Amazing Divoom Aurabox Bluetooth Wireless Speaker Review

By

Linus

-

Sep 21, 2015

When it comes to the Bluetooth speakers, the market is really crowded with a lot of them ranging from $10 to hundreds of dollars depending on what you really need. However, there is one common trend – all of them are becoming similar in terms of design, size and shape. The Divoom Aurabox is something that you may have not seen before.

We wanted to say thank you to Divoom for sending the Aurabox for a review. We suggest you visiting the product page for more detailed info.

Divoom Aurabox Bluetooth Speaker Review: VIDEO

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKbPtGTl-28[/embedyt]

Divoom Aurabox Bluetooth Speaker Review: UNBOXING

The speaker comes in a really premium box, which matches the $60 retail price of this speaker.

All you are getting in the box is a speaker itself, microUSB charging cable, AUX cable and some documentation.

Divoom Aurabox Bluetooth Speaker Review: DESIGN and FEATURES

What makes the Divoom Aurabox stand out from other speakers is that it has 100 highly customisable LED lights and I have to say they really look cool.

The speaker is not the smallest we’ve seen but it is very compact and lightweight. It has a good built quality but the choice of rubber all around the speaker makes it a fingerprint and dust magnet, and it is not that easy to clean it.

The Divoom Aurabox comes only with one speaker but it is large at the size 3” and it has 5W of power. Due to the unique design of this gadget, it is placed on the back.

On the bottom right corner we have a microUSB charging port along with the LED and the AUX input in case you want to connect a non-Bluetooth device.

The top side is full of controls. Here you can find a microphone for hands-free calling and I can say that the call quality is pretty good. Also, you can find a power switch, play/pause button, volume up/down, which also double as skip tracks buttons. Lastly, there is a light a mode button, which allows you to choose between the clock, the embedded real-time thermometer, different light modes or simply shuts down the LED lights.

Divoom Aurabox Bluetooth Speaker Review: THE APP

The Divoom Aurabox app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store (Android) or the App Store (iOS).

Please see the video review, where we walk through all the features of the app.

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The fun doesn’t stop here as the Aurabox has an app, which adds a lot of functionality and customisation options. You can select what to display on the speaker’s display, which includes a lot of preset light modes and animations or you can select that LED’s will blink according to the music you play.

Speaking of which, the app has a very simple music player but you can also use your phone’s default player.

Also, there is a sleep timer as well as alarm and it allows you to choose between different music and light combos.

Once you go to the gallery, you can choose from tons of different images and a lot of cool looking animations.

If you still feel that you can’t find the one you like you can design your own image and even animation, which is really amazing! The interface is super easy and fun to use. You are given 8 different patterns and you can choose a different colour for each of them. This is something that is fun to play but as you can see I wasn’t too creative here.

In addition, you can receive a lot of different notifications like Facebook, messages or incoming calls. That’s pretty neat.

All in all, the creativity is endless here.

Divoom Aurabox Bluetooth Speaker Review: SOUND QUALITY

The Aurabox is really loud for the size of the speaker and it will easily fill even the largest rooms with sound. As far as the sound quality goes, it is quite impressive as it has quite a lot of depth, a decent amount of mids and a good amount of bass. However, since the speaker is located at the back, the highs are not pronounced enough and could be a bit sharper. Also, either the subwoofer or the speaker grill starts making a few cracking noises at the highest volume setting once you play songs with a good amount of bass. A good thing is that listening to music at around 80-90% of volume setting easily fixes this issue.

Divoom Aurabox Bluetooth Speaker Review: CONCLUSIONS

So here it is, the Aurabox by Divoom. These 100 LED lights with tons of different customisation options make this speaker stand out from the crowded Bluetooth speaker market.

Also, the features like the clock, thermometer, alarm clock and sleep timer add the functionality we don’t see on all the Bluetooth speakers, especially in this price range.

The app is responsive and easy to use and a great thing is that you can choose between different modes straight from the speaker itself.

The sound quality is definitely good for a price except the fact that some cracking noises may kick in once you play the music at the loudest volume setting. Other than that you may actually be surprised by the depth of sound this tiny speaker can produce.

The battery life could be better though. Well, I could get up to 5.5 hours of music playback but it was with the LED lights off. Once you keep them turned on, you may get just around 3 hours. Well, it is not really impressive but this is a trade-off needed to be made to power up a a huge speaker and 100 of LED lights.

All in all, the Divoom Aurabox is a great buy despite a few shortcomings. If you are looking for a Bluetooth speaker that does a lot more and it is really fun to use, this may be for you and I believe the speaker is worth $60 price tag.

Buy Divoom Aurabox from Amazon US

Buy Divoom Aurabox from Amazon UK

Meizu to release Hi-Fi headsets alongside Pro 5 flagship

By

Joel Joseph

-

Sep 21, 2015

If you have been following Meizu since its start, you would know that the company initially specialized in music players. So, its not surprising to see many of the company’s flagship smartphones boast of Hi-Fi audio. And today, thanks to a new post from Meizu’s VP Li Nan, we know that the upcoming Meizu Pro 5 flagship will feature Hi-Fi chip. Alongside this new flagship smartphone, the company will also release its new headsets, the EP-31.

Unlike the Xiaomi Piston, which is targeted at the affordable maket, the Meizu EP-31 headsets are said to be targeted at the high-end audiophiles. The pricing is said to be somewhere around 499 Yuan. While you can expect the company to bundle these headphone along with the Pro 5 flagship for a slightly higher price tag, it will most likely be available for purchase separately for the above mention price, soon after the announcement.

As for the flagship Pro 5, the phone is said to come with Exynos 7420 chipset inside with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. CEO has confirmed the presence of a 5.7-inch 1080p display. As for camera, you can expect a 21MP shooter at the back and a 5MP front facing camera. Given its flagship placement, expect the battery to be at least 3000mAh.

Overall, the Pro 5 is a powerful handset. With the Hi-Fi chip inside and Hi-Fi headsets, the phone should particularly attract a lot of audiophiles. Pricing is said to be above 3000 Yuan ($470). Since we are just one day away from the official launch, lets wait for more details.

