Apogee’s USB DAC is an audio boost in a tiny package
If you’re looking to improve the sound coming from your laptop while working on the go, Apogee many have the fix. At this week’s NAMM trade show, the company announced Groove: a small USB digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that aims to boost quality without taking up a considerable amount of extra room. In fact, the unit appears to be about the size of a thumb drive. Groove works with both Mac and PC, tackling up to 24 bit/192kHz audio for both headphones and powered speakers with on-board controls for muting and volume adjustments. The add-on is USB powered, so there’s no need to worry about batteries or changing, and the aluminum frame houses Quad Sum DAC tech that uses four converters per channel to keep tracks crisp and clear. There’s no word on pricing just yet, but the accessory is set to arrive this spring, and when it does, we’ll be taking it for a test drive.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video
Source: Apogee (1), (2)
Meizu MX4 Pro Review
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The Bottom Line
Though not flashy, the Meizu MX4 Pro has got what counts
- Quad HD display
- Good performance with Exynos 5 Octa
- Great and reliable fingerprint reader
- Surprisingly good sound and speaker quality
- Camera provides a number of good modes, and above average quality
- Design doesn’t really stand out
- No expandable storage
- Battery not replaceable, and life uneven
- Lot of trouble connecting to LTE networks
- Camera is not the fastest shooter
With specifications and features on par with most current flagships, the Meizu MX4 Pro manages to couple high quality and an affordable price tag
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The Meizu MX4, despite its shortcomings, proved to be a solid device, but following the release of this flagship, Meizu also launched a Pro version of the smartphone that took everything that was great about its flagship counterpart and brought it to a whole other level. With specifications and features that put this smartphone at par with most current flagships, at a more than competitive price point, this latest large form-factor smartphone from Meizu certainly has a lot to offer. Here is our in-depth review of the Meizu MX4 Pro!
Design
The MX4 Pro retains the design language of its namesake, reminiscent of the iPhone 3GS, down to a home button found at the bottom front, only in a larger form factor, courtesy of the bigger 5.5-inch display. The size puts this device just outside the realm of comfortable one-handed use, but its ultra-thin bezels along the sides of the display certainly make a difference.
As mentioned, the MX4 Pro features a physical home button up front, that offers a great tactile feel, and also comes with an integrated fingerprint scanner. The volume rocker is found on the right side, but the power button is placed at the top, which can be a little difficult to reach, given the size of the device. Up top is also the headphone jack, while at the bottom is the microUSB port and a single speaker unit. All of this is held together with a nice silver lining via the metallic frame, and while this smartphone isn’t too flashy, it does manage to have a look of its own.
The back cover sports a nice non-glossy feel and is removable, but serves as access to the SIM slot, with the battery being non-replaceable. The smooth plastic does have a tendency to slip around in the hand, further exacerbated by the accentuated curves of the MX4 Pro. There weren’t many issues with keeping a grip on the phone, but a little extra care is definitely needed initially while trying to perform the hand gymnastics required to get around the screen. That being said, the reach required is at a minimum compared to some other large form-factor devices out there.
While there’s nothing to dislike about the MX4 Pro in terms of design, it doesn’t particularly stand out either, mostly because of its overt familiarity. Apart from its likeness to the older iPhone, the design language has largely remained the same since the MX3, made only bigger in the case of the MX4 Pro.
Display
Luckily, the Pro moniker isn’t just to do with the larger size of the device, and shines through in other aspects as well, starting with the display. Apart from the bump in size to 5.5-inches, the IPS LCD display comes with a Quad HD resolution, but because of the aspect ratio that is slightly off kilter, the resolution is 1536p as opposed to 1440p, with pixel density of 546 ppi. The difference is not really noticeable, and while this display is a very nice performer, it is on par with other Quad HD panels out there.
Despite the muted aesthetic of the default Flyme OS theme, colors still look vibrant and stand out due to some good contrast, as well as showcasing the sharpness of the display. Viewing angles are good, and the brightness allows for great visibility even in broad daylight. I had a great experience doing anything on this display, including gaming, and the Gorilla Glass 3 panel offers good protection against scratches.
Performance
While the MX4 featured a MediaTek processor, Meizu has replaced that in favor of the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5430 processor, backed by the Mali-T628 GPU and 3 GB of RAM. There were no issues in terms of performance, with the device flying through the various elements of the Flyme OS. Multitasking is also a breeze, despite the more minimalistic interface of the Recent Apps screen, but switching between applications was quick and easy.
