Blu Selfie Review
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The Bottom Line
- Unique and attractive design
- Solid build quality
- Good display
- Good performance
- Impressive battery life
- Budget-friendly price point
- lackluster camera performance
- Outdated processor
- Poor placement of power button and camera shutter button
- No 4G LTE support
The Blu Selfie features a distinctive design that will certainly turn heads, and offers decent performance and impressive battery life, but unfortunately falls short in what should have been its biggest selling point, the camera performance.
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Blu may not be the most well-known company in the Android smartphone space, but the Florida-based company has released a slew of entry-level to high-end smartphones that are available at very affordable prices unlocked and without any contractual commitments. It’s not just about the price though, as some of their more recent releases do attempt to bring something unique to the table, such as the Blu Selfie. There’s no prizes for guessing what the primary purpose of this smartphone is, but what does it have to offer beyond the ability to take a good selfie? We find out, in this comprehensive Blu Selfie review!
Design
The Blu Selfie features one of the more unique smartphone designs out there, with a shape that is a bold departure from the norm. With a look that will remind you of a concept design from the past, there’s no denying that this device is certainly very different and eye catching. With its subtly curved polycarbonate back and brushed metal band, the Blu Selfie not only looks great, but feels great in the hand as well.
The plastic comes with a matte finish that helps with grip and is quite resistant to fingerprint smudges, but unfortunately can fall victim to some minor discoloration. After using the device for around two weeks, a faint bluish hue was noticeable on the chin of the phone where the plastic back wrapped around to meet the glass of the display, which may be an issue with the white version of the device. Using a damp cloth to wipe the area does help, but only to some extent, making it difficult to return to the original color.
The golden accents found on the camera ring and metal band complement the design, and the tapered meeting point between the plastic back, metal band, and display give the device an elegant and professional look. Understandably, using the Blu Selfie when out and about drew a lot of attention, and the response from those who asked about it was generally positive. The competition in the budget-friendly smartphone space is as intense as ever, and it’s great to see a company attempt to offer something unique to consumers.
Granted, the choice in shape, and Blu’s determination to pack the device with two Sony IMX 135 cameras does result in a few drawbacks. For starters, it is on the slightly thicker at 9.6 mm, and the curve on the back does make for a wobbly device, even if it isn’t enough of an issue to be a major concern. Secondly, for as unique as the shape of the device may be, it does make for a considerable amount of bezel on the front, not surprisingly at the top and bottom, but unfortunately also along the sides of the display, making for a device that is much larger than its 4.7-inch display size would suggest. That said, it’s not difficult to reach across the display, but does require some hand gymnastics to get to the top.
There’s a very good reason for these bezels of course, with the top bezel housing the 13 MP front-facing camera with a flash, along with the earpiece and the usual sensors. The bottom bezel is where you will find the back, home, and recent apps capacitive keys, that have plenty of illumination for comfortable visibility both indoors and outdoors. The home key also doubles as a notification LED, eliminating the need for an extra light at the top of the phone. Overall, for a lot of users, the distinctive look of the device should help overcome any negative feelings with regards to the thick bezels.
Going around the device, on the left is the volume rocker, positioned to be within easy reach. Unfortunately, that same isn’t true for the power button found up top, which requires a stretch to get to given how tall the device is, and the possibility of dropping the phone while reaching for it can be a concern. The headphone jack and the microUSB charging port are at the top and bottom respectively. On the right is the SIM and microSD card slot, as well as a camera shutter button placed right at the center on that side.
What is unfortunate about the camera button is that it only works when the phone’s display is on, and unlike some other devices out there, you can’t simply press and hold the button to launch the camera when the phone is locked. You actually have to press the power button first, and then press and hold the camera button to launch the camera app. The logic behind is quite confusing, since you can also just swipe left on the lock screen to open the camera at the same speed as the physical button. Since it doesn’t speed up the amount of time it takes to actually take a shot, it’s usefulness is certainly diminished, and further, it’s not positioned ideally to even take a picture when the camera app is open. Ultimately, it would have been much better served if the power button was where the camera shutter button now is, with the latter more effective along the bottom of the right side.
Ultimately, it would have been much better served if the power button was where the camera shutter button now is, with the latter more effective along the bottom of the right side.
Display
The Blu Selfie comes with a 4.7-inch IPS LCD display with a 1280 x 720 resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 312 ppi. The display looks pretty good overall, with good brightness and viewing angles, and accurate color reproduction. Of course, it won’t be as sharp as the higher resolution panels out there, but at this size, 720p does more than a good enough job. The display is protected with a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 panel to keep it free from scratches, and Blu also includes a screen protector in the box if think it’s needed.
Performance and Hardware
Under the hood, the Blu Selfie packs an cota-core MediaTek MT6592 processor, clocked at 1.7 GHz, and backed by the Mali-450 GPU and 2 GB of RAM. This particular processing package is starting to show its age, but things remain more than decent when it comes to the overall performance. General day to day usage is mostly smooth, with some stutter noticeable only while scrolling through some webpages. The device also handles gaming impressively, with games like Asphalt 8 and Bloons Tower Defense 5 running without any hiccups.
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The Blu Selfie comes with 16 GB of built-in storage, further expandable via microSD card up to 64 GB. Popping out the SIM tray on the top right side of the phone reveals a dedicated area for a micro SIM card on the left, and a shared area that can house either nano SIM card or microSD card on the right. This implementation is something we’re seeing with a lot a budget-friendly devices, and gives the user the choice between expandable storage or having dual-SIM capabilities.
Unfortunately, the Blu Selfie doesn’t come with support for 4G LTE, so users will be limited to HSPA+ on the AT&T and T-Mobile network. It has to be mentioned though that HSPA+ on the T-Mobile network is not fully supported though, with connectivity possible likely only in metropolitan areas. The usual suite of connectivity options, including GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n are also available. The device comes with a single speaker mounted at the bottom on the back, and offers decent sound quality. It does get loud, but a noticeable distortion is present when at the highest volume.
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On the battery front, the device packs a non-removable 2,300 mAh unit, which offers surprisingly great battery life. During the three days of real world battery life tests, I had no trouble getting the phone to last throughout a full day of use, with just over three and a half hours of screen on time each day. The lower resolution display, power efficient Mediatek chip, and lack of LTE support are certainly contributing factors, but some credit lies with the software optimization as well. One area that the Blu Selfie really shines is with regards to the performance of the battery.
Camera
Given the name of the device, there are a lot of expectations from the camera performance, and while Blu has been resolute in their marketing of the 13 MP Sony IMX 135 cameras found both up front and on the back, the performance is unfortunately disappointing.
The camera application is quite minimalistic and simple to use, with a few settings available, such as white balance and image quality, along with normal and panoramic shooting modes. Given the selfie-centric nature of this device, a few beauty enhancement features are also included, giving you the ability to make your eyes bigger, slim down your face, and smoothen or whiten your skin. The camera software is pretty simple to use, with options in the settings to adjust white balance and image quality, normal and panoramic shooting modes, and a few beauty enhancement features.
The device comes with a dual LED flash, flanking the very large sensor on the back. The flash does get very bright, and unfortunately floods the subject in low light conditions, making some shots look worse than they should have been. As expected, the Blu Selfie takes some decent looking shots in well-lit environments or outdoors, but a certain amount of grain and out of focus objects are noticeable when zooming in to the shot. The rear camera seems to have problems focusing, and the slow shutter speed requires very steady hands to get a shot without any blurring. The overall quality is just about average, with a lot of the shots taken lacking color, and coming with excessive amounts of noise.
The front-facing camera is placed in the center of the bezel at the top of the phone, and the single flash is to its right. The front-facing flash is what BLU calls Glam Flash, and is designed to offer the right amount of light when you need it most and performs very well. It is bright enough to illuminate the face, but not blinding, while taking a selfie. It does sometimes take up to four seconds to finally capture an image with the flash on, so you have to be extremely still if you want to increase the chances of your selfies being in focus. Overall, I would say that the front facing camera takes just average looking selfies, except at a larger 13 MP.
Software
The Blu Selfie comes with Android 4.4.2 Kitkat out of the box, which is disappointing given the fact that it is a new release, and further, there doesn’t seem to be any plans for an official update to Android 5.0 Lollipop in the works either. However, Blu is still supporting the device with OTA updates for bug fixes and general improvements in performance.
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The myHome launcher is on top, which doesn’t come with an app drawer, leading users to rely on folders to stay organized. Custom icons are present for the system apps, and any third party applications you download are denoted with a circle around them. The lack of an app drawer does take some getting used to, but you do always have the option to download a third party launcher from the Google Play Store to return to a more familiar software experience.
Specifications
| Display | 4.7-inch IPS LCD 720p resolution, 312 ppi |
| Processor | 1.7 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 Mali-450 GPU |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| Camera | 13 MP rear camera with dual LED flash 13 MP front-facing camera with flash |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n |
| Storage | 16 GB, expandable up to 64 GB |
| Battery | 2,300 mAh |
| Colors | white, blue, black |
| Dimensions | 146 x 66.3 x 9.6 mm 136 grams |
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Pricing and Final Thoughts
The BLU Selfie is available in white, blue, and black, and is priced at $249.
