Marshall London unboxing and first impressions
A few days ago during the IFA 2015 show in Berlin, we got our first look at a very interesting smartphone, the Marshall London. A smartphone made by a speaker and audio company is certainly very intriguing, and we couldn’t wait to get our hands on a review unit. I’ve received mine, but before diving into a full, comprehensive review, here is a quick look at the unboxing, as we give you our first impressions about the Marshall London!
Unboxing
The device is in plain view on the box, with the front and back views of it on the front face and side of the box. Just from these images, you can see that the smartphone features a leather backing, the same material choice that Marshall favors with a lot of their amps and speakers. Opening the box reveals a guitar pick, one of Marshall’s icons, and and opening that cover reveals the phone itself, but not in the way you’d see with most unboxings. Instead the device is also covered, with the wrapping featuring Marshall’s motto, “Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll.”
Under the phone is the battery, and given its replaceable nature, you should technically be able to pick up spares to help with their battery life needs, but these batteries may not be the easiest to find. The battery also features the Marshall motto on it, which is a nice touch. Available in the box is a pair of high quality Marshall headphones, which come with in-built controls to control the music and the volume. Finally, the USB cable that is included also features a unique design, with it being made with a fabric outer material instead of the usual plastic, and coming with a ridged design at the two ends of the cable.
First Impressions
With the big focus on audio, the device otherwise features decidedly mid-range specifications. Going through some of the features of the user interface, you get a pretty standard version of Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, with signature Marshall elements, as seen with the clock. Up top is the Marshall button, pressing which opens up the music player. What is great here is that Marshall has integrated a number of different streaming audio players like SoundCloud, Spotify, and MixCloud already, but you can obviously also easily access your locally-stored music as well.
As mentioned, this is a somewhat vanilla version of Android, with a lot of Material Design elements of Lollipop making their way over to this software experience, with of course, a few extra features built in. The volume roller, which is the best way to describe this unique implementation, on the right side, can also be pressed, and functions as a shortcut to the camera.
Speaking of the camera, the Marshall London comes with a 8 MP primary camera and a 2 MP front-facing unit. Up front is 4.7-inch display with a 720p resolution, and under the hood is a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor. The processing package leans towards the lower end of things, and there has already been some instances of slow down when trying to install applications, but nothing beyond what is expected from a lower-spec’d processor.
The Marshall London features a Cirrus Logic sound card, previous known as Wolfson, for audio processing. You will be able to get Hi-Fi audio, and everything from flac files to lossless audio as well. A double tap of the button up top also opens up the equalizer, to let you change the settings to adjust the sound to exactly what you want it to be like. To take advantage of everything, you also have a dual headphone jack setup, that flank the Marshall button at the top. You can check out a sample of how great the audio sounds with the dual front-facing speakers in the video above.
Undoubtedly, one of my favorite parts about the Marshall London is its look, and you don’t usually get a phone that is designed the way this one is, with Marshall’s amp design over on the side, along with all the features underneath. The volume rocker, or roller, implementation is also very different, and a lot of fun to use, giving the feel of an analog control over the volume, even though this is of course, a fully digital device.
For all those wondering whether this device is just another re-branded smartphone, that is actually not the case at all. We were told at IFA that the Marshall London was designed from the ground up in Sweden, and then manufactured for sale in England and across other parts of Europe. The Marshall London will not be officially making its way over to the US, which is a shame, as there are quite a lot of fans of Marshall products in the west, and this phone might be exactly what they are looking for.
So there you have it for this quick look at the unboxing of the Marshall London! Stay tuned with Android Authority for the upcoming comprehensive review of this smartphone, as well as more great content from the world of Android.
Talk Android Apps of the Week: September 13, 2015
It’s Sunday, the time of the week when Talk Android brings you its report on some of the best applications we’ve been using throughout the course of the past week. Today we’re looking at a fantastic list-taking app, a super-reliable third-party alarm clock, an educational game and last, but not least, a music-streaming client.
Wunderlist
First up this week we have Wunderlist, a must-have tool for anyone who struggles to complete all the tasks they need to on a daily, monthly or yearly basis. This application allows its users to create a variety of different lists containing individual chores, which can be checked as and when they are completed.
Unlike most other to-do list services, Wunderlist is compatible with Android, iOS, Windows Phone/PC and Mac OS X. It permits users to share lists and collaborate with friends, family and colleagues. There’s even the facility to post comments and delegate duties.