My main enjoyment was from gaming here, as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was nice and smooth at the default settings. The game was still playable when the graphics performance was pushed to the maximum settings, but at normal settings, the game never missed a beat.
Hardware
On the hardware front, we start off with the speaker, found at the bottom of the device. While we keep talking about how much better front-facing or side mounted speaker setups are, Meizu has managed to make the sound experience on the MX4 Pro quite compelling. Not only does it get loud, but the sound stage is robust, bringing richness and body to mids and lows, something where a lot of other speakers just aren’t up to the task. With a Hi-Fi enhancement option available in the settings, the same great audio experience is available when a pair of headphones is plugged in.
Mentioned earlier was the fact that the physical home button up front comes with an integrated fingerprint scanner. This is a press type reader, which means that all you have to do is place your finger on it. What makes this implementation so good is the fact that you can wake and unlock the phone in a single motion. Press down the button to wake the device, and continue to hold it to scan your finger and unlock the device. Meizu claims that you can go from asleep to working in about a half a second, and while we haven’t timed it, it certainly is very fast, and extremely reliable. You can also set fingerprints to unlock specific applications and other portions of the phone.
Mobile connectivity is one point of contention for those in the US. While the MX4 Pro hasn’t seen an official release in this market, it was difficult to get more than 3G connectivity on AT&T and T-Mobile’s networks. Despite featuring 4G LTE support, the bands were just not compatible, while there have been other devices from foreign markets that have worked just fine. Of course, if the MX4 Pro does officially make it to the States, a compatible version will be released at the time. That said, call quality was still more than adequate.
Unfortunately, the experience was rather uneven on the battery front, despite MX4 Pro featuring a large 3,350 mAh unit. With the mobile network connectivity problems, administering a day to day battery test was difficult, but one incident worth mentioning is that the battery managed to drain itself overnight, while connected to Wi-Fi, something that happened a couple of times, even after checking whether a background app was the culprit. The frequency of this issue has reduced, but has still happened more times than is negligible. That said, the device does manage to go through a full day of use on a single charge before going into single digits, but this is of course with high-speed internet connectivity being a contributing factor to the battery drain.
Camera
When it comes to the camera, a powerful 20.7 MP rear unit provides a very solid performance on the MX4 Pro. Keeping up with the selfie trend, the front-facing camera also sports a little more power at 5 MP.
The camera application provides a slew of different modes and settings, found by swiping side to side on the viewfinder, including panorama and slowmotion video, with a fully manual mode available as well. Settings in the auto mode include HDR, which does a pretty good job of improving color output on a shot, though without the higher saturation, this effect is essentially what Night Mode produces.
The Macro mode proved fun to use, though I found it a little odd that the Auto mode doesn’t automatically activate the macro focus, which basically allows you to focus on a close subject when the regular mode cannot. For all you selfie lovers out there, there is a Beautify Mode available that smartphones from Asian markets are known for. That said, the camera photos from the front-facing unit weren’t bad to begin with, and the Beautify Mode was a little too aggressive for my taste.
Videos can be captured in 4K resolution, and while they look good, a lack of stabilization makes shooting them a little finicky at times. As mentioned, slow motion video capture is also possible at 720p resolution at a speed of 100 fps, exported out at 25 fps.
Picture quality was actually quite good for the MX4 Pro, as details were very well captured and colors looked appealing when you could capture them correctly. I did find the exposure and the white balance in Auto mode to be a bit jumpy, needing you to be sure that what you want to capture is what you see in the viewfinder. Even in low light situations, the camera manages nice results, with HDR and Night Modes available to enhance the shot.
The only real gripe with this camera was the somewhat slow auto focusing time. The camera of the Meizu MX4 Pro may not be the absolute best comparatively, but it is far from the worst as well.
Software
Finally, when it comes to software, we get the Flyme OS, a rather different take on Android that is a bit more simplistic than its more well known competitors. What you see is what you get in this interface, as there is no app drawer available, requiring you to use folders if you’re looking to keep things clean and organized.
