Showing posts with label Moto G. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moto G. Show all posts

Thursday, 30 October 2014

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT HELLO LENOMOTO


SOLD!
SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
HELLO, LENOMOTO... MOTONOVO...

#Motorola #Google #Lenovo #LenoMoto #MotoNovo #MotoX #MotoG #MotoE #AndroidLollipop #Android #Chrome #ChromeOS #AndroidWear #AndroidAuto #AndroidTV #Chromecast #Glass #Nexus #Silver #Lollipop #Android5 #Android5Lollipop #ChromeAndroidOS #ChromeAndroidPC


Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers. How are you? Do you happen to own a PC? Did you see the Reallusion article on the forthcoming iClone 6 3D animation software? If you want to start your own animation studio you NEED to check it out: iClone 6 Pre-Launch Offer!

I also don’t suppose you’re an Android fan? Have you heard the good news?


LENOVO COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF MOTOROLA MOBILITY FROM GOOGLE

WHAT THIS COULD MEAN FOR ANDROID & COMPETING MANUFACTURERS...


A DONE DEAL

Over the past two years we have transformed Motorola by focusing on what matters most -- consumers. We’ve made huge strides in bringing the mobile Internet to millions of people around the world and improving their lives through exceptional technology, experiences and value. While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made, we recognize that there is still much more we can achieve -- in innovation, reach and impact.

In Lenovo we have a partner that shares our mission and that brings global scale, a diverse product portfolio and a track record of seizing strategic opportunities and making the most of them. Together we will go farther, faster. With an impressive portfolio of smartphones, wearables and PCs, our two companies will be uniquely positioned to push the boundaries of choice and value, and bring exciting new experiences to people everywhere.

As excited as we are about what’s changing, we’re also pleased with what we are carrying forward with us. We will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Lenovo and remain headquartered in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart while maintaining offices around the world, including in Silicon Valley. The iconic Motorola brand will continue, as will the Moto and DROID franchises that have propelled our growth over the past year. We will continue to focus on pure Android and fast upgrades, and remain committed to developing technology to solve real consumer problems. And we will continue to develop mobile devices that bring people unprecedented choice, value and quality.
Motorola is a company that has long helped to define the course of the mobile telecommunications and mobile computing industries. With Lenovo backing us, we look forward to being able to reshape the industry for decades to come. We’re ready for the challenge and hope you’ll join us on the journey.

Motorola Mobility President Rick Osterloh

WHY, GOOGLE, WHY?

ANSWER: ACCELERATION

To accelerate Android’s world domination. In this year and especially in the month of October – Happy Halloween – Google have made enormous strides in technological advancement. CEO Larry Page has truly delivered on his promise to bring the cost of the smartphone down to sweet price point and as a result the Nexus 5 has become a main driver for many Android fans; it sold out on the first day it hit the UK retail outlets. I tried to get hold of one and they had flown out of the stores! This was the breakthrough Nexus that gave the iPhone a run for its money.

No, I still maintain that Android is not directly competing with Apple iOS simply because there are millions of Mac users around the world and therefore the iPhone enjoys a readymade marketplace (opened by its range of computers). As you know or may not know, the Mac computer was aimed squarely at the desktop publishing / graphic designer and these, often pompous, elitist folk felt that the combination of the Mac, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and a desktop publishing program for printing arty design magazines, etc liberated them from the mechanical processes of print. As a result they were prepared to pay what I feel is extortionate prices for a Mac. Once upon a time – if you hung around the graphic design circle – all you heard was, “Yah, Mac... Yah, design... Yah, Adobe...” That’s my attempt at visually reproducing the snooty, annoyingly smug Mac person. And I guess they had some justification for being that way...

The Apple Mac and Adobe revolutionized the print, publishing and design industries almost overnight! It was relatively easy to start, back in those days, a publishing company, design house and advertising agency, etc. If you could afford the top of the range Mac computers, high resolution scanners, software, etc that was half the battle won. And since the magazine industry was very much in its infancy it was not too difficult to create and publish new titles. In fact, it was thanks to technological advancements that created a whole new publishing industry based on computer aided design and music. Not to mention the handful of dedicated Mac magazines. Then the Windows PC came along and burst that elitist bubble! Steve Jobs was pissed and so were the Mac owners! From there we got the “us against them” mentality. Only the PC owners outnumbered the Mac elitists. As a result Apple was able to retain its high prices by maintaining that to own a Mac meant that one was a committed professional media producer. Owning a high-end Mac was and no doubt seen by many (Mac owners) as the Ferrari of the computer industry. The PC, in comparison, was like the American custom car build in that the PC allows folk to swap out components as and when. Need a new graphics card? Sure, remove the old one and insert the new one in. And with enough knowledge one can build a PC from scratch!

Fast forward to today, we can see that Apple has been usurped again. Jobs tried – and quite successfully – to make the iPhone seem like it was a precious stone made from rare meteorites. Jobs made a move to block Adobe and the Flash phenomenon was a dying wild beast in the jungle and maggots started to multiply in the thousands from that savage bite. Fancy that, eh? Flash, Adobe Flash had been entertaining a worldwide web audience from the mid 90s until now. It makes me laugh upon recalling the smirking Jobs’ face whenever he talked about Adobe Flash. For a while Google used Flash as a selling point, “Compatible with Adobe Flash...” as did BlackBerry with its Playbook tablet. It worked. However, Google dropped support for Flash as it had YouTube and that it was in its best interests to push for the HTML5 standard and wrestled a key medium from Adobe. Not only did Google put the wounded Flash beast out of its misery it killed off Apple’s QuickTime movie format too! Do you remember the days when you went to the Apple QuickTime site to watch movie trailers? Those days are gone thanks to YouTube, MP4 and the HTML5 video player format.

