Sunday, June 16, 2013

Android Authority

Android Authority


HTC One Mini headed for T-Mobile, says developer

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 08:49 PM PDT

HTC One mini 1
An Android-powered smartphone previously known as the M4 is now said to be on its way to T-Mobile USA. It’s none other than the HTC One Mini, which we first covered in earlier reports from the start of this month. An HTC developer that goes by the Twitter handle LlabTooFer confirms that the HTC M4 and the HTC One Mini are indeed one and the same.


When the HTC One Mini will actually become available through T-Mobile USA is still unclear at this point, but it looks like it might be a carrier-exclusive by the time it arrives. Apparently, Verizon Wireless won’t be getting it, which would have made for a decent alternative to the upcoming Galaxy S4 mini, as well as the perfect sidekick to the actual HTC One.

The HTC One Mini’s list of features reportedly includes a dual-core CPU, an Ultrapixel camera, 2GB of RAM, and a 4.3-inch HD display. Do you think the possibility of it being sold through T-Mobile soon is something to get excited about? Is there a place for a smaller, less feature-rich HTC One in your life?

    


Extend Samsung Galaxy S4’s battery life with the official spare battery and charger kit

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 08:38 PM PDT

Galaxy S4

When the mighty Li-Ion battery of the Samsung Galaxy S4 (2600 mAh capacity) is not enough, owners can now make use of a spare battery and a helpful charger kit, which has been recently launched by Samsung. Compatible with all variants of the smartphone, this extra charge is enough to double productivity levels and ensure connectivity for longer periods of time.

The spare Galaxy S4 battery comes with a compact charging and carrying case and a microUSB travel adaptor that can power other mobile devices as well. Those that choose to purchase th accessory can replace an almost empty battery with a fully-charged one in a matter of seconds.

Samsung Galaxy S4 spare battery

As you may already know, Samsung is among the few manufacturers that still make devices that pack easy-removable batteries. All users need to do is pop-open the back cover, take the battery out and place the spare one inside. The simple nature of this procedure has influenced many Android owners to forget about thick battery extension cases and opt for a back-up unit instead.

Based on the latest Galaxy S4 battery tests, a spare unit will offer enough juice to use as 14 hours of regular talk time, around nine hours of web browsing or 10 hours of video playback.

counterfeit

Korean counterfeit spare battery on the left and the real deal on the right (in carton)

The official price of the kit is $49.99 but the best offer available can be found on dear old Amazon: just $40.92. Amazon also notes that a Korean-made counterfeit is already on the market with less impressive results.

    


HTC Fetch is apparently a new tracking and locating technology for mobile devices

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 08:16 PM PDT

HTC One X Logo aa 1 1600

Making its first appearance in Taiwan's NCC filings, an upcoming HTC tracking and locating technology called Fetch has been spotted. Judging by the short description statement, Fetch may shape up to be a software and hardware combination which could help users locate various HTC-made devices and even other people.

The filing is purely to register Fetch as a trademark and contains sparse details about the actual idea. From what we managed to figure out, this is going to actually be a portable, multifunction device that will assist owners in locating mobile HTC gadgets of any nature. Moreover, the filing also mentions a compatible software to aid with the entire process and even a form of a people finder.

Interestingly, HTC's intention comes right after the New York-based anti-device theft conference was held, although the filing has a mid-May date. Apple, Google, Motorola, Samsung and Microsoft were invited to discuss a potential kill-switch feature for all upcoming products, but HTC did not receive a similar invitation. Even so. the Taiwanese company may have discovered the potential and future demand of such a feature, which could be covered by this Fetch product.

HTC Fetch

At this stage, we can only imagine what HTC Fetch will look like and function. We place our bets on something similar to Apple's Find My iPhone tool, but maybe more evolved?  If the Taiwanese manufacturer manages to pull this through, HTC could end up having a big lead on other Android vendors, taking advantage of the fact that Android doesn’t have a built-in phone locating feature yet.

On the other hand, we could always be wrong with our speculations, so we’ll have to wait a while to learn more details about the HTC Fetch.

