Plus Mobiles

ASUS PadFone already available in Taiwan

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:00:17 +0000

ASUS PadFone is until this date the most original terminal of 2012, it combines the idea of smartphone tablet, keyboard and even dock stylus + headset. What we can want more than that? Unfortunately PadFone was recently associated with S4 Snapdragon processor production delays, which it seizes by big phone manufacturers being the ideal processing solution today.

Well, today we have some fresh details about the launch of this product. Be aware that ASUS PadFone is already available in Taiwan native country since the April 20, 2012. PadFone is a smartphone with a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD screen and processor mentioned above. This smartphone can be placed in a 10.1-inch tablet (PadFone Station) and we can attach a keyboard dock, as we have already used with ASUS tablets. There is a PadFone Stylus Headset accessory, which serves as a stylus, and the headset for calls.

The phone is the “central hub” of this hybrid and comes with a pretty good camera,an 8 megapixel one more exactly with Fuji image processor and lens with 5 elements. Other features include Android 4.0 ICS, 1GB of RAM, storage options of 16, 32 or 64 GB and microSD card slot. At connectivity chapter, we have HSPA+ with download speeds of 21 Mbps and AGPS. These are the following countries that will receive Padfone: Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany and some other European nations. According to information recently published on the web, the combo phone + tablet should cost 699 euros and keyboard dock around 149 euros.

5 ways that Galaxy S III could look better than now!

admin — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:38:11 +0000

Let’s face it: Samsung Galaxy S III does not look as good as we wanted. And not that we imagine fanciful designs, but the phone seems more reminiscent of a Corby when it’s viewed from behind. Rounded forms and housing plasticizers have made plenty of fans to whine. We have five ways that Galaxy S III could look better. We will demonstrate on the basis of concepts.

1. Edge to edge screen, capacitive buttons

It’s simple, we have here a concept that is involving a long terminal, with edge to edge screen, capacitive buttons and a metal casing, or even a metal protective area around the screen, to give them strength and to avoid chipping. Bonus, we have a 12 megapixel camera and 1080p.

2. Large width

This image made headlines on the Web in December 2011 when it was rumored that it’s the new Galaxy S III. Apparently we have here a 5-inch screen terminal, clear edge to edge, some very interesting icons in the bottom of the screen, 1080p resolution and 12 megapixel camera. Phone case looks fantastic, is metallic and matte.

3. Borrowing from Nokia N9

It seems to me that this version borrow some things from Nokia N9. Physical Home button it’s kept and we have a protruding rear foot, which reminds me of Samsung Galaxy S II. The phone has a metal frame around it, which gives an elegant look.

4. A different Galaxy Nexus (square shape)

Imagine a square frame for Galaxy Nexus, thinner, and possibly high resolution and 12 megapixel camera. The buttons are capacitive and also we have Android 4.0 available.

5. Surprise!

Yes, that’s the way that Galaxy S III could look better, being close to the design of the HTC One X. HTC pleasantly surprised us with this phone, while Samsung hasn’t amazed us at all.

Sony ST21i Tapioca unveils the specifications by benchmarks

admin — Sat, 05 May 2012 16:32:10 +0000

Sony is not limited to the new Xperia phones from CES and MWC and prepares new models, but I can’t say I’m too surprised by this, especially that they are midrange or low end models. This, excepting the exciting Xperia Hayabusa. Anyway, today we will find out new details about Sony ST21i Tapioca, one of those models with modest endowments that I was talking about.

Tapioca’s existence was revealed last week when the phone arrived on the web in the form of some images. Today we have a confirmation of specifications leaked on the web lately through benchmark testing results. We are dealing here with a phone with an 800 MHz processor, 512 MB RAM, 3.2 inch display with resolution of 320×480 pixels and a 3 megapixel camera. The terminal is running on Android 4.0 ICS and the troublesome benchmark is NenaMark 2 in this case.

NenaMark publish their results online and in this case revealed the phone model, its score in tests, screen resolution, what kind of GPU and CPU frequency used, etc. It’s a Qualcomm CPU with a Adreno 200 GPU. Tapioca seems now the low end of the Sony model, so we have a very reasonable price. I see it as a rival for HTC Wildfire S, or rather Wildfire C, which is rumored to be an HTC One adapted to the low end market. We will keep you updated with the latest news about Sony ST21i Tapioca, surely a trending topic on the web. You will be the first one to hear from us.

Samsung Galaxy S III’s Super AMOLED HD screen examined under a microscope

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:11:58 +0000

I’m sure that if you watched the news in the last 24 hours you know by heart what does the Galaxy S III have for us. We are dealing with a phone with a 4.8 inch screen, Super AMOLED technology and bearing a 720p resolution. Note that this is a Super AMOLED screen and not Super AMOLED+, so 720p panel comes with Pentia RBGB pixels arrangement just like Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S II HD LTE. In the pictures below you can see a microscopic comparison between these screens.

