More
    Home Blog Page 1191

    Review: Galaxy Note 10.1

    Gadgets Team
    -
    8
    Review: Galaxy Note 10.1

    It was inevitable that Samsung would create a full sized Note. The original phablet (phone/tablet) managed to win over millions with its size and innovative S-Pen technology. Now the Korean manufacturer is looking to hit it big again with the Galaxy Note 10.1. Does their new tablet have what it takes to make waves in the local tablet market?

    The Galaxy Note 10.1 was first revealed back in February during the Mobile World Congress in Spain. Back then, it pretty much had the same horsepower under the hood as their other tablet announcements, the Galaxy Tab 2 – 1.4GHz dual-core processor and an external stylus. Rumors then swirled that Samsung was replacing the dated hardware with something more modern to compete with other, more powerful tablets at that time. That rumor turned out to be true, as the review unit we received packs a more powerful quad-core processor that’s roughly equivalent to the one in the Galaxy S III.

    Most of Samsung’s recent product releases are mostly of a plastic persuasion when it comes to materials used, and the Galaxy Note 10.1 is no exception. The Galaxy Note 10.1 is mostly made out of white plastic, surrounded by a silver plastic trim. The display used is a 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen that has a native resolution of 800 x 1280 pixels, and an overall pixel density of 149ppi.

    Two speaker grills are visible on either side of the panel, which hints at the multimedia capabilities of this particular tablet.

    On the top of the device lies the SIM port, volume rocker, power button and microSD slot, along with an IR port.

    One of the main design changes of the Galaxy Note 10.1 over the original device shown back in February was the inclusion of a dedicated slot for the S-Pen on the back. The S-Pen now neatly slides into the back of the device, near the lower right portion of the tablet when not in use. There’s a 5-megapixel camera located on the back of the device as well for imaging.

    Like we mentioned earlier, the Galaxy Note 10.1 has received a major upgrade in its internals, and now sports a quad-core Exynos 4412 processor pumping out 1.4GHz. That, paired with 2GB of RAM, should give the Galaxy Note 10.1 blistering performance in theory. But as you’ll find out, performance isn’t just based on hardware alone. The Galaxy Note 10.1 is powered by Android 4.0 and has Samsung’s own TouchWiz UI layered on top. Samsung will only be selling the 16GB GSM version of the Galaxy Note 10.1 in the Philippines.

    One of the main features of the Galaxy Note 10.1 is its S-Pen, which is Samsung’s fancy way of calling a stylus. The S-Pen, combined with the S-Note app on the Galaxy Note, gives the device content creation abilities.

    The S-Note app allows you to write and edit documents, and the S-Pen really thrives in apps like Photoshop, giving users a bigger degree of control when it comes to content creation on the tablet. Handwriting recognition has improved over the original Galaxy Note, and the Galaxy Note 10.1’s accuracy rate has dramatically risen. The Galaxy Note 10.1 can even recognize formulas and chart them out for your using the internet and Wolfram Alpha, which should be a great help for students looking for a leg up in their studies.

    As impressive as the S-Pen is, what really blew us away during our review of the Galaxy Note 10.1 is its multimedia capabilities. The Galaxy Note 10.1 is possibly the first and only tablet that we know of that has multi-screen capabilities.

    Users can now browse the web and watch a video at the same time, much like how people watch two video feeds via picture-in-picture technology in some TVs. Users can also have two apps running concurrently on the screen – one app, and either one of the six apps that’s been optimized for dual-screen operation: S Note, Gallery, Video, Browser, Polaris Office and Email.

    Performance-wise, the Galaxy Note 10.1 did not disappoint when it came to synthetic benchmarks. The Galaxy Note 10.1 bested the Galaxy S III on AnTuTu, racking up 12371 points.

    On Quadrant, the Galaxy Note 10.1 bested the similarly quad-core powered HTC One X, racking up 5178 points.

    We’re glad to see that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1’s performance doesn’t come at the expense of battery life. Using the Galaxy Note 10.1 as a WiFi tablet netted us around 8 ½ hours of useful battery life. Using the GSM radio knocked an hour off the operating time at 7 hours.

    In practice though, the Galaxy Note 10.1’s performance is a bit hobbled by the very thing that strives to differentiate it from the pack – TouchWiz UI. While Samsung’s UI overlay tries to deliver additional features to the fore, the thick layer sometimes impedes on the tablet’s overall performance. We noticed a bit of sluggish performance when swiping through different screens, and though it’s not really that pronounced, you’ll still notice it from time to time.

    Another complaint of ours is the relatively low-resolution screen. For a device that’s supposed to be on the top of the pile when it comes to Android tablets, the 800 x 1280 pixel falls short of what its competitors are offering. It’s not a bad display per se, but we feel Samsung could’ve done better.

