Tuesday 30 June 2015

AT&T Moto X (2nd Gen.) gets Android 5.1, Motorola kicks off red leather Moto Maker promo

AT&T Moto X 2nd Gen hands on large

This evening there’s some good news for folks with an AT&T Moto X (2nd Gen.) and for people that don’t yet have a Moto X but would like a good deal on one.

First up, Motorola’s David Schuster has announced that Android 5.1 for the AT&T version of the Moto X (2nd Gen.) is now available for pull. That means that if you’re rocking an AT&T-flavored Moto X, you should be able to snag your Android 5.1 update by heading into Settings > About phone > System updates.



from PhoneDog.com - Latest videos, reviews, articles, news and posts http://ift.tt/1NtQqgn
via IFTTT

iPhone 6s leak gives a peek at the rear shell of Apple's next smartphone

iPhone 6s rear shell leak

As we get closer to the expected iPhone 6s debut this fall, the rumor mill is going to start kicking into high gear with leaks and rumors regarding Apple’s next smartphone. That’s happening today, as a huge iPhone 6s leak has surfaced.



from PhoneDog.com - Latest videos, reviews, articles, news and posts http://ift.tt/1BVf0Fq
via IFTTT

Apple Music not yet included with T-Mobile Music Freedom

T-Mobile Music Freedom official

Today Apple launched Apple Music, its new music streaming service. However, if you’re a T-Mobile subscriber, you may want to hold off on making Apple Music your sole music streaming source.



from PhoneDog.com - Latest videos, reviews, articles, news and posts http://ift.tt/1BVeZ4j
via IFTTT

Hands-on review: In Depth: Apple Music

Hands-on review: In Depth: Apple Music

Apple Music review

You can count on one finger the number of companies in the world that could launch a new music streaming service and expect to become a major player overnight.

That company is Apple and today it duly obliged by launching Apple Music - the long-awaited music app that integrates subscription-based streaming capabilities with the playback of existing songs in your iTunes library.

So you no longer need to buy an album on iTunes in order to listen to it on your iPhone inside stock apps, you can simply pay $9.99/£9.99 per month and stream as much music as you like directly into your head, preferably via the ears. And you can do it from inside the Music app on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, or with iTunes on your PC or Mac.

(An Android app will be available later in the year - an app which is definitely still in development and definitely isn't being intentionally held back by Apple for, you know, reasons - don't be so cynical.)

Apple Music also offers extensive music discovery channels including round-the-clock radio station 'Beats 1' featuring renowned radio DJs like Zane Lowe, as well as social features that aim to put artists and bands closer to their fans. It's all exciting stuff.

The best thing about all this? Apple is giving everyone three months access to Apple Music as a free trial. That's a killer feature that gives Apple Music a good shot of quickly establishing a respectable subscriber base.

apple music free trial

A challenge for Apple

The launch of Apple Music is an enormous moment for the music business, not just because Apple has been such a major player over the last 15 years but also because it's taken Apple so long to get here. After all - music streaming is not a new thing.

Spotify launched, if you can believe it, seven years ago now. It has 75 million active users around the world including 20 million paying subscribers who have collectively created over 1.5 billion playlists. That's not a temporary deal - Spotify is here to stay and Apple has its work cut out for it if it wants to be the number one.

But as we'll see, Apple's strategy is as self-serving, insular and crafty as usual, with its goal not necessarily to be the number one on the planet from the off, but rather to be a unique and reliable service that can be used in future to sell more iPhones and iPads while becoming a profitable service in its own right.

taylor swift 1989

The basics of Apple Music

Apple Music costs $9.99/£9.99 per month for a standard dose of all-you-can-eat music streaming or 14.99 for a family package which gives access for up to six people.

That pricing is the same as most of Apple Music's competitors, but the family plan is a nice addition and offers real value for money.

denied

Don't even try listening on more than one device at the same time with a standard subscription - you'll be instantly be cut off on one of the devices, given a stern warning and administered with a painful electric shock. One of those things isn't true.

Sound quality is possibly one area of contention, though, because while Tidal and others push towards CD-quality music at 1441kbps, Apple Music streams tunes at a fairly pitiful 256kbps, and in the MP3 format as well.

Even Spotify and Google are able to stream 320kbps in OGG, a far more accomplished method of music delivery. Come on, Apple, we've moved past 256kbps MP3's by now.

Give us more bits per second!

Focus on music discovery

The Apple Music library is 30 million tracks strong and growing - that's not quite as high as the number of tracks available in iTunes but on a par with Spotify and Google Music which are, lets face it, its biggest rivals.

