Deal: HTC Desire 626 series discounted to $149, 40% off accessories too
If you are looking to treat yourself to a new smartphone before the year is out, US residents should check out HTC’s latest Holiday Hot Deal on its Desire 626 series smartphone.
The offer sees the budget conscious Desire 626’s price drop from $179.99 to $149, a reasonable $31 saving off the regular price. The smartphone features a 5-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 210 processor, 1.5GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel rear camera and 5 megapixel front facing camera. There is 16GB of internal memory with 200GB microSD card support, 4G LTE network support and a 2,00mAh battery on board too.
See more: HTC Desire 626 review
Along with the smartphone discount, HTC is also offering an additional 40 percent off accessories for its entire smartphone range. This covers everything from HTC’s Active Earphones for just $23.99, to its Dot View cases ($23.99) and Battery Bar charging pack ($41.99).
These offers will both end at midnight tonight, so you had best act fast. Click the button below to check out HTC’s Holiday Hot Deals.
Best of Android 2015: Display
We’re always asked which is the best smartphone on the market and which is the one to buy right now. To kick off our Best of Android 2015 series we are going to delve right on into every smartphone’s big upfront piece of tech – its display.
Our test subjects are (in no particular order) the Nexus 6P, Moto X Force, BlackBerry Priv, Xperia Z5 Premium, LG V10 and the Galaxy Note 5. This not only gives us a good look at how Sony’s 4K display stacks up against the QHD resolution that has become the norm in this year’s flagships, but also how the latest and greatest AMOLED panels fare against LCD.
Before we delve into all of the results, a quick word about our test. We paired up an X-rite’s i1 Display Pro spectrophotometer up with with CalMAN’s ColorChecker software and the MobileForge companion app, which is used to wirelessly sync up the test images between the phone and our PC software. We set the phone to our desired brightness for each test, attached the i1 Display Pro to the middle of the display, made sure that it was flush to the screen, and then ran the software.
| BlackBerry Priv | LG V10 | Galaxy Note 5 | Nexus 6P | Moto X Force | Xperia Z5 Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 5.4-inches | 5.7-inches | 5.7-inches | 5.7-inches | 5.4-inches | 5.5-inches |
| Type | AMOLED | IPS LCD | AMOLED | AMOLED | AMOLED | IPS LCD |
| Resolution | 2560×1440 | 2560×1440 | 2560×1440 | 2560×1440 | 2560×1440 | 3840×2160 |
| Pixels Density | 540 ppi | 515 ppi | 518 ppi | 518 ppi | 540 ppi | 806 PPI |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~71.9% | ~70.8% | ~75.9% | ~71.4% | ~69.8% | ~70.4% |
As well as giving us luminance levels and a gamut plot, the software checks the colors produced by the display against an idealised set and gives us an error value (where 0 is perfect). We looked at the basic pure colors used in the reproduction of all other shades; red, green, blue, cyan, magenta and yellow; along with white, to build a profile of how accurate each display is.
Display Luminance
To start with, we ramped up each phone to full brightness and measured a white light output with the i1 Display Pro. A higher peak brightness is very useful when trying to use your smartphone in bright sunlight, but this comes at the expense of additional battery drain.
The Xperia Z5 Premium is by far the brightest display with a whopping 629 nits, followed by the BlackBerry Priv at 527 nits and the Note 5 with 493 nits. The Moto X Force and the Nexus 6P are a fair bit darker at their peak settings, managing just 385 and 397 nits respectively.
http://live.amcharts.com/yMGM0/embed/
We also thought that it would be interesting to see how each display adjusts between its minimum and maximum settings, to see if the 50 percent phone setting is actually half as bright as the maximum option.
http://live.amcharts.com/MxOWU/embed/
What’s interesting about this result is that the AMOLED smartphones all exhibit pretty much straight lines, so your software brightness setting very closely follows the actual output. The LG V10 and Xperia Z5 Premium both opt for a curved setting, with very little change between 0 and 25 percent, but a much larger swing in the last 25 percent.
