At techbuzz we like to people a chance to have their own product/s showcased and if anyone has a product they would like share a review on you can come here and have it published,All you need to do is drop us an email at techbuzzireland.com. Welcome Pat Seery who is one of many people that have contacted us with a product they own.
Pat shares his thoughts on the Samsung Level Over headset,so its over to you Pat.
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a pair of these and in spite of other “Bigger” brand names being in the same market I still went for these well I wasn’t disappointed at all. A Lot of people were complaining about the “Plastic” look of Upper end Samsung products, they still feel like a premium set of earphones in the hand they`re lightly constructed yes but after wearing them for quite some time I think you`ll be glad of this.
Several features including noise cancelling and Bluetooth with of course Samsung’s level App make these just astounding to listen to with your phone. I also have used them on the Samsung 55-Inch HU8500 Smart 3D UHD 4K LED Curved TV and let me just say “WOW!” the sound is just amazing as soon as they`re paired your off and with active noise cancelling there’s no bleeding of sound so you`re IN the movie you are watching. One thing I really liked is that they just aren’t BASS which really annoyed me about the beats series of headphones they’ve really good midrange which is essential if you’re not going to be listening to just music on them.
As with the Samsung VR they do come in a lovely big box and carrying case (which is almost identical to the VR case albeit with different embossing) an inline remote control and a USB charging cable (I must point out that Samsung for some reason have seemed to have stopped supplying power plugs with their peripheral devices for some reason so this doesn’t come with the earphones)
The specifications include
Bluetooth 3.0
50mm speakers Bio-Cellulose Diaphragms
15 hours of Listening/Talk time
Impedance 41 ohms
Having used the BlackBerry leap for some two weeks now its been yet another surprise on how BlackBerry have changed over the last year or two,once a hater of the devices i have changed my mind and the OS has also improved too which is quite good offering lots to its consumers and after using the BlackBerry Passport for a few months it really is a credit to the company despite its funny shape,the Passport is a powerhouse and if size is not an issue you should try it,But we are here today to talk about the next model up which is a 5 inch touch screen not shaped weirdly and not sporting a physical keyboard does it perform well all around,well lets find out.
Unboxing and walkaround
Design
Typical candybar,solid feels good in hand and robust its a perfect sized device,perhaps a tad too small for me but i could happily live with it,this is just my opinion i am far suited to bigger devices. At 144 x 72.8 x 9.5 mm (5.67 x 2.87 x 0.37 in) and weighing 170g you will notice it,even in pocket which is a good thing,it’s slightly thicker than some devices but its good and the rounded edges on the back flow nicely and the device fits well in hand,it’s hard to drop it too the backing feels grippy,it picks up dirt but can be easily cleaned off.
The Keyboard
Having used the passport as my main device i hardly used anything else to be honest,i got to like the physical keyboard,something which i have not used in many years in fact,though i was looking forward to going back to the virtual set-up and the keyboard on the Leap reminded me of the one that’s presently on Lumia devices which alone are good but this keyboard is also excellent and has many features present and again i found myself typing fast in no time from coming from the one on the passport.
The Camera
Quite impressive it must be said so photo fans can relax since mobile photography is a big thing with the camera on board it takes pretty decent photos with many settings to toy around with too,even as a point and shoot it takes nice pictures and to the untrained not fussy eyes this does a good job.
The camera is just 8MP 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus and LED flash doesn’t mean it can perform,it does and the more you tamper with the settings the better it gets,it’s also got a HDR feature which pops up to remind you it’s there and again it works well.Also on board is panorama mode,time shift and burst mode,this is quite a common feature nowadays.
These are taken under normal conditions which is the ideal situation to be using the camera,in low light we have the flash to help out and pictures turn out fine ,depending on conditions some photos may look noisy and flat,this again is not a device aimed at camera fans but for its price it does the job quite well so you have a decent snapper should you need it,personally i aint a camera happy guy but it done the job when needed,recording too is also quite good autofocus works quite well,sometimes to well and often locked on target especially with just taking photos so its quite responsive.
APPS.
Lets not waste time really here,native apps are not reaping but we have a choice to add the play store if you like,one good thing here apps i used all worked well on the Leap as opposed to the passport and that was just the screen design which made some render rather odd and pointless on screen,all my apps on android i use worked fine on the leap so again its an option for users to consider,BB10 has improved but we are missing some apps similar to windows phone which i also use and can feel the pain to some extent,the maps are just ok and there is several other apps missing but again the play store can help out with alternatives.With the Blackberry world,Amazon app store and the play store you will be covered.
