Google's new calendar design leaks, showing off the future of Android
A new version of Google Calendar has leaked, revealing a cleaner design that shows off the direction that Google could be taking with Android in the future. If the leak is legit, the new Google Calendar uses less color and has fewer icons than the current version. Apparently, there is some impressive animation and other effects. We could see this new version of the Google System app released during Google I/O in June.
Besides the new look, Google Calendar adds a Daily Agenda feature, which allows you to email the current day's schedule. Important parts of each day's appointments will be color-coded, and the update adds birthday reminders for the calendar view. Another section will list upcoming birthdays of your Google+ friends. Circles will now highlight each day of the month, which you can see for yourself in the screenshot found at the bottom of this page.
It is unknown whether this is the final version of the update, but those who have used it have been impressed.
Leaked screenshots from the leaked update of Google Calendar
A couple months ago at Mobile World Congress, WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum announced that the popular messaging app would be adding voice calling to its feature list. The assumption has been that the service would be similar to Skype or Facebook Messenger, but there has been no word on when the feature would be added. Some new clues are making it look like voice calls may be on the way pretty soon, though.
The evidence comes from the people who work to translate WhatsApp into Hindi. Screenshots of the translation request show that WhatsApp has three new strings it needs translating: Hang up, Incoming call, and Outgoing call. Translating the UI elements is one of the last stages when it comes to adding features, so it seems like a pretty good bet that voice calling could be coming to WhatsApps fairly soon.
Koum had said that the feature would hit in the spring, so there is technically still a bit over two months in that window, but maybe WhatsApp will have it out sooner rather than later. Voice calling will be coming to Android and iOS to start with Windows Phone and BlackBerry getting the update afterwards.
Official ZEDGE and Flipkart apps out now for Windows Phone
ZEDGE, a popular website for ringtones and wallpapers, has released an official Windows Phone 8 app. It will let you access more than 300 million free ringtones and wallpapers, which sounds like a lot to go through. In addition to browsing ZEDGE's content, you will be able to set ringtones and wallpapers straight from the app, and get wallpapers that are optimized for your display's resolution and size. The content is organized in different categories, such as Featured, Popular, and Recent. Good stuff!
In other news, Flipkart, India's biggest online retailer, has outed its official Windows Phone app as well. It allows for easy navigation through the store's different departments, searching through its catalog, payments via established money handling systems, status tracking, and pretty much everything else related to the website. Flipkart is very much India's own Amazon (in fact, it was founded by two ex-Amazon employees), so the birth of this app should be rather welcome in the country.
Both apps are free and can be found in the links below.They are available on Android and iOS as well.
There may come a time when the average smartphone camera just isn't good enough. You might want to take photos that jump out of the screen or capture moments in ways that are worth more than a few likes on Instagram, Facebook, or Google.
Thankfully, there are three devices that try to fit that bill in unique ways. So would you rather freeze time by taking pictures with a Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, a Nokia Lumia 1020, or a Sony QX 10?
Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom
All three of the phones included in this comparison are very unique devices that present their unique set of skills and challenges. With the Galaxy S4 Zoom, you get a camera first and a phone second. It has the far-reaching 10x optical zoom, a 16-megapixel sensor, and optical image stabilization to help reduce blurry photos. The large size sometimes makes it tough to carry around because it's thick and chunky. The curved lower half provides great grip for taking photos but it's a pain in the you know what the other times you try to type or just use the phone under normal conditions.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom
The interface is familiar to anyone who has used a Samsung device. It has several different shooting modes for everything from fixing someone's face in a group photo to taking an HDR-style image with Rich tones. Jumping into the Expert mode brings up a dial to change white balance, brightness, and ISO, so users have more control. There's even a My Mode section so you can have shortcuts to the favored shooting modes. The Zoom name comes into play with the on-screen controls to get closer, but it's probably easier and more comfortable to zoom in or out with the physical dial.
As for the quality of the Galaxy S4 Zoom photos, they're surprisingly average. The image stabilization makes objects in motion stay focused, and they look very good in daylight, but they are often noisy, so the gains are mostly gone. You'd really expect the camera to be better in all situations, and the sad truth is that it's simply not. It's just a good camera that can zoom in and still take a decent photo, not as world-beating as one might hope.
Nokia Lumia 1020
Nokia Lumia 1020
The Nokia Lumia 1020 is a different beast because it's a phone that happens to have a really good camera. It's not free from having an odd shape because it has a pretty big 41-megapixel camera on the back. It also comes with optical image stabilization and a xenon flash. Because the 1020 takes such a large photo , you're able to retroactively zoom in targeted areas to a decent degree. It's not as thorough at capturing objects from far away, but it is effective in most instances. The body is otherwise solid and very comfortable to take photos with thanks to the dedicated camera key and sturdy frame.
