cm12 lollipop review topic

No.1 X-men X1 REVIEW topic

Inside we find the NO1 X-Men X1, the bug. As you see, is reinforced around the body with thick rubber areas that you can avoid damaging shocks. I have not wanted to try, but certainly resists a fall from a couple of meters. The screen is "only" 5 inches, but with added outside seems much bigger.


The idea with all the reinforcement in addition to withstand the bumps, is that water and dust do not access the terminal. Everything seems pretty well assembled, the gum is not apparent, ie, is not only a case, it is firmly fixed.

We can access the buttons from the right. Somewhat uncomfortable, as expected, we should press them hard to operate them. Really what makes the rubber is pushing real button located below.

At the bottom we fear the entrance to the charging cable under a tab that we can screw to secure fixing.

At the top we find another small lid, where the headphone jack is hidden. Robocop also entitled to listen to your favorite music!
Let the rear. It really is spectacular. It has a very rigid lid that emerges and gives access to the battery, SIMs, etc. This cap must be fixed with screws it locks. Note that in the photos the screws are not tightened.

[Review] Current State of Lolipop topic

Because i had to much Time on my Hands i finaly decided to install MultiROM and play around with Lolipop.
I'm not a huge fan of Lolipop because ART blocks Xposed module and you cannot modify system yourself (easily anymore) but need pre configured ROMs that fulfill your wishes. But still i've tried out a few ROM's at this date and tought i'd share my Opinion.

Base System:
Main ROM is a Sony Stock .167 preRootet with AndroPlus kernel v21
MultiROM allows for various other rom's to be installed.

Installed Lolipop ROM's
CM12 infected_ build 2015-02-04
PAC Alpha1 build 2015-01-30
Candy5 RC v0.9.5 build 2015-02-03
Paranoid Android Alpha1 build 2015-02-02
SlimLP Alpha 0.91 build 2015-02-01

You can see the different size here: (Note! No GAPPS installed! Pure empty ROM)


NOT installed Lolipop ROM's
AOSP => Well i haven't found out how to install .img files.... guess i'll have to fastboot, create backup via TWRP and install this as 2nd ROM.
Validus 7 => Fails to boot for me. Seems to work fine with MultiROM if you have CM12 based MainROM
Any other i'm missing ?

Current Situation with LoliPop
Mostly everything is working fine. Pictures work in Full Resolution and video Recording works in 1080p. Mobile Data and Calling works...
There is no Official Sony LoliPop release yet therefore no goodies like 4k Recording and other stuff we know from 4.4.4
Just a simple an plain Lolipop.

CM12:
The Performance Setting is simple and you can tweak Status Bar and Notification Drawer.
FileManager App included!
Screenshots here: http://imgur.com/a/Uhp9W

PAC-man:
The Performance Setting allows for Min/Max CPU clock and Governor.
The PAC-Settings include Animation Control, App Circle Bar, Gesture Anywhere and a WakeLock blocker!
FileManager App included!
Screenshots here: http://imgur.com/a/ndQIS

Candy5:
Simple Performance Profiles, The Candy Interface settings allow you to change SatusBar, NavBar, Notification Drawer, Lockscreen Shortcuts and Buttons. Gesture Anywhere included.
Screenshots here: http://imgur.com/a/2odoN

PA:
The development of PA for 5.0 just started recently. Therefore there is no big customization included yet.
But Gestures and Button control is already included.
Screenshots here: http://imgur.com/a/UCxLQ

SlimLP
SlimLP is really slim, you have controls for StatusBar and Quick settings, thats about it. The Performance setting is also just chose Profiles.
The DPI do seem a little higher so all menue points are smaller than on other ROMs. (App Drawer also has 5 apps per row instead of 4)
Screenshots here: http://imgur.com/a/9Tun8


Conclusion:
LoliPop on the Z2 is still in a early Stage of development.
Even though everything seems to work and you can easily use it as daily driver the question remains: Do you really want that?
Me myself i might even use Official Sony LoliPop only as 2nd ROM and keep 4.4.4 with Xposed.
I really don't want to miss ActivityForceNewTask, ChromePie, Complete Action Plus, CPU Temp in StatusBar, Nativ Clipboard and a few other Xposed Apps.




So whats your Opinion on this Topic ? :)

Review of Intocircuit® Power Castle 12000mAh Portable Dual-Port External Battery Pack topic

This is an amazing battery with a great build quality and performance that is just out of the park!

In the box, you get the battery itself, a micro USB cable, a really nice carrying pouch, a HISCARD warranty card, and an instruction manual.

First Impressions: This is so nice! It feels so smooth and premium in your hands. The orange parts of the battery finish it off very nicely. Pressing the button to illuminate the battery percentage blew me away. It is a really bright blue LED indicator that grows on you immediately. Using it was a breeze. I simply used the supplied cable and plugged it into the battery. I then plugged that into my phone, and it was charging. I didn’t even have to press the button, it detected that the device was connected automatically.

After using this for a while, I can safely say that this is downright a great battery! It does exactly as it promises and this is a product you have to have in this day and age if you don’t already. I was able to charge up my Samsung Galaxy S3 in no time with the 2.1A port. If you ever find yourself with no place to plug in your phone and/or if your phone dies, this will be your savior. This battery is just that good, I don’t know what else to say. Intocircuit got the design, build, performance, and feeling just right! It’s a perfect battery, and I haven’t experienced any conflicts with it.

I would recommend this to anybody who is in the market for a well-priced battery that has a great build quality, feels good, and works well.

Overall, this is a great product and I highly recommend it. One of my favorite things about this battery isn’t just the metal build, but also the carrying pouch. It is a great accessory that makes this product perfect!

I was provided a unit for testing purposes and I promised to provide a completely honest and fair review.

Unfortunately, I cannot post the link to this product on Amazon because posting commercial links is forbidden, but you can find it on Amazon by searching for the product's name that is in the title of this thread. Thanks!

