Scientists want an exercise pill that saves you from hitting the gym
Those ’50s-era dreams of taking pills to solve all your problems? They’re more realistic than you might think. Researchers have created a blueprint of the molecular-level muscle reactions to exercise that should lead to treatments which mimic workouts. Yes, that means that you could eventually take an exercise pill that produces the effects of hitting the gym without all that pesky time and effort. Any pill would be “at least a decade” away, the University of Sydney’s Dr. Nolan Hoffman explains, but the scientists are “actively working on” that vision — it’s not just a daydream.
It’s tempting to see any future pill as little more than a dietary supplement for the health-conscious, but the discoverers believe that it could be a powerful medical tool. Many people can’t exercise all their muscles the way they’d like, such as sufferers of cardiovascular diseases. A treatment like this could keep those patients in better shape, and might even help some of them resume real exercise. Could it result in the laziest generation yet? Possibly, but that trade-off could be worthwhile if it improves the health of humanity as a whole.
[Image credit: Phil Walter/Getty Images]
Via: Quartz
Source: Cell Metabolism
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review: The best got even better
Back again for a release to finish out the year is the Galaxy Note 5. What started with a then-gargantuan 5.3-inch display and much skepticism turned into a highly profitable series for Samsung, selling millions of units monthly. Consumers and critics never thought that the Galaxy Note series could actually be successful. The Galaxy Note 5 has grown both literally and metaphorically since the Galaxy Note debuted in 2011. The display is larger and sharper, the camera is versatile, and the S Pen is much more than a gimmick. Samsung has shaped the perception of the Galaxy Note into a phone that is high-end and a catalyst for productivity.
Each year, Samsung has two flagships. The Galaxy S series represents Samsung for spring and summer while the Galaxy Note series handles fall and winter. Recently, it has become apparent that the better phone comes later in the year with Samsung’s Galaxy Note series. People were disappointed with the Galaxy S5 but the company strongly rebounded with the Galaxy Note 4, a phone considered Samsung’s best at the time. And then Samsung’s design language was overhauled earlier this year when the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge debuted. The Galaxy Note 5 is very similar to those phones yet maintains its own identity with a large display and the (perhaps infamous) S Pen.
Design
Samsung somehow managed to make the overall size of the Galaxy Note 5 smaller than its predecessor despite keeping the display at 5.7 inches. The Galaxy Note 4’s measurements — 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5mm — have been brought down to cozy 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6mm. Even the weight has been reduced from 176g to 171g, a number larger than devices with displays closer to 5 inches. Thankfully, Samsung has done an excellent job dissipating the weight throughout the body of the Galaxy Note 5 — it’s not a top- or bottom-heavy phone. This all means that the Galaxy Note 5 is thinner and lighter to carry around. In use, even for someone with smaller hands like myself, the Galaxy Note 5 is easily manageable in one hand because the side bezels are super-thin and the height of the phone isn’t all that different from other devices like the LG G4.
The most noticeable physical change for Samsung’s newest Galaxy Note device is the build quality. Completely gone from the Galaxy Note 5 is any trace of plastic and faux leather. Metal, which was used in some capacity with the Galaxy Note 4, and glass rule the day here. The front and back of this phone features smooth scratch-resistant glass, being met with sharp metal at every edge. Where there is not metal, there is glass. And where there is not glass, there is metal.
What contributes to the phone being so comfortable to hold is the rear’s edges that are curved just a tiny bit. Samsung basically took the curved display idea from its other devices and applied it less dramatically to the Galaxy Note 5’s backside. Rather than having edges that poke your hands, the rear of the Galaxy Note 5 is similar to that of the Moto G (2015) by contouring to the shape of your hand. The glass curves lead to the chamfered metal edges. It seems that companies are moving quickly to incorporate curves with their devices due to improve comfort. Consider that a huge win for consumers.
Pick up the phone and you’re met with a cold, solid piece of hardware that sits perfectly in the hand. The Galaxy Note 5 screams premium.