So there you have it – an in-depth look at the Blu Selfie! Although the device comes with a unique design, decent display, good performance, and impressive battery life, the expectation that comes from its name of great camera performance is unfortunately not met. As mentioned, the competition in this segment is very intense, and there are some wonderful offerings available from some other OEMs at this price point. Despite is very distinctive look that is sure to turn heads, the overall experience is rather lacking, making the Blu Selfie somewhat difficult to recommend.
LG G4 Review: a phone that attempts to do everything
The Bottom Line
LG tries to offer users everything the others do not – and then some
- Aesthetically unique and attractive design
- Quad HD 5.5-inch screen is vivid and great for media
- Snapdragon 808 shows how optimization is recipe for success
- Backing is removable, comes in leather or plastic
- Removable battery and expandable storage
- Camera is among the best in quality
- Camera manual mode is robust
- LG UX is very snappy and almost feels slimmed down
- LG UX still a bit bloated
- Still some smudgy post processing in the camera
- For those that don’t want leather backings, plastic backs are a consolation prize
With a unique and attractive design, great performance, and a fantastic camera, while also being the only current flagship to feature a replaceable battery, LG is attempting to provide users with a phone that offers literally everything you may want.
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In today’s landscape, we are seeing more and more OEMs push away from the less premium designs of old, electing for slim, great-looking devices that are unfortunately not without their compromises. LG has decided to go a somewhat different route with their latest flagship, in an attempt to provide users with a phone that offers literally everything you may want, from a great design to power user features like removable battery and microSD.
What does the company’s latest high-end offering bring to the table, and how does it stand out from the crowd? We find out, in this in-depth LG G4 review!
Design
In terms of design, what worked with LG’s last two high-end releases, the G Flex 2 and the G3, are brought together to create this new device. Curves, a variety of back cover options, and a large form factor are all par for the course here.
The presence of a 5.5-inch display dictates the overall size of the phone and the resulting handling experience, but as always, LG’s penchant for slim bezels on the sides of the display does make for a pretty narrow device. The G4 is slightly taller than its predecessor, but that is mitigated by a very subtle curve. Speaking of which, the curve of the G4 display isn’t as pronounced as what was available with the G Flex 2, and unfortunately, does not offer the immersive quality of the latter. The benefits are felt in terms of durability though, with even this small curvature resulting in 20% more resilience when compared to any regular slab smartphone.
The sides remain quite thick, with the phone measuring 9.8 mm at its thickest point, but there are no buttons on these sides, with LG’s signature rear button layout returning, found below the large camera optics. The power button is quite small, but offers a different feel from the volume rocker that flanks it to make it easy to identify the right area to press. This button layout falls squarely in the region where the index finger would lay when holding the phone, a design choice that continues to make sense, apart from just being aesthetically unique.
What curves may be lost in the subtlety up front are best felt on the back. This is all for the sake of handling, and there’s no doubt that the LG G4 offers one of the best handling experiences around when it comes to large form factor device. For a lot of users, there is an obvious preference for at least some form of one-handed usage, and the G4 manages to just toe the line of comfort. The device rests nicely in the hand and in the pocket, and while hand gymnastics are of course necessary to reach across it, it’s not too bothersome.
Back covers of the LG G4 are available in a couple of different styles, with a slew of color options across them. This particular review unit is the titanium version, which comes with a metallic feel, with the other plastic iterations, the white and gold, coming with a ceramic finish, and all coming with a subtle diamond grid pattern. However, the fashion statement LG is making with the G4 comes in the form of the leather backing, with a variety of textures and color options available. We did enjoy our time we had with these back covers during the launch event, but it might be a point of contention for some though, as the leather is actually sourced from cows and vegetable tanned. What might be the biggest selling point of the LG G4 is the fact that the back cover is removable, something that no other current flagship offers, giving users access to features like expandable storage and replaceable batteries.
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The LG G4 is certainly a lot like the G Flex 2, with a design that is further refined and with a less severe curve overall, and does raise the question as to whether the presence of leather backings is a way to prevent this release from seeming too incremental. That said, LG’s design continues to be distinctive and therefore, recognizable, and the G4 is still quite an attractive phone.
Display
LG ups the ante in the display department with an ever better iteration of the Quad HD display from its predecessor, now boasting the Quantum Display moniker. Flashy names aside, the 5.5-inch IPS+ LCD screen comes with 2560 x 1440 resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 538 ppi. What makes this display different is the Quantum Dot technology behind it. LG’s presentation during the launch event focused on how the actual molecules are being manipulated as it passes through a phosphor layer, the result being an even better color gamut than typical IPS screens can provide.
What is probably easier to understand is their philosophy on displays this time around, with the company looking to adhere to the DCI standard normally reserved to television and cinema with the G4. Whereas the Samsung Super AMOLED displays of the world go past this standard with its overly saturated colors, the G4 stays 98% within the parameters, to provide the proper experience. Now, without some real knowledge of film standards, it is hard to really tell if LG has hit that mark, but the difference can be seen in a comparison shot, with the Samsung phone definitely being a little more saturated.
What matters most of all is that the display of the LG G4 is still powerful and pleasing to the eye. Blacks are adequately shown, colors are definitely very vibrant, and all tasks look great on it. A couple of small nuances from its predecessor return however, like a smoothening of the screen elements, that can be observed mostly when viewing and scrolling through text, likely a result of the device lowering sharpness on these types of areas to lower power consumption. Knock On and Knock Code also return, so double tapping the screen to turn it on or tapping a pattern at any time are available.
Big words and scientific language aside, the display on the LG G4 is worthy of a high-end flagship, and there certainly have been no complaints from us.
Performance
While we might expect the latest and greatest processing packages to be found in today’s high-end flagships, LG decided to take a somewhat unconventional route in this regard. On paper, it looks like LG has taken a step back, with the G4 packing a 1.8 GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, backed by the Adreno 418 GPU and 3 GB of RAM. Thankfully, the overall experience is better helped with more optimization, as opposed to just sheer power.
Thanks to this optimization, the still bloated LG G UI manages to move along with a speed and smoothness that might be a bit surprising. In my daily usage, there have been no hiccups or instances of stutter throughout, with there being a negligible pause only when applications needed to be loaded from the Recent Apps screen. Unlike what is the case with some other flagships, this smoothness isn’t a result of a stripped down and lighter software experience. In fact, much of what was found with G3 and G Flex 2 make a return here with even a few more extras tacked on, and whatever close relationship LG has with Qualcomm is what has paid off here.
Browsing among applications is a breeze, even when using the Dual Window functionality, and intensive gaming is also not hindered by the two core shortage, with the Adreno 418 doing an admirable job in the graphics department. Despite many of the elements remaining in the latest iteration of the LG UI, the snappiness of it all makes it feel otherwise. It all makes a case that taking great care in optimizing the processor to the needs of the software, and vice versa, can often be a better recipe for success.
Hardware
As already mentioned, and something that LG will most certainly heavily market, the main cornerstones of the LG G4 is the availability of expandable storage and removable battery. The expandable storage will be most useful for photographers looking to take advantage of the RAW capture ability of the souped-up camera of the G4, but most everyone will agree that it’s always nice to have a buffer for space regardless.
It’s important to mention here that this review unit is the Korean edition, and as usual, LTE connectivity in the US wasn’t possible. While HSPA+ connections were still adequate for daily usage, I relied mainly on Wi-Fi for internet connectivity. Connection on the T-Mobile network was still quite good, including during calls, and the subtle curve of the phone is felt when holding the phone up to your ear. The rear facing speaker does sound better than previous iterations, with more body and richness to the sound, but unfortunately, the general issues with this positioning of the speaker do return.
Qualcomm and LG did work together to create a more accurate location algorithm in the G4, but without the benefit of full mobile network connectivity, this is something that I will have to follow up on with a local version of the phone. Nonetheless, this accuracy is achieved using a combination of all sensors available in the phone, rather than just Wi-Fi and general global positioning. During a day heavy with GPS navigation, it seemed to do its job quite well, positioning me in the right direction even at the start of each trip, which isn’t always common.
Battery life will also have to further tested with a US version of the device with LTE connectivity. In this case, primarily using Wi-Fi and HSPA+ where required, the G4 did do very well in terms of daily battery usage, with up to 3 hours of screen-on time possible during a total usage of 16 hours. A few hours of screen-on time was also possible even with heavy usage, including once that included almost a full hour of GPS navigation, which did seem to provide the kind of accuracy LG and Qualcomm claim the G4 has.
Of course, power users will be happy about the fact that you always have the option to carry around spares, which is something that might need to be taken advantage of, with any quick charging capabilities being noticeably absent. In my observation, I did find the phone to charge quicker when using something like the Motorola Turbo charger, but definitely nowhere close to the speed that Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 provides.
Camera
It might be a game of one-ups-manship for LG as it tries to provide more than the competiton, and specifically, their Korean brethren Samsung. Ultimately though, it’s the consumers that are the winners, as LG introduces yet another high quality camera to this year’s Android smartphone space.
Te larger camera package on the back is very noticeable, and bigger than anything we’ve seen so far. This larger sensor comes with a f/1.8 aperture lens, flanked by laser autofocus, a flash, and a color spectrum sensor. LG made a lot of sense in their launch that a large aperture opening doesn’t make much sense if the actual sensor itself is really small, so the G4 has quite a bit going for it physically, as the larger sensor will also benefit from better optical image stabilization.