    


Xperia Z Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean features showcased on video

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 08:08 PM PDT

Xperia Z
Although Sony has yet to officially release the upcoming Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update for the water-resistant Xperia Z, some people have already installed an unofficial leaked version (which we covered in an earlier report) on their own phones. As a result, they are now able to run the latest available version of the Android software on their handsets.

If you’re wondering exactly what the software update does, there are a couple of new YouTube videos that can show you. A 15-minute video titled, “Sony XPERIA Z with official leak Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean review” is what you want to watch to know all the most important elements of the software update. There’s also a 4-minute video titled, “Xperia Z 4.2.2 firmware leaked!” that shows the phone’s lockscreen widgets in action, and that’s worth viewing as well.

We still don’t know when Sony plans to officially deliver the software update to Xperia Z users. But judging by the appearance of this unofficial leaked version, we believe the official release is just around the corner. Go and watch these video demonstrations of the software update’s features for now to tide yourself over.

    


Samsung and Jay-Z to reveal details of new sponsorship deal during NBA finals game

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 07:36 PM PDT

Samsung Jay Z teaser
Samsung wants us to tune in and watch Game 5 of the NBA finals this weekend because it plans to fully unveil the details of its new sponsorship deal with Jay-Z which we first reported on nearly two weeks back. At least that’s what a new teaser photo it sent out to the press implies, which shows the Galaxy S4 alongside what appears to be a gold-plated thing that you’re supposed to wear on your neck.

The deal between Samsung and Jay-Z, which is said to be very close to being finalized, is reportedly going to be the biggest of its kind. There’s still no clear indication of what exactly this new deal covers, but there is speculation that we could see a new type of music service come alive as a result of it, or perhaps a custom-branded phone for Jay-Z to start using and promoting in all of his shows and appearances.

No matter what the sponsorship deal ends up being about, it’s sure to be very interesting, especially since it is said to involve a handsome $20 million payout from Samsung to Jay-Z. With a deal this big, one can’t help but think about how it will all unfold, and whether or not other Roc-A-Fella artists such as Kanye West would be part of it too.

Would you be okay with carrying around a Jay-Z phone? What about paying for a premium phone that’s bundled with exclusive Jay-Z songs and videos? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.

    


Samsung SCH-I435 could be Verizon’s Galaxy S4 mini

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 06:58 PM PDT

Galaxy S4 Mini
When the Galaxy S4 mini was first announced officially a couple of weeks back, we didn’t get any information on release date and pricing for the U.S. from Samsung. We still don’t, but perhaps we’ve already glimpsed at our very first clue. A recent Bluetooth SIG certification reveals where the US-bound Galaxy S4 mini might be headed first.

Based on information found in the Bluetooth SIG web site, a Bluetooth 4.0-equipped “Samsung SCH-I435″ could soon arrive in the U.S. and become available through Verizon Wireless. How do we know this? Because Samsung-branded Verizon phones have traditionally used the SCH model designation in the past — the Galaxy S3 is called the SCH-I535 while the Galaxy S4 is called the SCH-I545 — so a phone called the SCH-I435 would fit right in. And not only that, but the “Geographic Availability” info of the phone clearly states North America.

Some people might think that there are a lot of other models better suited to be released under Verizon, be it due to hardware specs, software features, and other niceties. It’s also possible that this particular Samsung phone could be a different model entirely. In any case, we’ll be sure to update you on the latest info once we grab it, hopefully straight from Samsung itself.

    


HTC One – One Month in the Life of an HTC One Owner

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 10:16 AM PDT

HTC One One Month

This is my HTC One. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

The HTC One so far has been the kind of phone HTC was hoping it would be. It isn’t outselling the rival, the Samsung Galaxy S4, but it’s doing a lot better comparatively than HTC was doing at this point last year. At last glance, the sales numbers were 10 million Galaxy S4 to 5 million HTC One. Since no one really talked about HTC sales at all last year, that’s already a fantastic improvement. Of course, those are older numbers so both devices have sold a lot more since then.

Before we get started, it’s important to note that this really isn’t a review. Our own Kristofer Wouk already took care of that. If you’d like to see his written and video reviews, you can find them here. This is simply my personal experience with the HTC One over the course of the 4-6 weeks since I received the phone to give people an idea of what it’s like to own this beastly device. So without further adieu, let’s get started.