Regarding buttons, ports, and visible components, this doesn’t differ very much from any Samsung phone you’ve seen within the last eighteen months. Below the display is a narrower-but-taller home button (which is also a fingerprint scanner) with Samsung’s capacitive buttons that illuminate when used. Sadly, Samsung still believes that the Recents button belongs on the left and the Back button belongs on the right. Who knows if this will ever change. Spin around to the back of the Galaxy Note 5 and you’ll see a cutout to the right of the camera that houses the LED flash and heart rate monitor. On the top of the phone, the SIM card tray is accessible and along the same edge is the IR blaster to control televisions and other appliances. The bottom of the Galaxy Note 5, though, is busier than any other part of the phone. It has the audio jack, micro-USB port, speaker, and S Pen port.
What’s missing that buyers of Samsung devices have come to expect? A removable battery and a microSD card slot. The new design of the the Galaxy Note 5 limits users to the battery and internal storage that ships with the phone.
You can pick up the Galaxy Note 5 in Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Silver Titan, and White Pearl. Color options may depend on your carrier.
Hardware
The Galaxy Note 5 features a 5.7-inch Quad HD (2560×1440) Super AMOLED display, Exynos 7420 octa-core processor, Mali T760MP8, 4GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, a 16MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, a 3000mAh battery (non-removable), a fingerprint scanner, Samsung’s S Pen stylus, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, and Bluetooth 4.2.
Bands:
4G LTE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 27, 20)
HSDPA (850, 900, 1800, 1900)
GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900)
Performance
Both display size and display resolution have not changed from last year’s model. Samsung is continuing to go with 5.7 inches and Quad HD (2560×1440) resolution for the Galaxy Note 5’s display, with the amount of pixels per inch somehow sneaking up to 518. From afar, the crispness can be matched by phones that have Full HD (1920×1080) resolution, but bring the Galaxy Note 5 closer to your face and that Quad HD resolution never gives away a single pixel. The 5.7 inches gives a lot to look at, especially if you want to run multiple apps simultaneously with Multi Window.
The display, which is of the Super AMOLED variety, is also vibrant. It offers incredible viewing angles and impressive color reproduction. Looking at the display from almost any angle does not mean that quality is lost. Whites shine and blacks are deep while other colors pop, giving the Galaxy Note 5 a display with depth. Items on the home screen — app icons and text — looks as if it is lifting off of the display, for example.
Samsung clearly benefits from designing its own displays because this one is awing at all times. I’ve shown the phone to many people within the last few weeks and almost everyone has commented on the depth or vibrancy of the display.
The only thing odd about using the Galaxy Note 5 as a multimedia beast is that the speaker on the bottom is pretty weak. If it gets covered, the sound is essentially muted. Samsung should have put another speaker on the other end of the bottom.
Once again, Samsung is using its very own processor after Qualcomm sent the mobile industry into panic mode, causing many companies to look at other options. Samsung, like it does with displays, makes processors; therefore, abandoning Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 series was easy. The Galaxy Note 5 uses Samsung’s go-to processor for 2015, the Exynos 7420. This time the strongest Exynos processor to date has been paired with 4GB of RAM.
The Galaxy S6 started to change the perception of Samsung’s devices being sluggish. The Galaxy Note 5 proves that slowdowns are a thing of the past for Samsung flagships. An octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, and software optimization puts this phone as one that performs with speed, avoiding speed bumps or hiccups in the process. I was jumping between Hangouts (with multiple accounts) conversations and Minecraft: Pocket Edition as Samsung’s Milk Music streamed in the background; to my surprise, the Galaxy Note 5 was not batting an eye. I even called upon Air Command to quickly draw with the S Pen on a screenshot to share but no lag appeared. Then I put Hangouts and YouTube on the screen at the same time with Multi Window and the Galaxy Note 5 held its ground.
It really satisfies me that performance on Samsung devices is finally where it should have been years ago. Do what you want with the Galaxy Note 5 because it probably won’t slow down.
Battery
Let’s just get it out of the way: the battery encased within the Galaxy Note 5 cannot be removed. Samsung’s faithful were upset when the company made the same decision for the Galaxy S6. But if you want to have beautiful phone made of high-end materials rather than cheap plastic and awkward faux leather, you have sacrifice something. So the 3000mAh battery inside is all you get to work with.
Perhaps the inclusion of Fast Wireless Charging makes up for the smaller, non-removable battery. Samsung’s Fast Wireless Charging Pad powers the Galaxy Note 5 up to the top of its capacity in about 120 minutes. With the included wired charger, the Galaxy Note 5 charges to completion in less than 90 minutes. Using another charger means that the Galaxy Note 5 will take hours to charge.