Display
Its got a 5-inch, 1,280 x 720 (720p) LCD display,its good for its price but not great either ,sunlight legibility is not great this is expected for the screen and its price it would be unfair not to say plenty of others have the same problem even high end phones like the HTC ONE M9 this beat it,viewing angles also shabby but not bad im not one to pay much attention to detail here but at times when i want to read my device outdoors i expect to but this is a common problem all round regardless.
Battery
Its good,easily get the average user through a day,nothing like the passport but good even for my standards,im a heavy user and mostly carry two phones but with my main sim here in this it done the job well better than expected in fact,with 2,800mAh under the hood it can take a pounding,with me spending much time browsing,checking mails and social media i never had to worry about looking for a charger during my time and for me that is a very good thing,we are more battery concious nowadays than before and find ourselves needing back up or to be close to a charger,this is something you do not need to worry about on the Leap.
BlackBerry Blend is on board the leap,seamlessly brings messaging and content that’s on your BlackBerry smartphone to your computer and tablet. Send and receive messages and access your files in real time, from whatever device you’re on.
As before with the passport we just have our static screen with icons,you can of course make folders which is useful,the drop down menu offers us plenty of settings to access so to move around the device is simple which is nice,there is many settings on the phone too giving a great level of customisation.Swiping to the left will bring you to additional apps you have stored and swiping to the right takes you to the blackberry hub which is simply great.
Browsing,Music – Media
Stock browser seemed fine depending on connection but again you can work around this at times but to be fair i could partly blame my Wi-Fi here,on 4G it was fast,this was also similar on the passport,overall it served well though and things looked good on the Leap Pages rendered quite quickly and viewing was on par with other devices at the price point,the speaker which is placed on the bottom is not bad but depending on where you let it sit sound will get muffled,aside that its loud .Listening to music is also quite good and with a decent pair of headphones you will not be disappointed overall for media.
Conclusion.
BlackBerry here in Ireland is pretty much a no go area for our providers which is a shame,it once was huge here but since the Z10 things went downhill with little or no option to buy it here in stores leaving business and enterprise fans annoyed who prefer Blackberry,this device is aimed at the younger generation but offers more than one might think,one thing that lacks is NFC again this is no big deal in Ireland but its catching on with the like of wireless charging,I think between the Leap and the Passport blackberry have turned a corner,having said that BlackBerry is now a niche but if they continue to dish out good devices they have a chance to re claim their stake. On a personal level i think the device is well priced and it offers pretty much the same as any other device in the price range alongside the added security.
The BlackBerry Leap costs just £199 sim free which is not bad and can be bought HERE or other leading online sellers.For the price its worth it..
The Hannspree sport watch gives us a few ways to track things such as a pedometer,weight loss tracking.sleep monitoring and message notifications.also sorting a long battery life it will make it attractive to some,with an Oled display which the digits are small you will get about 8-10 days of life. You can download a companion app from the store and simply sync to your watch via bluetooth and its good to go..Find out how we got on over the coming days,check out our unboxing and quick look below.
UNBOXING
Ok the watch is cheap its not meant to be the Moto 360 some people expect these things on products,the moral of the story is you get what you pay for in life this is testament here with the Hanspree Budget watch it does however offer plenty if not more for the beginner or novice if you will.For its first attempt its good mostly besides the sometimes annoying pairing which took so time,the battery life is excellent compared to rivals in its category and means less charging,as an example i have to charge my Moto 360 DAILY which does bother me,its like having a second phone to cater for even though i do carry 2 devices daily its catering for it that annoys most with plugs everywhere..
There is a companion app available in the store which can be downloaded HERE Quite good to have of course and pairing with your device can be a bit slow at time,having tried it on several devices i did find the pairing process tedious at first,after that it was fine on connecting the next morning most of the time..
Feature：
> Pedometer Function and Walking Distance
> Sleep Monitoring
> Message and Call Notification
> Alarm Clock
> OLED Display
> Splash Resistant
> Bluetooth Connectivity
> Long Battery Life
Accuracy.
