The HTC One M8 is improved than a Galaxy S5, only ask HTC

The HTC One M8 is improved than a Galaxy S5, only ask HTC

Trick|smartphone  

Wіth thе Galaxy S5 removing аn progressing announcement bυt slower launch compared tο thе HTC One’s same-day availability, thе S5 wаѕ always going tο bе delivering adult a bit οf time fοr competitors tο figure out crafty ways tο rip іt down before іt even wеnt οn sale. Thе M8 ѕhοwеԁ adult аnԁ wаѕ flattering most ideal frοm day one, bυt thаt still hasn’t ѕtοрреԁ thе flailing smartphone builder frοm slinging a ƖіttƖе some-more sand аt іtѕ categorical rival. Yου mау remember thеrе wеrе even S5 digs іn HTC’s launch event. At thе unequivocally Ɩеаѕt we саn praise Samsung fοr simply presenting іtѕ οwn device.

HTC’s promotion sucks, аnԁ thеу′re clearly nοt above holding pot shots аt Samsung іn thеіr training element еіthеr. / © htcsource

Metal beats plastic

A lot οf people hаνе always kind οf believed thіѕ, bυt thеrе′s a lot tο bе ѕаіԁ аbουt cosmetic phones tοο. I’m nοt most οf a fan οf thе inexpensive glossy cosmetic οn prior Samsung models (οr thе Band-Aid demeanour οf thе S5), bυt thе good rubbery feel οf devices Ɩіkе thе S5 аnԁ Nexus 5 аrе unequivocally good indeed, аnԁ cosmetic absorbs shocks softened аnԁ іѕ most lighter thаn metal. Still, whеn іt comes tο ѕhοwіnɡ οff аbουt reward build peculiarity though, іt’s tough tο omit a steel unibody. Anԁ thеrе′s nο denying thаt HTC hаνе ԁеѕtrοуеԁ Samsung іn thе pattern stakes, even іf both phones demeanour аn аwfυƖ lot Ɩіkе thеіr predecessors.

Build element іѕ totally adult tο personal preference, bυt HTC certainly hаѕ Samsung kick οn design. / © AndroidPIT

BoomSound speakers

Agreed. Thе Galaxy S5 hаѕ ѕοmе flattering nifty speakers οn house bυt thеrе′s unequivocally few inclination іn Android Land thаt саn come tighten tο thе strange One’s speakers, Ɩеt alone thе softened ones found οn thе One M8. According tο thе training material, thе nеw stereo speakers аrе 25% louder thаn thе prior One’s speakers. Plus, thеу′re adult front аnԁ thеу sound exceptional.

Thе BoomSound Speakers οn thе One M7 wеrе ɡrеаt, bυt thеу′re 25% softened οn thе One M8. / © AndroidPIT

Fаѕtеr entrance аnԁ υѕе

Ok, I’m nοt most οf a fan οf thе nеw TouchWiz, аnԁ I’ve never disposed Sense аѕ most аѕ ѕοmе hаνе, bυt comparing manufacturer skins іѕ Ɩіkе comparing football teams: іf уου don’t Ɩіkе thе οthеr nο one іѕ going tο remonstrate уου otherwise, ѕο I’ll leave thаt сhοісе tο personal preference. HTC аt Ɩеаѕt trust thаt over UI preferences, thеіr suit gestures fοr accessing thе nеw M8 wіth a double daub οr swipe trumps thе Galaxy S5, whісh needs tο bе woken thе common approach (аnԁ we determine wіth thеm).

I thіnk we cite Samsung’s energy saving mode, bυt thе HTC hаѕ ɡrеаt suit controls. / © AndroidPIT

Duo Camera

Ok, thе Duo Camera hаѕ a few limitations, bυt іt’s still аn well-developed shooter. Thаt being ѕаіԁ, thе Galaxy S5 іѕ substantially thе softened camera (іn mу opinion). HTC apparently pull thе UFocus post-focusing capabilities οf thе One M8 іn thе training material, whісh іѕ indeed miles softened thаn thе resourceful concentration found οn thе S5. Still, іt’s nοt ideal οn thе One M8 еіthеr. Thе M8 аƖѕο hаѕ a full primer mode, real-time preview, HDR, user-saved presets аnԁ a few οthеr gimmicks, whіƖе thе Galaxy S5 hаѕ insanely fаѕt auto-focus, 4K video, ѕƖοw suit аnԁ ѕο οn. Aѕ distant аѕ post-focusing goes HTC іѕ rіɡht, bυt οn οthеr fronts I’m nοt ѕο sure.

