Motorola MOTOLUXE review

May 12th, 2012 | Google Android, Mobile Phones, Motorola

One of the newest smartphones to be released by Motorola, the US telecoms giant, is the Motorola MOTOLUXE, a sleek and super stylish mid-range smart phone with slim good looks and an 8 megapixel camera among its many desirable features. 

At only 10mm wide, this is a slim model, although not the slimmest on the market, and lightweight, with a decent 4 inch screen.  Running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, it has a single core processor in keeping with its target market, so while not one of the most powerful smartphones on the market, it should appeal to style seeking money conscious customers, while not compromising on any of the main features that you would expect from a decent Android smartphone. 

Design is one of the strongest selling points in the Motorola MOTOLUXE, which could give far more expensive rivals a run for the money in the looks department.  A capacitive touchscreen with four navigation buttons plus good camera also make the Motorola MOTOLUXE a pleasure to use, and it feels solid but light enough in the hand.  Screen resolution is good at 800×480 (WVGA), again making this feel like a higher end smartphone, and picture quality is decent.  As many as nine home screens can be featured on the screen at one time, and Android makes the running of widgets a smoother and faster experience than previous Motorola models. 

Syncing social networking sites is also possible, and call quality itself is decent.  Setting itself up as a smart but affordable budget smartphone, the Motorola MOTOLUXE is aimed at the mass market rather than the high end, and comes with deals to match, priced fairly and accordingly.  Current Motorola MOTOLUXE deals start from as little as £15.50 per month on various UK networks, including free handset and competitive internet usage as well as unlimited texts and up to 300 minutes of talk time for cheaper options.

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4G data coverage for th UK

May 4th, 2012 | 4G, Internet News

This week, the largest step has been taken to for-fill the switch for analogue TV to digital.

This switch to digital seems bad news for fans of the ‘teletext’ services; however, the switch is absolutely critical in freeing up airwaves, which will then allow new high-speed mobile and broadband services.

The development of the super-fast mobile data, 4G, has been extremely slow in the UK, especially when compared to other countries such as Asia, the US and even Germany.

However, the big mobile networks have continued to develop their trials, with results so far suggesting that once the new spectrum has been allocated, the 4G mobile data could come about quite quickly.

Which is extremely good news, as it has been reported that the 3G data network is under strain. This strain will only get larger as more consumers are buying smart phones and more businesses are switching to tablets.

In order to see how the 4G network will actually function in the real world, as appose to in a lab, means networks have also been carrying out a number of trials. 02 is one of the major mobile networking brands that has recently released results from trials from the 4G experiments in the London area. The results suggest that customers will see an improvement in download speed as the results show a new download speeds, in the region of 20 and 50mbps. Tests have also shown that by using a 4G network, you will find that it is more responsive and the improvement will also be highly noticeable especially when video streaming.

Most users won’t need a 150mbps connection from a device such as the IPad and some may even believe that the 4G network is unnecessary. But where users will benefit is the removal of delays from the network.

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3D Smartphone – the LG Optimus 3D

April 28th, 2012 | LG, Mobile Phones

The Optimus 3D Max is the first 3D smartphone that can be used without glasses. The phone is the first of its kind within the European market.

President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile communications company, Jong-seok Park, commented about the phone in a release recently. He exclaimed: “We are deliberately pushing the limits of mobile entertainment innovation with the Optimus 3D Max,This device has evolved significantly since we introduced the first LG Optimus 3D at MWC in 2011. Our second generation glasses-free 3D smartphone is as thin and light as any other high-end smartphone while delivering a spectacular picture in either 2D or 3D.”

The new 3D phone has a 3D converter which means that the phone can display a great variety of 3D content as it can convert 2D content from Google Earth, Google mapsand many more mapping apps to 3D. The device also has a 3D video editor which has proved very popular. The video convertor editor allows you to edit 3D videos in real time. The phone also features a 3D ‘hotkey’ located on the side of the device, which allows the phone users to easily switch between 2D and 3D.

Other features also include a HD converter which allows high quality content to be viewed on a TV once the TV is connected through MHL. As well as “range finder” -an application, this can calculate the distance between the camera and a subject as well as the dimensions of an object.

Optimus 3D Max is a whopping 2mm slimmer as well as an astounding 20g lighter than the previous model. The phone also weighs a mere 148g. The 5MP rear camera captures both photos and video in 3D which can be viewed directly on the smartphone in 3D, on a 3D capable computer monitor or TV all without the need of 3D glasses.