    So is the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 the Android tablet for you? Well, that depends. While Samsung’s S-Pen and the accompanying apps that make use of that pen is a breath of fresh air and gives creative a way to express themselves, we feel that the Galaxy Note 10.1 will be relegated to a niche market. Priced at Php 32,990, it’s not exactly cheap, and users may opt to get cheaper tablets for that price. In the end it’ll be up to you to decide if the addition of the S-Pen and the accompanying software merits the premium price that the Galaxy Note 10.1 is asking for.

     

    What’s Hot:

    Quad-core processor

    Multi-screen capabilities

    S-Pen and S-Note app allow users to create content

    Long battery life

     

    What’s Not:

    Pricey

    Performance is sometimes hindered by TouchWiz UI

     

    Bottomline:

    Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 does a lot of things right. The S-Pen, multiscreen capabilities and quad-core processor make it one of the better Android tablets to come out recently.

     

    Buymeter: 4

     

    Tech Specs

    • Operating System: Android 4.0 (ICS), TouchWiz UI overlay
    • CPU: CPU: Quad-core Exynos 4412 1.4GHz processor
    • LCD size: 10.1-inch PLS TFT screen, 800 x 1280 resolution screen
    • Physical Dimensions: 262 x 180 x 8.9 mm
    • Weight: 600 grams
    • Band: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
    •  Internal memory :  16GB memory, expandable through microSD

    Lenovo joins the phablet game with K860 LePhone, 5-inch 720p display, quad-core processor

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Lenovo joins the phablet game with K860 LePhone, 5-inch 720p display, quad-core processor

    It seems that more and more manufacturers are jumping on the phablet bandwagon, as Lenovo has recently announced that they’re coming out with their own interpretation of the phablet, the K860 LePhone. This particular smartphone has a 5-inch, 720p display, quad-core 1.4GHz Exynos 4412 processor with a Mali-400MP GPU and is powered by Android 4.0 (ICS). It’s also equipped with an 8-megapixel camera that’s capable of shooting in burst mode, much like other quad-core equipped devices out there today. Unfortunately, the Lenovo K860 LePhone is currently just floating around in China today, there’s no word when (or even if) this particular device will hit markets outside of China.

    Source: Engadget

    LG announces global availability of Optimus Vu, gets an upgrade to Tegra 3

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    LG announces global availability of Optimus Vu, gets an upgrade to Tegra 3

    Remember LG’s Optimus Vu? Well, the Korean electronics firm has just sent word that its unique, 4:3 aspect ratio smartphone will be hitting global markets soon, and will be getting an upgrade of sorts when it hits the ground in select markets in Europe, Asia, Middle East/Africa and Latin America starting in September. The global version of the Optimus Vu still gets a 5-inch screen but its processor has been upgraded from a paltry 1.5GHz dual-core deal to a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor. It’ll have Android 4.0 right out of the tin, and sport 32GB of storage space, along with an 8-megapixel camera.

     

    Samsung teases Galaxy Note II ahead of unveil, promises to make your magical moments come alive

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Samsung teases Galaxy Note II ahead of unveil, promises to make your magical moments come alive

    Samsung’s setting the mood for its Galaxy Note II unveil in IFA in about two weeks time, and has released a teaser video [briefly] showing off the new stylus for the device. Director Wim Wenders is in the trailer, and Samsung promises to deliver “all the things you can do in the blink on the eye, on such a small and light thing.” Pretty cryptic, but hey, at this point we’re just happy that they’ve officially acknowledged the existence of the Note II. You can check out the video yourself below.

    Free power? Sure. Give it a few more years.

    Ren Alcantara
    -
    0
    Free power? Sure. Give it a few more years.

    One of the basic problems of computing is that it requires power. No matter how long the battery life on your phone is, no matter how  many power packs you carry along with you, you’re going to run out of juice at some point. However, he researchers over at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta are creating small, highly-efficient batteries that recharge themselves through movement. It basically uses a bunch of hard-to-pronounce materials that can generate and keep charge by getting flexed, moved around and squished, such as what happens  to our soles when we walk. The voltages produced are quite low at the moment, but improvements are already being thought up. Once this piece of tech becomes a practical reality, we may finally see the age of devices that we won’t ever have to plug into a wall outlet ever again. For a more technical explanation, grab your thick glasses and head over HERE.

     

    (Image from the American Chemical Society)

    Samsung supposedly launching a 5.8-inch player/tab along with Galaxy Note 2 during IFA

    Gadgets Team
    -
    2
    Samsung supposedly launching a 5.8-inch player/tab along with Galaxy Note 2 during IFA

    Phandroid is reporting that Samsung might release another oversized tablet/media player alongside the Galaxy Note 2 in IFA this year. The device is set to run on Android 4.0 and will be a player only (which means WiFi only, no GSM support) and is rumored to have a dual-core 1GHz processor. We’re not sure if there’s a large market for Android media players, especially one this size – we were barely comfortable using the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note when it first came out, and we think that a 5.8-inch device is just a tad too big. We’re not even sure that this is a regular media player or just a scaled down tablet but we’ll see soon enough if this particular device is real when IFA begins two weeks from now.