Analysis was performed with an USB microscope with 230x zoom and the first comparison took place with HTC One X and its SLCD2 720p. Note that HTC One X’s denser sub pixels produce a clearer picture, but it is lower than the Galaxy S III at contrast chapter, especially when it comes to black. In comparison with the Galaxy Nexus, we have here two very similar terminals, one screen of 4.65 inch with AMOLED Super HD and one with the same screen, same resolution, but the 4.8-inch diagonal. Pixel density is slightly smaller on the new Galaxy S, but the difference is imperceptible to the human eye.

It seems that Samsung reduced the red pixels, judging by microscopic analysis, but personally I do not see any relevance in this. Then comes the great duel between Galaxy S III, Galaxy S and Galaxy S II. Galaxy S offers a range of 4-inch AMOLED screen with 800×480 pixel resolution, while the Galaxy S II features a 4.3-inch screen with Super AMOLED Plus technology with resolution of 800×480 pixels. The Galaxy S II LTE making its way in comparison with 800×480 display of 4.5 inch and Super AMOLED Plus technology. I’d say Super AMOLED Plus has a slight advantage here, but again we must see the Galaxy S III live so we can judge the screen.

Top applications for SMS notifications (Android)

admin — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:12:25 +0000

With Android, we can fully customize the way we interact and receive notifications, using a 3-rd party application that you can download from the Store. They are particularly useful when we want to respond quickly to an SMS or when we’re playing, and we want to visualize the message to decide whether to interrupt or not the game to respond.

NotifierPro/Plus. It is the most complex of those tested, but this is not necessarily a good thing. It integrates in the system as accessibility service and motorize any application. The interface, in Holo-style, with large buttons, easily accessible, looks good. Like I said, NotifierPro can motorize notifications from any application you have installed. To remove a notification we use left/right swipe gestures with the actions defined for each one. For example, swipe left dismiss current notification and swipe right them all. Then we set themes, with downloadable versions from the Store. NotifierPro provides excellent control behavior. We can set everything from banner’s position, until the vibration, sound, proximity sensor, etc.

SMS Popup. The same number of configuration options that I noticed at NotifierPro, the big difference is that they can applied only for SMS. To effectively use SMS Popup notifications must first disable standard notifications for messages. Then we can define the characteristics of application in every detail. For the duration of vibration to LED color notification. The interface is handsome, and Holo-style menus are quite easy to access.

Application stand out thanks to Quick Reply function which we use to respond to messages directly from the notification window. Swipe gestures are used to scroll through text unread messages. Another notable feature is preset messages, completely configurable, which you can use when we don’t have time to respond. Resource consumption is relatively small. May get extra points because it is offered free of charge but if you feel generous you can purchase at a modest price, Donate version.

Samsung Galaxy S III’s screen protective film compared with Samsung Galaxy S II

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 19:17:19 +0000

Series of rumors about Samsung Galaxy S III continues today with a protective film for the phone, applied across a Galaxy S II. Thus, we can get an idea about the size of the phone, if we compare with the previous Galaxy S.

Again it is confirmed that the new terminal will have at least rounded bottom, probably the top one too and the screen is larger than that of Galaxy S II. Given the impressive size of the film, I would say even that rumors of a display of 4.7 or 4.8 inch HD are true. I remind you that tomorrow, on May 3, 2012 in London is the official presentation of Galaxy S III, which you can find out more by downloading the Google Samsung Unpacked Play application.

If we’re talking about the film from this image, it has been posted on the web by Unwire boys from HK, Hong Kong sign that one is played in a while with the Galaxy S III. The smartphone appeared in a hands on video done in Vietnam, so that usually leaks come from Asia. Looking at this film, you should notice that the width of Galaxy S II remained intact and only the length of the phone has changed. The Home button has now a different shape, being larger and slightly rounded at the edges. In 24 hours we will find out how the real design of Galaxy S III is. I would quite safely say that many people eagerly waiting the release. Do you feel the same?

HDR Camera for Android!

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:05:34 +0000

HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography is the process of obtaining improved dynamic contrast of a picture, using methods that differ depending on the software used. The most common type of HDR, is introduced in Adobe Photoshop CS2, in which a series of photographs, with the range of brightness from opposite poles, are superimposed to create the effect of depth.

HDR Camera for Android aims to improve our quality of pictures. The HDR is the overlap of images captured successively and having varying degrees of brightness. Pictures quality created with HDR Camera is a good one, but do not expect DSLR or Photoshop quality. Images are pleasant enough but to share on social networks and friends envy.

