Thursday, October 30, 2014

Motorola Droid Turbo vs Google Nexus 6: What's the difference?



    The Verizon-exclusive Motorola Droid Turbo is official, and it looks like a powerhouse.
    You're probably wondering how it compares to the Google Nexus 6, one of the most anticipated devices of the year (also made by Motorola). We've counted the blows, or at least the ones on paper, in an attempt to help you determine if the Droid Turbo was able to pack comparable hardware in a more compact body.
    We've also tried to help you decide which device is worth your money. Check out the results below, and let us know in the comments which one you want.
    READ: Verizon's powerful Droid Turbo has a 48-hour battery life
    Display
    Droid Turbo has a 5.2-inch AMOLED display with a 1440x2560-pixel resolution and 565 ppi, whileNexus 6 has a 6-inch AMOLD display with a 1440x2560-pixel resolution and 493 ppi. Droid Turbo therefore has the smaller-yet-crisper display, but many might view that as being better overall.
    Cameras
    Droid Turbo has a 20.7 rear-facing camera with a dual LED flash, F2.0 aperture size and 4K video-recording capabilities (3840x2160-pixel resolution at 24 fps). It also has a 2-megapixel front-facing camera capable of 1080p HD video recording.
    Nexus 6 has a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with a dual LED flash and F2.0 aperture. It is also capable of 4K video recording (3840x2160-pixel resolution at 30 fps). The front-facing camera is a 2-megapixel shooter.
    Droid Turbo is the device you should buy if you're interested in powerful camera technology.
    That said, Nexus 6 can shoot 30 fps 4K footage, whereas Droid Turbo can only do 24 fps. In that case, you need to be honest with yourself about whether you prefer more megapixels or more frames per second.
    Hardware
    Droid Turbo has a 2.7GHz Qualcom Snapdragon 805 system chip, with an Adreno 420 graphics processor and 3GB of RAM. It also has up to 64 GB built-in storage. Nexus 6 is exactly the same as Droid Turbo in terms of hardware, and thus this round is a tie.
    Battery
    Droid Turbo has a 3900mAh battery that supposedly lasts up to 48 hours, while the Nexus 6 has a 3220mAh battery that allegedly gets up to 24 hours of use.
    We generally think the bigger the battery, the better the phone. But Nexus 6 does feature built-in wireless charging. Those of you who want the latest and greatest battery tech might therefore go with Nexus 6 over Droid Turbo.
    Operating system
    Droid Turbo will ship with Android 4.4 KitKat and will be upgraded to Android 5.0 Lollipop after the software releases. Nexus 6 is a Google device however and will of course ship with Lollipop. Android die-hards will likely want to pick up a Nexus 6 instead of waiting for Verizon's update cycle to kick in for Droid Turbo.
    Size and weight
    Droid Turbo weighs 176 g and has the following dimensions: 143.5 x 73.3 x 11.2 mm. As for theNexus 6, it weighs 12g more than the Droid Turbo and has the following dimensions: 159.26 x 82.98 x 10.06 mm.
    Keep in mind Nexus 6 does have a bigger display, so it would be a bigger device than Droid Turbo, but if weight and thickness are a primary concern, you should probably consider going with Droid Turbo. It's all a matter of opinion though.
    Release date
    Droid Turbo will launch exclusively through Verizon.com in the US on 30 October.
    The 32GB version will be available in the colours Metallic Black, Metallic Red, and Ballistic Nylonfor $199 on a two-year Verizon contract, while the 64GB version will available in the colourBallistic Nylon for $249 on a two-year Verizon contract.
    Nexus 6 will launch in the US on 12 November. Prices for SIM-free, unlocked versions have been set at $649 - which equals roughly £410 before tax and VAT.
    Conclusion
    Looking at the spec sheets alone, as Pocket-lint has obviously not yet had the chance to review both devices, it appears Droid Turbo is the more powerful smartphone out of the two. It has a crisp display, better battery, more camera megapixels, and even a thinner, lighter body.
    Nexus 6 still stands out however in that it will launch with Android 5.0 Lollipop, the latest version of the Android mobile OS from Google. But, at least in this instance, we'd recommend tech over software. The Droid Turbo is expected to get Lollipop eventually, after all.
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    Arcam Solo Bar is an audiophile soundbar, fully loaded with connections (hands-on)

