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 PROJECT ARA: PHONEBLOKS

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
PROJECT ARA: PHONEBLOKS
#Google #ProjectAra #Phonebloks

Good evening / early morning, Synapse Circuit Readers! How goes it? I hope that all is well in your world!

When I first wrote the article on Phonebloks which became Project Ara (apparently Google Motorola back then had this building block approach to handsets in their sights already) somebody commented that it can’t be done. I laughed out loud and replied, “Nothing is impossible...”

http://synapse-circuit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/synapse-circuit-phonebloks.html

IT’S HAPPENING!
The idea is so brilliant! Just like we are able to put together our own PC configurations we’ll soon be able to build our own Android handsets to our preferences! Goody!

A functioning prototype should be ready within a few weeks and it could be commercially available early next year! Or perhaps – with a bit of luck – it could be ready as early as the fall this year! Either way this is very, very exciting! And I am sure that other manufacturers will follow suit! Better still... Imagine a scenario whereby you can purchase component blocks from Samsung, LG, HTC, Asus, etc. I wonder if a swivel camera, as found on the Oppo N1, will be possible... Just for the fun of it, would it be possible to add 3 camera modules on it!

In terms of RAM and storage capacity Project Ara could bring down the cost of RAM and storage options down dramatically! Items such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and LTE could be put in a cost effective context too!

I believe that there will be 3 base endoskeleton sizes: mini, medium and jumbo! I would go for the jumbo model! I just love these massive handsets! Why not stretch to tablets too! I am pretty sure that the project will extend to tablets too! It would be fantastic to be able to build our own tablets! If you look at how Apple sells its iPad the LTE model costs considerably more than the Wi-Fi version - £130 more! It’s a rip off! Now imagine having thousands upon thousands of the LTE component there for the taking at a decent price, say £30! I am hoping so much that this will be possible!

Project Ara will give us so much freedom! Freedom to choose our own network and moreover, we’d be able to get the very latest Android operating system! I can’t wait! Bring it on! Hey! I just had another thought! When 3D printers become a household option we can print some of the Ara body parts! But I envisage a situation whereby we take our designs to a print bureau with a commercial 3D output facility! Cool!

For the Project Ara initiative, Google has partnered with NK Labs to do the electrical, mechanical, and software engineering and with 3D Systems to make a high-speed 3D printer to mass produce the Ara endoskeletons.

Oh, let's have some massive battery options! 

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 OOOOH! DESIRE 816!

HTC showing their true colours...

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
OOOOH! DESIRE 816!
#HTC #HTCDesire816 #Desire816 #MobileWorldCongress #MWC14 #MWC2014

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! How are you feeling? I hope you care feeling fine and dandy!

HTC did a throw down to Samsung today...

INTRODUCING THE HTC DESIRE 816
I have to say that it is good to see HTC back in the Android handset game! I know, I know... I have been very harsh against them (HTC) and the reason why is simple: I LOVE the designs but felt let down by some of the features such as the camera! I have always felt that HTC was lacking and wasting their potential by trying to emulate Samsung with their handset for just about every walk of life! I am just waiting for a manufacturer to create a handset for a dog! The Woof Translator! Hee hee hee...  Anyhoo... It could very well be that HTC have read a few of my articles because they seem to be making handsets that excite people again! I for one am excited by the Desire 816!

Look at this gorgeous midrange spec:-

DESIGN
Device type:
Smart phone

OS:
Android HTC Sense UI

Dimensions:
6.17 x 3.10 x 0.31 inches (156.6 x 78.7 x 7.99)

Weight:
5.82 oz (165g) the average is 4.8 oz (137g)

DISPLAY
Physical size: 5.5 inches
Resolution: 720 x 1280 pixels
Pixel density: 267 ppi
Touchscreen: Multi-touch

Features:
Light sensor, Proximity sensor

CAMERA
13 MP
Flash: LED
Aperture size: F2.2
Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)
Camcorder: 1920x1080 (1080p HD)
Front-facing camera:
5 megapixels

HARDWARE
System chip: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
Processor: Quad core, 1600 MHz
Graphics processor: Yes
System memory: 1536 MB RAM
Built-in storage: 8 GB

STORAGE EXPANSION:
microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC up to 128 GB

