Posted by wicked April - 30 - 2013 - Tuesday Comments Off
Get ready for the onslaught of Google Glass news that will surely be arriving daily as we round out the next few weeks and head to Google I/O May 15-17th. We’re expecting big things from Google at the event, and today we’ve just got our first official how-to video of Glass from Google themselves. Can you say Minority Report?
Basically we are getting our very first actual detailed look at Google Glass, how it works navigating through Google Now, weather alerts, friends, photos and more. This isn’t fair Google. I want it now! And surely we aren’t alone with that thought. The video below comes direct from Google and will give you a better idea of life with Glass.
It’s short and sweet, but has already piqued our interest more than it already was. I have a feeling searching through my thousands of friends on G+ might be hard with that touchpad. Thankfully we should be able to use our voice. Google shows us how to navigate the UI with the long touchpad on the side, taps for selecting things and scrolling through cards, and more. Check it out.
Google shows us that the display will be movable to get the optimal display for your face, how you can easily tap and swipe things into focus, or away from your view, and even how to put Glass to sleep. I love it. Does this make you want Glass more, or less? Are you sold yet or waiting for more details before you decide to pick up a pair when retail availability arrives in 2014. That’s a long time to wait. Just a thought.
Posted by wicked April - 29 - 2013 - Monday Comments Off
We all knew a few drop test videos would be appearing within days of Samsung’s GALAXY S 4 hitting the streets in the U.S. and across the globe. So lets take a peek and enjoy the carnage. Well, without spoiling all the fun lets just say our title was right. Plastic isn’t always best, and that is proven with multiple drop tests we’ve seen this weekend.
To be completely honest, they do a great job thoroughly dropping both devices from similar angles and height, all while running the camera at the same time on the phones to give you another angle to enjoy. I was quite surprised by just how well the iPhone 5 handled the drops, and figured a few 10 foot falls would crack that screen, but they didn’t.
Drop tests are nothing new. They also aren’t anything scientific and sometimes one bad drop will kill your display, while 5 others won’t. It’s the luck of the draw – and the angle – that will cause that beautiful 5-inch 1080p HD display to bust. Here we see Samsung’s flagship wrapped in lightweight plastic going head-to-head with Apple’s durable aluminum wrapped iPhone 5. It’s safe to say plastic isn’t always best, and even with an aluminum ring around the entire GALAXY S 4, it still fails this test miserably.
The Galaxy S III didn’t do too well in these tests, and it looks like the S4 doesn’t do any better. You’d think Samsung would work on fixing this area of durability, but clearly they haven’t. The GALAXY S 4 has a thick aluminum ring around the entire side of the device but it didn’t help save the screen when it came down to it. We were hoping for a little more protection, but that didn’t work out. Maybe you’ll need to get that aluminum bumper case we mentioned this morning.
I’ve never done these tests myself, but wow, that iPhone 5 even handled an SUV running it over. That’s pretty impressive folks. Plastic surely couldn’t handle that type of abuse. There is some good news here however. A recent iFixit teardown gave the GS4 an 8/10 for repairability. So you’ll be able to replace that broken device rather easily should one of these terrible moments happen and you crack that screen.
All this drop test junk aside, the Samsung GALAXY S 4 is still an amazingly awesome and powerful smartphone that will make millions of customers happy. Hopefully next time around Samsung works a bit harder on the durability side of things and maybe, just maybe, decides to change their plastic ways. If you bought one this weekend or will this week, are you going to use a case?
Posted by wicked April - 29 - 2013 - Monday Comments Off
The folks over at Phone Buff got their hands on the HTC One and decided to test the endurance of it with a knife, key, and a hammer. Now the question is does the phone live up to the abuse or does the poor repair-ability of the HTC One have to be put to the test? Hit the break to find out.