    Arcam Solo Bar is an audiophile soundbar, fully loaded with connections (hands-on)
    Arcam has poured its audio expertise into the Solo Bar, which the Cambridge-based company is claiming to be a soundbar fit for audiophiles.
    It's designed not just to bring audio enhancements to your TV, but to do much of the work that anAV receiver would do. As such, it offers four HDMI inputs to make the job of switching sources that much easier.
    That means you can plug your PS4, Xbox One, Blu-ray player, Sky box or other HDMI-equipped kit into the Arcam Solo Bar, rather than connecting it all to your TV and having to bring the audio back to your sound system.
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    If you do need direct connections there are still optical and coaxial audio inputs, as well as 3.5mm for your aging iPod Classic.
    The 100W Solo Bar, unveiled today in London, offers six drivers, with four 4-inch drivers and two 1-inch tweeters. The four main drivers are split between low and mid range, with the tweeters angled out slightly to widen the sound stage.
    Bolstering the low notes is the Arcam Solo Sub. This 300W wireless subwoofer is an optional extra and can be used with other Arcam AV systems. It features a down-firing 10-inch woofer that will literally make the earth move, if you want it to.
    The body of the Solo Bar is aluminium, so it has a build that's solid and feels lusciously premium. We love the cool feel of the metal: it's a cut above the plastic bodies that you might normally find.
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    Not that the feel of your soundbar is a primary concern, as once it's installed, either standing or via the wall mounting fixings, you'll probably never have to touch it again.
    The solid build however stands behind the robust delivery. Arcam told us that it was primarily referenced against music and the music delivery is very good. There's a richness and bags of detail, with distortion free music up to antisocial levels.
    The Arcam Solo offers full support for HD audio, with on-board decoding of all current formats. It supports Dolby True-HD and DTS-HD, as well as offering Bluetooth streaming with aptX.
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    The tracks we listened to sounded fantastic and the sample movie scenes we watched were delivered with detailed dialogue, yet robust effects when it came to the action.
    Not only will the Arcam Solo Bar play Bluetooth music from your mobile device, it also includes a CSR Bluetooth transmitter, meaning you can slip into private listening using Bluetoothheadphones, with minimal fuss. The support for aptX means this is high fidelity Bluetooth.
    Designed to be futureproof, the Arcam Solo Bar offers 4K passthrough, so if you have an UHD source device, you'll be able to get that on your TV. Switching inputs is incredibly easy, making this a complete home cinema system.
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    There's a conventional remote control, but there's also a control app for Android and iOS, replicating the front information on your smartphone so you can see exactly what you're doing and change anything you need to change.
    We're particularly taken with the four HDMI inputs, as that makes it really convenient to set-up multiple devices and the sound quality, from what we've heard so far, is fantastic.
    But convenience and quality come at a price, with the Arcam Solo Bar costing £800. The ArcamSolo Sub is available for £500. Both will be available in Q4 2014. 
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    Samsung Gear S Wearable Gets Ready To Invade U.S. Market Next Week

    Just as video killed the radio star, smartphones played a big role in nearly eliminating the market for wrist watches. Ironically enough, smartphone makers are now trying to bring back the watch, albeit with smart functionality. One of the more active in this pursuit is Samsung, which is getting ready to launch its Gear S smartwatch in the U.S. next week, just aspreviously promised.

    The Gear S will be available a week from today (November 7), though if you're unfamiliar with the device, don't expect to see any traces of Android. Samsung is rolling with its own Tizen operating system, an open source platform based on Linux and developed in part with Intel.

    Samsung Gear S

    "Samsung continues to shape the wearable category with advanced technology and new experiences," said Gregory Lee, president and CEO of Samsung Telecommunications America and Samsung Electronics North America Headquarters. "A growing developer ecosystem will further expand the capabilities of the Gear S with fitness tracking services like Nike+ Running and on-wrist turn-by-turn navigation from HERE and more."

    The Gear S sports a 2-inch Super AMOLED display with a 480x360 resolution, 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE 4.1, USB 2.0 connectivity, and a few other odds and ends. You don't need a smartphone to use the Gear S -- you can still check email, receive notifications,make calls, and more.

    In a separate announcement, AT&T said the Gear S will be available in stores and online for $200 with a two-year service agreement. You an add the Gear S to a Mobile Share plan for $10 per month.

    Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon will also carry the Gear S.
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    Microsoft Band UK release date and price rumours, features and specs: Microsoft smartwatch unveiled

    Microsoft will takes on Samsung, Apple and Google at wearable with Microsoft Band and new Health platform

    By  | PC Advisor | 30 October 14
    Microsoft Band release date

    It's been rumoured for a while now, but on 30 October Microsoft officially unveiled its first foray into the wearable tech market: the Microsoft Band. It's a fitness band that rivals the Samsung Gear Fit and others. Here's everything you need to know about the Microsoft Band release date, UK price and specs. Read: The best smartwatches 2014: list of the best smartwatches you can buy right now.
    The Microsoft Band has launched into a very competitive market, already populated by the likes of Google's Android Wear system which is now available on the LG G Watch and others, plus the hotly anticipated Apple Watch that was recently unveiled by Apple.
    But, while the Microsoft Band can help with productivity by displaying email, calendar and message notifications, it's really indented to be a fitness band rather than a smartwatch, which is probably why it's called the Microsoft Band rather than the rumoured Surface Smartwatch.
    Interestingly, though, Microsoft hasn't limited the Band to just work with Windows devices: it also works with Android and iOS.

    Microsoft Band: Release date

    Microsoft has made the Microsoft Band available to order today in the US, but there's no word yet on when, or in fact if, it's coming to the UK.
    In a statement, Microsoft said: "This is just the beginning of a multi-year vision for Microsoft in the health & fitness and wearables category. We want to enter this space in a deliberate and measured fashion and as such we are launching first in the United States."
    We'll update this article with UK specific release date information as soon as we uncover it. 

    Microsoft Band: Price

    As it's currently only available in the US, Microsoft's Band is priced at $199 and there is no UK price yet. That's £125, which seems like a reasonable guess to us. The Samsung Gear Fit is priced at £180.

    Microsoft Band: Features

    Microsoft Band Health

    The Microsoft Band is powered by Microsoft's new Health platform, which Windows Phone, Android and iOS users will be able to use even if they don't own a Microsoft Band. Like Apple's Health app, it collects and stores data from fitness devices (whether that's the Microsoft Band or a third-party fitness tracker like the FitBit) to offer up insights to help you live a healthier life.
    The Microsoft Band tracks your heart rate, steps, calories and sleep, and feeds all of that information into the Health app. You can set goals, use the Microsoft Band to complete guided workouts, map the routes you've run, cycled or hiked using GPS, and more.
    In addition to the fitness features, you'll also be able to connect your Microsoft Band to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth to get notifications such as emails, calendar alerts and text messages, which you'll be able to preview. It'll also let you know when you've got an incoming phone call, if you've got a notification from Twitter or Facebook, for example.
    There's a built-in timer and alarm app on the Microsoft Band, too.
    For Windows Phone 8.1 users, the Microsoft Band gives you access to Cortana from your wrist. You can ask Cortana to take a note for you, or set a reminder, for example.
    Microsoft has also partnered up with third-parties to bring more compatible apps to the Microsoft Band, including Starbucks, MyfFitnesspPal, RunKeeper and more.

    Microsoft Band: Design, specs and hardware


    The Microsoft Band's strap is made with plastic and fastened with an adjustable clasp. At present, there's just the black/grey design, though.
    The 1.4in TFT full colour display is 320 x 106 pixels, at 11mm x 33mm.
    Microsoft claims that the Microsoft Band will last for 48 hours of normal use, but if suggests that the extended use of GPS could make battery life suffer. However, it'll only take 1.5 hours to recharge the Microsoft Band, which charges using a USB magnetic connector cable.
    As you might expect, the Microsoft Band features lots of sensors, as listed below:
    • Optical heart rate sensor
    • 3-axis accelerometer/gyro
    • Gyrometer
    • GPS
    • Ambient light sensor
    • Skin temperature sensor
    • UV sensor
    • Capacitive sensor
    • Galvanic skin response
    • Microphone
    The Microsoft Band isn't waterproof, but is dust and splash-resistant so should be ok to wear in the rain and will resist sweat.
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    12 best SSDs 2014: what's the best SSD (solid-state drive) you can buy in the UK?

    The Top SSDs (Solid-State Drives) you can buy in the UK in 2014

    By  | PC Advisor | 30 October 14

    Best SSD 2014

    What's the best SSD (solid-state drive) 2014? As prices start to drop and storage capacities increase, PC Advisor charts the best SSDs (solid-state drives) you can buy in the UK. The best SSDs for PC and laptop.

