Category: Android

Apps and Devices

Best smartphone sub €200 right now is the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 #Mobile #Tech

We are really budget concious these days and always want a bargain,when it comes to smartphones there is plenty of devices to pick from but they all lack the power factor sub €100 and here is what sells well,after some time they become slow,freeze and typically annoy people after they get loaded with apps and games, and often the owner would just ditch the phone and buy a new on,again in the same price range,typically handsets priced between €79 – €199 are fine for average users when it comes to calls,text,email and some social media,the ones closer to the higher price generally perform better.

Vodafone-Smart-Ultra-6

 

If you are on the network you can pick this up for €169.99 which alone is a good price for the specs that come with this device so it is a win win if you are with Vodafone. If you are not with Vodafone you can buy the device and unlock it for just €5.47 with a code from eBay. For the money this phone puts some other devices in its price bracket to shame and even phones double the price with its spec sheet,Own branded devices are on the comeback with EE recently launching a cheap 4G handset for just £39 for existing customers and £49 for new customers ,great way to entice new customers there,but it shows customer loyalty I guess,something that needs attention here in Ireland…

The device is actually made by ZTE  with some modifications and comes with stock Android..It also has decent build quality too,so for your money this is the best you can buy for the price if you are an Android fan.I have spend around a few hours with one of these and the device is fast and it performs well and gaming works quite well too,if you like the big screen it has it too so media consumption is a good experience.

Specs .

  • 5.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS Display
  • Octa-Core Snapdragon 615 at 1.5 Ghz
  • 2GB of RAM
  • 3,000 mAh Battery
  • 13-megapixel Sony camera with 1080p recording and 5-megapixel front-facing camera
  • 16GB of onboard storage with microSD card support
  • WiFi 802.11n (single-band only), Bluetooth 4.0, GPS etc

Help stop illegal dumping and pollution with #SeeItSayIt app. #Ireland #Dumping #EPA

Illegal dumping has always been a problem but over the years with systems such as CCTV you would think it has eased off,apparently not,people move along and find somewhere else to illegally dump rubbish and more,an attributing factor to this is of course charges and they are reportedly going up next year again with stopping the flat charge and moving to a “charge by weight” system.

 

 

Featured on Countrywide on over the weekend there was talk of a new app,one I have not heard of and its got to do with PureProject1 so its worth letting more people know about the app. I hate the sight of rubbish on the side of roads myself or anywhere for that matter.

 

This App makes it really easy to report environmental pollution (Republic of Ireland only) with the GPS location and a photo submitted at the touch of a button.It is a simple app to use with easy steps to follow..All you need to do is take a photo add some details and thats it,then press send.

The app will send the GPS coordinates and will make it easy for those investigating to locate the problem. This will allow your local County or City Council to follow up on the complaint.

Additional information

You can also use the App to make a phone call to the National Environmental Complaints Line 1850 365 121. The phone line is open 24hrs a day, 7 days a week and all calls will be answered by dedicated staff. The details of the complaint, such as location, nature of the complaint, will be recorded and passed to the relevant local authority, and followed up by them, the Gardaí or the EPA as appropriate.

Check out pureproject.ie or the EPA for more.

HERE kicks off Public Beta program to test “Contextual Menu” feature on #Android by @Tiwaash #Beta #Navigation

Want to join hands with HERE in improving the already good navigation app the best?? Well then here is your chance. Starting today HERE is kicking off their public Beta program open to check the latest features and give them feedback for Android users.

HERE wants feedback from users on ‘contextual menu’ feature; a single, long-press anywhere on the map brings up a shortcut menu to quickly see location information, share a location, get directions or start drive navigation. That is super cool. What are you waiting for? If you own an Android device running Android 4.1 and above and has at least 1 GB of RAM, follow the insurrections below and you are good to go.

Steps to Sign up

1) Join the HERE Beta Program Google group.

2) Visit this link on your mobile device and click on Become a Tester. Please note, you must join the HERE Beta Program group first (from step 1) before you can become a tester.

3) Open the Play Store app on your mobile device and install or update the HERE app with the beta version by choosing Update or Install.

4) Use the app as you normally would and tell us what you think or report problems using the Feedback option in the HERE menu of the app or email us directly at beta@here.com.

Note: For more info on this Beta tester program visit here.

Let us know your feedback in the comments below or tweet us using #techbuzzireland.

Stay tuned for more tech buzz.