HTC One Home Screens

My HTC One Set Up

Let’s start with the basics. Despite what the reviews may have shown you, there are actually a couple of ways to set up the HTC One. HTC attempts to push Blinkfeed on you as your main home screen, but you can actually set any of the five possible screens as your main one. I opted for the traditional Android layout. So I use five home screens, with the third being marked as my main home screen. Blinkfeed is on the far left which means I can use it or ignore it as I choose.

A quick rundown of how I do things. Far left is Blinkfeed, near left is folders that hold all my frequently used apps, and the center is my main page with a clock and weather widget, a flashlight widget, and a battery widget. The near right holds my Gmail widget and some of my more functional apps, and the far right houses my most played games. Despite being limited to just four panels

I was able to put everything on my home screens that I wanted to.

–with the 5th always being Blinkfeed– I was able to put everything on my home screens that I wanted to. The only sad part is you cannot delete the Blinkfeed panel. Thankfully, I found it useful and fun so I don’t really mind.

One more thing I’d like to mention in this category is that I love Boom Sound. Before the HTC One I didn’t think I’d be using it that much since about all I do with my phones is listen to podcasts. Now that I have a phone where the sound isn’t coming out of a tiny little speaker in the back, I’ve found that I enjoy listening to music on the device without headphones. My Spotify account hasn’t seen this much use since 2011, my Google Music is swallowing up as much of my unlimited data as it can, and yeah even my podcasts sound better. There simply no arguing it, the HTC One produces the best sound of any smartphone speaker that I’m aware of.


HTC One Lock Screen Android 4.2.2

Moving around the OS

Once you get everything set up, moving around the operating system is just like every other Android phone. You unlock the lock screen, move around home screens, and access the menu via the notification drop down. That’s all there really is to it. So I haven’t really thought about it as I’ve used the device at all. Everything is as it’s supposed to be. The key, though, is getting the HTC One set up. As I mentioned previously, adding panels and selecting your main home screen is just one of way of doing so.

In the app drawer, you can change the grid from three by three to four by five if you so choose. You can also change it to alphabetical to get the old school paginated app drawer we saw in earlier iterations of HTC Sense. This is what I do, since I actually liked the old HTC Sense app drawers. For my lock screen, I use the Productivity set up, which you can change in the Personalization menu in Settings.

This is where things get screwy, though. Unlike stock Android (and even Touchwiz), you can’t long press an icon in the app drawer and add it to the home screen. You can only add icons to the dock this way. You have to long press (or pinch out) on the home screens to add icons. This was, admittedly, the most difficult thing to get used to on the HTC One, having moved over from a Nexus 4. Also, long pressing home screens doesn’t give you the option to change your wallpaper. You now must use the Personalization menu in Settings for that. Also a drag. Thankfully, adding icons and changing wallpapers isn’t a common practice for me.

So there are some quirks with the HTC One you wouldn’t find in a stock Android device. This isn’t a knock on Sense 5 or even praise for vanilla Android. I’m only pointing out the differences.

As you can see from the image above, I’m actually on Android 4.2.2. As is tradition at this point, I root every device I own the first day I get it. So when the Android 4.2.2 ROMs started leaking and ROM cooks started adding them to ROMs is around the time I got my Android 4.2.2 update. There are a few changes from 4.1.2, but the biggest and most noticeable change is the vanilla Android style quick settings, Daydream is now included, and you can now opt to show your battery level in the status bar.


HTC One Battery Life

HTC One Battery Life

I’m not going to say that the HTC One battery life sucks. Okay, yes I am. The HTC One battery life sucks. With some proper management and some self control, you can actually get more than a full day of charge out of it. However, I am what is called a power user. I average about 4 hours of screen on time a day. 

I'm not going to say that the HTC One battery life sucks. Okay, yes I am. The HTC One battery life sucks.

So on average I get about 10-12 hours of battery life before the phone dies. I do work at a desk, though, which means I can keep it charged pretty much all day long. As you can see from the screenshot above, my HTC One was one the charger five times total in two days.