    Source: Phandroid

    Sony announces Xperia SL, dual-core Snapdragon S3 1.7GHz, 4.3-inch touchscreen

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Sony announces Xperia SL, dual-core Snapdragon S3 1.7GHz, 4.3-inch touchscreen

    Sony has quietly announced their Xperia SL through their global website. The Xperia SL is a dual-core Snapdragon 3 equipped smartphone packing a 1.7GHz processor and a 4.3-inch touchscreen. Engadget says that the SL is a slight refresh of the company’s Xperia S smartphone, and it looks like it – it looks extremely similar, and possibly the only difference between the S is the two additional colors offered for it. Thankfully, Sony is offering Google’s Android 4.0 ICS for the Xperia SL right off the bat, so you won’t have to worry about those pesky upgrade cycles if you do decide to pick it up if it ever comes here.

    Source: Sony via Engadget

    Motorola hits Apple with patent lawsuit, goes after Siri, location reminders,notifications and more

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Motorola hits Apple with patent lawsuit, goes after Siri, location reminders,notifications and more

    Google’s Motorola Mobility division has just served Apple with a patent-infringement lawsuit with the International Trade Commission in US. Motorola is accusing Apple of violating several patents that directly relate to location reminders, email notifications, video playback and Siri. According to tech outfit TechCrunch, Motorola claims that almost every single device that Apple sells nowadays (excluding the classic iPod and Nano) infringes on the said patents, and Motorola is looking to bar imports of Apple’s products from entering the US. When Google bought Motorola Mobility, tech pundits summized that the company was doing so because of Motorola’s large patent inventory that they intended to use against their competitors, and it seems that has been the case here.

    Source: TechCrunch

    Free up some space on yout iOS device this (long) weekend

    Ren Alcantara
    -
    0
    Free up some space on yout iOS device this (long) weekend


    Storage space is an important part of every mobile device. The more room you have to tote stuff around, the more time you can spend disconnected from the real world. Sometimes, though, there just isn’t enough for everything we want to take with us. Cloud storage has offered a solution, but without a fast enough internet connection to stream all that content, the amount of cloud storage you have is moot. The best answer is still to free up space on the device itself. The thing is, sometimes, even after double-checking all the files, apps and settings pages on your iOS device, it seems like there is some mystery space that remains unaccounted for. If that is the case, head over to this LINK and get yourself a copy of PhoneClean. It’s a Windows program that promises to take all the files, cookies and other miscellaneous junk you think you got rid of, and deletes them for real. Less junk means more space, and a happier user. Do be warned though, that it may delete some cookies that are actually useful, as well as some apps that you may depend on, so be careful, and back everything up before giving it a shot.

    Lenovo exec says Windows 8 RT tablets will cost $300 less than Intel-based machines

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Lenovo exec says Windows 8 RT tablets will cost $300 less than Intel-based machines

    Here’s a bright spot for people looking to get a Windows 8 RT tablet when the OS is officially launched two months from now: a Lenovo exec has gone on record to say that they expect Windows RT powered devices, meaning devices powered by ARM processors, will cost $300 less than comparable Intel-powered Windows 8 Pro tablets when the devices are launched right after the official Windows 8 launch.  David Schmoock, Senior VP of Lenovo’s North American division says that full-on tablets will possibly come in at the $600 (about Php 25448) and $700 (Php 29689) price range, while Windows RT powered devices will retail for $300 less. “RT will play in consumer and retail at very aggressive price points,” he said. This particular comment may lend credence to the rumor that Microsoft’s RT version of the Surface tablet will retail for around $200. One can only hope.

    Source: Bloomberg 

    HP reviving interest in consumer tablets, creates Mobility Division

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    HP reviving interest in consumer tablets, creates Mobility Division

    Almost 1 year ago HP decided to get out of the consumer tablet space by killing off WebOS, and today the company is doing a complete 180 – the Verge has reported that HP has created a new division to create and develop consumer tablets and “additional segments and categories where we (HP) believe we can offer differentiated value to our customers.” This was all leaked via an internal memo sent out by HP’s Todd Bradley, who runs the merged recently-merged Printing and Personal Systems Group. The new unit has been dubbed as their Mobility Division, and will be headed up by Alberto Torres, an ex-Nokia employee who ran the MeeGo operations back when the OS was still relevant to the Finnish manufacturer. According to the memo, Alberto’s first order of business will be to accelerate their tablet strategy and begin to execute products against their consumer/SMB target. Hopefully that means will be seeing HP’s tablet offerings before this year is out.

