LG G4 preview: Fashion and firepower collide in a flagship
Between LG and the rest of the leakers running wild these last few weeks, there’s not a whole lot we didn’t know about the G4 before today. Screen details? Leather? Word of that sweet, sweet f/1.8 camera lens? Common knowledge, dear friends. Now that LG’s G4 has crossed the boundary between leak and actual, honest-to-goodness product, though, let’s take a quick first look at how those elements — and quite a few more — have come together in the company’s finest flagship.
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To recap what we already know: You’ll be able to buy a G4 next month with three different rear finishes: the leather we’ve all seen, a white (ceramic-coated) back and a hammered, “Metallic Craft” look that’s actually just textured plastic. Pick up a G4 with that latter, plastic back and it’ll feel instantly familiar, like a very slightly curved G3 (for extra durability, natch), or a flattened-out G Flex2. Trust me, though: If you’re in the market for one of these things, you’re going to want one clad in LG’s vegetable-tanned leather. The company’s event invitation showed off its fashionista ambitions to anyone interested, but it’s even more handsome in person. We spent most of our time pawing a G4 with a deep caramel-colored leather back — it was sturdy and unyielding, with less springiness than the leather you’ll find on the back of the 2014 Moto X. To hear LG’s brass tell the tale, it takes a full three months to convert a cow’s skin into a cover for your phone, and some fetching stitching with Gütermann thread acts as icing on the cake.
There’ll be four colors at launch — beige, black, sky blue and yellow — and LG plans to have more on the market in time to match your jaunty summer outfits. Frankly, they can’t come soon enough. While the bog-standard G4 feels purely all right, the tester units clad in leather felt absolutely phenomenal, not to mention a little thinner than their cousins. I know that’s ridiculous. At 76mm wide, and with its 5.5-inch “Quantum” quad HD display — more on that later — the G4 will completely fill all but the meatiest of palms. Still, the G4’s gently sloping back settles much more comfortably into your hand when it’s decked out in cowhide.
Now, about that screen. LG’s channeling the world of arcane science with its Quantum IPS screen, a 4K panel that plays nice with the film industry’s DCI color standard. To date you’ve had to shell out thousands of dollars for DCI-compliant reference monitors (if you’re in broadcasting, anyway), but LG was eager to bring that sort of accuracy to our pockets. The “quantum” angle is almost prohibitively complex, but no worries — it means the screen has very accurate red, blue and green light sources all the while looking better outside and sipping more conservatively on power. So how does it actually look? At first glance, it wasn’t immediately or necessarily better, just… different. Seeing an image of fresh, ripe strawberries on a G4 and a Galaxy S6 was perhaps the most telling example — they looked purely red on LG’s display, instead of the slightly out-there orange cast they took on thanks to the S6’s super-saturated AMOLED screen. Alas, we reporters were stuck in a not terribly well-lit meeting room with these things, so stay tuned for more impressions to come.
I’ve given LG plenty of props in the past for reining in its once-overwrought interface and shaping it into something more reasonable, but after spending plenty of time using Samsung’s Galaxy S6, I find myself wishing LG had used an even lighter touch this time around. Even with that said, there’s not a whole lot to dwell on here: The version of Android 5.0 Lollipop baked into the G4 is awfully similar to the one I encountered on the Flex2, save for just a few small touches. Remember how you could close your hand in front of the front-facing camera to trigger a selfie? Well, now if you clench your fist twice, the camera will snap four selfies in quick succession to make sure at least one of them looks good. LG has also cozied up to Google more here than it has before, replacing its stock browser with Chrome, preloading Google Office and giving G4 owners 100GB of Google Drive space free for two years. The end result is a bright, light, Material Design-y version of Android to dig into, but one that can still feel a little clumsy. Still, the hexa-core Snapdragon 808 and 3GB of RAM thrumming inside the G4 did a fine job keeping things running smoothly, and app launches and operation were as fast — if not a little faster in some cases — than Samsung’s own flagships.
