fingerprint to unlock your phone instead of typing a passcode, or you can use it to buy apps in the App Store. In the future we hope that this function is opened to third-party developers because it holds a lot of promise. Setup is super easy and takes less than a minute. Once the device recognizes and stores your Touch ID, the 5S is able to read your print very, very quickly. You’re also able to add multiple prints in case you want your spouse or other person ...

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iPhone 5S unboxing (Video)

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

The iPhone 5 was one of the best phone’s we’ve ever reviewed. About a year later, it’s falling behind in a few key areas that Apple hopes to remedy with the 5S. Chief among them is the camera: the 5S is supposed to have improved low light performance thanks to a larger sensor and a new flash configuration. Recent devices like the HTC One and Nokia Lumia 1020 have been engineered around low-light camera performance. Also new to the table is a faster 64 bit A7 CPU which we really won’t see the benefits of ...

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Galaxy Note 3 vs. Galaxy Note 2 (Video)

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

Compared to the Galaxy Note 2, the Galaxy Note 3 is familiar, yet different. It’s an upgrade in every aspect, thanks to the use of 3GB of RAM and the brawny Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core CPU (or Exynos 5 Octa, depending on where you get yours). The display, a bit larger than before, also bumps the resolution from 720p to 1080p; this is one of the best displays we’ve ever seen. Visually, the two are similar, save for the much smaller bezels on the Note 3 and the reduced depth. The S-Pen is still there but with new software features. In terms of in-hand feel, the Note 3 feels ...

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iOS 7 Hands-On (Video)

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

At long last, iOS has been made different. It seems that since 2007, we’ve complained about being frustrated by sameness. Well, that sameness is now a thing of the past because iOS 7 is a deep change. It touches every toggle, every app, every menu of iOS, and it represents a dramatic modernization of the mobile operating system that propelled the smartphone industry forward six years ago. We got a hold of the developer preview, which seems to be quite stable. Battery life seems worse than the latest stable version of iOS 6, but overall stability and performance feels good on the ...

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HTC One Review

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

HTC really, really needs the One to be a success. Their flagship One X of last year was nice on paper, but was plagued by a sub-par camera and software lag, not to mention lackluster and insufficient marketing. The new HTC One is truly different, though, even as the Galaxy S 4 is on its way out. The combination of new lofty camera claims, hardware that is undeniably beautiful and unique, and innovative features like BoomSound gets us excited about HTC’s future and their chance at getting back to financial health. Read on for our full review of the HTC One! Video ...

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HTC One BoomSound vs. Galaxy S 3, iPhone 5, Nexus 4 (Video)

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

As we work to bring you our full review of the HTC One, we wanted to step back and show you one of the most unique features of the phone: BoomSound, which is what HTC calls their front-firing speaker array on the front of the device. Does this make a difference? Yes, heck yes. Whether it’s using the loud, distortion-free speakerphone while on a call, getting more volume from your ringer, watching a YouTube video at a comfortable volume, or using the music player act as a boombox, louder (and clearer) sound from a phone is a feature that ...

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LG Optimus L7 II Hands On (Video)

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

The LG Optimus L7 II is a budget/midrange Android 4.1 device that was shown at MWC. Inside it has a dual-core 1GHz CPU with 768MB of RAM. The display is a modest 4.3″ and WVGA resolution, and the camera on the back takes photos at 8MP and video at 1080p. The design is typical-LG with rounded edges and an elongated home button. Powering everything is a 2460mAh battery, which is a nice capacity for a phone of this type.

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Nokia Lumia 520 Hands-On (Video)

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

The Lumia 520, announced at MWC, is a Windows Phone 8 device intended for budget-conscious consumers. It’ll be selling for just under $200 in Q1, which makes it the least expensive Lumia you can buy. It’ll be available on T-Mobile as the Lumia 521 starting in the spring/summer. In terms of specs it’s got a 4.0″ WVGA display and a 5MP camera on the rear capable of shooting 720p video. The battery is rather generous for a smaller phone, at 1430mAh. While the Lumia 520 only has 8GB of onboard storage, you can expand the memory with a microSD card. In terms of power, ...

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HP Slate 7 Hands On (Video)

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

HP is getting back into tablets, this time with Android (and not with webOS with the ill-fated Touchpad). Their first device in this category is a budget device that reminds us a lot of the Nexus 7 but with worse specs and a low price. It has a 7″ 1024×600 LCD display and is powered by an A9 Cortex CPU with 1GB of RAM. It’s running on Android 4.1 and comes without a skin on top of Android. Interestingly, it has Beats Audio, making it the first non-HTC device to bring this audio-enhancing technology since the aforementioned TouchPad. It also has 8GB of storage, but unlike ...

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Hey HTC: Of Course Megapixels Matter

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

Yesterday we witnessed what very well could be a turning point for HTC: the announcement of their new One flagship. With it, they announced a new UltraPixel Camera technology that uses two 4MP camera sensors to take shots that have vastly improved lightning exposure, according to the company. We have yet to test the camera on the One on our own, but one thing is for sure: 4MP is just not enough, despite HTC’s claim that “Megapixels don’t matter.” Of course they matter. Consider this. The Nexus 10′s screen is a full ...

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