Now, for the sake of trying it out, I spent a whole day using my phone as a phone. Answering texts and Hangouts messages, phone calls, and some light browsing. When I removed the gaming, the obscene amount of time I spend on social media, and reading 5 page articles all at once, I was able to keep it going for about 20 hours before it needed a charge. So it is capable of lasting a long time, but you have to keep an eye on what you use it for. As you can see from the screen shots above, I played Final Fantasy IV for 20 minutes this morning and spent a good amount of time in Hangouts and my battery was down 20% in just under an hour and a half.

I will note. Since I’ve updated to Android 4.2.2 with Sense 5, battery life seems to be a lot better. I’ve been leaving it off the charger all day and usually hit around 20% when I lay down to go to bed. So for you stock people who don’t root, the Android 4.2.2 update (when it does arrive) should help bring some better battery life as well. For root users who want to try this out on their own, I run either TrickDroid or Android Revolution HD. You can find both of those in the international HTC One forum on XDA-Developers.

final fantasy 4 on the HTC One

Gaming and Performance

One of the things I use my HTC One for the most is gaming. I have a host of console emulators along with some native Android games. To put it bluntly, they all perform swimmingly. In most cases, I don’t even see so much as a hiccup. There are only two times when I can make performance drop below perfect. One is in the game Ice Age Village. During a mini game called Kung Fu Scrat, every now and then there will be a moment of lag. The only other time is playing PlayStation games using the FPse PlayStation emulator and I have OpenGL enabled with high quality video mode enabled. Sometimes it’ll drop to 40fps.

The gaming and performance is so good that I actually recorded all the raw footage for Brad Ward’s and my Final Fantasy IV review with it earlier this week. It’s the first review that wasn’t done with my trusty Nexus 4. Don’t worry friends, the Nexus 4 will still be doing the reviews, but it was nice to see the HTC One handle it like a champ if need be. In FPse, the PlayStation emulator, I get a solid 60-70fps. As stated earlier, if I put all the highest settings on, it will drop to 40 on occasion. I usually play on medium settings so I can turn off the frame limiter and skip long, boring scenes in the games I play. Emulators for older consoles like SNES or Game Boy Advance don’t lag. Ever.

The UI and almost all apps are fluid and wonderful. I really never experience lag with this phone unless I really try to make it happen. The thing is that I’d love to go more in depth with stuff like performance and list off more quirks and other places where it may lag. The problem it I can’t! Usually devices have some specific parts that lag and it’s worthy of a discussion. The HTC One just doesn’t do that. Outside of the lags I reported above, I simply don’t see it lag. I’m sure it hangs on scrolling super long lists for a fraction of a second, but it’s not something I notice. I just use it and it just works. There really isn’t much to explain or discuss there.


What I did and did not like about the HTC One

So in the interest of time and space, I’m going to put what I specifically liked and didn’t like about the device in list form. Here we go.

The Good:

  • I can count exactly two places where it noticeably lags. That’s way less than every other device I’ve ever owned.
  • The build quality is phenomenal. I still take the HTC One out of its case just to look at it sometimes.
  • Boom Sound. ‘Nuff said.
  • The screen is gorgeous.
  • Blinkfeed has replaced my RSS app entirely.
  • HTC Sense 5 is not the bloated monster its predecessors were.  I can now use the iconic Sense Clock without shame.
  • HDMI output through a 5-pin MHL adapter works perfectly fine.
  • Quick settings included on Android 4.2.2. Sorry non-rooted people, you’ll have to wait a little longer for it!
  • I thought coming from the Note 2 to the 4.7″ screen of the HTC One would cause problems. Now 4.7″ seems great to me.

The Bad:

  • I can count exactly two places where it noticeably lags. It’s always those same two places (PlayStation emulator on highest settings, Kung Fu Scrat mini game) and it’s annoying.
  • The battery life is not where it should be. 10-12 hours is okay if you’re like me and sitting at a desk working all day. For people with lives, 10-12 hours means it’s going down in the middle of the evening, which is not very convenient. 

    I think the worst part of the HTC One is trying to objectively come up with things that are bad about the HTC One.