Up front is an 8 MP unit, providing a larger photo than many competitors, but also comes with a few gesture-centric features. Bring a hand up and close it to trigger a countdown, or do the gesture twice to take four pictures in succession, and then bringing down the phone immediately after the shot lets you automatically review the selfie. The last one might be the more useful feature, because we think that just hitting that shutter button on the selfie cam is just as quick, and requires less effort. We might put the front facing camera as one of the better iterations in Android now, as it has good detail and a wide enough perspective for group shots.
When it comes to the camera interface, there are a few different modes available. The Simple mode allows for tapping on subjects for quick laser focusing and immediate snapping, the Auto mode opens up a few more possibilities which are easily seen via the controls, and then there is the Manual Mode.
It’s here that the budding photographer will have a great many tools at its fingertips, including everything from a histogram for accurate levels, to shutter speeds as long as 30 seconds, to a full white balance kelvin gamut that allow you to cater the shot exactly how you want it. All of the changes will show in the viewfinder, so there is little guess work to be had in this manual mode, and even then, if you are not happy with the JPEG that comes out, shooting simultaneously in RAW format opens up the possibilities even more, as the photographer can take the RAW capture and mess with every setting available in a program like Lightroom. Of course, the RAW files will be huge, so expandable storage will definitely be required in this case.
White balance is a very important aspect of this camera, as the IR backed color spectrum sensor works to analyze the entire scene and get accurate color reproduction, and of course, the very act of taking pictures is still a breeze here because of the laser guided autofocus. Indeed, using this camera in either the Auto or Simple modes brings one of the easiest picture taking experiences available, and the resulting pictures still happen to be quite great.
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In good lighting, the 16 MP photos are very pleasing, especially with the low aperture lending to nice depth of field perspectives for close or far focus. When zooming in, one can find that a noise reduction is still at work here, as the grain is smoothed out. This does detract just a little bit from the overall sharpness of the image though, but doesn’t do so to a large degree. This is better seen in lower light situations, where the camera also seemingly opts to have a slower shutter speed instead of higher ISO, making clear shots a bit tougher to capture. Finally, in lower light, prominent light sources are a little bit blown out, but again, not to a terrible degree.
We give the LG G4 high marks for having a great camera interface and a fast picture taking experience. It’s pictures are ultimately quite great, but fall just short of being the best in Android today because of the post processing that results in smudgy shots sometimes. That said, the G4 camera is definitely one of the best companions a user can have in the pocket.
Software
Moving on to the software side of things, easily noticeable is the speed of the familiar user interface, but there are a few new additions this time around as well. Mainly, the calendar app has been updated to use just about any captured area of the phone as reminders on dates. It takes away from having to fill in a lot of information, but those who prefer high organization might still opt for the textual elements. The gallery has been given categories for
The gallery has been given categories for easy look back at one’s memories, and is generally better organized overall. If the hand gymnastics need to be helped, changing the button layout on the softkeys is possible in the Settings. Finally, the phone can now perform a number of actions based on location cues. LG’s continued relationship with Google is easily seen here, with Chrome being the default browser, and integration with Google Drive baked in, which also includes an additional 100 GB of storage for free for two years.
The UX largely looks the way it did in the G Flex 2, with new Lollipop styled elements and plenty of features all around. Dual Window adds to multitasking and plenty of contextual features include the Smart Notice widget. Now there are more reasons for the widget to tell you pieces of information, as it will give suggestions not only for current weather conditions, but also warn the user of when applications in the background are continuously draining battery. These suggestions aren’t bad, but they might not be as useful for everyone as LG thinks.
QSlide apps also return, so if you do need to have a floating window for things like a dialer or calculator, the line of applications will add extra girth to the notification dropdown. There is also the Smart Bulletin, which is a second screen to the far left that brings information from a number of sources, including LG Health and tips for better usage. It’s a better way of showing these features than before, but thankfully it can also be easily turned off.
The LG UX offers quite a lot without overcrowding the experience, which has been a gradual but welcome change. As a daily driver, it’s hard not to be impressed with the speed of this operating system, and the G4 manages to deliver a user experience that keeps up with some of the best out there.
Specifications
| Display | 5.5-inch LCD Quantum Dot 2560 x 1440 resolution, 534 ppi |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (hexa-core: 2xCortex A57+ 4xCortex A53, 64-bit), Adreno 418 GPU |
| RAM | 3 GB DDR3 |
| Storage | 32 GB, expandable via microSD, up to 128GB |
| Camera | Rear camera: 16MP, f/1.8, color spectrum sensor, OIS, laser-assisted focus; front camera: 8MP |
| Connectivity | HSPA, LTE-Advanced Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Battery | 3,000 mAh, user removable, wireless charging, quick charging |
| Software | Android 5.0 Lollipop, LG UX 4.0 |
| Dimensions | 149.8 x 76.2 x 6.3-9.8 mm, 155 g |
| Colors and finishes | Plastic: Gray, Gold, White Leather: Black / Brown / Red / Sky Blue / Beige / Yellow |
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Pricing and Final Thoughts
The LG G4 will come in at the premium price for a flagship on carriers, and as we have been told, will be the same price unlocked as the LG G3 when it was first launched. Obviously, the main competitors in the space include Samsung and HTC, who have released their flagship devices earlier this year.
So there you have it – an in-depth look at the LG G4! It’s been a great year so far for flagships. With every phone bringing different offerings to the table, the LG G4 is trying to bring the most. A great camera experience is backed by yet another speedy iteration of Android, in a body that remains recognizable and attractive due to LG’s signature design language. If what are missing in other flagships kept you from buying them, the G4 just might be the phone that you’re looking for. It isn’t a big leap from previous generations of the series, but that is true for most of this year’s releases as well.
If you want something unique, the G4 is among the best choices you have today, with its leather backings, and expansion options only sweetening the deal. If we had any doubt that LG was falling behind in the competition, the G4 is surely an example that they haven’t lost the touch yet.
LuguLake II Bluetooth speaker review
I
had a chance to spend some time with the LuguLake II Speaker for the past week, during which I was moving while also still travelling for work. The situation itself was a hassle but it also gave me several different settings in which to test it out.
The model’s selling points – audio playback via either included Aux cable or Bluetooth, phone-charging capability and ability from any USB power source (laptop, wall charger with a USB slot, car charger, etc.) all delivered on their promises. Several times in the week I found myself outdoors or in the middle of an empty room with no access to a wall charger, but I was still able to charge the Lugulake II from my car and laptop.
The unit charged rather quickly via the provided USB charger, which I connected to my Macbook’s USB output. An overnight charge provided me with an entire day’s worth of playback and charging. I appreciated the lack of a need to carry around another wall charger, as these tend to either be forgotten somewhere or borrowed (stolen) by someone else looking to charge something.
On top of that, I attempted to measure how long it would take me to drain the battery for the sake of this review, but it lasted longer than I did and I fell asleep before it stopped playing music and charging my Wi-Fi hotspot. It’s also supremely lightweight (just over 1lb.) and portable (8 inches from end to end), easily fitting in my backpack as I went from one location to the next.
The unit’s drawbacks were minimal. Playing music from my phone and charging it simultaneously caused a low-level but noticeable static/feedback noise under the music. The buzzing ceased when I removed my phone from the charger, and this problem was nonexistent when playing music via Bluetooth. I only used the Bluetooth once, but the connection process was hassle-free and I was able to stray pretty far from the unit before losing a connection.
On the topic of sound quality, this unit falls just about in the middle of my experiences with portable speakers. I’ve used units with no power and no bass to speak of, resulting in thin, treble-heavy sound that you couldn’t hear even if you wanted to. The Lugulake II, however, provided reasonably accurate bass and an overall quality sound.
Music was neither distorted nor weak, and in my gym, with machines running and people watching TV’s, I was still able to clearly make out what was being said on the podcast I had playing, even when I strayed from the corner that I was keeping it in.
This speaker regularly lists for $99.99. At that price, I personally wouldn’t buy it. The power and loudness was enough for me alone packing boxes, or with a few people sitting around drinking, but you definitely wouldn’t be able to get even a tiny a party started with this on the level you could with a battery-powered boombox from CVS.
At its sale price of $49.99 however, I don’t think you’ll find a portable speaker with such long-lasting battery, sound quality and functionality.
Check out LuguLake II Bluetooth Speaker on Amazon
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Fugoo Tough speaker – The absolute best speaker available
With literally hundreds of different sizes, brands, shapes, etc, buying a portable Bluetooth speaker can be rather intimidating and confusing, especially if you care about getting value out of the product you buy. With so many manufacturers of Bluetooth speakers and so many different kinds, you can easily assume that Bluetooth speakers are a money making machine.
Bose, Beats, Sony, Samsung, Lg, Logitech, etc, all make speakers, and each focus on sound first, followed by durability, battery life, design, function and features like Bluetooth, NFC, and speaker phone.
Most people head down to their local Best Buy, Target, or Amazon.com to research and purchase their Bluetooth speaker. In noisy environments, it is hard to pick up which speaker sounds the best, and in many cases customers go simply off of loudness and bass to make their decision when in store, or they have to rely on user reviews from amazon.com. For the readers of Androidguys, I have a treat for you.
