Category Archives: smartphone technology

12 TECH DAYS OF CHRISTMAS…DAY 5

Follow my daily 12 tech days of Christmas. The words of the perennial 1909 festive song by Frederic Austin’s original have changed slightly, but the meaning is all the same. Merry Christmas!

On the fifth day of Christmas my tech love gave to me, five top-tier smartphones, four odd collections, three streaming players, two instant photos and a java in a pear tree…

The best smartphones today are getting so good, it’s hard to choose between them. Let’s take a quick look at the top five. First, let me pre-empt with one phone feature I am particularly fussy with…photography. On the long run, cool camera tricks each phone has don’t hold value because as time goes on, what matters more are the plain pictures of the folks important to you. What do I look for in a good phone camera? Natural colour, deep blacks, less digital noise when shooting in dark scenes without flash and the best red colours, the Achilles Heal of digital cameras.

Decisions, decisions – the LG V20 superwide, normal view lens or Hasselblad 10X zoom Moto Z Mod add-on.. I want both!

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THE 12 TECH DAYS OF CHRISTMAS…DAY 3

Follow my third day on the 12 tech days of Christmas. The words of the perennial 1909 festive song by Frederic Austin’s original have changed slightly, but the meaning is all the same. Merry Christmas!

On the third day of Christmas my tech love gave to me, three streaming players, two instant photos and a java on a pear tree…

ROKU EXPRESS for streaming music and video on your TV through the Internet

If you haven’t tried online streaming content for your TV, you should. It can cut down on your old-fashioned TV bill and put you in charge of free and paid-for content you want to watch. Your new TV watching friends will be you phone and the provided remote.

How does it work?

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12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS FOR TECHIES-Day 2

Follow my second day on the 12 tech days of Christmas. The words of the perennial 1909 festive song by Frederic Austin’s original have changed slightly, but the meaning is all the same. Merry Christmas!

On the second day of Christmas my tech love gave to me, two instant photos and a java in a pear tree…

Who would have known! Instant cameras and printers are back with some cool features.

FUJI INSTAX WORLD

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Samsung Canada pushes update software to replaced and older Note7 phones

 

Starting today, Note7 users with newly replaced safe Note7 phones, will always see a green battery on three screen views.
Starting today, Note7 users with newly replaced safe Note7 phones, will always see a green battery on three screen views.

September 21 2016 – EDMONTON – Starting today, Samsung Canada will distribute an automatic over-the-air software update via Canadian carriers to all to Galaxy Note7 users who purchased a device from Samsung Canada or authorised re-sellers. The free software update will show a green battery icon that will clearly identify the device as a Galaxy Note7 replacement and will indicate that the product has been battery checked and is safe for use.

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Samsung Galaxy S7 sets new standard for camera phones

Samsung Galaxy 5.5 -inch dual curved S7 edge left and 5.1-inch S7 right

Samsung Galaxy 5.5 -inch dual curved S7 edge left and 5.1-inch S7 right

Today Samsung’s new flagship  5.1-inch Galaxy S7, $400 with two-year term and 5.5-inch S7 edge featuring dual curves, $500 with two-year term are available in Canadian stores.

Both have longer battery life, always on display, are waterproof/dustproof, microSD expansion, 4 GB RAM and more.

Its totally redesigned smaller 12 megapixel rear camera with f1.7 lens is now the de facto standard for mobile camera phones. The faster lens and larger pixel sensor let more light in and cleaner noise free imaging.

I posted the following portfolio of an early version of the Galaxy S7 edge on my Facebook page   shortly after its launch in Barcelona on the eve of Mobile World Congress 2016.

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Stumped for Valentines Day Tech?

Valentines Day is about expressing kind thoughts about folks you care about. Here is some enduring smart technology gifting, much of which can be shared. It is a click or a drive away. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive or outlandish tech. It simply cuts to the chase with smart design and value.

And needless to say, fun to give, receive and share!

SMARTPHONES

The HTC ONE A9 comes unlocked and can duke it out with top tier phones for less
The HTC ONE A9 comes unlocked and can duke it out with top tier phones for less

-The HTC One A9, available for $649 at HTC’s site only,   comes unlocked. You get what you pay for and its a lot, matching tier one phones costing hundereds more. It looks so much like an iPhone but it runs Android Marshmallow with cutting-edge features like optical image stabilization for it rear 13 MP camera, Full HD video for both rear and front UltraPixel camera which outshoots any phone selfie camera, with one of the widest lens views. The Corning Gorilla Glass full HD screen is plenty crisp with wide angle viewing. The slick touch finger reader is an unexpected bonus as is the extra powerful (loud) built-in DAC 24-bit, 192KHz – better than CD quality audio. You have to pair the BoomSound technology in this thin metal and glass beauty with the awesome HTC Pro Studio Earphones $107.99 at Amazon.ca.

