Samsung Galaxy Nexus Mobile Phone Review

Now I stated in my unboxing of the Galaxy Nexus that you could pick it up in either a 16GB or 32GB capacity. Well after further research it came to my attention that the 32GB version was cancelled and will not be released. So please keep that in mind when you purchase one of these handsets. On top of that you cannot expand the storage via micro sd cards either which is a let down. Now let's start with the build quality. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is a very sleek mobile phone coming in at 135g in weight and 8.9mm thick. So the handset is very thin and very light which is astonishing when you take into consideration the gigantic 4.65 inch screen. Not only is the screen huge but it also runs at a fantastic resolution of 1280x720 Super Amoled HD. This is the highest resolution to ever come to a mobile phone (at the time of writing this review). The screen is even better than the retina display found on the iPhone and iPod Touch. So the screen is fantastic and where the screen really shines is when playing back media. I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos with this phone and the quality is fantastic. Even the lower quality videos were very clear on this screen so hats off to Samsung for making a fantastic screen. A screen has never given me the wow factor but the Galaxy Nexus was the first to have this effect on me. Now let's talk about the hardware. The hardware is probably the worst bit of the phone as the phone is made entirely out of cheap plastic. The phone looks more high quality than it feels. First impressions were that the front of the phone looks like high quality and premium plastic and the back looks like it has a very good textured feel to it although like I said earlier, it looks better than it feels. Now one of the reasons Samsung chose to make the phone entirely out of plastic is to keep it light weight which they have accomplished but coming from a user who has a phone made out of metal and high quality plastics will definitely notice the low quality materials used to construct this phone. Now let's talk about the software and that is Android 4.0 also known as Ice Cream Sandwich. The new OS runs like a dream. It has been heavily inspired by Android 3.0 Honeycomb which is an Android OS for tablets and it runs great on the Galaxy Nexus. The interface has so much icandy and much more stock android widgets and the whole interface has loads of finishing touches that really give the user a fantastic experience which is hard to put into words. Ice Cream Sandwich is a joy to use and it can not be explained. You will have to see it to believe it and that is why I made a first impressions video of the handset demonstrating ICS which you can find on my YouTube channel. It has a 5 megapixel camera which is capable of capturing 1080p video at 30FPS and both the photos and video capabilities really surprised me. The pictures have a surprisingly high amount of detail which is very impressive for a 5 megapixel camera. The HD video was fantastic. It has very smooth panning and focused very well on the subjects. The only downside with the HD video is that the focus takes a little long to kick in. So I was really impressed with the camera. What I was not really impressed with was the battery. The battery is a 1750mAh battery which sounds like a lot but what is taking up most of the battery is the screen and that is what can kill the battery for you very quickly. When I use the handset as my full time multimedia device it lasts 4-5 hours. If I use this every now and then to check my emails, play the odd game and watch a few videos then the battery will last about a day. There were even times however when the battery would be at 6% and then about 30 minutes later I would find the phone turned off. So the battery is really a problem with this handset and I really wish they would of put a bigger battery in this handset even at the expense of making the phone a little thicker. So overall the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is an absolutely fantastic device and I have far more likes than dislikes. The processor is 1.2Ghz dual core which is very fast and goes well with the fantastic screen. The screen is the winning feature for me as I can not get enough of it. I spent most of my time watching back videos on this phone as the screen is so beautiful and vibrant. This phone is much more well specified than Apple's latest handset the iPhone 4s and many apple fanboys have been disappointed with the 4s and have switched to the Galaxy Nexus. So the Galaxy Nexus is definitely an iPhone beater and I am sure you will be very happy with it. For those of you that used android in the past will be right at home with this handset, for those who have not used android before but are looking for their first android phone then I can highly recommend the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. You can pick this up from Vodafone.co.uk free on contract for £41 a month.