The tough Fugoo speaker is the absolute best speaker you can buy for the money. I will explain why in the review. Fugoo, or Fugu, is a pufferfish that is prepared for food consumption in Japan as well as a very few select restaurants in the US. The pufferfish is highly poisonous, and if it is not served properly, it can kill the people who consume it. When you think of Fugu, you think of something that takes many hours of practice to be able to serve it to consumers. You also think of things like, premium, rare, high-quality, and tough. And that is why I believe the Fugoo speaker is the last Bluetooth speaker you will buy.
Fugoo sells 6 speakers, but of those six, they are derived from 2 core models. You have the standard core which I will be reviewing, and you have the XL(larger size) which I hope to review in the future. The Fugoo comes in three different designs, the Style, Sport, and Rugged. I chose to review the Rugged model, as I tend to explore the outdoors in sunny San Diego and I want a speaker that can handle the elements which Fugoo claims it can.
Sound
First and foremost, the most important factor when choosing a speaker is the quality of sound. When people think of a manufacturer that puts sound first they usually think of Bose. I am one of the customers who owned a few Bose speakers, and generally I would say they do offer the best sound quality. All other speakers usually sound pretty good, or good enough, and when picking a speaker you can balance all of the features that are most important when making your final decision.
In comes Fugoo. There is absolutely no compromise on sound. You can see the 6 speakers through the grilles on the device, 2 speakers on the front and back, and one on each of the sides. When listening to music, you do not need to worry about which way the speaker is facing. It pumps out loud and quality music in each direction. When watching movies with my Samsung Galaxy Tab S, I place the speaker behind the tablet, and if there were a movie theater experience on a tablet, the Fugoo would be it. You can feel the bass, hear the 3D sound, and hear every word because the speaker is simply loud and clear. Without getting over analytical with sound data charts, I can say this speaker is better than the Bose Soundlink Mini which is a direct competitor. The Bose speaker was the best sounding speaker that I had heard until the Fugoo. Both sound great, but the six speakers on the Fugoo just give a better listening experience. Music and movies truly come alive when listening to the Fugoo.
Battery
At 50% loudness, Fugoo claims that the speaker will last an astounding 40 hours. In comparison, the Bose Soundlink Mini gets an estimated 10 hours of use. I can confirm that the Fugoo absolutely demolishes the competition when it comes to battery life. I received this speaker two months ago, and the reason why it has taken me so long to write this review is because I was not only testing in-use battery life, but I was testing standby battery life.
I personally believe this is the best portable Bluetooth speaker you can buy in this price range. Before writing this review and recommendation, I wanted a real life experience in how I would use the speaker so I could pass that on to you.
I never quite made 40 hours of use with the Fugoo speaker, but I did get over 30 hours. That can be attributed to me cranking the volume up because I enjoyed this speaker so much. It truly brought my music to life when I was cooking, taking a shower, hanging out at the dog park, and camping on an overnight trip with a few friends. I never once worried about recharging the speaker until it warned me when the battery was running low. Listening at 50% volume for 40 hours just wasn’t an option for me because this speaker sounded too great to keep it quiet.
After testing the in-use battery life, I tested the standby battery life. I went 30 days without touching my speaker after a full charge. When I went to use it after 30 days, the speaker had 75% battery life remaining. The battery is simply incredible.
I would imagine most of the weight of this speaker, it is heavy for such a small device(1.4 pounds), comes from the six speakers and huge battery. Either way, I don’t mind the extra weight because this device lasts so long. No other speaker comes close when it comes to battery life. Sound quality can be debated until blue in the face, as sound quality is highly subjective, but battery life speaks for itself. No other speaker comes close in matching battery life.
Durability
When you spend 200-300 dollars on an accessory, you would definitely like it to be durable. No one appreciates an accessory falling apart. The Fugoo is best-in-class when it comes to durability. I tested the “Tough” version and by all means was it tough. The Tough speaker is built with a heavy-duty cage and frame designed to withstand the elements. My speaker was rained on, dropped, thrown in a backpack, run under water from the sink, dropped in the sand at the beach, and it still worked perfectly. There was not even a hint of this speaker breaking down after two months of solid usage.
Usually when you buy a portable speaker for outdoor usage, the manufacturer puts build quality over sound quality. In Fugoo’s case, the speakers build quality and sound quality are equal. You will not find a more durable speaker than the Fugoo, and you will not find a better sounding speaker than the Fugoo.
Accessories
Since the Fugoo was designed to be multi-purpose, they offer a wide range of accessories to go with the speaker. They offer a bike mount, a strap mount( to tie the speaker to any object you want, or a multi-mount which can be used to use a tripod, rope/carabiner, or belt clip with this speaker. In addition to the different mounts, Fugoo also offers a remote control with a built-in bottle opener for those outdoor trips.
When you’re done with the outdoors and want to change the look of your speaker for home use, Fugoo also offers a wide range of cases. These cases are not designed to go over the Tough speaker, they are designed to replace the tough case. An allen wrench is provided in the packaging which will allow you to remove the core of the speaker from the case. Once removed you can easily replace the tough cover with a sport jacket, or style jackets which come in a multitude of colors. Your outdoor speaker doesn’t have to look rugged when you use it at home.
Conclusion
With a starting price of $229.99 for the Fugoo Tough speaker, it puts this in a class with the likes of the Bose Soundlink Mini, Ultimate Ears Boom, Beats Pill 2.0, and JBL Pulse, and without a doubt I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this speaker above all others. On top of that, the speaker is incredibly easy to use. Once you pair the Fugoo to your phone/tablet it stays paired and will play music whenever you turn it on. Fugoo has managed to create the best sounding speaker, best battery life speaker, and most durable speaker on the market today.
The Fugoo speaker has been reviewed by many other sites, magazines, etc. and all give it high reviews. You may not see this speakers in stores which means you won’t be able to test it in store, but trust me, don’t waste your money on anything else. Spend it wisely and pick up the Fugoo Tough speaker. You will not be disappointed and you will not need to buy any other portable speakers.
The post Fugoo Tough speaker – The absolute best speaker available appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S6 edge!
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Samsung required a much needed upheaval of their flagship Galaxy S line to better keep up with current trends in the smartphone world, and that is exactly what the company did. With a dramatic shift in build material and quality, significant changes in hardware, and a far improved software experience, Samsung has finally delivered what many were looking for in the Galaxy S6.
Of course, Samsung is known for pushing its boundaries, and this came in the form of the Galaxy S6 Edge, bringing forward a concept seen last year in the Galaxy Note Edge, and introducing it to the mainstream. With the release of two worthy flagship smartphones from the company, the obvious question that will be on your mind is with regards to which one is better suited to you. That is what we attempt to answer, as we take an in-depth look at the Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S6 Edge!
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Design
On the design front, there is basically just one differentiating factor between these two devices, namely the curves on either side of the screen in the case of the Galaxy S6 Edge. Both devices do retain the tried and true design language of previous Samsung devices though, complete with the same tactile home button up front and standard placements for the volume rocker and power button.
The similarities continue on the back, as both devices sport a protruding camera module that is accompanied by a heart rate monitor. Both devices also have glass back panels, which eliminates the ability to remove the back cover and additional hardware features that they entailed. The Galaxy S6 is a tad taller and only a few grams heavier that the Edge variant, a difference that is largely negligible.
When it comes to design, what makes the case for the Galaxy S6 Edge is indeed its slopes on the right and left portions of the screen, a significant difference that might have to felt to be believed. The inclusion of two edges started to make sense after holding the device. The fact that they come down to meet the palm allows for a side to side handling experience that is perhaps better than what you would get with the slab form factor of almost every other smartphone out there.
Grip and accidentally turning on the display are mild concerns when it comes to the Edge variant. But when holding on to the phone, a very prominent lip is present in the metal frame that tilts down very slightly, and mainly sticks out from behind the screen. So with a good pinch, there aren’t a lot of problems with keeping the phone in check without triggering the screen accidentally. However, the same cannot be said when holding the phone in the landscape orientation, as I did find it a little tough to hold the device on the edges without some fidgeting.
The width of the devices is pretty much the same, but with the screen coming down on either end, the Galaxy S6 Edge actually feels more narrow, and that makes a lot of difference. Aesthetically as well, the S6 Edge is the one that will definitely turn heads. While the original looks like a mashup of the Galaxy and Xperia lines due to its dual glass panels, the Edge version will be instantly recognizable to the tech-savvy, and given Samsung’s big marketing push, likely to the common consumer soon enough. If handling is a big deal to you, the S6 Edge offers an experience that has to be felt, and its uniqueness is something that will certainly stay with you.
Display
The sentiments on the design side of things hold true when it comes to the display, with the curves of the Galaxy S6 adding to the overall viewing experience as well. First, on the specifications front, both devices offer nothing short of what you would expect from a Samsung flagship, with their 5.1-inch Super AMOLED screens featuring a Quad HD resolution, resulting in the super high pixel density of 577 ppi. Both displays are vivid, colorful, and sharp, and don’t miss a beat in work, play, or media consumption.
What makes the Galaxy S6 Edge so compelling is the fact that its screen is essentially one entity, and doesn’t have a specific area sectioned off for the edge capabilities, as was the case with the Galaxy Note Edge. We will explore the features of the edge in the software section below, but worth a mention is that they only take up one side of the display, and further, only appear when specifically triggered. It does feel like Samsung has finally figured out that the edges aren’t made for supposedly game changing features, but rather to offer literally a new way of looking at a device.