You may have noticed that there are no capacitive keys available, but contextual softkeys appear on the display when required in applications, while the home button can be used to go backward. The notification drop has a host of different options available, and different panels are used to navigate through the many options in the Settings menu. The only hidden area is the Recent Apps interface, which is accessible via a swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
Of course, everything is customisable via a theme engine, even if it will mostly be in Chinese for the moment. When it comes to translations, there are understandably a few holes in the text of the device, as there was obviously more room to foot many elements in Chinese characters, but not for the long form English phrases they mean. The literal translations themselves are a bit uneven.
That all said, what I like about the Flyme OS interface is that things are pretty simple. The contextual softkey bar that appears at the bottom remains one of my favorite aspects, as it helps keep the screen real estate open for media. Another bright spot was also the keyboard, which was easy to use, allowing me to type really quickly on it, with the useful functionality of just swiping down from the letters to easily get to numbers and symbols. There was nothing that was very overwhelming, and if you can keep things from getting too cluttered on the homescreens, everything should be fine.
Specifications
| Display | 5.5-inch IPS LCD 2560 x 1536 resolution, 546 ppi |
| Processor | 2 GHz Exynos 5 Octa Mali-T628 GPU |
| RAM | 3 GB |
| Storage | 16/32/64 GB, no microSD expansion |
| Camera | 20.7 MP rear camera with dual LED flash 5 MP front-facing camera |
| Connectivity | HSPA, LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth 4.0, GPRS |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Battery | 3,350 mAh |
| Software | Flyme OS 4.1 based on Android 4.4.4 Kitkat |
| Dimensions | 150.1 x 77 x 9 mm 158 grams |
Gallery
Pricing and Final Thoughts
Meizu’s current line of flagship devices is slowly making its way out of China and into other markets, though we don’t know if it will make it to the US anytime soon. When converting the price from Asia, the phone comes in at around $400, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the Western retail price would be closer to about $500 unlocked. It’s not a bad price point, but plenty of other phones in the Asian market have compelling experiences to offer and can rock similar or even lower price tags. It is also a good idea to wait because of the network connectivity problems stated above, but if you do want to get your hands on it, it is available from Amazon for $610.
So, there you have it – the Meizu MX4 Pro! The MX4 Pro serves as a great example of the growth we’re seeing out of China. Just a few weeks back at CES 2015, we got to see a few high-quality but affordable devices from Chinese companies, and that is a trend that looks to be on the rise.
Meizu is in the thick of this trend with a phablet offering that manages to be powerful but accessible at the same time. Its design choices aside, the shell is just a casing for all of the power that is found underneath. A QuadHD display, good performance, an enjoyable sound stage, and an above average camera all make the MX4 Pro a package we do hope to see more easily available in the US soon, which should also resolve the network connectivity issues I faced during my testing. It might not stand out very much, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find a pretty fun and powerful phone in the Meizu MX4 Pro.
AT&T handing out LG G Pad 7.0, ASUS MeMO Pad 10 and Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 tablets free with two-year contract
I just got an email for a decent little promotion that AT&T is currently running. For a limited time, February 2nd, or until supplies run out, you can snag a ‘certified like-new’ LG G Pad 7.0 LTE tablet or a ASUS MeMO Pad FHD 10 LTE for free. We all know nothing is ever truly […]
The post AT&T handing out LG G Pad 7.0, ASUS MeMO Pad 10 and Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 tablets free with two-year contract appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Samsung working on a wearable sensor for detecting strokes early
Samsung’s Creativity Lab has been working on a new wearable health sensor for the past two years. This sensor, called the Early Detection Sensor and Algorithm Package (EDSAP), monitors brain waves and give the wearer information to track potential strokes.
EDSAP uses multiple sensors and a complex algorithm that keeps up with brainwave activity. The user can then use a smartphone or tablet to check up on the brainwave activity and predict the probability of a stroke. The sensor won’t do much for treating a stroke, but if the brain waves start to point towards a stroke, you’d know to seek out medical attention before things got serious.
While the sensor can predict the probability of someone having a stroke, it can also keep up with several other neurological health stats, including sleep patterns and stress and anxiety levels.