The Xperia Z5 Premium, the brightest phone, is actually one of the dimmest until you reach around the 85 percent setting on the handset. It’s the BlackBerry Priv that is actually by far the brightest display on average and the phone should make it easier to find the ideal manual brightness setting for your environment thanks to its linear adjustment.
250 nits calibrated color error
For our first color test we calibrated each of the smartphone displays to 250 nits, a rather typical brightness for viewing in well-lit environments. Here we are looking to see how closely each display can match the ideal shade, as well as the average and maximum error value across all the colors tested.
http://live.amcharts.com/M2ZkM/embed/
The Moto X Force is the clear winner here, with both lower average and maximum errors. This is followed by the LG V10 and the BlackBerry Priv, which both boasts very low average errors. The Xperia Z5, Galaxy Note 5 and the Nexus 6P are all similarly poorer performers here.
To grab a closer look at exactly where each display is performing well and poorly, we can take a look at the error values for each of the colors we tested.
http://live.amcharts.com/RjZmR/embed/
The Galaxy Note 5 shows some of the highest color errors across the field, which makes sense given the regularly discussed saturated blue and greens of Samsung’s display, which often divides consumers. The Nexus 6P also has a very similar profile. The Xperia Z5 Premium is quite different to the other phones which tend to offer accurate blues. Instead the Z5 Premium is the best at reproducing red and green, but has a higher Cyan error than any of the other phones.
The winner in this test is between the LG V10 and the Moto X Force, which both show lower color errors, particularly in the blues and greens. The V10 probably just edges it here though.
The one display part not tested above is whites. A trend common among LCD panels is to see a blue tint to the whites and this can be observed on both the LG V10 and most notable with the Xperia Z5 Premium. This is because LCD backlights are built from a filtered blue light, while AMOLED pixels provide their color independently. For a closer comparison, the graph below plots the average white error across varying display brightness’s.
http://live.amcharts.com/mE3MD/embed/
Interestingly, the LCD panels perform slightly better in this regard when the displays aren’t driven as hard, while the Nexus 6P sees a larger error when it’s display is darker. The BlackBerry Priv has the best whites, although the errors creep up a little when the display is at its darkest or brightest. The Galaxy Note 5 is the most consistent performer, but is a little worse on average than the other AMOLED displays.
The Z5 Premium and LG V10 (LCD) show a notable blue tint on whites compared with the Priv and Note 5 (AMOLED).
Color error range
Not every viewing condition lends itself to a single brightness. To see if the accuracy of any of these displays would shift if you’re out in the sun at full brightness or having a read before bed with the brightness dimmed, we redid the color test at each phone’s 10, 50 and 100 brightness levels.
http://live.amcharts.com/N2YzN/embed/
When it comes to maximum errors we again see a notably poor performance from the Xperia Z5 Premium, which is mostly due to its very poor whites. The Moto X Force again comes out ahead in this test, just beating the LG V10 because of its weaker performance when it comes to whites.
The Priv, Note 5 and Nexus 6P are all pretty close in this test. Also, a common theme across all of the phones is that the maximum color errors tend to improve slightly as you turn the display brightness down.
http://live.amcharts.com/hjNmV/embed/
Looking at an averaged picture, it’s a much closer content, with the Priv, Note 5, V10 and Nexus 6P all performing equally well. The Moto X Force is the most accurate display on average but also seems to vary in accuracy slightly when the display is nearer maximum and minimum brightness settings. By contrast, the Galaxy Note 5 and Nexus 6P vary very little as you adjust the brightness, while the V10 and Z5 again show improvements at lower settings.
Color Gamut
To explain some of the color error results in a little more detail we should have a look at how each phone’s color gamut compares to the test target.
Across all of the phones we see that colors are extended outwards from our test target, suggesting various levels of oversaturation depending on the manufacturer. As the earlier test results suggested, it’s the LG V10 sticks very close to the target around the blues and particularly the yellows, while the Moto X Force maintains quite a linear deviation in the blues and reds. The Priv is also quite a good fit, apart from the slightly overextended AMOLED greens.