Well it was good with some hit and misses but this is quite common even with high end alternatives,overall though this needs room for improvement and for its first attempt we can allow for it i guess,there is an array of options to turn on and off so this gives you control over what you want recorded.Steps/Distance/ActivityTime/Calories/Battery Level/Calls/Messages/Medication Reminder/Alarm Timer all included so not to be sniffed at.
Comfort level.
It is big,for me though it was not an issue but its light and does not bother me,compared to a Moto 360 it look cheap,that it is for the price you pay,but overall it was comfortable to wear light and thin.You may find yourself having to twist it back depending how you wear it,some wear watches in general face down i wear mine face up but thats just me.Comparing to a Moto 360 might seem harsh but most come in around the same size,some other trackers maybe of a different shape too like rectangular which i think is a better fitting design as opposed to the typical circle or squared designs we see.
Design
Light,circular and cheap. For its first attempt its not bad but be vigilant. The clasp broke on our review unit which to be fair can happen to anyone,especially when its been used quite often,perhaps a spare clasp could be in the retail package in future to coincide with its second strap that comes with it which is a nice addition to the deal.
Display
Small and minimal,often having to tap the screen multiple times to view details this is annoying,there is more blank space than needed for its first attempt,perhaps this is the base design for going forward which is forgivable,nonetheless pointless space wasted.
Overall thoughts
Not bad really considered the price point (£29.99),considered you could add an extra couple of euros and get something better its does the job mostly well,again this is for people really looking not to spend much money and want to venture into the wearable world and this is ideal in that respect,Also its tough apart from the clasp so you can drop it and not worry,i look forward to whats ahead for this and hopefully the space wasted is going to used well in an upcoming model and then we can see what has been learned and how well the next model has learned from this one.
We have had our Jabra headset just over a week now and its time to share my thoughts on these which proved a worthy headset considered its price bracket,i’m normally a fan of high end headphones but its nice to check out what’s new and thanks to Jabra they have sent use the Jabra Move Wireless Headset.. Aimed at the sports and fitness gurus here is what we think.
First off the packaging is not cheap and i would push it towards a more premium packaging,(see video for more) We are presented with a nice case and on opening we are then presented with the headset itself covered with plastic,surrounding the headphones is a nice foam cushion which protects the headset during shipping and personal use should you prefer to carry them in the case.Underneath the headset them comes some instructions,a USB cable for charging the headset and then a wired cable which can be handy if you should run out of power.Also included is a start up guide..
Cups
The headphone cups are comfortable to say the least and block out external noise,they nestle quite well on your ears and are not tight fitting like some headsets can be which make them non obstructive and they are not huge cups either they are probably just about right,the material is soft and durable and can be kept clean easily.There is some noise leakage but this can be expected depending on volume.
Adjusting the headphones is simple although you will at first need to apply some force as they are new,the strap is robust and made from metal and thin and the cable is not too long and does not interfere in any way nor do you feel it.
HeadBand
The HeadBand is thin and flexible and covered with robust mesh material so this will last quite some time and can be also easily cleaned,the material is tough but you don’t feel a rough feel from it and it does not snag in your hair so comfort here is optimum.
The controls are simple to use and small,one one side we have the volume toggle and multiplay feature buttons,these are small so it will take time to adjust to finding them once you use regularly you will naturally find them with finger,On the same side we have the 3.5mm headset jack which we can plug in to use them wired should you not have a bluetooth enabled device or if you are travelling on an airplane for example. On the other side we have the micro usb port where we charge the headphones,this is the only way they can be charged,there is also a switch to pair the headphones with your compatible device,there is a power and connection status indicator too,if you are wearing these and not connected you get an audible alert and the same applies when you do connect to a device.Call quality too was also crisp and clear so overall a good experience.
Connectivity
Connectivity is simple and these paired with many devices at ease which was great,,on your device you will of course see the name of the headset,if you are a user of many connected items this is handy to have,pairing is done in seconds,you just switch the button up and turn on your Bluetooth on device and follow the simple instructions,in all case it was just to confirm a number,this is the norm.
Conclusion.
Overall i was very impressed with these headphones,i am very picky and like quality,for the price you pay for these you are getting much more than expected,the sound is crisp and clear at all volumes and the build quality is also excellent,so these are worth every cent you pay for them in my view.Check out our unboxing and walkthrough below and if you have any questions fire off below..We would like to thanks Jabra once again for sending these over to us.
