Originally an Indiegogo project, Shoulderpod has just released its first product, the S1, and I've been testing it with my Nokia 808 and Lumia 1020. It's a combined stabiliser/grip/mount - it's fabulously constructed and it works really well. Here's to better smartphone-shot video (and, of course, you might find my tutorial helpful!)
Regular readers will know that I'm a big fan of the Proporta emergency chargers, from the tiny credit card sized Pocket Power to the mighty Turbocharger 7000. But, of course, there are many other brands on the market, especially at the higher capacity end of the market. Which is why I've been taking a look here at the new 'Kinkoo Infinite One 8000mAh Portable Backup Battery Charger'. In white. And yes, the colour matters, as I shall explain!
The world of accessories fascinates everyone, of course, the drive to make everything smaller and smaller, yet still doing the same job. In this case, the ChargeKey microUSB, a full data and charging cable (i.e. all pins are connected through) that cuts bulk to the nth degree and fits nicely on a key ring. It's even shaped like a key and is a really neat accessory, albeit a little pricey.
We've seen large portable USB chargers (e.g. the Turbocharger 7000), we've seen small all-wireless chargers (the Nokia DC-50), but the Mugenizer N11 seems to offer a feature set that's a very useful compromise. With 4800mAh capacity and both USB and Qi charging output, could the N11 really be the all-purpose mobile charger than many have been waiting for?
Symbian Belle - sorry, 'Nokia Belle', Feature Pack 2 has been available now for a few weeks and it's time to take stock. How many steps forward did this take the OS? And how many steps back? What's in Belle FP2 and how does it compare to other smartphone user interfaces in 2012?
Something very different for AAS here - what we have here is custom firmware for a Nokia smartphone, in this case created by a Colombian enthusiast and aiming to bring old S60 5th Edition phones up as close to the modern Symbian experience as possible. That 'CFW Symbian Anna 7.9' (links and caveats below) ultimately still disappoints a 2012 phone user is 99% down to the limitations of the hardware of the time, mainly in terms of free RAM - but such improvements are still tremendously interesting, which is why it's receiving the review treatment here.
In part 1, I looked at the Nokia 808's hardware, in part 2a, I showed how PureView works, in part 2b, I tested the 808 head to head with its predecessors, in part 2c, I looked at the new Camera interface and in part 2d, I looked at the 808's video capture capabilities, including the Rich Recording system. Most recently, in part 3, I looked at the 808's OS, performance and multimedia functionality. In this, the final part 4, I cover other applications, notes on updates and my summary of this landmark (in a number of senses of the word) device.
In part 1, I looked at the 808's hardware, in part 2a, I showed how PureView works, in part 2b, I tested the 808 head to head with its predecessors, in part 2c, I looked at the new Camera interface and in part 2d, I looked at the 808's video capture capabilities, including the Rich Recording system. In this, part 3, I'm looking at the 808's OS, performance and multimedia functionality. Still to come, in part 4, will be coverage of other applications and my summary of this landmark (in a number of senses of the word) device.
In part 1 of my Nokia 808 PureView review, I looked at its hardware and capabilities as a smartphone, in part 2a, I showed how PureView works, in part 2b, I tested the 808 head to head with its predecessors, and in part 2c, I looked at the massively reworked Camera interface. In this, review part 2d, I look at the 808's video capture capabilities, including the Rich Recording system for high quality audio capture. Still to come in the remaining parts of my seven part 20,000 word review are apps, multimedia, performance and much more.
In part 1 of my Nokia 808 PureView review, I looked at its hardware and physical capabilities as a smartphone, in part 2a, I showed how PureView works, along with samples of its output and comments on the quality produced, in part 2b, I tested the 808 head to head with its predecessors in the Symbian world, along with the best competing (non-Symbian) camera phone for challenging light situations, the HTC One X/S. In this, review part 2c, I'll cover the massively reworked Camera interface and look at ultimate quality in like-for-like conditions versus the N8.
