SYNAPSE CIRCUIT MWC14 CONCLUSION

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS CONCLUSION
#MobileWorldCongress #MWC14 #MWC2014 #Android

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! How are you? How was your day? It’s been raining nonstop over here in London. If your day is still happening I wish you a very joyous and productive one!

Yes, the Mobile World Congress is over and it has been a fantastic show! In fact I think it should be called Android Mobile World Congress instead as all the worthwhile mobile innovations are coming as a result of what Android can do!

TABLETS
With regards to tablets I am a tad disappointed as I expected more premium slates offering exceptional value for money.

Here’s a list of some rather interesting tablets:-

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+

HP Slate 7 VoiceTab

Huawei MediaPad X1

Huawai MediaTab M1

Nvidia Tegra Note 7 LTE

Sony Xperia Z2

Archos 80 Helium

I was expecting at least double that amount – especially for Samsung to reveal the next line of Galaxy Tabs! Never mind... I can only assume that there will be more Android tablet releases to come throughout 2014.

As you know, I thought the MWC 2014 Best Tablet award was lazy. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated tablets in the tech press. I have read and viewed comparison reviews (between iPad Air and Galaxy Note 10.1) that say when it comes to design and build, “The iPad Air is of a higher build and made from quality materials than the plastic Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro. However, the Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro has a faux leather back that makes it easier to hold in the hand than the iPad Air. The iPad Air feels as though it could slip out of the hands; if you dropped it it’ll shatter!”

Now, I think that reviewers are confusing the subject of design and build with practicality. Reviewers seem to go on about the aesthetics of the aluminium back, etc but then go on to say that it feels slippery and delicate. For me, that right there is an epic fail in design and build terms. Because the Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro is made of plastic the reviewers (sic) are then complaining that it’s not up to the “premium” build and feel of the iPad Air which is contradictory! I would have the Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro over the iPad any day of the week! Either you want to stare longingly at the iPad Air and not touch it for the fear of breaking it or you want to get down to the business of productivity on the Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro! I grant you that the iPad Air looks like something out of a Sci-Fi movie but that should not be the basis of the award.

While it may be true that Android has to catch up with the Apple App Store when it comes to tablet specific applications that is still no reason to give the award to Apple’s iPad Air by default. I think that is wrong! I think that the award should be given for:-

Design & Build: Is the tablet designed for everyday use? Does it feel comfortable in the hands?

Screen & Resolution: How sharp is the screen?

Power & Speed: Can the tablet get job done quickly? Can it perform tasks with ease?

I think that the Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro ticks all the above boxes! Certainly the pixel count is higher! 2560 x 1600 (299 ppi) vs the iPad Air’s 2048 x 1536 (264 ppi). C’mon, even those with dyscalculia can do that math! Lol! I would like to review it myself.

The one thing about my reviews is that because I am independent I can afford to write the truth! In my experience many, many magazines that I have written for just pander to those who pay the most ad revenue. Also many journalists are biased to their favourite tech i.e. the Apple mobile devices. Whereas I am interested into the practical use of technology!

But on paper the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro gets the award for the best tablet from Synapse Circuit!

Again, I am very much looking forward to reviewing the aforementioned slates!

HANDSETS
Oooh, it was handsets galore and the majority of them are Android! Look...

Huawei MediaPad X1

Sony Xperia Z2

LG G Pro 2
HP Slate 6 & 7 VoiceTab

Yotaphone

Blackphone

HTC Desire 816

ZTE Grand Memo II LTE

Yes, I am aware that the MediaPad X1 and HP Slate 6 & 7 are phablets / tablets but they look comfortable to hold and paired with a Bluetooth headset they could work as a phone too! Needless to say that this is yet once again a very exciting time for the Android platform! I can’t honestly say that I was impressed by the Nokia X series but it may be an option for some consumers. I would like to review them too!

It appears as though Android has taken over the mobile world! Yes, there were some Ubuntu and Firefox handsets that I would like to get my hands on as well.

One thing is for certain, Android is spearheading the innovation in the mobile and tablet world.