Samsung Galaxy Y Review

For my regular readers, you will have already seen my unboxing and review of the Samsung Galaxy Y that was loaned to me by the very kind guys at Vodafone.co.uk. You can purchase this handset from them on Pay as you go for £100 or you can commit to a contract and get the handset free of charge by paying £10.50 a month.
Now lets start off with the hardware. The Samsung Galaxy Y is entirely made out of plastic which is not very durable but it feels solid in the hand and the back plate has a textured feel to it. However I do not think that it will survive a few feet drop so I would recommend that you get a case for it to be on the safe side. The handset sports a 3 inch (240x320) capacitive screen which has nice vivid colours however text is not very sharp and when watching videos you definitely notice the low quality of the screen. It also has three buttons at the bottom two of which are touch sensitive. The touch sensitive buttons act as the back and menu buttons and the button in the middle is a physical button which acts as the home button. The touch sensitive buttons aren't backlit neither do they have tactile feedback which is a real disappointment. It also sports a 2 megapixel camera which can also shoot video at 320x240. The video quality is awful and the microphone is equally as bad. The photos are alright for the occasional snap, but the photos are terrible indoors however outdoors they are acceptable.
Now lets talk about my experience with the handset. Now as soon as I started using the handset I thought it was really responsive. When swiping between screens and launching applications I was surprised at how responsive the handset was. The reason as to why that is is because the Galaxy Y has a 832MHz processor which is very surprising when you take into account the price. However things were not all responsive throughout the week I had it. When you start getting into the phone and installing applications you notice the phone starts to slow down and lag. Also since the screen is 3 inches not all the applications format well on it. Also some of the more simpler games like Racing Moto are not supported on this handset.
Now there is one major deal breaker with this phone for me and everyone else and that is the size of the screen. The screen is so small that even typing on the keyboard becomes a chore. I would like a minimum screen size of 3.2 inches because it is possible to access everything on the phone with ease however 3 inches for a screen is too small for my size hands. I gave the phone to my younger brother and he loved it. He has small size hands and he was having more fun with the phone than I was. Now please keep in mind that I have medium size hands and I was struggling so much with the screen and that took away all enjoyment for me. Now you might think that I am saying the phone sucks which it does not. You just have to keep this kind of stuff in mind when you purchase it, the phone is not for everyone. It is certainly not for me even though I have medium sized hands. For those of you that have large hands I would advise you to stay well away from the Galaxy Y because you will struggle with it just as much as I was. That being said the Galaxy Y is great as a phone. Call quality from the earpiece is not the best but I could certainly hear the person on the other end of the phone clearly. Outgoing call quality from the microphone is alright. Recipients of my calls said that I sounded a little blurry and muffled but they could still understand what I was saying. So as a phone this is more than acceptable, especially for the price.
So in conclusion could I recommend this phone? Well I can recommend it to those who are on a budget, have small hands and are not expecting much from the phone. Playing back your music on this is a decent experience, videos on the other hand is a completely different story altogether as the screen is such a small size and low resolution. If you gave your child the Galaxy Y as their first mobile phone then they will be really happy with it. Overall I would say instead of purchasing the Samsung Galaxy Y I would spend a little more and get the HTC Explorer that Vodafone also supply. I will definitely review the HTC Explorer in the future and I will let you know weather it is better than the Galaxy Y but the Explorer has a bigger and better screen, slightly improved camera and better build quality. But as the Galaxy Y stands it is still a decent phone but there are things that you will have to take into account before you make your final decision and purchase it.

Apple Reportedly Testing 8-inch iPad

Looks like Apple are producing an 8-inch iPad. Apple is working with suppliers to test drive a new smaller version of the tablet that measures in at the smaller size and quite obviously, lower price. Looks like Apple heard the call of people who can't afford an iPad with it's base model recently selling for £399 and the top end 64GB WiFi + 3G model at a whopping £659. So it is good that Apple are at least thinking about those who can't afford an iPad for it's current price. That is very nice of them... or maybe not as it’s important to note that even if the rumors are true, and Apple is testing a smaller iPad, that doesn't necessarily mean that the tablet will ever see store shelves. Apple tests new products quite regularly, many of which never make it into customer’s hands. So we will have to see what happens. In March we should expect the release of the iPad 3. I will try my very best to get one in to review. Thanks for reading this post guys. Come back soon for more tech related reviews.

