Mini review video: our verdict of the Moto G in under a minute
The Moto G gets a little better every year. Now in its third generation, Motorola’s mid-range handset is still our favorite affordable smartphone, with the most recent version notching a score of 87 out of 100 in our review (that’s up from 86 last year and 85 the year before that). Aside from its price (just $179), we appreciate its fast performance, much-improved camera and the fact that it now has LTE, not HSPA+. (It’s the small things, right?) That said, the camera could stand to be better in low-light conditions, and it’s also a shame that the notification light is now gone and that the base model comes with just 1GB of RAM. Who knows? Maybe if Moto could address those few things, the score might get even closer to the 90 mark with next year’s model. Even now, though, it’s still the best cheap phone you can buy. See it in action above in our 52-second mini review video, and head here if you have time for a deeper dive.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Lenovo
Tags: lenovo, mobilepostcross, motog, motog2015, motorola, review, reviewvideo, video
Contactless payments now accepted on London’s cross-Thames cable car
Since contactless payments were first accepted on London buses a few years ago, it’s become increasingly easy to get around the capital without cash or a loaded Oyster card. Whether you’re equipped with a contactless card, Apple Pay or another mobile wallet, you can ride the vast majority of London transport services hassle-free. And as of today, you can now use contactless payments on the Emirates Air Line cable car, too. Sure, it’s a limited service that only travels between the Royal Docks and the Greenwich Peninsula, but if you’re after some lofty views of the capital, an empty wallet will no longer impede you. With this addition, London’s transport network is almost as contactless-friendly as it can get, with Thames riverboats now the only service that still requires an old-fashioned ticket purchase.
From today use your #contactless card to pay as you go on the @EmiratesAirLDN cable car http://t.co/QNRHYlistC pic.twitter.com/lrzbMf3UU9
— Transport for London (@TfL) August 14, 2015
[Lede image credit: fsse8info/Flickr]
Filed under:
Cellphones, Misc, Transportation
Source:
Transport for London (Twitter)
Tags: cablecar, contactless, ContactlessPayment, emiratesairline, london, transportation
New in our buyer’s guide: the Chromebook Flip and some gaming gear
Yes, we know: A bunch of phones just came out. Don’t worry, we’ll be reviewing those shortly. In the meantime, we have a handful of items we’d like to induct into our buyer’s guide. Included among them: not one, but two laptops, including the impressive Chromebook Flip and MSI’s GT80 Titan gaming notebook, which packs a mechanical keyboard. Rounding out the list are Teenage Engineering’s pocket-sized synthesizers and a pair of gaming peripherals, including the newer Xbox One Kinect sensor and the PlayStation Camera. Also, though there’s nothing wrong with the old wireless Xbox 360 controller, we’ve updated our guide to recommend you hold out for the wireless Xbone version. In any case, that’s all for now — check back next month to see what we add next.
Filed under:
Laptops, Wearables, Sony, Microsoft, ASUS, LG
Source:
Engadget Buyer’s Guide
Tags: asus, buyers guide, buyersguide, engadget buyers guide, engadgetbuyersguide, lg, microsoft, sony
The best voice recorder
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a list of the best technology to buy. Read the full article here.
After 36 hours of research, testing eight different devices in a number of real-world settings and then playing the audio we collected to a four-person blind listening panel to evaluate its sound quality, we’ve determined that the best audio recorder for taping meetings, lectures, and interviews is the $100 Sony ICD-UX533. It recorded the most intelligible and truest-to-life sound clips of all the recorders we tested. It’s easily pocketable and its intuitive, easy-to-press function buttons combined with a legible, backlit screen gave it the best user interface out of all the models in our test group.
Who is this for?
If you want to record a lecture, meeting, or interview, this pick is for you. It’s ideal for students, radio journalists, and anyone who needs to record meetings for future reference. On the other hand, if you’re a musician, a professional podcaster, a radio journalist or if you belong to some other profession that requires the use of a high-quality audio recorder on a regular basis, this pick isn’t for you.
How we decided
Four of the eight devices we tested to find the best.