What do you reckon?   

Take good care!

Thank you for watching and reading!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit website for video, i-PDF and more! 

Synapse Circuit Dot Com

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT SAMSUNG UNPACKED 5

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
UNPACKED 5, THE GALAXY S5 & GEARS!
#Samsung #GalaxyS5 #GS5 #MWC2014 #GalaxyS5Prime #Unpacked #Gear

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! I hope that all is well with you! Yes, the wait is long over as the Galaxy Unpacked 5 has just finished.

If you missed the live event I will give you a rundown...

SUBDUED: TH E UNPACKED 5 PART 1
My goodness... What happened?? The Samsung Unpacked 5 event saw Samsung at their most humble! Gone was the flair and supreme showmanship! No celebrity presenters to speak of! It was a very odd Unpacked for Samsung indeed... I am a bit shell-shocked!

If this is part 1 I can only imagine that part 2 will feature the Galaxy S5 Prime (as leaked by a third party protective case manufacturer). How about the S5 Zoom? S5 Active? Or have we seen an amalgamation of the S5 and what would be a separate Active device? S5 Mini? The Unpacked for the Galaxy Note 4 probably will not be announced until August / September 2014.

THE GALAXY S5: DESIGN
I did my best to prepare us for not too much of a design departure and I am glad that I did! The design...

Well, as a fan of Samsung I can say that I appreciate the design. I am not wowed by it but I do appreciate that it’s water and dust resistant (not waterproof and it probably won’t last long in a sandstorm).

As predicted, the Galaxy S5 design takes up from where the Note 3 left off. I guess the faux leather backing hasn’t made it to this model... Could it be designated for the Galaxy S5 Prime? Here’s the GS5 spec:-

NETWORK
LTE Cat.4 (150/50Mbps)

DISPLAY
5.1” FHD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080)

AP
2.5GHz Quad core application processor

OS
Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat)

CAMERA
16MP (rear), 2.0MP (front)

VIDEO
UHD@30fps, HDR, video stabilization
Video Codec : H.263, H.264(AVC), MPEG4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark, MP43, WMV7, WMV8, VP8
Video Format: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM

AUDIO
Audio Codec : MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/ AAC+/ eAAC+, WMA, Vorbis, FLAC
Audio Format: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA

CAMERA FEATURES
HDR (Rich tone), Selective Focus, Virtual Tour Shot, Shot & More

ADDITIONAL FEATURES
IP67 Dust and water Resistant
Ultra Power Saving Mode
Download Booster
S Health 3.0
Quick Connect
Private Mode
Kids Mode

Google Mobile Services: Chrome, Drive, Photos, Gmail, Google, Google+, Google Settings, Hangouts, Maps, Play Books, Play Games, Play Newsstand, Play Movie & TV, Play Music, Play Store, Voice Search, YouTube

CONNECTIVITY
WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2x2)
Bluetooth®: 4.0 BLE / ANT+
USB: USB 3.0
NFC
IR Remote

SENSOR
Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, Hall, RGB ambient light, Gesture (IR), Finger Scanner, Heart rate sensor

MEMORY / STORAGE
RAM: 2GB
Internal Memory: 16/32GB
microSD slot upto 64GB

DIMENSIONS
142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g

BATTERY
2800mAh
Standby time: 390 hrs / Talk time: 21 hrs

GALAXY S5: FIRST IMPRESSIONS SPEC-WISE
The Galaxy S5 ticks all the boxes when it comes to specifications and features. I think the LTE and Wi-Fi support is outstanding and should be rocket of a handset! I was expecting 3 or 4GB of RAM but it’s 2GB, which is good enough.

The Finger Scanner has made it! I am curious as to how this works! And if that’s not enough, there’s a Heart Rate Sensor where the camera flash is (at the rear.

Speaking of the camera... Yes, it will capture 4K video and it’s a 16MP instead of the anticipated 20MP. The camera has some depth of field attributes that is a feature on SLRs, Selective Focus, but I do believe that the camera software is more simplified. I have to see it to believe it! HDR promises to be faster and I can’t wait to test this!

