Last year Motorola launched the MotoG which turned out the be one of the best value for your money android devices there is and it sold like hotcakes,despite the option for irish punters to buy it was a different case until it became available through some operators,like ourselves we did find a simple way to obtain it at launch.
The only difference here is that is now offers 4g plus sd card expansion which will be most welcome,it also comes with android 4.2.2 which is kit kat …
It is expected to be slightly more expensive that the previous model and we reckon around €179 which is not bad,this is a great phone for its money.
The rumours that Nokia would turn android where going around along time and to some it was upsetting,to others it was good news and for many it was its too late and why.
Nokia put us all out of our misery when they announced there was indeed an android handset,but not only one but three of them.
For now the Nokia X range is for merging markets and most likely will not see the shelves in Ireland but who knows,we have seen stranger things happen in the world especially with mobile tech.
Nokia announced the X range on the 24th Feb at Mobile World Congress this year..
We waited for the Green Nokia X to arrive rather than go with the immediate black variant release.
The Nokia X runs on Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) its forked which what looks like the Windows Phone UI..
Below is the home screen on the Nokia Lumia 630 to the left and the Nokia X to the right..
The Nokia X has a 4 inch IPS LCD display with a pixel density of 223 ppi which is ok for the price of the phone.
The good thing with the Nokia X it is available in nice bright colours keeping in touch with the Nokia Lumia range this is a good choice from Nokia,as they look well and stand out from the traditional gray and black coloured devices which are all to common and boring to be honest.
The top of the device only has the headphone socket also you may notice the rounded edges on the corners and screen which was also present in the previous asha models such as the 501,the Nokia X though does not have that sharp edge feel as the asha did so its a bit more comfortable to hold again its a small handset so it will feel good with most.
The end of the device gives us only the USB port which i found slightly sunk back than other devices but it did not give any trouble inserting a USB cable..
The back of the Nokia X the camera which is 3.15 MP with no flash and the speaker port down on the end,the speaker sound is quite good and loud and i was impressed with this,even when lying flat on a surface you could still hear the sound clearly such as notifications or if the phone rang.
The left hand side of the device is just plain,again similar to other models from Nokia such as the lumia 630.
The right hand side of the Nokia X has the volume keys and the power key,this key also wakes up the screen,some people did not like these and thought it looked like a toy and felt cheap also they did not like how the buttons protruded so much but they work fine for me and i found no big difference between the button layout here,but they are slightly more raised than current models available.
When you remove the cover which can be trick but similar to removing like the 520 and 630 for example we see that there is a removable battery which would be welcome for many and we also have the two sim card slots and the SD card slot which supports up to 32GB.This is quite good and apps can be moved from the device onto the sd card which gives ample storage space for those who have lots of content,plus it give you plenty of space for apps,due the the 512 MB RAM,this is ideal for people who often complain about RAM.
The Nokia X has a Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A5 CPU but i found it got very laggy when loaded at times and but it performed well for the price bracket it aimed at.
There is no secondary camera on the X and its whilst there is a 3.15 MP camera on the back i did not find it overly impressive,it does the job and would be better than some competition out there at this price range and in fairness you cant expect a high quality camera at its price point either.
Below is a photo taken with the Lumia 630 and below again is the Nokia X..
You can clearly see the difference between the two cameras here with the 630 sporting a 5MP camera.
We could not get any network settings for the Nokia X despite trying every possible way and more to do so,but the bluetooth and wifi worked fine and there was no issues here connecting the Nokia X to multiple devices which was good.
Overall the Nokia X is a nice device for its price, well that depends where you buy it from,they are priced at around €80 but we have seen some ridiculous prices for these and as high as €200 euros which is just outright robbery.
Albeit the X wont hit Ireland i feel for people to try cash in on a one off device if you will they actually put people off the device and effectively kill sales,but those clever enough will find it much much cheaper,its worth the money in the long run,at the correct estimated retail price that is.
75% of the Google play store apps will work on the device so there is plenty to choose from,you can also side load apps onto it to which helps.
The Nokia X is packed with many features such as nokia mix radio,fm radio,viber,here maps and the music player is excellent too,so all in all its a pretty good all rounder,feature packed ,the camera is not great but overall its a well balanced device with lots to offer vs other devices at this price point.
IFTTT is an app that works on your behalf,this app can save you time on twitter or and social media site and more.
IFTTT means “If This Then That” check out the website HERE
This app allows you to plan and compose messages and content and make triggers at any time of the day you like while you sit back and enjoy life,we have been using this super service nearly one year now and it is a must have.
On Android
Description
Put the internet to work for you.
IFTTT lets you create powerful connections with one simple statement — if this then that.
Activate your Channels and create Recipes on IFTTT!
Channels are services like Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, as well as devices like Philips Hue, Belkin WeMo, and UP by Jawbone.
Recipes are connections between your Channels that unlock entirely new ways for your services and devices to communicate with each other.
We’re adding new features all the time. Download now and stay tuned!
Apps are a vital part of today’s world and daily we see thousands hit the respective stores,be it android,apple windows or blackberry.
Apps also are great for consumers,figures show apps are what people want and smart people will deliver these apps.
This new app ive come across is a very clever move and this could be potentially huge,already showing a good success this once more shows us that apps are the way forward..
So what is LolliPoints..