The Galaxy Note 5 however is clearly overcompensating with the greens and blues and this extra saturation really takes the display away from our ideal test values, producing an unrealistic result and higher error count. The Nexus 6P also follows this same pattern very closely. That being said, some people do prefer this more saturated look, so this is a bit more of a subjective issue that the error results may have made it seem.
For a closer comparison, we can overlay the gamut results on top of one another, allowing us to see how each phone compares to one another.
Here we can see the familiar Samsung AMOLED oversaturation debate quite clearly. Both the Galaxy Note 5 and the Nexus 6P offer by far the deeper greens and blues when compared with the other smartphones. By extending saturation here, manufacturers are looking to add more pop to their pictures and it’s interesting that Samsung also choses these colors for its user interface.
The BlackBerry Priv and the Moto X Force are virtually identical across the spectrum, and sit right between the Note 5 and the tamer LCD displays when it comes to green saturation. All of the AMOLED panels are much closer to the target colours in the reds, while it’s the LCD based Xperia Z5 Premium and LG V10 that extend saturation out further here.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s quite a close run competition for the most part, although we have to say that, on paper at least, the Xperia Z5 Premium’s 4K display has rather underperformed. The whites carry a very noticeable blue tint and that has really had an impact on its performance across our tests. Although the phone has the brightest display, its profile is not really the most usable either. However, the Z5 Premium is actually a joy to use and to watch back content on, so like the Note 5, datasheet accuracy is not always the most important factor.
We haven’t really commented too much on the BlackBerry Priv, partly because it has been a solid performer in every test. It has vivid colors without veering into over-saturation, there’s no noticeable color tint and it’s brighter on average than the competition for viewing outdoors. Therefore, we have crowned the Priv as the winner in the display test.
It’s unbelievably close between the other handsets, with each offering up a selection of pros and cons. What the Moto X Force and Nexus 6P lack in brightness they make up for in color and white accuracy. The LG V10 may miss the mark on whites, but it has one of the most accurate displays otherwise. The Note 5’s heavy saturation continues to make it a contentious handset, but it was certainly a strong all-round performer as well.
Best of Android 2015
Tomorrow we will be listening to our six contenders to hear which one offers the best audio experience. Come back on December 9 at 10AM EST for Best of Android 2015: Audio!
Credits
Video / Post by: Lanh Nguyen & Rob Triggs
Series Contributors: Rob Triggs, Gary Sims, Lanh Nguyen, Joe Hindy, Krystal Lora
Series Editors: Nirave Gondhia, Bogdan Petrovan, Andrew Grush
Sprint’s new promotion could lure in up to 50,000 customers from T-Mobile
You may have heard of Sprint’s 50% promotion where any subscriber of AT&T and/or Verizon could get 50% off their current monthly invoice just by moving to Sprint. As of today, Sprint is bringing back the promotion and additionally adding T-Mobile to the offering.
By adding T-Mobile, analysts are predicting that 50,000 current customers of T-Mobile will move to Sprint. T-Mobile is the nation’s third largest carrier making the deal available to anyone on the nation’s top three most populated carriers.
Tech analysts from Jefferies made the following statements:
“Given the inclusion of T-Mobile in Sprint’s new half-off promotion, we reduce our postpaid handset net add estimates from 950k to 900k to reflect a modest potential impact…While it is too early to ascertain the impact of the 50% off promotion, the T-Mobile counter promotion could be an indication of early success, though we view this more a misstep by TMUS than a market inflection.”
In response to Sprint’s promotion, T-Mobile’s CEO made some comments on twitter and the company fired back with a deal of their own. Those who had port their number from Sprint to T-Mobile were able to claim a $200 credit towards each line. However, the deal lasted only one day and has now closed.
As for Sprint’s deal, customers of all three major U.S. carriers will have until January 6, 2016 to redeem the 50% off. And in case you were wondering, Sprint’s current deal that covers early termination fees up to $650 per line, will remain active during the 50% off period. Now may be the best time ever to switch to Sprint!