WHAT SAMSUNG SAYS OF CUSTOMERS WANTS
Samsung says that the customer “Wants a powerful, fast but simple technology...” That’s why the camera has been overhauled to be practically minimalist in comparison to the Galaxy S4.

Normally Samsung would talk about sharing the latest Galaxy S screen with other Galaxy S models and compatible televisions. They would also talk a little more about their TouchWiz improvements, but it was said that the S features wouldn’t get in the way of the interface.

And once again, there was no mention of Android (the GS5 is running KitKat) or a listing of specification.

I am not too sure about all that... Yes, I appreciate that the S features on the interface are streamlined, etc. Of course, a faster camera is desired. But with regards to the camera I would have wanted a simplified interface and an option to have more complex photography attributes presented to me. Hmmmm...

MY OVERALL THOUGHTS OF THE UNPACKED 5, GALAXY S5 & GEAR 2014
This was a tactical launch from Samsung. I suspect that this is just the beginning of their onslaught. Again, this was part 1! And in part 1 Samsung made sure that they hit certain marks such as the LTE 4 and Wi-Fi connectivity with no uncertainty! They have made a great and compelling argument to the everyman and everywoman. What they have done with the Galaxy S5 presentation is to iPhone-ized it. “iPhone-ized” it??? Yes, Samsung has presented the GS5 as a simple, back to basics handset. It’s practical, fast, powerful and very simple to use. It should appeal!

Yes, Samsung introduced the full Gear family: Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit – the first wearable device to feature a curved AMOLED display! Cool! I am curious about the Gear pricing!

Samsung knows that the competition is stronger than ever this year! I am quite sure that come part 2 we will be seeing the Galaxy S5 Prime and other handsets introduced to the Galaxy Family! HTC is coming! As is Sony and LG to name a few! And of course, we are expecting the iPhone 6! Usually, Samsung introduces the next Galaxy S successor at around April / May but it has come in February! You have to suspect that something is going on! Wink, wink!

I love the Electric Blue colour! I did state in one of my articles that I wished for an Electric Blue colour and Samsung has made me feel that they did it just for me! Aaah! Lol! Oh, I would say that the bezel and handset is slightly thicker to accommodate for the water and dust resistance. Again, I do prefer a thicker handset just because it makes it easier to take pictures! There’s nothing more nerve-shredding than taking a photo with a device that is wafer thin! The slightest knock and I shudder to think!

I can’t wait to review one!

SOUND
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Samsung introduced some new headphones! Looking good! I wonder how they sound?

Great idea! Payment through using a fingerprint verification.

Oooh... I have to try it!

Jock strap...

Get fit with the Samsung Gear Fit!

The Gear 2 gets a "Home" button.

Great colours! Blue, Blue Electric Blue...

The Galaxy S5 Heart Rate Monitor.

 Samsung's J. K. Shin wearing the Gear Fit.

 Once your children get a hold of your phone you may not get it back!

If the battery says "10% power" the Ultra Power Saving Mode kicks in and extends the battery for 24 hours! That's amazing! Essentially, the GS5 screen is reduced to black and white.

Now you can hide your pictures! ;) 

I can't wait to hear them!

The user interface promises to be simpler.

What do you reckon?

Review coming very soon.... Stay tuned...

Take good care!

Thank you for watching and reading!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit website for video, i-PDF and more! 

Synapse Circuit Dot Com

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT WHEN? BUDGET ANDROID TABLETS

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
WHEN? WHEN WILL ANDROID MANUFACTURERS GIVE US A DECENT COST EFFECTIVE TABLET?
#MWC2014 #AndroidTablets #Nexus72014

Good evening / very early morning, Synapse Circuit Readers! I hope all is well! And thank you so much for reading my articles! It does my heart good to know that you are enjoying them!

You are probably wondering what I mean with the above title, right? You’re thinking, “But the Google Nexus 7 2013 is great!” and... “Samsung Galaxy Note tablets are brilliant!” And of course you are right! But...