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Draw something mobile phone app

April 24th, 2012 | Apps, Mobile Phones

Everyone has heard of the new craze “draw something.” The IPhone/ IPod touch app has proven to be highly popular with people claiming that the game is highly ‘addictive’ However the entertaining app has been updating with some new and nifty tools.

Recently news was released that Draw Something has been updated with some new and improved features. The game now allows players to chat, as well as save any images to their tablet or phone, as well as allowing the direct uploading of any images to Twitter and Facebook.

The chat feature is an interesting and new addition to the game, although designers were slightly cautions about including the feature as it could lead to players discussing the drawings, rather than actually guessing the image. However this was easily fixed as the company resolved the issue, by only allowing the ‘chat function’ to take place on the “Drawsome!” page once the drawing has actually already been guessed correctly.

Along with the updates and improvements that have already been mentioned, other edited features include: new undo features -which allows players to undo their mistakes easily and quickly-, a new feature which enables you to refresh your gaming que, as well an updated winning streak of now 999 drawings as appose to the original which was just simply 99.

“We’ve been completely blown away by how the world has responded to Draw Something. Our players continue to make the game their own and we want to help them do just that by giving them what they’ve asked for – more ways to share and connect with their friends. We’re always focused on making Draw Something the most fun and social experience possible for our players” said a spokesman for draw something.

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LG Optimus One’s variants

April 19th, 2012 | Google Android, LG, Mobile Phones

The LG Optimus One is a range of smartphones made by the company LG Electronics Inc. The basic look of each variant is the same, but different models have different hard button shapes and layouts. They also have hardware differences, such as varying speed processors, keyboard/touchscreens, higher modem speeds or different camera resolutions.

LG Optimus One review pages for the seven different varieties that LG has released since late 2010 have been helpful. The handset was the first of their smartphones to see more than a million sales. The first version sold was the LG Optimus One P500, which was released in South Korea, and versions for Canada, the United States, Asia and Europe soon followed.

Other variants of the smartphone include:

•    The LG Optimus Chat – Has a 2.8 inch touchscreen, a physical keyboard and a chat feature.
•    The LG Optimus Chic – Features a five-megapixel camera, and a modem that has increased upload speeds (discontinued).
•    The LG Optimus Net – Comes with an 800 MHz processor, 3.6 Mbit/s download speed and a 3.15 megapixel camera.
•    The LG Optimus S – Features include the Sprint ID graphic user interface and CDMA network connection.

The LG Optimus One began by using the Android 2.2 Froyo software, but announced plans in early 2011 that it would switch to the Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which after some technical difficulties along the way, it did. It started in Romania and was closely followed by Russia, Brazil and then the rest of the world.

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The Samsung Ace Plus

April 12th, 2012 | Google Android, Mobile Phones, Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus is an upgrade to the ‘Galaxy Ace’ and comes equipped with all the features of the ‘Ace’, but with heightened resolution and speed. This handset has 3.65-inch screen and is an Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), complete with a 1Ghz processor and 3gb of memory.

Samsung have also improved the camera in the Galaxy Ace Plus and reviewers are delighted that the phone has a 5mp autofocus camera with accompanying LED flash. The smart touch screen is equipped with Samsung’s ‘Touch Wiz’ overlay. The chic design of the phone is targeted at the socially mobile and busy consumer. It is equipped with a variety of apps, including Google maps, as well as Samsung’s own instant messaging service, ‘ChatON’, MP3 music files are also available. The Samsung Ace Plus review feedback currently available, the phone was only recently launched in the UK, all point to the robust build of this device, despite is light weight, of only 115 grams. 

To date, Vodafone is the only carrier to have listed prices for this phone, but it’s worth carrying out an internet search to see what other deals might be available later on in the year.  For those who sign up to a contract, the phone is expected to be free.

The size of the screen makes the Samsung Ace Plus ideal for mobile web browsing for those who like to work while travelling; this is an attractive accessory to any upwardly mobile professional.

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Android, BlackBerry or iPhone? Which smartphone would you choose?

April 9th, 2012 | Mobile Phones

The choice of phones available today is mind boggling for the pros and even more confusing for the novices, however one thing is for sure, there is a mobile phone out there that suits your needs.  There are Androids, BlackBerry phones and iPhones, but which one would you choose?  Each and every phone has a plethora of features and each one has a place in someone’s pocket or handbag.  Mobile phones have become increasingly popular as the age of working remotely has become even more prevalent thus proving the need for data at your fingertips wherever you are.  Clearly the functionality of each phone suits different individuals and it is therefore important to make an informed decision when buying an item that will be a daily fixture in your busy schedule.