Sadly, we didn’t get a great handle on some of the G4’s most notable features. Take the camera, for instance — LG built it from the ground up with a 16-megapixel sensor and an f/1.8 lens around the back, which the company gleefully calls the brightest available in a smartphone. Throw in faster laser autofocus, RAW support and a color spectrum sensor that helps Auto mode scan and adjust to the colors and lighting of your subject and you’ve got a pretty powerful pocket camera. Too bad the inside of our meeting room didn’t offer many vistas to shoot; what photos I did snap were crisp and well-exposed, but keep an eye out for some more nuanced impressions when we get our review unit.
LG teamed up with Qualcomm to dramatically boost positioning performance, too, and they claim the system is twice as accurate as phones using a more “conventional platform.” That’s all thanks to how the G4 leans on the gyrometer and other built-in sensors for extra locational context. It sure sounds good, and Google Maps locked onto the hotel we were in quickly, but we’ll see how well this really works soon. I’m also not entirely sure why LG gave up on Qualcomm’s QuickCharge tech after I fell in love with it in the G Flex2. Sure, the G4 has a removable 3,000mAh battery, but I’d still love to juice the thing up in a jiffy, wouldn’t you?
Whew, okay. LG’s done well in crafting a very handsome flagship smartphone that smartly addresses the shortcomings of its direct predecessors, and I suspect a decent chunk of people will take a shine to this thing. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that LG might have played it a little safe this time. The camera improvements were a logical next step; just like the chipset choice was; just like the Flex2-y design was (leather experiments notwithstanding). All told, the G4 is a lovely device — just not an immediately thrilling one. Maybe, like the leather stuck on the thing’s back, this phone will only get better with time. Stay tuned for our full review to find out.
Filed under: Mobile
Apple Watch’s Sapphire Crystal Display Evaluated With Diamond Tester
YouTube channel Unbox Therapy has shared a new video that tests the stainless steel Apple Watch with a basic diamond tester to determine if it actually has a sapphire crystal display like many regular mechanical watches. The video also tests the Apple Watch Sport, LG G Watch R, iPhone 6 and a Tissot watch that is verified to have a sapphire crystal display.
The results of the test confirm that the Apple Watch does have a sapphire crystal display as advertised, with the diamond tester recognizing the electrical conductivity of the scratch-resistant material. The verified Tissot watch also displays a reading on the meter, while the Apple Watch Sport, LG G Watch R and iPhone 6 do not yield any results because all three devices have traditional or ion-strengthened glass displays.
Sapphire crystal is a harder and more scratch resistant material than traditional glass, which is why Apple chose it for the more expensive Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition display and lenses of the heart rate sensor. Apple cut the sapphire crystal with a diamond-encrusted wire to allow for a precise fit and polished it with diamond-covered pellets for a smooth and glossy finish.
“Sapphire is the second-hardest transparent substance after diamond,” reads the Apple Watch materials page. “That’s why we chose it to cover the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition faces, and to make the lenses of the heart rate sensor. Our sapphire crystal comes from the highest-quality boules. Only the purest, clearest, and strongest sapphire crystal is harvested. To ensure a precise fit for the case, the crystal is cut using a diamond-encrusted wire. To make room for an integrated antenna, a tiny groove is laser-ablated around its perimeter. And to create the smoothest possible finish, the crystal is polished with diamond-covered pellets.”
Apple Watch has been put through a variety of tests since it was released last week, giving users an idea how the wrist-worn device manages based on both normal and unrealistic usage. CNET shared an Apple Watch torture test on Friday that, among other things, involved submerging the watch in hot water and pouring ketchup and maple syrup on it, while another video took the Apple Watch into the shower and swimming pool as a waterproof test.
Samsung unveils new Level On Wireless headphones and Level Link audio adapter
Samsung has just announced two new devices to expand its Level range of premium audio products – the Level On Wireless headphones and the Level Link audio adapter.