What really matters, though, is how long the battery lasts. Don’t fret about the battery being a tad smaller than the Galaxy Note 4’s 3220mAh battery. The Galaxy Note 5 is fine-tuned to carry you during the day. A typical day for me includes sending and receiving many emails, chatting on Hangouts, tweeting a lot, playing a lighter game like Threes or Game Dev Story once or twice, and maybe watching videos on YouTube for a few minutes. I would start my day with 100% 8:30AM and start to get antsy for a charger by 10:00PM. It makes me doubt that there is such a concern among consumers about non-removable batteries. If the hardware manufacturer does the proper software optimizations, a device can get by with respectable battery life.
Software
Very little has changed on the software side compared to other Samsung device released this year. Here, Samsung’s TouchWiz overlay is based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Although still not as attractive as stock Android or HTC’s Sense, TouchWiz is better than ever before. It now feels like a mature user experience instead of looking so rough and technical. Samsung flattened everything to basically move closer to (but not match) Google’s Material Design guidelines. This translates to Samsung-made apps such as Calendar, S Health, S Note, Milk Music, Samsung Pay, and Voice Recorder being aesthetically pleasing.
Note: Read our review of the Galaxy S6 for in-depth analysis of the software due to the Galaxy Note 5 being practically identical in this area.
S Pen
The big difference for the software comes from the stylus, the tool stored within the Galaxy Note 5 that unlocks its true value. Samsung’s Galaxy Note series has always separated itself from the pack with the S Pen. No other company has been able to put a stylus to work on a phone or tablet quite like Samsung. And now the S Pen ejects from its port almost automatically. The S Pen has a ‘click’ that indicates its status in the port. When secured, press the S Pen in and it will pop out. When jutting out, press the S Pen in and it will stay in. During use, the S Pen still clicks at the top like an actual pen.
The central hub for S Pen-related activities — Air Command — starts when you eject the stylus from its port. Already have the S Pen ejected? Then use the only physical button on the stylus while holding it close the device and Air Command will appear. You can also set a floating on-screen icon to be available for quick access. The focus here continues to be on productivity through Action Memo, Smart Select, Screen Write, and S Note.
Need to jot something down on a virtual sticky note? Action Memo is your best option. It launches a sticky note anywhere so that you can still use view items in the background. Action Memo allows you to change the pen’s color and take create multiple sticky notes at a single time. And you can also minimize sticky notes if items in the background are needed to be analyzed.
What I really liked was that you can still use Action Memo when the screen is off. Just eject the S Pen from its port and start scribbling notes; Samsung then stores them within the S Note app.
Action Memo may be the most limited option for taking notes on the Galaxy Note 5, but it is also the quickest.
The more professional way to take notes on the Galaxy Note 5 is by using S Note, a glorified Action Memo. Options are vast in S Note as you can change the type of writing utensil, the thickness, and the color. This is in addition to inserting text with the usual formatting tools. It’s very eas to make pages of notes with S Note considering both drawing and text is supported.
Forget about taking a screenshot with by pressing the home and power buttons at the same time. Samsung has Smart Select and Screen Write to take things further. The former is for cropping screenshots with rectangular, oval, and lasso tools. Smart Select is similar Photoshop’s selection tools. Screen Write, however, is akin to a traditional screenshot in that it takes what is being shown on the display. The advantage is that you can take a Scroll Capture to see and share a page in its entirety. Both Smart Select and Screen Write also allow for instant annotating and sharing.
Screen Select
Screen Write
Click here to view the embedded video.
Using the S Pen (or a has never felt this good. The tip of the S Pen glides across the giant display with the perfect amount of resistance and pressure sensitivity, equating to the feeling of writing with pen on paper.
Camera
A flagship phone deserves a flagship camera. Both rear and front-facing cameras from the Galaxy S6 return months later for the Galaxy Note 5. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as the Galaxy S6 takes decent pictures. When taking pictures with the 16MP rear camera, you’re able to choose between Auto and Pro modes. I kept the Galaxy Note 5 on Auto because I’m not one to delve into camera settings and become a Master of Photography. Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy Note 5 takes amazing pictures that are always sharp due to optical image stabilization (OIS). The camera also proved to be impressive under low-light conditions.