As such, elements of the Android 5.0 Lollipop Material Design are also given an auxiliary benefit, with a roll-in effect of various UI elements that may not always be noticed, but are certainly appreciated every time it is. As an example, watching media in the landscape orientation makes the heads up notifications look even better because of this effect. The edges don’t move any of the frame away from your viewpoint, and once again, are mostly there more for aesthetics and convenience, with a few features that for the most part, stay out of the way.
Performance
Another big change with their latest flagships was Samsung’s decision to give the Snapdragons of the world a skip in favor of its in-house Exynos processor, something that looks to have worked to great effect. Under the hood, both phones pack the octa-core Exynos 7420 processor, backed by the Mali-T760 MP8 GPU and 3 GB of RAM. It is also worth mentioning that the built-in storage benefits from a UFS 2.0 flash memory construction that helps keep things super speedy and optimized, a case that has been made against expandable storage, that just won’t be able to keep with installed memory. It’s also packing LPDDR4 RAM, which represents a huge leap forward in memory performance for mobile devices
Both these devices race through the elements of the dialed-back TouchWiz interface, with virtually every stutter and hiccup from the past now eliminated. The only real stutter that we’ve ever seen involves the Flipboard-powered Briefing screen, which has to refresh every time you swipe to it, slowing down an immediate return to the homescreens as a result.
All other tasks are handled extremely well, even if you’re trying to perform them at the same time using Multi-Window or the S Window capabilities. Almost no problems were seen with gaming as well, though the phone does get quite warm, but not uncomfortably so, while running the more processor intensive applications. The edge screen panels don’t down the Galaxy S6 Edge either, so its speed doesn’t get hindered because of its slightly higher feature set. As such, performance is one aspect where things are very much a tie, and is a non-factor for anyone confused between these two devices.
Hardware
The big story since the announcement of these devices has been the lack of replaceable batteries and expandable storage, that have been otherwise staple features of the Samsung line. These phones do pack more than most when it comes to hardware though, including a better implementation of the fingerprint scanner embedded into the home button, and the now vertical heart rate monitor that, in our testing, worked a little faster than previous editions found on Samsung devices.
Connectivity with the LTE networks has been very steady on either device, and the quality of voice calls are as good as they’ve ever been. The sound coming from the speaker in its new position at the bottom gets adequately loud, no matter which iteration of the phone you get.
Battery life on either device is pretty standard, despite the higher resolution displays. Of course, we come back again to the primary difference between the two smartphones, the edges. There are no real hardware capabilities that put the edge over the top in this regard, though the different form factor does mean different third party accessories.
Camera
As you may have seen, or can check out below, in the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge camera shootout, it has to be said the camera package Samsung has put out this year is definitely among the best. A rear-facing 16 MP camera with a f/1.9 aperture adds auto-HDR to a laundry list of capabilities, with the front-facing 5 MP unit sporting the same as well.
The camera application comes with a variety of modes, including panorama and slow motion video capture at 120 fps, and can easily be activated by a double tap of the home button, which is one of the best felt enhancements with the latest Galaxy offerings.
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Using these cameras in all but the lowest light in indoor situations yields some really great looking photos, and with an auto mode that performs extremely well, most of the guesswork is taken out of the smartphone photography experience. Extra features, and a manual Pro mode, are available to those who want it, but for the general user who just wants to capture memories, both of these devices are great companions to have.
To some extent, smartphone cameras were struggling to get to the point of replacing even typical point and shoot devices, but things are closer than they’ve ever been with the current crop of flagship smartphones, and the possibilities offered by the latest additions to the Galaxy S line are prime examples of that evolution.
Software
As has been mentioned a few times already, the latest iteration of the TouchWiz software experience available with the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge has been toned down considerably, to the pleasure of many. Not only has a lot of gimmicky aspects been put aside, but those that are still available aren’t very prominent in their presence. Even the pop-up tutorials about how to use the different features are largely absent, and turning off features like S Voice is very easy to do this time around. The user interface still features a pretty colorful aesthetic, but the available theme engine can be used to change the look to anything that better suits your tastes.
With the software experience also mostly the same between both devices, it’s better to take a look at what makes the Galaxy S6 Edge different, and what features and capabilities the edge panels offer. First, these panels and features don’t show up until triggered, which happens only from a standby position via a few swipes on the side that are pre-determined by the user.
The night clock comes up, and then you can swipe from the bottom portion to see notifications, news tickers, and a number of other edge panels that can be installed from the Settings menu. Despite some usefulness to the news tickers, the scrolling generally focuses on one story at a time, and thus pales in comparison to using even the Briefing screen instead. It can also be a good way of looking at notifications quickly, but waking the phone up and seeing them on the lockscreen is arguably still faster.
Finally, there is the People Edge, which houses five of your favorite contacts with specific colors assigned to them for easy access to calls and messages. While its functionality as a speed dial was great, the main gripe I had with it was the messages required the use of the native messaging app, instead of something else that you may already be comfortable with using, such as Hangouts. While the phone is upside down, the color assigned to the contact will glow on the side to let you know exactly who is calling in a very interesting way. That said, there aren’t a lot of situations where you will have your phone screen placed down on a table, and it honestly does look like the underside of an import tuner car.
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Overall, the main takeaway from the software side of things is how much better the Samsung TouchWiz UI has gotten, helped by how optimized it is with the company’s own processing packages. The edge features are there for those who specifically need them, but all said and done, there might not be a whole lot of people who do.
Gallery
Pricing and Final Thoughts
When it comes to comparing the price points is when you realize that wanting the sloped edges requires a premium over the already not particularly cheap Galaxy S6. The Galaxy S6 Edge costs about $150 more overall for the unlocked version, and will result in higher monthly payments on various network carriers. For example, The S6 Edge will cost $10 per month on the Simple Choice monthly plan from T-Mobile.
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Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 review: The best budget phone of 2015
Alcatel OneTouch has been creating some pretty nice budget handsets recently, and after seeing their new Idol 3 at MWC, I knew I had to give it a try. So I took the SIM card out of my Nexus 6 and fully switched over to the Idol 3 for the last week. I put it through its paces to see just what this budget smartphone could handle.
Design
The first thing that I noticed about the Idol 3 was that it looked pretty nice for a $250 phone. Sure, there was no metal chassis or leather back, but the phone felt extremely solid. It did not bend or creak and the build quality was great. The chrome accents along the top and bottom on the edge of the phone give it a little something so that it stands out against the crowd of black slate phones. Since they are plastic, they might pick up some scratches and dings, but I have not seen any on my unit so far. Also, the back is made of a brushed plastic that looks more premium and feels better than normal glossy plastic. One of my favorite design features on the Idol 3 is the recessed front facing speakers on the top and bottom of the phone. This helps to break up the otherwise flat device and give it some dimension. On the right side at the very top of the phone is the volume rocker. Interestingly, the power button is at the very top of the left side. This placement is extremely inconvenient for me, but thankfully the phone features double-tap to wake and sleep so the power button did not need to be used much. The SIM card slot is placed under the power button, and removing it you will also find a place for a Micro-SD card. If the 16GB of storage is not enough for you, it supported Micro-SD cards up to 128GB. One on the most notable things about the Idol 3’s look is that it is perfectly symmetrical. If you turned the phone completely upside down, you would almost have no idea if it wasn’t for the front-facing camera switching places. Also, the Idol 3 only weighs in at 140 grams, which makes this phone feel extremely light. This helps with their Reversible UI feature that I will get to soon. For $250, you are getting a well made device that feels and looks great.
Display
The Idol 3 comes with a 5.5″ full-HD display at a pixel density of 401 ppi. Alcatel touts that this display is enhanced by Technicolor and the colors are supposed to appear more real. I have to say that this screen was enjoyable to look at. Everything looked amazing on the display and colors looked great. I was not expecting a display this nice on a $250 phone, and I am glad Alcatel proved me wrong. This is one of the brightest phone displays I have ever used. I ended up keeping the brightness around 25-30% and it was plenty bright for me. You will definitely have no trouble viewing this screen in direct sunlight. The Idol 3 uses an IPS display, and even though I prefer AMOLED, I like the way this screen looks. Blacks looks dark, whites were bright, and colors were natural without being overpowering. Also, viewing angels are amazing. Even at extreme angels, I saw no lack of detail or color.
Android and UI
If you could not tell from the fact I own a Nexus 6, I love stock Android. When I first powered on the Idol 3, I was worried because what I saw looked like a pretty heavily skinned version of Android. Thankfully, I was completely wrong. The Idol 3 is running on Android 5.0.2, and while it may not look extremely stock, few things are actually changed. Alcatel OneTouch skinned the icons and replaced some of the stock apps, but most of Android was left completely untouched. And the apps that were replaced performed just as well as stock Google apps. Since the tweaks were light, the Idol 3 is able to run Android Lollipop very well. There are also a few software tweaks that actually added to the experience. Double-tap to sleep and wake is a welcome addition because of that terrible power button placement. It works extremely well, and I rarely found myself having to double-tap more than one. My favorite change is the Reversible UI feature. What this features does is orient the UI to whatever direction you are holding the phone. It allows the screen to rotate completely around so you are never actually holding the phone upside down. I thought this was the biggest gimmick until I actually tried it. Turns out I tend to take my phone out of my pocked upside down about half of the time, but I never noticed it on the Idol 3. I would just double-tap the screen and Android would be rotated around. Since there is a speaker and microphone at both ends of the device, you can answer phone calls with the device upside down, too. Also, the animation that happens with you flip the phone around is pretty sweet. The Reversible UI is a feature that I hope other OEMs include on their phones in the future.