BATTERY
Capacity: 2600 mAh
Not user replaceable

MULTIMEDIA
Music player:
Filter by: Album, Artist, Playlists
Album art cover, Background playback
Speakers: Earpiece, Stereo speakers
YouTube player: Yes

INTERNET BROWSING
Built-in online services support:
YouTube (upload), Picasa/Google+

NETWORKS
GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS: 850, 900, 2100 MHz
FDD LTE: 800 (band 20), 900 (band 8), 1800 (band 3), 2600 (band 7) MHz
Data: LTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS

SIM
nano-SIM

POSITIONING:
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
Navigation: Yes

Wow! Pretty good spec for a midrange handset! I am very, very curious about the quality of the camera! I guess as it is midrange 4K video is definitely out of the question! It could have been at 30 frames per second... Ah, well...

But I see the Desire 816 as a firm move to challenge the dominance of Samsung. Will Samsung have an answer to this potentially great midrange handset? I wonder how much it will cost!

CLEVER
HTC are boxing clever with this (the Desire 816), and I assume, all their handsets to come. If consumers don’t fancy the cream of the crop this year then the Desire 816 could be the answer – especially with the stereo speaker design similar to the One. But what HTC and many manufacturers face is the fact that the cream of the crop yesteryear’s models may offer even better value for money! Who hasn’t learned by now to do a selfie with the main camera? Then again the consumer has to weigh up if they’d be better off with a 16 or higher megapixel camera with a better phone that come with it! Plus there will be a bunch of handsets from China such as Acer, Huawei and ZTE aimed at the midrange market too!

The Android economy is getting stronger and very, very competitive. It’s going to be interesting to see which manufacturer comes up with the most innovative propositions this year and the years to come!

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 NOKIA X?

Are you serious? C'mon, Nokia...

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
NOKIA X?
#Nokia #NokiaX #X #Android

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! I hope that all is well with you and that you had a great, productive day! If it’s still daytime where you are then use the time well!

If you have been paying a little attention to the Mobile World Congress this year you probably have one question in mind...

...WHAT THE HECK IS NOKIA DOING WITH THE “X” RANGE OF LEVEL ENTRY HANDSETS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, ANDROID?
Hmmm... Looking at the Nokia X range I can see that they have arrived too late with a modified Android operating system. The X range is about 6 years too late! Yes, 6 years ago Android wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is today! Today just about every housewife / ordinary Josephine knows that Android is an operating system. What, “Sexist!” you say? No. Of course there are some great tech journalists such as Jessica Dolcourt who knows their tech. But the reality has been – at least from my perspective – that many women 5 or 6 years ago thought that Android was a handset manufacturer – if they ever heard the operating system at all. I have told you in previous articles how many women bought a budget Android handset only to find that it has no storage capacity for essential apps, etc.

Anyhoo! Needless to say that I think that Nokia has missed an opportunity to do something grand with Android and their handsets X, X+ & XL are out of step with today’s budget Android offerings. Their spec is so uninteresting that I can’t be bothered to take the time to list them! I don’t think the X series is going to work on a mass scale! The “X” is short for eXit out of the handset market AGAIN!! The Windows 8 handsets haven’t exactly set the world on fire! But I acknowledge the Lumia 1020 for its innovative 41MP camera and that’s about it!

A massive company like Amazon is able to get away with a bastardized Android user interface because of the huge ecosystem that it is: music, movies and books! But Nokia and Microsoft do not have such an ecosystem to be messing around with Android and leading people to the sparse Microsoft application store! Of course the X user (hee hee) would have access to other app stores but I do think that Nokia has missed a great opportunity to create a stunning Android handset!

DIPPING IN
It seems that the once fearless Nokia are dipping in a toe to test the waters which is quite odd because we know that Android sells and very, very well at that! The “X” range is what the likes of ZTE, Huawei and LG were – and in some cases still are – putting out a couple of years ago! I don’t see how the “X” range is going to fly!

I reckon Nokia should have been brave and / or smart and put out a lower-mid range like the Motorola Moto G for example! It would have been better to have used a launcher that emulates the Windows 8 phone interface. What Nokia have done to Android is not exactly horrible but it is definitely not good!

It’s a shame because I see Nokia ending up like BlackBerry if they don’t watch out!

