Thursday 23 October 2014

Quick Review : Google Nexus 7 (2013)

Pros
+Simple yet powerful design
+Rubberised back for better grip
+Felt like a phone at times because of the narrower width
+Android 4.3 goodness
+Display was brilliant and colourful. Great viewing angles.

Meh
÷Battery life was just ok. Survived a day unlike other tablets
÷Lack of apps optimized for tablets, most of the time ended up using Phone apps.

Cons
-Camera was bad, grainy most of the time.
-Fonts were too small and increasing in settings didnt help much
-Landscape mode was bad and preferred using more in Portrait mode
-After Android 4.3 update, its went into coma...I freaked out! I had to give a CPR and revive it back
-I am a stylus guy and noticed the precision of using it for drawing and writing down was terrible.

Bottom line
_The tablet is great as an add on device to your gadget arsenal. Its not heavy and is a good companion for surfing and email. Lack of good tablet apps was a bummer for example Skype forced you to only use in landscape mode, which I hated. Display is good and sharp but fonts were small and didnt help much (May be I am doing it all wrong...). Couldn't use stylus for drawing or writing as the accuracy wasn't there. It was quick and fast and I didn't experience lag. I did have a shocker when it went into a coma which I told earlier. On a whole, its definitely a great tablet with a few things which can be fixed overtime through Google's updates.


Sunday 25 August 2013

Quick Review : Samsung Galaxy S4 Active

*There will be repetition as we are talking about the same Samsung Galaxy S4 with a design tweak.

Pros
+Sturdy design and ruberised on the top and bottom
+Smart add-ons to UI like Smart Stay, +Smart Pause, "Smarty Pants"...kiddin
+Hard keys are a great advantage and you won't be having accidental clicks like what we have in S4
+Camera is good and has Aqua mode for splashes I think...
+Battery life is good but still need to carry a spare battery
+Removable battery, this is a huge win and I use an additional battery during heavy usage.

Meh
÷TFT display is bright but feels washed out
÷Smart UI add-ons tries to be "over smart"
÷Takes more time to snap the back cover in place and still you will miss out something.
÷Hardware design is OK
÷Black Samsung Galaxy S4 is actually Gray which actually kinda sucks.

Cons
-Bloatware
-Buggy responsiveness
-Samsung UI needs help. Its that bad.

Bottom line
_The phone feels great on hand and is sturdy unlike the S4. Its slightly thicker but i can live with that. Design is a bit off but bearable. The phone is great on paper similar to the S4 and leverages the Android ecosystem which is a huge win but the amount of bloatware makes the overall experience bad. Its basically a S4 with Muscles.


Monday 19 August 2013

Quick Review : Sony Xperia Z ultra

Pros
+Great Quality build
+Software seems like ICS even though its using Jelly Bean. Very less modification from stock UI.
+Camera is good
+Battery life is good but still need to carry a spare battery. Stamina mode is genius
+Great specs on paper and performance.

Meh
÷Using anything to write is just ok as it was buggy most of the times.
÷Screen is ok not great
÷The SIM / SD card slot need some work to close it completely.

Cons
-The size will turn you off
-Camera sucks and there is flash!
-Buggy responsiveness
-Notification short cuts are fixed unlike what other player are doing.

Bottom line
_The phone is great on paper and great on looks and feel. The big turn off was the size, I thought I would start  to fall in love with it but failed miserably. I couldn't carry may tablet with me as it felt weird to carry similar sized devices. If they are onna release a 5" version of this design, I am on it!


Tuesday 13 August 2013

Quick Review : Samsung Galaxy S4

Pros
+Great display
+Smart add-ons to UI like Smart Stay, +Smart Pause, "Smarty Pants"...kiddin
+Camera is good
+Battery life is good but still need to carry a spare battery
+Removable battery, this is a huge win and I use an additional battery during heavy usage.
Meh
÷Smart UI add-ons tries to be "over smart"
÷Hardware design is OK
÷Black Samsung Galaxy S4 is actually ÷Gray which actually kinda sucks.
Cons
-Capacitive buttons are a huge mess. You keep accidentally touching them and you gotta watch your YouTube clip all over again!
-Bloatware
-Buggy responsiveness
-Samsung UI needs help. Its that bad.
Bottom line
_The phone is great on paper and leverages the Android ecosystem which is a huge win but the lack of good design and the amount of bloatware makes the overall experience bad.

Quick Review : Nokia Lumia 925

Pros
+Great Camera
+Camera apps from Nokia
+Fast UI, Windows is the only OS that is hardware independent
+Great hardware, feels greats as well
+Keyboard is one of the best
Meh
÷Descent battery, needed to carry a battery pack
÷Internet explorer, its OK not great
÷Alternative apps for Instagram, Klout and so on. Its good not great.
÷Whatsapp notification is kinda buggy
÷Lack of Google services
÷Here Maps
÷Bing
Cons
-Lack of apps, but bearable
-Lack of customization. Changing live tile colors is not considered one of them
-Getting to the app you need takes time, a lot of scrolling and swiping. Wished if -Bing could double up for Universal search.
Bottom line
_Camera is one of the best features of this phone and can make up for all what Windows Phone is lacking. Hardware design is one of the best I've seen.