Camera
The Idol 3 comes with a 13 MP main camera with a Sony sensor and an 8 MP front-facing camera. The camera software has most of the features a normal user is looking for plus some extras. There is an HDR mode, a panorama mode, a manual mode, a time-lapse mode, a bar-code scanner, and one called “Face beauty” which basically smooths out your skin and may make selfies look a little better. The phone took pictures extremely fast, with close to no shutter lag. Of course, the real test of a phone’s camera is the kind of pictures it can take. I found that the Idol 3’s camera was okay. Pictures taken outside were pretty good, although they are not going to be blowing anyone away. In pictues with bright colors, detail is sometimes lost in the colors. Pictures taken inside turned out about the same. Low light pictures is where the Idol 3 struggled a bit. They lost some details and had a little extra noise. That being said, if you are just looking for a phone to take pictures to post on social media or share with friends, the Idol 3’s camera will suit you just fine.
Speakers
One of the big features of the Idol 3 is the dual front-facing speakers powered by JBL audio. After listening to music daily on this phone, I have to say that I am impressed. The speakers can get loud, but do not seem to suffer from much distortion at the high volumes. Most importantly, the sound is amazing, even through headphones. The bass is not as strong or deep as you will find in something like Boomsound on the HTC One, but mids and highs are nice and clear. Alcatel touted that the sound quality was very good, and I imagine that anyone who listens to music from the Idol 3 will agree.
Performance
The Idol 3 is running on a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 615, with four cores clocked at 1 GHz and four clocked at 1.5 GHz, coupled with 2GB of RAM. I found that, for the most part, performance was smooth. I could scroll through apps, recents, and web pages with minimal slowdowns. However, there were a few times when the Idol 3 would just seem to randomly slow down. It was still usable, but animations and scrolling seemed more choppy and less fluid. Unfortunately, I do not know what caused these dips in performance. You should not expect to play any graphically intense games on the Idol 3, but it should handle most casual games pretty well. I tried it out with Limbo and suffered no slowdowns at all. This phone will not be winning any speed tests or benchmark scores, but the performance was better than I expected and fluid most of the time.
Battery
The Idol 3 is powered by a 2910 mAh battery. I am what you would consider a “power user” when it comes to my phone. It is rare for me to finish a day with less than 4 hours of screen on time for my phone. If a phone can survive my days, it should be able to survive anyones. I have three email accounts that pull down every five minutes. I also watch around an hour of YouTube over WiFi and stream at least a hour of music over LTE. The Idol 3 took my daily activities just fine and I had no worries about running out of battery before I got home. If you are a light to moderate user, you will definitely be pleased with the Idol 3’s battery life as it will easily last you through the day with battery to spare. If you are a heavier user like me, then I would wager the Idol 3 could handle your lifestyle just as well, maybe with less battery left over though. If you want to see the daily breakdown for battery life, you can check out all five days in the tabs below.
- On the first day, I took the phone off the charger at 9 AM.
- With this being the first day I had the phone, I used it quite a bit
- I watched an hour of YouTube videos over WiFi
- I played an hour of games
- I listened to an hour of music streaming over LTE
- By 10 PM, I had to put the phone back on the charger at 7%
- That may seem early, but I got 4 hours and 42 minutes of Screen On Time
- On day two, I took the phone off the charger at 8 AM
- I received a software update during the day, which is where you see the phone power off
- After it updated, I recharged the battery to where it previously was to continue the test
- I watched another hour or so of YouTube videos over WiFi
- I listened to an hour of music streaming over LTE
- At midnight, I had reached 4 hours and 30 minutes of Screen On Time with 11% battery left
- On day three, I took the phone off the charger at 9 AM
- I did the usual hour of YouTube and hour of streaming music
- Today was a lighter day and I only reached 3 hours and 43 minutes of Screen On Time by 1 AM
- I finished the day with 15% battery left
- On day four, I took the Idol 3 off the charger around 9 AM
- I usually spend Saturdays with friends so I spend less time on my phone
- I listened to about 2 hours of music streaming over LTE
- I reached 3 hours and 20 minutes of Screen On Time by 1:30 AM
- I finished the day with 21% left
- On day five, I took the phone off the charger around 10 AM
- On Sundays, I get an extra hour or so of Screen On Time that I do not usually get
- Because of that, I had to put the Idol 3 back on the charger at 9:20
- However, I got over 5 hours of Screen On Time for day 5
The biggest test I have for a phone is will I miss it when I stop using it? The answer for the Idol 3 is undoubtedly “Yes!” It is definitely not a powerhouse, but the experience of using it is great. I will miss some of the features like the Reversible UI and double-tap to wake immediately. Of course, it is not perfect. Performance suffered from time to time and the camera is okay at best, but for $250, I would put the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 as the best budget flagship of 2015. If you are in the market for an affordable phone that will still provide a great experience, the Idol 3 should be at the top of your list.
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Via Voice by Treycent, Inc. The nifty app with loads of promise
One of the most appealing features of android now days is voice controls. Google has been at the forefront of voice commands by being simple and intuitive. One of the drawbacks to voice commands is lack of custom voice commands. Treycent has come up with a solution with an application called Via Voice. the application allows the user to set up custom voice commands to access pictures. This alleviates an issue that plagues many users by having quick access to pictures without having to search the gallery. The interface is simple allowing you to type in a command or speak the command and attach a photo with very little effort. Via Voice also works with your android wear device allowing you to show pictures without reaching for you phone. The application has had a fair share of updates adding capabilities such as posting to Twitter. Just say you command followed by post to Twitter.
Via Voice has a straight forward setup asking to create an account attached to your email. Once you are signed you are ready to set up you custom voice commands. Commands are created using spoken word or manually typing in the command. The photo you choose is attached to a web link allowing the app to pull the photo online with your command. The user can also type the command in loud settings where voice is not recognized. You can also share your voice command with friends through several avenues allowing them to access the photo with voice. The application on the phone works every time. On both the Galaxy S5 and Moto X (2014) I had to choose a photo from Google Photos, Dropbox, or Facebook. So in simple terms the photos must have a link to them somewhere, any photo not synced would not work with the app. This makes sense considering the voice control is attached to a URL. The program also has a website that works in much the same way as on the phone. I was able to type or say a command and the picture was shown in a new tab. The voice control is accurate and I had very little issues as far as operations. On the off chance the voice recognition failed I was able to type the command to perform the action. The issue was mainly in places with an abundant amount of sound which is to be expected with any voice control.
The android wear capabilities with this app show promise but come up short in real world settings. The concept is very intriguing and makes showing a photo to you friends effortless when it works. The watch aspect is a work in process. I have tested this out in various situations with several failures. This could be a flaw in android wear or the app. Android wear is by all accounts not perfect and has had its fair share of issues so to pin this on the app is unfair. One of the most agitating aspects is accessing the app on the watch when it is not active. Having to scroll down to start and select the app is painful and pretty much defeats the purpose of convenience. I would suggest wear mini launcher for this app or any others on your watch. Once the program is open the access is much more convenient with a simple tap. Another noticeable shortfall is that on my Moto 360 the voice search seemed to activate at random. With the LG g watch I did not have that issue but the process itself suffered a considerable lag. I stress these issues could be because of android wear itself or the hardware.
To sum my long experience with Via Voice up it is a very neat feature to have. What would make this a go to app for me is the watch features. To have my watch pull photos to show on the go would be a very valuable tool. As of now though the app is regulated to my phone and is more a novelty than a must have. The concept has promise to make wear devices even more useful and shaves some time off searching your phone in this fast paced mobile world. The execution is lost with the watch by being unreliable and defeats the purpose of a wearable by having to use my phone in many instances. The promise is that even when the watch side was finicky the app was always up showing the correct picture on the phone. The developer has put a lot of time and effort in creating this application and I encourage anyone to give it a try. Custom commands for easy access of photos you want to share with friends and family is really convenient and hopefully the wear side can be ironed out. Via Voice is free on Google Play as well as web access at Treycent.com.
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Okidokeys Review
We are in a time period where technology is rapidly evolving, but also stagnating. The most popular technology, the smartphone, hasn’t seen any real advance in technology in awhile. Outside of that world though, there are advances happening that are very real, and coming very soon. One of those areas is the smart home, and Okidokeys is one of the first companies that’s primary focus is to make your home smarter. I have had the opportunity to live with an Okidokeys unit for the past few months, so let’s take a look at whether or not your home needs an Okidokeys.
Set up
When I first got the Okidokeys, I was stoked to try it out. My apartment complex was kind enough to let me change the the lock on my door, as Okidokeys makes it clear that changing your lock is easy, and can be changed back if need be. The installation process was a little difficult, but I think it had more to do with the position of my door than anything. Okidokeys provides video how-tos to walk you step-by-step on the installation process, which helped me a lot (I tend to be better with technology than tools).