Any music that you have in your own personal library that perhaps isn't available to stream you can upload to iCloud and have them seamlessly integrated with the other tracks that are natively available. You're currently limited to 25,000 but that will increase to 100,000 when iOS 9 launches.

music discovery

The service has taken a leaf out of the Tidal playbook by offering playlists created by real, living, breathing (we assume), human music experts and initial signs are positive on that score - I found myself happily sitting through a number of them as I worked this afternoon and for me that shows real patience - normally I don't like anyone telling me what songs to listen to.

And the whole service is underpinned by Beats 1, a real internet radio station in the truest sense.

It's not an auto-generated playlist based on your personal tastes, though Apple has done a good job with those as well, but a full-blown DJ-hosted 24-hour radio station hosted by Zane Lowe and others, designed to help you discover what Apple wants to call "new music".

Whether "new music" to Apple means giving exposure to the indie stars of future or simply being the first to play Kanye West's latest deep sustained booming sounds remains to be seen.

radio

First impressions

I'll be putting Apple Music through its paces for a while before delivering a full verdict, but here are some thoughts while you wait:

  • As a non-Apple user and someone who abandoned the burning building that is iTunes many years ago, the design of the app is not particularly intuitive. I think the problem is that there is just so much going on in there, finding a place for it all has inevitably led to some compromises in the design. I'll probably get over it but I think it'll put plenty of people off right from the start.
  • Sound quality is disappointing. I won't labour the point here but in an age where we're pushing for high res music, 256kpbs MP3 just doesn't cut it. It's noticeably inferior to other services when listening with a decent pair of headphones. Sorry Apple, it's not good enough - particularly as you, of all companies, can do a lot better.
  • Apple has put music discovery at the very heart of this service and I think it works. For those people out there - hey dad - who like music but don't know what to listen to, Apple Music could be a dream come true. I don't usually like to be told what to listen to, but I'm looking forward to testing its effectiveness - does Apple know my music taste better than I do? We'll soon see.
  • Beats 1 is a backwards idea but I think it's going to really work. Only Apple could pull off a global radio station like this, and while I can't imagine myself listening to it very often - or, let's be honest, ever - a lot of people will, I'm convinced.
  • The app is slow at times on both my iPad and my iPod touch 5th gen. The app is divided into six main sections - For You, New, Radio, Connect, Playlists, My Music - and switching between them always gives me a spinning wheel of doom. Usually only for a couple of seconds, but still, don't make me wait - I'm impatient.

So to sum up my first couple of hours with Apple Music I'd say that I am impressed. For iPhone and iPad owners who don't currently stream music, it'll be a revelation and I suspect that the more time you spend with Apple Music, the more you fall in love with it.

But whether it's enough to tempt Spotify or Google Music subscribers to jump ship... I have my, albeit preliminary, doubts.

Don't take my word for it though - get stuck in with the free three month trial and let us know what you think of Apple Music in the comments below.












from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1GXq5Vt

Hound Beta Search vs Siri vs Cortana vs Google Now

Four of the most respected voice assistants go head to head. SoundHound's Hound (Beta) Voice Search vs Apple's Siri vs Microsoft's Cortana vs Google's Google Now. Hound Search is from the makers of SoundHound and has been in development for over nine years. Which voice assistant do you prefer?



from PhoneDog.com - Latest videos, reviews, articles, news and posts http://ift.tt/1dvnx6g
via IFTTT

Verizon: DROID Turbo Android 5.1 update will start rolling out July 1

Motorola DROID Turbo front

Motorola recently began pushing Android 5.1 to the DROID Turbo, but only as a soak test to select users. The good news is that if you aren’t in that soak test, you won’t have to wait long to try Android 5.1 on the DROID Turbo yourself.



from PhoneDog.com - Latest videos, reviews, articles, news and posts http://ift.tt/1U5gxyA
via IFTTT

Hands-on review: Olympus Air A01

Hands-on review: Olympus Air A01

The interchangeable-lens camera has been an ever shrinking device from full-frame monsters, APS-C sensors to the miniature Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system cameras. Now, Olympus is introducing its smallest camera yet: the Olympus Air A01.

The new pocket shooter is a lens camera much in the same spirit as the Sony QX1 ($399, £250, about AU$520) in that they both rely almost entirely on a smartphone to operate.

It comes outfitted with a 16 megapixel, MFT sensor and a lens mount that will work readily with both Olympus and Panasonic glass. As for the camera screen, you'll have to supply that on your own with an iOS or Android smartphone.