LG adds a new mid-tier phone to its G4 range its the LG G4 Beat. #LG #G4Beat #Tech

LG have announced a new device to add to the G4 family and goes by the name of the LG G4 Beat. Basically it is an affordable LG G4 which has yet to been seen here in Ireland in Retail buy can be bought from online sellers of if you fancy a trip to PC WORLD you can pick one up there but it will cost you a packet.One good thing I guess you can go in a see the device before you buy it which is always a good idea..

The LG G4 has not come without its problems though with reports of bad battery and flaking leather covers but these are more sporadic cases than widespread so keep this in mind,although leather is a nice feature it can be at time awkward to maintain it..

The LG G4 Beat comes with a 5.2-inch Full HD IPS Display, which is clearer, sharper and more responsive than anything offered by LG before in this category. A powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 615 processor running eight cores at 1.5GHz with integrated 4G LTE delivers an optimal balance of power, performance and battery life.

Highlights and Features of the LG G4 Beat are:

  • High Performance Multimedia made possible by a powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 615 Processor with Octa-Core performance and speed, which can handle Full HD 1080p playback at 60fps and capture at 30fps.
  • Color Spectrum Sensor to measure the exact RGB and infrared values of ambient light and objects, resulting in colors that are truer to nature.
  • Manual Mode to give users fine control over every detail of a shot, including shutter speed, ISO, exposure and white balance.
  • Gesture Interval Shot improves on the original Gesture Shot by increasing the chance of getting that perfect shot even under challenging.

Specs include and take note regional variants are listed so be careful when buying to check…

  • Chipset: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 615 Processor
  • Display: 5.2-inch Full HD IPS LCD (1920 x 1080, 423ppi)
  • Memory: 8GB eMMC ROM / 1.5GB RAM
  • Camera: Rear 8MP LDAF (13MP in Latin America) / Front 5MP
  • Battery: 2,300mAh (removable)
  • Operating System: Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
  • Size: 142.7 x 72.6 x 9.85mm
  • Weight: 139g
  • Network: 4G LTE / HSPA+ 42.2Mbps (3G)
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n / Bluetooth 4.1 / NFC / A-GPS / Glonass / USB 2.0
  • Colors: Metallic Silver / Ceramic White / Shiny Gold
  • Other: In-Cell Touch / Color Spectrum Sensor / Gesture Interval Shot / Full HD 1080p Video

The LG G4 Beat will make its debut this month in key markets in Europe and Latin America, including France, Germany and Brazil before rolling out globally in markets such as Canada, India, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and Turkey.Pricing will be more accurate on launch in each region its set to cost around €400.

See more at LGPRESS

 

Huawei Ascend Mate 7 – First thoughts,unboxing and Walk-through #Huawei #Ascend

Over the past few days we have been using a new slate from Huawei and so far what we have seen within this time-frame we have been mighty impressed with a gigantic 4100 mAh non re-moveable battery,you will struggle to kill it,even for heavy power-users, this is where in most phones let us down but not here..

With a solid construction surrounded by metal again build quality is premium,with its chamfered edges and slight curve on the back it sits comfortably in hand despite its 6 inch dimension its just 7.9mm thin, The screen is also sporting Corning Gorilla glass 3.Lets take a look at the device first in pictures,click to enlarge and then we will talk some more.

Running on Android 4,2,2 is a bit behind but still it works quite well with Emotion UI 3.0 and there is literally tonnes of settings and quirks to personalise your device,there is some preloaded content but not really a problem,With a 6 inch display and thin bezel media content is a joy to watch on this behemoth,it feels smaller than the Nexus 6 and most tasks simply zip along with no lag. The 13MP rear snapper is quite good with plenty of setting to play with for camera fans so there is no worries in this department,With a 5 MP front camera it passes for the selfies but that would be it.The well placed fingerprint sensor is a great idea and uselful in more ways than one,it can also be used to snap photos too,With 2GB RAM andQuad-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz CPU IT has proved no issues multitasking and with the option to expand up to 128GB via micro sd there is plenty of space to stack this device with content and not fear about battery.. Check out our walk-through of the Mate 7 and if you have any questions fire away..The Ascend mate costs between €380 -€500 euro depending where you,look,for the price if you can get it cheap its worth the money,every penny of it.