I’m nοt ѕο certain thе One M8′s camera іѕ better, bυt post-focusing сеrtаіnƖу іѕ. / © AndroidPIT

HTC Advantage

Yep, thаt’s a transparent leader tοο. Thе HTC Advantage wіƖƖ ɡеt уου ѕοmе good reward use fοr уουr reward feeling device, ѕο іf уου occur tο brеаk thаt poetic bіɡ shade HTC wіƖƖ reinstate thаt bаԁ child giveaway οf assign fοr thе initial 6 months уου οwn іt. Aftеr thаt уου softened hаνе schooled hοw tο hoop іt a ƖіttƖе some-more securely. Currently οnƖу upheld іn thе US, уου саn design HTC Advantage tο come tο Europe bу year’s еnԁ іf thе costs concerned аrе nοt ѕο astronomical іt wουƖԁ broke HTC globally. we fοr one, wish thаt thіѕ іѕ a use unequivocally few οf уου еνеr need tο υѕе.

Thе HTC Advantage іѕ сеrtаіnƖу a good charity frοm HTC. / © HTC/Andrey Arkusha/Shutterstock/AndroidPIT

Sο thеrе уου hаνе іt, thе 5 HTC-sponsored reasons thе One M8 іѕ softened thаn thе Galaxy S5. Aѕ we mentioned, we сουƖԁ simply come adult wіth a few more, bυt οn thіѕ list we οnƖу unequivocally determine wіth four, аnԁ thаt steel beats cosmetic one іѕ firm tο annoy fans οf lighter, some-more volatile plastic. At Ɩеаѕt 3 οf thеm yet аrе but doubt softened thаn thе S5. Lеt’s see hοw prolonged іt takes fοr a list οf 5 reasons (οr 8?) thе Galaxy S5 іѕ softened thаn thе One M8 tο appear.

Whісh device ԁο уου prefer? Whаt аrе уουr favorite facilities οf any flagship?

Source fromhttp://www.whasapp.org

 

How to reinstall iOS 8, if you’re stuck with iOS 8.0.1

How to reinstall iOS 8, if you’re stuck with iOS 8.0.1

Trick|smartphone  

Yesterday, proving it is far from infallible when it comes to both hardware design and software development, Apple released a bugged version of iOS 8.0.1. For many iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users, along with having a bent phone, updating to iOS 8.0.1 completely killed cellular connectivity and TouchID functionality. To restore cellular (and mobile data) connectivity, the only solution is to downgrade back to iOS 8 and await a future 8.0.2 update from Apple, which is due “in the next few days.”

How to reinstall iOS 8

Historically, it can be very hard to restore an older version of iOS 8 — but in this case, Apple has fortunately made it rather easy. Just follow these steps to downgrade to iOS 8.

1. Make sure your version of iTunes is fully up-to-date. Windows users, click Help > Check for Updates. Mac users, click iTunes > Check for Updates.


2. Connect your iPhone to your computer.


3. Perform a backup of your iPhone to iTunes — click File > Devices > Back Up.


4. Download the relevant IPSW restore file for your device: iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus.


5. Visit the Summary page in iTunes for your device, then Option-click (Mac) or Shift-click (Windows) the Update button. Select the downloaded IPSW in the dialog box that pops up.

 

If all goes to plan, your iPhone will do its thing and you’ll yet again have an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus capable of making calls, surfing the internet, and using the TouchID sensor. The iOS 8.0.1 update fixed a major bug in HealthKit apps, and also some other minor issues with third-party keyboards, one-handed Reachability mode, Photo Library, and more — and so by reverting to iOS 8, none of these bugs will have been fixed. You won’t be able to use the Health app until iOS 8.0.2 is released.

 

Curiously, if you don’t have a Mac or Windows machine to install iTunes, I think you may have to wait until iOS 8.0.2 is released. If you have restored your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus without iTunes, let us know in the comments.

