Sony Xperia E4g Review

If you need an inexpensive, unpretentious phone to give to your teen or even kiddo, without worrying about the consequences, Sony has got you covered with the new Xperia E4g. It is pretty low as specs go, sporting a qHD screen (certainly not to be confused with QHD), a MediaTek chipset, and a basic 5 MP camera, but offers seemingly sturdy design, 4G connectivity, and has the Sony logo slapped on its back. Will the price and branding be enough to offset the circa 2012 specs sheet? Let's find out....

In the box:

Wall chargerMicroUSB cableWarranty and information leaflets

The chubby, soapy-shaped Xperia won't be winning any design contests this season, but it feels solid and sturdy in the hand. It is quite thick and light, which, coupled with the soft-touch plastic on the back, makes it easy to grab and hold, though the 10.8mm chassis girth might be a turnoff. The back panel, which encompasses the sides of the phone, is removable, but the battery is, sadly, non-replaceable. The power/lock key, and the volume rocker on the right, offer deep tactile feedback, but the power key feels a bit wobbly under your thumb when you play around with it, as it's actually a part of the removable rear casing.
5.24 x 2.8 x 0.43 inches
133 x 71 x 10.8 mm
4.76 oz (135 g)
5.57 x 2.78 x 0.43 inches
141.5 x 70.7 x 11 mm
5.26 oz (149 g)
5.27 x 2.64 x 0.37 inches
133.9 x 67.1 x 9.4 mm
4.72 oz (134 g)
5 x 2.56 x 0.34 inches
127 x 64.9 x 8.6 mm
4.55 oz (129 g)



Sony has been worrying that we've forgotten what a 540x960-pixel qHD display looks like, and is bent on reminding us that this type of resolution still exists with the Xperia E4g. We don't want to rain on its parade, but the 4.7” display returns 234ppi at this resolution, which might sound fine, but in reality small text looks interrupted, and icon edges are somewhat jagged – we'd certainly prefer at least a 720p panel at this price point.

As for the other screen quality criteria, however, the LCD panel has them covered well. The color representation is nearly spot on, with only the greens running a tad afoul, but certainly not to the level you'd notice it. We measured the white point to be relatively close to the reference, too – at 6328 Kelvins, it is only slightly on the warmish color side.

The good news about the display don't end here, either – it is very bright, at 508 nits, and has pretty decent viewing angles as well. All in all, despite the aging resolution, you won't be disappointed by the Xperia E4g display panel.

View the original article here

Alcatel OneTouch Watch Review

Alcatel surprised many during CES 2015, when it announced a peculiar smartwatch of sorts. At first thought, most folks believed they were entering the Android Wear community, but that didn’t quite become the reality, as the Alcatel OneTouch Watch turned out to be compatible with both Android and iOS devices. In a way, that one unique perk gives it a step up over its Android Wear counterparts, since their reach is only limited to Android devices. Having so many options to choose from in the space, can the Alcatel OneTouch Watch deliver the punch to make it a contender?
Impressively, Alcatel has fashioned something compelling with the OneTouch Watch – it’s good-looking, solidly constructed, and it’s pretty compact in size. Of course, comparisons will be drawn to the Moto 360, but we’d still give Alcatel kudos for producing something that feels and looks good. That’s partly because they decided to go with the round face watch design, which definitely gives it that classical timepiece association. Naturally, its relatively small size will undoubtedly appease those with smaller wrists, as it boasts a more practical proportion.

Sporting a metal casing, it absolutely gives the OneTouch Watch that high quality feel. The only sore spot in its design is found in the tick marks and numbers found hugging the outside area of the watch face – it serves no real purpose. Instead, it would’ve been better if were just a clean surface, giving it a better, more uniform look.

Unfortunately, the rubbery textured wrist strap cannot be replaced. That’s a bummer for those expecting to swap bands, but Alcatel’s decision is without warrant. In fact, there are two main reasons why they decided to go with this particular implementation. First, the strap features an NFC tag for easy initial setup. Secondly, rather than going with a proprietary charging system, Alcatel has embedded the charger into the end of the band – so there’s no fiddling around with cables or adapters to charge it. Still, it would have been nice to have the option of changing the band to a different style, since the stock one is decidedly sporty.

Rounding things out, there’s a heart rate sensor on the underside of the Alcatel OneTouch Watch – while a single button on its right side turns on the display. In terms of comfort, the strap is adjustable to accommodate various wrist sizes. On top of that, the rubbery material feels soft over the skin, allowing it to hug the wrist without too much discomfort. Oh yeah, it’s also IP67 certified to make it dustproof and to protect it from submersion.