Xiaomi Mi Note Pro Gets Android 5.1.1 Lollipop

By

Joel Joseph

-

Sep 21, 2015

Xiaomi Mi Note Pro users were in for a surprise today morning. The company reportedly upgraded the kernel on their devices to the new Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. However, the update was rolled out to only those who were using the closed beta ROM.

So, if you are still using the stable version, you can only expect the update after a while. But since the select beta ROM users have already received the update, those who are using the developer ROM should also get the upgrade pretty soon.

The new MIUI 7 OS comes with a number of interesting features which we have detailed here. Although its similar to the older version in terms of looks, feature wise, there’s a lot upgrades that you enjoy. The Chinese Xiaomi Mi Note Pro users reported that the update was around 758MB in size. So, if you are one of the lucky beta users who has received the update prompt, make sure that you are connected to a strong Wi-Fi before updating. Also, like always we would like to advise to keep at least 50% charge on your device before starting the upgrade process.

Xiaomi Mi4C Front Camera Compared With iPhone 6, Features 5MP 85° Wide Angle Shooter

By

Joel Joseph

-

Sep 21, 2015

A lot of promotion has been going around about the Xiaomi Mi4C. One of its outstanding features was the 5MP front camera. According to President Lin Bin the co-founder of Xiaomi, the front camera is not just a high resolution snapper but also capable of taking pictures in an 85 degrees wide angle setting. This functionality is intended to support a large group selfie comfortably accommodating six people in a single shot. This is indicated to be equivalent to the functions supported by a 24 mm professional camera.

Buy Xiaomi Mi4c 2GB RAM version from from geekbuying.com Buy Xiaomi Mi4c 3GB RAM version from from geekbuying.com

The president also shared two comparative selfie pictures taken by the 5MP Xiaomi Mi4C front camera and by the 1.5MP on the Apple iPhone 6 on his Weibo. The pictures showed that more six people were included with a little bit of the background in the selfie taken by the Mi 4C. The phone also comes with a 13MP main camera that has a dual tone LED flash and self-timer function to take timed pictures.

The new smartphone is expected to debut in a few days’ time with the basic model containing 2GB RAM and 16GB storage to be priced at $200 while the larger model containing 3GB RAM and 32GB storage will be priced at $235. Another model with 3GB RAM and 64 GB storage is also being expected. It is said that only 100,000 units of the Mi4C are announced to be made available for the market. But lets wait for an official announcement.

In related news, its almost confirmed that the Mi4C will feature a pink version as well, targeted at women. The picture was posted on Weibo a few hours back by the President.

Buy Xiaomi Mi4c 2GB RAM version from from geekbuying.com Buy Xiaomi Mi4c 3GB RAM version from from geekbuying.com

Cubot P11 Brings Decent Specs & A Beautiful Design At Just $85

By

Joel Joseph

-

Sep 21, 2015

Just a few weeks back, we looked at the Cubot H1, the 5200mAh smartphone from the company which can charge other gadgets as well. In the past couple of years, Cubot has made its presence felt in the low-end market with plenty of cheap yet decent smartphone offerings. Now, the company is back in the low-end segment with the brand new Cubot P11.

The highlight of the phone is definitely its pricing. The Cubot P11 retails for a mere $85, which is pretty cheap. But for this price, you will be surprised at the smartphone package you get. The phone looks beautiful with its special texture at the back. Its unlike any other cheap smartphones that you may have seen. The special sparkling 3D back cover texture ensures that the phone looks much better than its competitors. Its definitely a head turner.

As for the specs, given the super cheap $85 pricing, don’t expect anything out of the ordinary. However, we are quite happy with the package the company is offering. Under the hood, you get the MT6580 quad-core chip clocked at 1.3GHz. This was the go to processor for almost every sub-$150 smartphones up till late last year, and still performs quite well. There’s 1GB of RAM on board with 8GB of expandable internal storage. The 5-inch display comes with 720p resolution, which is once again impressive given that many manufacturers tend to use a qHD panel for such cheap phones. At the back, there will be a 13MP shooter while up front, there’s a 5MP camera.

The Cubot P11 supports just 3G network connectivity. While we are in the age of 4G, we think there’s still room for 3G smartphones and hence, this device can fulfill those particular needs. The 2200mAh battery should be enough for a days usage with the efficient MT6580 chip and the lack of 4G. As for software, the phone will come with Android 5.1 Lollipop OS.

As you can see, the Cubot P11 is a great device when you consider the looks, specs and the super cheap $85 pricing. What do you think?

You can read more about the device from their official website.

OnePlus X Renders Emerge With Dual Cameras, May Launch Before The End Of 2015

By

Joel Joseph

-

Sep 20, 2015

Its been just a couple of months since the OnePlus 2 was officially announced, but it looks like the company is already preparing itself for a second launch. Back in August, OnePlus CEO Carl Pei confirmed in an interview that the company had plans for another smartphone launch before the end of this year. While he didn’t reveal whether it was going to be a toned down OnePlus Mini or another powerful flagship, according to his comments, the phone will most likely be a powerful device.

Well this is what he had to say in the interview about this new device, “It may or may not be (higher spec’d than the OnePlus 2). When I saw the prototype for that phone I was like ‘holy s— that’s going to be my daily driver’ but then when the OnePlus 2 production version came out it’s also super nice, so its really hard to decide now what to use.”

According to our sources, the new OnePlus handset will be called as the OnePlus X. It does make sense to use a powerful name as the ‘X’ for the upcoming device, instead of a name like the ‘Mini. But this is a new source, so even we are not quite sure of the final name of the handset. As for the pricing, the source says that it should be around $249. The release should be sometime around October. Although that sounds a bit early, we will have to wait and see if it really turns out to be true.

Thanks to Chinese Social Network Weibo, we might just have our first glimpse of this handset. The website revealed two new renders of the OnePlus X (Mini). They look quite different than the OnePlus 2’s design, with a fingerprint sensor and dual camera setup at the back. The front looks more or less similar. The dual speaker design at the bottom also looks quite attractive.