Currently, the EDSAP is only in the prototype phase, so it won’t see a major hardware release anytime soon. But still, it offers a great proof of concept that could very well make its way into other technology in the medical industry.
source: Samsung Tomorrow
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Latest OS X 10.10.2 beta kills Google-disclosed vulnerabilities dead
Google’s Project Zero research program has disclosed and released proof-of-concept code for a series of 0day — previously unknown — vulnerabilities found in Apple’s OS X operating system for the Mac. It should be noted, however, that the first vulnerability was marked as fixed and closed by Google two weeks ago, and the others are fixed in OS X Yosemite 10.10.2, now in beta. Here’s a report on the vulnerabilities from Ars Technica:
In the past two days, Project Zero has disclosed OS X vulnerabilities here, here, and here. At first glance, none of them appear to be highly critical, since all three appear to require the attacker to already have some access to a targeted machine. What’s more, the first vulnerability, the one involving the “networkd ‘effective_audit_token’ XPC,” may already have been mitigated in OS X Yosemite, but if so the Google advisory doesn’t make this explicit and Apple doesn’t publicly discuss security matters with reporters.
Again, the first exploit, which could result in privilege escalation, was marked as fixed and closed by Project Zero on January 8. Based on the latest build of OS X 10.10.2, seeded yesterday to developers, Apple has also already fixed both of the remaining vulnerabilities.
That means the fixes will be available to everyone running Yosemite as soon as that update goes into general availability.
Discovering vulnerabilities and reporting them is great. Disclosing them to the public, especially without the proper context and framing, is somewhat less than great. Lets hope Google and Project Zero remember there are humans on the other end of these hacks.
Deal Alert: MadCatz Mojo is now just $150
The Mojo Android-powered microconsole debuted last year, marking Mad Catz’s first (and currently only) attempt to break into the Android microconsole market. Despite solid hardware and full Google Play support, the game player didn’t exactly sprint off store shelves. As time has progressed, MadCatz has done quite a bit to help make the device more appealing, including partnering up with Ouya to add the entire Ouya library. Combined with Google Play and with the option to install 3rd party stores like Amazon’s AppStore, the Mojo opens the door to a lot of apps.
As for the price? While it debuted at $250, Mojo is now slashing it down to just $150. With Android TV devices like the Nexus Player and competitors like Amazon TV, the Mojo faces tough competition but its $150 pricing and powerful Tegra 4 chip could still make it a good buy for someone who is looking for a device that can work with just about any Android app you throw at it.
For those interested in picking up the Mojo at its reduced price, you can grab it through several retailers including Amazon.
Apple Aiming for 19 Hours of Apple Watch Battery Life With ‘Mixed Usage’
One of the biggest mysteries about the upcoming Apple Watch is its battery life. Previous rumors have hinted that it will need to be charged once a day, and Apple CEO Tim Cook himself said that users will want to charge it on a daily basis, but concrete battery life information has yet to be revealed.
New details on the Apple Watch’s possible battery life have now surfaced from inside sources that spoke to 9to5Mac, revealing information on the battery life Apple was aiming for and what it may actually be able to achieve.
As of 2014, Apple was reportedly aiming for 2.5 to 4 hours of active application use with 19 hours of active/passive use, plus 3 days of pure standby time and four days if the watch was sleeping. That’s somewhat in line with early rumors, which suggested Apple was targeting a three to five day battery life for the device. While Apple was aiming for three to four days of standby time, two to three days, and while it’s aiming for 19 hours of mixed usage, it “may not hit that number in the first generation version.”
The Apple Watch is equipped with a tiny but powerful S1 chip, and its performance is similar to that of the A5 processor from the iPhone 4s and the iPad 2. It also has a 60-FPS Retina-class display, which, along with the S1 chip, results in a significant amount of power usage.
Apple has also been stress-testing the Apple Watch’s battery life with pre-bundled and third-party applications. Our sources say that Apple is targeting 2.5 hours of “heavy” application use, such as processor-intensive gameplay, or 3.5 hours of standard app use. Interestingly, Apple expects to see better battery life when using the Watch’s fitness tracking software, which is targeted for nearly 4 hours of straight exercise tracking on a single charge.
As Apple is positioning the Apple Watch as a timepiece, the company has conducted numerous tests to determine how long it can run purely in time-keeping modes. We’re told that the Watch should be able to display its clock face for approximately three hours, including watch ticking animations, if nothing else is done with the device.
These usage numbers make it sound like the Apple Watch will need to be charged multiple times a day, but it’s unlikely that Apple Watch users will use apps and games continuously for hours, allowing the Apple Watch to last for approximately a day before needing to be charged. When not in active use, the Apple Watch goes into a battery-preserving sleep mode.
Apple originally hoped to launch the Apple Watch in late 2014, but delays with software optimization ultimately caused the company to push back the release of the device until 2015, giving it time to eek out as much battery life as possible. Apple is also said to be perfecting the Apple Watch’s MagSafe charger, improving its recharging time.