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Review of CHOETECH 50 Watt 6 Port Desktop Rapid USB Charger topic

This is a great Desktop Charger that can complement your desk well and provide a great convenience!

In the box, you get the charger itself, the power cable, and an instruction manual.

First Impressions: This has a really nice matte finish. It is nice because it is small, lightweight, and seems like it would be very easy to carry almost anywhere. Setting it up was easy. I simply plugged the power cord into an outlet and plugged the cord into the charger. One thing I wish the charger had was a light that could let you know the charger is getting power. I also think that it would've been better if the ports were labeled with the output amperage. The only information I know is that all of the ports output 5V at the same time.

After using this for a while, I can say that this is a solid product! I plugged in two Samsung Galaxy S3's, my iPod Touch 4th generation, two external batteries, and a wireless charger. Everything that I plugged in was immediately supplied with power and the things that needed charging were immediately being charged. All of the items (except the wireless charger) were charged up in no time.

Overall, this is a great product which has a few flaws but works great.

I was provided a unit for testing purposes and I promised to provide a completely honest and fair review.

Unfortunately, I cannot post the link to this product on Amazon because posting commercial links is forbidden, but you can find it on Amazon by searching for the product's name that is in the title of this thread. Thanks!

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Review of CHOETECH QI Pocket Wireless Car Charger topic

This is a nifty and unique car charger that can easily juice up your Qi-enabled device when on-the-go.

In the box, you get the charging holder itself, a car charger, a micro USB cable, and an instruction manual.

First Impressions: I don't think I've ever reviewed a product like this. I have reviewed Qi-charger, but not a Qi-charger like this. It is very unique. It has this leather-type of build that feels nice. It feels a little bit like those kinds of phone holsters [REVISE]. Setting it up was easy. I simply snapped it into my air vent, plugged the car charger up to the charger, and I was up and running.

After using it for a while, I can say that this is a cool product. It definitely has a great style and works great. I can easily and efficiently charge up my phone and easily slide it out of the holder when I need it. The only time it wasn’t easy to slide my phone out of the holder was when I had on my bulky, protective case.

Overall, this is a cool product that I would recommend to anyone in the market for a wireless charger for their car.

I was provided a unit for testing purposes and I promised to provide a completely honest and fair review.

Unfortunately, I cannot post the link to this product on Amazon because posting commercial links is forbidden, but you can find it on Amazon by searching for the product's name that is in the title of this thread. Thanks!

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BlueWatcher review: The alternative to Casio G-Shock+ app topic

Hope this review of BlueWatcher is objective! Written from the heart... Let's begin... and SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH!

Casio, known for its extensive collection of watches including electronic components, decided in 2012 to introduce Bluetooth Low Energy technology in some of its G-Shock watch models. It was not only a proof of concept, the variety of Casio Bluetooth models was growing over the years. Now you can buy the following Casio models with Bluetooth technology: Casio G-Shock GB-5600, Casio G-Shock GB-6900, Casio SPORTS STB-1000, Casio G-Shock GBA-400. The GBA-400 is the latest model of the G-Shock Bluetooth family and promises to have on your wrist a remote control for your music player.

A watch with Bluetooth technology is nothing if you don't have the associated mobile application that performs communications and implement all that functionality that makes our watch a real smartwatch. Therefore, Casio accompanies its Bluetooth watches with its official application called G-Shock+ ( Available for iOS and Android) . In recent years, Casio offered very limited functionality for notifications and phone control. Have been multiple the alavanzas Casio received but has also received many criticisms of reduced functionality offered in its G-Shock+ application. Users are requesting that Casio explodes the true potential Casio watches to become a real smartwatch.

Given this expectation of users to include functionality in G-Shock+ app that seemed mandatory, appeared the Android application called BlueWatcher. Detailed information about the application: http://www.bluewatcher.es

BlueWatcher is the unofficial app and the alternative to control Casio watches with Bluetooth technology. BlueWatcher stems from the concern of how a tough watch, with approximate battery life of two years , world leader in design ... was not able to exploit the true potential as a "smart watch" . Casio remains halfway so BlueWatcher intended to help us go the whole way.

To summarize, What does Official Casio G-Shock+ application do?

• Receive notifications of an incoming call.


• Receive notifications of our mails entering data connection IMAP / POP and your username and password.


• Receive notification with the message "TWITTER" or "FACEBOOK" when we receive notification of these two applications. We will also have to enter username and password in the application.


• Receive notification when we have a new Calendar event on our phone.


• Control the music player of your phone from our watch.


• Find your phone by pressing a button on our clock (if it is connected ) .


• Adjust all configurable parameters of our clock from the phone (alarms, alerts , world time ... )

We have to announce bad news as the latest model GBA-400 completely ELIMINATES all notification features. The only remaining features are configuring our watch settings and controlling the phone music player.

The list of functionality that G-Shock+ offers is wide but for those looking to have TOTAL control of your phone on your wrist, is clearly insufficient.

Here is a list of typical questions and answers an advanced user could have looking for a perfect smart watch. Those are the answers using G-Shock+ application:

- Can I connect my Casio watch to any phone model? NO! Casio only supports Samsung S3 , S4 and Note3 models.
- Can I receive notifications in my Casio G-Shock GBA-400 model? NO! Casio removed all notification functions.
- Am I notified when I receive a message from my favorite messaging application: Whatsapp , Line, Viber ? NO!
- Am I notified when I receive an event from my favorite game? NO!
- Can I see the sender of my Facebook notifications? NO, just prints out "FACEBOOK"
- Can I see my phone battery level in my watch screen? NO
- What is the maximum number of actions that I can setup on my phone using my watch buttons? Many actions as buttons have your watch but only for music control.
- Can I use the STB-1000 on my Android phone? NO

As mentioned above, BlueWatcher is the alternative to the official Casio G-Shock+ app but should be taken as the app that fills the holes left by Casio. One of the most important aspects for the BlueWatcher's development team was to provide an application with the minimum functionality to convert these watches in "smart watches" . That's why BlueWatcher includes functionality that already includes the official G-Shock+ app but including all that functionality not offered by Casio. Let's look over the most important aspects of BlueWatcher.