Posted by wicked April - 26 - 2013 - Friday Comments Off
I have a confession to make. I’m not a fan of the entire smartwatch idea. Especially after trying out the Pebble, although our pal Robert Nelson loved it in his review. I just can’t see myself actually spending my hard-earned cash on a smartwatch. However, this new concept (not real) video of a Google Nexus watch might change my mind. We’ll just leave this here for you to enjoy for the weekend.
The video comes to us from T3, and gives us a pretty amazing look at the potential behind a Google-made Nexus smartwatch. Imagine using the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean quick settings toggle to flip from watch info, to details and battery stats for your smartphone. Now that’s something I could get behind. Checking Google Now, my phone battery, weather, and more all from my watch that syncs to my Nexus 4 – or 5.
Wearable technology is going to continue to be a bigger part of mobile devices as we move forward. Google Glass is a prime example of that, but it itself could potentially replace a smartwatch. So we don’t know what to think. I still have mixed feelings on the idea, but we’ll just let you enjoy the quick video below.
Purdy! Right? Unless it came bundled with my Nexus 5 or was under $150 I really can’t see myself actually buying one, but the idea sure is nice. Obviously making a concept device that sleek into a reality is no easy task, but it was fun while it lasted. We could see Samsung, Apple, and possibly Google all jumping on this bandwagon later this year. What do you guys think?
Posted by wicked April - 26 - 2013 - Friday Comments Off
Sure, you can find the occasional deal for a super-phone, provided you sign up for a contract–assuming you can sign up for a contract. What about the rest of us? Those of us with bad timing or bad luck? For a long time now, the zero-dollar smartphone has been a “get what you pay for” (I hate that phrase) sort of deal. Are times finally changing?
If you’re signing up for a new contract with Verizon, you can pick up the LG Lucid 2 for the low, low cost of absolutely nothing. But is it worth it? To find out, read on.
Like a lot of other recent phones from LG, the Lucid 2 has a very rectangular body. Those who prefer their corners rounded may not be super impressed, but as someone who has always preferred the clean look of sharp edges, I like the design for the most part. The silver highlights around the power button and volume rocker weren’t very attractive to me, but the device might have looked a little too simplistic without them.
The general quality of the build feels solid, especially for a phone that manages to stay on the fairly light side, though I’d be careful about dropping it. To that end, LG has given the removable backing of the Lucid 2 a rougher texture, which should help users keep a grip on the phone during use. I didn’t test the wireless charging backing (which is sold separately), so I can’t say whether or not this provides a noticeable difference.
Display
We wouldn’t blame you for looking at the resolution and thinking that if it isn’t even 720p, it’s not worth your time, but despite the relatively low pixel count, the LG Lucid 2 packs a surprisingly nice display. With a 4.3-inch display size and 960 x 540 resolution, we’re looking at a pixel density of 256 ppi. Not the sharpest we’ve seen, but still not bad.
No pixelation was readily apparent, and text and images were rendered very sharply despite the lower pixel density. As a result, the text and icons might appear slightly oversized, but this didn’t present itself as a problem during testing. Colors are very vivid–nearly oversaturated, actually–but images are well represented. Black levels were fairly good and the display was bright enough to be visible in bright sunlight.
Performance
We’ve seen these dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets enough by now to understand what kind of performance we should expect. To make sure the LG Lucid 2 held up we started off with our go-to benchmark, AnTuTu. We ran a total of 10 benchmarks over the course of two days under differing conditions. When all was said and done, the final average score was 11,686. We also attempted to run Epic Citadel, which ran once and crashed, never to run again, even after reinstalling.
In real-world use, we found that the LG Lucid 2 lived up to our expectations. Attempting to slow the phone down by quickly scrolling through home screens and the app drawer was unsuccessful, and with the exception of a few first-run issues, apps launched very quickly. The Adreno 225 isn’t the most powerful GPU, but the few games we did try ran well, and we didn’t notice any hiccups or slowdowns.
Software
The LG Lucid 2 runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, skinned with the same overlay that we see on most every LG phone. While a lot of our readers and viewers prefer stock Android, LG’s overlay is a lot more customizable than TouchWiz or HTC Sense. If you need more customization it’s always easy enough to install a custom launcher.