 

 

 

Show your #BestShotEver to LG and you could win a G4 & a NY trip By @VicenteA_George #LG #G4 #Android

LG has been pushing really hard on the camera capabilities of the G4 and things just get better at the begining of this new month, thanks to the #BestShotEver contest!

Since July 1th and all the way until July 31st LG’s new promotions will blow your mind.

The prizes? Well, the 1st place will receive a new LG G4 and a trip to New York for two where they’ll have the chance to see NY from the air as they fly by helicopter.

But there’s more! Another 24 runners up will receive also a new LG G4.

Enter is really easy:

1) Post your phenomenal shot on Instagram before July 31st with the hashtag #BestShotEver AND tagging @LGUSAMobile. Only one photo will count per day.

2) Nominate a Friend: To nominate someone else, comment and let them know to reply on their own post with #BestShotEver and @LGUSAMobile before July 31st.

It’s as easy as that! As you can see really simple.

TheJudging will be by the following standards:

1) Photo represents a great experience – 30%

2) Image is beautiful – 20%

3) Image provokes an emotional response – 20%

4) Image tells a story – 10%

5) Photo composition – 10%

6) Photo coloring – 10%

So go ahead and start shooting your #BestShotEver! What are you waiting for?

Just in case you want to check the specs of this new flagship again, you can do that HERE

You can follow LG on Instagram HERE

For the full T&C click HERE

What do you think of this new campaign ? Let us know in the comments section bellow, or Tweet us using #techbuzzireland

The Nexus 6 gets a tasty price cut in Ireland #Nexus6 #GooglePlay

The Nexus 6 has just received a price cut here in Ireland but just on the Play Store,having looked at other prices from the like of Argos the price still remains at the higher end touching €525.

However if you now head to the Play Store you can enjoy a better deal starting at €424.39 for the 32GB model and its  €459.99,these are pretty good prices so if you want to avail act fast as Google have not mentioned these cuts anywhere..

Head over to the Play Store to check them out.

Blitzortung Lightning Monitor app for Android .#Apps #Weather #Android #Lightning

If you are a weather fan and especially like lightning this is the app for you which is available on Android and its free there is also a desktop version which you can use on any browser or mobile phone which can be found HERE,This gives real-time info where lightning strikes are and there is options in the the app to select preferences and notifications and Alarms.

 

FEATURES

realtime display of lightning data
– display of historical lightning data of the last 24 hours
– for regions Europe, North & South America, Asia, Africa and Australia/New Zealand
– lightning strike time color coded
– reduced data volume and fast response
– current lightning strike time and lightning count
– optional user location display
– alarm function shows distance/direction of storms
– alarm background service
– support for notifications and vibration alarm
– single stroke display for blitzortung.org participants

Visit http://www.blitzortung.org for more information regarding the community based lightning location project. http://www.blitzortung.org.

The raster display ensures a fast performance of the application even if there is a very high thunderstorm activity. Blitzortung.org participants can visualize all stroke locations individually.

 

Download on Android

 

ZTE launches two new affordable phones in the U.S By @VicenteA_George #ZTE #Android #Maven #Sonata2

ZTE is well known for their great a well priced phones, and meanwhile we’re waiting for the next flagship (The bezel-less Nubia Z9) to be available in this side of the world.

What we have instead is two new super affordables phones un the U.S carries AT&T and Cricket Wireless the ZTE Maven and the ZTE Sonata 2

The ZTE Maven is the big bro this time with some good specs for the middle range, take a look:

A Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC
A 4.5” display (480 x 854 resolution)
1 GB of RAM
8 GB of internal storage (microSD up to 32 GB)
A 5mp main camera with a low quality front-facer of 0.3mp
A 2,100 mAh Battery
Android 5.1 Lollipop

The Maven will be available in AT&T priced at $59.99 off-contract. You can find it HERE.

The ZTE Sonata 2 is the second and little brother with some interesting specs, let’s see:

A Snapdragon 200 SoC
A 4” screen (480 x 800 resolution)
1 GB of RAM
4 GB of internal storage (microSD up to 32 GB)
A 5mp main camera and an adequate 2mp front camera
A 1,650 mAh Battery
Android 4.4 KitKat

The Sonata will be priced at $29.99 in Cricket. You can find it HERE.

As you can see this phones are aimed to the entry level segment or for people that is going to try an smartphone for the first time.

What do yo think of this new devices? Let us know in the comments bellow or Tweet us usgin #tecbuzzireland

Stay tuned for more Buzz