    Best SSDs of 2014: Buying advice

    Solid-state is standard-issue for storing your data in tablets and smartphones, where it’s relied upon for its tiny size and knock-proof nature. The same assets are handy in desktop and especially laptop PCs, but more traditional computers can also unlock SSDs’ perhaps most prized virtue – their speed.
    Instead of a fragile magnetised disk whirring at 90 or 120 times every second, SSDs store binary data in shock-resistant silicon chips. And besides being physically robust, silent, smaller and lighter than any hard-disk drive, the big incentive to opt for a flash drive remains performance. Data can be read and written hundreds of times faster from electronic non-volatile flash cells.
    This speed factor is about so much more than go-faster bragging rights though. Old-school desktop computers may still battle it out over who has the fastest processor or the hottest graphics card, but SSD performance is all about the user experience – applications launch in almost no time, web pages spawn faster and files copy in a fraction of the time.
    Put simply, and regardless of whether your processor has 3, 5 or 7 after the ‘i’, the wholecomputer just responds so much better to your touch. The only real drawback has been the exortionate price of entry to the premier-class storage club.
    Until now maybe. It’s taken six years or more, but we are now at the state where the solid-state drive, the SSD, is a truly affordable component for any computer user. And if your wallet won’t even stretch to £100, just juggle your storage budget instead and get a 256GB drive.
    Performance has swelled over the years – not just in the drag-race test of copying big files, but crucially with the way that small files can transfer. Much of the background housekeeping of a modern operating system is with the continual reading and writing of very small files of 4kB or smaller. It’s the random access of these all over the platters that can choke older disks that need to physically move a pickup head across spinning platters.
    We’ve reached a point where just about any SSD you put into a computer to replace a hard disk will transform your experience. For performance seekers, there’s still a case for finding the fastest. And that fastest metric is still as much about small-file transfers, which we can measure by the number of input and output operations capable in one second – otherwise known as IOPS. The best SATA flash drives are currently returning figures around 100,000 IOPS, made possible by the way that datastreams can be paralleled together, a major asset of flash over disks.
    Performance – in terms of the speed with which data can be read and written – has now effectively plateaued among the best SSDs. It’s not that flash memory has reached its limit, far from it, but the Serial ATA interface between the flash and your computer is now the bottleneck.
    Until the next-generation of data interface is ratified, most PCs still use SATA Revision 3 with its 6Gb/s nominal speed, and circa-550MB/s real-world ceiling. Nevertheless, some are forging ahead with alternatives, notably Apple with its adoption of direct PCIe-connected flash drives in its Macs. This busts the old SATA limit to allow speeds of 700MB/s and more on even its cheapest MacBook Air.
    Despite current SATA SSDs’ shortcomings, we still test the essential speed, both in large-file sequential transfers and small-file random access, as differences do exist between brands and models.
    When buying an SSD, look out for long warranties and high data-write limits if you prize data integrity, although with the help of proper backup routines, data loss is less an issue today. Some SSDs demand more power than others, and where this is known we’d advise against fitting in a laptop if you value your time away from the mains. Also look out for manufacturers that provide accessible support with firmware updates possible on the platform of your choice. Most storage brands are still routed in the Wintel world and don’t make it easy to apply maintenance patches on their drives unless you run Windows.

    Best SSDs of 2014: How we test

    Each SSD was benchtested on a desktop PC kindly loaned by Chillblast, based on an Asus Z87-A motherboard with Intel Core i7-4770K and 8GB RAM, running Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit. We assessed most aspects of a drive’s performance with industry-standard benchmark tests for Windows, namely ATTO Disk Benchmark, HD Tune Pro, HD Tach, CrystalDiskMark and AS SSD.
    Measured speeds for storage products are typically in megabytes per second (MB/s) for large files; and input/output operations per second (IOPS) for paralleled small-file transfers.