  • You cannot get rid of Blinkfeed.
  • No expandable storage means I can’t put all my PlayStation ROMs on there at once.
  • No removable battery means when something goes wrong during a ROM or kernel flash, it’s twice as annoying.
  • CyanogenMod is not fully optimized for the One yet. When it is, it’ll be epic. The last two times I tried it, it just didn’t feel quite right yet. Also, I actually use the TV Remote function in the HTC One.
  • I think the worst part of the HTC One is trying to objectively come up with things that are bad about the HTC One.

One Month With the HTC One Wrap Up

Overall, my experience with the HTC One has been amazing. There is really so little wrong with this device that it actually surprised me. Coming from last year’s flagships, I expected it to be quick and zippy most of the time, but really start to buckle when I put the pressure on. This has not been the case so far and I can’t rave enough about how great the performance has been. Now if HTC would’ve only spent a little more time on the battery and made things like Blinkfeed optional, I’d have no problem calling this the greatest Android phone of all time. However, because some features are forced and the battery can’t take a whole lot of strain, I’m forced to demote it to simply being one of the best out there.

When asked whether or not I would recommend this over the Galaxy S4, I never know what to say. Different people have different needs. The HTC One suffers from a lack of expandable storage and removable battery. So people who keep 50GB of music on their device will obviously need something extra in the storage department. If their uses and preferences are anything like mine, then the HTC One is the superior device. If you like all that Samsung bloatware and need the extra storage, then it’s pretty obvious which one you should go with.

I’d love to hear from some fellow HTC One owners. Do you find the phone satisfactory so far and what stuff do you like and dislike about it?

    


Samsung might launch its anti-theft feature for smartphones as soon as July

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 07:45 AM PDT

Samsung logo aa (2) - 600px
Samsung, along with other tech industry giants, met with New York Attorney General Erich Schneiderman recently to discuss the implementation of the smartphone kill switch that we’ve talked about before in order to reduce the number of device thefts that keep occurring in the U.S. Now, it looks like the Korea-based electronics company has finally agreed to work on it and not only that, but actually release it to users soon, as new reports indicate that it could happen as early as next month.

In what could be a bid to show that it’s not just motivated by profit and actually takes care of social responsibility, Samsung is said to be working on delivering a kill switch feature for smartphones as soon as July. It is currently the world’s top smartphone maker in terms of sales, so it’s in a position to really effect a change in the industry, especially in areas that really need attention.

Once active, the kill switch feature will enable manufacturers, carriers, and possibly even the U.S. government to remotely lock, wipe, and disable any smartphone so that it can no longer be used anywhere in the world. Not under a new carrier, not with a new prepaid SIM card, nothing. Essentially, it’s a button that would allow the ones in charge to “brick” any compatible device, no questions asked.

The details of Samsung’s upcoming kill switch feature for smartphones have so far not been made public yet, but if the Korean company really does intend to issue it to users next month, then we’re likely to find out more about it in the coming weeks.

How useful do you think this type of feature will be? Would you feel safer knowing that such a feature exists? Tell us in the comments.

    


Huawei Ascend Mate Review

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 04:32 AM PDT

huawei-ascend-mate-in-hand-aa

As much as we dislike the term, phones like the Huawei Ascend Mate are the reason people say the word “phablet.” With a 6.1 inch display and high-midrange specs and performance, the Mate definitely bridges the gap between large phones and small tablets.

While this type of device is popular among Android enthusiasts and gadget geeks, is the Ascend Mate enough to help Huawei break into a market currently dominated by Samsung and LG? Okay, probably not, but is this a phone worth buying? Read on to find out.

In a hurry? Check out our video review, or jump to the conclusion at the end of the article.

