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Sony Prepares to Launch the Z4 Globally as Z5 Details Leak

By
Kelly Hodgkins
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Sony recently announced its latest flagship handset, the Xperia Z4 in Japan and the Xperia Z3+in regions outside of Japan. The Xperia Z3+/X4 is a high-end device with specs that’ll compete favorably with the Galaxy S6, the HTC One M9, and the LG G4. The Z3+ handset will debut this June globally, with the Z4 landing in Japan this summer as well.

Sony’s new handset builds upon the success of the Xperia lineup, offering the traditional Xperia design and a feature roundup that is a modest upgrade from the previously released Xperia Z3. When comparing across Xperia models, the most noticeable physical differences of the Z4 is its rounded edges and the missing magnetic charging port for Sony’s proprietary charging cradle.

Internally, the Z4 ships with an octa core Snapdragon 810 processor, an Adreno 430 GPU and 3GB of RAM that’ll drive the smartphone’s Triluminos IPS LCD display. Contrary to earlier rumors, the Z4 screen is 5.2-inches, not the rumored 5.5-inches, and boasts of a 1920 x 1080 resolution.

On the camera side, Sony equipped the Z4 with a 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS sensor, a BIONZ image processor engine, Sony’s signature 25mm wide-angle G Lens, and an LED flash. The front camera is equally well outfitted with a 5-megapixel Exmor R sensor and a 25mm wide-angle lens for selfies. Both the front and rear camera are capable of 1080P video.

Other specifications include IP68 water and dustproofing, 32GB on board storage with an expansion slot, stereo speakers, and a 2900mAh battery. All this hardware will be housed in a slightly rounded chassis of glass and aluminum that measures 6.9mm thick and weighs in at 144g. Details on the international pricing are not yet known, but the handset likely will debut for approximately $630 (£549).

While everyone waits for the imminent launch of the Z4, some folks are already digging up details on the Sony Xperia Z5, the company’s next-generation flagship handset. The Z5 is expected to be a much more significant upgrade than the Z4 with a new design that includes a USB Type-C port and metallic edging similar to Xperia Z4.

Sony also is thought to be improving the camera technology inside the phone with a new camera sensor, lens and software package. Details are not available, but a leaked image hints at a new scene selection menu in the camera app that support Normal and Sunrise & Sunset HDR modes. The Xperia Z5 may arrive as soon as September of 2015, which will put it behind the LG G4 and right on target with the next iPhone.

T-Mobile Updates Samsung Galaxy S5 to Android 5.1.1

By
Henry McIntosh
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When it comes to staying ahead of the game T-Mobile are the carrier; in regard to Android updates anyway.

Having been the first carrier to update the Samsung S6 series to the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop operating system T-Mobile are now the first to introduce the update for S5 users.

With T-Mobile yet to announce the update, nobody is quite sure what form it will take as of yet but that hasn’t stopped many speculating.

And those speculating are suggesting that the S5 will deliver support for the RAW and lower ISO values- for those using a third-party app that uses Lollipop’s API. This suggests that the update will be similar to the S6 update from last year but the specifics of it remain to be seen.

Undoubtedly, S5 users can expect the bugs, battery drains and crashes that overshadowed the phone’s January 5.0 introduction to be fixed by the update to 5.1.1.

But this is a pretty big move from T-Mobile who are introducing 5.1.1 to the S5 before many carriers have even offered S6 users the chance to try it.

Even so, the update to the S6 has already received criticism given the fact that it fails to tackle the memory handling issue that was recently discovered affecting the S6. But given the problems confinement to the S6 this won’t bother S5 users, but it does suggest the update might not fix everything that’s been going awry since January; so stay tuned.

Word is that the update will be available to S5 users over the forthcoming weeks and months. But if you can’t wait that long, then you can check for the 5.1.1 update manually by accessing:

 

Settings -> About Phone -> Software Update

 

If it isn’t accessible at this time, don’t worry it’s likely you won’t have to wait too long.

When uploading the update just be aware that it’s a rather large download at 623MB. So it will take some time and battery so it’s worth having a stable WiFi connection and perhaps even a charger handy before you attempt to manually push it through.

 

 

 

How to Use the Heart Rate Monitor on the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

By
Kelly Hodgkins
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One major feature that Samsung added to its Galaxy line of smartphones was the heart rate monitor. The health-focused technology first debuted in the Galaxy S5 and was included in the recent Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Rather than a stand-alone monitor on the side or bottom of the device, the heart rate sensor is cleverly positioned on the back of the phone and embedded into the same opening as the LED flash.

Configure Your S Health Profile

Before you can use the heart rate monitor feature, you should add your profile to the S Health app, which is Samsung’s competitor to MyFitnessPal and other similar health-focused apps. Just tap “Apps, then open the S Health app and follow the instructions below:

  • Open the S Health app.
  • Tap “Agree” if prompted to agree to the terms and conditions the app. This dialog box will appear the first time you open the app.
  • Add a Samsung account if you wish to compare your data with other S Health users.
  • Select “Create Profile” and enter your profile details including your name, gender, date of birth, height, weight and activity level.
  • Save your details as they are entered.