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 vs APPLE 2014

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
SAMSUNG vs APPLE 2014
#Samsung #GalaxyS5 #GS5 #MWC2014 #GalaxyS5Prime #Unpacked #Gear #Apple

Good late evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! I hope that you had a wonderful day! And if your day is unravelling where you are there is still time!

Yes, indeed... The Samsung Unpacked Episode 1 event last night has got me thinking...

"With the Galaxy S5, Samsung is going back to basics to focus on delivering the capabilities that matter most to our consumers."

JK Shin
President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung

SAMSUNG vs. APPLE
Yes, folks! There’s another court battle next month between the technological giants: Samsung and Apple! I’ll be glad when it’s all over. I think we’ll all be glad when it’s all over! Of course, I want Samsung to win! I just think Apple is too smug and inaccurate over their claims!

I was just thinking about the parallels between Samsung and Apple. Let my observations begin...

PRESS LAUNCHES
Samsung took a critical hammering for their Unpacked in New York 2013 event. Some people called it “sexist” and to some degree it was. But so is any depiction of men doing something in the name of media. What Samsung tried to do with the launch of the Galaxy S4 was reach the masses in one fell swoop! I didn’t think the GS4 event was a disaster. Samsung wanted to show how appealing the GS4 Air Gestures were if you just happen to be in the middle of doing your nails!

But in comparison nothing can be more repulsive to Apple presentations. Every Apple presentation / launch I have seen is: “The other guys... Smug, smung, smung, smung, smung, smung, smung, smung, smung, smung, smung, smung, smung, smung, smung, smung... Untruth, untruth, untruth, untruth, untruth, untruth, untruth, untruth, untruth, untruth, untruth... Amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing... Isn’t that fantastic?”

We’ve seen the mess they’ve made of their maps and we’ve seen how the iPhone has fallen quite behind in terms of design and technology. The famous retina screen has been surpassed by HTC and Samsung to name a few. I find Apple presentations painful to watch!

In contrast Samsung states facts and very, very rarely makes comments about the competition. Unpacked events are just for Samsung products.

The winner: Samsung.

Unpacked (5) episode 2 is in the pipeline and I would like to see some of that showmanship again!

PRODUCT STRATEGIES
The build up for the iPhone 5C and iPhone5S were similar to the Galaxy S5 and this possible Galaxy S5 Prime. There was a great sense of let down when the iPhone 5 products were revealed. The iPhone 5C may have brought some colour to the proceedings but it was the iPhone 4S. And the iPhone 5S proved to be unimaginative and lacklustre despite having a 64 bit CPU onboard.

Whereas the Galaxy S5 it’s a great improvement over the S4 and I do get the feeling that we are seeing Samsung doing a similar thing but with a different strategy. I can’t help but think that the Galaxy S5 is the superior equivalent to the iPhone 5C (and 5S). Look at the images below...





I did ask Samsung if they could launch their different coloured products at once because it give us – the consumer – more choice from day one! Oh, you will have to wait until April 11 for the Galaxy S5! What colour are you going for? If I could I would have a white front with the Electric Blue back! Or ultimately, I would have a pink front (no dirty jokes, thank you) and the Electric Blue back!

PREMIUM PRODUCT
Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything premium about the iPhone except the materials perhaps. But like I have said and will keep on saying, these materials scratch dent very easily. The iPhone becomes less premium with such defects from everyday use. I am not saying that the Galaxy S and Note handsets are damage free; however the plastic makes it harder to suffer serious damage from a drop.

Yet, I am inclined to believe that Samsung is planning to release some sort of Galaxy premium handset based on the S5 made partly of metal. See?



Heavy metal! That metal chassis must be destined for greatness...



There has gotta be a reason why the above specs exist...

I am guess that Samsung are going to see what HTC comes up with next month and then set a date for Unpacked (5) Episode 2 which will reveal, I am hoping, the Galaxy S5 Prime along with news of their Exynos Octa-core CPU that could also be 64 bit! I am sure there will be a couple of tablets too! I do think that the Prime model will marry a great camera to a greater handset than that of the Galaxy S5! I think we will see the QHD screen!

So, the iPhone 6 is tipped to come out around September and I think that’s when Unpacked Episode 3 will be announced shortly after to reveal the Galaxy Note 4!