No one questions the quality of Samsung’s cameras anymore. It’s only a matter of stacking them up against Apple, LG, and Sony’s cameras to see where Samsung places. I compared the Galaxy Note 5 with a friend’s iPhone 6S Plus and found that the latter was more accurate and less washed out. But compared to other Android phones this phone only has the LG G4 to truly worry about.
And those of you who record a lot of video on mobile devices will appreciate that the Galaxy Note 5 can record in 4K. Keep in mind that there is no way to expand internal storage and 4K content takes up a tremendous amount of space.
Closing
The fall season is dominated by Apple introducing the new iPhone and its larger companion. This year is different as Samsung hosted an Unpacked event a few weeks before Apple’s newest handsets were made public, and then released the Galaxy Note 5 right around the same time that the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus hit the market. So Samsung is now going against Apple at a time when Tim Cook & Co. are not accustomed to fierce competition early on. Samsung has executed in many areas with the Galaxy Note 5. The design and build quality are first-class and every component is as high-end as possible. Samsung has created an absolute monster that will likely remain the best Android phone until next spring….. when Samsung releases the Galaxy S7. Until another company steps forward, Samsung will be the sole dominant force year-round to face Apple.
[Samsung]
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review: The best got even better
The Pebblebee Stone wants to add IFTTT buttons into your life
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The IFTTT (If this, then that) revolution has slowly been making inroads into lives around the world, and there are people that live and die by the convenience of such gadgets and apps. The latest gadget that wants to be added to that list is the Pebblebee Stone – not to be confused with Pebble of smartwatch fame. Like Pebble, however, Pebblebee is seeking Kickstarter funding for its Stone project which offers simple IFTTT functionality through a cute little remote dongle which has a single button, and rather intuitively, looks like a stone.
Using the Pebblebee app, you’ll be able to customize the function of your Stone (or Stones) to whatever you find most convenient. At the time of writing, the $10,000 USD target has already been eclipsed and currently sits at $36,646, a few thousand shy of the $40,000 stretch goal where everyone gets a sleeve for their Stone.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/192833321/pebblebee-stone-a-smart-wireless-shortcut-button/widget/video.htmlA single Stone can be had for $30 USD, whereas a pair of them will cost $50 – a slight discount. If you go up to 8 Stones, you’ll get even more of a discount at $145 (that’s about $18 a Stone). If that sounds like the kind of action you want in on, we’ve got the Kickstarter project link down below.
What do you think about the Pebblebee Stone? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Kickstarter
The post The Pebblebee Stone wants to add IFTTT buttons into your life appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
BlackBerry Priv shows up in detailed hands-on: here’s what we didn’t know
There’s very few things we don’t know about the BlackBerry Priv, but it is also true the phone is like some kind of rare holy grail. Not many have laid eyes on it, directly, and even fewer have managed to get a detailed hands-on with it (I guess it’s that secure!). Needless to say we jumped out of our seats and started digging for whatever new or unknown information a recently published hands-on post may present to us.
The article comes from website derStandard.at, which managed to get the inside scoop on the device and somehow obtained a pre-production model before others. In essence, there isn’t much new information here. Most of the specs, characteristics and software details we already knew. What makes this coverage special is the information which pertains to the actual handling of the handset; build quality, dimensions, how the phone feels in your hand, etc.
Two-handed beast
One of the first things the writer mentions is that the phone is seemingly too large for any type of one-handed usage. Such is to be expected… I mean, this is a 5.4-inch screen smartphone, after all. And because it’s not exactly the thinnest phone around, it makes it a bit harder to wield.
A bit on the display
There wasn’t much about the display, but the little that was said seems pretty promising. The writer compares it to the LG G4‘s screen, with “vivid colors and good contrast”. He also makes mention of a feature that displays battery levels on the curved side of the screen, but it seems this capability hasn’t been applied yet. It’s probably something that will be around with the consumer version.
Build quality
According to derStandard, the phone is not exactly the most premium one around, but it makes up for this in comfort and functionality. The back is made of a rubbery material that makes it feel rather cheap, something you can get past once you feel that security of getting a good grip on the phone.