How to Measure Your Heart Rate

The Galaxy S6 Edge’s heart rate monitor is integrated into Samsung’s S Health app to provide heart rate data along with step count and other health and fitness metrics. Once you set up your profile in the S Health app, the measurement of your heart rate takes just a few minutes to complete.

  • Select Apps from the Home screen.
  • Tap the S Health app to open it.
  • Scroll to the Heart Rate section.
  • Tap Measure. You can measure your heart rate while you are sitting, standing or even exercising.
  • Place your finger on the sensor located on the back of the phone. Hold your finger securely on the sensor but do not press too firmly as that will interfere with the reading.
  • Keep your finger still while the device measures your heart rate in BPM (Beats Per Minute).
  • You can add notes to the reading or select your status (general, resting, after exercising, etc). You also can tap info at the top for more information on these resting heart rate measurements.
  • Tap Save if you wish to store the data

If you store your heart rate data, you can retrieve these data points at a later date and view them in a graphical format.

ASUS C300 Chromebook Review

By
Henry McIntosh
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There are so many laptops and Chromebooks available nowadays it can be an overwhelming task to find one that suits your needs. The good thing about the competition in the market is that it means there is a something for everyone out there and at more reasonable prices than ever before.

If you’re in the market for something cheap, with the ability to perform simple, everyday tasks then a Chromebook is a viable option and the Asus C300 should certainly be a Chromebook that makes it onto your list.

A reasonably cheap laptop, the Asus C300 Chromebook will cost you around $249. Despite this, the low price of this Chromebook isn’t the only thing to be admired about it.

Firstly, the large 13.3” screen is somewhat of a bonus for everyday users and promotes a decent viewing platform which is aided by Asus’ incorporation of an Intel HD Graphics Card.

One downside is the actual design of the unit. The simplistic exterior aesthetics of the unit are not necessarily a bad thing and the C300 is by no means ugly. But neither is it any different from the plethora of Chromebooks that all currently occupy the market, which all seem to have the same monotonous look to them.

Still, this is a decent solution if you need a laptop to comfortably perform everyday tasks. The Asus C300 also affords a commendable user-experience in regard to performance given its low price tag.

The integration of an Intel Celeron N2830 dual-core processor ensures the C300 only takes a few seconds to boot up and can be used to efficiently browse the internet and the majority of media-laden websites.

So far the C300 has done little to differentiate itself from a saturated market but it is the battery life of this unit is what makes it truly stand out.

Being a relatively no-frills machine, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the C300 boasts a superb battery life. But it’s the fact that this Chromebook’s battery is far superior to that of its closest rivals that makes it so impressive.

Combined with its generous screen size and reasonable price tag the Asus C300 Chromebook is certainly worth considering if you’re in the market for a laptop to perform everyday tasks.

You won’t want to tax this machine too much, but it certainly won’t let you down.

How to Move Photos to an SD Card on Android Samsung Galaxy S5

By
Kelly Hodgkins
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If you take a lot of photos using your Galaxy S5, you may want to move those treasured moments off your phone and transfer them to a microSD card. Having them on a microSD card makes it easy to backup the files or use them with another device. Copying your images from your Samsung smartphone to an external card is easy once you know how.

To move your files off your Samsung Galaxy S5, you’ll need to open the My Files app and locate the photos by selecting Device Storage to view the files that are stored on your phone. Depending on the operating system, you may see folders such as DCIM, Pictures, Music, or Videos. The DCIM folder is the folder you want as it contains all the photos you have taken with the camera. The Pictures folder is where the phone saves screenshots, while the Videos folder contains videos, and the Music folder is the storage spot for music on your phone.

When you have located your photos, you are ready to start the moving process. If you only have a handful of pictures, then you can use the “Select All” option to select and move all the files at once. You also can long press on a folder and then select “Move” to move the photos one folder at a time to the external storage card.

Keep this in mind when you are moving files — if you have hundreds of pictures, you shouldn’t select all your photos and albums and wait an hour for the transfer to complete. Sometimes these large files transfers will fail, and you will have to start again. To speed up the transfer and minimize errors, you should move your data gradually, selecting small groups of images at a time.

Once you have selected your individual photos or albums, you can tap the menu icon in the upper right corner (three lines/dots icon) and then select the Move button. You then select should the SD card as the destination for your photos and confirm this location. Before moving, you also can create a new folder on the SD card by selecting “Create Folder” and then select “Move Here.”

The moving process should take just a few minutes if you have a small number of files that you are transferring. If your file count climbs into the hundreds or even thousands, you may have to wait a short time for the data to move to the microSD card.

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