Effectively, Google was able to push its YouTube platform into the stratosphere and to move Android away from utilizing a media technology owned by Adobe. What Google has been doing and has done is to place its music, book and newsstand solutions over any other. And by making Android open source Google knew that the battle for world domination had been won already! Apple with its elitist ethos was not going to dominate the world with overly expensive handsets and tablets; this is what Jobs realized. Jobs had effectively shown that he hadn’t learned from making the Mac so expensive that it is often seen as specialist. Had Jobs looked more deeply into the future just about every household on the planet would have a Mac computer today! Instead the man had a thermonuclear meltdown! Imagine that, eh? Imagine missing the mark AGAIN!!! Cook, with a clearer head, can now see that iOS can never be as popular and it is futile to keep Jobs’ legacy of vengeance. Cook as recently said that he’ll, “...never produce a cheap iPhone...” He has also come out in full as being Gay. It’s amazing what the feeling of liberation can do! It must be a huge weight off his shoulders to be able to bury Jobs’ vendetta against Google Android with the man himself.

Google had taken the Microsoft model by making Chrome the antithesis of Internet Explorer and on top of that it made Chrome into an operating system! Essentially, Chrome OS could usurp Windows based computers as the relationship between them and Microsoft is quite frosty and every hybrid Android and Windows device has been blasted out of the sky (by Google). I get the feeling that Google is biding its time... Chrome OS is going to grow into something else... Now that Android has gone 64-bit and spans across many CPU architecture the next logical step has to be a dual bootable Chromebook / Chromebox or instead of a dual boot it would be a symbiotic boot as it is now! Google has recently made it possible to run some Android apps on Chrome OS. This is why Chrome OS and Android is not going to merge in the foreseeable future. In a sense they (Android and Chrome OS) have merged already; Yin and Yang.

What better company to sell Motorola to than Lenovo, a PC manufacturer? I can envisage that Lenovo will be one of the first computer manufacturers to produce a Chromebox Android PC and from that position Lenovo Motorola can push compatible smartphones, wearables and tablets in a way that Microsoft is struggling to. Microsoft has lost over $1 Billion pushing Windows RT. Apple is doing this seamless transition from device to device but the iPad is very much surplus to requirements. With Android and Chrome OS Google has made it so that just about everybody can own a device.

Together we will go farther, faster. With an impressive portfolio of smartphones, wearables and PCs, our two companies will be uniquely positioned to push the boundaries of choice and value, and bring exciting new experiences to people everywhere.
The desktop / laptop computer isn’t dead... Because Chrome OS can work on Windows based PCs it potentially makes the Windows PC a cocoon waiting for this Chrome / Android OS Symbiote to emerge. If and when this happens I can only hope that Google will be sure not to go the way the Amiga computer went: Great operating system, Workbench, but no blinking software worthwhile running on it!

We’ve seen very interesting shake ups with Google of late besides Android 5 Lollipop; CEO Larry Page has put Sundar Pichai in charge of all of Google’s major consumer products including Maps, Search, and Google+ as well as commerce and ads. Page is going to step back to take a look at the bigger picture! And the latest Nexus products: 6 & 9 (69 symbolizes perfection) and these products look perfect! Android 5 has come to herald a New Age of personal computing.

This could very well be the reason why Samsung has pulled out of producing PC products for the foreseeable future.

Android 5.0 Lollipop, which comes on Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player, will also be available on Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10 and Google Play edition devices in the coming weeks...

What better company other than Lenovo to pass the Motorola baton to?

The iconic Motorola brand will continue, as will the Moto and DROID franchises that have propelled our growth over the past year. We will continue to focus on pure Android and fast upgrades, and remain committed to developing technology to solve real consumer problems. And we will continue to develop mobile devices that bring people unprecedented choice, value and quality.

Just look at the great portfolio of Motorola handsets that literally came out of the blue and reinstated the Motorola brand as being amongst the top mobile device players in the world! In the meantime Nokia has bitten the dust and BlackBerry has produced another dud! Look at them:-

Moto X (1st Gen. & 2nd Gen.)
Moto G (1st Gen. & 2nd Gen.)
Moto G with 4G LTE
Moto E
Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx, and Droid Mini

These handsets are getting the sweet Lollipop upgrade! Yes, even the 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 dual-core Moto E with 4GB of internal storage is getting the Android 5 Lollipop upgrade! It makes me wonder as to how many budget Android handsets can receive the upgrade.

We are going to be seeing some awesome looking handsets in the future! I think the next Nexus devices will come from Lenovo!

In any event this lazy headline attention grabbing, Apple vs. Android thing should be well and truly dead now. Different operating and ecosystems yet Google have applications running on both platforms. Genius!