Well, its still quite early to make speculations about the upcoming OnePlus handset. For now, all we can do is sit back and wait for more such information to leak which reveals a few more details about the device.

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Meizu Pro 5 has an impressive battery life according to screenshots from VP

By

Joel Joseph

-

Sep 20, 2015

Meizu is just a couple of days away from announcing its flagship Meizu Pro 5 handset. The company CEO, VP and other executives have been teasing the new product, revealing few pieces of information every once in a while. The latest news about the Pro 5 handset comes directly via the company VP, Li Nan, who revealed some information about the phone’s battery life. Battery life have always been one of the important factors that affect buying decision and from the leak, it looks like fans won’t be disappointed with the new Pro 5 handset.

Li Nan posted a few screenshots with the battery usage stats on his official Weibo account yesterday night. We can also see that these images were posted from the Meizu Pro 5 flagship itself. They reveal that the Pro 5 handset managed to run for approximately 16 hours 46 minutes with about 4% of battery left. We are assuming that the 16 hours 46 minutes figure was after a complete charge of the handset. Another screenshot reveals that the Pro 5’s display got around 8 hours of screen time during this period. That’s a pretty impressive figure and it may also mean that the Pro 5 comes with a larger battery. What’s even more interesting is that Li Nan adds that this is not the official Flyme version running and when the official version hits the device, users can expect even better battery life due to optimizations.

Of course, since these screenshots come directly from the company executive, they may be a bit exaggerated. We will have to wait for our official battery life test to judge the real performance of the handset. But anything close to the above figure will be good.

As for the specs, the Meizu Pro 5 handset will reportedly come with a 5.7-inch 1080p display, as confirmed by CEO Bai Yongxiang. Under the hood, there will be the Exynos 7420 chipset with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. At the back, there will be a 21MP camera, while up front, expect a 5MP shooter. The battery is expected to be greater than 3000mAh.

Overall, the Pro 5 is turning out to be a great handset, at least in terms of specs. With Flyme 5 and excellent hardware specs, we expect better user experience than previous flagships. But according to rumors, the phone might cost well above, 3000 Yuan ($471). So, it will be interesting to see, if users are ready to shell out this much money for a Meizu device.

Ways To Configure And Use UMI Iron Smartphone’s U Health App

By

Frank Tu

-

Sep 18, 2015

Ways To Configure And Use UMI Iron Smartphone’s U Health App

There are oodles of Android smartphones in the market nowadays and most of them look similar and have similar features too. If you think how to buy a device with distinctive feature, the UMI Iron is one contender vying for your attention. The handset, made by a Chinese company has good specs and build, but its standout feature is eye-scanning security. It also comes equipped with a handful of apps that can be beneficial for most users. One example is its U Health App. It can appeal to users who have the habit of checking their health regularly.

Nuances of the U Health app

Like some others top end Android devices, the UMI Iron comes loaded with a Health app. The U Health App is meant for checking heart rate of users and it also analyses stress levels in them. The app is pretty simple to use and beginners can handle it with ease.

Ways to use the U Health app

At first, you need to open the U Health app by tapping on it. The app shows two options- stress rate and heart. By tapping on the app’s heart rate button you can learn your heart rate. A pop-up will appear with text “Place your finger on the sensor. The measurement will start automatically”. The message also contains a note saying the app should be used solely for wellness and fitness. It is not made for diagnosing any ailment. Next, you need to press the OK button on screen. Then you should keep a finger on the sensor located at the front camera’s left side.

In case you put the finger improperly on the sensor the app will pop up an alert. It may also show up if you put the finger for a very short time and the sensor fails to scan well. The alert reads, “Make sure your fingertip is at the center of the sensor. Do not move and Do not press too hard.”. You will have to press on ok and again put your finger on the sensor. As the sensor completes scanning your finger it will display a message on screen showing heart rate.

Measuring stress rate with U Health app

After learning your heart rate by using the U health app, you may very well use it to find how stressed you are at the moment!

The Stress button is placed at the bottom right section of the screen in the app. Tap on the button and then press ok. Again, you will have to place a finger on the sensor beside the device’s front camera. This will initiate the measurement process and keep your finger on the sensor. As it is completed, the result will get displayed on the device screen.

The app displays stress rate in colours indicating normal or high level. Three colours – yellow, green and red are used to indicate this. However, keep in mind that stress rate displayed by the app is an approximate representation and so you should not get too worried but it.

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UMI Unveils the UMI Fair Smartphone For Fingerprint ID Lovers

By

Joel Joseph

-

Sep 18, 2015

UMi has come up with interesting smartphones in the past few months. From their recent releases, it looks like the company is targeting a specific crowd with each of its devices. For example, the UMi Iron was an affordable flagship with a beautiful metal body and mid-range flagship specs. On the other hand, the UMi Hammer S was a smartphone for those who didn’t want to worry about damaging their phone during usage. Now, the company is back with a new smartphone, called as the UMi Fair. This time around, this emerging Chinese smartphone manufacturer is trying to attract the mid-range market customers who would love to have fingerprint ID on their devices.

The UMi Fair’s highlight is its fingerprint sensor located at the back. The company says this is the ideal location for your everyday unlocking. It adds that the rear placement is not only convenient but its also faster. Moreover, with fingerprint ID, you don’t have to worry about losing your important personal data to strangers. UMi states that the Fair comes with military grade hardware recognition with an intelligent self learning algorithm. This translates into accuracy of 99% and better durability.

Under the hood, the UMi Fair comes with MT6735 quad-core chip. There’s 1GB of RAM on board and 8GB of internal storage. This should be enough for your basic everyday usage, although we would have liked at least 2GB of RAM. As for the display, the phone comes with a 5-inch screen with 720p resolution translating into pixel density of 294 ppi. The inner frame is made out of stainless steel to provide offer greater durability.