To take pictures using HDR camera simply touch the screen and hold the phone steady sequence of images to be made. Once finished the process of “bonding” and created HDR effect, you can set parameters such as exposure, color intensity, contrast and micro-contrast. You can even use the three available presets to bring the image to a level that is awesome. When finished editing you can save the image in the photo gallery. The settings menu offers a set of very useful potions. We can set the directory where photos are saved, picture size, shooting mode and more.

I loved the pictures taken with HDR Camera, since the application is provided at no charge, you’ll want to try. If it get to impress, you can purchase HDR camera + version, which offers many more options and you get rid of ads.

We offer a Chinese ideal dose for Android phones with Ice Cream Sandwich!

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:10:16 +0000

Surely you heard of Xiaomi. If not, you should know it’s one of the best known Chinese manufacturers of devices, including smartphones and software. Their Android interface known as MIUI, was translated and adapted for many phones and there are entire communities working solely for that purpose. MIUI is fast, looks great and offers extensive personalization options. For not use a ROM that is not available on all phone models, the community decided to talk more about MIUI. Let’s see what it gives.

For MIUI interface was chosen a solution similar to that provided by iOS. That means we have all homescreen icons arranged on different sites, without being able to access a separate menu for launching applications. Each icon has a background, which further strengthens the feeling of Apple experience. The similarities stop here because we can add widgets and homescreen and we can define the number of sites. Launcher comes with a number of widgets you can use very attractive but very easy on the personal. Very interesting is the lockscreen also integrated, providing quick access to four functions such as camera or SMS. We can define transition effects, background, sound effects and vibration.

The real piece of resistance of MIUI, which we will find either in the menu or by clicking the icon located on the homescreen dedicated, are themes. Community has worked avidly in recent years to make available an impressive amount of customization options. Themes are available for both the lockscreen and homescreen or we can choose solutions that change the whole look. We can still download backgrounds or icons through this service. It should be noted that we’re working with servers in China so that the interface has a slower download, but it worth.

MIUI is a good solution. The application which I propose, MI-Home is not exempt from problems specific to a BETA version, but the behavior differs from a phone model to another. You will make a very good idea of what Xiaomi offers and who knows, you might want to try a ROM.

Shortcuts for quick access from any application with SwipePad for Android!

admin — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:18:11 +0000

SwipePad is an ingenious solution to have available a series of defined shortcuts to applications, contacts and more. The true innovation is the availability of these shortcuts from any application with a simple gesture on the screen in a predefined area.

SwipePad is very easy to configure. The menu settings define application behavior, vibration, sound and light. On the following tab, define the most important action, the application or operating areas. They can be located anywhere and they differ from launching applications through shortcuts on recent contacts menu or recently accessed applications. We will first talk about the free app, which subsequently define an area, provides access to a number of twelve shortcuts. These can be shortcuts or applications. To access them, all you need to do is press the predefined area and the menu appears to the application you want to access. To redefine a box, turn ring to it and keep it there until it becomes yellow. Also you can be happy to hear that SwipePad offers addons, all paid. These, four at number, are drastically expanding functionality:

- MoreSpace – offers a greater number of houses, over the twelve as standard;
- Dynamic Pads – for access the contacts and recent applications;
- WidgetPad – all favorite widgets available from any application;
- AppLauncher - assign a box and you can launch any application while running other application.

Total control of Android smartphone using your PC. All quick and easy! AirDroid is here!

admin — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 11:11:04 +0000

We can attach a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to our smartphones. But not every device is compatible. We use the MHL or HDMI cable to connect to large screen (PC). And this function is only available on new-generation terminals. Or we can use AirDroid and access without limits or other instruments, the full functionality of the Smartphone.

To use AirDroid must be connected to the same wireless network and the connected PC. This is the only rule. Then we have full control over the phone. Once downloaded from the store, run the application on your Smartphone. After you press Start, on the screen is displayed an address and a password. Enter into any browser on PC and we authenticate using that password. That’s all, we are greeted with a nice interface and available options. We have real time information about the device, such as battery level and GSM or wi-fi, space, etc. It even appears unread or missed calls and can respond to SMS using AirDroid and keyboard interface. We have call log and we can also modify, delete or insert new contacts. In the media, you can play all your music collection, download and edit photos and change various ringtones, notifications and alarms. Management of files is complete, we have unlimited data transfers!

The control is provided on applications, there is the possibility to uninstall, install or export APK files. It provides a link to Play Store.

AirDroid is still beta, but I had no problems while I was running it. However being patient is recommended, especially when copying large amounts of data. You must keep in mind that it’s done with a wireless connection. I don’t know if it applies only for the test, but the application is offered free of charge and you don’t need an account to use it. AirDroid is an incredibly useful application! Enjoy it.