This is a heinous bug that Apple really should’ve caught sooner — and it definitely calls into question Apple’s ability to directly push updates to consumers. I suspect AT&T, Verizon, and other big mobile carriers will be having some nasty calls with Apple today (assuming their phones still work…)

Read: The best new features of iOS 8, plus a few hidden gems you might not have found yet

How to downgrade to iOS 7

As an added bonus, I thought I’d tell you how to downgrade from iOS 8 to iOS 7. You might want to do this if you have an iPad 2 or iPhone 4S that suffers from poor performance after upgrading to iOS 8. Or maybe you just don’t like iOS 8 (though considering it’s just an evolutionary upgrade of iOS 7, I can’t imagine why that would be the case).

There are two major considerations when downgrading to iOS 7: a) The window of opportunity is usually only a couple of weeks before Apple “unsigns” iOS 7, meaning your iDevice won’t accept it any more – and b) You have to locate an official iOS 7.1.2 IPSW restore file. For now, iOS 7.1.2 is still being signed by Apple, but Apple could unsign it at any time.



To locate a copy of iOS 7.1.2 for your device, simply head to Google and search for iOS 7.1.2 ipsw iDevice — where iDevice is iPhone 4S, iPad 2, or whatever device you’re trying to downgrade. There is also a possibility that the IPSW file is already on your PC, from when you officially upgraded — try searching for ipsw in Explorer or Finder to see what turns up.

Once you have the iOS 7.1.2 IPSW restore file, follow the same directions as above for downgrading from iOS 8.0.1 — but click the Restore button at the end of the process, not Update. Be sure to have a backup, as the Restore process will wipe all of your data and apps.

Source fromhttp://www.extremetech.com

 

Gadget of the Week: Plantronics BackBeat Fit Bluetooth headphones

Gadget of the Week: Plantronics BackBeat Fit Bluetooth headphones

Trick|smartphone  

Celebrity endorsements aren't cool. You know what is cool: being asked to make the headset for a mission to the moon. That's where Plantronics' roots lie, so it should come as no surprise that the kind of audio you can expect from a Plantronics headset is going to be above average. But most of us have much more pedestrian objectives in mind when we look for a set of headphones, like a long lasting, comfortable, durable and wireless headset for the gym. This is where the BackBeat Fit comes in.

The Plantronics BackBeat Fit Bluetooth headphones come in lime green or blue. © ANDROIDPIT 

What is BackBeat Fit?

BackBeat Fit is the ''active'' evolution of Plantronics' successful BackBeat Bluetooth headphone range. The headphones feature a flexible rubber neckband and ear hooks for long-wearing stability and comfort. The neckband itself has reflective sections for increased visibility when running outdoors at night and the headphones are sweatproof. The in-ear molds can be micro-adjusted for a more comfortable fit and you've got full wireless controls for answering calls, playing music and even voice controling your smartphone.

How does BackBeat Fit work?

BackBeat Fit pairs to your smartphone via Bluetooth and can be paired with up to 8 different devices. Once the connection is made, controlling music, phone calls and voice commands can be handled completely via the headset. There is no additional app to install (although there is a firmware updater app in the Play Store). Battery status and recharge warnings are given audibly at critical moments or on command, and the effective Bluetooth range is around 10 meters. The BackBeat Fit is charged via a microUSB port beneath a water-resistant flap.

• Top 5 music players on Android.

Even with glasses on, BackBeat Fit stays comfortable for hours. © ANDROIDPIT

Why is BackBeat Fit so cool?

I've tried lots of Bluetooth headphones and I've had lots of pairing problems, dropout problems, audio problems and more. Sure, there's still the occasional Bluetooth stutter, which seems to be an unavoidable part of all Bluetooth headphones, but BackBeat Fit pairs every time and never drops out. The sound quality is, as you would expect, exceptional, with solid bass and mid-range and the volume control is independent of your smartphone, so you can get plenty loud enough too, which is particularly useful in a noisy gym.

But there's other things beyond audio quality and reliability that I like about the Backbeat Fit. For starters, they're really comfortable and never even look like falling off. I have pretty mutant ears but I can wear these all day without even noticing I have them on. Speaking of all day, BackBeat Fit will get you through a legendary eight hours of music playback on a single charge. That's enough to outlast even the longest distance runner and more than enough to keep me going for a long day of cycling too. Not bad for a headset that only weighs 24 grams.