WEAR IT WITH STYLE

MORE WEARBLES ARE COMING

Glass and Moto 360 are just the tip of the iceberg... I am predicting that Google and Lenovo have already started exploring new designs of Glass and smartwatches; the quest is to make them even more cost effective to manufacture so that Glass can come in well below £700! I can only hope that will be the case! And as for smartwatches... I can see that they’ll morph into smartwristbands ranging from a 4” rectangular wrap-around band to the current wristwatch design. We’ll have to wait and see!

A BLANK SLATE

ANDROID TABLETS RISING

8 and 9 seems to be the magic numbers where Android tablets are concerned and I have been practically campaigning for 7 to be the new phablet size! Why? I want the 3G / 4G LTE enabled tablets to be able to utilize the standard mobile SIM. Because the 7” phablet is still seen as a tablet the mobile network providers wants to extract more money from the consumer with data only SIMs aimed at tablet users. I would like to change that! Anyhoo... The Nexus 9 looks superb and very, very desirable. But I do like the idea of a 7” 4G enabled tablet with a 64-bit CPU and made from modest materials! I’ve told you and will keep telling you that plastic is ultimately the most durable materials for tablets and handsets! Not only does plastic go some way to making your devices last longer it makes them very cost effective! Give me a 7” version of the Moto G any day of the week if it’s going to cost me around the £150 mark! Okay, £200 if it has a 64-bit processor and full HD screen! Make the darn thing thicker, place a super-high capacity battery in there and add a couple of USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and so on!

Look, the iPad Air 2 may possibly be the thinnest tablet in the known universe but this thinness comes at the expense of the battery! Tell me, what... ...is ...the ...point??? The prices of the iPad Air 2 and Mini 3 are very high but what are these consumers really paying for, an LCD screen with an LED light underneath it??? C’mon, let’s stop this “the thinnest” nonsense and let’s have slates that are up to 12mm thick! Try it! Put a decent price on it and some USB 3.0, etc as stated above and I reckon they will fly off the virtual and physical shelves!

PACK IT IN OR PACK UP

OFFICIAL BATTERY PACKS

Finally, I would like to see official battery pack extensions that plug into the micro USB port for smarpthones and tablets because if Google (Apple and Microsoft) wants us to use our devices productively some serious longevity has to be built into the battery or have some way of juicing up our devices with official battery packs. Using an unofficial battery extension in my Galaxy S caused it to malfunction like an ED-209 (Robocop, 1987). This ties in to having thicker tablets (and handsets).

It remains to be seen if Lollipop will add some longevity to Android devices in general! Despite my absolute HATRED for non-removable batteries in smartphones – my HTC One X is finished after taking a few pictures and checking my Facebook in less than 2 hours – I had to get the second generation Moto G! I wanted to be amongst the first wave of fortunate individuals to experience pure Lollipop! What a milestone!

Roll on, Google! Roll on, Android 5 Lollipop! Roll on, Motorola Lenovo! So long, Andy Rubin! Thank you for Android!

There you! Some things to think about!


THANK YOU FOR READING!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit site here: Synapse Circuit.com

Yes, I am well aware that the site is due an update soon! It’s coming...

Synapse Circuit for tech news, opinions, articles, reviews and competitions. You will find interactive PDF magazines, videos and links to free legal software! Check it out at Synapse Circuit dot com

Wednesday, 15 October 2014

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT LOLLIPOP NEXUS 6


SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
MY SWEET LOLLIPOP! ANDROID 5 IS HERE!
#AndroidLollipop #Android #NexusPlayer #NexusTablet #AndroidWear #AndroidAuto #AndroidTV #Chromecast #Glass #Nexus #Silver #Lollipop #Android5 #Android5Lollipop 

Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers. It is great to see you as always! I guess you are buzzing from the knowledge that Android 5, “Lollipop”, is now official as well as the latest Nexus devices!

Rejoice!


IT’S A MATERIAL WORLD!

Above: The Nexus 6 which is said to be coming in black and white. It looks great; big without being cumbersome. I love this dual front-facing speaker design! I can't wait to get this in my hands! There is no way that Android fans are going to defect to the iPhone 6 Plus because of the size alone. Android 5 Lollipop is gonna take some licking! Wink, wink... 

 ANDROID MATERIAL

While some have an opinion as to what goes into a “premium” handset it has become very, very clear – judging by some hiccups with iOS 8 – that the most important aspect is the operating system! I have always said that Android is second to none and this was abundantly clear from the recent Google i / O conference in June! We got a glimpse of the future and this future has arrived for us lovers of technology!

Google promises that Android 5, Lollipop (I was right about the name) will give the user up to 90 minutes of more battery time and that it should be small enough to fit on many older devices! Hurrah! So, it is hopeful that many handsets and tablets will be receiving an upgrade at some point. Hmmmm, I don’t know how that bodes with rooted handsets as Cynogenmod appears to be stuck on KitKat for some reason... We’ll see...

What I have appreciated about Google is that it is running its own race; Google do not seem to be directly competing with Apple or Mircrosoft... Google are focused upon its idea of the future and the proof is in the products. If one takes the time to create great products then it is highly likely that people will want to buy into them. Also, bear in mind that Google wants to reach folks across the various platforms. Android 5, Lollipop is going to span across various platforms so there is a great potential for more devices that work with what we have already!