This services smart approach to text recognition is pretty handy. If a user enters a task and includes a date or time in the title, it will automatically be set as the deadline. As a result reminders will be pushed to every platform that Wunderlist is installed on, in order to ensure that users don’t forget to execute it.
To really get a feel for all of Wunderlist’s features, you have to see it in action, so be sure to check out the gallery below.
SleepTime
Next up we have a fantastic third-party alarm clock called SleepTime. This application brings a fresh approach to the traditional alarm by observing your sleep pattern throughout the night and waking you at the optimum time, the premise being that you feel relaxed, rested and revitalised after every night’s sleep.
You may ask yourself: “How does this app monitor my sleep pattern if I’m not wearing a tracker?” Well, the answer is simple… It takes full advantage of your smartphone’s integrated accelerometer. All you have to do is pop your handset on your bed next to your pillow and let it do its thing.
SleepTime features one of the best user interfaces I’ve seen on any application for a while now. It’s extremely painless to use and incorporates easy-to-read graphs and has over 20 integrated alarm tones on board. Also, if you’re like me and sleep with your phone on silent, you’ll be glad to know that the alarm will still chime, toot, ding, bong or bing (whatever your choice of siren) regardless of your device’s sound setting.
Take a look through the gallery below to see some action-shots of SleepTime.
Sudoku World
Up third, we have Sudoku World. I’ve been playing this game for about two weeks and just can’t seem to put it down. Whether I’m waiting for a train or standing in a queue somewhere, it’s open on my phone and seeing as there are over 2,000 stages (I’m only on 71) organised by four different difficulties — Beginner, Normal, Intermediate and Expert — it doesn’t look like I’ll be stopping any time soon.
There’s also a Challenge Mode for the more experienced Sudoku players, which generates a random puzzle with a strict time limit on maximum difficulty. These are awfully difficult to solve and are guaranteed to keep you entertained for a while. If you don’t want to take on this task alone, you could always invite one of your mates to play it with you and compete for the fastest time.
That’s about all that can be said for Sudoku World. To see it in action, take a look at the teaser video below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Spotify
The final application we’re looking at today is Spotify. Now it’s more than likely that you’ve heard of this music-streaming platform before, but if you haven’t it’s a free service that enables you to listen to your favourite music on your smartphone, tablet or computer regardless of where you are.
It’s worth noting that there is a Premium service available too, which enables you to save music for offline listening, enjoy an upgraded sound quality and not get interrupted by annoying audio advertisements in-between songs. This starts at $9.99 per month for one user, with a family membership starting at $14.99.
Take a look through the gallery below to get a feel for Spotify’s user interface:
Previous Apps of the Week editions:
Come comment on this article: Talk Android Apps of the Week: September 13, 2015
After Math: Ancient galaxies, massive megapixels and everything iPhone 6s
On this week’s After Math we look at a galaxy barely newer than the universe that spawned it. We also check out an imaging sensor that makes Apple’s iSight like like a tintype, 360-degrees of GoPro and a whole bunch of other stuff you didn’t know you wanted to learn about.
Slideshow-318774
Tags: Apple, AppleCare, Canon, GoPro, NASA
Xiaomi Mi Note 2 renders reveal thin-bezels and fingerprint scanner
As Xiaomi get ready to release a bunch of new devices to their smartphone lineup, one of the devices expected to be announced, the Xiaomi Mi Note 2, has had a render leaked.
The renders, courtesy of @KJuma (Weibo), show an extremely thin bezel, fingerprint scanner on the front, and a dual camera on the back.
According to the rumors, the physical home button will house the fingerprint sensor and the dual camera setup will be a 23-Megapixel shooter, with a 12-Megapixel camera on the front. It’ll be powered by a Snapdragon 820 chip, 4GB of RAM, 3500mAh battery, and a 5.7-inch Quad HD screen.
Release date for the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is still unknown but if this device is real and the render is accurate then this looks like an awesome device.
The post Xiaomi Mi Note 2 renders reveal thin-bezels and fingerprint scanner appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Inhabitat’s Week in Green: 3D-printed suites and a new Prius
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green.