When it comes to the preinstalled software, there is definitely a good amount of bloatware scattered amongst the occasional useful app. Verizon has included an awful lot of stuff that many users will likely never touch, but there are some useful apps included as well. A file browser is always welcome, and the version of Polaris Office 4 included is actually usable, unlike the crippled versions that ship with some phones.
A large pile of Amazon has been dumped all over the LG Lucid 2 as well, which may be handy if you do a lot of shopping, but we would still prefer it if this could be removed.
Camera
What do you say about a mid-range smartphone camera that hasn’t already been said about a thousand other mid-range smartphone cameras before? This one is actually fairly usable as long as the lighting is good. Outdoor pictures, for example came out very well, providing that the phone was held steady during the shot. Low light performance is nowhere near as good, but that is the case with many cameras, even on high-end phones, with rare exceptions.
The 5 MP rear-facing camera features 1080p video capture, while the 1.3 MP front-facing camera captures 720p video. The video is generally fairly useful, though the sensor takes a very long time to auto-adjust to different lighting conditions. This is very noticeable in videos, and while it isn’t the only problem with the video (there is some jerkiness apparent in 1080p), it is definitely the most prominent issue.
Battery
Packing in a 2,460 mAh battery paired with the power-efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset, the LG Lucid 2 has some very nice battery life. During 8 hours of heavy testing, including benchmarking and other CPU- and GPU-intensive tasks, the battery dropped from 100 percent to around 30 percent. During a full day (around 16 hours) of “normal” use, including plenty of switching between networks and different service areas, the phone still had 20 percent when it was finally plugged in for the night.
If that wasn’t enough, the LG Lucid 2 also has a removable battery. Those who want to look for an extended battery or carry a charged spare can do so to their heart’s content, although the stock battery should be enough for most people. Unless, of course, reviewing phones is your job or something crazy like that.
Video Review
Conclusion
To echo my sentiments from the video review just above this, the LG Lucid 2 would have had to do a lot wrong to not earn itself a recommendation, given the fact that the phone costs nothing but a two-year contract. Yes, the camera isn’t the best and there are certainly better performing phones out there, but for the price, this is definitely something worth considering if you’re already looking at a two-year stint with Verizon.
What do you think of the LG Lucid 2? Any questions or comments? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Posted by Tim-o-tato April - 25 - 2013 - Thursday Comments Off
The OPPO Find 5 is an unlocked Android phone manufactured in China that has been out for months already, but over the last few weeks we have received enough requests from readers asking that we take a look at it, that we’ve decided to comply. The device has a pretty impressive list of specifications, highlighted by [...]
Video and Gallery: OPPO Find 5 Smartphone is a post from: Droid Life
Click the post title to continue through and join the conversation!
Posted by wicked April - 25 - 2013 - Thursday Comments Off
We know you don’t all love Twitter, but for those that do we have good news regarding their popular Vine application. It looks like Vine will indeed be coming soon to Android, after Twitter shunned Android on the release. The creators also mentioned today that some new features are coming along with it.
While there are plenty of viable options to replace Vine on Android, like Cinemagram, many still want the actual app from Twitter with all the integration features and more. We’ve been waiting for additional details and while we still don’t have a release date, this is certainly good news. Next can we get Twitter Music for Android? Please!
Today while speaking with The Verge, Vine creators had quite a bit to say about their app, what went into making it, their inspiration and much more. It’s a pretty interesting read but in the end all I gathered was two things. Vine is coming to Android, and Obama has some decent biking skills based on the Vine video they shared. Yup!
Twitter hopes that Vine will become the go-to way to share short video clips and more to social networks like Twitter, and they need the number one mobile OS in the world on board to do that. There’s a lot that went into making the app perfect, and the Vine creators want to deliver the same quality for Android. When it gets released we’ll be able to tag friends in videos and such, making it even more social, just like Twitter. Don’t kill Tweetdeck, and take off that 100k token limit for Android Twitter apps, then we’ll talk.