You can buy these direct from Jabra in the US or on Amazon AND Jabra UK
Most people know me for been a Nokia fan or now what’s called a WinPhan due to been a Windows Phone user but i use all operating systems,but of late i have not dabbled with Blackberry i do have one or two stashed away but with the increasing decline in market share this is why i lost interest in using Blackberry Devices,but then came along the Passport,something new,fresh,different,it stood out and it made people talk and i said hmmm,initially i did slate it but over time it grew on me and said maybe this is the one for me to try out and see whats new. I have to say im very impressed.The presentation of the packaging too is also premium and looks well..
Design
First thing to note is the design,it stands out its different its bold,its odd but it works,on first use it will seem odd due to the devices shape and where the physical keys are placed.If you are use to big devices this difference does fade away over time,most people who change their devices on a regular basis would find the transition quite simple i would think,after a few minutes i got easily comfortable with the layout especially the keys and in no time you will be flying along typing away with no issues.The device squares in at 4.5 inches and 128 x 90.3 x 9.3 mm (5.04 x 3.56 x 0.37 in) its not too thick either,the back of the device is also quite grippy so slipping from hand is near impossible and thankfully i have not had once dropped it yet.
With the keys positioned on the top right and the power key on top it was no issue as to reachability the device was comfortable in hand and i had no problems navigating the keys even though its quite square,those with bigger hands would find this easy to use and perhaps people with smaller hands might use it with both this would vary by individual,for me personally it was not a problem either one or two handed.The QWERTY keypad is easy to use even though its placed at the very end some may find it awkward but as mentioned it takes getting use to if you have not even used a QWERTY keypad after a long time.
Under the hood
The Passport comes with decent specs to say the least,The CPU is a Quad-core 2.26 GHz Krait 400, Adreno 300 GPU,and a Qualcomm MSM8974AA Snapdragon 801,ours arrived with the previous software Blackberry 10.3 but soon after the 10.3.1 update arrived which gave the device lots of extra which was welcome you can read all about that HERE
Battery
On board we have a 3,450 mAh battery which is non removeable this may be a setback for some but most devices today are unibodied so its something fans of phones with a removeable battery is going to have to come to terms with at some stage and recently we have seem samsung take this approach with the new S6 models.The battery will see you through the day no problem if you are an average to heavy user or power user.
Camera
The camera is quite good to be fair though its target market would not be mainly looking for a decent snapper this has all it requires and more and i found it quite good and up there with other devices in the market there is plenty of settings on the passport to suits ones taste,it does seem odd talking photos due to the shape of the device but you will overcome this after some usage and adjust with ease.There is more than enough here settings wise to to play with and become creative if this is your thing.
The camera does the job and on a recent trip it was a murky day and photos where quite good,with a 13MP camera with OIS,auto focus and an LED flash pictures turned out well i must say,i was pleasantly surprised by the results. I am not a camera fanatic as most know but when i want to take a decent photo i want a device that will do it and the passport provided me with that and exceeded my expectations.
Apps
Well there is plenty out of the box we have Blackberry World and the Amazon store this should suit most users needs,but the option to add the Play store (at your own risk) changes it all with most apps (personal apps i would use) working fine from the play store this is a huge bonus to users who want that bit more so on the App front you are well covered some apps will not work though.
Browsing the web.
The browsing experience was fine,at times though i did find it sluggish when several tabs was open this could have been my Wi-Fi or data but i did in general see it happen often on either but overall browsing was a pleasure although you might at first find it odd looking at pages on the screen due to its design,again this quickly fades away after some usage of the phone.You can also pick browsers we have Bing,Google and Yahoo.Pages rendered quite well and looked crisp and clear so i was happy enough overall.Another bonus is the previous pages you viewed are remembered so you can hop through pages and quickly swap through sites should be surfing for something in particular.
Maps
Maps worked a treat too,again we can download other apps for maps and now we also have the inclusion of HERE maps too which gives users an ample choice of mapping solutions which is also good to have there is also a nice compass built in on the device which looks rather neat.
Gaming
Gaming was fine being honest i am not mad into games on mobile as i once was years ago but i tried a few games i generally like to play such as snooker or pool,the games i tried worked fine,nice screen display and sound from speakers to so it passed the test here if you happened to be bored you are sorted.