MEET THE LATEST NEXUS FAMILY ADDITIONS


EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING  

"The Nexus 6. This new phone has a contoured aluminium frame, a 6-inch Quad HD display and a 13 megapixel camera. The large screen is complemented by dual front-facing stereo speakers that deliver high-fidelity sound, making it as great for movies and gaming as it is for doing work. It also comes with a Turbo Charger, so you can get up to six hours of use with only 15 minutes of charge..."

That's awesome! I do love my large screen handsets and this could very well be my next handset! It's made by Motorola and the Moto G 2014 is sweet! The review is coming soon! I got myself the second generation Moto G specifically for the Lollipop update! I want to experience Android 5 in all its pure glory! I also hope to get a review of the Nexus 6 out to you soon!

"Next, a new tablet built in partnership with HTC. Nexus 9, with brushed metal sides and 8.9-inch screen, is small enough to easily carry around in one hand, yet big enough to work on. And since more and more people want to have the same simple experience they have on their tablets when they have to do real work, we designed a keyboard folio that magnetically attaches to the Nexus 9, folds into two different angles and rests securely on your lap like a laptop..."
Wow! I am loving it! I was unsure about the partnership with HTC at first but this tablet sounds ace! It certainly looks great and there is a uniformity in terms of the design as it resembles the Nexus 6!

"Finally, we’re releasing the first device running Android TV: Nexus Player, a collaboration with Asus, is a streaming media player for movies, music and videos. It's also a first-of-its-kind Android gaming device. With Nexus Player you can play Android games on your HDTV with a gamepad, then keep playing on your phone while you're on the road. Nexus Player is Google Cast Ready so you can cast your favorite entertainment from almost any Chromebook or Android or iOS phone or tablet to your TV..."

The Nexus Player is an exciting product as you know that I am dissatisfied with my cable service of crap TV channels. I am looking forward to hooking up this device to my HDTV!

"Nexus 9 and Nexus Player will be available for pre-order on October 17 and in stores starting November 3. Nexus 6 will be available for pre-order in late October and in stores in November—with options for an unlocked version though Play store, or a monthly contract or installment plan through carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon. Specific carrier rollout will be subject to certification completion and will vary. Check out google.com/nexus for more details on availability..."

This is great news - especially for my US friends! I can't wait to learn the details of the European release.

"Android 5.0 Lollipop, which comes on Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player, will also be available on Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10 and Google Play edition devices in the coming weeks..."

Fantastic news for owners of the above products! Yes! However, Motorola has issued a statement to say that the Lollipop upgrade is coming to the following handsets:-
Moto X (1st Gen. & 2nd Gen.)
Moto G (1st Gen. & 2nd Gen.)
Moto G with 4G LTE
Moto E
Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx, and Droid Mini



Too bad about the Motorola RAZRi as I am very sure that there is a possibility there that Lollipop is small enough to be installed on that handset. I am very curious to find out if Lollipop could improve the fluidity of the RAZRi as it has become quite sluggish. Still, it's good to know that the latest Motoroloa Moto models (along with the Droid handsets) will be getting the upgrade! It is going to be a superlative time for Android and the mobile device industry in general! Watch this space for more commentary, reviews, competitions, etc!

5... ANDROID 5 IS ALIVE!


THANK YOU FOR READING!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit site here: Synapse Circuit.com

Yes, I am well aware that the site is due an update soon! It’s coming...

Synapse Circuit for tech news, opinions, articles, reviews and competitions. You will find interactive PDF magazines, videos and links to free legal software! Check it out at Synapse Circuit dot com

Monday, 23 December 2013

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT: 2013: A REVIEW. PART FOUR: THE RISE AND RISE OF GOOGLE.

 Give us a break! Give us a 64bit KitKat! 
Chromecast... I want one!!!!!
Here's something I made earlier... Too bad it's available in the US only!
SYNAPSE CIRCUIT:
2013: A REVIEW.
#Technology2013 #Google #Android #KitKat #Nexus72013 #Nexus5 #Motorola #MotoX #MotoG #Chrome #Chromecast

Good late afternoon / evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! What’s happening with you? Right now I am happy to be sitting in the warmth of my home office while a storm continues to rage outside! So much for a white Christmas! Well, I hope tomorrow will see the storm go away as there is one more day of Christmas shopping to do and contend with!

Here I am, again, looking at what I see as the highs and lows of 2013’s world of Tech!

PART FOUR: THE RISE AND RISE OF GOOGLE.

THE BIGGEST & BEST TECH HOUSE 2013: Google
THE SECOND BEST HIGH-END HANDSET: Nexus 5
THE BEST 7” TABLET: Nexus 7 2013
THE BEST MIDRANGE BUDGET HANDSET: Moto G
BACK FROM THE BRINK: Motorola
While Samsung are actively putting out a mass of handsets and tablets and running away with the Android ball (out of all the other manufacturers on the playing field) it is all down to Google and their awesome Android operating system. In a nutshell, Google has given all manufacturers a blank cheque and they seem to be doing remarkably well!

MOVED
Yes, I was moved by Larry Page’s speech that he gave at the i / O conference of this year. I love the fact that he’s not into creating rivals but unity through technology! And what’s more is that Google are doing their best to provide that bridge across the different platforms. Google is like the Karate Kid to the Apple and Microsoft rivalries that will take very opportunity to let slip a verbal attack. It’s one of the reasons I find it painful to watch an Apple product launch, “Pointless smarmy attack, pointless smarmy attack, pointless smarmy attack... Oooh, we’ve opened a new shop somewhere in the world and it’s fantastic... Smarm, smarm, smarm...” That’s boring to me!