Researchers at the University of Michigan are making waves in solar panels — literally. It turns out that their undulating photovoltaic strips can collect up to 30 percent more energy than flat arrays. In other energy news, China and Pakistan just announced plans to build the world’s largest solar farm in the Punjabi desert, and Aspen, Colorado, just became the third city in the US to be powered entirely by renewable energy. Heads up students — we’re giving away three solar energy-generating Voltaic backpacks and you can win one here. Voltaic also just launched a new solar-powered light that shines for 30-plus hours on a single charge. And designer Pauline van Dongen debuted a solar parka that keeps you charged when you journey off the grid.
The Toyota Prius is the world’s best-selling hybrid — and this past week we caught a first look at its successor. The all-new fourth-generation Prius features sportier looks, pumped-up specs and 10 percent better gas mileage. Meanwhile, Nissan just upgraded the Leaf electric vehicle with a new battery that allows it to drive 107 miles on a single charge. Russia just announced a major commitment to green vehicles: By November 2016 every gas station in the country must install an EV charger. Everyone knows that gasoline-powered vehicles produce toxic emissions and smog, but a picture’s worth a thousand words: You won’t believe what Beijing looked like before and after the city pulled many of its 5 million registered cars off the road. And in the craziest transportation story of the week, a team of architects proposed transforming London’s Underground into a gigantic moving walkway.
3D-printing technology continues to shake up the field of architecture — last week a hotel in the Philippines unveiled the world’s first 3D-printed suite. It took just five days to create the suite, which comes complete with a printed concrete whirlpool. Air-purifying buildings sound like science fiction, but one just became fact in the Netherlands. Designer Daan Roosegaarde has created a tower that can purify 30,000 cubic meters of air in a single hour. Could humans inhabit Mars in the near future? Elon Musk thinks we can — and this week he proposed dropping nukes on the red planet to prepare it for terraforming.
Filed under:
Misc, Household, Transportation, Science
Tags: 3d printing, EcoFriendly, green, inhabitat, InhabitatsWeekInGreen, Prius, smog, solar, Toyota
Renders reveal Xiaomi Mi Note 2 dual cameras, thin bezels, fingerprint scanner
Xiaomi is getting ready to reveal some new devices and one of them has surfaced in some new renders posted by Weibo user @KJuma. The images are reportedly for the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 smartphone. The renders show a device with very thin bezels and what is likely a fingerprint scanner on the front and around back a dual camera setup.
According to rumors, the physical home button shown in the renders will house a fingerprint scanner that is of the newer touch variety. The dual camera setup on the back of the device will be a whopping 23MP unit, while the front-facing camera is supposedly a 12MP unit.
Other sources say the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 will be powered by a Snapdragon 820 chip, 4GB of RAM, and with have either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. The display is reportedly a 5.7-inch Quad HD screen. To power all of this, the Mi Note 2 will come with a 3,500 mAh battery.
source: @KJuma (Weibo)
via: VR-Zone
Come comment on this article: Renders reveal Xiaomi Mi Note 2 dual cameras, thin bezels, fingerprint scanner
Android Authority this week – September 13, 2015
The world of Android never stands still, so after a brief post-IFA respite, this week brought us exciting reports about the Moto X Force, the first real look at the Android-powered Nokia C1, and more images of the Nexus 5X; Apple announced a very tame upgrade to Android’s biggest rival; we heard the first enticing rumors about the Galaxy S7; and Google finally launched Android Pay.
Inside AA HQ
All the big news happened the week before, but Josh, Lanh, and Nirave actually stayed in Berlin until Wednesday, continuing to bring you coverage from Europe’s biggest tech event. One of the last things they did at the show was hand out the Android Authority Best of IFA awards for the five most impressive products launched at IFA. See the award winners here.
Now that IFA is behind us, we’re all looking forward to the next big event of this autumn. Google will unveil the next Nexus devices at the end of September, and just like every other Android fan, we’re very excited to see them in action. Until then, we have a bunch of hot devices in our labs, including the Moto X Style and the Mate S – reviews are coming soon, so stay tuned.
OnePlus has a hit a snag or two in bringing the OnePlus 2 to market, but you won’t have to deal with all that invite hassle, provided you’re lucky enough! Check out our international giveaway for a shot at winning a brand new OnePlus 2!
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
- Review: Bailey puts the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 up for testing
- Hands-on: May the force be with you! We go hands-on with the Huawei Mate S
- Hands-on: Is the Huawei Watch still worth your attention, six months after its announcement?