On top of using your phone to see your photos, an accompanying Olympus Air app will turn your smartphone into a central hub for everything from composing your shot to editing and ultimately sharing images.

Olympus Air

Design

If you've seen Olympus's earlier Open Platform camera, then the Air should look somewhat familiar. Since the camera company initially announced its plans to build a new camera platform, the Air has seen some significant refinements. For starters, rather than looking like an oversized and boxy GoPro, the new Air is a perfect cylinder.

It's also incredibly small, making it perfectly pocketable. Measuring in at 57.1 x 57.1 x 43.6mm (W x D x H) it's compact even compared to the larger 74 x 69.5 x 52.5mm (W x D x H) Sony QX1. In fact, the lens camera is just about the same size as the Olympus 17mm, f1.8 lens.

What's more, while the Sony lens camera has weird outcrops protruding from its cylindrical body, the Air is perfectly smooth on all sides. The Air is also a fair bit lighter, weighing in at only 147g compared to the 216g QX1.

Olympus Air

Externally, there aren't many controls on the Olympus Air. Up top, there's a massive shutter button, which makes it easier to trigger the camera no matter how you're holding it. Just below that, you'll also find a small power button, and that's really all there is for controls.

Instead of flicking dials and switches on the camera itself, you'll spend the majority of your time in the Olympus Air smartphone app, tweaking exposure settings and setting up the shot. Thankfully, pairing a phone to the Air is a sinch through NFC or scanning the QR code printed on the device's rear cover.

The Olympus Air comes with a mount for your smartphone to make it one whole, albeit makeshift, camera. Unlike the Sony QX1, the mount does not hold mobile devices flush with the back of the lens camera. Instead, the Air grips smartphones at an angle, making it easier to take photos from overhead or below eye level.

Olympus Air

A whole new world of possibilities

Despite the small size of the camera, the Air can take some truly gorgeous photos. Olympus has equipped its first lens camera with the same MFT sensor taken from the OM-D E-M10. The Air also inherits the E-M10's 81 contrast autofocus points – the sensor detects different colors and levels of brightness automatically – and TruePic VII processing engine.

One thing that has been upgraded is the burst rate, which has been increased to 10 frames per second, thanks to the Air's electronic shutter.

Compared to just about any smartphone camera, the Air resolves more detail, fuller colors, better shadows and general better dynamic range. That's not to say you'll be using this lens camera in a studio environment.

However, this camera will up your photography game with better food photos, landscapes, group selfies and just about any picture you would normally take with a smartphone. Don't forget about the extra flexibility either. Because you can point the camera without having to look at the display, you can use the Air can take images from all sorts of new perspectives.

Olympus Air

As an added layer of accessibility, the smartphone app comes with an OA genius preset, which takes a single photo you took and transforms it into six variants. Olympus explained that the app creates these six deviations by applying different settings, art filters and cropping images.

From there, you can select a shot that looks best or stick with their original file. Either way the Olympus Air app automatically creates these files. You can also choose your favorite OA Genius-created photos with stars, and the smartphone app will begin understanding your preference.

Of course, more experienced shooters are also free to go fully hands on and manually adjust every aspect of their exposure.

Olympus Air

A tiny bit too small

Annoyingly, just about everything on the backside of the camera is obstructed by one layer of plastic or another. At the rear, there's a switch to turn on and off Bluetooth as well as a microUSB connector for charging.

But to get to either, you'll have to take off the smartphone mount. What's more, there's yet another rear cover that blocks access to the microSD card slot.

Additionally, to shrink the Air to such a small size, Olympus sacrificed a few qualities innate to its MFT camera line. Most importantly, the Air does not feature any form of sensor-shifting image stabilization whatsoever. Panasonic lenses with in-image stabilization of their own will work, though.

Olympus Air

The Air is also entirely reliant on an electronic shutter to take photos. Without a mechanical shutter, there's a greater chance images will develop rolling shutter, or the effect of a bent image, if you move the camera – or the subject in the frame is moving at a high speed.

Given the small stature of the Olympus Air, battery life isn't great either. Olympus claims you should expect to get about 320 photos out of a full charge, which should be enough to last several hours of use, but no more than half a day. Luckily, the camera supports USB charging, so at least it can be charged on the go.

Olympus Air

Availability and pricing

Priced at $299 (about £190, AU$390), the Olympus Air is just a bit less expensive than the Sony QX1. The Olympus Air will begin shipping stateside this July.

That makes the US the third territory to officially sell the Air, following Japan and Canada. Olympus has yet to announce plans to launch the Air in the UK and Australia.