You should consider what your needs are, such as how you use your phone and what is important to you, and then compare this list with the host of mobile phone features available.  If emailing comes top of your list, the BlackBerry mobile phone, Android phones and the iPhones all offer email capabilities and all three types of phone provide an excellent email application so it may come down to which one you find easiest to use.  What kind of keyboard are you looking for on your phone?  The iPhone offers a touch screen keyboard whereas the Android and BlackBerry phones offer the touch screen and physical keyboard.  This again depends on your preference as both types are as good as each other.  Some of these phones offer voice recognition, video conferencing and various other applications.  The majority have cameras and video recorders with different features such as autofocus, flash, etc.  Fear not, there are plenty of reviews out there that can help you choose the phone that is best for you and rest assured there is one out there.

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Market leaders in the mobile phone industry – 2009 – 2011

March 24th, 2012 | Android, Apple, Mobile Phone News, Mobile Phones

In 2009, the market leader in the mobile phone industry was Nokia. This, however, began to change in 2010 as more and more competition joined the worldwide market. In the Asia-Pacific region, Micromax, Nexian and i-Mobile proved to be major competition to Nokia mobile phones. In India, they enjoyed 56% of the market share, but in 2010 it dropped to just 31% as a result of cheap Chinese and Indian models being released.

In 2009, the top five phone manufacturers were:

•    Nokia.
•    Samsung.
•    RIM.
•    Sony Ericsson.
•    Motorola.

The top five phone manufacturers in 2010 were:

•    Nokia.
•    Samsung.
•    LG Electronics.
•    ZTE.
•    Apple.

In 2010, around 1.6 billion mobile phones were sold worldwide, an increase of 31.8% on the previous year. Currently, the market is seeing a lot of changes as older and newer companies jostle for a position on the world stage of mobile phone sales. In the first quarter of 2011 mobile phone news websites stated that Apple, makers of the iPhone, overtook Nokia phones as the largest handset vendor by revenue in the whole world.

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Google Nexus S Smartphone Review

March 21st, 2012 | Android, Mobile Phones, Samsung

The Google Nexus S is a smartphone that brings all things Google to the palm of your hand.  For this reason, it is arguably one of the best smartphones available on the market at this time.

Any Google Nexus S Review is invariably extremely positive.  It operates on Android version 2.3, comes with assisted navigation GPS as standard, Google Earth, easy internet functionality, and is slick and fast with 16GB built in storage and a substantial amount of RAM. 

The Nexus S shares many features as the Samsung Galaxy S.  The Hummingbird 1GHz processor and Android 2.3 make this one of the fastest phones on the market.  Multi-tasking is a breeze and is easily able to cope with game play or video playback.  It comes with a 5-megapixel camera with a flash, autofocus and video recording.  This phone boasts enviable internet download speeds of up to 7.2MB per second, and comes with one of the best performing batteries on the smartphone market.

There are a number Google Nexus S deals available on the internet.

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Mobile Phone Manufacturers – Samsung

March 13th, 2012 | Mobile Phones, Samsung

Samsung mobile phones have become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly with the development of the Galaxy family range.  There are a number of useful features in this group of phones, including connectivity to the internet via both 3G and Wi-Fi and a 1 GHz processor, enough for crystal clear images and to make it much easier to play games online.  Users of the Galaxy mobile phones will find that they are able to run a number of applications simultaneously.

The operating system for the Samsung Galaxy phones is Android, a Google-based application.  As it is an open source platform, apps for the system can be sourced from a number of different places and users are not limited to official apps.  The system is also compatible with software such as Adobe Flash Player and videos can be played in a number of formats including MPEG4, DivX and Xvid.

Apps for the system currently total more than 150,000 so users are able to personalise their phones with their ideal ones.  A number of apps are already loaded onto the phones and there are plenty of Google apps such as Goggles, which are perfect for use with these phones.

One member of the Galaxy family is the Galaxy S.  This phone has a battery which will give 7 hours of usage even while watching movies.  The Galaxy Tab offers 13 hours of usage, depending upon the applications being used, as well as a seven-inch screen, which is perfect for images and video. 

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