That’s Samsung’s strategy for the competition this year! I reckon that if there is a Galaxy S5 Prime it may have a 3MP or 5MP front-facing camera which can also be on the Note 4!

Given the GS5 spec I am inclined to believe that Samsung has just bested the GS4 to make it competitive to the Sony Z2 handset. I am thinking that Samsung doesn’t want to play its hand too soon! Look at the spec again...

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

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 HEROGLYPH V4 LE

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
HEROGLYPH V4 LE
#ProDad #HeroglyphV4 #HeroglyphV4LE

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! How are you tonight? What did you make of the GSMA Awards this year? Do you think they got it right?

Here’s some great news for videomakers...

HEROGLYPH V4 LE
Heroglyph V4 LE Creates Video Titles, Sub-titles, and Credits and a Whole Lot More – Travel Route Animations, Auto-Animated Handscript, Video Walls, Slideshows too; with plug-ins for Popular NLEs and a Standalone Version too!

San Francisco, CA, February 25th, 2014.  proDAD, the highly acclaimed developer of digital video effects and image enhancement technologies today announced availability of it’s new Heroglyph V4 LE video title, trailer animation solution for popular Windows-based Non-Linear Editing (NLE) applications.  A stand-alone version is also available..

Video titling animation apps are often complicated; requiring use of key-frames and other time-consuming manual processes.  Heroglyph V4 LE streamlines the titling process by placing the complexity “under the hood” and giving users 500+ FastStart templates and elements for common projects, delivering highly creative results in a fraction of the time and at a price-point that everyone can smile about.

Price & Availability:

Heroglyph V4 LE is currently available as an electronic download from the proDAD online shop and popular resellers including ToolFarm for an introduction price of £65.99. Heroglyph V4 Pro is available for £209.99.  Learn more at www.prodad.com

What do you reckon?

Review coming very soon.... Stay tuned (pun unintended but works so well)...    

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 THE GSMA AWARDS 2014

LG makes beautiful handsets. There's no doubt about it!

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
THE GSMA AWARDS 2014
#GSMAAWARDS2014 #GSMA

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! I hope all is well with you and yours!

The Mobile World Congress 2014 is proving to be the best ever! The ante is being upped and I love it! Let’s see the winners...

GSMA ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THE 2014 GLOBAL MOBILE AWARDS
25th February 2014, Barcelona: The GSMA today announced the winners of the 19th Annual Global Mobile awards, held at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The winners were honoured in an afternoon ceremony hosted by British actor, writer, presenter and comedian James Corden.

The One certainly shook up the Android handset design world and after the reveal of the Galaxy S5 has shown Samsung emulating Apple in their more of the same ethic to design, HTC could very well cause another upset!

Corden entertained nominees and attendees with a comic introduction to the ceremony. He was joined on stage to present the awards by Jon Fredrik Baksaas, Chairman, GSMA and President and CEO, Telenor Group, Anne Bouverot, Director General, GSMA and John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd., as well as representatives from category sponsor Maxim Integrated, media partners CNBC, Fortune and Time and members of the judging panel who co-presented awards.

“Now in the 19th year, the Global Mobile Awards once again showcase the outstanding level of innovation and creative products and services being developed across a diverse and growing industry,” said John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd. “With more than 680 high calibre entries this year, the competition was stronger than ever and it is a significant achievement to have been honoured today. The GSMA would like to warmly congratulate all Global Mobile Awards winners and recognise all those who took part for continuing to drive mobile communications into the future.”

The winners of the 2014 Global Mobile Awards are:

Best Mobile Health Product or Service
Energize the Chain for Econet Wireless Vaccine Project in Zimbabwe

Best Mobile Education Product or Service
Enable Mobile Technologies for Magic Pencil

Best Mobile Product or Service for Automotive
Nuance Communications for Dragon Drive

Best NFC/Mobile Money Product or Service
Telenor Pakistan and Tameer Micro Finance Bank for Easypaisa

Best Mobile Publishing Product or Service
Wibbitz for Text-To-Video Technology

Best Mobile Innovation for ‘Smart Cities’
Accenture plc and RCS MediaGroup S.p.A. for City1Tap

Best Mobile-Enabled Consumer Electronics Device
AT&T and Filip Technologies Inc. for FiLIP