The first most discussed aspect on the Casio G-Shock+ application is the set of supported phones. Casio only supports Samsung S3, S4 and Note 3. BlueWatcher announces that includes no restriction to download and test the application. You can verify that BlueWatcher works with other different models phone models like Sony, HTC, etc. But BlueWatcher assumes that it can't solve the problem totally as they accept there are some phone models that do not run neither. Currently BlueWatcher announces that you can have problems with Android Lollipop (known problem in Android 5.0 with Bluetooth Low Energy devices) or users with Samsung Galaxy Note 4/Sony Xperia Z1 among other models.



Connectivity, this is one of the most traumatic points for BlueWatcher. By extending the range of supported phones, the connection process can become tedious due to the instability of the Casio Bluetooth modules. That's why BlueWatcher announced that users can freely buy and test the application and if that does not work, apply for refund of money if they can not get connected.

Another aspect that we can find too in the official application is the ability to notify a new incoming call in the watch screen showing the contact name.



Without doubt, BlueWatcher tries to overcome the biggest problem with Casio G-Shock+ app: The ability to be notified about all the events that occur in our phone. In BlueWatcher, for example, we can set up an advanced algorithm to notify us when we have a new message from the WhatsApp messaging application. We can receive all messages, receive messages every certain period of time or receive new messages only when we have read the above message for a specific contact.



But BlueWatcher is more than Whatsapp notifications! It provides the option to receive notifications from any application that is installed in your phone. It is as simple as adding a "Custom Notifications" app from all the applications we have installed, select those we want to be notified, personalize the message we receive and mission accomplished. From that moment we can receive notifications from our favorite applications. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Candy Crash Saga... there are no limits to what we receive on our watch.



The owners of a GBA-400 watch are in luck because, as mentioned, Casio decided to completely eliminate any notifications for this model. BlueWatcher includes support for full notifications in the GBA-400 model. The pity is that Casio also removed the vibrator from the watch so for now you can view the contents of the notification.



As the official application, another service that also was considered essential is "phone finder service". BlueWatcher includes this service that once connected the phone to the watch, we can use our watch to make our phone sound. And we will have already found it!



At this point, it is time to see which is the second important feature that differentiates BlueWatcher from G-Shock+: Multiple phone control modes. As we have seen, the official G-Shock+ application supports control the music volume, pause, play and skip tracks. BlueWatcher tries to go much further including a larger set of possible commands to be executed each time the button on our watch is pressed. Currently, the interaction between watch and phone is higher and we can find commands such as displaying the phone battery level in our watch, deleting GBA-400 screen text when we have already read all notifications and controlling the music player. BlueWatcher has in its roadmap include control of the camera from the watch as well as a wide range of functions.



Since the number of commands that can be executed with each of the watch's buttons grows, it is imperative to configure which command will execute each one. BlueWatcher goes further again and allows you to configure multiple phone control modes. This allows you to map multiple configurations for each watch button allowing you to switch between modes from the watch itself. To better understand this operation, consider the following example we tested in a Casio G-Shock GB-X6900B model (with three configurable buttons):

MODE 1: Music
Button A: Toggle play/pause music
Button B: Next song
Button C: Next phone control mode

MODE 2: Volume
Button A: Raise music volume
Button B: Lower music volume
Button C: Next phone control mode

MODE 2: Other
Button A: Show phone battery level as a notification
Button B: Next phone control mode



From a watch with three functional buttons we configured five effective commands. When BlueWatcher include more new commands, the ability of configuring multiple control modes will make more sense.

We would not want to ignore that BlueWatcher , as the official G-Shock+ application, is able to synchronize the watch date/time on each connection. In this way, we will always have synchronized our watch and phone.

But there is one funcion we miss in BlueWatcher, it does not include the ability to configure all functions of the watch from your phone. So to set alarms, alert configuration, control time aligned , etc we have to connect G-Shock+ app or configure it from the watch itself using complex configuration modes offered by the watch.

Before closing, we emphasize the technical support of BlueWatcher since in all cases we have contacted them we have received a reply in less than 24h. They promise to refund you the money in case you can not connect the watch to your phone. Good to know we are not alone when using BlueWatcher for the first time!

In short, this is the application that will allow many users decide to buy a Casio watch with Bluetooth technology because using BlueWatcher they will own a really smart watch reaching a wider ecosystem of users than the ecosystem proposed by Casio and its official G-Shock+ application.

Here we have a summary of the advantages and disadvantages:

Pros

1. Compatible with a wide range of phone models


2. Notifications for ALL applications you have installed


3. Notifications for Casio G-Shock GBA-400 are enabled


4. Android Support for Casio STB-1000


5. Advanced commands to control your phone like sending your phone's battery to your wrist


6. Multiple phone control modes to extend control functions


7. Excellent customer support. Response within 24 hours with money-back option if inoperative.


8. Cyrillic characters transliteration

Cons

1. Difficult pairing process between watch and phone


2. There are still some phone models that are incompatible. Android 5.0 problems with Bluetooth Low Energy


3. Simple graphical interface


4. The ability to configure the watch settings is completely lost

OFFICIAL BLUEWATCHER WEB: http://www.bluewatcher.es
OFFICIAL BLUEWATCHER APP: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...om.bluewatcher
OFFICIAL G-Shock+ APP: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...sio.gshockplus

My Nexus 6 Review + Sample photos taken topic

Moto Nexus 6 Review :D

• Phone Design - I never like curve back as it is unbalance when put at desk. But no denied this Nexus 6 is awesome pretty! I really love the way Moto design the back and the way Moto pick on the white color. It is not pure white but something look flashing and premium even though it just simply a poly carbonate. The side is well done Aluminium finish, this is far ahead than Note 4 which after a while only showing scratch here and there. The designer is a real genius to trick human eye feel the phone is real slim, it do is 3.5mm in lower part but the center actually is 10.1mm which is kind of thick but due to the genius design, the phone just look as slim as it is like 3.5mm only.