Posted by wicked April - 25 - 2013 - Thursday Comments Off
Get ready to suit up for tons of explosive action and snarky Tony Stark attitude, as the folks from Gameloft have just released Iron Man 3 the game for Android. The game is absolutely free, so what do you need to know? For starters it’s full of in-app purchases, and is almost 800MB in size so might take a while to download. Check out our hands-on pictures, video, and game thoughts below to see if it’s worth it.
We’ll start with one of our favorite quotes from Tony Stark. “I’m a Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist!” You’ll be playing Tony Stark as he battles A.I.M. forces from around the world. The game is played as an endless runner, like Temple Run, only you’ll be shooting and blasting enemies with an arsenal of Stark Industries weapons.
The movie hits theaters May 3rd, and we’re a bit excited to see how it is, and the game is said to follow the comic and movies somewhat closely. So we’ll have to update later and see how Gameloft does in that regard. As we mentioned above, the game is 790MB in size, and takes an additional 15 minutes or so to download and play. If you’re low on a data plan you might want to get this at home on WiFi. Check out the video below to see if it’s even worth it.
That was just a very quick look at the initial start and first level of the game. From there the action actually really picks up and it gets quite fun. I was rather pleased with my first 15 minutes of Iron Man 3, even though the in-game graphics aren’t as good as we hoped. However, the explosions are quite good, and the controls are decent. And yes, you can use the gyroscope and control the game by tilting your tablet or smartphone. I had to lower the sensitivity though, it was a bit extreme out of the box.
Now, lets talk about in-app purchases. This game is free but follows the freemium model so you can enjoy it at no cost, but really enjoy it and power-up, add more armor, get better weapons and more if you choose to purchase more stuff. The in-app purchases are pretty extreme too. Going on the record here. There’s an in-app purchase of $99.99 USD. Yes, nearly 100 bucks. That’s just ridiculous. On the bright side that will get you the billion dollar Stark Highrise Tower from the movies. If that’s your thing.
Actual gameplay is extremely fun and I found myself enjoying it more than I thought I would. At first it wasn’t much, but after you get more weapons and past the 10,000m mark the game really picks up. You’ll be dodging street signs, trucks on the road, jets in the sky and blasting enemies. Then trying to dodge incoming fire while sliding your finger on-screen to fire missiles at targets becomes a bit of a challenge. There was no lag whatsoever, but I did get the occasional lag when in-between sessions the game gives you an ad for other apps and games, which is a bummer.
All the terrible in-app purchases aside, the game has some unique (and irritating) ideas that makes it rather unique. You can earn XP points to buy any of the 18 different Iron Man suits available. Sadly after you purchase it, you have to spend coins earned during the game to actually build it. So yes, Gameloft is double dipping in your pocket. You’ll likely end up giving them some actual money to build up suits faster. Weak!
Then the cool yet irritating feature is the suit then takes time to build. It isn’t magical here guys, and Jarvis has to build your newly purchased Iron Man suit. The second one in game takes roughly 14 minutes to build. While waiting go for another flight and earn more coins, XP, and get ready to buy additional weapons. You can skip the wait time, but again, this costs diamonds which are even harder to get in the game.
So in the end Iron Man 3 for Android is actually extremely fun. It’s a fast-paced action endless runner full of 3D graphics, and the sound track is pretty epic. The game has soo many different power-ups, new suits, and options like buying the Stark Tower that you could play it for days and days. It’s a good approach for those who love to dive head first into a game, but casual gamers will probably lose interest thanks to truckloads of in-app purchases all over the place.
Give it a try from the link below and expect to either love it, or get bored trying to earn enough to get additional suits and weapons that you either give up, or cave and spend some actual money.
