Latest Gear Live Videos
LG G3: LG’s new flagship shines with it’s 5.5-inch Quad HD display
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Displays, Handhelds,
LG has finally announced its G3 smartphone, it's new flagship device. As previously leaked, the LG G3 features a 5.5-inch Quad HD display with a fantastic 538 ppi count thanks to the 2560 x 1440 resolution--yes, that's the same as you'd find on a 27-inch iMac display. LG was also proud to show off the 13-megapixel rear camera with OIS+ (that would be Optical Image Stabilization Plus) with Laser Auto Focus that the company says allows the camera to focus faster than any other smartphone currently on the market.
Following the trend found on the iPhone 5s and HTC One (M8), the LG G3 has a metallic housing and polished skin on back. While the phone has a 5.5-inch display, LG worked hard on making it usable with one hand. That goal is the inspiration for the Floating Arc design. The volume keys are on back (similar to the LG G Flex, actually,) and the software interface have been redesigned with a flatter appearance.
Of course, the internals have also been upgraded. You'll find a quad-core 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor on the inside, paired up with 3GB of RAM, and your choice of either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage. If that's not enough, you can expand the storage space with a microSD card up to 128GB in size. A removable 3,000mAh battery is definitely nice to see, as is 802.11ac Wi-Fi support. As for colors, you can pick up the LG G3 in red, gold, white, black, violet, and red, depending on carrier. The LG G3 goes on sale in Korea starting tomorrow.
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Samsung Galaxy S5 comes to Sprint in Copper Gold on May 30
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Design, Handhelds,
If you're a Sprint customer who is looking to get their hands on the Copper Gold Galaxy S 5, be ready, because May 30th is the day. In just one week's time, you'll be able to get the exclusive hue with its HD Voice and Sprint Spark features in select Sprint markets. Order online or over the phone, and you'll even get a matching Samsung HM1900 Bluetooth headset thrown in for free. Let's be honest though, if you really wanted a Galaxy S5, you probably weren't holding off on purchasing until the Copper Gold model came out, were you?
iPhone 6 will reportedly sport 1704 x 960 display resolution
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Rumors,
It's been rumored for months that Apple will launch two larger iPhone models this year, and now 9to5Mac is jumping in with a report on the new display resolution. If correct, we should see the iPhone 6 sporting a 1704 x 960 resolution. That's way up from the current 1136 x 640 resolution found on the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s Retina displays, and would allow Apple to release the phones with a larger display while enhancing the Retina quality of its smartphones. No, it's not 1080p (that would be 1920 x 1080,) but it's close enough that at the rumored screen sizes of 4.7- and 5.5-inches, you'd be hard-pressed to notice.
The number we want to look at here is the pixels per inch (ppi), which will tell us how sharp the displays will be. 1704 x 960 at 4.7-inches results in a pixel density of 416 ppi. On a 5.5-inch iPhone, that drops a bit to 356 ppi. The iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s, comparatively, both have a 326 ppi display, so the new iPhone 6 models definitely will look better than the current devices.
iOS 8 won't be much different from iOS 7 in terms of the design and layout, so instead we can likely expect app icons that are sharper and larger on the home screen, and in-app elements to be clearer as well once developers get their apps updated for the new display. Of course, Apple will have its own first-part apps ready at launch.
Word is that we may see Apple unveil the iPhone 6 at a special event in August, but this info seems solid. If you recall, a couple of years ago we reported that the iPhone 5 would get a bump to a 4-inch 1136 x 640 display prior to it being announced.
Huawei Ascend P7: 1080p, Android KitKat, super-thin smartphone
Posted by Ariel Levin-Waldman Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds,
Huawei is the third-largest smartphone maker in the world, doing brisk business in Japan and Europe, and to a lesser degree in the United States. It wants to increase that ranking and hope that their latest product is enough to corner the US market. With the launch of the Hauwei Ascend P7, it has a hot product on its hands to help reach that goal. Announced Wednesday morning in Paris, the P7 ships with Android 4.4 KitKat and is an impressive piece of equipment. It competes with the other big name brands for system specs, boasting a 5-inch 1920 x 1080 display, LTE network capability, a 1.8GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 13-megapixel rear camera, and 16GB of storage. Seriously, this things blows my last computer out of the water and is giving my new one a run for its money. At 6.5mm in thickness, it's considerably slimmer too.