- Opinion: Andrew looks at the strategies of the major Android OEMs: who’s winning and who’s losing?
- Feature: Xiaomi: it’s time you learned more about the Chinese company taking over most markets that it enters
- Unboxing: Moto X Style or X Pure: whatever you call it, it’s a hell of a device
Top news of the week
Moto is out in Force
The true Nokia Android is coming
All about Nexus 5X
- (Update: new image) LG Nexus 5X shows up in clearest image yet
- You can get a good idea of what the Nexus 5X looks like from these case renders
New iPhones: lots of yawns and a few cool features
- By the numbers: iPhone 6S vs the Android competition
- iPhone 6S and 6S Plus announced: what you need to know about Apple’s latest
Galaxy S7: the rumor mill is working
Android Pay is here
- New Google Wallet app launched, may signal the impending Android Pay release
- Google officially rolling out Android Pay starting today (Update: Grab the APK now)
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Nexus Protect getting mentioned around the Google Store; is it a form of extended warranty?
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When it comes to extended device warranty, Apple pretty much has everyone beat – for better or worse. However, it looks like Google might have some tricks up its own sleeves as the name Nexus Protect has started to be thrown around. According to Android Police, Nexus Protect can be found in several parts of the page source of the Google Store, and suggests that it’s some kind of extended warranty, the kind that gets you a free screen replacement or something of that nature. There also appear to be some weird restrictions, such as buying multiple devices requires all devices to have Nexus Protect, otherwise none will get it – the only thing I can think of this stopping is people who buy multiple devices at launch with the idea of selling them off.
Even though the service is called Nexus Protect, it also appears that it will be available for every device on the Google Store, including Android Wear, Android TV and Chromebook, though that’s just speculation based on the source code at this time. If Nexus Protect turns out to be an actual thing – and Google’s rumoured event on September 29th seems like a good time to announce it – Nexus devices could become just that little bit more attractive to prospective buyers.
What do you think about a Nexus Protect warranty? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Android Police
The post Nexus Protect getting mentioned around the Google Store; is it a form of extended warranty? appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
The Verizon Moto X (1st gen) has started its soak test for Android Lollipop, finally
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More often than not, Verizon tends to be on the receiving end of jokes about late updates, though it’s not exactly doing itself any favours. The Verizon Moto X (1st gen) has started its soak test for Android Lollipop, which is probably cause for celebration for owners of the device, but once again makes Verizon a laughing stock when it comes to updates, especially considering how early Motorola has always made its updates available. Users have reported that they have been receiving two updates, one to prime their device, and the second being the full 712MB Android 5.1 update for the device.
As a rule of thumb, once the soak test has completed successfully, it usually takes a week or two for the update to roll out to the wider community, so even though you’ve waited until now, you’ll have to be patient for just a little bit longer.
What do you think about the Verizon Moto X (1st gen) getting its update now? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Droid-life
The post The Verizon Moto X (1st gen) has started its soak test for Android Lollipop, finally appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
New OPPO R7s shows up in TENAA for certification
A new device from OPPO has surfaced in the TENAA, China’s version of the FCC, database revealing a new smartphone joining the R7 family, which is currently made up of the OPPO R7 and OPPO R7 Plus. This latest device, the OPPO R7s, appears to be very similar to the other devices from the specs, but in terms of size falls in between the two.
According to the TENAA information, the R7s will be equipped with a 5.5-inch AMOLED display, midway between the 5-inch screen of the R7 and the 6-inch screen of the R7 Plus. Otherwise, the hardware is similar with all three phones equipped with a Snapdragon 615 processor and 3 GB of RAM. The R7s joins its bigger brother with 32 GB of internal storage. The R7s also gets a 13MP rear-facing camera, but it is not clear which focusing system it may be equipped with.
One area that is unclear is what size battery the R7s may carry. The R7s will reportedly weigh 200g more than the R7 Plus, which has a 4100 mAh battery, despite being smaller in size. It is possible the TENAA listing is incorrect on the weight, so we will have to wait for more information to be released by OPPO.
There are actually two variants of the device passing through TENAA, so we will have to wait to see which wireless carriers are supported along with market availability and pricing.
source: TENAA (source 1) (source 2)
via: HDBlog.it Android
Come comment on this article: New OPPO R7s shows up in TENAA for certification
AIVAnet 