Posted by wicked April - 24 - 2013 - Wednesday Comments Off
The Samsung GALAXY S 4 and the new HTC One are both what can only be described as flagship Android smartphones at the top of their game, but they are both quite different. Now that the HTC One is readily available, and Samsung’s S4 is hitting the streets all over the place we decided another quick vs comparison post and video was in order. Which smartphone is right for you? It’s all about size!
These two smartphone have some pretty similar specs in terms of raw hardware, but deep down they are completely different in all aspects. We have the same Qualcomm quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor and 2GB of RAM, 16/32/64GB storage options, impressive cameras, and of course full HD 1080p displays. Do you want more of the same, or something new? Is a 5-inch screen too big, or just right? That’s for you to decide, but we’ll help you out.
To get started and so you know everything humanly possible about both smartphones. You’ll want to see our reviews. We’ll start by directing you to our brand new and thorough GALAXY S 4 Review, then check out the HTC One Review, as well as the AT&T One Review. Then the video below will give you a quick glance at a hardware comparison.
So which device is right for you? That’s for you to decide sadly. All we can do is give you the facts, showcase the features, and you’ll have to decide if you want an all aluminum device with stunning sound and a new design direction, or the tried and true Galaxy S 4 from Samsung. Here’s the stats, by the numbers!
Samsung GALAXY S 4
Display: 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED 1920×1080 resolution at 441 PPI
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.9 GHz Quad-Core Processor / Samsung Exynos 1.6 GHz Octa-Core Processor – depending on market
Cameras: 13 megapixel rear and 2 MP front
Dimensions: 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130g
Storage: 16/32/64 GB internal storage, 64GB capable microSD slot
Battery: 2600 mAh (removable)
HTC One
Display: 4.7-inch Full HD Super LCD3 1920×1080 resolution at 469 PPI
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 series 1.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor
Cameras: 4MP UltraPixel rear, 2.1 wide-angle front
Dimensions: 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm, 143g
Storage: 32/64 GB internal storage (no micro-SD)
Battery: 2300 mAh (non-removable)
A few things worth mentioning are the fact the HTC One runs Android 4.1, while Samsung is already on the absolute latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean from Google. Samsung’s been pretty good on their updates lately too. HTC, not so much. While the GALAXY S 4 is surely an impressive smartphone all around, the HTC One just feels like it takes more steps towards the future of smartphones. However, both will be rock solid for years to come, and make any user plenty happy. Which will you be buying?
Posted by wicked April - 18 - 2013 - Thursday Comments Off
Who’s getting excited for Tony Stark to come back and wreck havoc in Iron Man 3? If you don’t want to wait for the movie to be released the folks from Gameloft have you covered with their all-new Iron Man 3 game for Android and iOS. This is the official game, it looks awesome, and hits April 25th. We’ve shown you a few video clips before but today Gameloft released the official launch trailer that gives us a better look at what to expect.
Iron Man 3 the game looks pretty amazing, and Gameloft has confirmed multiple times it will for sure launch on Android and iOS together (same day wohoo) come April 25th. So the wait is almost over. Today’s launch video has some similarities to the one we posted a few weeks ago, but now we’re getting more gameplay footage as well as a look at the depth of the game.
In Iron Man 3 the game we’ll be following the endless runner (think Temple Run) style only with guns blazing. You’ll be able to upgrade armor, get entirely new Iron Man suits, shoot through waves of enemies all while dodging things and collecting coins for additional power-ups. This will be following the freemium model, and we’ll have plenty of in-game app purchases. Which some like and some don’t. Either way, here’s the new trailer.
The video reveals that we’ll be able to earn and upgrade over 18 different Iron Man suits, so there will be plenty of re-playability with this game. Upgrading weapons and armor will also play a big factor, so you won’t want to miss it if you love runner games, Iron Man in general, or casual Android gaming. It also appears to closely follow the storyline too, so that’s a plus.
Being a game that follows the freemium model it will be absolutely free to download and try on your Android smartphone and tablet. You can enjoy the game without spending any pennies, but they’ll allow power-ups and armor purchases and more if you’re willing to pay. Get ready for the action come April 25th.