Best Enterprise Mobile Service
AirWatch for AirWatch Enterprise Mobility Management, Version 7.0

Best Consumer Mobile Service
AT&T for AT&T Digital Life

Best Advertising or Marketing on Mobile
Hindustan Unilever Ltd., Lowe and Partners for Kan Khajura Tesan

Best Network-Based Solution for Serving Customers
GMCR Inc. for Globe Prepaid GoSakto: Create Your Own Promo

Best Mobile Product, Initiative or Service in Emerging Markets
Vodafone Foundation in India, the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women (CBFW) for RUDI Sandesha Vyavhar (RSV) project

Best Mobile Product or Service for Women in Emerging Markets
Telenor Pakistan and Tameer Micro Finance Bank for Easypaisa

Best Use of Mobile in Emergency or Humanitarian Situations
Smart Communications for Smart’s SafePh: Yolanda Response

Best Mobile Product, Service or App for Accessibility or Ease-of-Use
Turkcell for Turkcell My Dream Partner

The Green Mobile Award
Grameenphone Ltd. for Climate Change Program

Best Entertainment App (Gaming, Music, Sports, Video)
Device 6

Judges’ Choice – Best Overall Mobile App
CityMapper

Most Innovative Mobile App
PointGrab for CamMe

Smartphone App Challenge
Akbank T.A.S. for Akbank Direkt Mobile App

Best Smartphone
HTC One 

Best Low-Cost Smartphone (sub-$150 wholesale price)
Nokia Lumia 520

Best Entry-level or Featurephone
Nokia 105

Most Innovative Device Manufacturer of the Year
LG

Best Mobile Tablet
Apple iPad Air

Best Mobile Infrastructure
Nokia Solutions and Networks with Telefónica O2 UK Limited for iSON Automation for Operations

Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough
Sensory Inc. for TrulyHandsfreeTM 3.0

Best Cloud-Based Technology for Mobile
Xively for Xively Cloud Services

Best Mobile Identity, Safeguard & Security Products/Solutions
SecureAuth IdP – 2 Factor Access Control for the Mobile Enterprise

Best Solution for Growing Smaller or Independent Networks
Reach-U for Demograft

Outstanding LTE Contribution
KT Corporation for Wideband LTE-A Commercial Service
SK Telecom for Commercial LTE-Advanced Network

Outstanding Overall Mobile Technology – The CTOs’ choice
KT Corporation for Wideband LTE-A Commercial Service
SK Telecom for Commercial LTE-Advanced Network

Previously announced were the winners of the Government Mobile Excellence Awards, the GSMA Chairman’s Award and the GSMA Lifetime Achievement Award:
Spectrum for Mobile Broadband Award
The Government of the United Arab Emirates

The Economic Policy for Sustainable Mobile Growth Award
The Government of Spain

The Connected Government Award
The Government of Lebanon

Government Leadership Award
The Government of Botswana 

GSMA Chairman’s Award
Dr. Paul Jacobs, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Qualcomm Inc.

GSMA Lifetime Achievement Award
Rob Conway, Former CEO of the GSMA (Posthumous)

The full list of winners and finalist for the 2014 Global Mobile Awards is available at: http://www.globalmobileawards.com/winners-2014

The shortlist for the ‘Best New Mobile Handset, Device or Tablet at Mobile World Congress 2014′ will be announced between 10.15am and 10.30am (CET), Wednesday, 26th February on both Mobile World Live TV and the Global Mobile Awards website. The winner will be honoured in a live presentation on Mobile World Live TV between 9.00am and 9.15am (CET) on Thursday, 27th February.

In total more than 175 independent analysts, journalists, academics and subject matter experts throughout the world participated in the judging process, including the chief technology officers of 14 mobile operators who took part in judging the “Outstanding Overall Mobile Technology” award.

Full information on the Global Mobile Awards can be found at www.globalmobileawards.com.

What do you reckon?
I think the awards are just about right. I wouldn’t have given the HTC One the best smartphone award. Uh-uh! I would have given HTC One the best smartphone design award. I honestly think that the best smartphone award should have gone to the Samsung Galaxy S4 and / or the Galaxy Note 3. Both handsets are superlative where technology advancement is concerned. Last year Samsung won that prize for the Galaxy S3.

