Sunday 18 October 2015

Gooooogle and Android, the operating system of the people

So yesterday morning we had a meeting with the Google rep. It was at 8am on a Saturday! (but there was free breakfast so I was obviously going!)

The session was all about Google's 3 C's
1. Choice
2. Customisation
3. Content

All of this sounds very much like a marketing scheme. However it got me thinking about how true those 3 things are.

I have an android phone (a new Sony Xperia Z5 compact) and I love it, and having thought about it, Google's 3 C's are definitely a huge part of why I love my new phone.

I have always had an android phone, since smart phones became a thing, mostly, to begin with, because my dad doesn't like apple products. I can definitely thank him for that though! My first ever smart phone was a Samsung S2 (which I managed to drop in a bucket of water after 6 weeks and it still worked so kudos to Samsung). At the time I didn't appreciate the brilliance of android, I was too busy being excited about finally having a new phone, but in hindsight it was a great phone that I never really used to it's potential.

Now 4 years later I can fully appreciate the fantastic job Google have done with android. I am using Lollipop which is the version before Marshmallow their new update, which brings me to their 3 C's.

Firstly choice:
This is referring to the many different manufacturers that use android as their operating system, giving you hundreds of phones to choose from. If you want an apple phone there is only the iPhone, a couple of different versions maybe but only an iPhone. Whereas android gives you the choice of Samsung, Sony, HTC, Huawei, LG, Motorola, Alcatel and many more. The look of android can change slightly between manufacturers, as they adapt it to fit their style, but everything works the same in a slightly different place.

Secondly customisation:
This not only makes android phones easy to use but really personal. Yes you can change the background on any phone, but with android you can design the phone your way. From themes that change the colours and buttons, to various screens to provide you with an outlet for what's most important to you,  Google's got it covered.  I currently have a theme on my phone which makes my pages pink and turns my buttons into watermelons! Each to their own of course but you get the idea. Widgets are the second big feature for customisation, this brings apps on your phone to life on your home screen. You can have your music player up on there to play at a moments notice, you can put the calendar on there and always see your appointments or even put contacts on there so you can always be a click away from those you love.

Third and finally, content:
This is a less specific point for android as content is available on any phone but android definitely has the widest choice.  From Netflix to games to sky sports and so on, the play store is the largest app store and online book store and also has music, movies and TV, games and a newsstand! The content is endless, whatever you're into you can access it on android.

So it's pretty clear that I'm an android advocate but I really do love their system and even if the 3 C's sound like some friendly marketing, at least they are true!

The more I sell phones the more irony I see in the fact they are still called 'phones'. Actually phoning people isn't the top of the list for most of us now, our phones are now tvs, movie screens, mp3 players, cameras, computers and social devices, calling barely makes the list! There is no end to the amazing things they can do and Google is helping to make all that possible. Whether in time it proves to be a blessing or a curse, is damn clever and cool for now! 

:)

Tuesday 13 October 2015



So, the new iPhone.... I'm not a huge advocate of Apple products, mostly on princple, but working in a phone shop and selling these to people all day has got me interested.

So here is it the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus

So.....what's new??

3D Touch
Senses how deeply you press the display, letting you do all kinds of essential things more quickly and simply. Peek and Pop to dip in and out of your content without losing your place.
Press lightly on content for a Peek, then press a little deeper to Pop into the full content.
This is a mild improvement on the frustrating lack of a back button!!

12MP iSight Camera and 4K Video
State-of-the-art sensor with advanced pixel technology for higher resolution photos.
4K video recording for up to 4 times the resolution of 1080p HD video

Live Photos
Live Photos lets you relive your favorite memories by capturing a 12MP photo and the moments just before and after. Press a photo and it comes to life with movement and sound. Set a Live Photo on the Lock screen or share with your other Apple devices. Take great selfies with the 5MP FaceTime. Retina HD display acts as a flash for the FaceTime HD camera, and flashes 3 times brighter. And let's face it it's just cool!

New A9 chip with 64-bit architecture
Up to 70% faster CPU and 90% faster graphics performance than the A8 chip in iPhone 6–bringing a whole new level of performance and efficiency. Integrated M9 motion coprocessor for fitness tracking and always-on “Hey Siri” .....yawn!

Design
Enclosure made of 7000 Series aluminum, same grade used in aerospace industry. Strongest and most durable cover glass ever on iPhone. A new Rose Gold finish joins Gold, Silver,
and Space Gray. Plus it's PRETTY!

Faster 4G LTE and Wi-Fi
Up to twice as fast 4G LTE and Wi-Fi as iPhone 6, with 4G LTE Advanced 2. Supports 23 4G LTE bands for access in more places, including while roaming.

Faster Touch ID
Unlock your iPhone with your fingerprint even faster with second-generation Touch ID.
Approve purchases from iTunes, App Store, and iBooks Store with Touch ID. Use Apple Pay and Touch ID to pay in stores and within apps. Not sure how comfortable I feel being able to purchase things with my phone :/

Great battery life
iPhone 6s: Up to 14 hours of 3G talk time, and up to 10 hours of 4G LTE browsing and 11 of Wi-Fi browsing

iPhone 6s Plus: Up to 24 hours of 3G talk time, and up to 12 hours of 4G LTE and Wi-Fi browsing

I may not be an apple fan, but damn these phones are pretty!! I still refuse to buy one and have just got my new Sony Xperia Z5 compact :) but at least apple seem to be improving their products.


Sunday 11 October 2015

Android Marshmallow



What’s new?  

Android Marshmallow is the newest Android operating system

  • Fingerprint verification
  • Clearer choices over the data that you care about
  • Battery-smart power
  • A new feature powered by Google that helps you stay on task by instantly pulling up relevant information, letting you get more done. 

On average, people unlock their smartphones around 100 times a day.
Now you can skip the passwords and access your phone with a touch of your fingertip. 
 
Smarter batteries make better batteries.
When your device is at rest, Doze automatically puts it into a sleep state.
App Standby conserves battery for the apps you use regularly. 

Clearer choices over the data that you care about
New app permissions give you more specific control over what info you share

– no more all-or-nothing access. 

Android Pay just launched, and so it's technically available without Android Marshmallow, since it'll be supported on devices with NFC running Android KitKat and above.
That said, the Google's refreshed digital wallet service will be made better by Android 6.0. The software pushes fingerprint sensor functionality for the first time, just in time for new Nexus phones.
Android Pay means there's no need to open an app to make a payment, all you'll need to do unlock and place your handset on a compatible contactless payment terminal.
With Android Marshmallow comes an intelligent new assistant feature called Now on Tap. An enhancement to Google Now, Now on Tap lets users access information anywhere on their Android Marshmallow device, no matter what they're doing.
Users can simple tap and hold the home button to pull up a query without leaving the app they're in or website. If a friend emails you about seeing a movie, for example, Now on Tap could pull up info like ratings, the trailer or even let you buy tickets. You can also look at other apps on your phone, like Yelp or OpenTable, to book a dinner reservation or read reviews about a restaurant your friends wants to try for dinner.
Now on Tap doesn't just work with a tap for place info: you can also do voice search for more specific queries, like who sings your new favorite song.
To all you Apple sheep, I shall be posting about the 6s in due course.
Happy adroid-ing :)