For what it is, the 1.22-inch 240 x 204 display is effective for all practical use. Sure, it’s not the most detailed thing we’ve come across, but its potent brightness output, neutral color reproduction, and decent viewing angles makes it easy to use in all sorts of conditions – even outdoors with the sun present. Upon closer inspection, however, one can notice that it has the same “flat tire” shape of the Moto 360, where the bottom portion is flat. Alcatel has chosen to reserve this area for the “back” function, so pressing on it will perform it.

Pressing the button on its side, or flicking out the wrist to turn on the display, the first thing we’re greeted to is the time. Tapping on the screen then gets us to the main menu, which contains icons to some of its functions. What’s nice is that we have access to data directly through the display, rather than going through the app to see fitness data. Showing off its “smart” function, we can even view notifications at any time by swiping up from the bottom bezel. Generally speaking, these notifications are more like previews, but some dish up more information.

View the original article here

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Samsung Galaxy S6 edge

Last year, Samsung did something memorable with the Note line. For the first time ever, it split the new generation into two separate entities, two new Note phones. One was the regular Note 4 – the standard, feature-packed upgrade to the Note 3 that all of us expected. The other, however, managed to take us by surprise. It was another Note, very similar to the Note 4, yet markedly unique and way more futuristic. That second handset was called Galaxy Note Edge, and its main standout characteristic was that the right-hand edge of its sizable screen was curved inwards towards the back of the body. Samsung made sure that this so-called Edge screen served some practical purpose, but it was more or less an experiment, devised to find out how the consumer is going to react to Samsung's promising new technology.

It turns out the reaction hasn't been too negative, seeing that Samsung is now ready to repeat the same process with its flagship smartphone line, the Galaxy S. Replacing last year's Galaxy S5, here come the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge – a flagship duo, which once again shows that Samsung — as hopeful as it is about its high-tech, curved displays — is still reluctant to bet on them as its exclusive form factor. This year, consumers will not only need to decide what brand they want their new smartphone to be, but, should they go for Samsung, they'll also need to figure out which of the two options is worthier of their hard-earned cash. But have no worries – that's why we're here: to help you decide if you should put your hands on the sexy curves of the S6 edge, or you should stay conservative and opt for the impressively flat S6.

The bodies of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge are built around the same unmistakably Samsung-ish concept, but the curved screen of the Galaxy S6 edge gives it a considerably differentiated look and feel. While the S6 has the appearance of a leaner, more elegant S5, the S6 edge looks like a phone from the future, thanks to its screen and front glass, which are both slightly curved towards the edges (unlike the Note Edge, only one edge of which had the curved treatment). This 'dual-curved' design is undeniably flashy, but it also makes the phone more uncomfortable to hold, due to the thin side frame proving to be a bit too sharp. Then again, we can't think of too many instances where "sexy" and "comfort" have played well together. On the other hand, the more conventional looking Galaxy S6 has better, more relaxed in-hand feel.

Material-wise, Samsung has finally stepped its game up, avoiding any excessive use of plastic and instead sculpting the duo from glass and metal. The phones feel decidedly more premium compared to the S5 or Note 4. The glass backs are nice and grippy, but they do have a major drawback – they get grotesquely messy, covered in fingerprints, as soon as you pick the phones up. Depending on the color variant that you've chosen, this effect may be a bit more or less apparent.

As far as dimensions go, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge both qualify as relatively compact by today's standards. The S6 edge is the slightly smaller of the two in terms of length (5.59” vs 5.65”) and width (2.76” vs 2.78”), but it's also ever so slightly thicker with its 7 mm, compared to the S6's 6.8 mm. Both are also sufficiently lightweight: 4.66 oz (132 g) for the S6 edge, and 4.87 oz (138 g) for the S6.

So, no major differences between the two when it comes to dimensions, though, as we mentioned earlier, the Galaxy S6 is considerably more comfortable to hold than the S6 edge, due to the latter's sharp side edges. Sadly, such lean profiles obviously have a cost. Neither of Samsung's new flagships possesses any of the water- or dust-proof specifics that the Galaxy S5 had. Design ambition eschewed other practical features too – both devices lack removable batteries and omit microSD card slots for memory expansion.

5.65 x 2.78 x 0.27 inches
143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm
4.87 oz (138 g)
5.59 x 2.76 x 0.28 inches
142.1 x 70.1 x 7 mm
4.66 oz (132 g)


For the most part, screen characteristics are the same for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. That is, both of them measure 5.1 inches by diagonal and have sky-high resolutions of 1440 x 2560 pixels. This is great news, unless you prefer larger screens.