Samsung’s new Level On Wireless headphones are similar to the first generation in design, though the added functionality of wireless connectivity will likely be a welcome change to many audio fans. They feature six built-in microphones, Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) mode, and a dual-layered diaphragm system which helps suppress vibration to offer up a great audio experience.
Read more: Samsung Level On review (Sound Guys)
You can control the Level On Wireless headphones by using the touch control pad on the side, allowing you to control volume, playback and even answer calls with just the swipe of your finger. You can also take advantage of the Sound Sharing feature, which lets you share what’s currently playing with other Level On users. The Level On Wireless headphones can also last up to 23 hours on a single charge.
The Level Link audio adapter aims to make traditional audio devices completely wireless using Bluetooth. If you only have wired headphones, you simply plug in Level Link to the end of your cord, pair the dongle with a Bluetooth-compatible receiver or speaker system, and you can then listen wirelessly. It also features both Send and Receive modes, so you can switch between the two with just a button press. You can also stream audio to two different devices at once.
Both of these devices will go on sale later this month, but Samsung hasn’t given us any pricing information quite yet. The Level On Wireless headphones will be available in Blue Black, Blue, Red and White, and the Level Link will come in Charcoal Black, Blue, Red and White.
Cyanogen ends OnePlus partnership, aims to work with bigger Chinese vendors
Speaking in Beijing at the Global Mobile Internet Conference, Cyanogen’s Kirt McMaster and Steve Kondik have been discussing the past and future of the fledgling company. After a fairly rocky relationship, it may not surprise you to hear that Cyanogen and OnePlus are parting ways, as Cyanogen looks for new hardware vendors to bring its custom Android OS to market.
According to Cyanogen’s Steve Kondik, the two companies ultimately had different goals for its software and, as a result, there were collisions between personal as the two attempted to proceed with their own visions. Not to mention that the two stepped on each other’s toes when it came to launching the OnePlus One in India last year. Cyanogen had already signed an exclusive deal with rival low cost smartphone manufacturer MicroMax, which temporarily banned the sale of OnePlus handsets powered by the custom OS in India.
“That’s probably the last you will see from that partnership.” … “Two new companies are trying to do crazy stuff, a lot of people collide.” – Steve Kondik
Kirt McMaster doesn’t seem particularly happy with the way the relationship went or ended. He believes that OnePlus essentially piggybacked on the Cyanogen brand name and that the company wouldn’t have sold many handsets without its market appeal. Although, he did wish OnePlus the best in the future. In an email, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei described the relationship as more “mutually beneficial.”
“Without Cyanogen, OnePlus would have sold like one device in international markets,” … “Essentially they built their brand on the back of Cyanogen.” – Kirt McMaster
However, this by no means is the last that we’ll be seeing of Cyanogen in the smartphone space. The company is apparently already working with new partners, specifically ones which can scale up production to reach the international market quicker. No brands have been mentioned by name, although another low-cost Chinese manufacturer seems likely. However, it seems that Cyanogen is keen to break free of the competitive Chinese marketplace and into the international market, and is looking for a partner with similar global ambitions.
We’ll have to wait and see who Cyanogen can convince to abandon the security of Google’s Android ecosystem in favour of its own ambitious plans.
Read more: Cyanogen CEO- We’re putting a bullet through Google’s head
“OnePlus shipped reasonable volume, but nothing compared to what some of these other partners can ship,” … “we are working with partners that can scale much quicker.”
As for OnePlus, the company has its new Oxygen OS to fill the gap left by Cyanogen OS, which looks as if it will take over as the primary OS for future handset releases and updates. Although, Cyanogen will continue to offer support to devices still running its OS.