BackBeat Fit comes with a reversible armband pouch for your smartphone. © ANDROIDPIT

But what I like most is that they perform better than you'd expect. I've accidentally showered with these on around my neck and even run them through a laundry cycle and they just keep ticking. Sweat? No problem. And if an eight hour battery life (or six hours talk time) wasn't already impressive enough, if you forget to turn them off when your music stops they will automatically enter a deep sleep mode which can last for up to 180 days. It's great to know you can pick your Bluetooth headphones up after a week of not using them and know you've stil got some juice left. And all that, in my humble opinion, is way better than seeing Lil Wayne wearing a pair.

• Plantronics BackBeat Fit is available in green or blue for 129 USD via the Plantronics website and Amazon.

Do you wear wireless headphones? What do you look for in a Bluetooth headset?

Source fromhttp://www.androidtip.com

Tests show that a Samsung Note 3 is far less bendy than an iPhone 6

Tests show that a Samsung Note 3 is far less bendy than an iPhone 6

Trick|smartphone  

You can’t help but have heard over the last few days that Apple appears to have something of a problems with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets bending when carried in owners' pockets. #bendgate has become something of a phenomenon, and concerns have been raised about other similar large phones' susceptibility to bending. Now, independent tests have shown that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is much more robust than the new iPhone, although the new Galaxy Note 4 is yet to be tested.

Don't worry – your Note 3 is far less likely to bend in your pocket than an iPhone 6. / © Consumer Reports

• Galaxy Note 4 Unboxing

Lots of photos and videos have sprung up online, apparently showing that Apple's latest handset is prone to serious damage when carried in a front pocket. While this is concerning for anyone who has invested in an iPhone 6, it is also a worry for anyone who owns – or is thinking about buying – other large phones or phablets. Just how likely is it that your handset will bend?

Stress tests carried out by Consumer Reports found that it took 90 pounds of pressure to deform an iPhone 6, while 100 pounds was needed to cause major case damage. Interestingly, the larger iPhone 6 Plus actually provided to be more resilient in pressure tests; it took 90 pounds to cause deformation, and 110 pounds to cause case separation.

The tests were carried out on a number of popular handsets – iPhone 5, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, HTC One (M8), LG G3, and Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Of the six phones, it was Samsung's phablet that fared the best, proving itself able to handle the greatest forces. It took an incredible 150 pounds of pressure to cause damage. When less force was applied, the Note 3 bent, but returned to its original shape

It's possible that the whole #bendgate story has been blown slightly out of proportion, but it's fair to say that not all phones are built equal. Hats off to Samsung for producing what appears to be one of the stronger handsets on the market.

Will you take these results into account when deciding between plastic or metal smartphones?

Source fromhttp://www.androidtip.com

The $120 Windows 8 tablet finally emerges at IFA 2014: Can Microsoft take on Android?

The $120 Windows 8 tablet finally emerges at IFA 2014: Can Microsoft take on Android?

Trick|smartphone  

IFA 2014 kicked off in Berlin this morning, and already we’re seeing an interesting trend emerge: Those cheap-and-cheerful small-screen Windows 8 tablets that Microsoft promised back in April are finally arriving. Both Toshiba and Acer have announced their offerings (priced at $120 and $150 respectively), and the usual OEM suspects (Dell, HP, etc.) should unveil their offerings over the next couple of days. These tablets will all be fairly low-spec devices with either a 7- or 8-inch screen, and most of them will be powered by an Intel Atom (Bay Trail) SoC. This means you can now get a full Windows 8.1 device for just $120 — a proposition so juicy that Microsoft hopes it can entice customers away from cheap Android tablets and into the Windows camp.

Toshiba’s Encore Mini was the first small-screen Windows 8 tablet announced at IFA. It sports a 7-inch (1024×600) screen, quad-core Bay Trail (Atom Z3735G) SoC, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage. Early hands-on reports say the screen has bad viewing angles. Connectivity-wise, there’s a micro SD slot, a micro USB 2.0 port, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11n WiFi, and even front- and rear-facing cameras. Windows 8.1 comes pre-loaded, and you get a year of Office 365 Personal and 1TB of OneDrive storage thrown in. The thing is light (12.5 oz, 354 gr) and Toshiba says its battery is good for 7.3 hours of use. The Encore Mini is pretty darn barebones, but for $120 it’s a very good deal. It’s available to buy today, and should ship in the next couple of weeks.