Specs

  • 6.1 inch IPS+ display (720 x 1280)
  • Huawei K3V2 chipset
  • 1.5 GHz quad-core CPU
  • Vivante GC4000 GPU
  • 2 GB RAM
  • 8 GB internal storage (expandable via microSD)
  • 8 MP rear-facing camera
  • 1.0 MP front-facing camera
  • 1080p video capture
  • 4,050 mAh battery

Build Quality & Design

As large as the Huawei Ascend Mate is, it is surprisingly easy to hold and use, for a few different reasons. The first and most important is the grippy plastic used on the back of the device. It may not be the prettiest plastic we’ve ever seen, but it goes a long way toward ensuring that you don’t drop the Ascend Mate the first time you sneeze. This grip is also present on the sides of the device.

huawei-ascend-mate-right-aa

The second reason is that, like the recently-reviewed Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3, the bezel size is comparatively small. When it was announced, Huawei made a point of announcing that the screen-to-body ratio is 73%, which it claimed to be the highest in the industry. Basically, the Ascend Mate is a joy to hold and use, just don’t count on being able to put it in smaller pockets.

Before we move on to the display, I’d like to touch on one thing I really liked about the Huawei Ascend Mate, as small as it may seem: the haptic feedback. This isn’t something people talk about very often, but well-implemented haptic feedback often does a lot to make a phone feel right, and Huawei has definitely accomplished this with the Mate’s solid, thuddy-feeling haptics.

Display

This is why you’re reading this, right? Sure, the Huawei Ascend Mate has plenty of other things about it to like, but the display is the main event. When we first got our hands on the Ascend Mate at CES 2013 our Editor-in-Chief and certifiable large phone fan Darcy Lacouvée was immediately smitten with both the display size and the massive battery, which we’ll touch on later in the review.

huawei-ascend-mate-front-right-aa

Unfortunately, the display is only 720p. Yes, that was fine in 2011, and it’s still fine for plenty of smaller devices, but on a screen this size, it hurts. With 1280 x 720 stretched across a 6.1 inch screen, you end up with a pixel density of around 241 ppi. Pixels are definitely noticeable if go hunting for them, but luckily, most people aren’t that likely to have a device this size just a few inches from their eyeballs. Once you’re holding the Ascend Mate at a comfortable distance, the pixelation and slight lack of sharpness aren’t all that apparent.

We’re dealing with an IPS+ display here, and the colors are well represented but not overly saturated. Brightness is good, and outside visibility was actually better than expected. Black levels are decent, and viewing angles are great. In an interesting addition, you can actually adjust the color temperature in the Display settings, which is great if you like to use the Ascend Mate at night without ruining your sleep quality. Look it up.

Performance

When we test phones, we see a lot (and I mean a lot) of the usual suspects when it comes to hardware: Snapdragon, Exynos, Tegra and, well, that’s about it for the most part. Since Huawei makes their own processors, I was really interested to see how the Ascend Mate’s hardware would hold up as this is not the sort of thing that crosses my desk very often.

First we turned to our benchmarking tool of choice: AnTuTu Benchmark. As always, we ran the benchmark 10 times, in different situations. Scores were much more consistent than we often see, ranging from 15,012 at the low end to 15,871 at the high end. Averaging the scores out, we ended up with a final score of 15,639. It’s worth noting that we tried running the benchmarks with the Power Manager set to both Normal mode and Optimum Performance mode, and saw no noticeable difference between the two.

huawei-ascend-mate-antutu-benchmark-aa

Next we turned to Epic Citadel. Though the app was recently updated to add a third graphics mode, only two were available on the Ascend Mate: High Quality and High Performance. This is likely due to the chipset’s older Cortex A9 architechture. First, we ran Epic Citadel’s Benchmarking mode with the graphics set to High Quality and saw an average framerate of 37.7 FPS. Next we tried High Performance and the framerate increased to an average of 40.2 FPS.

Real world performance was definitely solid. Scrolling through the home screens and various menus always remained very fluid, and apps never failed to launch quickly. When it came to gaming, simpler games like The Jump ran without a hitch, but games that tax the hardware more, like Real Racing 3, had a little more trouble.

Software

The Ascend Mate runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, skinned with Huawei’s Emotion UI. If you’ve never encountered this UI before, it will definitely take some getting used to. The lack of an app drawer definitely feels strange at first, all though you’ll likely get used to the idea of just having all your apps on your home screens within a day or two. Still, it was strange at first.

huawei-ascend-mate-apps-aa

On the plus side, the UI is immensely themeable. While HTC Sense and LG’s Optimus UI offer some customization options, Emotion goes a little nuts. Out of the box, there are 20 different official themes included, ranging from bright and colorful to monochromatic and muted. Now that’s fine if you’re the type who colors inside the lines. If you’re not, it’s very easy to select your own lock screen style, wallpaper (for both the home and lock screens), icons, font and different ringtones to create a theme of your own.