• Camera - If I said it is better than Note 4, I am cheating myself and to everyone. It is not, the Nexus 6 camera is on below quality of Note 4 camera but it is not the worst, it still far superior than a lot phone camera in market include Sony Xperia Z3. I rate Nexus 6 camera the second best I ever use, it just slightly below what Note 4 camera capable.


• AMOLED Screen Quality - again't it is not the best, Note 4 still the best for the moment and superior than what Nexus 6 AMOLED screen given, as every site mention, they is some pink tint if the screen put on lower brightness, I not sure why this is happening, I hope it just a software bugs implement by Google. By putting on right brightness, this phone screen quality still awesome! Beside this, Sunlight legitimate also not as great as Note 4. Again't I rate the second best AMOLED screen I ever use after Note 4.


• Reception Quality - I don't have any reception issue at all in Nexus 6, unlike Note 4 where people keep complaining me can't hear me, the reception in Nexus 6 is awesome with clear clarity.


• Loud Speaker - 2nd best loud speaker after HTC One M8, YES! It is stereo and it sound awesome! Just tiny hissing sound appear when you over volume to maximum.


• DAC sound output - after putting my Mi Earpiece, I am mind blowing! OMG! The output quality confirm superior than what Note 4 capable off.


• Bundle Earpiece - this is the worst earpiece I ever receive, probably the world worst earpiece ever release! Come on Moto! What are you thinking off, if you want to bundle with such superb extreme low quality earpiece, you better don't bundle with it, just like USA edition they is no earpiece bundle with.


• Android 5.0 Lollipop OS & Performance - the best ever OS design by Google! This is the best UI design in Android where I encourage every manufacture shall use this pure design material design UI rather than skin it. Also this is the most smoother animation I ever get in Android with tones of cool animation here and there, it is anytime surpass iOS. Off course Lollipop is not perfect yet, for example removing the Silent mode toggle is not a right choice, currently only can make the phone in vibrate mode with extra step, also the None, Priority and Full on notification setting is kind of dumb and useless, please bring back Silent toggle. Another issue is the quick toggle which auto set base on user usage, please implement custom choice by user instead of auto, this auto is not real smart where example people already headache how to bring back the Flashlight if it is gone due to no usage on it. Lastly I notice some apps actually open much faster in Note 4 than Nexus 6, the most obvious is the Phone Dialer. Also they is well known memory leak issue in Lollipop 5.0.1 where lead to force auto restart, ya, I do face it. Google you gonna ASAP release patch to fix this issue, I know root user can use custom kernel where already fix this issue which means it is just a software bugs.

Overall Rating

• Phone Design - 9/10


• Camera - 8/10


• AMOLED Screen Quality - 9/10


• Reception Quality - 10/10


• Loud Speaker - 9/10


• DAC Sound Output - 10/10


• Bundle Earpiece - 0/10


• Android 5.0 Lollipop OS & Performance - 9/10

Final Talk - Do I regret ditch Note 4 and getting this Nexus 6. Answer is definitely no regret, the only I miss in Note 4 is actually the awesome LED flip case, so hope they is one for Nexus 6. :P

[REVIEW] Anker Astro Mini 3200mAh External Battery topic

This is a review of the Anker Astro Mini 3200mAh External Battery. The product's official page can be found here. It is for sale in the US on Amazon.com and is currently .99 with a list price of .99.

Before I get started, I was provided a sample by Anker and asked to give my unbiased thoughts on the product. You should know that I absolutely love Anker products, but that does not mean I am going to love everything they make.

I also own 3x of the Anker E5 16000mAh External Batteries, their E1 5200mAh External Battery, and some of their other 5x and 2x port USB wall chargers. I have also owned external batteries from other manufacturer's as well.

For my testing, I tested throughout the week with my Samsung Galaxy S 4 phone with the stock OEM battery. I currently have OmniROM Nightlies on it, and while it is good on battery life, stock ROMs may have different results.

The product box is a cute 4.25"x4.5"x2.5" cube. As with most if not all Anker products, the box is lightweight cardboard with a paper slip cover.


Some other unboxing and size comparison photos below:





As with most Anker products I have unboxed, the feeling I get with their products even before using the actual product is that the packaging is very well designed and thought out. Their graphics design team has a great eye for presenting their product with integrity. I really enjoy the documentation they include, which includes a simple card with contact/support info if you aren't happy with the product, as well as social media links suggesting you follow them and review their product on Amazon. With tons of similar products on the market, it is often these little things that keep consumers (including me) coming back for more. In fact, if you read the product features, one of them is "friendly customer service". The warranty on this product is 18 months, which is great for such an inexpensive battery.

The unit feels very well made. It doesn't feel like there is any wasted space. I was provided a gold colored sample and print is all white, which is hard to read. I can't tell if the print is laser etched or a light silk screen. That said, it is probably more attractive than big, bold black text on the unit. At 80g / 2.8oz, this thing is light!

The included mesh bag is similar to those that other Anker products include, but it measures 5"x2.5", which seems large on this tiny battery. It looks like this bag was designed for another product but included with this one. In fact, it appears to be the perfect size and shape for my Anker E1 5200 mAh battery that didn't include a mesh bag. These bags are great because it gives you a way to store the cable with the battery without leaving the cable plugged in, potentially damaging the cable and port while in your bag or pocket. The included cable is white and is approximately 28" in length. One thought I had is that if this battery is marketed to iPhone and Android users alike, why is only a micro USB cable included? Granted, it is certainly cheaper than an Apple Lightning cable, but keep in mind that the product page only shows an iPhone with a cable plugged in, so that could be misleading.