We can’t ignore that keyboard, right? It’s what had many of us praying for a BlackBerry Android smartphone, and now that it’s coming we have high expectations. The reviewer confirms the keyboard is definitely solid, and the slider mechanism seems to work smoothly. He does have one complaint; though it’s very easy to recognize the keys by touch, accidental presses are common due to the buttons’ sensitivity.
Underwhelming performance?
This is a part that may have some of us scratching our heads. While BlackBerry is not really skimping out on specs, it seems performance is not up to par with current generation flagships.
Not that the phone is slow – it actually seems to work rather well. It just seems to have stutters here and there, something that shouldn’t really be the case considering the specs. Antutu gives it a score of about 46,000, which puts it up there with the HTC One M8 and OnePlus One.
Those phones are not bad, but they are also previous generation smartphones. To our relief, this may be due to lack of optimizations. Let’s hope the finalized version does better. In short: it’s “powerful, but with lags”.
Camera!
So this is one of the parts most of us have been wondering about. BlackBerry handsets are not really known for their camera quality. Is this the case for the almighty Priv?
While the camera was good, it didn’t leave an overwhelming impression. It works best under direct sunlight, as it goes with most other smartphones. It’s said to provide “good detail and realistic colors”. The shutter gets significantly slower once light starts dimming, though.
Conclusion
Those are about the only new details we could get from the hands-on coverage. Overall, the phone doesn’t seem to impress people very much once they try it. Or at least that’s the way it seems for now. With this in mind, we must really consider if we want to purchase a BlackBerry Priv or not.
Who is this phone for? I suppose the main lure is its physical keyboard and secure elements. Are those factors enough to have you buy into the BlackBerry craze?
App-controlled habitat grows just about anything in your home
You can already get smart gardening gear and smart aquariums, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could get one box that handles just about anything you’d care to grow in or around your home? Jared Wolfe thinks so. His crowdfunded, internet-connected Biopod can nuture many kinds of plants and animals in its automatically controlled habitat. All you have to do is pick the kind of environment you want through a mobile app, and the Biopod can do the rest — it regulates factors like the humidity, light, temperature and even artificial rainfall. While it won’t feed your pets, a built-in camera lets you keep track of what your creatures are doing while you’re away.
How much it costs you depends on your horticultral or zoological ambitions. If you just need a simple habitat for a small garden or easy-to-maintain animals, a $279 CAD ($205 US) or higher pledge will get you a Biopod One. Plunk down $289 CAD ($215 US) and you’ll get a Biopod Aqua that can handle fish and aquaponics, while $329 CAD ($240 US) will score a Biopod Terra that supports larger land-based projects. You should get your mini environment as soon as December if all goes according to plan, so you may not have to wait long before your exotic herbs and lizards can live in phone-controlled comfort.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2099003506/worlds-first-smart-microhabitat/widget/video.html
Via: Gizmag
Source: Kickstarter
Comcast’s home automation app links with Nest, Lutron and more
Earlier this year Comcast said its Xfinity Home service would start connecting to more automation gadgets you probably already own, and now it does. Right now, its app (iOS, Android) connects to Nest thermostats, August Smart Lock, Chamberlain MyQ garage controller, and Lutron’s Caseta light controls. The plan is to eventually make all of these services controllable via the new X1 set-top boxes and voice remote controls (now available in Spanish), but that’s not ready yet. Comcast is also bringing an SDK that should make it easier for other home automation platforms to build links to their own setups — with Comcast’s approval. Is a cable set-top box really the right place to put the brains of your smart home? With the TV business rapidly becoming just another part of the internet, Comcast probably hopes so.
Source: Comcast
Rinspeed’s latest concept is a self-driving sports car
Most prototype self-driving cars are designed for comfort, not performance. After all, wouldn’t you want to take the wheel if you really wanted a thrill? Rinspeed thinks there’s a case to be made, though: it just teased the Σtos, an autonomous sports car concept. The vehicle still has a steering wheel for those hands-on moments, but the controller automatically retracts into the dashboard when you’re content to let the car do all the hard work. Two curved widescreen displays also move closer into view in this mode, and there’s even a drone (complete with a landing pad) that could deliver goods or record your adventures on camera.