However, it is Google who are doing the most interesting things with technology and part of that technology is on your handset alone! Maps, Gmail, Translate, Search, Now, Drive, YouTube and Chrome to name a few (on the top of my head). Then we get to the Chrome browser and operating system and the many apps available for it that could potentially lead people away from both Apple and Microsoft computers and software. Then we get to the driverless vehicles and the promising Glass wearable computer technology! Where will it end? You may know that Google has recently acquired Boston Dynamics and 7 other robotics companies! I can only imagine that Google is planning on delivering domestic robots as promised to us by many o’ Sci-Fi movies amongst other uses for robotics! A flash of the Will Smith movie, iRobot came to mind... Lol! Another thing that comes to mind is the issue of Singularity when man becomes machine – or something like that... Then you see folk that claim the idea of Singularity is the work of the Devil and the platform they use to spread that gospel is YouTube! Lol! I dunno... <shakes head>

ANDROID
We are seeing the Android operating system go strength to strength with the release of KitKat, 4.4! I think many, many mobile phone users in general do not stop to think about the role of Android in the mobile devices world. Android drives a myriad of handsets and tablets that come in different sizes which is a phenomenal achievement. Perhaps the consumer doesn’t look into the phenomena aspect and is more interested in having a choice. However, many budget handsets have been mis-sold by unscrupulous retailers... We’ll get to the budget Android handset in a bit.

Then there’s the issue of fragmentation... What fragmentation? A majority of consumers do not know or care regarding the issue of fragmentation. What most people want to do on their phones is to connect with their social networks, make free texts, voice and video calls. Consumers are hardly going to notice the differences between Gingerbread and KitKat – especially when they are wrapped up in another manufacturer user interface. Perhaps KitKit will go see many devices united under this one Android operating system. On the other hand fragmentation shouldn’t be an issue in the future simply because handsets have grown to a level of ubiquity whereby it squeezes out the old handsets of bygone years! This brings me to...

THE BUDGET ANDROID HANDSET
It is purely down to Android why there is a budget market for handsets. I can’t imagine a world whereby the only choice is the iPhone or the dire Windows phone! And thank God that I don’t have to imagine such a world where I am forced to buy an over expensive iPhone or a half-baked Windows handset.

In the not too distant past there were some very cheap Android handsets on the market that costs anywhere from £50 to £99! They looked promising and we were told that apps could be saved on a microSD card when we paused to consider the lack of memory and storage on these cheap phones. We spent our money on these handsets in order not to be left out with the hordes of people busting out their iPhones, Samsungs and HTCs or to replace a broken handset. In a nutshell these budget handsets were a load of horsepoop! Only a select few apps were able to run from the microSD card and not before downloading an app to do that! Then there was an issue of speed... Forget it!

Thankfully, Google Motorola gave us the Moto G! The Moto G came out just in time to save the world from these awful budget handsets that gave people the wrong impression of Android. The faith in Android, budget Android, has been restored. Amen! Because of Google Motorola there will be more decent budget handsets to be had next year! Watch out!

Of course, Google and LG brought us the Nexus 5 for a very reasonable price. The Nexus 5 is not quite Galaxy S4, One or G2, but it is a great budget alternative for those who want a reasonably powerful handset at a good price.

Both the Moto G and Nexus 5 flew out of the mobile retail outlets here in the UK – specifically London!

WHAT A TURNAROUND
Yes, indeed what a turnaround for Motorola – Google Motorola! The Moto X was slightly disappointing simply because the teaser advertising made it seem as though consumers would be able to customize the innards i.e. processor, memory, etc. However, the good thing about the Moto X is that it is manufactured in the USA and I am sure that it helped to provide jobs for citizens in this wake of an uncertain economy. Another good thing is, of course, a degree of outer customization. I am sure that the Moto X sold well – especially with the touch free command feature!

Well, you could hardly say that Motorola were doing badly; they had a good hit with the RAZRi and HD but such handsets were not quite on par with the premium beasts from Samsung, HTC, LG, Sony and so on. I think the adoring handset fans are looking for the Motorola equivalent of let’s say the Galaxy S4 and when they don’t get it they have ruled Motorola out of the big league so to speak. It begs the question: What does 2014 hold for Google Motorola? Will we see cheaper more powerful handsets? Will we see a flagship decked out with the largest cores, RAM and storage? Will they do a phablet? We’ll just have to wait and see!

IN CHROME WE TRUST
Now just look at what is happening with Google Chrome! The web browser keeps getting better now with search via voice and the mobile browser offers the best Internet surfing solution – more so than the standard web browser that comes with handsets these days!

Then there’s the Chrome OpSys that has seen the release of a new Chromebook from Acer and the decked out Chromebook Pixel! Wow! Who wouldn’t want a Chromebook Pixel?

And the surprise hit for Google has not only been the second generation Nexus 7 but the Chromecast dongle that allows you to stream audio / video to a connected device such as a HDMI compatible TV / Monitor! It costs a mere $35! I am just waiting for it to come to the UK or I might just order one from the States!