Source: FierceWireless
Come comment on this article: Sprint’s new promotion could lure in up to 50,000 customers from T-Mobile
Motorola’s Moto G Turbo Edition coming to India soon
Motorola last month launched the Moto G Turbo Edition in Mexico, and now it’s on its way to India in just three days. The device isn’t too different from the Moto G (2015), with the only real differentiating factors being a better processor and support for TurboPower accessories for fast charging capabilities.
As a quick refresher, the Moto G Turbo Edition has a 5-inch (1920 x 1080) Full HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 615, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, microSD support, a 13-megapixel rear camera, and a 2-megapixel front sensor. It also has all the extra goodies, including Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, 4G LTE/3G HSPA+, IP67 Certification, a 2,470mAh battery with fast charging, and Android 5.1.
The highlight of the Moto G Turbo Edition is obviously Motorola’s fast charging capabilities with TurboPower. This enables the device to get a good 8 hours of battery life after just 15 minutes on the wire.
There aren’t any solid details on pricing or where it’ll be available just yet, but some earlier rumors indicate that consumers in India will be looking at a hefty ₹18,600 (USD$185) price point. It’s certainly pricier than the Moto G (2015), but the TurboPower capabilities could make the new smartphone worth it.
Stay tuned for official pricing and availability details in just a couple of days.
source: Motorola (Twitter)
via: Pocket Now
Come comment on this article: Motorola’s Moto G Turbo Edition coming to India soon
Apple’s iPhone 6s Battery Case: iOS Integration Is Nice, but Better Options Exist
Apple’s new first party iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case launched quietly overnight onto the company’s online store, and now this morning a handful of sites around the web are publishing reviews for the new accessory. Most reviewers agree that it’s time Apple acknowledged the lesser battery life of the 4.7 inch iPhone 6s, when in comparison to its 5.5 inch iPhone 6s Plus alternative, but some still aren’t convinced that the case’s design, power, and price point are justified.
The Verge appreciated Apple’s attempts at expanding the case’s functionality beyond a simple battery extension, like its built-in antennas to improve cellular performance or the iOS integration that showcases the accessory’s current battery level. Still, the site had issues with the protruding lump on the back of the case and the fact that it doesn’t fully charge a dead iPhone from 0 to 100 percent due to its slightly weaker (when in comparison to comparable third party cases) 1,877 mAh battery.
The Verge also noted that the Smart Battery Case doesn’t allow users to choose when the case begins or ends charging, it just starts the moment you plug the iPhone 6s into the case’s Lightning adapter, perhaps a downside for more intensive iPhone users. In the end, they noted that casual, passive users who want to stay within the Apple family will get what they need out of the case, but that there are cheaper alternatives with more battery life selling points on the market.
Apple’s smart battery case is good, then, if you want a softer case or a “passive” battery charging experience, with zero control over or understanding of how the case actually charges your phone. Maybe that’s what Apple is hoping: that buyers of this thing will slip it on and never take it off, charging their iPhones entirely through the case’s Lightning port going forward, forgetting about its big ol’ bump in the back. They will be pleased, finally, with their iPhone 6’s or 6S’s battery life, and the memory of spending an extra $99 for it, rather than having it just work that way in the first place, will eventually fade away.
It’s fine if you don’t want exterior indicator lights, or a even a case that gives you a 0 to 100 percent charge. After all, this one was designed for the iPhone, by the same company that made your iPhone. For some people, that’s a big draw.
As opposed to The Verge‘s dislike over any lack of outward LED indicator lights regarding the Smart Battery Case’s charge level, The Wall Street Journal appreciated Apple’s attempt at discreetness. The site was overall more positive on the new product, noting that while the case’s fully charged battery only brought an iPhone from 0 to 83 percent, it still provided about 5 hours more use time in a standard looping video battery test and alleviated most battery life quibbles the reviewer had with the iPhone 6s previously.