LolliPoints allows you to earn LolliPoints whenever you shop at local businesses with a single card or App. Earn rewards automatically when shopping and eating out at over 1,000 merchants to date this will get bigger im sure..
All LolliPoints merchants have cards for you to use, just pick one up and scan it to start. The scheme is completely free. Start using a LolliPoint card immediately and register it later to your own Value Nation account, where you can tailor your preferences. Accumulated LolliPoints will be automatically added to your account in real time. When you use the App, you will see your points there immediately.
Use the App QR code or the card at the LolliPoints scanner at local participating businesses. There is no more need to carry multiple old fashioned punch and loyalty cards for each of these merchants.
Not that we have not seen similar before form other stores but the more LolliPoints you earn and save up, the more you can spend. Using the LolliPoints system also means you will get special offers from many of the businesses you visit.
There is lots bonuses and promotions from the merchants available on a daily basis, all you have to do is check the App when you go out or if you prefer, go online. Merchants will post exclusive offers for you to redeem.
This is a great ideal and i can see good things in the future with it and its well done from us..
You can download the app on Android and iOS and hopefully more platforms will be introduced over time.
MiYo, short for “Mind Yourself”, allows you to track your wellbeing in a number of different areas to help you kick-start a healthy routine.
Available to pre-order for iOS and Android devices, MiYo will be available to download from May 1st 2014.
Unlock rewards and great content
The MiYo app is a self-reflective journal where you can log the things you have done each day which are crucial to our physical and mental well-being.
Users log their activity across the following categories: healthy eating, sleep quality, physical activity, talking to friends & family, learning, and socialising/hobbies.
When you log the completion of an activity, you earn points which help you to reach your goals. Maintaining a routine in each of the six activities also earns you badges.
If you’re having difficulty reaching a particular goal, the app will suggest content on SpunOut.ie to get you on track to a happy healthy lifestyle routine.
About MiYo
MiYo began at a hackathon held in Facebook’s EMEA HQ in Dublin back in October. Over 40 young developers came together to come up with an idea for making an app which our readers could use to be proactive about their mental health.
The funding secured by NOSP allowed us to spend the last five months building the app with the developers. We’re incredibly grateful to Facebook and the National Office for Suicide Prevention for their support in making this idea a reality.
Pre-order now for free
Miyo is coming soon to the Apple iOS store and the Google Play store you can sign up HERE…
Top UK on-line store hantec uk now have the Nokia X in stock at a much better price than we have previously seen,its priced at £107.99 which works out roughly at €130 approx plus shipping,this is not bad for early adopters and we have used this company before and they have been great each time.
So for those in Ireland who wish to buy this at a much more reasonable price,here is your chance now..
The Nokia X is the first nokia device running on android,but has no play store,the device has gone on sale in some regions now but not here in Ireland as from a retail standpoint,but you can buy it sim free form various sites,there is no solid confirmation as to if and when it will arrive in Ireland,it wont be soon if it is.
Nokia X is a customized platform built on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), the software stack upon which some of the most popular smartphones in the world are based. Nokia X lets you leverage your existing Android apps, while taking advantage of Nokia’s optimizations to help you grab more downloads and generate more revenues in targeted markets.
Ready to start porting your apps? Get started HERE
Will your Android app work on Nokia X?
Nokia Store testing has shown that approximately 75% of Android apps will run properly without any modifications; they’re ready to be published in Nokia Store.
Develop and distribute a single APK targeting multiple stores.
If your app uses Google services for push notifications, maps or in-app payments, you’ll need to make a few changes, but it won’t take long (usually less than 8 hours). Nokia services have been designed to minimize porting effort from apps using corresponding Google services and allow developers develop and distribute a single APK targeting multiple stores.
The core Nokia X platform is built on AOSP v4.1.2, which supports API level 16. On top of this, Nokia has added several enhancements to improve both the user experience and the developer experience:
Windows phone is growing at a steady pace and today we still see the ignorance by media as regards to mention never mind speak about the windows phone and windows ecosystem.
Early on in the year we had such a massive fail of an article titled the top 300 apps.not one of them windows,whilst there was apps in this selection for which too are present in the windows phone store,plus several top apps,the media just continue to ignore that there is a third OS which is windows phone,this is factually true.
Earlier in the year we seen a top 300 apps article,windows phone totally omitted.
So cast your mind back to this article top 300 apps.
Not only has this media outlet failed,on windows phone,and nokia too ,another one has too several times.
Read here on that..here and here we where completely ignored on both these articles,on site,via twitter and email.utter ignorance..
Today we come across another app article once again failing to acknowledge the windows phone OS.
And yet again its the same people in one form or another,when will these folks ever wake up?
None the less they don’t have one windows phone app and do for ios and android,yet boast about apple and new specific apps for apple products…
The best 20 mobile apps to download now.. telegraph uk
Now given that some of these apps are on windows phone ,windows phone is not once mentioned
There is multiple brilliant apps daily been announced for windows phone and its been ignored,media seem to thrive on apple and android,some of which these folks hire are of course previous apple staff etc so one wonders as to the abundance of mentions of the same products.
Time to wake up and smell the roses folks,i use android,i use windows,i use windows phone 8, i use all operating systems as i test devices,there is apps are coming,time to start mentioning them and featuring them in your one sided reports..