...EVERYTIME I READ NEWS OF NEW ANDROID TABLET I BECOME DISAPPOINTED...
...to learn the components. I ask myself, “How is it that budget Android tablet components always stays within a certain parameter?” And it seems that I am not the only tech writer / reviewer disappointed with most budget Android tablets as I occasionally read other reviews.

We’ve witnessed the budget Android handsets become powerful, inexpensive and very usable. The Moto G and the Nexus 5 are great examples of such power for a decent asking price. When will tablets see that leap forward? The Nexus 7 2013 is great, but why can’t other manufacturers follow? Why can’t other manufacturers up the ante? Now would be the time as the Nexus 7 has been out a while now and it is time to set a newer standard in the components. I pretty sure that the Nexus 7 2014 is going to be pretty amazing.

Here’s a typical 7” tablet spec:-

Display 7”
Resolution: 1024×600 IPS
Capacitive Touch (5-point)

CPU  
Quad 1.2GHz

Operation System 
Android 4.1

Memory / Storage
RAM: 1GB
Internal Storage: 8GB (as default)
Extended: Up to 32GB microSD

Network       
GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
UMTS 900/2100MHz
2G/3G Cellular Voice, SMS, MMS
Mobile Data: GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, HSDPA

GPS   
GPS/A-GPS for Location & Navigation

Connectivity           
Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n
DLNA supported
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 3.0 (compatible to 2.1+EDR)
USB: microUSB

Sensors       
Accelerometer
Ambient Light
Proximity

Camera        
Front: 0.3Mp, FF
Rear: 3Mp, FF

Audio
Built-in MIC, Speaker
Audio formats: ogg / wav / wma / mid, midi / mp3 / 3gp(aac) / amr / ape / flac etc.

Video
1080p @ 30fps (MP4/H.264/VC-1/WMV-9 etc.)

Cloud Service
Yes    

Battery         
Type: Li-Polymer
Capacity: 4100mAh

Yep! Above is your generic Android 7” tablet. Ok, some manufacturers try to get away with a dual core processor to be the cheapest but, like I keep saying, apps are getting larger and more demanding of the CPU & RAM! Other than that the generic 7” is kinda boring, right?

TABLETS MWC14
I am hoping that at this year’s MWC we’ll see a minimum of a 1.7GHz quad and 2GB RAM on level entry tablets! I also think the time has come for a HD display as standard.

That’s what I think is needed to draw more of the market away from the iPad / iPad mini. It can be done and it is happening already! A good friend of mine recently picked up a Lenovo 10” IdeaTab S6000 tablet for just under £200! Pretty good going!

But going back to the MWC14, I reckon there is no excuse for tablets running anything less than KitKat! I can’t wait to see what will be revealed! Would you believe that I have yet to purchase a tablet! Even my friend has got one before me! Lol! Good on her!

What do you reckon?

Take good care!

Thank you for watching and reading!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit website for video, i-PDF and more! 

Synapse Circuit Dot Com

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT NEWS HUAWEI, READY TO AMAZE THE WORLD AGAIN

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT NEWS
HUAWEI, “READY TO AMAZE THE WORLD AGAIN...”
#Huawei #MWC2014 #AndroidHandset #AndroidTablet

Good late evening / early morning, Synapse Circuit Readers! This is my last article of the night! I am wishing you a great day ahead!

Huawei is constantly threatening to do something brilliant and, according to them, they are ready to amaze at the forthcoming Mobile World Congress, 23 Feb!

TAKING A FUN SWIPE AT APPLE (FRUIT) AND SAMSUNG (SOME SONG)
Ooooh, this is truly an exciting time for mobile devices! I can’t wait to see what will be revealed at the MWC this month! It is going to be phenomenal!

It’s no secret that the ones to beat are Samsung and Apple when it comes to smartphones and tablets! The runners up are LG, HTC and Motorola! A few companies have shown potential brilliance and have yet to deliver: Acer, ZTE, Alcatel and, of course, Huawei!