After five days of living with the Smart Battery Case wrapped around my iPhone, I no longer feel so powerless. Even better, Apple fixes many of the issues I’ve had with cases over the years. It uses the same Lightning cable as the iPhone to charge, and it tells you how much power is remaining right on the phone’s screen. Besides, the case doesn’t feel like the stuff plastic forks are made of.
For all its virtues, the Smart Battery Case is still a Band-Aid for Apple’s iPhone battery problem. We need longer-lasting batteries and easier ways to charge them—not silly battery backpacks. I plan to spend the $99, but I hope one day the Smart Battery Case will just be an artifact from a time before iPhones could run for days.
Engadget admitted to disliking the design of the case’s battery bump upon initially viewing it, but grew to become familiar with the battery protrusion. The site noted that while some may dislike the visual design of the accessory, it “isn’t cumbersome” to hold for extended periods of time and is “actually pretty comfortable,” although the usual stickiness of silicone in tight jean pockets will remain an issue for some. In a similar vein to other reviews, Engadget ended with stating that those tied into the Apple ecosystem will benefit from the Smart Battery Case’s iOS integration, but most others can find cheaper alternatives.
Apple’s first battery case works, and it works well. Here’s the rub, though: There are plenty of cheaper, more capacious options, and some of those are prettier too. What the Smart Battery Case offers over its rivals is a sense of cohesiveness that stems from Apple controlling both the hardware and software experience. The convenience of a Lightning pass-through for easy data transfers and power reminders in iOS might make the case’s $99 price worth it for some of you, but everyone else could spend half that on a third-party case.
Those interested in trying out the iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case for themselves, or purchasing it for someone as a Christmas present, can visit the Apple online store to order the new accessory. Shipping estimates currently sit at 1-3 business days, and those who live near an Apple Store will be able to select a personal pickup option, as well.
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple Now Selling Devialet’s $2,000 Phantom Speaker in Select Stores
French audio company Devialet has reached a partnership with Apple that will see its high-end Phantom speaker sold at the top fourteen Apple Stores in the U.S. starting today, reports TechCrunch.
The 750-watt Phantom will sell for $1,990, while the 3000-watt Phantom Silver will cost $2,390, the same prices as purchasing either speaker directly from Devialet.
The Phantom and Phantom Silver, along with the $149 remote and the $329 Dialog bridge for connecting multiple phantoms, will initially be available at five NYC Apple Stores, two in Los Angeles, and one each in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Portland, Chicago, Dallas, Miami and Washington, D.C. They’ll cost the same as buying straight from Devialet.
Devialet’s Phantom is a high fidelity wireless speaker that emits “implosive sound” based on patented technologies called Analog Digital Hybrid (ADH), Heart Bass Implosion (HBI) and Active Cospherical Engine Loudspeaker (ACE).
The single speaker system, capable of producing “20X the power of speakers the same size,” has received positive reviews from Bloomberg, TechCrunch, Wired and dozens of other media publications since launching in 2014.
By expanding and contracting its walls, it produces 1.2 tons of pressure to produce 20X the power of speakers the same size. The device required 10 years of development and $25 million in R&D. Devialet has scored over 77 patents and 37 awards for sound and design since it released its first amplifiers in 2010.
Devialet product manager Romain Salzman told TechCrunch that the company’s “dream was to find an important partnership to deploy Phantom quickly all around the world.”
Luckily, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff was a big fan and hooked them up with a meeting with Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president of retail and online stores. During their meeting at 1 Infinite Loop, Salzman tells me Ahrendts exclaimed “I love it, I want it, and we’re going to bring you all over the world.”
Phantom display models will be paired with iPhones at select Apple Stores in the U.S., accompanied by a special Devialet app for testing high fidelity music.
Discuss this article in our forums
Legendary game series ‘System Shock’ is getting a sequel
It looks like System Shock 3 is going to be a thing. Otherside Entertainment put up a countdown which was quickly decoded by fans to point to a teaser for the new game. System Shock and its sequel were a pair of groundbreaking and highly acclaimed games. Outwardly first-person shooters, a more apt description would be survival horror with elements of RPG. The minds that worked on the games went on to make Bioshock and Deus Ex, both of which built on its structure, albeit in different ways.