Once the actual lock was installed, all that’s needed is to register the lock so that you can download the app on your smartphone. The portal on Okidokeys website is simple enough, although navigating it took some learning. After some tinkering though, I got me and my wife’s phones all set up, and everything worked pretty well.
General usage
Using the Okidokeys at first was really exciting. The ability to walk up to your door and use your smartphone to unlock your door is an uncanny feeling, and when I use it I still think its surreal. However, using the app seems to be inconsistent on my phone, but always works on my wife’s phone (I have a Moto X (2013) and she has a LG G2). You have to turn on Bluetooth for it to work, but you don’t pair your phone with the lock like a traditional Bluetooth device. Instead, you have to rely on the app to recognize the lock is within distance before locking/unlocking the door. For me, I could never find a system that would consistently recognize the door was within distance. So, unlocking my door ended up taking 3 times as long than just using my regular keys. That may not seem all that long, but after a long day, getting home is the first thing on your mind, and dealing with an app that won’t work right away isn’t exactly fun.
Like I said, though, my wife tells me she has never had an issue and it always works, and the few other people who have tried it have had no issues. So I can’t really say “it doesn’t work” when it seems to just be the case for me. Speaking of other people using it…
Special Features
The special features are what make the Okidokeys a great buy. I’ll give you an example: my parents came and visited for a few days over a weekend, and then for Monday and Tuesday. While they were here, my wife and I had to work on the Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, my wife and I woke up early and went to work. When my parents got up, we realized we had forgotten to leave a key with them so they could leave the apartment. Never fear, Okidokeys is here! I pulled up my Okidokeys portal, and sent my dad a “key” to use on his smartphone. The email walked him through setup, and in just a few minutes they had the door locked and were on their way.
This is easily the most convenient feature of the Okidokeys. My in-laws also visited before my parents, and we set them up with a key as well (we had remembered ahead of time). The amount of “keys” available for the Okidokeys is only controlled by you. Furthermore, if you want to give someone a key for only a short time, say when someone is house sitting, you can set an expiration on the “key”. The uses of this are endless, and require no hassle of making an extra physical key to keep track of.
What is neat, though, is you can get physical keys, but I don’t mean a metal one. You can purchase a credit card sized key, a bracelet key, or even just a sticker to give to people to use with the lock (you need to buy an extension for this to work). If someone in your household would rather have an old-fashioned key, the ones you had before still work with the Okidokeys (there is no change to the outside of the door, just the inside).
Conclusion
All-in-all, the Okidokeys is an improvement to your lock. Even if the app is a little finicky, you can still open the door with a range of things, from an old-fashioned key to another you can get from Okidokeys. The ability to give keys to people without anything more than accessing your portal is priceless. While this isn’t a palm-reading lock, Okidokeys has opened the door (pun intended) for the future of homes.
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After 17 years of hard work, OtterBox has come to be one of the top players in mobile protection.
Origins
It can be said that behind a great company stands a great man or woman, someone who had an idea and was not content with just letting it reside in their minds, but instead, they wanted to make it a reality. From Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, to Jeff Bezos, these were all revolutionaries, giants in their industries. While these are by far some of the most well-known names in the tech industry, there are other that have also made great strides in their fields and are slated to leave behind a legacy. One such person is Curt Richardson.
Curt Richardson first came up with the idea for OtterBox back in 1991 when he began work on a water resistant box. His idea was in response to the increased interest of the time in water based sports. So what better business venture than to help cater to that need. Richardson thus continued work on creating what would become the first OtterBox and finished the product in 1995. After some short years later, OtterBox came to be in 1998.
No one but Curt Richardson knows what was going on in his head when he started the company, or what his goals were for OtterBox at that time. What we do know is that OtterBox would go on to become one of the best-known brands where mobile protection is concerned and be a real market mover in its industry.
So what does OtterBox offer now, after so many years? We had the same thought, so we procured three of their main case offerings and decided to test them out.
Current Offerings
Commuter
The Commuter case is OtterBoxes response for the consumer that wants a great protective case but it not quite ready to make their phone a super defensive brick that they have to lug around their pocket all day. With two layers of protection and an included screen protector, the Commuter case is all but ready to handle any situation while still maintaining a relatively low profile.
The Commuters construction consists of two parts, the softer inner shell made of synthetic rubber and a hard outer shell made from polycarbonate materials. The inner shell is the part that wraps around the case and makes sure that it stays nice and snug while also being capable of absorbing damage should the device fall. It works as a slipcover, so all you have to do is slip it on. The slip cover is also the part of the case that contains the port plugs, to help keep unwanted dust particles out of the inside of the device. The second part of the case is the hard polycarbonate shell that goes on top of the rubber slipcover. It is also what secures everything in place and makes sure that the slip cover does not come off since the rubber slipcover has to be able to give way so you can fit the device inside. The slip cover also had the added benefit of having some extra rubber added to the four edges of the case so you have some added shock protection should you drop the case and it land on one of the edges, which tends to be the case most of the time.
The hard shell felt really sturdy in our hands and you can tell that you would really have to do some damage to it before it gave way and cracked. It slipped on easily on top of the slipcover and held firm. One thing that we really liked about having the top layer be made from the hard shell was the fact that it did not get stuck in our pockets every time we decided to put our smartphone away. A small thing to notice, but it’s the little things in life.
Overall, the Commuter case is a great option for anyone looking to protect their smartphone. It felt great in our hands and did not make the device too much bigger than it already is. Though we would be lying if we said that it didn’t add some extra girth. If you need a case to protect your phone but don’t need to go all out and get a super rugged case, then the Commuter case is definitely the way to go.
Symmetry
What makes the Symmetry case stand out against its siblings is the fact that it comes in more colors and designs than the Commuter and Defender case. OtterBox wanted to offer an option for those that like to show their style in all aspects of their lives.While the Symmetry case offering does not necessarily have more options than its brothers and sisters where colors are concerned, what it does offer are some great designs that are not found in OtterBoxes other offerings.
The Symmetry case is also made slightly different that the Commuter and Defender case. While the other two cases both have a different part to them, OtterBox decided to streamline the process with the Symmetry case and decided to make it one piece. It maintains the same layout as the Commuter case, with the only difference being that the rubber slipcover has been permanently attached to the hard outer shell. So what you get is one complete piece that all you have to do is slip on and go.There is a slight difference to the rubber part of the Symmetry case that is not found in the Commuter case though, and that is that the inner part has a honeycomb-like pattern that is supposed to offer some added protection should the device fall on a hard surface by adding some air pockets to help absorb the damage.The Symmetry case does not come with a screen protector though, so if you wish to keep your screen safe, you will have to purchase one separately.
Defender
Now we have finally arrived at the Defender (dun dun dun), OtterBoxes greatest offering in mobile protection. With three layer of protection consisting of a built-in screen protector, a hard inner shell, and a synthetic rubber outer slipcover, the Defender case is deserving of its name.
The first part of the Defender case is the two piece polycarbonate shell. Made from the same material as the Commuters and Symmetries outer shell, OtterBox decided to change things up with the Defender case by making it the inner layer of the case instead of the outer layer. The shell opens up and has small latches on all of its corners to make sure that they case does not fly open when you least expect it. The screen protector is built on to this part of the case, so you will want to make sure that there is not dust or smudges on the inside before you put the case on. One small thing to note is that there is foam material on the bottom of the shell so you don’t have to worry about having your smartphone having to be in constant contact with hard plastic.The rubber slipcover is the second part and slides on to the hard shell. It feels smooth and is more than capable of taking damage before giving way.
With all that great protection though, comes the small downside of making the device really big and bulky. So while you can rest assured that your smartphone is capable of taking a real beating, you may want to opt for one of the slimmer cases if you don’t plan on being outside doing super hard work that is going to put your phone in constant danger.
Final Thoughts
I find that smartphones cases are something that we all really need but don’t always like. Wich is very understandable. We did just spend hundreds of dollars on a phone that companies spent millions on to make sure looked good and felt great to the touch, only to put a case on it moments later. What we really liked about OtterBox is that they help make that change a smooth process. We are not here to persuade you that OtterBox is the greatest company on the market where mobile protection is concerned, or that you should go out and buy one immediately. No, we want you, our great readers, to know that you have options and that OtterBox is a great contender for your money. We plan on doing some similar pieces on other case manufacturers, so make sure to let us know in the comment section as to which case you would like to see reviewed next!
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Huawei P8 Review
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The Bottom Line
- Thin design
- Beautiful metal build
- Sharp and vivid display
- Fast and responsive performance
- Great camera
- microSD expansion
- Average battery life
- Buggy software
With its elegant design, fantastic camera, and smooth performance, Huawei checks all the right boxes with the P8, a device that can go toe to toe with the current crop of flagship smartphones.
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Huawei has been on a solid run lately, with various fantastic smartphone offerings that cover the price spectrum. With their latest flagship, Huawei decided to drop the Ascend moniker, while retaining what defines the company’s P-series of smartphones: style, beauty, and great performance. Does Huawei succeed in taking things to the next level? We find out, in this in-depth review of the Huawei P8!
Design
Huawei has been known to deliver in the design department with some very well crafted devices, and the P8 is certainly no exception. In fact, it is one of the most well-designed handsets from the company yet, and is quite the looker with its unibody steel construction. Like any other smartphone that features the use of metal, the P8 feels extremely solid.