When it comes to apps, there really isn’t much in the way of bloatware included, and the apps that are included lean toward the utilitarian: Flashlight, SIM Toolkit, Backup, App Installer, etc. Kingsoft Office is included and, unlike a lot of other preinstalled office suites, can actually create documents on the fly instead of simply opening or editing them. Facebook, Twitter and of course Google+ are included and, aside from the usual Google apps, that’s about it.

Camera

The 8 MP rear-facing camera is fairly standard when it comes to features. In addition to its default Smart mode, you can also select HDR, Panorama and Burst modes if you want to get a little more creative with your photos. Normal mode gives you more control, allowing you to manually select ISO, white balance and exposure settings.

ipp

Unfortunately, the images produced by the camera are decent, but nothing all that great. Smart mode allows you to easily focus by tapping on the screen, but as that that focal point moves away from the center, the images start to get more and more fuzzy. Low light performance isn’t great and, as is usually the case, the LED flash will help you get a photo you can see, but it won’t ever help anything look all that great.

The 1080p video capture is smooth and produces generally good picture and sound quality. Of course, as you might expect, once you move into low-light situations, the quality suffers noticeably, with a large amount of visual noise present. Interestingly, the Huawei Ascend Mate features two microphones, so it captures stereo sound. This isn’t the sort of thing that will matter all that often, but it is still nice to have.

Battery

With a 6.1 inch screen, you’re probably going to spend quite a bit of time looking at it, so luckily Huawei stocked the Ascend Mate with a huge 4,050 mAh battery. That battery is put to good use too.

huawei-ascend-mate-back-aa

Basically, the day I took the Ascend Mate out of the box, I took a look at the battery capacity, which was at 80%, and decided to just start testing. After hours of benchmarking, gaming, testing the camera and just generally using the Mate as much as I could, the battery life was down to 20%. Not bad. Even better, the charger that tags along in the box with the Ascend Mate supports fast charging, so you’ll be back up to 100% much more quickly than using a standard charger or, worse, a USB port.

Unless you enjoy letting videos loop in your pocket while you walk around, you can be pretty certain that the Ascend Mate is going to last you through a whole day, no matter how much you use it. Which is nice, because you’re stuck with the stock battery.

Video

Conclusion

Despite a few issues here and there, like the okay buy not great camera and the slightly dated chipset architecture, there is an awful lot to like about the Huawei Ascend Mate. Whether the simplified, somewhat unusual UI appeals to you is up in the air, but if you like the idea of a large screen on your phone, you could certainly do worse, especially if you don’t mind 720p.

huawei-ascend-mate-top-aa huawei-ascend-mate-antutu-benchmark-aa huawei-ascend-mate-apps-aa huawei-ascend-mate-back-aa huawei-ascend-mate-bottom-aa huawei-ascend-mate-camera-aa ipp huawei-ascend-mate-front-left-aa huawei-ascend-mate-front-right-aa huawei-ascend-mate-in-hand-aa huawei-ascend-mate-right-aa huawei-ascend-mate-the-jump-aa

What do you think of the Huawei Ascend Mate? Have any questions? Let us know down in the comments!

    


Google reveals “Project Loon”, set to bring balloon-powered Internet to the world

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 03:26 AM PDT

Google logo aa

Google on Friday has taken its quest to bring the Internet to the entire world one step closer with the unveiling of "Project Loon". Project Loon is another idea that comes from the Google X labs, and is designed to connect even people in the most remote regions of the globe to the Internet, via giant balloons that circle the globe at 60,000 feet in the air.

The balloons are made of polyethylene, run completely on solar power, are 15 metres wide and weigh about 22 pounds, providing Internet at speeds which are "similar to today's 3G networks or faster".

The ballons will provide Internet at speeds which are similar to today's 3G networks or faster.

Since the balloons will drift, Google uses "complex algorithms and lots of computing power" to ensure that "when one balloon leaves another enters," meaning that the balloons are always where they are needed.

