Microsoft has just announced that Cortana will be available for Android and iOS,sounds good alright,yet its 2015 and still no official version here in Ireland.Currently there is a workaround which everyone knows but we should be well past this stage now since last November we where told it was coming soon,6 months is not soon….However Cortana will not be as powerful as it is on Windows Phone but will provide much of the basics there and then. It is expected on Android in June and later on in the year for iOS. Cortana is a digital assistant similar to the likes of siri on iOS..Some find these assistants gimmicks and some love them,the choice is yours to use these assistants or not.
Learn about the new Phone Companion app. Built-in to Windows 10, Phone Companion will help you connect your Windows PC to whatever phone you own– whether it’s a Windows phone, Android phone, or iPhone. Access your files, content and even Cortana from your PC or phone.
We probably wont see one soon but the Galaxy S6 edge which sports the Iron Man theme has been unboxed and also has the red and gold colour scheme as seen on Iron mans suit.The Galaxy S6 edge Iron Man Limited Edition comes pre-installed with a custom Avengers theme, matching wireless charging pad and a Clear Cover, all packaged within a limited edition Avengers box.
Pac-Man is currently celebrating its 35th anniversary and it has a surprise in store,Pac-Man fans rejoice,its coming to a mobile and tablet near you soon. Of course there is plenty of games today similar available but this one is different.
BEWARE OF THE GLITCH! On PAC-MAN’s 35th anniversary, we are collaborating with Hipster Whale (the makers of Crossy Road) to bring you a hilariously addictive endless maze chase inspired by the infamous level 256 glitch from the original PAC-MAN!
The free-to-play game will be available for smartphones and tablets in summer 2015. Expect to encounter plenty of Pac-Dots, Power Pellets, Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde! See more in the links in description box. Are you looking forward to this, tell us below.
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.
Home-screen and accessibility.
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..
If you are travelling to the UK or living there here is a handy app if you are into Nature. This app lets you explore Wildlife Trust nature reserves and events wherever you are in the UK.Its available on Android and iOS. A simple location-based app which enables the user to find Wildlife Trust nature reserves and events wherever they are. There is also a directory of Wildlife Trusts around the UK, with links to on-line information.
The Wildlife Trusts care for more than 2,000 wild places – woods, meadows, moors, rivers, heaths, hills, bogs, coastline and urban parks. You can use this app to find and explore wild places near you.There is more than 10,000 events each year – walks, talks, training courses, volunteer days, activities for families and children, wildlife festivals and more. This app contains many events but for complete listings please check your local Wildlife Trust website.
Key features include:
1. Map and list of nature reserves with search and geo-location
2. Map and list of events with search and geo-location
3. Ability to favourite trusts, reserves and events
4. Directory of all Wildlife Trusts with contact details and ability to donate by text.
Searching for more than 2,000 nature reserves plus thousands of events and activities
A directory for all 47 Wildlife Trusts with contact details and ability to donate by text
Save your favourite places – where you’ve been and where you’d like to go
Information on more than 800 UK wildlife species will be available in an update by 1 July 2015
Philips has developed a new navigation system for supermarkets and it might not be too long before we see it here.A good idea which of course works via an app and LED lights. This app would work well in some chain stores here as they are always moving things around and when popping in looking for a few items sometimes can be annoying.
The system, developed by Philips, uses the supermarket’s light fixtures to form an indoor positioning grid. Each LED fixture emits a unique code through light that is invisible to the human eye but is detected by the camera on a smartphone.
This then triggers an app which shows the customer exactly where they are in the store, guides them to items on their shopping list and provides information relevant to their location such as details of special offers, new products and recipe ideas.
Philips claims that, as well as making supermarkets easier to navigate, the LED system can cut electricity consumption by 50 per cent compared to conventional store lighting, driving down running costs and making buildings greener.
“Our connected lighting system has the potential to transform shopping into a more interactive and personalised experience,” said Gerben van der Lugt, head of LED-based indoor positioning at Philips Lighting.
One of the advantages of a light-based navigation system is that retailers do not have to invest in additional infrastructure to house, power and support location beacons for indoor positioning. It is also more accurate, according to Mr Van der Lugt.
“Radio frequency-based positioning technologies like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth triangulation deliver accuracies of two to five metres and require installation of additional hardware. Philips’ connected lighting system with indoor positioning technology is sub-metre accurate and simply uses the existing lighting infrastructure,” he said.
There has been lots of reports of latest as to the sale of the hugely popular HERE maps which Nokia own,HERE maps has become very popular with many companies and there has been much reports of late as to the company being sold.Personally they should stay put imo but that’s me but if they want to sell and take a huge sum of cash well who is to stop them,there has been some staggering numbers flying around as to what is on the table.
Reuters reports..
Nokia (NOK1V.HE) is in no hurry to sell its mapping unit HERE despite receiving high quality bids, the Finnish company’s chief executive said in a trade magazine interview.
Telecoms network equipment maker Nokia began a strategic review of its maps business last month, setting in motion an auction process that has pitted Internet players like Uber and Baidu (BIDU.O) against German carmakers in a deal that could be worth up to $4 billion.
While declining to comment on bidders, Chief Executive Rajeev Suri acknowledged in trade magazine European Communications that the unit had attracted “significant interest”, and said the quality of the bids was better than expected.
But he added: “Let’s give it more time…We may not end up selling it if we don’t get the right value. It has to be a good competitive deal for Nokia and our shareholders.”
On 12 May 2015, Nokia celebrated the 150th birthday of Nokia. Join them for a trip down memory lane and a look at the future in this new video released. Enjoy..See our full coverage over HERE