The best low cost smartphone should have gone to either the Motorola Moto G or the Nexus 5. Ok, the Nexus 5 isn’t quite level entry but when you consider what you’re getting for the money... WOW!

The best entry level handset should have gone to the Moto G. Perhaps it was released too late in 2013 to be considered.

Yes, I would agree that LG wholeheartedly deserve this award has they have been coming up with some great looking designs. I have to say that I do not like non-removable batteries; once you start using the handset for a Facebook and photography the battery is on its way out – let alone watching YouTube content. However, now that Android KitKat has become smaller it is more battery efficient that these non-removable batteries may not be a bad thing. That said, Samsung has done so remarkably well that the batteries can be removed in their flagship models!

The fact that Samsung hasn’t gotten any awards ties in to what I was saying about Samsung being too precious about their flapship designs; they may feel as though they do not want to rock the boat with a new design that could alienate the consumer. I hope that Samsung will make a comeback where design is concerned!

Do you think I am right?    

Take good care!

Thank you for watching and reading!

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

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SYNAPSE CIRCUIT Nakamichi NBS 10 Portable Bluetooth Speakers

Synapse Circuit
New Nakamichi NBS 10 Portable Bluetooth Speakers for Mobile Audio Entertainment

Baseball-like Bluetooth speakers more immersive and interactive music experience, anytime and anywhere.

London, UK, February 24^th 2014, Nakamichi, the renowned audio and visual brand that epitomizes uncompromising quality and performance, announces its latest portable speaker: the NBS 10!

The diminutive baseball-like Nakamichi NBS10 wireless Bluetooth Speaker is set to charm your crowd. The NBS10 features a two-inch driver unit in each speaker, which will manage your audio like a maestro.

With a wireless working of up to 10 metres, the NBS10 operates in both stereo and individual mode. This allows positioning of the NBS10 at specific spots to obtain the very best all round stereo sound effects. With up to 7 hours of playback time, the NBS10 is the perfect audio companion for parties, summer barbeques  and outdoor events. There is a 3.5mm aux-in jack shipped with the NBS 10 for connection to MP3, CD and laptop devices.

With a choice of 5 colours there is an NBS 10 that will suit anyone’s decor. The rechargeable battery included provides for ease of use when travelling.

Main Features:

• Wireless Stereo With 3D Sound Effect
• Bluetooth Supporting A2DP
• Wireless Working Distance : 10 meters
• Built-in Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
• LED Indicator
• Play Time : Up To 7 Hours
• Micro USB Charging Port
• 3.5mm Aux-in Jack For Connection Other MP3, CD, Laptop Devices
• Power Output : 2W x 2
• Accessories Included : Micro USB Charging Cable,3.5mm Audio Cable
• Available in BLACK, BLUE, PINK, YELLOW, PURPLE

The NBS 10 is now available from Amazon at RRP £82.99 inc.

About Nakamichi:

The Nakamichi names represent a long proud tradition of quality and innovation in acoustics and electronics. Today’s Nakamichi had its origin in the founding of a small research institute in 1948. Nakamichi Research as it was then called got its start in basic research and development in electromagnetism, magnetic recording, acoustics and communications.

Because of its experience in manufacturing magnetic tape heads and equipment, in 1967 the company started making tape decks for a number of foreign manufacturers including Harman Kardon,KLH, Advent, Fisher, ELAC, Sylvania, Concord, Ampex and Motorola.It is credited with offering the world's first three-head cassette deck.

While their cassette decks were particularly well known, the company is also credited with audio innovations, such as self-centering record players, high-end DAT recorders, and ultra-compact slot-loading CD changers. Since 1999 its product range has included design-oriented home cinema audio systems, mini hi-fi systems and automotive stereo products, and from 2006, video DVD products.

http://www.nakamichi.com/home.html

Thank you for watching and reading!

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

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SYNAPSE CIRCUIT UNPACKED 5 PART 1

The Galaxy S5: I like the design. It's growing on me already!

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

UNPACKED 5 PART ONE:
THE AFTERMATH!
#Samsung #GalaxyS5 #GS5 #MWC2014 #GalaxyS5Prime #Unpacked #Gear

Good very late evening / early morning, Synapse Circuit Readers! Are you ok? Did the Samsung Unpacked 5 leave you feeling a little shell-shocked? I am feeling shell-shocked and feel compel to write my way back to a calm reality...