The displays on the Galaxy S6 & S6 edge boast exemplary color accuracy, with the former having a color temperature of 6584K, and the latter hitting around 6800K. Both values are very close to the reference color temperature of 6500K, where white balance looks just right - neither too warm, nor too cold, provided that there isn't excessive or insufficient green. But obviously, when it comes down to the minute differences that entertain keen eyes, the Galaxy S6 wins over its curved screen sibling. Although its colors are pleasing as it is, the Galaxy S6 edge's whites appear ever so slightly blueish. Then again, Samsung knows it can't possibly please everyone, and that forcing pinpoint-accurate colors on users who like sweet, if artificial shades, isn't a winning move. So both the GS6 & GS6 edge graciously let you choose between multiple display options - 'Basic' mode for types like us who favor accuracy, or any of the others for more glamorous colors in games, multimedia, and general use.

Moving on to another important factor, brightness levels, the Galaxy S6 is adorned with the brightest Super AMOLED display out there, capable of outputting 563 nits of maximum brightness. That's enough for comfortable use under direct sunlight, and this happily applies to the Galaxy S6 edge, which hits 553 nits. On the other side of the scale, the Galaxy S6 gives a fine example of minimum brightness output with just 2 nits of illumination, making it a display suitable for night reading. The GS6 edge is even better in this regard, with just 1 nit of illumination.

Gamma is another important metric for display quality, as it shows whether a screen provides an adequate amount of luminance while displaying various colors and shades. With 2.2 being the reference value, the GS6 hits 2.11, while the GS6 edge hits a perfect 2.2. Both screens are all-around excellent here.

Viewing angles determine how well a screen's image quality holds up when it's being viewed at an angle. In our test, we hold devices at a 45-degree angle, and measure the percentage by which brightness levels, color temperature, gamma, and Delta E values deviate from the original. It turns out that the Galaxy S6 generally holds up better, deviating by lesser percentages in the aforementioned aspects.

As a whole, the display on the Galaxy S6 is a bit better than the GS6 edge's in terms of color reproduction, maximum brightness, and viewing angles - but certainly not in amounts that should impact your purchase preference. The major factor in deciding between the two is whether you'll develop an acquired taste for curved screens upon trying out the GS 6 edge - or not.

View the original article here

ZAGG Pocket Keyboard Review

Many of us have become extremely versed in using on-screen keyboards for dishing out long passages of text, it just becomes so natural. Still, other folks will still vouch that the best experience is still a physical one, like what we get from a traditional keyboard. Making itself ready for the challenge of the on-the-go lifestyle, the ZAGG Pocket Keyboard aims to appease those individuals that prefer a tactile response.

Truly mobile, the ZAGG Pocket really condenses down for easy stowing while you're traveling. With its folding hinged design, it's able to collapse into a an elongated and slim rectangular footprint, which doesn't occupy a whole lot of room when it's placed in a bag. Better yet, ZAGG’s implementation manages to retain a full QWERTY layout – one that unfurls in between rows, so that it keeps the layout we're used to using with a traditional keyboard.

Flipping it open to expose its entire layout, the ZAGG Pocket automatically turns on and connects to our smartphone via Bluetooth – a Samsung Galaxy S6 edge in this case. A small part of it flips out to accommodate a phone, both in landscape and portrait orientations, but we wouldn’t say it’s something that would accept tablets. Paying attention to the chicklet-styled keys, they’re decently spaced from one another to minimize accidental presses when typing at a quicker pace. However, there’s no denying that the layout is cramped, which is something we suppose is the compromise in making such a compact styled keyboard.

In our experience, though, the ZAGG Pocket is most effective when using it on a flat surface – it just won’t work well anywhere else. For one, flat surfaces allow the phone stand portion to stay smoothly in place. If we were to use it on our lap, there would be too much movement to keep our phone steady in place. Initially, we required a bit of time getting adjusted to the layout, but after a while, it became second nature to us. Of course, we appreciate that the layout includes a dedicated row for numbers and a directional pad.

Needless to say, the ZAGG Pocket is a great option if you’re desperate to use a physical keyboard for the times when you need to knock out long passages of text. The compact nature, in combination with its full QWERTY layout, makes it an effective thing to use on a flat surface after some practice – albeit, it would’ve been great if it were more stable to use on our lap. Dishing out $69.99 will nab you the ZAGG Pocket. That’s on the pricey side, but taking into account its pocketable form factor, it’s definitely warranted.

Is this the best portable keyboard out there? That’s a tough one to answer, just because there’s a mixture of good and bad. There are cheaper ones online, but they don’t offer the same folding style of this one – so this is unique in the way it really condenses down for travel.

View the original article here