At the back, the UMi Fair comes with a 13MP camera and up front, a 2MP shooter. The overall body measures 8.4mm, which is quite decent and weighs only about 120 grams. The battery is a bit on the lower side, 2000mAh, but for the given specs, it should roughly last a day. The phone supports 4G LTE Networks FDD (800/1800/2600) bands and comes with Android 5.1 out of the box.

Overall a decent entry level phone. But with a fingerprint sensor on board, the UMi Fair could turn out to be as popular as its Hammer series, given the right price tag. The phone will be launching on September 25, so stay tuned for more details.

Buy UMI smartphones from geekbuying.com Now

UMi Hammer S starts shipping from September 22

By

Joel Joseph

-

Sep 18, 2015

UMi Hammer S is the next generation model to the popular rugged UMI Hammer smartphone. The company has been teasing this new phone for quite some time now. In fact, if you have been following the company, many of you may have participated in the UMi Hammer S Treasure Hunt contest that ran for weeks. Some of you may have already got a few discount coupons for buying the device.

And now, the UMi Hammer S will finally start shipping from September 22. So those who have been eagerly waiting for their pre-ordered devices can expect to receive their parcels soon. The super cheap $130 price tag with latest specs and a beautiful body makes the Hammer S a steal for its price.

The Hammer S comes with the new USB Type-C port. You only find this new-age reversible port on premium devices, so its good to see that a sub-$150 smartphone can boast of this connector. Another important feature of the UMI Hammer S is its fingerprint sensor that’s located at the back. The sensor can recognize up to 5 different registered fingerprints. Also, UMi claims that the sensor can unlock the device in just a second. Along with these two features, the Infrared port on top is definitely an added plus.

As for the specs, the UMi Hammer S comes with the quad-core MT6735 chip under the hood, with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, further expandable via MicroSD. The 5.5-inch display up front with 720p resolution will be adorned by the 2.5D curved glass. Finally, UMi has even made sure that the phone lasts for more than a day by incorporating a large 3200mAh battery on board. The company claims that this provides up to 11 hours of 4G internet browsing. And if the actual battery life is anywhere close to this figure, you can easily use the device for a couple of days under moderate usage. As for the camera, there is the IMX 179 13MP sensor at the back and a 2MP shooter up front. You also get the new Android 5.1 Lollipop OS out of the box.

Overall a great value for money device! Do check out their website for more information.

Buy UMI Hammer S

Doogee Nova Y100X Review

By

Linus

-

Sep 18, 2015

Another day, another review, guys. I’ve been carrying a cheapo Doogee Nova Y100X with me for the past 8 days and I wanted to share my opinion about this phone.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: VIDEO

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMFG_h27pcg[/embedyt]

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: SPECS

Display	5″ 720P (HD)
Processor	MTK6582, Quad Core, 1.3GHz
RAM	1GB
Camera	5MP Front/8MP
Connectivity	Bluetooth, 3G, GPS, WIFI, GSM,EDGE, GPRS, UMTS, HSPA, HSPA+
Battery	2.200 mAh (removable)
Dimensions	141.2 x 70.27 x 9mm / 119g
OS	Android 5.0
Storage	8GB (expandable via microSD card slot up to 64GB)

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: UNBOXING

The phone comes with the charging plug, USB cable, screen protector, instruction manual and a pair of headphones. Also, manufacturer included a TPU case.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: DESIGN

When it comes to the design of the phone, the device clearly reminds me the Samsung Galaxy S3. Nevertheless, the phone is small due to its 5” display and sits very comfortably in the hand because of the rounded corners. It is made entirely of plastic though, so it doesn’t look or feel premium.

On the front there is a 5MP camera, which also has a front firing LED flash, earpiece and a sensor light.

On the bottom there are 3 non-backlit capacitive keys.

On the back side yo can find an 8MP camera on the top and a speaker grill on the bottom.

On the left side there is a volume rocker and Doogee says it made it to reach it better. The company believes that implementing it on the back rather on the side is better. Well, they may have a point but I’ve never had issues reaching it if it is implemented on either side.

On the top there is a headset jack, which is okay, but the power button sits next to it and I don’t think it was a good idea to place it here as it is inconvenient to reach it. I suggest all the manufacturers to stick with the right side placement of the power key. I do not understand why some of the phone makers try to re-invent a wheel here.

On the bottom there is a micro USB port and the mic.

Overall, the phone feels plasticky, the back plate is a fingerprint magnet and while the built quality is okay, the choice of materials make this phone look and feel cheap.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: DISPLAY

The 5” 720P panel is quite bright, sharp enough and while it is far from the best panels we’ve seen, it is good for a cheap phone.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: USER INTERFACE

Doogee Nova Y100X runs on Android 5.0 with the Doogee’s skin on top of it. You are getting a pretty much stock Android experience with some redesigned icons and a little bit of extra functionality. That includes a lot of different gesture controls. Some of them are working pretty good while others are either slow or not working very well. Either way, a lot of these controls are gimmicky and I am not sure if you are the fan of them either.

Overall, the UI is fast on a day to day use but you may face an occasional stutter especially when running lots of apps in the background.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: BENCHMARKS

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Doogee Nova Y100X Review: HARDWARE AND PERFORMANCE

The phone does not have a beefy specs sheet and the processing power includes a quad-core MTK6582 chip, 1 GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 64GB.

I was actually surprised that the phone can handle 3D games pretty well. Yes, the loading times are long, there are skipped frames but the stutter was just occasional and I would say that the performance is good given the hardware this phone has and the price category of the device.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: MULTIMEDIA

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The Doogee Nova Y100X has no issues handling Full HD content and the loudspeaker is not bad for a budget phone. Yes, the sound is tinny, doesn’t have bass or depth in it but it is quite loud and doesn’t make crackling noises.

The sound via earphones is not very impressive as on any other cheap phone.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: CAMERA

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The phone comes with a Mediatek camera app we’ve seen on a lot of phones lately.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: IMAGE QUALITY

The 8MP camera on the back does not impress. A lot of images are out of focus doesn’t matter that I tried to hold my hands as steady as possible. Also, there is plenty of noise and the dynamic range adjustment is bad.