Early verdict

A few years ago, lens cameras seemed like a strange fad, but with more and more Wi-Fi connected cameras cropping up, it's beginning to make sense. Having a camera that you can use completely independent of your line of sight to a screen or viewfinder opens up a whole new world a photographic possibilities.

You'll have to wait for my full review to see if it works as well in the real world. But for now, the Air shows a breath of promise.












from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1egVsQR

New Samsung Galaxy A8 leak shows the unannounced Android phone on video

Earlier this month, some images leaked out that gave us an early preview of the Galaxy A8, a super-thin Android phone from Samsung. But you know what’s better than photos? Video.

lzmmr1pt_cM


from PhoneDog.com - Latest videos, reviews, articles, news and posts http://ift.tt/1egPgsa
via IFTTT

Review: Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti Arctic Storm

Review: Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti Arctic Storm

We were all surprised when Nvidia launched its 980 Ti in early June. Although strategically a sound marketing idea, considering the rumoured release of AMD's 300 series lineup, it left us wondering where on Earth this monster child would sit. If you take a gander back to the days of the 700 series, however, what follows will come as little surprise.

Back then, the GK110 Kepler architecture, boasting Titan Black, became a little redundant as a gaming card. For frames per dollar, the 780 Ti ran rings around it, relegating the Titan to the dusty halls of early retirement as a 'developer card'. However, with many calling the 780 Ti nothing more than a response to the threat that was AMD's R9 200 series, we'd mostly believed Nvidia had learnt its lesson. But we were wrong.

To be blunt, the Titan X is nothing short of astonishing. For spec, it's almost unmatched. With 3,072 CUDA cores, 8 billion transistors and 12GB of GDDR5, you'd think it would blow all other cards out of the water. So, with the Titan X coming in at £800 (around US$1,257, or AUS$1,635) and the GTX 980 demanding half that price, where does this titanium edition fit into Nvidia's new GPU lineup?

After all, with half the memory, 200 less CUDA cores and a smidgin fewer ROPs, you'd expect the frame rate in particular would suffer, when compared to its more powerful cousin.

980 Ti

Boss fight

The 980 Ti, however, feels like a precision instrument. A weapon developed from the ground up solely for gaming. Although it's the same thoroughbred architecture that the Titan X was born from, its sole purpose is to cut the chaff and be the warhorse that gamers want. Early benchmarking showed that Nvidia's new beast was, in some scenarios and when overclocked, actually on a par with the Titan X.

Specs

Aftermarket board partners often create a wide variety of exciting coolers for these new cards. But it was with astonishment that a name we'd not often heard came to us, with what can only be described as an idea comparable to that developed behind the walls of Mercedes's notorious Skunkworks.

A triple-fan card solution, with an integrated water block for water-cooling enthusiasts, which works independently as well (impressive when you consider that air acts as an insulator between these two coolers). So a hybrid cooler… sort of.

980 Ti

This sounded like one hell of a card and we had to get our hands on one. Recently, we've made it a top priority to overclock all of the hardware we get in, just to see how far we can push it before it becomes too unstable. We then take a step back, check what the community is pushing their overclocks to, and dial it back by 50Hz further, to ensure our readers can achieve the same results, regardless of where they fall in the silicone spectrum.

So what happened? Something incredible. A battle of blows. Bearing in mind that we didn't push Zotac's solution to the absolute limits or place it under water, it still quite comfortably kept pace with an overclocked Titan X. Benchmark after benchmark came in, and we were left in awe – the scores between the two giants were just so close.

Granted, at £690 (around US$1,083 or AUS$1,388) the Arctic Storm is not a cheap card, but we can understand why. The tri-cooler and full-copper waterblock, plus custom backplate (with a fantastic paint job) make this GPU phenomenally heavy, yet help dissipate that excess heat without too much worry for the end user. It's unfortunate that this card is off so soon. We can only imagine what kind of crazy benchmarks we could get from it under water. Forget AMD, forget Fury. This thing is a Titan killer.

PC Format is the magazine for PC gamers and hardware enthusiasts, created by geeks and gamers. Each issue covers the latest advances in graphics cards, processors, motherboards, memory, SSDs and complete systems. We also feature guides on overclocking, tweaking, system building, system modding and PC repair. Click here to subscribe.












from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1GMz1ux
Back to top ↑
Connect with Us

    Popular Posts

    Powered by Blogger.

    Pages

    About

What they says

© 2013 techmobile. WP Mythemeshop Converted by Bloggertheme9
Blogger templates. Proudly Powered by Blogger.