ROLL ON GOOGLE
I can see that the scope for Google is vast come 2014! What I envisage for 2014 is that Android goes 64bit; we’ll see more of a range of wearable devices; dual Android and Chrome tablets and PCs and possibly cost effective exoskeletons for those that have problems with mobility. The cost effective exoskeleton would certainly come in handy for people that lift heavy products as part of their jobs and / or for lifting patients in a hospital / hospice. Bring it on!

From Motorola I see that there will be a range of mobile devices that can be put together in a Lego-like manner possibly towards the end of 2014!

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this instalment of 2013 in review!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

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

Friday, 13 December 2013

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT: MOBILE PHONE GIFTS CHRISTMAS 2013

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT:
MOBILE PHONE GIFTS CHRISTMAS 2013
#MobilePhoneGiftsXmas2013

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! I hope that all is well with you and that you’ve managed to save up some pennies as I am going to give you a run down on some tech gifts for Xmas starting with mobile phones... Here we go!


MOBILE / SMARTPHONE XMAS RECOMMENDATIONS
This time last year I got myself a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 that is serving me very, very well! It was such a wonderful gift to myself! Oooh, yeah!

If you are due for an upgrade or you want to get rid of the crap phone that was sold to you as “...an excellent phone...” then you need to read this!

ANDROID vs iPHONE vs WINDOWS vs BLACKBERRY
As you can imagine the major phone manufacturers barring BlackBerry have ramped up the TV ads here in the UK as a run up to Christmas. If you are watching the ads and you’re trying to make a decision on obtaining a phone this year then this summary of the competition will help!

The Android is an operating system that just so happens to be the most popular in the world – surpassing Apple’s iOS on the iPhone! Android is free and therefore many manufacturers exploit it: Samsung, LG, HTC, Huawei, ZTE and so many more. As a result the consumer has many, many options! These myriad of Android choices can also cause confusion. We’ll sort you out in due course!

Then there is the iPhone! At the moment Apple is showing that it has run out of steam with innovation with the iPhone and that is why it waning in popularity. What makes the iPhone attractive is that it is simple as there is only ONE model – even with the iPhone 5C that is encased in plastic. Therefore, Apple can create a much optimised experience for the iPhone user. Again, in comparison to Android phones, there are no other options for the consumer which, in one sense, make the iPhone an easy choice to make in all the confusion.

Windows / Nokia handsets are proving to make some impact on the market and that comes largely, I believe, from their 41MP (megapixel) camera on the Lumia 1020! However, the operating system is not as advanced, in my opinion, as Android or the iPhone’s iOS. That said, it would seem that Windows is making gains over BlackBerry (we’ll come to BlackBerry later). Another aspect to take in consideration is the availability of apps for the Windows operating system; iOS and Android have considerably more apps available!
As for BlackBerry... ...from where I am sitting it looks as though BlackBerry is on its last legs. They had a good run but fell behind the iPhone and subsequently the unstoppable Android with Samsung leading the market. And now it looks as though they have also been usurped by Windows mobile! I would be surprised if BlackBerry were to be in existence this time next year! I do think that BlackBerry is a no go! That’s my opinion!

THE SUPERPHONE ON CONTRACT
At the moment it is Samsung, LG, Sony and HTC that are the leading top brands using the Android operating system.

The recommended handsets – if you are looking to upgrade your contract are the following:

Samsung Galaxy Note 3
In my opinion the Galaxy Note 3 blows the competition out of the water! It is superb and the best that money can buy! The Galaxy Note 3 is my top choice at the moment; what’s there not to like? The 13MP camera is outstanding and records full 1080p and 4K video with tremendous quality! The pictures are quite stunning!

The S Pen is a great improvement upon the one found in the Note 2! With the 5.7” screen it is arguable if you’d require a tablet. You can be so very productive with the Note 3.

The only negative that I see for many people is the size of the phone may make it cumbersome to hold. I personally found it was a massive improvement over the Note 2! I would also recommend getting a case for it straightaway! If I could upgrade my Note 2 then this would be my choice!

Watch out for some attractive deals from the various vendors!

Samsung Galaxy S4
I know, I know... I must come across as being Samsung biased and in some way you are right for thinking so. But, once again, I am not only a reviewer I am a consumer too! I want what I think is the best!

I have the Galaxy S4 and I am so very happy with it! Almost every weekend I take some time out to travel into Central London to take photos with the S4 to pass the time. I personally find the S4 design to be very ergonomic; it fits in my hands beautifully, it’s fast and the battery is removable! I find that with a serious amount of use the battery can last for a whole day! Some people criticise the plastic chassis but it makes for a more robust phone. Plus the design lends itself to having a protective case to preserve it! I do feel that some phones may look better i.e. the HTC One but you wouldn’t really want to place a case over it. Whereas the S4 range of cases compliments the design. I honestly prefer the S4 to any other! I hate that some amazing looking handsets don’t feature a removable battery!

I have seen some good online rental deals which seem to be fluctuating all the time. So, make sure you take a good look!

LG G2
First of all I LOVE the design! I think the LG G2 is one of the best designed handsets on the market, yes, above the HTC One! I guess some people think I am crazy! Lol! But I have to say that this came off the paper or screen of the concept artist! I love the all round thin bezel! It is outstanding!

It features a brilliant 13MP camera with an optical stabilizer; it records full HD video at 60fps, a fast processor and an amazing battery life! Just tap twice on the screen to wake it up!