I purchased a new camcorder

Hello everyone it's Eric here with another update video. Now many of you saw in one of my previous posts that I said I purchased a Kodak Playsport ZX5. You may also remember that the camera froze and it would not reset even though I put the pin into the reset jack. So I sent the camcorder back to Amazon who had fantastic customer service and I opted for a replacement. Now this camera was working fine but eventually when I was reviewing more products I noticed the lack of optical zoom and having to constantly switch between auto and macro mode in order to improve the video quality was a nightmare (it made editing harder and longer too). Another problem that I discovered with this camera 6 months in is that the slot that the SD card clicks into had gotten damaged. Now take note I take really good care of my tech and I never dropped this once or banged it against a wall. But the SD card slot got faulty and when I closed the flap that covered the SD card slot it pushed the card into the slot and it was forced to stay there. (So I thought) In between recordings my camcorder would say no SD card and stop the recording of my videos. Enough was enough. I only owned this camera for 7 months and I contacted Amazon and opted for a refund. So then I was on the look out for a new camcorder only this time with optical zoom and better focus so I don't have to keep switching between modes. So after a few days of looking I finally purchased the Panasonic SD90. The SD90 is the camcorder I am using now and it is absolutely AMAZING. It has a viewfinder that you can manoeuvre into almost any position you want it and that alone made it easier for me to see what I am recording and the focus was absolutely FANTASTIC!!! I could bring my products closer to the camera and further away without having to change the focus modes. The Panasonic SD90 has fantastic focus capabilities. Another feature it has which is the icing on the cake is an external microphone input. That means that not only does the video quality look professional but now I can get any sort of external microphone that even movie studios use (Not that I would because that is an overkill). But that gives you an idea of how flexible and experimental I can be with my camcorder. I uploaded an unboxing of the camcorder and I recorded it with my HTC Desire S although I did not use any studio lights because I didn't own any at the time. So now I have a better camcorder, external microphone and studio lights. So I am all set to make product reviews etc. So that is my little story of my new camcorder that I purchased and why I did not keep using my previous one. The Kodak Playsport ZX5 is a great camcorder don't get me wrong. It just didn't suit my needs and I didn't want to get another one incase I experienced another problem. I needed a reliable camcorder that would not keep crashing or anything and if you guys are looking for the same, then I cannot recommend the Panasonic SD90 highly enough.