Current rumors suggest the Apple Watch could launch in March of 2015, at the tail end of “early 2015.” While complete pricing remains unknown, the entry-level model will sell for $349.
T-Mobile’s ‘Smartphone Equality’ Program Ends Credit Score Requirement for Loyal Paying Customers
T-Mobile today announced a new program that makes it easier for customers with poor credit to receive discount pricing on devices and other deals previously only available to credit-worthy customers. CEO John Legere kicked off the new “Smartphone Equality” promotion with a video blog that explains the rationale behind the program.
Legere notes that half of Americans do not qualify for most carrier-advertised phone deals due to poor credit or a lack of credit history, and T-Mobile aims to change that by “putting our relationship with you above some number pumped out by a credit bureau, some huge faceless bureaucracy.”
With its new “Smartphone Equality” program, T-Mobile is emphasizing the customer’s relationship with the carrier instead of their credit score. As part of the initiative, customers who have paid their wireless bill on time for 12 months will be eligible for discounted pricing, including the carrier’s popular zero down and no credit check programs. The “Smartphone Equality” program will be available starting next week to eligible customers.
T-Mobile has been shaking up the cellular industry with its ongoing Un-carrier promotions, which broke new ground by removing the cellular contract from a smartphone purchase and offering generous early termination bonuses for customers who switch to T-Mobile. Recently, the wireless carrier introduced its Un-carrier 8 initiative, which includes a new “Data Stash” program that rolls over unused monthly data and makes it available for the following 12 months.
Sony releases action packed Rockin’ Goat on the Play Store
Have you ever wanted to play a game that puts you in the shoes of an escaped farm goat that moonlights in a rock band? You might have an odd taste in video games, but Sony’s Music division has you covered. They’ve released Rockin’ Goat onto the Google Play Store that stars Elwood the goat as he builds a band and put on rock shows in a 2D platforming experience.
The game looks fairly well done and features music from a few different artists under Sony Music’s arm. Between the music and several mini-games, this one might be worth checking out for a few laughs while killing some time.
The app itself is free, but there are in-app purchases. You can check out some screenshots and download the game below.
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Music Entertainment today announced the launch of ‘Rockin’ Goat,’ a raucous new mobile adventure game set against the backdrop of Rock and Roll that sends players on an off-the-wall quest blending elements of fantasy, explosive action and music.
Full of fun, unpredictable challenges and exciting mini-games, ‘Rockin’ Goat’ follows the wild exploits of Elwood the goat, a barnyard bandleader who has just escaped the family farm in order to pursue his music dreams.
But making it big as a rock star is anything but easy. Players must collect gold records and tear up the stage all the while watching out for dangerous enemies and obstacles, including flocks of seagulls, angry cacti, toxic boxes, and earth-shattering meteors.
‘Rockin’ Goat’ offers a rollicking 2D platform game play experience in which gamers ram and jam through nine levels and three different environments of vast landscapes and raging concert venues, and recruit other band members in challenging mini-games.
The game also features tracks from artists distributed through RED, a division of Sony Music, including Sister Sin (Victory Records),New Device (Four Worlds), Hark, Menace, Wildlights (Season Of Mist), and Adrenaline Mob (Century Media Records).
The Rockin’ Goat App is available for free from iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rockin-goat/id947041192?mt=8 and Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ariama.goats
About Sony Music Entertainment:
Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a current roster that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars. The company boasts a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. It is home to premier record labels representing music from every genre, including Arista Nashville, Beach Street/Reunion Records, Bystorm Entertainment, Columbia Nashville, Columbia Records, Day 1, Epic Records, Essential Records, Kemosabe Records, Legacy Recordings, MASTERWORKS, Polo Grounds, RCA Inspiration, RCA Nashville, RCA Records, Sony Classical, Sony Music Latin, Star Time International, Syco Music, Vested in Culture and Volcano. Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America.
SOURCE Sony Music Entertainment
Come comment on this article: Sony releases action packed Rockin’ Goat on the Play Store
Three UK reportedly confirmed to be purchasing O2 for £10 billion
It was reported a few days ago that Three UK was looking to purchase O2 from Telefonica, and now the deal has reportedly been confirmed at a price of 10 billion pounds (roughly 15 billion US dollars) and is expected to be finalized Friday morning.
AIVAnet 