Music and video
Music video and audio all played well and i found it a pleasurable experience the speakers are quite loud and crisp also to point out using several of my own headphones the sound was also quite good and had great audio pleasure,i do tend to listen to lots of music or watch you tube and the results for me where good and up to standard.
Overview.
They UI is actually quite nice and smooth image galleries and music galleries are the same but its easy to navigate these and its a smooth procedure,Swiping on the home screen from left to right will guide you through all thats on the device swiping down will bring up shortcuts and swiping up will leave you with your recent apps etc,its a simple UI to navigate and using simple gestures is all thats needed this is also implemented in the physical keys which is quite useful and its quite a nice experience once you get the hang of it.
The Passport is certainly a niche device aimed at a niche market but it stands up to the crowd,its more to offer than you might think some say this device is too late to the market but opinions always are divided,this is my first time to use a Blackberry in two years and i have been taken back somewhat on how things have changed,i did scoff it at first which i was open about but until you have tried it your opinion might change,this like any other niche device has its own genre but its got more to offer,shape aside,keypad location aside for some it might not be aesthetically pleasing but until you actually pick one up and use it,the keyboard is quite easy to use,it feels solid in hand and it only take hours to get a real feel for it you will be surprised.
We would like to thank Blackberry for sending us this device and its been quite an uplifting experience and has taken me by surprise after using it for two weeks,its not your regular looking device but underneath its got what it takes.Once you overcome the variables you will be impressed overall.
Our Blackberry Passport arrived last week and of course as always we need protection and Noreve once again came to the rescue and provided us with a quite beautiful case for our passport the case is quite nice and bespoke and has a fantastic leather exterior to is and the lovely smell of leather is quite nice believe it or not.
The case is quite nice to hold and is in the fold factor design,for a large phone this may not suit some due to it folding down but if you are use to big phones and this style of case it will work fine its also not that bulky and does not add anything major to an already big squared device,it looks very slick and trendy and professional if i dare say.
Elegant case conceived in top quality handcrafted leather
– Hand-crafted manufacturing quality
– Practical thanks to its magnetic closure
– Slim and padded design
– Protects the device in an optimal manner
– All sides protective case
– Access to basic functions (multiple openings on the leather)
– Two business or credit card slots
– Headphones and headset jack access
– Charging and synchronization cable access
– Easy access to stylus
– Beautiful interior lining embossed with the Noreve logo
– Leather stand on the back for horizontal use
You can buy either of these cases from noreve over at this link here they range from €49.50 which may seem expensive to some,but these are quality bespoke cases and you can customize to our preference.
We have been testing out a new product called Comply Foam Tips ,which basically is a solution to those stock earbuds that nobody really likes.When i say this i speak from what i personally feel and others i know that are music fans and always like to have or try the latest in music accessories,such as overhead headphones and in ear headphones.
About Comply Foam Tips.
The patented technology behind Comply™ Foam Tips is unrivaled. With engineering based on knowledge of ear-canal structure and with innovative memory-foam technology, Comply™ products dramatically enhance your listening experience.
Comply™ Foam Tips
Comply™ Foam Tips are made with high-tech, viscoelastic polyurethane foam. This heat-sensitive, breathable foam conforms to the dynamic shape of the ear canal, providing a perfect in-ear fit. The foam’s passive noise-reduction technology seals out unwanted ambient sound and funnels pure music directly into the ear canal, without leaking bass.
Thirty times softer than the silicone used on ordinary, factory-supplied earbuds, Comply™ Foam Tips are extraordinarily comfortable, reducing irritation and fatigue and leaving listeners with clear, crisp sound.
Numerous earphone tests using Comply™ Foam Tips have shown no significant reduction in frequency response when compared to ordinary silicone tips (testing performed using a pure tone frequency sweep from 200 Hz – 8,000 Hz).
On using these i found that they stay in your ear rather than fall out which is quite common with many people,this has always been an issue for me and my solution was to move to overheads which can be clunky and annoying hanging around your neck,Comply tips have finally given me a solution to this,out with the overheads and back with the in ears.
I can now enjoy my music and travel light,but i still use my overheads but at home only,i can now go for a jog,walk,cycle around without having the tenuous repeatedly annoying shuffling putting back in earphones situation with thanks to Comply tips and the memory foam technology.
Also they are comfortable,block external noise and no loss of sound,only improvement.They are secure,don’t loosen up and feel good in ear..