We found that for $100 or under, it was reasonable to expect a recorder that offers respectable sound quality, an easy-to-read display and simple user interface, at least 4GB of internal memory, the ability to record at multiple bitrates/in multiple formats and to easily transfer files to an Apple or Windows PC. We looked at dozens of recorders with these features and then chose to call in eight for testing. To test the hardware’s recording capabilities, we recorded sound in six different real-world environments and then submitted the collected audio to our blind listening panel to decide which device sounded the best.
Our pick
The Sony ICD-UX533 is a compact, capable and easy-to-use audio recorder that provides crisp, clear audio in everyday recording situations.
$100 Sony ICD-UX533 is our main pick due to its excellent recording quality, useful feature set, great build quality, bright backlit display and easy-to-master user interface. It won over our listening panel by producing clearer, truer-to-life recordings in a wider variety of challenging environments than any other audio recorders we tested.
The ICD-UX533 can record MP3s at 8, 48, 128,192-kilobits-per-second, or in Linear PCM/MP3 at a rate of 320 kbps. It’s 4GB of built-in storage can hold about 45 hours’ worth of 192kbps audio. It can also use a microSD card up to 32GB in size. And because it stores the microSD card behind the battery, there’s no chance of losing it. It runs off of a single AAA battery that’ll provide roughly 24 hours of power and can recharge via USB if you put a rechargeable battery in it.
We weren’t thrilled with the sound quality of its built-in speaker, but it was no worse than the other units we tested in this regard. Additionally, it’s glossy plastic shell scratches kind of easily. But overall, it makes better-sounding recordings more easily than every other recorder we tested.
Runner-up (and budget-friendly pick)
The Sony ICD-PX333 is a competent, inexpensive recorder, but it makes only mono recordings.
The runner up in our listening panel tests was the $52 Sony ICD-PX333, which, thanks to the clear, understandable recordings it made during both rounds of environmental testing, earned almost as much praise from our panelists as our $100 main pick did. The ICD-PX333 is a monaural recorder, which means it neither records nor plays back audio in stereo (although if you plug headphones into it, you will hear audio from it in both ears.). That’d be a big deal if you were using the hardware to record music or if you planned on using what you captured for broadcast on the radio or in a podcast. But you just want to record a lecture, meeting minutes, or personal notes, this shortcoming is tolerable.
It weighs more (it uses two AAA batteries instead of one) than our main pick does, has fewer audio quality settings, and puts its microSD slot on the outside—which means you might lose your card if you’re not careful.
This guide may have been updated by The Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.
Filed under:
Portable Audio/Video, Sony
Tags: ICD-PX333, ICD-UX533, partner, sony, SonyICD-PX333, sonyICD-UX533, syndicated, thewirecutter, voicerecorder, wirecutter
Samsung shows off a 2.5-inch hard drive with 16TB of storage
Hard drives are as ubiquitous as the desktops or they’re made for. But as technology evolves, manufacturers continue to make these faster and smaller than ever before. Case in point: Samsung, which has developed the world largest hard drive, packing 16TB of storage in a 2.5-inch format. While the PM1633a (as it’s currently named) could be considered an SSD, since there aren’t any moving parts inside, there’s no doubt it is a good ol’ hard drive at its core. The PM1633a, revealed during the Flash Memory Summit in California, is based on Samsung’s NAND flash chips — similar to what you’d find on the its consumer solid-state drives. There’s no word on pricing or availability at the moment, but it is more than likely that the PM1633a will end being used for enterprise servers.
Hey, we can dream, right?
[Image credits: Associated Press; Golem.de]
Filed under:
Desktops, Laptops, Storage
Via:
The Verge
Source:
Ars Technica, Golem.de
Tags: FlashStorage, HardDrive, PM1633a, Samsung, SolidStateDrive, SSD
HP 10 G2 tablet passes FCC and Bluetooth certification
HP may not be out of the Android tablet game just yet. Following the Pro Slate line, a new HP tablet just passed through the FCC and the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The tablet is reportedly being dubbed the “HP 10 G2,” indicating that it’s a follow-up to last year’s HP 10. Details about the device are pretty slim, but sources say it’ll be packing a MediaTek MT8127A quad-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz. From the photos (and the name), we can gather that it will likely have a 10-inch display and a microSD card slot. We can see the standard front and rear cameras, and it doesn’t look like HP will be putting capacitive buttons on the device. We can also make out what appears to be a rather small rear speaker just under the FCC and Bluetooth SIG information.