Acer’s Iconia Tab 8 W is basically exactly the same thing, but with an 8-inch 1280×800 display (it may also have 32GB of storage, but I haven’t found any definitive specs yet). It will arrive in October and cost $150. HP is expected to announce the Stream 7 — a 7-inch (1280×800) Windows 8.1 tablet — at IFA in the next couple of days, probably priced around $150 as well. There will probably a 7- or 8-inch tablet from Dell, too, and perhaps Asus and Lenovo — though they may opt to stay out of this round of no-profit-margin Windows devices.

These sub-$200 Windows 8.1 devices are a very interesting proposition. Now that Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 are free for all devices rocking 8-inch-or-smaller screens, it’s finally possible for Microsoft and its OEMs to match the price of Android devices, which have forever ruled the cheap tablet market. This doesn’t instantly make Windows a better tablet OS than Android, but consumers will definitely take a closer look at cheap Windows tablets before automatically opting for a Galaxy Tab or other Android tablet. It’s also important to note that this is a full-fat version of Windows 8, with the Desktop available if you wish to use it. Grab a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, and perhaps an external hard drive, and the $120 Toshiba Encore Mini suddenly becomes a rather cheap productivity or media center PC.



I don’t think cheap tablets are going to trigger some kind of Windows 8 reconnaissance, but they could be a good way to keep the engines running — and, perhaps more importantly, get a larger swath of the consumer base acclimated to the Metro interface — while Microsoft works on Windows 9.

Source fromhttp://www.extremetech.com

 

Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus is bending. Should Galaxy Note users be worried?

Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus is bending. Should Galaxy Note users be worried?

Trick|smartphone  

The “bendgate” scandal says Apple’s super-thin iPhone 6 Plus is too easy to bend, and customers aren't happy. Are phablets too fragile, and should Galaxy Note owners be worried?

One of these phones is bendier than the other. Will the Note 4 bend as much as the iPhone 6 Plus? / © Samsung/Apple/ANDROIDPIT

What’s yellow and bends in the middle? No, not a banana: if the latest media storm is to be believed, it’s the Apple iPhone 6 Plus. It’s the biggest phone Apple has ever built, but some reports suggest that its aluminium case makes it too easy to bend. Does the same problem apply to Samsung Galaxy Note owners?

It’s important to get some perspective first. Because it’s Apple the story is guaranteed to get lots of internet traffic, so it’s being blown out of all proportion. The truth is that anything made of aluminium, which of course includes the iPhone 6 Plus, can be bent if you apply enough force.

How much force is enough, and how does the Galaxy Note compare?

Samsung's Galaxy Note 3: chunkier than an iPhone 6 Plus, but less bendy / © ANDROIDPIT

Bend me, shape me, any way you want me

It’s a bad idea to drop £700 on a phablet and use it as a chair cushion. Unsurprisingly, some iPhone 6 Plus users who’ve done that have ended up with misshapen phones. Do the same with any reasonably large smartphone and you’re running the risk of cracking the case, the screen or both.

It’s certainly possible to bend an iPhone 6 Plus with your bare hands (although why you’d want to, we don’t know), but then it was possible to do it with the iPhone 5 and 5S too. The bigger phone is easier to bend than its predecessors, but you still need to try pretty hard to do it.

How does that compare to similarly large phablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Note? It turns out that we don’t need to guess. The YouTube Unbox Therapy channel, whose video showed them bending an iPhone 6 Plus, subjected a Galaxy Note 3 to the same test. The Note survived unharmed.

You’d expect that, though. First of all the Note 3 is chunkier - 8.3 mm compared to the iPhone 6 Plus’s 7.1 mm - and shorter, and it’s made of plastic, not aluminium, so it’s less likely to bend. Plastic is more brittle, though, so it’s more likely to crack than bend if you apply enough force. The same is likely to apply to the Galaxy Note 4, which once again is chunkier than the iPhone 6.

What do you think? Do you live in constant fear of flattening your phablet or bending your phone?

Source fromhttp://www.androidpit.com