"With the Galaxy S5, Samsung is going back to basics to focus on delivering the capabilities that matter most to our consumers."

JK Shin
President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung

SAMSUNG EAT HUMBLE PIE???
Noooooo! That’s not the Samsung I know! The Samsung that I know are innovators; and the Galaxy S4 was and still is brilliant! It is said that the sales of the GS4 was a bit of a disappointment but I find it hard to believe. Could it be that Samsung actually believes that their Air Gestures / View and Smart Stay / Pause, etc were a failure and that’s why the GS4 didn’t sell as well as they had expected? C’mon! That can’t be right because the GS3 started it off and that is still a great seller!

I really think that Samsung is suffering from being... Er... Uhm... Great! Look, my GS2 is still going like the day it came out of the factory (thanks to CyanogenMod 11, KitKat custom ROM). I would have gotten the GS3 only it didn’t coincide with my upgrade. Greatness could be a major problem for Samsung as the GS3 is still selling like hotcakes – especially as it has been reduced in price and will probably come down a tad further now that the Galaxy S5 is here!

Again, like I said in my coverage of the Unpacked 5 event, Samsung appears to be looking to keep it powerful and accessible for the masses who like their technology invisibly powerful. In other words: easy to use through intuition. This is how Apple makes the iPhone appealing.

But what about the people who love technology and wants it anyhow Samsung delivers it?

I LOVE TECHNO
I don’t know if I am in a minority... I probably am... But I LOVE technology and I love Samsung’s innovations! Literally, I fell in love with the GS3 after my initial shock regarding the design. And I am of the opinion that Samsung hasn’t done enough by the way of design and, like Apple, they have become a little precious about not wanting to rock the boat just in case people don’t like it. But design is one of Samsung’s many strong suits! When the GS2 came out I was so impressed that I had to have it right away! I loved and still love the design – it’s like it was chipped out of some black crystal! I guess that’s why I was initially shocked by the GS3! That was a great leap in design! But the leaps from GS3 to 4 and 5 have not been so wide.

What about me, Samsung? What about me? What about my love for all things tech-tripped out? I can’t help but wonder about this Galaxy S5 Prime... It has been inadvertently leaked by a third party protective case manufacturer. By the process of logical elimination, the Galaxy S5 Prime must be the one without the ‘Home’ button. Check it out here:

http://synapse-circuit.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/synapse-circuit-samsung-galaxy-s5-prime.html

There’s still a possibility that the, potential, GS5 Prime model could look quite different from what is shown in the picture. What I have noticed from revisiting the picture is that there is no Heart Rate Monitor where the flash is (on the back) on either of the models. In fact not only is the ‘Home’ button missing on one of the models, there is no ear receiver grill too! Now what does that mean? Does it mean that the protective case manufacturer does not have the design of the GS5 Prime?

What I have noticed with Samsung is that they put out their premium handset i.e. the Galaxy S4 and then they dilute it with the GS4 Active and Zoom. So, I think this time around, Samsung have put out what they see as the Standard GS5 and will probably release more advanced models such as the much rumoured GS5 Prime with the 2K screen further along down the line. I would love to see Samsung either scrap the Galaxy S Zoom device in favour of putting it into a top notch handset. I felt that the Galaxy S4 Zoom was a good idea but wrapped up in an average handset. Please do not do that again, Samsung! Give me – us, a higher spec than the GS5 handset and whack a tripped out camera on it! 20MP? If you are reading, Samsung... I don’t suppose you can turn the headphone socket into a dual external microphone socket for decent video sound? Is that what you have in store with the GS5 Prime?

Anyhoo, let’s not get ideas above our station! But look at the Galaxy Note 3 - it has all that lovely techno-whiz-bang stuff that people love so much! People are buying it! I would get one if I could! But I guess I am in line for a Galaxy Note 4! It’s fine by me!

Let me close this article with a positive from a GS3 user:

“Guess I'm going from the GS3 to the GS5. Its upgrade time! It’s definitely a big jump up from my GS3 which I love dearly...”

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

What do you reckon?

Review coming very soon.... Stay tuned (pun unintended but works so well)...    

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