Sometimes you can take some better looking images but they will be usable only for social media.

The 5MP selfie snapper can sometimes work for social media but overall the picture quality is bad. Also, the front firing LED can help you to take that night selfie but the quality would not impress you.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: VIDEO QUALITY

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOqzU-oFF0c[/embedyt]

The video quality is bad overall and Doogee Nova Y100X will definitely not be your main cam-recorder. Anyway, this is what you can expect from any device, which costs less than $90.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: CONECTIVITY

The call quality is good but not great and other connectivity options like Wifi, Bluetooth work well. Also, the GPS look speeds are quick but the accuracy could be a little bit better.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: BATTERY LIFE

The 2200Ah removable battery performs quite good but there is nothing to be impressed about. I could get around 4 hours of screen on time and my main activities included Internet browsing, Youtube, Facebook, sending some emails and of course, making calls.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: CONCLUSIONS

Doogee Nova Y100X is a really cheap phone that costs below $85 and it has an okay built quality but the choice of plastic in its build makes the phone look and feel a bit cheap.

The UI is usually fast but occasional stutter is possible when you are running lots of apps in the background. A good thing is that more graphically demanding tasks work quite good for a budget phone. You will see a bit of stutter and skipped frames but enjoying some 3D gaming is possible on this device.

For $85 you are also getting a decent display and okay loudspeaker for media consumption. Also, the battery life is not impressive but it will get you through the day if you are not a heavy user.

However, this device is not for you if you love taking lots of pictures as the main camera usually disappoints. Same can be said about the selfie snapper.

All in all, basically you get what you pay for if you choose the Doogee Nova Y100X. If you need just to get the job done for basic daily tasks, this phone can work for you. However, you need to take all the shortcomings into consideration before making a buying decision.

Buy Doogee Nova Y100X

MeegoPad T04 is a Cherry Trail Powered Tiny PC with Windows

By

Frank Tu

-

Sep 18, 2015

Chinese device maker MeegoPad offers several tiny Windows computers that are about the same size and shape as an Intel Compute Stick. Now the company is offering something a little larger and a little more powerful (and a little un-conventional).

The MeegoPad T04 is mini PC with a semi-circular case that measures about 4.1 inches across and 1.4 inches high. It’s powered by an Intel Atom Cherry Trail processor and should support Windows.

According to the retail product listings, the MeegoPad T04 features an Intel Atom x5-Z8300 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a microSD card slot, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 ports, and a micro USB 2.0 port which is used as a power jack.

There’s an Ethernet port, HDMI output, and a headphone jack.

While the computer is said to ship with Windows 8.1 software, it’s not entirely clear if you get a fully licensed, activated, and “genuine” version of Windows or not. MeegoPad has a mixed record: in the past the company has shipped devices with unlicensed copies of Windows, and the Amazon product page says this new model runs Windows 8.1 Pro — which seems highly implausible for a device in this price range.

Still, the system should certainly be capable of handling Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 software. You just might have to pay for the OS yourself.

MeegoPad also recently updated its line of PC-on-a-stick products with the new T03. It’s said to have better cooling than previous models and to ship with dual OS software, allowing you to run Android or Windows. But again, it’s unclear whether this little computer has a licensed version of Windows.

As for the larger MeegoPad T04, it may not be the only device in its class for long. Tronsmart recently unveiled its own mini PC with an Atom Z5-Z8300 processor. The Tronsmart Ara X5 should be available sometime this month.

Buy MeeGoPad T04 from GeekBuying.com

Elephone P9000 to ship with Marshmallow

By

shanos

-

Sep 18, 2015

Elephone have today confirmed that all three variants of the P9000, will ship with Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Making the P9000 range of handsets amongst the first non Nexus handsets to do so and hopefully give the phones a competitive edge.

With the introduction of Android 6.0 Marshmallow we will see the integration of Android Pay, giving us a proper use for the finger print scanner built in to the P9000 and other recent Android handsets.

Hopefully with the release of the P9000 Elephone will once again choose to provide source codes via github, if they do then we may well see homebrew roms and fast fixes to problems should they arise.

I am looking forward to getting some hands on time with a P9000 and also Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Please leave comments and questions below.

Buy Elephone P9000 from geekbuying.com

Lenovo Vibe X Resurfaces In A Leak

By

Joel Joseph

-

Sep 18, 2015

Lenovo is well known for manufacturing personal computers at economical prices. Just recently a tweet showed a leaked picture of the Lenovo Vibe X smartphone with a beautiful design. It is speculated that the resemblance of many features of this device with the Moto and Nexus phones suggest a collaborative work with Motorola.

The Lenovo Vibe X is equipped with a 5.5 inch full HD display and an integral finger print scanner at the bottom of it. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor is also indicated to be fitted in this device coupled with a 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. A high resolution camera with an LED flash is shown to be packed at the back. The rims of the device seem to be made of metallic material which probably is an entire aluminum alloy casing. The handset is shown to feature a dual front speaker with a Dolby marking at the bottom of the back cover. This can be translated to mean that the Vibe X is tailored to listening music on speakers.
The information source did not provide a specific release date despite the availability of a high quality rendering of the device. But it is suggestive enough to make us expect a new smartphone from Lenovo any time soon.

Next Gen Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 Tablet Listed On China’s 3C Quality Certification Center

By

Joel Joseph

-

Sep 18, 2015

We haven’t heard much about the new Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 tablet for a while. The latest we heard was from the analyst Pan Jiutang who said that the Xiaomi tablet should debut sometime in the third quarter of 2015 with Windows 10 on board. However, even when the third quarter is nearly coming to an end, we haven’t received any details its launch. But, earlier today, we spotted the Xiaomi Mi tablet 2 on the Chinese 3C Quality Certification Center, which could mean that the tablet is ready for launch.