Samsung alters process to produce Galaxy S6 Edge display
In an effort to increase production and reduce costs, Samsung has altered the process that is used to make the curved display seen on the Galaxy S6 Edge. The company’s new method to curve flat glass includes heating just one side rather than both. Time and money is saved and production capacity is expected to rise by up to 70%. This could lead to the Galaxy S6 Edge being more widely available and the cost of the handset lowering.
The new process is reportedly being used in Vietnam only, but it should expand if all goes well.
Source: ET News
Via: G for Games
Come comment on this article: Samsung alters process to produce Galaxy S6 Edge display
Samsung Galaxy S 4 Google Play edition to get Android 5.1
The stay of Google Play edition devices in the Google Store may be long over, but that doesn’t mean software has to remain out of date. The Galaxy S 4 GPe, which was released nearly two years ago, will apparently be updated to Android 5.1 very soon. The software update is said to be completed and could reach devices at any time.
Via: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy S 4 Google Play edition to get Android 5.1
Samsung working with fashion brands and artists for Gear A straps
Any device is only as good as the accessories that go with it. That is why enlisting the help of partners to develop accessories remains so popular among new devices. For the upcoming Gear A smartwatch, Samsung is working with fashion brands and artists to create special straps. Among the partners are Swarovski, Z Zegna, Incipio, Anymode, Tech21, and Romero Britto. Some have created only cases in the past while others have a history in accessories. No matter their experience, we know that support for the Gear A is alive and well even before its release.
Source: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung working with fashion brands and artists for Gear A straps
Sainsbury’s oft-forgotten streaming service comes to Chromecast
Supermarkets can now insure your car, offer broadband and mobile services and, on the odd occasion, actually sell you food. In recent years, some of these grocers have expanded into streaming, launching online video, music and book services to supplement their DVD, CD and paperback sales. Not long after Tesco divested itself of all of its Blinkbox services in an attempt to battle back from its £6 billion yearly loss, grocery rival Sainsbury’s is doing more to remind people that it too is in the streaming game. Today, the company has announced that its movie and TV streaming apps have gained Chromecast support, finally bringing it in line with bigger rivals like Netflix and Now TV.
A quick look at the Sainsbury’s Entertainment apps shows that the supermarket added the feature to its Android app earlier this month, with its iOS app gaining Chromecast integration over this past weekend. Once set up, you’ll be able to buy or rent titles from its catalog and throw them over to your big screen with a touch of a button, allowing you to then use the app as a dedicated remote control. After adding a dedicated Roku channel late last year, Sainsbury’s is slowly adding devices to its list of supported hardware, maybe in the faint hope you’ll choose its marketplace over the more the established streaming services already competing for your money.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, Internet, Software, HD, Mobile
Source: Sainsbury’s Entertainment (App Store), (Google Play)
Uber’s food delivery service launches in four cities
Uber’s experiments with food delivery in California and Spain must’ve been a resounding success, as the ridesharing outfit is making that on-demand dining a permanent option. UberEats has officially launched in four cities, including the Barcelona and Los Angeles trial areas as well as two new burgs, Chicago and New York City. As before, the service really just substitutes pickups for meals — you choose from curated restaurant menus, and an Uber driver will show up with your selections in a matter of minutes. This will seem very familiar if you’ve tried a restaurant delivery service before, but it’ll undoubtedly be handy if you already use Uber and find yourself craving sandwiches or salads.
Filed under: Transportation, Internet
Source: Uber Blog
A Chrome extension taught me to love the internet again
The internet hasn’t been the happiest place for me lately. Over the past three years or so I’ve watched friends, colleagues and loved ones battle trolls; I’ve learned of tragedies, both personal and public; and I continue to deal with some extremely creepy people on a daily basis. I probably spend more time talking about and sharing things that make me angry than happy. But it can’t be all bad, can it? There must be a reason, aside from work, that I spend so much time here. Something must make me happy. Enter Smile Suggest, a Chrome extension that helps you catalog the things on the internet that make you happy, and ignore the things that don’t. Let’s see what, if anything, can help me fall back in love with the internet.