    Best SSDs of 2014: Conclusion

    Sometimes group tests of related products elicit one or two clear winners, making these the natural choice in terms of value or performance. This isn’t one of those tests.
    In terms of performance, any SSD here will transform a disk-based PC. They will all merrily let you read the entire contents of a 25GB Blu-ray film in less than a minute. They should all allow even Photoshop to launch in just a few seconds. The deciding factors are increasingly now about longevity and price.
    Solid-state flash cells will age and wear out, but limited lifespan is a reality of hard disk drives, too, and after some serious concerns in flash technology’s early days, we can be reasonably certain that even with very heavy use, the typical user – even a professional designer, for instance – is unlikely to wear out an SSD inside five years.
    Most people are conscious of cost and won’t spend more than is logically necessary, so on that basis, we must point to the best value drives in this group, namely the Seagate 600 and Crucial M550. At the time of writing, these were both priced around 40p per gigabyte, a most attractive offer – especially when compared to the £2 per gigabyte figures of just a couple of years ago.
    For the best performance, the Crucial M550 also stands up well, along with the Intel 730 and OCZ Vector 150. Special mention must also go to two drives not in this group, the Samsung 840 Pro and 840 EVO (tinyurl.com/l5edqoy), which offer superb performance at competitive prices. With prices fluctuating weekly, it pays to shop around. By the time you read this group test, this already tempting upgrade may have hit the 30p per gigabyte level.

    What's the best SSD: Best SSD 2014

    12. Samsung 840 Pro 512GB

    There's little doubt that when working correctly the Samsung 840 Pro is one of the top consumer solid-state drives available today. Pricing is very competitive and the essential small-file IOPS performance is on the money too.

    11. Samsung 840 EVO mSATA 500 GB

    The Samsung 840 EVO in its miniaturised mSATA form remains a force to be reckoned with. It effectively met the performance of the Samsung 840 EVO we first tested last year, and in some metrics was found to slightly exceed those results. If you're looking for a high-performance mSATA SSD for your laptop, PC or storage product we have to concede this little drive really delivers.

    10. Plextor M5 Pro

    Performance and the quality assurance look to be right up near the top, yet the Plextor M5 Pro is about the cheapest high-performance drive in our recent group test group. With those worthy attributes, it deserves our Best Buy award from a talented group of overachievers.

    9. Intel 730 Series SSD 480 GB

    Overall, the 730 Series is the most expensive drive on test per gigabyte, but if you want speed at the SATA limit and a formal guarantee of endurance, the Intel SSD will deliver both.

    8. Toshiba Q Series Pro 512 GB

    The Toshiba Q Series Pro performs close enough to the original Q Series SSD that it can be hard to separate them. We note that Toshiba has expanded its warranty terms, and will now guarantee its Q Series SSD for three years rather than just one.

    7. Sandisk Extreme II SSD

    The SanDisk Extreme II would have stood out as a well-balanced high-performance SSD among its peers 12 months ago. It still does and now additionally benefits from keen pricing.

    6. Seagate 600 SSD

    The Seagate 600 SSD is a good value, but high-performance solid?state drive. Now over one year old, it’s available at very competitive prices, which work out at a very reasonable 42p per gigabyte for the larger-capacity 480GB capacity model.

    5. Samsung 840 EVO 750GB

    The Samsung 840 EVO 750GB is a triumph in solid-state technology, combining for the first time vast capacity by flash standards, with lightning performance, and at an approachable price. Smart data juggling tactics keeps its data moving briskly in real-world daily tasks, to the great benefit of any user lucky to have this drive as their computer's beating heart.

    4. Fujifilm HQ-PC Series 512GB

    The Fujifilm HQ-PC Series 512GB is a fast and well-mannered solid-state drive, following the solid design of the Toshiba THNSN SSD upon which it appears to be based. With quality assured, it can come down to price to choose which model to buy. Fujifilm’s web shop price is £348.90 for its largest 512 GB model, although you can currently buy the same drive from LambdaTek for £215, making it a much more attractive proposition that undercuts the price of even the Toshiba from most outlets.

    3. Crucial M500

    Crucial has returned to the hit list of must-have SSDs with its M500. Not because it’s the fastest but because it has great multi-platform PC support, a good balance of large- and small-file transfer speeds, and an attractive price without relying on slower performance three-layer cell (TLC) flash technology. And if it’s terabyte-class flash SATA storage you’re looking for, it’s currently the only player in town.

    2. OCZ Vector 150 240 GB

    The OCZ Vector 150 is a solid-feeling and impressively performing SSD. It compares well with Intel’s latest performance drive, yet is closer to 50p per gigabyte rather than 75p. At that price, it deserves a strong recommendation.

    1. Crucial M550 1 TB

    Crucial’s new M550 has significantly pushed up performance. Most importantly, this new model signposts the trend in falling SSD prices, bringing potentially huge capacities within affordable reach.
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