I generally use external batteries of at least 5,000 mAh. Given the Galaxy S 4 internal battery is 2600mAh, if I'm on the go for a day and really active on the phone using GPS, Internet, music, etc, I'm always afraid these little chargers aren't going to last me very long. That said I put this in my pocket for the day and made myself use it exclusively. The first time I used it, I'll admit, I did not charge it first. I wanted to see how it would behave and how I would react to not knowing how much charge was left in it. The unit has one LED and one button. There is no gauge for capacity remaining other than the LED will flash twice if the charge is less than 2%. Not much of a warning here. So on the first discharge from the unit, I got about 45 minutes until the battery just shut off. And that was it... as expected. With other batteries that feature gauges, there is often a 4-5 segment meter indicating percentage ranges of capacity left. This is a feature that is hugely missing from this little 3200mAh charger, but given it's compact size, it is completely understandable. On this battery, once you plug in your device, you do need to press the button on the battery to turn it on and begin charging. An auto-current detect would be nice so you don't forget to press the power button and end up not charging at all.

I charged the unit using the Anker 20W Dual USB Wall Charger. I first attempted the charge through a PLX Devices Legion USB Meter to measure the charge current. This will vary between wall chargers and even the current draw from the battery. I tried this with the Anker charger and my Samsung Galaxy S 4 OEM Charger (2A) and got the same 0.85A-0.90A charge rate. The documentation says input current is 0.8A max, so getting 0.9A is a nice surprise. At 0.8A charge, and if the battery was drained to 3,000mA, we can expect a full charge to take approximately 4.5 hours.



After my first full charge, I measured charge current output to other devices. I charged my Galaxy S 4 with 50% battery left, and also tried charging an Anker E5 16000 mAh battery just for kicks. On the Legion Meter, I saw anywhere from 0.6A to 0.97A.




The specifications for this battery state it is capable of 1A max charge. This is where we get into the question, "Is this product right for my device?" It does have Anker's PowerIQ technology with claims to deliver the most efficient charge for your device. That said, my Galaxy S 4 ships with a 2A charger, and I can verify that it WILL charge at up to 2A. So, comparing this battery with a wall charger just isn't fair because, it won't charge your device nearly as fast. I noticed this while using it throughout the week too. If the phone is under heavy CPU load, the phone very well may drain faster than it can charge. However, I during testing I used the phone moderately and can say that the phone DID reach 100% charge without a problem.

Browsing Amazon.com, I noticed that RAVPower has a nearly identical device with almost the exact size, color options, and features. The differences I noticed include the RAVPower has a flashlight on the end, the warranty is only 12 months, and a travel pouch is not listed as included. The RAVPower unit is also .99 at the time of this writing. That said, I do not know if Anker and RAVPower are in any way affiliated with each other since these are nearly the same, and even their websites look nearly identical. Both only sell on Amazon as well. The Anker model is available in other countries whereas the RAVPower seems only available in the USA.

I know some consumers would prefer this "lipstick" style charger. It will fit nearly anywhere. However, I do not see the appeal other than size, shape, and color to choose this over the Astro E1 battery, which has 60% more capacity, a 4-segment LED showing capacity remaining, and charges at 2A current instead of only 1A. Both are currently .99 on Amazon.com as of this writing. If you want functionality, I'd go with the Astro E1. If you need tiny or a colorful unit, perhaps this 3200 mAh lipstick battery is for you.

I will continue to use this battery as another backup, and even hand it off to my girlfriend for some thoughts. I'll update this post with new information as I gather it. If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Anker 18W USB Wall Charger with Qualcomm® Quick Charge 2.0 Review topic

I was really excited to get this new wall charger from Anker. Amazon said it had the Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 standard, and would supposedly enable the Adaptive Quick charge in my Samsung Galaxy Note 4… so I was happy when I plugged this bad boy in a low and behold… it worked! The Adaptive Quick Charge message popped up on my phone screen!

There is not much to the packaging… just the adapter and a micro usb charging cable. When you plug it into your Note 4… the LED on the charger will turn green to indicate that the Adaptive Charge is working. If you plug it into any other device, you get a blue led light.

The charger is well made… it is plastic, but feels solid. It is small which makes it great for travel… just toss in on your carry-on. And the fact that it charges fast makes life easier when you are trying to top off at an airport.

Other phones that support the Qualcomm Quick Charge standard are: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 / Edge, Google Nexus 6, HTC One (M8), Sony Xperia Z3 / Z2, Motorola Moto X.

For the price of bucks, with the 19 month Anker warranty… this device is a no brainer!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Q88Q16K

Pros:
- Small size
- Qualcomm Quick Charge Technology
- Price
- Warranty

Cons:
- None noted!

Cubot X9 Review: 5" Smartphone, Octacore MTK6592, 2GB/16GB topic

Cubot X9 Review



Introduction
The Cubot X9 is a very good looking smartphone, and the hardware bears an uncanny resemblance to the iPhone 6. It also has very respectable specifications and retails for just 0 at Gearbest with the coupon code "CubotX9TH". I got dinged customs from DHL
though, just to let you know.
http://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_125384.html

Key Specifications:
5.0 inch screen, 1280x720 pixel display
GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz WCDMA 850/2100MHz
MTK6592, Cortex-A7 Octa core, 1.4GHz
8MP back camera + 5MP front camera
2GB RAM + 16GB ROM
Bluetooth, NFC
Dual SIM Standby (nanoSIM, MicroSIM)
MicroSD Card Slot
Android 4.4.4
Dimensions: 143.5 x 72.5 x 6.9mm
Battery Size: 2200mAh
Weight: 124g

Unboxing the Cubot X9
The Cubot X9 came from GearBest in a plain brown box. Inside the box was the a very stylish black box bearing the Cubot logo as well as some protective bubble wrapping. It had the usual contents, earphones, a microUSB cable and a charger.
Note: Instead of giving me a North American charger, they gave me a European charger instead.

Hardware
The Cubot X9 has a respectably sized body, its dimensions being 143.5 x 72.5 x 6.9mm. In comparison, the iPhone 6's dimensions are 138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm. This phone is as thin as the iPhone 6, and just a little wider and taller than its Apple namesake!