Buy Xiaomi Mi 4c from Geekbuying.com

Yes, Xiaomi’s latest tablet has just hit the Chinese 3C certification center. The Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 tablet comes with the model number 2015716 classified under the category Tablet PC. While the listing doesn’t reveal much of the specifications of the device, it confirms that the new Mi 2 tablet is on the way. Its been more than a year since Xiaomi announced its first generation Mi tablet and the company had earlier assured that it will continue its tablet lineup, so a new launch is imminent. This further proves that the device is under development and we may see the launch soon.

IHS Analyst Pan Jiutang had also added that the new Xiaomi tablet will come with Windows 10. if this really is the case with the Mi Pad 2, it won’t be surprising given that it is said the company is experimenting with Windows 10 even on its flagship smartphones like Mi4.

The nearest Xiaomi product launch is on September 22, where it will unveil the flagship Xiaomi Mi4C (FYI, its going to be the first Xiaomi smartphone with USB Type-C). This might be a good opportunity for the company to release new tablet too. And it will fall in line with Jiutang’s prediction of a Q3 launch. However, if you have been following Xiaomi for the past couple of years, the company has almost everytime teased its upcoming product in plenty before launch. Since we haven’t heard anything officially about the Mi Pad 2 till now, it looks like there’s still some time for the unveiling of the device.

Buy Xiaomi Mi 4c from Geekbuying.com

Meizu Pro 5 to feature Fast Charge at 12V 2A acc. to 3C Certification

By

Joel Joseph

-

Sep 17, 2015

Meizu is all set to announce its Pro 5 flagship on September 23. We have been hearing a lot about the device in the past few weeks, thanks to the numerous leaks online. Meizu’s Chief Architect of Flyme OS, Yang Yan also revealed yesterday that the flagship won’t be coming with Flyme 5 OS based on Android 5.1 out of the box. This was disappointing and kind of surprising as well given that Flyme 5 debuts alongside the Pro 5 flagship.

Now, we have received more details about the upcoming Pro 5 device, thanks to the certification at the National 3C Quality Certification Center. According to the listing, the new Meizu flagship will come in two variants, one with the model number M576 and the other with M576U. These two could be the low-end and high-end variants of the new flagship.

While we kind of knew there would be two variants before hand, the listing also reveals that both the models will support fast charging at 12V / 2A. That’s charging at an impressive 24W, which will definitely speed up the overall charging times. The listing only reveals the model number of these two devices, but given that Meizu has an event for the release of Pro 5 next week, its almost likely that these two are the Pro 5 models.

As for the specs, the Meizu Pro 5 flagship is expected to feature a 5.7-inch FHD 1080p display with Samsung Exynos 7420 chipset. Like mentioned above, there will be two variants of the device, 3GB + 16GB and 4GB + 32GB models. At the back, there will be a powerful 21MP camera, while up front expect a 5MP selfie shooter. While the battery size is unknown, at 12V / 2A, you wouldn’t have to wait for more than a hour or two to get it fully charged.

ALSO SEE: ZUK Z1 Charging Analysis

The company VP Li Nan had already revealed some of the renders of the new flagship and they looked similar to the previous generation models. You can check them out from down below.

As for the pricing, the high-end version is expected to cost above 3000 Yuan ($471), while the low-end version could be priced somewhere around 1499 Yuan ($235).

RELATED: World’s first Quick Charge 3.0 Charger From Verus

ECOO E06 coming soon with great specs

By

shanos

-

Sep 17, 2015

The Elephone sub-brand ECCO are releasing another handset, the 5.5″ FHD ECOO E06 With narrow borders and a quoted screen to body ratio of 80%, should if true be impressive.

The ECOO E06 will come with the new octa-core Mediatek Helio P10 featuring two sets of 64-bit Cortex A53 cores, four cores are clocked at 2GHz the other four cores are clocked slightly lower for power saving, a 64-bit Mali T860 GPU clocked at 700MHz should handle graphics.

The ECOO E06 is a slim handset, the 21MP rear camera sticks out slightly from the rear and has a dual led flash, a fingerprint reader is also present on the rear.

The ECOO E06 has a type-c USB connector, hopefully supporting USB 3 and fast charging.

The ECOO E06 could be a great phone if the price is right and the build quality is good. Elephone starting to put out slim bezels on phones is a definite plus as are better cameras and decent SOC’s in their phones.

What do you think? will the ECOO E06 coming soon will it be a phone that you want to purchase?

Please leave your comments below

Regards Shanos

Originally posted on gadgetz.tv

Xiaomi Announces the Mi Trolley, A Practical Mid-sized Suitcase for 299 Yuan ($46)

By

Joel Joseph

-

Sep 17, 2015

We have seen Xiaomi aggressively enter the smart home products market in the past few months. However, yesterday evening, the company announced something outside its regular portfolio of products.

Xiaomi has added a new product to its lineup, namely the Mi Trolley. This new suitcase rolls on four wheels and has an extendable handle with three level detent stops on an aluminum extension rod. The empty case only weighs 2.9 Kg while it can only carry up to 36 liters of passenger items. A picture of the Mi Trolley showed a suitcase with a zipper that opens it to two halves along the sides. Two linings also covered the two halves as separate compartments inside the hard outside cover. Generally, it is a medium capacity travelers’ companion being offered for just 299 Yuan ($46).

The Mi Trolley is announced to be available for users in China as of September 18. The news can be well accepted by the Xiaomi fans as this will let them own matching items from the same company. Xiaomi currently sells smartphones, smart air purifiers, tablets, smart TVs, power banks and headphones as separate product types.

Well, it looks like Xiaomi won’t leave out a single segment from their reach. Chinese users can practically buy a majority of products used in their everyday life from Xiaomi.

Check out the pictures of the Mi Trolley from down below.

ZUK Z1 Does Not Support Quick Charge 2.0, but Charging is Still Fast

By

Joel Joseph

-

Sep 17, 2015

ZUK announced its first smartphone, ZUK Z1 last month with flagship features such as a 5.5-inch 1080p FHD display and Snapdragon 801 chip. The highlight of the device was its support for latest USB 3.0 standard on the USB type-C port. This made ZUK Z1 the first smartphone with such configuration. Since the phone came with a massive 4100mAh battery, it was necessary for the device to feature a tech like fast charge. Also, we know all Qualcomm 800 series processors supported Quick Charge 2.0, and hence we expected even the ZUK Z1 to come with this tech. But according to a charging analysis of the international version of the ZUK Z1 flagship by the smart charger manufacturer Tronsmart, the device does not support QC 2.0. This could be due to hardware or software limitations.