Sony Xperia Z1
I like this handset so very much, the Sony Xperia Z1 is beautifully designed and it does feel premium in comparison to the Galaxy S4.But, obviously, I have placed the S4 (and LG G2) above it. Still, the Xperia Z1 is not far behind the S4!

It features an excellent 20.7MP camera, it is fast and the 5” screen is wonderful. The only thing that I am not too keen on is the non-removable battery! Bummer!

That’s my top 4 handsets that I would recommend on contract. The maverick 5th would be the Galaxy S3 which has come down in price on contract. It is also possible to buy it outright but is it worth it? We’ll see...

THE SMARTPHONE SIM FREE
You may wish to purchase a handset outright for a multitude of reasons such as a damaged screen that will cost more than it is worth to fix; you don’t have a good amount of storage and therefore you can’t make use of these wonderful but large applications that use up the storage, etc. Enter the cost effective smartphones...

Yes, Android is currently leading the trend for outstanding budget but powerful handsets on the market today! Here’s the rundown of the best!

Google / LG Nexus 5, £299 (16GB) and £339 (32GB)
My first impression was and still is, “WOW!” Some people may find the design bland but I LOVE the design! Oh, the screen is a delight! The 4.95” screen packs an amazing 445 ppi pixel density which makes for crystal clarity! The Nexus 5 features an 8MP camera that shoots full HD video, a fast quad processor and 2GB RAM! So, you do get a lot for your money! The 8MP camera isn’t quite a letdown as you might think when comparing it to the aforementioned Galaxy S4, G2 and Xperia Z1, for example, but you may not require such a high spec camera – especially if you just want to share snapshots with social networks. 8MP is enough! If I had a spare £339 I would get a Nexus 5 to replace my HTC One X! Again, the battery is non-removable but I would chance it! Anything is better than the HTC One X battery which is a joke! Bah!

Acer Liquid S1 Duo, £289
You know something? Acer sometimes gets unfair reviews; I feel as though reviewers either didn’t understand some of their past efforts or didn’t want to. Sure, the efforts of Acer has been a mixed bag of power vs. features but with the Liquid S1 Duo I believe that Acer have come up trumps! Why? Good, I am glad you asked!
I, for one, love those huge Android handsets. I am going to have an Android I would like it to be a big as possible without it being too difficult to hold! The Liquid S1 Duo is close to being perfect in the hand; it’s the smooth plastic battery black plate that makes it a bit of a slippery customer to hold. I wish it was rubberised in some way. It’s thin enough at 9.6mm and it is comfortable when taking video and photos.

Here’s the full spec:

Display         
5.7 inch, HD 720p (1280 x 720), 257 PPI, Zero Air Gap

Main camera           
8 MP auto focus, f2.0, 28 mm lens, BSI sensor, LED Flash, 1080p video recording

Front camera          
2 MP, f2.2, 24 mm lens, 88-degree wide angle, BSI sensor, 720p video recording

Processor   
Quad-core 1.5 GHz

Storage        
8 GB

Memory        
1 GB

Battery         
2400 mAh, replaceable Li-polymer battery

Talk time: up to 11 hours

Standby time: up to 450 hours

Dimensions
163 x 83 x 9.6 mm

Weight          
195 g (with battery)

Network       
HSPA+ / WCDMA: 900 / 2100 MHz
GSM / GPRS / EDGE: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
3G download speed up to 42 Mbps

Connectivity           
Wi-Fi® 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth® 4.0 LE
GPS / aGPS
micro SDTM slot, micro USB, 3.5 mm audio jack

Sensors       
Light sensor, accelerometer, proximity, digital compass

SIM    
Dual micro SIM

Operating system  
Android™ 4.2

User Interface         
Acer Shell 5.7, Acer Float UI

Entertainment        
AcerCloud, Acer Music, Acer Photo, Acer Video
Acer HD channel
Skitch
YouTube™,
Moodagent

Productivity
Acer Docs, Acer Remote Files, Acer Print
Polaris Office
Swype Keyboard
Google Keep™, Evernote

Utilities         
Acer Auto Profile
Acer Data Traffic Manager
Acer Easy Hotspot
Acer My Style

Special Features   
Acer Float Caller
Acer Float Maps / Notes / Camera / Calculator
Acer Live Screen™
Wireless Display

Yes, it is a mixed bag! Lol! However, it is a good mixed bag! Essentially, Acer have rebuilt the original Galaxy Note and made it a little more inexpensive new! You can pick up a new Galaxy Note for around £329. It’s a difference of £40 but a difference nonetheless. I guess that £40 would have gone into a stylus! But the whole thing works a treat! I found the Liquid S1 to be a very fast phone, the 8MP camera to very, very responsive which was a surprise given that some premium phone cameras can be quite fussy about taking night and HDR shots. With my Galaxy S4 I have to hold the camera rock steady for night and HDR shots otherwise the image is blurred; not so with the Liquid S1 Duo! I found the quality to be very good but not as good as the premium handsets aforementioned. Thankfully, the camera is a massive improvement than what’s on the Liquid E2 handset.
One of the special features is voice activation; by uttering a phrase the Liquid S1 Duo is unlocked. Cool! It’s quite a neat (hee hee... GeekSpeak) feature but I would imagine that if someone with ill intent overheard that person could steal the phone and repeat the activation phrase. It would have been something if the handset could actually read an individual speech pattern. I wonder if a good impressionist could fool such a speech recognition system.

