Tag Archive for smartphones

Link

On ChipChick: Motorola Droid Turbo Review: Verizon Welcomes Back an Old Friend

Verizon Wireless will never let us forget that, way back in the day, the first Droid is the smartphone that really captured the world’s attention and made Android the powerhouse it is today. Since then the carrier and Motorola have tried to keep that level of excitement with each new Droid release, even though the phones aren’t so different from the Moto brand all the other carriers get.templates

The newest entry into this vaunted and celebrated line is the Droid Turbo ($199 for 32GB, $249 for 64GB), a smartphone that isn’t particularly groundbreaking but does offer a nice upgrade from previous generations. The Turbo has four big things going for it: a rugged design, natural intelligence, super long battery life, and a high megapixel camera.

Link

On Techlicious: Hands On: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 & Note Edge [Video]

Today Samsung unveiled two new Galaxy Note phones, one that’s a by-the-book upgrade to last year’s Note 3, and one that that does something innovative and has the potential to shake up the way you use Android for the better. There’s no official price announcement yet, but both phones will be out in October. Want to check them out sooner than that? Later this week the public in New York City, Chicago, Dallas, LA, and San Francisco will get a chance to at least play with demo models at select carriers. If you don’t live in any of those cities, check out our hands-on below.

Link

On Techlicious: The Best Android Phone – Summer 2014

This year, a number of excellent new Android phones hit the market: the Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, Sony Xperia Z2 and LG G3. All of them have the ingredients of a great phone — big, beautiful displays, speedy performance, good cameras and long battery life — with only a few drawbacks between them.

I tested each of the new models and determined that the HTC One M8 is the most impressive of the bunch. It has the whole package down pat, including a gorgeous design, which makes it my pick for the best Android smartphone. Here’s why.

Link

On ChipChick: Siri vs. Cortana – Which Can Tell Me Chris Evans is Sexy?

One of the most hyped features of Windows Phone 8.1 is Cortana, a digital personal assistant that’s Microsoft’s answer to Siri and Google Now. And Microsoft wants you to know that they can build it better, stronger, faster. Well, better at least. Cortana’s feature set is supposedly guided by what real flesh and blood personal assistants say they do for clients. It’s not just a digital voice that can search the web and interact with apps; Cortana really gets to know you.

I spent a week with Cortana and Siri testing the strengths of each to see how well Microsoft did out of the gate. It might not seem like a fair comparison since Siri is almost three years old now, but Cortana already does most of the things Siri can and a few she’s not capable of just yet.

Link

On ChipChick: ASUS Padfone X is a Productivity Road Warrior: Review

The ASUS Padfone X, available now on AT&T for $199 (with contract), is a smartphone that transforms into a tablet that sort of transforms into an Android laptop. It’s an intriguing concept, especially if you want or need a tablet with productivity chops and you don’t want to pay extra for mobile hotspot service. That use case only covers a specific type of user. If you mostly use a tablet at home, the Padfone X may not be the device you need.

Link

On xoJane: “OH MY GOD IT’S SO HUGE!” “I Could Never Handle Anything That Massive!” Why I Love My Big, Big Phone

My favorite piece of tech is one I can’t keep in my pocket. At least, not when I’m sitting down. So it’s usually hanging out on the table or the bar in front of me even when I’m not obsessively checking Twitter or Google+. When people see it, their reactions tend to fall within a predictable range:

“Oh my god, it’s so huge!”

“How do you even use something so big?”

“I could never handle anything that massive!”

“I can’t even wrap my hand around it!”

No, they’re not talking about some giant dildo, they’re talking about my phone.

Link

On Digital Trends: Apple iPhone 5C Review

There is a lot less pressure on the iPhone 5C than there was on the iPhone 5, and the massive hopes and dreams for innovation are on the 5S this year. The 5C is new version of last year’s iPhone 5. It’s sold for $100 less than the 5S and is for those who like (slightly) cheaper phones and colors. All it has to do is perform well and not feel or look trashy. And, you know what: it’s doing a good job.

Do you write on your phone? How does it not drive you mad?

by K. T. Bradford on August 21, 2013 in Techee Klatsch

In a recent post in the How I Write series over on Barnes & Noble’s Book Blog, author Lauren Oliver mentioned that she wrote most of her first novel on her BlackBerry. This isn’t wholly surprising given how we’ve heard about phone novels for years now (and even seen some published). But when I recently tried to get some writing done on a BlackBerry I found it more difficult than it should be. Read more →

Link

On Digital Trends: StandScan ($20) vs. ScanDock ($400): Which smartphone scanner is worth your cash?

Most scanner stands are like the $20 StandScan; simple cardboard (or plastic) tents that collapse or fold up in some way for easy porting and storage. And then there’s the ScanDock, which is in a class of it’s own. This study and more permanent-looking model bills itself as the Post-PC Scanner and promises higher quality. It also costs $400.

The ScanDock is clearly a product someone was clamoring for since it exists thanks to a successful KickStarter campaign. But is it so much better than basic scanner stands that it’s worth the high price? We tested the ScanDock and the StandScan head to head to find out.

Link

On Digital Trends: BlackBerry Q10 review

While the Z10 can be seen as BlackBerry’s bid to attract new, hip users, the BlackBerry Q10 should supposedly appeal to old-school BB lovers who are ready to dump their Bolds and Curves for something better. Instead of a large, all-touch experience, the Q10’s screen is small and half of the phone is dominated by a keyboard. It runs the Canadian tech company’s latest and greatest OS: BlackBerry 10.1. The question is whether the interface that runs so well on a larger, touch-only device will also work on a half display, half keyboard phone? The answer depends on whether you’re willing to dive deep into the Q10’s many layers of functionality and keyboard secrets.