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CES 2016 shows thousands of global technology gizmos and ideas

The 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is the Mecca of inventiveness. More than 3,800 vendors ranging from tech giants Samsung, Sony and LG with booths the size of several ice arenas to one person 4 square meter single table booths swayed more than 170,000 attendees including some 50,000  outside the U.S.

Check out my coolest YouTube linked products at CES by clicking on the linked names.

Samsung Family Hub Fridge at CES commanded much attention. Priced at more than $6,000 CDN, it will be in Canada later this year pending negotiations with online grocery venues in Canada.  It features a 21.5 inch 1080p touch screen, three interior shelve cams, self digital food labelling with expiry dates, screen photo albums, online grocery ordering, weather and more. You can also see what’s in your fridge, live, with a phone app and switch the lower right compartment to a freezer when needed.

LG Signature series features semi transparent glass door
LG Signature series features semi transparent glass door

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THE CES 2016 TECH GRIND PROMISES SURPRISES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS

More than 3,500 booths to check out at CES
More than 3,500 booths to check out at CES

My annual tech mecha to the  Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show  begins from Edmonton. Follow me here as I update my experience discovering new gadgets and meeting interesting industry shakers and movers.

What does CES have in store for us this year? Lot’s of small startups from around the world on smart personal ware and ways to help us eat, drive, even shower better.

Here are some examples on Day One at CES Unveiled, an early pre-show peak of smart tech.

  1. P1030064-1

The self powered Eco-Sensitive Smart Shower head from hydrao.com connects to iOS and Android devices via Bluetooth. It tracks your water consumption and monitors your progress or not, by changing colours.

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Second thoughts on great technology for boxing day

Boxing day has great deals on tech gizmos. But the adage of you get what you pay for is still true. You can still get a deal on a cheap product as you can on a quality one. It’s a mindset on wanting to own something that has extra value and features that work for you.

Here is my list of the best tech gizmos I experienced in 2015, which can be had for a better price on boxing day weekend. But there is fewer of these around compared to the bargain priced devices that attract most buyers. Good technology  will last into next year and pay itself off.

Why? Because it was well thought out, ahead of its time, designed and built to last. To me, it was conceived with a purpose:  to do something better than the competition and make you feel selfishly satisfied every time you use it. It’s like driving a luxury car.

Sonos Play:5 has the sound magic inside to bring life-like sounds in your room
Sonos Play:5 has the sound magic inside to bring life-like sounds in your room
A graphical view of why the Sonos Play:5 sounds so good. Using an Olympus Linear PCM Recorder LS-10 I recorded 70 seconds of Oriental Blue by Al Di Meola in audio CD quality on the Wave:5 from two meters away. I then converted the short audio track to a 3D Analysis view with Steinberg’s Wavelab Elements 8. The left column is the Play:5 audio recording, showing the bass frequency response, top and a view from the other side showing the higher notes or sounds. The verticals show the intensity or volume. The darker green range would be a typical singers range. The right column is typical of most speakers, showing less bass response (think of it as lower foothills – less bass - as you approach a mountain, the main song).
A graphical view of why the Sonos Play:5 sounds so good. Using an Olympus Linear PCM Recorder LS-10 I recorded 70 seconds of Oriental Blue by Al Di Meola in audio CD quality on the Play:5 from two meters away. I then converted the short audio track to a 3D Analysis view with Steinberg’s Wavelab Elements 8. The left column is the Play:5 audio recording, showing the bass frequency response, top and a view from the other side showing the higher notes or sounds. The verticals show the intensity or volume. The darker green range would be a typical singers range. The right column is typical of most speakers, including smaller Sonos speakers, showing less bass response (think of it as lower foothills – less bass – as you approach a mountain, the main song).

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Adobe Creative Cloud Embraces Mobile and Touch


At Adobe MAX 2015 in Los Angeles today, Adobe outlined its vision for Creative Cloud — a “connected creative canvas” where people create and share their work from anywhere.

Adobe dazzled some 7,000 attendees with new powerful mobile apps. It showed how cloud-based Adobe CreativeSync allows users to save and share their work, app settings, tools and more, between multiple devises as well as with co-workers. 
“The power to be creative is no longer for the few” said Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayan.
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayan
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayan

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