The design is very angular and flat with chamfered edges, but the corners and sides have been slightly rounded to allow for a more comfortable feel in the hand. The metal body has been treated with what Huawei calls “diamond shaped blasting,” that enhances the texture of the metal, and provides the phone with some extra grip in the process. Keeping with one of the trends of the P-series, this device is extremely thin with a thickness of just 6.4 mm, resulting in an appearance that is sleek and stylish. The slim profile and fairly thin bezels on the sides of the display also allow for some ease with one-handed use, even though the bezels aren’t as thin as the press renders may suggest.
Taking a look around the device, the left side is completely bare, with the power button, volume rocker, microSD card slot, and SIM card slot all placed on the right. The power button and volume keys are easy to press and very tactile, but the latter did exhibit a slight amount of wiggle, though it isn’t particularly noticeable in everyday use. Up top is the headphone jack, and at the bottom is the microUSB port, flanked by what looks like a dual speaker setup. Unfortunately, the two speaker grills are just a design element present just for parity’s sake, with only the left grill actually housing a speaker, and the right housing a microphone. A multi-colored notification LED is located up front, next to the front-facing camera, earpiece, and usual array of sensors.
Display
The Huawei P8 features a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display with a 1080p resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 424 ppi. The display size is great for those looking for a “normal-sized” phone, at least in the Android world, and a 1080p resolution is more than enough, especially given how much more battery friendly the panel will be.
The screen is bright, vivid, and saturated with some great contrast, along with good viewing angles and outdoor visibility. You do have the option to change the color temperature of the display in the Settings menu to a little warmer or colder to better suit your tastes, but the default out of the box settings were good enough, as is, in my opinion. Overall, the P8 comes with a gorgeous display that will provide a great experience regardless of what you’re doing on the screen, and the thin bezels allows for it to really stand out.
Performance and Hardware
Like previous Huawei smartphones, the P8 utilizes the company’s in-house chipset, with the standard version of the device featuring the 2 GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 930 processor, with the premium version packing the Kirin 935, both backed by the Mali-T628 MP4 GPU and 3 GB of RAM. This particular review unit is of the Kirin 930 variety, but functionally, these processors are mostly identical, save for the 200 MHz bump in speed that you get with the Kirin 935.
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Huawei’s chipsets have impressed in the past, and the fantastic performance you might expect continues this time around as well. The P8 is very fast and responsive in day to day usage with smooth UI animations, apps opening and closing quickly, along with multi-tasking being a breeze. Gaming is handled very well too, with the device not showing any signs of slowdown whatsoever. This kind of performance isn’t surprising, and the P8 can certainly hold its own against the other powerhouses released this year.
The usual set of sensors and connectivity options are available, including support for 4G LTE across a wide variety of bands, which allowed for access to high-speed internet on the T-Mobile network. The device also supports LTE Cat 6 connectivity for even faster data speeds, if you live in an area where you can take advantage of it. 16 GB of on-board storage is available with the base model of the P8, with 64 GB at your disposal with the premium iteration. Both versions also come with expandable storage up to 128 GB via microSD card.
The bottom mounted single speaker surprisingly makes for a great audio experience. The speaker gets very loud, and more importantly, maintains a crisp and clean sound without any signs of distortion at high volumes. It may not match up to the standard of those devices featuring front-facing speakers, but is certainly far better than any device out there with a rear speaker setup. Its placement does make it quite easy to muffle the sound with the palm of your hand though, while playing a game or watching a video with the device in the landscape orientation.
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What we’ve seen with a lot of devices is the compromise in battery capacity in favor of a slim design, and that trend continues with the P8, with its 2,680 mAh battery. Battery life proves to be just about average, with basic use that includes texting and browsing social media resulting in 14 to 16 hours of use, with up to 4 hours of screen-on time. Light users can definitely comfortably get a full day of use out of this device, but you can expect the numbers to drop fairly quickly if a lot of gaming and watching videos is done. On the bright side, the P8 does come with fast charging capabilities, a feature that is becoming more and more prevalent in smartphones to compensate for average battery life that we’re otherwise seeing.
Camera
The Huawei P8 features a 13 MP rear camera with OIS, and managed to pack it in a chassis that is 6.4 mm thick without creating a bulge, something that you can’t say about some of the more recent flagships out there. Huawei also claims that this the world’s first four color RGBW sensor, which is supposed to provide for better brightness in high contrast scenes and increase low light performance. The shutter speed is reasonably quick, and you can also launch directly into the camera and take a photo in roughly a second, by simply double tapping the volume down key when the phone is asleep.
The camera application is no different from some of Huawei’s previous handsets, with there being a large circle shutter button, and the various shooting modes can be quickly toggled by swiping on the display in either direction. Apart from the more standard modes like HDR and Panorama are a few others like Super Night, for better night time shots, best photo, watermark, and all-focus, for adjusting the focus of an image after the fact. There is also a series of live filters available if you want to get a little fancy with your picture taking. Many of these features have been available for a while, but one new addition to the camera experience is called light painting, that lets you capture light trails created by things like moving cars, stars in the sky, or a simple LED bulb. The effect can be really cool, but does require very steady hands, or a tripod mount, to get the shot to look the way you might want it.
Image quality with this camera has been pretty impressive. Photos are sharp with plenty of detail even when zoomed in, and colors are very vibrant and saturated, with a pleasant amount of contrast to make the images pop. However, it does struggle a bit when shooting a subject against a brightly lit background like the sky or an artificial light source, which causes a lot of the detail in the foreground to be lost, but HDR usually does a great job of properly balancing out the shot.
Indoor shots are pretty good too, and still exhibit the same level of color and contrast as those taken outdoors, although it doesn’t seem to handle white balance quite as well. With optical image stabilization on board, low light photos are quite good, but saturation does get lost fairly quickly, and there is an increase in noise levels as expected, even if the post-processing seems to do a good job of cleaning most of it. The built-in Super Night mode is also capable of taking brighter photos in low light, but depending on the lighting situation, exposure times can get extremely long.
The 8 MP front-facing camera is also solid, and should make selfie lovers happy. The standard beautification mode is available, but Huawei takes things to the next level with a mode called Perfect Selfie. This mode allows you to dial in a number of beauty presets that automatically get applied each and every time you take selfie, making for a consistent look across all your self portraits, thus creating the perfect selfie.
Software
On the software side of things, the Huawei P8 is running Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box, but you’d be hard pressed to realize this without going into the Settings menu, with the Emotion UI not adopting much of the material design aesthetics of Lollipop. For the most part, the latest iteration of the user interface is practically the same as previous versions, and will be familiar territory for anyone who has used it before.
The icons are colorful squares with rounded corners, and an application drawer is still not available, requiring you to depend on folders to keep things organized. Many of the staple features of the Emotion UI return here, including motion gestures to answer phone calls by simply raising the phone to your ear, shaking the phone to re-arrange the icons on the homescreens, and a one-handed mode to shrink the screen to a more manageable size. The theme engine is also available, that lets you easily change the look and feel of the UI to something that better suits your tastes. Options are somewhat limited though, but is something that will likely improve over time.
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There are a few new additions to the feature set as well. The first is called Speech Awareness, which is similar to the Moto Voice, but with its usage limited for now to locating your device or placing a call, and works quite well. The default phrase is “Okay Emy,” but can be changed to anything you like. The second is is quite an unique feature that Huawei is calling Knuckle Sense. The display is capable of sensing when you use your knuckles, allowing you to crop out specific areas of the screen to easily share or take a screenshot by double tapping. The feature does work but unfortunately, there is no way to disable it. On numerous occasions, it seemed to have trouble differentiating between my fingers and knuckle, resulting in it randomly turning on. This happened most often when wading through Youtube comments, but worse, while gaming, which was certainly frustrating to say the least.
Specifications
| Display | 5.2-inch IPS LCD 1920 x 1080 resolution, 424 ppi |
| Processor | 2 GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 930/935 Mali-T628 MP4 GPU |
| RAM | 3 GB |
| Storage | 16/64 GB |
| Camera | 13 MP rear camera with dual OIS 8 MP front camera |
| Connectivity | HSPA, LTE Cat6 150/50 Mbps Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth 4.1, GPRS |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Battery | 2,680 mAh |
| Software | Android 5.0 Lollipop |
| Dimensions | 144.9 x 72.1 x 6.4 mm 144 grams |
| Colors | Titanium Grey, Mystic Champagne (16 GB model) Carbon Black, Prestige Gold (64 GB model) |
Gallery
Pricing and Final Thoughts
The standard 16 GB version of the Huawei P8 is expected to cost €499, approximately $530, and will come in titanium grey and mystic champagne color options. The more premium 64 GB version will bump the price up to €599, or $650, with carbon black and prestige gold as the color options. The device will be launching in 35 countries later this month, with the UK one of the first. Although nothing has been confirmed yet, we’re expecting to see an official launch in the US in the coming months.
So there you have it – an in-depth look at the Huawei P8! For the most part, Huawei has really hit it out of the park with its latest offering, despite some very minor software bugs. The design is elegant and well crafted, the camera performance exceeds expectations, and packs the right specifications under the hood to go toe to toe with the best of the Android world, all at quite a reasonable price. Huawei may have ditched the Ascend branding this year, but the P8 is certainly a capable smartphone that can hold its own against the competition.
AIVAnet 