Smile Suggest is the work of Martin McAllister, who built it in his spare time around his job in advertising. It uses your webcam to measure your happiness, relying on an open-source JavaScript facial tracker to do the heavy lifting. When you first load the extension up, it’ll ask you to set the level (from “one to Happy”) that triggers a hit. Maybe I’m just a morose dude, but my widest, most artificial of smiles only hits about a six on the happy scale, so I set it at four. You don’t get a notification when a page makes you happy, so I had to flip back and forth between my browsing and the app page to see if anything was raising my spirits. It took roughly 30 minutes before I got my first hit: my personal email account.
It was here I discovered the first of the extension’s issues: I don’t know what in my email account made me happy. It was probably an email subject from a friend, but without more information than a URL, I guess I’ll never know. This wasn’t a huge problem, but there were a couple of times when a screenshot of the page would’ve been helpful. After a full working day, here are (almost all) my results:
I don’t actually smile that much, then. Most of the results were simple to understand. I know why I smiled at almost everything: Star Wars, fluffy animals, Firefly, funny videos, a Hangouts message with my S.O. and a feel-good story about a beloved mascot. There was one outlier: our Cooking with Watson article, which remains a mystery. Maybe I just find something about the combination of cumin, sumac and carrots pleasing. I mentioned the idea of saving a screenshot of the page to McAllister, who seemed receptive to the concept, and had been thinking about a more complex system to show you what on a particular page made you happy, so there’s a chance that a similar feature will turn up at some point in the future.
So what are you supposed to do with this list of happiness? Well, Smile Suggest has a few options. From the suggestions dashboard, you can share links to Twitter or Facebook, or add each page to a folder in your browser’s bookmarks. It’s a shame there’s no option to automatically share hits to social networks — you’d have to be very brave to automatically share everything that makes you smile, but it’d be a fun experiment, at least. Social options aside, the dashboard also lets you remove suggestions you don’t agree with, which brings me to another problem.
Although Smile Suggest does a good job working out what page you’re looking at and when you’re smiling, it was always watching me, unless I manually deactivated it. That means if something made me laugh in our office chat app and I had Chrome active in the background, it added whatever tab was open to my suggestions list. I lost count of the number of times I had to remove links from the list because of a funny tweet or throwaway comment in a group chat. McAllister says this behavior is not intended: He tested the extension exclusively on an older version of OS X and hadn’t had this problem at all. He says he’ll look into fixing it.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/123942201?portrait=0
There are a couple of other issues to get out of the way: First, there’s the whole privacy thing — this extension is straight-up watching you all day long. While the only permissions it uses are “Read and change your bookmarks” and “Read your browsing history,” there’s always a chance that someone will find a loophole to exploit. The final problem is it’s a huge resource hog. With the extension enabled, my battery life was severely reduced and my MacBook Air’s fans whirred way more often than they normally do.
Smile Suggest hints at a future where apps make decisions for us, taking cues from our latent desires.
Problems aside, there’s a lot to love about Smile Suggest. We’ve been interacting with our computers in much the same way for decades. Even with the introduction of touch and gesture controls, there’s still the basic cycle of deciding to do something, performing an interaction and actually having it happen. By reading your emotions, the extension completely subverts this status quo. McAllister notes it’s different than the “slightly considered and contrived idea of a Facebook like or Twitter favorite. … A smile is something that, on one level, is more honest … much more immediate.” For me, it hints at a future where apps make decisions for us, taking cues from our latent desires.
It’s pretty great, after a long day of work, to have a rundown of the things on the internet I actually liked. It’s been so easy for me to end each day focusing on the negatives, rather than the positives. If its creator can fix the small niggles that, to be honest, are expected with a one-man project, I could really see the idea catching on. It could definitely be something I use every day. Something to make the internet at least feel like a nicer place.
Filed under: Internet
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