Click to continue reading Huawei Ascend P7: 1080p, Android KitKat, super-thin smartphone
Smartphones assist buying decisions for 36% of shoppers
Posted by Ariel Levin-Waldman Categories: Smartphones, Misc. Tech,
The customer service of online shopping. The convenience of a physical store. It might not seem like a winning combination, but the number of people turning away from sales representatives and towards digital apps is rising-- even in brick and mortar stores.
A recent study conducted by financial analytics firm Deloitte has found a massive jump in in-store sales conducted with or aided by mobile and digital technologies. From 2012 to 2013 mobile devices jumped from playing a key role in 5 percent of sales to 19 percent. The use of digital devices in these transactions leaped from 14 percent to 36 percent.
When people go into stores today with a smartphone, they can look up products, reviews, prices and competitors. In the past, you had to make do with a sales representative, and with that the dealer's agenda- to push a product. Half the time I go into a store I do all my research on the spot, whipping out my iPhone to aid my shopping trip.
Click to continue reading Smartphones assist buying decisions for 36% of shoppers
HTC One (M8) review: The best Android phone gets even better
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews,
Last year, HTC impressed us with the release of the original HTC One, a phone that featured what we believed to be the best build quality of any Android smartphone. This year, the HTC One (M8) takes its place as the flagship handset from HTC.
On the surface, the HTC One (M8) improves upon the original in a multitude of ways. Faster internals. Dual-lens UltraPixel camera. Larger display. Improved industrial design. The question is, though, does the final product add up to being another that can stand above the crowded Android line-up? We've put the device through its paces, and we are here to answer all of those questions here in our full HTC One (M8) review.
Click to continue reading HTC One (M8) review: The best Android phone gets even better
Bleeding Edge TV 507: HTC One (M8) vs. HTC One (M7)
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Features, Handhelds, Podcasts, Product Reviews, Videocasts, Videos,
In this episode I give you a comparison review of the HTC One (M8) vs. the original HTC One. Last year, I named the HTC One as my favorite Android smartphone, and this year the HTC One M8 has a great chance at claiming the title again. We've received a bunch of questions from readers asking about the differences between the two devices, and if it is worth upgrading from the 2013 model to the new HTC One M8.
I go through each major change and upgrade (and, in one case, a downgrade) to give you a thorough look at what's new and what's changed!
Pick up your own HTC One M8:
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Click to continue reading Bleeding Edge TV 507: HTC One (M8) vs. HTC One (M7)
Glamour Red HTC One (M8) heading to Verizon
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News, Design, Handhelds,
For all you Verizon customers waiting on the Glamour Red HTC One (M8) to arrive, it looks like your wait won't be that much longer. The folks over at @evleaks got their hands on a render of the red HTC flagship device, which means that it's likely primed for release, sporting the same 5-inch, 1080p, KitKat goodness that the other three hues (Gunmetal gray, Arctic silver, and Rose gold) are packing.
So specific date has been announced just yet, but it's looking mighty fine, no? As soon as an announcement is made on availability, we'll let you know--or, you can check Verizon's HTC One (M8) page for yourself. In the meantime, check out our HTC One (M8) unboxing video after the jump.
Click to continue reading Glamour Red HTC One (M8) heading to Verizon
60% of iPhone 5c & iPhone 4s buyers are switching from Android
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News,
During today's Apple earnings call, CEO Tim Cook announced that 62% of current iPhone 4S buyers, and 60% of current iPhone 5c buyers are switching over from Android devices. The iPhone 4s is currently free with two-year contract, while the iPhone 5c is $99 (sometimes less) with the same term agreement (see our iPhone 5c review.) These numbers bring new light to the question that many ask, wondering why Apple keeps the iPhone 4s around, or why it made the iPhone 5c in the first place. They provide an inexpensive entry point with powerful hardware for users who just want to get started in the iOS ecosystem, without having to spend on a higher-priced flagship Apple device. By that tune, it would appear that the iPhone 5c is a success after all.
iOS 7.1.1 brings improvement to Touch ID for iPhone 5s
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Software,
If you haven't yet updated, Apple released iOS 7.1.1 yesterday, focused on improving the responsiveness of Touch ID fingerprint recognition, iOS keyboard responsiveness, and Bluetooth keyboard usage as well. After installing the small 26 MB update, you should find that Touch ID is less forgetful, while the rest of the updates are fairly minor. You can head into iOS settings and check for the software update to grab it over the air now.