What has happened with the LG, Alcatel and Huawei budget market is that Motorola threw a spanner in the works! Well, I say “spanner” but it really was a standard. That’s right, I am talking about the Moto G which is very inexpensive at £99 (as you probably have seen) and you get a very good handset for the money! Rather than opt for one of the above manufacturers budget efforts that aren’t up to much in terms of speed and storage capacity you’d, if you’re smart, go for a Moto G! I would! I am done with the Android budget market from any other manufacturer! The Moto G rules! Don’t get me started on HTC’s and Samsung’s budget efforts! Lol!

With the new budget standard set by the Moto G I envisage a massive scramble to produce a quality budget handset that will astound from the usual players! The question is: Will Huawei truly amaze? They have come so very close to releasing brilliant and beautiful handsets only to be usurped by Samsung, HTC and Apple premium handsets. Personally, I don’t like the iPhone design; I will probably never own an iPhone unless Apple gives me one so that I can review the handset fairly (as I would) and the apps that come with it.

POPULARITY CONTEST
I think that Huawei’s biggest hurdle is getting people to know about Huawei products. Apple was very clever with their advertising and it helped that they were the first to produce something so simple and appealing. We know that Apple’s marketing strategy has just imploded!

Samsung has done remarkably well to claw a substantial market from Apple with the Galaxy premium devices in S and Note. It also helps that the products are great! Just about everybody who loves handsets are wondering that the Galaxy S5 is all about!

I know that Huawei can come up with a decent – more than decent – handset. But can they publicize it enough to make it matter? One of the good things about these powerful new premium handsets is that it drives down the prices of the likes of Huawei’s idea of premium and therefore you should be able to pick up a decent, powerful older premium Huawei handset! I would like to get hold of one just to root it and experiment with loading up new ROMs and launchers!

PROMISES
Huawei’s is promising a decent handset with a remarkable front-facing camera and a very slim tablet with a wow factor! Well, if they can deliver 2014 could be Huawei’s year! It would be great for them as they have been trying very, very hard!

Let’s prepare ourselves to be amazed! Hopefully, I will bring you some reviews on the products! 

What do you reckon?

Take good care!

Thank you for watching and reading!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit website for video, i-PDF and more! 

Synapse Circuit Dot Com

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT 7 DAYS TO GO... GALAXY S5

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

7 DAYS TO GO... THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 WILL BE REVEALED...
#Samsung #GalaxyS5 #GS5 #MWC2014

Good late evening / early morning, Good Friends! I am getting ready to wrap it up for this session! I see that you are enjoying my articles! Good! That makes me so very, very happy!

Are you foaming at the mouth over the Samsung Unpacked event on the 24^th of this month? I am certainly getting there! Hahahaha!

DÉJÀ VU? WISHFUL THINKING?
Yes, as always I have fallen for one of the concept images out there of what will be the Galaxy S5! I was trying to avoid it but I just cannot help it! I find myself wishing that a particular concept design will be it! But wait a minute! That concept looks awfully familiar! Didn’t I see it at the 2013 CES? Yes, Samsung demonstrated their YOUM display and showed off a prototype handset that looks remarkably like one of the concept renderings of the Galaxy S5! Gosh!

FEELING...
I’ve got a nagging feeling that what we will see on the 24^th will be more of a refinement of the prototype handset.

What I would love is if the display was a high resolution plastic as demonstrated in the video below! This would mean no more horrid screen breakage!

But is the YOUM technology ready? We’ve seen the Galaxy Round and it wasn’t released in large numbers because it is understood that Samsung is not able to deliver high volumes of the flexible display! I am also inclined to believe that Samsung had to release the Round just to be the first! Samsung are not only competing with Apple but LG too! LG seems to have a flexible display technology in the works that threatens to detract from what Samsung is preparing or has prepared! You have probably noticed that LG has released a couple of stunning handsets of late that I will write about soon!

The bottom line is that all the major Android manufacturers are gunning to topple Samsung from its rightly deserved number one spot and so they have to deliver something very special on the 24^th!

What do you reckon?
Take good care!

Thank you for watching and reading!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit website for video, i-PDF and more! 

Synapse Circuit Dot Com