Clocking in at 124g, its a few grams lighter than the iPhone 6, which features a smaller screen. However, weight isn't everything. Weight distribution can make a heavier device feel lighter than it really is. Fortunately, the Cubot X9 has excellent weight distribution, making the device feel extremely light as well.

The design of the Cubot X9 clearly takes "inspiration" from the iPhone 6. The edges of the Cubot look the exact same as the iPhone 6, in addition to the placement of the power button and volume rocker. The bezel size is almost the exact same as the iPhone 6. However, it has a non removable back cover that features a smooth brushed metal finish that is very pleasant to the touch and makes the Cubot feel very premium.

Similar to the iPhone, the two SIM card slots are situated on the right side of the smartphone below the volume and power buttons. One SIM slot can take a MicroSIM card while the other can hold a nanoSIM card. However, the nanoSIM card doubles as a MicroSD card holder, which means that if you would like to use a MicroSD card in this phone, you will have to forego having a nanoSIM. If you shake the device very vigourously, you can hear the SIM card trays rattling. The SIM card trays haven't fallen out and are firmly ensconced in the phone, but rattling trays do annoy me sometimes.



The back of the phone houses the 8MP camera and LED flash, as well as a very small pinhole situated below the camera whose function I have not identified yet.



The front of the phone holds the front facing camera as well as 3 capacitive buttons that do not light up, which is something that I feel is an oversight. It also includes a notification light, which I was very pleased with. However, it is placed in the weirdest of places, in between the capacitive buttons! I'm not quite sure what to make of that, but at least it works well.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the Cubot X9's build quality, and its build quality and material selection can be compared to other premium smartphones such as the iPhone 6 and HTC One M8.


Display
The Cubot X9 features a 5" IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1280x720. It is also features OGS (One Glass Solution) technology, that allows the thickness of the display to be reduced. I did some research on how bright the Cubot X9 screen could go and got 450 nits of brightness, which I feel is wrong. Placed side by side with a Nexus 4 and THL 5000, both of which have 466 nits and 500 nits respectively, the Cubot X9 absolutely demolishes both phones in terms of brightness (colour too), making me think that its either very close or the same brightness as the iPhone 6, at 606 nits of brightness. The screen is a pleasure to look at with deep and accurate colours. If you do not mind the lower resolution on the display, you will love the colour gamut provided by the Cubot X9.




Speaker Quality
The speaker quality is rather average. With its speaker grilles found at the bottom of the phone, the sound fires down in portrait mode and sideways in landscape mode. Sound quality is middling at normalized sound levels, but at the absolute highest volume (which is quite loud, and sometimes can be too loud) it sounds like a piece of paper has been placed on the speaker grille, causing popping and wobbling sounds, making it sound terrible. Lowering the volume causes more normal tones to emit from the speakers.

Interestingly, there are two speaker grilles located at the bottom of the phone, very similar to the iPhone, but sound only fires out of one of them, with the other speaker grille as window dressing.


Battery
With a 2200mAh battery, I was expecting horrendous battery life due to its power sucking display and MTK6592 processor. I will be comparing this phone's battery life to others such as the Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z3. GSMArena does 3 key battery tests on its phones, namely calling, web browsing and video. As I do not have the resources to do all three tests, I only performed the web browsing test and the video test (who am I going to talk to for 47 hours anyway?).

I set the screen brightness to the lowest possible (I think it was 250nits) and installed Web Reloader from the Google Play Store and used it to reload webpages over WiFi every few seconds. First, I reloaded the mobile version of the CNN home page every 10 seconds for 3 hours. Then I transitioned to www.focalprice.com and reloaded that every 30 seconds for 3 hours. Finally, I used www.gearbest.com and reloaded this page every 30 seconds for the rest of the time. The phone finally died after 4 hours 30 minutes of browsing. The Xperia Z3 manages 12:11 of browsing time with just 40% more battery capacity. The Galaxy S5 achieves 9:48 browsing time with 27% more battery capacity.

In the video playback test, the screen brightness was 250nits and a standard definition video played. GSMArena also set this test up similarly, except they turned on airplane mode, I chose not to do this in order to better replicate real life, as videos are not usually watched while in airplane mode (unless in an actual airplane). The phone played back video for 5 hours 3 minutes before dying.

On a more "normal" battery test, the phone was off the charger for a total of 12 hours 22 minutes. During that time, I racked up 3 hours 25 minutes of screen on time, which consisted of 1.5 hours of google maps navigation, about 1/2 hour of Clash of Clans/Boom Beach, 35 minutes of reading news using Feedly, and the rest was a mix of web browsing, browsing the Google Play Store, and taking a few pictures.




Charging the phone from 0% to 100% took about 2 hours.

The biggest battery draining culprits are the painfully bright LCD panel (even on lowest) and the MTK6592 processor. If you are a power user and use your phone for more than 4 hours every day, I wouldn't recommend you purchase this phone. However, if you are a moderate user and do not mind charging your phone every night, battery life should not be an issue.


Software & Performance
The Cubot X9 runs a stock version of Android 4.4.4. It is almost 100% stock, with just the settings menu overlaid with a white skin.



It includes Hotknot, MediaTek's version of NFC. However, it only works with other phones that also support Hotknot, which means that it won't work with any other non MediaTek phone.

It includes a version of Samsung's Air Gesture that uses the proximity sensor, that is surprisingly useful when you have dirty hands and are trying to cook and read recipes at the same time. It also supports "Glove Touch", which just adjusts the sensitivity of the screen so that it recognizes your fingers while fabric is covering it. In my review video, I used a metal padlock, a kitchen knife and a frying pan to use the phone, and it worked just like a dollar store stylus would, very impressive. However, enabling gloves touch mode causes the screen to jitter and jump around when you hold your finger down for more than a split second, this is probably due to the drastically increased sensitivity.

For those of you who are paranoid, it also comes with a very handy app called app permissions. It allows you to block any app from doing anything on your phone. If your flashlight app is asking for access to your contacts, or access to remotely wipe your phone, a little popup will come up and let you choose to allow or deny that certain application.