a-Jays One In-Ear Earphones Full Review

Hi everyone it's me Ecartman12 and this time I will be reviewing the a-Jays One In-Ear Earphones. Now I would first like to start off by giving a HUGE thanks to MobileFun for sending me these earphones to review. I requested the product in the afternoon and I received it the next day. Absolutely fantastic delivery and customer service from MobileFun. They also have a great range of Samsung headphones. Now lets get on with the review. Now I am not the type of person who would purchase replacement earphones. I am into my music but I always used to think that earphones are earphones and I should just use the ones that come with my device. I used the Apple ones, which to be honest were alright but then I used HTC earphones that came with my HTC Desire S and despite them not being as comfortable as the Apple earphones they did produce a much clearer sound so I stuck with those for a few months. So up until that point I did not find the need to invest in newer earphones. That was until I was sent the a-Jays Earphones from MobileFun and I gotta tell you my opinion has changed 100%. The a-Jays One In-Ear Earphones are beautifully packaged and presented to you. The style that has been chosen to get into the box is a little unorthodox. What you are required to do is push something slimlined into a tab which is located on the back in which case I used the Apple earphones 3.5mm audio connector to push into the tab (as they weren't needed for anything else) and then push the bottom of the box upwards and then the case sleeve is released off the packaging, and then you are greeted with the instruction manual and once removed you are presented by the earphones which are placed in a rather striking position that looks really nice. And above the earphones there are four sets of different sized silicone tips which go onto both the earphones and these are essential as the tips that were pre-installed on the earphones did not fit my ears that well at all, so I switched to a tip which was the most comfortable for me. Now the earphones themselves are made of very good quality. They have a textured rubberised feel to them and once in your ears you barely notice they're there. A very nice touch is that the cables are flat and are tangle proof so you don't need to keep worrying about untangling your earphones before using them. You can just take them out, give them a quick stretch and then they are ready to use. At first I was a little sceptical about these as I thought they looked thin and would not last long but once I held them in my hand it was clear to me that these were very well constructed and they felt like they would last a really long time. Now lets talk about the actual sound quality of the earphones. The sound they produce is absolutely beautiful. The base is there but it is not giving your ears a thump which is great because I have tried earphones that are very high on base and after 10-15 minutes my ears start to hurt so I am glad that they have controlled the amount of base these earphones produce. The sound they produce is very warm therefore my ears do not hurt even after a lot of extensive use. When listening to music these earphones out perform the Apple and HTC earphones by hundreds of miles. The sound is so clear and the silicone tips help keep the sound contained in your ears so you will hear every bit of detail from the audio. Now something that many reviewers do not cover about these earphones is how they perform when watching back movies and playing games. In my opinion movies and games are very well suited with these earphones as the vocals are crystal clear and if you are watching a movie or playing a game with loads of action then you are in for a real treat as these earphones make you hear every bit of detail in the audio. One of the videos and games I used these earphones with is the Batman Arkham City Hugo Strange Trailer (the fight scene and vocals were absolutely pristine) and Batman Arkham City for PC. I was just amazed at what sound quality these earphones produce especially considering these only cost you around £19.95 from MobileFun. I have just been so so impressed with these earphones. There are even many times where I hear some extra detail in some music or video I am listening to and I think to myself, "HEY... I never heard this before with those HTC and Apple earphones." These earphones just put a smile on my face everytime I use them, and the fact that they are tangle proof means I don't have to bother untangling my earphones when I want to listen to some music. Also the comfort that you can achieve with these earphones are absolutely mindblowing. With the Apple and HTC earphones I had to constantly twist and turn the earphones to tighten them into my ears as they used to get quite loose when I was walking around. I don't have to do that with these earphones. I just put them into my ears and they sit in there very comfortably. As for Bad aspects the only little niggles I do have with the comfort is that the sound waves that come out of the silicon tips tend to make them move around in your ears very slightly and the silicon material gives you the impression that they are falling out when really they are not. That is just a minor issue but that does effect comfort a little. Another thing which I have a problem with is that when you are listening to music with the earphones and you are walking around, the cable that is connected to your device tends to bounce around back and forth on your chest and you do hear the cable moving back and forth through the earphones even when you are listening to very loud music. That is quite annoying. But that is all of my bad aspects. In conclusion these earphones are absolutely stunning and £19.95 is a very good price. I can't help but wonder, if these headphones produce absolutely stunning sound then what is the sound quality like on the Monster Beats By Dr Dre series that cost around about the £120 mark? How can it get better than this?? Well I will have to wait and find out, however I will not be purchasing any of those because as much as I like my music I am not willing to pay over £100 for some earphones considering that you can get the a-Jays for a lot less money and the sound quality you are getting is still amazing.
So that is my full review of the a-Jays One In-Ear Earphones. I think it is an absolutely fabulous purchase if you are currently stuck with cheap earphones that were included with your mobile phones. It is also worth noting that a-Jays have also produced earphones that are follow-ups to this one. As you can see the earphones I am reviewing have a number one in it's name but a-Jays have models up to four and they include more features like a handsfree function and they also include higher bass and base etc. So you can go up the range if you so wish. These are absolutely stunning earphones and highly recommended. You can purchase them from MobileFun by clicking this link