Before we move on to see the analysis by Tronsmart, lets take a look at the specifications supported by QC 2.0.

Unlike the QC 1.0, which supported just 5V, the QC 2.0 extends support to 5V, 9V & 12V. It allows a maximum current of up to 3A on the smartphone, which takes the maximum possible wattage to 36W (12V x 3A). All major Qualcomm processors support QC 2.0, like Snapdragon 200, 400, 410, 615, 800, 801, 805, 808 & 810.

Now coming to the actual analysis done by Tronsmart, they tested the international version of the ZUK Z1. This version comes with CyanogenOS and supports charging at 5V 2A. On the other hand, the Chinese variant with ZUI comes with support for 5.3V 2.5A.

Using the original 5V/2A adapter provided in the packaging, the ZUK Z1 charged up to 15% in about 20 minutes. According to their test, the phone was charging at full 2A limit when the screen was off. The total charging time from 0% to 100% of its 4100mAh battery took about 2.5 hours, which is pretty impressive.

However, we had to see whether the phone supported QC 2.0, which can take more than 2A of current. To test this, the guys over at Tronsmart swapped the original charger with their own QC 2.0 supported fast charger at 2.5A. However, even with this charger, the result was more or less the same.

As a result, it looks like the international version of the ZUK Z1 limits current to 2A, which means it does not support fast charging at QC 2.0 standard. On the other hand, the Chinese variant with EUI will charge at a slightly faster rate since its supports charging at 2.5A.

But to be honest, even without QC 2.0, ZUK Z1 manages to impresses us by charging up to 100% within 2.5 hours. So, I am sure, many won’t mind the lack of Quick Charge 2.0 support on the device.

But we would like to know if you are disappointed to hear this news? Or are you fine with the charging time of 2.5 hours?

Let us know in the comments section below.

Meanwhile, hit the source link to check out the detailed charging analysis from Tronsmart of the ZUK Z1.

Buy Zuk Z1 from gearbest.com for $319.99

1byone Amazing Plasma Ball Bluetooth Speaker Review!

By

Linus

-

Sep 17, 2015

This time around we are looking at a very interesting device, which combines a Bluetooth speaker and amazing looking plasma ball in one affordable gadget, which costs just $27.

1byone Amazing Plasma Ball Bluetooth Speaker Review: VIDEO

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6-a7Xud900[/embedyt]

1byone Amazing Plasma Ball Bluetooth Speaker Review: UNBOXING

The device comes with a micro USB and AUX cables and some instruction manuals.

1byone Amazing Plasma Ball Bluetooth Speaker Review: DESIGN

The 1byone plasma ball bluetooth speaker is made of plastic but the plasma ball is made of quality glass. Also, there is one speaker on the front side.

On the front side there are plenty of controls, which include the mode button, which lets you choose between the music sources of the Bluetooth, AUX or MicroSD card.

Also, there is a play/pause, volume up/down button, which also doubles as a skip songs button.

On the back side you can find another speaker and some more controls, which include the power imput, AUX input and the MicroSD card slot, which allows the playback straight from your SD storage. Lastly, there is a 3 position power key, which is used to turn on the device and control the plasma light.

On the bottom there is a soft pad.

Overall, this plasma ball Bluetooth speaker is well built but the materials used in the construction do not impress. The black plastic part feels cheap and it attracts fingerprints and smudges. Also, my review unit has a misaligned power button. Well, it doesn’t alter the functionality but it doesn’t add any premium look or feel either.

1byone Amazing Plasma Ball Bluetooth Speaker Review: FUNCTIONALITY AND SOUND QUALITY

Allright, so here’s the fun part. Besides being a regular Bluetooth, microSD card or AUX speaker, it has a plasma ball light, which can be set to light randomly or according to the rhythm of the music you play. But you may ask what is plasma? It turns out that it is one of the four fundamental states of matter, the others being solid, liquid, and gas. It uses a power of electromagnetic fields and other shenanigans but all we care about in this review is that it looks amazing.

You can see the electricity flow with your naked eye and it reacts once you touch the light ball. That is something that you have to see in reality.

As far as the sound quality, it is not bad for such a cheap speaker but don’t expect to be hear something amazing as the sound lacks depth, the highs are not pronounced enough and the bass is weak. Also, the sound starts crackling at the highest volume setting but the good thing is that the volume output is good enough to fill in even the largest rooms with sound.

Another shortcoming is that the speaker uses a very old Bluetooth 2.1 protocol. The most annoying part of it is that the speaker makes an irritating sound, which can especially be heard once you play or pause the music from your phone. To avoid that, I suggest you playing the music via the microSD card, which works well but I found that you can only skip tracks forward but not backwards.

It is worth mentioning that this speaker does not have internal battery and it is said to work with the power plug connected only. However, I tested it and it works with a portable power bank and the only difference is that the volume output is lower.

1byone Amazing Plasma Ball Bluetooth Speaker Review: CONCLUSIONS

The 1byone plasma bluetooth speaker is a device that looks amazing, it will definitely attract a lot of attention from your friends and it is not expensive.

While it does have a decent sound quality for a price, you have to keep in mind some shortcomings like an old Bluetooth protocol, plasticky build and the lack of the internal battery.

Still, for the price of $27, this device brings a lot of flexibility like the ability to play music via Bluetooth, choose the microSD card or connect your phone or any mp3 player via the AUX input.

On top of that, you are not getting a regular boring looking Bluetooth speaker everyone knows about as the plasma ball light definitely makes this speaker stand out from the crowd in cheap Bluetooth devices category.

Buy 1byone Plasma Ball Bluetooth Speaker from Amazon US

Buy 1byone Plasma Ball Bluetooth Speaker from Amazon UK

We wanted to say thank you to Divoom for sending the Aurabox for a review. We suggest you visiting the product page for more detailed info.