Other than that, no much else is known about the HP 10 G2. It will be interesting to see if HP tries to push this as a flagship tablet, or as a more affordable, lower-spec option. It’s also worth noting that not all devices that gain FCC approval make it to market. Given that the HP 10 G2 passed through Bluetooth certification as well, we can expect HP to at least try to bring this tablet to consumers in some form.
Source: Android Police
The post HP 10 G2 tablet passes FCC and Bluetooth certification appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Get your space fix with out of this world wallpapers
To Infinity And Beyond! Here are some wallpapers for you wanna-be astronomers out there. Or those who just like to star gaze, we have some wallpapers that you can gaze upon via your various devices.
If you see a wallpaper that belongs to you and you would like to receive credit, I would love to give it to you! Just drop a comment in the section provided below with some proof (You know, just so we don’t have people claiming things that are not theirs…) So, please choose those that you like and enjoy!
The post Get your space fix with out of this world wallpapers appeared first on AndroidGuys.
AT&T rolls out promotional Mobile Share Value plans
AT&T on Friday today announced new, limited time promotional rates for its Mobile Share Value plans. Available starting from August 14, the options give customers more bang for the buck. It’s not clear how long these plans will be offered, however we’re hoping they stick around for the long haul. All plans still include unlimited calls, messaging, and Rollover Data.
New Mobile Share Value plans:
- 300MB – $20/month
- 2GB – $30/month
- 5GB – $50/month
- 15GB – $100/month
- 20GB – $140/month
Customers who opt for a 300MB, 3GB, or 5GB plan include $25 monthly access fees per line of service. The 15GB and 20GB plans have $15 monthly access fees and also include unlimited calling and messaging to Canada and Mexico.
AT&T provides options for 25GB, 30GB, 40GB, and 50GB of high speed data; interested customers should speak with a company representative.
The post AT&T rolls out promotional Mobile Share Value plans appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Motorola Mobility cutting 500 jobs in Chicago as part of bigger Lenovo cuts
Yesterday Lenovo reported they were cutting 3,200 jobs from their workforce as part of a cost-cutting measure after poor financial results. The cuts are across all parts of the business and as we learn today, a big chunk will be coming from the Motorola Mobility unit based in Chicago. Motorola will be cutting 500 positions, which is approximately 25% of the workforce located in Chicago, as part of this latest move.
Motorola spokesperson Will Moss says the company “will maintain a substantial employee base there, as well as our labs and design facilities.” Motorola moved to the Merchandise Mart last year from their former headquarters in Libertyville. With this downsizing move, Motorola may end up relinquishing some of their space in the Merchandise Mart. They current have 600,000 square feet of space on four floors of what is their largest location. Moss says the Merchandise Mart will continue “to be our headquarters and will still be the hub for global R&D.”
When Lenovo purchased Motorola from Google, the company employed a total of 3,500 staff. However, Motorola’s phone shipments dropped by 31 percent compared to last year. Despite this downturn, Lenovo noted that they are still looking for Motorola to “design, develop and manufacture smartphone products” and may be relying on them even more heavily to do so.
source: Chicago Business
Come comment on this article: Motorola Mobility cutting 500 jobs in Chicago as part of bigger Lenovo cuts
There will be no 128GB Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 5 models for now, Samsung says
Samsung earlier listed the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 5 in 128GB memory options on its website. Unfortunately, The Verge received information from Samsung saying that these listings were accidental and will be taken down soon.
That’s not to say that 128GB memory options won’t be available in the future. Samsung obviously plans to eventually offer versions with that large amount of storage, given the listings were ready to go on its website. After all, Samsung also sells 128GB versions of the Galaxy S6.
That said, 128GB memory options in the future certainly aren’t thrown out. They just make sense, considering that Samsung isn’t offering microSD card support in either of these devices.
In the meantime, it’s a disappointment for those that wanted to make up for a lack of microSD card support by buying a 128GB option. The demand for a large memory size like that is there, and we’ll be impatiently waiting until that time comes.
source: The Verge
Come comment on this article: There will be no 128GB Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 5 models for now, Samsung says
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