The balloons communicate with "specialized antennas" on the ground, simultaneously communicating with other balloons up in the air and the ground station, which is connected to the local Internet service provider, creating a "network in the sky".

There is already a small-scale program running in Christchurch, New Zealand, where 50 testers are already connected. Eventually, Google hopes to have bands of these balloons circling the globe.

The idea is certainly a little crazy (which could be the inspiration for the name), but if it can gain traction it will fulfill Google's vision of connecting the 5 billion people who still don't have access to the Internet, with the rest of the world.

Do you believe Project Loon will be able to connect the whole world?

    


Rumor: Moto X specs include dual-core processor, 10-megapixel camera, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 03:15 AM PDT

X Phone concept

X Phone concept

A new tweet posted by a Twitter account known to leak information about upcoming mobile devices before their launch reveals certain specs of the already confirmed Moto X phone.

The handset was the star of a variety of rumors that hit the web before and after Google I/O. However, Motorola only acknowledged its existence a few weeks ago, during the D11 conference, although the company is yet to actually show us how the handset look like.

Now, @evleaks, a source of plenty of leaks in the past, claims that the handset will pack a 720p touchscreen display, 1.7GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor (MSM8960), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, 10-megapixel camera, 2-megapixel front-facing camera and Android 4.2.2 Jelly bean under the hood.

Motorola did say during the conference that the Moto X will be a handset meant to compete directly against the iPhone and top Galaxy devices, but these rumored specs – some of them matching previous reports on the matter – suggest that the handset would be a mid-range device by 2013 standards.

That said, we're very interested to see what the Moto X will have to offer, particularly considering its contextual awareness smart features that Motorola talked about during the D11 show.

Naturally, while @evleaks has been accurate in the past, it'll be a while until these specs can be confirmed, so make sure you hang on to that grain of salt.

Would such a Moto X handset satisfy your needs, or will you go for a higher-end device instead?

    


Android 5.0 design concept imagines what the future may hold

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 02:37 AM PDT

   Android 5.0

An Android fan imagined what Android 5.0 could look like, showing various elements in design renders posted on his Google Plus account.

Jinesh Shah, an Electrical Engineering student at the University of Michigan, has posted four images in which he imagined the new Android 5.0 environment (see gallery below).

We're looking at an interesting, minimal design, with colors that are easy on the eyes. Some translucency effects are present – we have no idea whether it's iOS 7-related or not – like that transparent task bar and on-screen buttons.

Android 5.0 Concept

The home screen features a redesigned clock and Google Search widgets, with Shah giving prominent placement to Hangouts and Camera apps.

Interestingly, the lock screen is a bit more cluttered, even though it includes only two elements, a "scrollable Google Now lockscreen widget integrated with Notifications," and Voice Search. According to Shah, this new Google Now widget is "already open," and you don't have to swipe down to activate it. Presumably the lock screen will always show relevant information once you turn it on, without the need of performing any gestures to activate the widgets.

As for the other widgets on the home screen, Shah suggests that they're neatly hidden, and can be shown with a simple swipe down. Once the gesture is performed, a new widget can replace the existing one, in this case the clock widget, and the user can move between widgets by swiping to the left and right.

Again, this is just a concept, and Shah said that more images will follow. However, while we can always check out what Android fans imagine for their favorite operating system, these concepts are not related to Google in any way.

Android 5.0 Concept Android 5.0 Concept Android 5.0 Concept Android 5.0 Concept

Android 5.0 is far from being confirmed, with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean expected to be the next Android update to be rolled out by Google. Until recently, Android 5.0 was believed to arrive at Google I/O, and said to be called Key Lime Pie. At this point, we have no way of knowing in advanced when Android 5.0 and/or Key Lime Pie will arrive, considering that Google surprised pretty much everyone at Google I/O, by not announcing an Android OS update.

That said, we're certainly interested to see how Google will respond to iOS 7, because the next main battle in the mobile OS wars will be fought between Apple's recently unveiled OS and Google's next major OS update.

What do you think about these proposed ideas? Would you like Google to implement some of them? Would you like to see such a launcher for it?