Cubot also included Smart Gestures in the ROM. This allows the user to draw certain gestures on the screen while it is off to launch certain applications, for example drawing an "M" on the screen would launch music. It also allows the user to wake the device by double tapping on the screen or swiping up on the screen. These smart gestures use up more battery life as it prevents the phone from entering deep sleep, so it is a trade off on features vs battery life.

It also played intense games such as Real Racing without a hitch. Other popular games like Clash of Clans also ran perfectly well.



I ran Antutu as well, and obtained a score of 27812. This is about average for an MTK6592 device with 2GB of RAM.




Connectivity
Reception is as expected for a chinese phone with WCDMA 850/2100MHz. I get the exact same reception strength on my THL 5000. Again, it gets better reception than my older Nexus 4 here in Canada. In my basement, the Nexus 4 on Bell only gets about 2 bars of signal on 3G, while the Cubot X9 gets 3 bars consistently. but I consistently get HSPA+, with speeds around 36mbps. However, I recently made the switch from Bell to Rogers, and I'm getting spotty reception in the basement. My father's Rogers Blackberry Torch also does not get reception in the basement. I tested this out on all the phones I have, the Nexus 4, Moto G and the THL 5000, and all don't get reception in the basement, so it doesn't seem to be the problem with this particular handset.


WiFi performance is also good, as I get reception anywhere in the house. My Wireless N router is in the basement, and I get reception anywhere in the house, even on the second floor and outside.

The GPS always locked on properly, faster in fact than my THL 5000. It took about 6 seconds to lock on, which is almost as fast as the Nexus 4. I used it on a 1.5 hour trip, navigating to an interview, and the GPS lost its signal twice during the trip. The marker suddenly jumped about 10 feet to the right, going off the highway and instantly rerouting my route. After about 30 seconds, it came back to its original position. Other than those two incidents, GPS signals are OK.

Bluetooth and NFC are also included in this phone, and both work as expected.

Side Note: This will not work on Wind Mobile in Canada


Camera
The Cubot X9 features an 8 MP back camera and 5MP front camera. The specifications state that the back camera is 13MP, but the camera hardware itself is an 8MP camera with some sort of interpolation software that blows it up to 13MP. Anyone purchasing this phone should not expect great things from this camera. It takes passable photos in ideal lighting, but anything less than that and camera quality immediately takes a nosedive.

Colour reproduction is passable, with HDR mode on it gets a little better. In situations with less than ideal lighting, noise is immediately introduced to the final product.




The front 5MPx camera is quite good for use in Skype, Hangouts and selfies.

The camera can record 1080p video, and quality isn't as good as I would like. I can clearly tell the difference between a video from this phone and an iPhone 6, but then again, there is a huge difference in price, isn't there?


Verdict
Is this phone at 9.99 USD worth it? On one hand, its very cheap. On the other hand, one too many flaws could annoy users sufficiently to return this product.

Pros
Cheap
Extremely good build quality
Good specs
Good cell and data reception
Well optimized firmware, very fluid experience

Cons
Average battery life
Average camera performance in ideal settings
Terrible low light camera performance

At the low price of 9, its hard to find fault with the Cubot X9. Extreme build quality, a blazingly bright screen, and a fast octacore processor make this phone a great buy. The software experience on this phone is also fluid, responsive, and a pleasure to use.

In conclusion, I recommend this phone to anybody looking for a cheap device with great build quality and specifications, and who can live with an average camera and battery life.

Review of Ruizu X06 (BT wireless/wired) and X02 (wired) audio player w/lots of pics! topic

This is a Review of Ruizu X02 (wired) and Ruizu X06 (BT wireless and wired) digital audio players. http://www.gearbest.com/mp3-mp4-players/pp_110057.html and http://www.gearbest.com/mp3-mp4-players/pp_134761.html

Back in the day when most of the smartphones had 3.5"-4" display screens, they were portable enough to be also considered as pocket-friendly audio players. But smartphones got bigger and more powerful and became replacements of our personal entertainment center. But is bigger always better? If you want to watch a video or view a spreadsheet or read eBook - certainly, that would be the best way to go. But if you want to listen to music while working out or running/biking or just sitting down and relaxing without draining your phone battery or being interrupted by social media updates - nothing can substitute a dedicated portable audio player. Unfortunately, not too many companies manufacture these anymore, but luckily a few still recognize the demand and provide solutions which can play not only standard mp3s but also support lossless formats and offer other bonuses such as audio recording, FM radio, video playback, and some even wireless Bluetooth streaming!!! Today I'm going to look at two audio players from Ruizu which you can buy directly from Gearbest at ridiculously low price of (X02) and (X06) including free shipping, though I do highly recommend to add .99 fee to get your tracking number. Here is what I found.

Starting with X02 model, it arrived in authentic Ruizu brand name box with their genuine product sticker. I find this to be very important since there are so many fake products being sold in generic packaging, especially on eBay. Included with X02 model was a quality usb to mini-usb cable and instruction manual. Unfortunately, instruction manual is all in Chinese, but luckily the product page on Gearbest has a Quick Start instructions in English. The GUI interface is not hard to follow, but some guidance with key operations was definitely helpful. The audio player itself is very small, measuring about 3.5" x 1.5" and approximately 0.2" in thickness, with a weight of about 30g. The display screen is 1.8" and has a nice contrast and visibility even outdoors. The body of the player has anti-slip rubberized coating resembling the one used on ThinkPads. Controls are in a form of a 4-direction circular button with another round one in the middle. I like this physical control button better in comparison to a similar ONN player I have with touch-press buttons. Though the model I got has 8GB of built in memory, there is also micro-SD expansion slot supporting a card up to 64GB in capacity. At the bottom edge of the player, you will find mini-USB port for charging and data transfer, on-off button which essentially works as control lock and physical on/off button, and headphone jack. When it's in on position, you can turn off/on X02 by holding middle Play/Pause buttons for 3 seconds. The physical on-off button is great to make sure player doesn't accidentally turns itself on when traveling.