Divoom Aurabox Bluetooth Speaker Review: VIDEO

Divoom Aurabox Bluetooth Speaker Review: UNBOXING

The speaker comes in a really premium box, which matches the $60 retail price of this speaker.

All you are getting in the box is a speaker itself, microUSB charging cable, AUX cable and some documentation.

Divoom Aurabox Bluetooth Speaker Review: DESIGN and FEATURES

What makes the Divoom Aurabox stand out from other speakers is that it has 100 highly customisable LED lights and I have to say they really look cool.

The speaker is not the smallest we’ve seen but it is very compact and lightweight. It has a good built quality but the choice of rubber all around the speaker makes it a fingerprint and dust magnet, and it is not that easy to clean it.

The Divoom Aurabox comes only with one speaker but it is large at the size 3” and it has 5W of power. Due to the unique design of this gadget, it is placed on the back.

On the bottom right corner we have a microUSB charging port along with the LED and the AUX input in case you want to connect a non-Bluetooth device.

Divoom Aurabox Bluetooth Speaker Review: THE APP

Please see the video review, where we walk through all the features of the app.

Speaking of which, the app has a very simple music player but you can also use your phone’s default player.

Also, there is a sleep timer as well as alarm and it allows you to choose between different music and light combos.

Once you go to the gallery, you can choose from tons of different images and a lot of cool looking animations.

In addition, you can receive a lot of different notifications like Facebook, messages or incoming calls. That’s pretty neat.

All in all, the creativity is endless here.

Divoom Aurabox Bluetooth Speaker Review: SOUND QUALITY

Divoom Aurabox Bluetooth Speaker Review: CONCLUSIONS

So here it is, the Aurabox by Divoom. These 100 LED lights with tons of different customisation options make this speaker stand out from the crowded Bluetooth speaker market.

Also, the features like the clock, thermometer, alarm clock and sleep timer add the functionality we don’t see on all the Bluetooth speakers, especially in this price range.

The app is responsive and easy to use and a great thing is that you can choose between different modes straight from the speaker itself.

The sound quality is definitely good for a price except the fact that some cracking noises may kick in once you play the music at the loudest volume setting. Other than that you may actually be surprised by the depth of sound this tiny speaker can produce.

All in all, the Divoom Aurabox is a great buy despite a few shortcomings. If you are looking for a Bluetooth speaker that does a lot more and it is really fun to use, this may be for you and I believe the speaker is worth $60 price tag.

Another day, another review, guys. I’ve been carrying a cheapo Doogee Nova Y100X with me for the past 8 days and I wanted to share my opinion about this phone.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: VIDEO

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: SPECS

Display

5″ 720P (HD)

Processor

MTK6582, Quad Core, 1.3GHz

RAM

1GB

Camera

5MP Front/8MP

Connectivity

Bluetooth, 3G, GPS, WIFI, GSM,EDGE, GPRS, UMTS, HSPA, HSPA+

Battery

2.200 mAh (removable)

Dimensions

141.2 x 70.27 x 9mm / 119g

OS

Android 5.0

Storage

8GB (expandable via microSD card slot up to 64GB)

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: UNBOXING

The phone comes with the charging plug, USB cable, screen protector, instruction manual and a pair of headphones. Also, manufacturer included a TPU case.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: DESIGN

When it comes to the design of the phone, the device clearly reminds me the Samsung Galaxy S3. Nevertheless, the phone is small due to its 5” display and sits very comfortably in the hand because of the rounded corners. It is made entirely of plastic though, so it doesn’t look or feel premium.

On the front there is a 5MP camera, which also has a front firing LED flash, earpiece and a sensor light.

On the bottom there are 3 non-backlit capacitive keys.

On the back side yo can find an 8MP camera on the top and a speaker grill on the bottom.

On the left side there is a volume rocker and Doogee says it made it to reach it better. The company believes that implementing it on the back rather on the side is better. Well, they may have a point but I’ve never had issues reaching it if it is implemented on either side.

On the bottom there is a micro USB port and the mic.

Overall, the phone feels plasticky, the back plate is a fingerprint magnet and while the built quality is okay, the choice of materials make this phone look and feel cheap.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: DISPLAY

The 5” 720P panel is quite bright, sharp enough and while it is far from the best panels we’ve seen, it is good for a cheap phone.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: USER INTERFACE

Overall, the UI is fast on a day to day use but you may face an occasional stutter especially when running lots of apps in the background.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: BENCHMARKS

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: HARDWARE AND PERFORMANCE

The phone does not have a beefy specs sheet and the processing power includes a quad-core MTK6582 chip, 1 GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 64GB.

I was actually surprised that the phone can handle 3D games pretty well. Yes, the loading times are long, there are skipped frames but the stutter was just occasional and I would say that the performance is good given the hardware this phone has and the price category of the device.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: MULTIMEDIA

The Doogee Nova Y100X has no issues handling Full HD content and the loudspeaker is not bad for a budget phone. Yes, the sound is tinny, doesn’t have bass or depth in it but it is quite loud and doesn’t make crackling noises.

The sound via earphones is not very impressive as on any other cheap phone.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: CAMERA

The phone comes with a Mediatek camera app we’ve seen on a lot of phones lately.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: IMAGE QUALITY

The 8MP camera on the back does not impress. A lot of images are out of focus doesn’t matter that I tried to hold my hands as steady as possible. Also, there is plenty of noise and the dynamic range adjustment is bad.

Sometimes you can take some better looking images but they will be usable only for social media.

The 5MP selfie snapper can sometimes work for social media but overall the picture quality is bad. Also, the front firing LED can help you to take that night selfie but the quality would not impress you.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: VIDEO QUALITY

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOqzU-oFF0c[/embedyt]

The video quality is bad overall and Doogee Nova Y100X will definitely not be your main cam-recorder. Anyway, this is what you can expect from any device, which costs less than $90.

Doogee Nova Y100X Review: CONECTIVITY