HTC Sense 4.0 Features Leaked! Includes 50GB of DropBox Storage

We finally have word that HTC have Sense 4.0 in the works. I absolutely love HTC Sense as you know if you watched my HTC Desire S videos. I loved HTC Sense 2.1 and for about a week or two now I have been using Sense 3.0 on my Desire S and it is a HUGE improvement and I absolutely LOVE IT!! Unfortunately Sense 4.0 will not come to the Desire S but it should be available for the HTC Sensation and Sensation XE and XL. But let's talk about it's features. Unfortunately there are no screenshots of Sense 4.0 so we will just have to use our imaginations and get a sense of what it is like. So one of the new features will be
Improved Lock screen and layout From current reports it seems that the outstanding lock screen on HTC Sense 3.0 has been revamped adding favorite contacts and notifications to the already awesome lock screen. So aswell as launching your camera from the lock screen you can also give your friend or relative etc a call and respond to some texts aswell. It has also been reported that HTC Sense 4.0 devices will not include onscreen keys like the Galaxy Nexus. HOORAAHHH! This means that part of the screen will not be taken up by a bloody great bar at the bottom and that means no wasted screen estate.
Beats Audio support for third party apps and improved email With Sense 4.0 the BeatsAudio sound enhancer seen on the Sensation XE and XL will be enabled so that third party music and video apps will benefit from it.
I know what your thinking: How on earth can HTC improve upon what is an already excellent email application? I have no problems or issues at all with the email application on Sense 3.0 but HTC can give it some colour I guess. The Email app has been given some colour and it looks like the best and most functional email client available for Android. Messages and emails come with a depth of field effect and read/unread messages are highlighted with colours instead of being greyed out. For those using Exchange, there’s a Smart Sync feature that will learn your usage habits and make sure that mail syncs don’t happen during times of the day when your phone is normally inactive. So the email application is already fantastic but adding some extra colour and some HTC'esc will just make it better.
DropBox increased to 50GB, new features for the Browser and new Guest Mode Now I don't use much DropBox but I do intend to in the future but for those of you that are interested DropBox integration is being increased to 50GB and the DropBox folder on the phone will be displayed as if it’s another physical drive on the phone which sounds awesome and will look even better. This sort of reminds me of HTC's photo app where you can pull in all of your photos from facebook and flicker and view them all as if they were on the device.
HTC's browser which is already awesome is now getting a few extra features that are set to come with a pair of bookmarking features Read Later and Watch Later. These sound self-explanatory so I won't cover them, but nothing to fancy on that front. I just hope that HTC will resolve the general issue with tabs on Android where all your tabs keep mysteriously disappearing when you.... well I don't know what it is I am doing. But I really hope that HTC will resolve this issue.
So that was the new feature set for HTC Sense 4.0. We may hear of more in the future and I hope HTC will do this but I doubt it. If they can manage to get a really stable version of Sense 4.0 on older devices like the HTC Desire series then that would be awesome. But I don't see that happening. But hey I can dream can I? So the big question, when will this new version of Sense come to HTC's mobile phones? My guess is they will release a new handset of the year (that has been rumored to include a quad core processor) that will include HTC Sense 4.0 right out of the box. I will watch out of anticipation as I am a big HTC fanboy. I am really excited for this new version of Sense. Sound off in the comments below. Are you guys looking forward to Sense 4.0? What would you like to see HTC bring to the table? I am very interested in your guys opinion.

PSVita Cloned Already! "UPDATED"

Looks like China have already come out with a fake PSP. The Chinese clone is called the Yinlips YDPG18. This one is quite interesting though. It does not have dual analogue sticks as you can see in the photo but what it does have is the same 5 inch screen although I doubt it's capacitive and here is the kicker it runs Google Android. 1.2 GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory. Going deeper the clone is able to play NES, SNES, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, MAME and N64 roms as well as 3D PSX and Android games. On top of that, the clone also supports Flash 10 games. With the clone running Android, the list may be expanded. Maybe, it will get rooted and a custom ROM will be pushed for it.

UPDATE 01/27/12
People have been asking me which version of Android does the PSVita Rip off come with. Well the website lists Android 2.2/2.3 (that's Froyo/Gingerbread......either upgradable from one to the other, or Yinlips itself isn't sure which it ships with)
For connecting, it has HDMI and Wi-Fi, and inside is a single-core 1.2GHz processor, which isn't going to set the gaming world alight, especially with a mediocre 512MB of RAM. There's also a 5-megapixel rear camera, as well as a front-facer.