When you turn the player on, you are presented with a Menu grid containing selection of Music, Video, FM Radio, Pictures, Mic Recording, EBook, Folder View, Tools, and System Setting. It's a nice option to be able to play video clips, view pictures, take audio notes (mic recording), and take advantage of included tools such as Calendar, Stopwatch, and Alarm, but I consider those as a bonus. My main requirement was an audio playback. This is not just a basic mp3 player, it also supports other formats such as FLAC, WAV, WMA, and APE. You can start playing your songs by going into a list of All Songs, Playlists, or sorted by Artist, Albums, and Genres (read from ID Tag). While playing, you have an option for Play Mode (with different Repeat and Shuffle options), EQ setting with 6 built-in presets and even 5-band custom EQ, managing playlist, removing a song, or setting a timer. In a main play screen, you see a transport control info with track duration, repeat mode, track number, scrolling ID tag info, and artwork (if available). If there is no artwork associated with a track, you get a visual EQ analyzer on the screen. Volume adjustment is done by holding VOL key and adjusting the volume slider. The same VOL key pressed once works as Back button. M - is for menu selection with available choices, while FW/REV keys skip to next/prev track or fast forward/back when you hold corresponding key down. Play/Pause is obviously for playback control, and also menu selection. It takes a little while to get used to controls, but afterwards they make perfect sense.

Audio quality itself is rather good. The sound is bright and clear and surprisingly has a minimum background hiss. It's unfair to compare X02 sound to some of my higher quality more expensive DAPs, but in a quick comparison the sound is thinner and with less body and lacking some bass, but it still very clean and clear. Of course, you can always use EQ presets or customize your own sound shaping curve. But as a standalone audio player for it has an excellent sound quality. Furthermore, it also has a very impressive battery life. I have been using it for hours and battery indicator still at full. I read comments about 20hr battery life and seen spec mentioning 2x-3x of that amount. Next time I running 60hr headphone burn in - X02 definitely going to be used as a source to see how long it will last. Besides a bit of a learning curve to get used to the navigation keys and the fact you need mini-usb cable (which is included) instead of a common micro-usb, the only other comment I have is that X02 is begging for some kind of a silicone case with a clip or attachment to armband. Other than that, it has a solid build quality, intuitive interface, lots of options, and a great clean sound for general listening.

Here are X02 pictures.



















Moving on to X06, this Ruizu model is as impressive and for more it adds a set of a few very useful features. Starting with a packaging, it's very similar to X02 with an authentic Ruizu box and security sticker. It also includes a quality usb to mini-usb cable (good idea since mini-usb is rare nowadays), an instruction manual, and a set of earbuds. Instruction manual is also in Chinese, so you can refer to X02 link where there is a quick start guide, or watch unboxing video on Gearbest website for X06, or just figure out yourself. Included earbuds have a cheap sound quality, but for general listening they are ok to get you started. The casing of X06 is similar with rubberized soft touch finish, but design is a little different, with more rugged touches. The overall size is very small with 3.5" x 1.7" and about 0.5" in thickness. Also, it's similarly lightweight at about 40g. Controls are similar to X02 and in a form of a 4-direction circular button with another round one in the middle, except the one in the middle is sticking out more in comparison to recessed button of X02. On a left side you have microSD card slot (to expand on-board 4GB of memory with 64GB card) and on a right side - on/off switch to prevent X06 from accidental turn on. The bottom has mini-usb charging/data port and 3.5mm standard headphone jack. The top has a little opening for lanyard connection. Display is the same as X02, at 1.8" across.

X06 turns on the same way by holding multi-function Play/Pause button for 3 seconds, but instead of a grid with a menu selection, you scroll from one screen to the other. But overall you get the same selection of Music, Video, FM Radio, Pictures, Mic Recording, EBook, Folder View, Tools, System Setting, and BIG Bonus - Bluetooth wireless connection. Honestly, I haven't seen a single compact audio player with lossless audio support and wireless connection for . As I mentioned before, all those video, radio, pictures, recording, ebook are cool to have, but not very practical with such a small screen. But a bonus of being able to transmit wirelessly is a very nice addition!

All the controls and menus are identical to X02 so I'm not going to repeat it for X06, though do want to mention that in EQ section you only have presets and no option for custom EQ setting. But in Tools section you get a bonus Firmware Update selection which I assume has something to do with BT if they need to update wireless driver. Another big difference is in a sound signature. While X02 was bright and had a thinner sound due to leaner lower mids and slightly reduced bass - X06 has a thicker body with a warmer sound, a bit of an enhanced bass which spills just a tad into lower mids and smoother upper mids and less sparkle in treble. The sound is still clear, nothing is veiled or muddy or distorted, but overall it's warmer, smoother, and thicker with more bass in comparison to X02.

Though I enjoyed X06 sound signature a bit more, I was more excited to try Bluetooth wireless connection. One thing to note, by default every time you start X06 it will have Bluetooth connection un-linked so you just plug your headphone in and start listening. For wireless, you need to go into Bluetooth menu selection and initially pair up with your BT headphones. Once you do that, the next time your headphones will be listed as part of the available choices and you just click to select and pair it up - that part will have to be done manually, unlike how you would expect it automatically with a smartphone. Once you're paired up, there is a choice of BT related options with Music being one of them where you select songs to play wirelessly. I do have to mention that wireless playback doesn't support aptX encoding so don't expect a crystal clear sound. But at the same time it was no different than any other source with Bluetooth 2.1 transmitter. A standard BT protocol without aptX codec does more compression of the original source where you get less bass and treble extension, but the midrange is still intact and you just get some roll off of lows and highs. Another very important comment, applicable to both X02 and X06, to copy songs to internal memory or microSD card you just connect usb cable to your computer. It gets recognized right away to start copying songs. But once you are done, make sure to disconnect usb drive from within Windows before you unplug usb cable - otherwise new songs will not be updated.

Here are X06 pictures.