Like with many Rinspeed concepts, this is all a bit pie-in-the-sky — the odds are that you won’t see an Ʃtos in your garage any time soon, if ever. There will be a real-world example of it at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, however. And even if it’s just a theoretical exercise, it’s a reminder that self-driving cars don’t have to be exclusively about getting from point A to point B. You could eventually see sports cars that give you full control when you’re on a race track, but take the reins when you’re wading through traffic on the way home.
Via: Autoblog
Source: Rinspeed
3D printed bionic finger hints at life-like prosthetics
Researchers from the Florida Atlantic University have developed a new type of soft bionic finger that can move like the ones on your hand. In order to come up with the most authentic-looking design, they downloaded a CAD model of the human digit and used a 3D printer to create squishy inner and outer molds. Inside, they placed two actuators made of shape memory alloys (SMA), which can “remember” and return to their original shapes even after they get bent or deformed, so long as they’re heated. The extensor actuator straightens up when heat is applied, while the flexor actuator curves — you can see an illustration of how they work in the image below the fold.
During the testing process, the team applied heat by passing electric currents through a conductor. However, that doesn’t mean that they have this all figured out already. According to team leader Erik Engeberg, assistant professor at FAU’s Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, there are still “challenges with this technology such as the lengthy amount of time it takes for them to cool and return to their natural shape.” That’s why the team has decided that the technology will be used for underwater robots first, as the environment enables rapid cooling. It might not be coming to bionic limbs anytime soon, but you can read the team’s journal published on IOPScience.
Via: Medgadget
Source: Florida Atlantic University, IOPScience
Apple’s News app is disabled in China
The News app in iOS 9 is officially available only in the US, but you can still access stories when you’re traveling abroad… unless you’re visiting China, that is. A New York Times source understands that Apple has completely disabled News access in China, preventing you from reading anything new even if you’re using one of the country’s few uncensored connections on a US device. Apple hasn’t commented on why it’s switching things off, but the theory is that it would rather turn off News access altogether than deal with the many hassles of censoring individual sources and articles.
This kind of nation-specific deactivation isn’t new. Apple automatically disables Maps’ regular data when you’re in China, replacing it with government approved maps that blot out details of most other parts of the world. As software testing service head Larry Salibra notes, though, there are worries that Apple is a little too willing to automatically change features the moment you set foot in China, even if you’ve turned location services off. While the company’s current approach is arguably necessary if it wants to keep selling iOS devices in China (and it definitely wants to), the concern is that officials may ask Apple to selectively disable other apps that challenge the nation’s political status quo.
Source: New York Times
Living with the Jolla Tablet: a promising device with few apps
There’s no question that the Jolla Tablet is an odd duck. It’s a crowdfunded, first-generation slate running an unfamiliar platform (Sailfish OS), and some of its features are based on your input — if enough of the Sailfish community votes for an interface tweak, you’re likely to see it become reality. But does that mean this tablet is a refreshing break from the status quo, or a quirky device that will make you wish you’d bought something commonplace? I’ve been living with the tablet for a few weeks to find out, and the truth is somewhere in between. As you’ll soon see, whether or not you’ll like it depends largely on how willing you are to live on the bleeding edge. Slideshow-327635
Before I dive in, it’s important to get a feel for what Jolla is trying to do. Effectively, the team (founded by ex-Nokia staffers) is carrying the torch for fans of the late, iconic N9 smartphone and the MeeGo platform at its heart. Much like Jolla’s inaugural smartphone, the Tablet aims to preserve both Nokia’s reputation for slick hardware design as well as MeeGo’s reliance on swipes for navigation instead of the usual buttons. This isn’t a me-too manufacturer — Jolla is more interested in following its unique philosophy than reaching the widest possible audience.
The hardware, at least, lives up to that lofty goal. It’s not the thinnest or lightest tablet I’ve held at 8.3mm thick and 13.5 ounces, but it manages a level of quality that you don’t usually find in tablets around Jolla’s standard post-crowdfunding price (€267, or roughly $300), let alone something that cost Indiegogo backers a mere $239. The 7.85-inch, 4:3 aspect ratio LCD gives it just the right proportions for a small tablet, and the display’s output is bright, color-rich and sharp, with a pixel count of 2,048 x 1,536. It’s not something you’d want to use one-handed very often, but it’s comfortable and well-balanced. In other words, it won’t fly out of your hands if you grab it gingerly.