Although developer Night Dive has been working on a remake of the original game and expressed an interest in creating an all-new title, it appears the studio is not involved with System Shock 3. Only the Otherside logo is present on the teaser page. The site’s description invites us to “Join the original team behind Ultima Underworld on a quest to rekindle this legendary fantasy RPG series,” but this is probably leftover from an old Ultima page — as legendary as System Shock is, it’s tough to see why anyone would describe the title as a fantasy RPG.
Otherside has strong links to the System Shock series, as many of its staff worked for Looking Glass Studios, the developer of the original. Most notable is OtherSide’s founder Paul Neurath, who oversaw development of System Shock 2 in his role as Creative Director at the company. However, some of the big names who worked on the originals, like Doug Church, Ken Levine and Warren Spector, are not currently affiliated with Otherside. Levine is at Take Two, Spector works in education and Church is at Valve doing who knows what.
The studio is also working on a reboot of another Looking Glass series, Ultima Underworld, which was partially funded through Kickstarter earlier this year. It’s not clear if System Shock 3 will also be headed to crowdfunding, but you can sign up for updates at the teaser site to find out.
Via: PC Gamer
Source: Otherside Teaser Page
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is breaking UK pre-booking records
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is still a little over a week away from premiering in cinemas, but already the movie has broken some UK ticket sales records. Theatre chain Vue announced today that the film has now sold 290,000 tickets at its UK venues alone, overtaking the previous record of 284,850 tickets held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, which hit screens back in 2010.
In what can only be a positive sign for the movie industry, Vue will open a further 200 screens on the full opening day next Thursday and make another 100 screens available over the opening weekend. That’ll open the way for 75,000 more Star Wars fans to enjoy The Force Awakens over those first four days, possibly allowing them to avoid the spoilers that are likely to surface online as soon as the film begins showing.
Most e-cigarettes have chemicals that will hurt your lungs
Electronic cigarettes are ostensibly safer for you than conventional cigs (you’re not inhaling tar and other elements of tobacco smoke), but it now looks like they might not be much better at all. Researchers have found that 75 percent of flavored e-cigs contain diacetyl, a flavoring chemical that can produce “popcorn lung” disease when inhaled over the long term. To boot, many of the tested flavors had other related chemicals (like 2,3-pentanedione and acetoin) on top of known risky ingredients, such as formaldehyde.
While it’s no shock to hear that e-cigs aren’t exactly healthy, the study may well be eye-opening. Most of the concern over these pleasure sticks has centered on their nicotine, not the additional chemicals that improve the taste. Although these devices may help wean you off of old-school cigarettes, they can still be deadly — if health is your focus, you’re better off avoiding smoking altogether.
[Image credit: Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images]
Via: The Telegraph
Europe accuses Qualcomm of bribing companies to use its chips
The European Commission has sent a sternly-worded letter to Qualcomm, accusing it of abusing its position in the local market. Regulators claim that the chipmaker quietly sent suitcases full of cash to an as-yet unnamed smartphone manufacturer so that it would only use Qualcomm’s 3-and-4G hardware. In addition, the outfit stands accused of intentionally selling gear well below its cost price in order to put a local rival, Icera, which is now owned by NVIDIA, out of business. Those two offenses are, if proven to be true, enough for Qualcomm to be given a hefty slap by Europe.
It’s a big problem for Qualcomm, since the commission can be a fearsome opponent to a tech company that’s been caught doing something dodgy. The firm will be threatened with a substantial fine, too, which could be the second time in recent memory it’s had to pay up. Earlier this year, the business had to pay out close to a billion dollars to deal with a similar set of charges over in China. Now that Europe’s findings have been published, Qualcomm has three and four months, respectively, to answer for the crimes that it stands accused of committing.
Source: EC
AIVAnet 