Evernote has released the beta version of Evernote 5 for Windows desktop. The very popular notetaking software is currently allowing users to try it out before its full release later this year. One of the first things that is noticeable with Evernote 5 is that the user interface has been redesigned to give it a more modern appearance.
Additionally, there are quite a few new features one of which is named Card View. Basically, the notes have been redesigned to appear as cards with a picture and some text below it. It looks beautiful and it definitely seems very Pinterest like.
Another interesting upgrade is termed Atlas. This new feature catergorizes notes based upon the geographical location where they were first taken down. Again, the Evernote designers have chosen to use cards as the display mechanism. One thing that is disappointing though is that there still isn't any right to left button although this could change as Evernote 5 is still in beta mode.
Evernote 5 Promo
For those of you that wish to check out all the new features as well as download the beta version of Evernote 5, you can check it out here. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to use the comment box below.
Samsung have just released another tablet onto the market with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3. It's got three different versions with a 7 inch, 8 inch and 10 inch screen. Yes, they are releasing a lot of these devices basically flooding the market but if there is a demand then Samsung will surely continue to supply them. So, how does it stack up you ask? Well, let's take a deeper look into the 8 inch version of this tablet.
The Tab 3 runs on the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system and it has a 1.5 GHz dual core processor. It comes with 1GB of RAM and 16 GB of memory. This could be increased using a 64GB SD card. In addition to the above, there is a 1.3MP front facing camera and a 5MP rear camera.
Taking a look at these specs, one could say that it isn't exactly earth shattering and one would be right. I would say though that the performance of the Galaxy Tab could prove to be surprising so only after some time using it under various conditions would we get the full picture. For now though, let's just watch the unboxing vid courtesy of Technobuffalo. Hope you guys enjoy.
Ever wanted more from the camera on your phone? Then the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom might be for you. It's basically a fusion between the Galaxy S4 Mini and the Samsung camera. Yes, I know, it sounds a bit strange but let's take a look at its specifications and functionalities to see if we can understand it better.
First off, it runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and boasts a 1.5 GHz Dual Core processor. It has a 4.3 inch qHD Super AMOLED display with a 2330mAh removable battery and 1.5 GB of RAM. In terms of its design it looks like the S4 mini when viewed from the front while it takes the look of a camera when viewed from behind. While the aforementioned specs aren't anything to write home about, this phone really is all about the camera, which we'll take a look at now.
The S4 Zoom has a 1.9 MP front facing camera for self portraits and video chat while it sports a 16MP rear facing camera with f /3.1-6.3, 24-240mm and 10x optical zoom. You won't find any other smartphone with that amount of zoom so the pictures you take will look quite a bit better than your usual smartphone in normal light conditions.
There are also a ton of scene modes to select on this device. Modes like HDR, Panorama, Fireworks, Drama and Landscape are available on this device. There is also a Smart Mode Suggest feature which takes a look at the scene you wish to capture and then suggests the appropriate mode. All these features are quite good and do add a lot to this phone.
Since this phone is an Android device, there are many apps that you can download to edit and share your photos. This gives it an added dimesion when compared to your normal point and shoot camera and is a definite advantage.
The Zoom sports a larger CMOS sensor than normal smartphones but when compared to DSLR cameras it really comes in as just about average. I guess this is to be expected since this is also a phone and not a dedicated camera. The downside to this phone's philosophy is that it gets caught between two worlds's, is it a smartphone or is it a camera. In the end, it just averages in both departments so only those of us that are really interested in the S4 line of devices would probably pick this one up.
Do you like the S4 Zoom? Give your feedback on it in the comment section below.
For those of us that have the awesome Samsung Galaxy S4, a major question is how to extend its battery life. The S4 comes with a removable 2600mAh battery which does work very well in most cases. However, for the power users among us, more capacity may be required. Let's take a look at the options we have below.
Firstly, there are some general guidelines to use when trying
to extend your battery life. The S4 comes with an option to go into
power saving mode. Obviously, this could be the first thing you do and
for some it's all that is required. In this mode the screen brightness
is reduced and the colours will change among other things. Considering that the Super AMOLED screen is the major battery life hog on this phone, using power saving mode will definitely improve your battery's performance.
In
addition to power saving mode, disabling some of the flashier features
on this phone can go a long way in improving battery performance. Some
of these extras are things like Air Gesture, GPS and Sync. In order to
do this, swipe down from the top and tap the upper right hand corner.
All the features will come up on the screen and you can then disable the
ones you want to.
There is also the option of purchasing an extended battery. These are batteries made by various manufacturers for the S4 specifically. These batteries are usually larger than the original and often you may have to use the case provided by the company for the battery to fit properly. This should not be a surprise as extended batteries offer increased capacity and consequently will be larger in size.
A good example of an extended battery is ZeroLemon's offering for the Galaxy S4. It comes in at a whopping 7500mAh which is approximately three times the original value. So far this is rated as the largest extended battery on the market and users have noted that even with heavy usage the S4 is still funtional for days on end. These extended batteries tend to come with full warranties and are usually available for many different carriers both locally and internationally.
Okay guys, that's about it for this post. I know that there are many more tips to extend the S4's battery life, so please feel free to include them in the comments section below.
The $99 dollar Ouya console has hit stores for some days now. It got its initial funding from Kickstarter of approximately $8.6 million. The Ouya console was billed as a cheaper alternative to the more expensive consoles such as the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Before we check out the unboxing vid, let's examine some of the Ouya's specs.
The Ouya console runs on Android OS and has a NVidia Tegra 3 quad core processor as its powerhouse. It has 1 GB of RAM with 8GB of storage which you can increase using a USB. While that's not bad, it's also not that great either. Julie Uhrman, CEO of Ouya, has stated that there will be hardware updates on an annual basis to ensure that the console is kept up to date.
The design of the console is indeed very attractive. Designed by Yves Behar, the Ouya is a surprisingly small box with beautiful curved edges and its overall size is comparable to the Roku. It has a USB port, ethernet, power cable port and a port for the HDMI cable which ships with the console. The controller has two analog sticks, a directional pad, a touchpad in the center,shoulder buttons and trigger controls at the back. Some consumers have complained about the touchpad being too sensitive to use for navigation while there are no uses for it in gameplay as there aren't any games using the feature yet. This may change in the future though as developers come to terms with what they can accomplish on the Ouya.
Speaking of game developers, one of the main features of the Ouya is the fact that it runs on Android which is an open platform. It can therefore be heavily modded if you know what you're doing and this is also great for independent game developers. Ouya has made it possible for anyone to publish a game which in my view is great and will encourage creativity in the kind of games being published. There is one restriction in game development in that users must have the opportunity to download and play a free demo version of any game before they decide to make the full purchase.
There are currently about 200 games in the Ouya store and while many of them are currently not up to scratch, there are a few nice titles. First off we have the more well known titles such as Final Fantasy, Sonic the Hedgehog and You Don't Know Jack. Added to these are games like Beast Boxing Turbo and Chrono Blade. Yes, pretty slim pickings as of now but I do expect this to pick up in the future.
Overall the Ouya console is okay but it falls short in a few categories most notable of which are the games being currently offered. Since it is a new platform, I expect this to pick up soon so the Ouya does indeed have great potential. It is certainly priced right and for the hackers and indie game fans among us, it is a great buy. For the general consumer though, it needs more time to develop. As promised earlier, check out the unboxing vid courtesy of IGN below and feel free to leave your questions and comments.