    Source: The Verge

    Razer releases Deathstalker Ultimate Keyboard, uses Switchblade UI to give gamers an edge

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Razer releases Deathstalker Ultimate Keyboard, uses Switchblade UI to give gamers an edge

    Remember Razer’s Switchblade UI that they used on their Blade gaming notebook? Well, the peripheral company has found a way to integrate it with a gaming grade keyboard, and has billed the result as the world’s smartest keyboard. Meet the Razer Deathstalker Ultimate, the company’s first Switchblade UI enabled keyboard. What makes the Deathstalker Ultimate is the Switchblade UI, which combines a small touchscreen LCD with fully customizable keys that allows gamers to fully customize the panel with 10 dynamic, adaptive tactile keys that can be used to bind commands, macros, skills and spells.

    LCD panel below the keys is capable of two modes. The first setting displays critical in-game information, such as damage dealt and heals-per-second on the new Star Wars: The Old Republic Battle Logger application, or countdown timers that keep track of in-game events with the Razer Gamer Timer application. Razer has included several apps to work with the keyboard to start with, with more on the way. While Razer has pegged the price of the Deathstalker Ultimate at $249.99 (about Php 10603) in the US, there’s no local pricing or availability yet for the Philippines.

     

    Smart LTE pricing revealed: 3,500 a month for 10GB of data, 42 Mbps speeds

    Gadgets Team
    -
    3
    Smart LTE pricing revealed: 3,500 a month for 10GB of data, 42 Mbps speeds

    We’re still waiting for Smart’s official unveil of their commercial LTE service that’s scheduled to launch on the 25th of August, but the telco has graciously unveiled the pricing for their LTE service. According to Smart’s LTE page here, they’ll be offering 10GB of data at blistering 42 Mbps speeds for 3,500 a month. While the price does seem a bit pricey (considering that you’re capped at 10GB a month), Smart says that their pricing is competitive when compared to other regions, which charges 20$ a GB (Php 848) for the same amount of speeds. Unfortunately, we’re not sure yet what happens when a user goes over that 10GB limit or whether Smart will dial back their speeds, but we’re sure we’ll get more information once the service officially launches next week.

    Source: Smart

    Official 9Gag app for iOS hits Appstore. Say goodbye to productivity.

    Ren Alcantara
    -
    0
    Official 9Gag app for iOS hits Appstore. Say goodbye to productivity.

    Everyone is guilty of browsing a bit of 9Gag every so often, but really, who has tome to open the browser, type the URL and only the start browsing? Fortunately, there’s now an app for that. It conveniently comes with swipe gestures and makes sure you never miss any lulz ever again. It’s totally free, and works for iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads. Head over to this LINK end get your copy now!

    Ixquick: A search engine that does not record your IP address

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Ixquick: A search engine that does not record your IP address

    Privacy on the Internet is somewhat of a fleeting thing, and in some cases, it may not even exist anymore. People are constantly scrambling to protect their social media profiles and computers from almost everyone, from their own family and friends, to their employers and coworkers, and even law enforcement and the government. Despite all the moves we make to ensure our privacy, they are not a guarantee that someone might find something out about yourself that you don’t want to be put out there.

    Although people are finding ways to mask their true IP addresses by using programs and proxy websites, often times more than not, they become more of a hassle than a benefit to those who want to have true privacy, namely because of the setup time of the programs and the reliability and speed of the proxies. However, the search engine Ixquick claims to not record the IP addresses of their users, which makes it a good alternative to those who do not want to be tracked while they are on the Internet.

    “Every time you use a regular search engine, your search data is recorded. Major search engines capture your IP address and use tracking cookies to make a record of your search terms, the time of your visit, and the links you choose – then they store that information in a giant database. Those searches reveal a shocking amount of personal information about you, such as your interests, family circumstances, political leanings, medical conditions, and more. This information is modern-day gold for marketers, government officials, black-hat hackers and criminals – all of whom would love to get their hands on your private search data,” the website says. “When you use Ixquick, we do not record your IP address, we do not record which browser you are using (Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, etc.), we do not record your computer platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.), and we do not record your search words or phrases. In fact, the only information we do record is an aggregate total of how many searches are performed on our website each day (a measure of overall traffic), and those overall traffic numbers broken down by language.”

    As a result, Ixquick scored a perfect 100 out of 100 on PrivacyScore, a website that assesses the privacy risks of visiting a website. In contrast, Google only scored 85 out of 100, Bing only scored 83 out of 100, and Yahoo! only scored 75 out of 100. While those look like relatively high scores, PrivacyScore says to exercise caution while visiting all of those search engines.

    1...1,1901,1911,192...1,351Page 1,191 of 1,351
    LOG-IN

    © 2020 - Great Minds Media Inc.