Just like the Galaxy Note the Liquid S1 Duo can have several apps floating on the screen – even a call! I like it!

CONCLUSION
The Acer Liquid S1 Duo is a decent phablet with an attractive price tag! Unfortunately it’s not 4G compatible, it’s no big deal.

And... ...last but not least...

...Motorola Moto G, £119.95 (8GB) and £149.95 (16GB)
Now Motorola says the days of purchasing a second hand yesteryear handset is over when wishing to join the smartphone user ranks. Here’s the Moto G! The Moto G comes to the rescue if you were duped by “budget” Android handsets below £100. Perhaps “duped” is a strong word but you should already know by now what I think about these sub £100 Android handsets: a big compromise! A compromise on processor, RAM and storage space! Great for making phone calls and bad for the installation of popular apps! Hardly ideal!

The Moto G is pretty much yesteryear’s handset at an extremely knockdown price. For example, it features a 5MP camera that shoots 720p HD video and a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. So, it is still a compromise that won’t cost the Earth. Plus the 1 GB RAM and basic 8 GB storage will ensure that you’d be able to install essential apps!

The Moto G will make for a handset for teenagers, those who require more than one handset and to replace a damaged handset. Yes, it’s quite versatile!

Stay tuned for more reviews to come.

Watch this space!

Take good care!


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Tuesday, 19 November 2013

HELLO GOOGLE MOTO 2013


SYNAPSE CIRCUIT:
HELLO GOOGLE MOTO 2013
#Nexus5 #MotoG

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! Oooh, it is a very crisp and cold night in North London! I’m sipping a delightful spiced coffee to keep some fire in my belly! Lol! Hey, I was thinking...

...IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE WE HAVE MOBILE PHONE KIOSKS AND IT’S VERY LIKELY THAT GOOGLE WILL DELIVER VENDING MACHINES ON STREET CORNERS!

There’s definitely a sharp contrast between the way Apple and Google do things. No! I am not going to bash Apple because I can sympathise with them; yesterday they were cutting edge and today not so much... The way Google and Google Motorola are going it is as if to say that the “smartphone” is old news... Ok, barring the Moto X, Google have wisely decided to bypass the ceremony of pomp whenever they release a new handset. The Nexus 5 was released without fanfare and yet Carphone Warehouse, in my neighbourhood, sold out within hours! Gosh! Then last week Saturday the Google Motorola Moto G snuck into the mainstream of the heady world of budget handsets! Yes, I was being facetious. You should know how I feel about budget Android handsets but I think the Moto G changes everything! Correction: The Moto G changes things further! Much further! The major manufacturers have been saturating the market with (what I think of as substandard) handsets where the budget market is concerned and all in a bid for world dominance. I have fallen for the trick of “budget” Android handsets several times – I know, you’d have thought that once would have been enough – to great disappointment. So, the Moto G comes as a landmark.

Check out the spec:

GENERAL   
2G Network  GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
CDMA 800 / 1900 - CDMA version
3G Network  HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO - CDMA version

Announced  2013, November
Released 2013, November

BODY           
Dimensions 129.9 x 65.9 x 11.6 mm (5.11 x 2.59 x 0.46 in)
Weight 143 g (5.04 oz)

DISPLAY      
Type  Capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size    720 x 1280 pixels, 4.5 inches (~326 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch

Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3

SOUND        
Alert types Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones
Loudspeaker
3.5mm jack

MEMORY     
No card slot           
Internal 8  /16 GB, 1 GB RAM

DATA
GPRS
EDGE

Speed           
HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP

USB  
Yes, microUSB v2.0

CAMERA      
Primary 5 MP, 2592х1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Features      
Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama
Video Yes, 720p@30fps
Secondary 1.3 MP

FEATURES 
OS Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), planned upgrade to v4.4 (KitKat)

Chipset        
Qualcomm Snapdragon 400

CPU  
Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7

GPU  
Adreno 305

Sensors       
Accelerometer, proximity, compass

Messaging  
SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM

Browser HTML5

FM radio

GPS with A-GPS support and GLONASS

Java via Java MIDP emulator

Colors          
Black (front panel), 7 colour options (back panel)

- SNS integration
- Google Drive (50 GB storage)
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- MP3/AAC+/WAV/Flac player
- MP4/H.263/H.264 player
- Organizer
- Photo viewer/editor
- Document viewer
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail
- YouTube, Google Talk, Picasa
- Voice memo/dial
- Predictive text input

BATTERY              
Li-Ion 2070 mAh battery
Stand-by      
Talk time: Up to 24 hrs

The price is pretty much spot on, £119.95 for the 8GB version and £149.95 for 16GB. This is 1.2 GHz quad-core! Ok, it would have been the icing on the cake to have a full HD video camera and a card slot. But as budget phones go at least you know that you’ll be able to make use of the latest space consuming free texting and calling apps! If you’re an avid mobile phone photographer you can always store your photos on any one of the various cloud services including Google Drive!

With the quad-core processor you know that the Moto G will be able to keep up with the most demanding apps!
The Moto G should certainly be on your shopping list this Xmas!

I hope you enjoyed this introduction. Stay tuned for more reviews to come.

Watch this space!

Take good care!


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Thank you for watching and reading!

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