This attention to hardware quality translates to the performance, for the most part. While the quad-core, 1.3GHz Atom chip and 2GB of RAM aren’t anything special at first glance, I found both Sailfish OS and its native apps to be glass-smooth. The battery drains faster than I’m used to with some tablets (including my iPad Air), but it’s more than up to the job of handling an evening’s worth of web browsing, messaging and gaming. About the only letdowns are the 5-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front cameras. Neither is especially sharp, and I was disappointed by their muted colors and dodgy low-light performance — they’re good enough for photographing receipts and selfies, and that’s about it. Although I wouldn’t treat the camera as a major deciding factor in a tablet, it’d be nice if I could take at least a few brag-worthy shots, you know?
It’s a tougher call when it comes to software. Sailfish OS and its swipe-based navigation are, as a whole, enjoyable to use. Flick your finger around the home screen, which doubles as a BlackBerry 10-style multitasking view, and you’ll get an app drawer, a notification screen with quick task shortcuts and “ambiences” (read: themes) that can change both the look and sound of your tablet. You frequently swipe through menus, too, including pull-downs that stand in for buttons. The overall package isn’t as immediately intuitive as Android or iOS, but there’s a refreshing, uncluttered feel to it and a surprisingly gentle learning curve. I quickly found myself zipping around Sailfish, and those swipes were helpful when I wanted to quickly switch apps or couldn’t use both hands. My only major beef is that Jolla tends to lean a little too much on those pull-down menus. I shouldn’t have to guess which important commands are hiding just off-screen.
However, there’s no question that Sailfish is still a young platform, with some buggy behavior to match. The web browser is very quick, but it will make the occasional rendering mistake you rarely see elsewhere, such as refusing to show story images on Engadget’s main page. It wouldn’t show me one Android app portal (more on this in a bit) until I reset the device, and I’ve never successfully updated the OS. I’m not expecting Jolla to produce flawless software so early into its life cycle, but these are the kinds of hiccups you’d expect a tablet maker to catch before it sends out review units. At least the company is good about releasing frequent patches, so there’s a chance these issues will be resolved by the time you read this.
Apps are another story altogether. Don’t get me wrong; the core apps are elegant and (outside of the quirks I’ve mentioned) by and large useful… it’s the third-party selection that falls short. The catalog of Sailfish-native apps is pretty threadbare, and there are some very conspicuous gaps. Good luck finding native Twitter or YouTube clients, folks. You’re more likely to find niche titles, like city-specific travel planners and ports of years-old MeeGo games. It’s understandable that Sailfish wouldn’t have as rich a catalog as its heavyweight rivals, but Jolla really needs to do a better job of getting the apps that people tend to use every day, like social networking clients.
Android app support isn’t quite the cure-all it’s made to be, either. Jolla offers easy access to three third-party Android stores (Aptoide, China’s AnZhi and Russia’s Yandex) that stock many of the apps you’d otherwise be missing, but the titles you get don’t always behave the way they would on a true Android tablet. Twitter’s app wouldn’t bring up the keyboard to let me write a new post, for instance (I had to download Plume), and games like Pac-Man 256 and Threes didn’t run as well as they should on the Jolla Tablet’s very capable hardware. Frankly, it was a chore to get enough functional apps that I could use my tablet for longer than it takes to visit a few web pages or check email.
And that last part is why the Jolla Tablet is more of a promising device than something I would recommend when someone asks for buying advice. The design is ahead of the pack in this category, and the software is at once intriguing and accessible. It’s easy to imagine Sailfish becoming mainstream at some point down the line. I can already see the appeal for tablet newcomers who have light demands, yet are willing to spend a little time wrapping their heads around the gesture-based interface concept.
However, Jolla will have to tackle the app deficit before it gets a breakthrough hit. There was more than one occasion where I asked, “Well, now what?” after using the tablet for only a short while — I’d already run out of things to do. That’s no good for a market where many simply assume that an app exists for whatever they need. While Android compatibility is a decent crutch in the short term, Jolla needs to attract enough native apps that this device appeals to more than just early adopters and first-timers. If that happens, the Jolla Tablet could easily live up to its potential.
AIVAnet 