The interface is also easier to master than the S4 Zoom. On screen buttons provide fast access to changing white balance, ISO, brightness, and focus. There aren't dozens of shooting modes as seen on the Zoom, but Nokia has a ridiculous amount of different camera apps for focusing, action, and other "Smart" modes. Jumping between those apps is not fun, but it does help keep the main camera clean and less cluttered for standard photography. Taking photos can be a tiny bit slow, but the results will make up for it. Aside from taking sharp photos that look exceptional if you keep your eye on the white balance, the Lumia 1020 takes great video as well. Though the auto settings weren't always pinpoint, I was able to take a good photo 90 percent of the time.
Sony QX 10
Sony QX 10
Judging the interface on the QX10 is tough because there technically isn't one. The QX 10 is a lens-style camera, meaning it's capable of operating completely independent of another device. There's a nearly 19-megapixel lens with Optical Steadyshot in order to steady images and maintain focus. A shutter button on the right takes photos and a zoom dial takes tighter or wider photos with the 10x optical zoom. There's even a tripod mount on the bottom in case you decide to get fancy.
And if all else fails, you can still use the on-board Wi-Fi pairing to connect it to another smartphone and use the mobile device as a live viewfinder. I found this to be the preferable way to use the QX10 because it's the best way to see that my photo is framed properly and in focus. The downside of this method is that it takes a long time to pair up, and on one occasion, it wouldn't pair at all. By the time I grab the QX10 out my bag or pocket to connect to a phone, I may have missed the moment because so much time has passed. The QX10 must be used independently when time is a factor, but it flourishes best in the slow but useful connected periods.
There's a good chance that you might be willing to overlook the impracticality because the photos and videos are so good. Sharp, bright, colorful, clear, and above what's expected from a smartphone, the QX10 is truly something incredible. During the days that I tested these three devices, I was taken aback by how much fun it was to deal with the unorthodox style and still wind up with great pictures. It wasn't comfortable to use all the time, but those photos were definitely worth it.
Conclusion
It doesn't take a genius to see that the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom and Sony QX10 are harder to use than the Nokia Lumia 1020. The ease of use factor alone is enough to sway most people towards the Lumia as a result. I still have to admit that the QX10 is the best camera of the bunch for obvious reasons. That advantage is offset by Sony's lens camera costing $250 on top of the smartphone that you already need.
The QX10 earns high marks in every category dealing with video and photos, so it's almost worth it to put up with the added bulk in your pocket and the slow start times at inopportune moments. Sadly, it didn't score high in the speed and serviceability categories, which leads me to think that the Lumia 1020 might be the best compromise. It offers the convenience of a smartphone and a camera that's better than you typically experience. Though Windows Phone might put a lot of people off, the 1020 is still preferable to the poor experience offered by the Zoom, which isn't good enough as a camera nor a phone to warrant carrying that extra bulk. For the sake of your wallet and your ease of mind, the Nokia Lumia 1020 is probably the best bet.
Hardware and DesignImprovement is the most that you can ask for from a smartphone vendor. Actually, creating the perfect phone is the most you can ask for, but most of us will settle for something that does better than we've seen before and meets our most basic needs in most categories. The Blu Life One X isn't perfect, but it's a heck of a lot better than the Blu Life phones that I reviewed last year. It's an obvious example of Blu raising its standards, but do those standards align with the changing needs of people who may purchase this Android phone? Read the review below to find out.
While the Blu Life View looked like an HTC One was cross-bred with a Samsung Galaxy S4, the Life One X looks like it could be from Sammy's lab, but it doesn't have that direct copy cat appearance. At first sight, it reminded me of the Nexus S in shape but had a larger build and better feel that's all its own. There are actually some rare aspects of the phone, like the micro USB port being at the top of the phone, that makes this unlike most device. Other aspects are more common, like the three hardware navigation buttons for menu, home, and back at the bottom of the phone. The capacitive buttons are only noticeable when the screen is on and they light up.
Composed of an aluminum body that feels as though its from composite materials, the Life One X has a solid texture that feels comfortable to hold. The edges of the phone are smoother but angled to have a firmer grip. The design emphasizes the phone's rounded and curvy shape built for comfort. The curviness even comes into play with the camera ring that sticks up from the top of the device.
The Back of the phone houses a very small but loud speaker. Don't expect the bass and equalized tones found in other devices, but you can comfortably listen to music and watch videos in a quiet room without straining to make out what's been sung or said.
Blu Life One X 5-inch 1080p HD IPS display
Screen Quality
Blu has released multiple phones with 5-inch displays, but the Life One X is easily one of the best to look at simply because it's one of the few that has made the jump to 1080p HD. The 5-inch IPS display has 441 pixels per inch and some proprietary tuning to make viewing angles consistently clear. It looks better than anything we've seen from Blu to date. The display has surprising clarity and brightness on a device that's sub-$300. While the 720p resolutions on other phones have been "good enough," the Life One X upgrades the display closer to "great" status.
Performance
The Blu Life One X has a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. Normally, that might be cause to rest assured that the phone has top-notch performance, but that's not the case if you need a gaming powerhouse. The Mediatek CPU and PowerVR SGX544 GPU often struggle when it comes to premium gaming, which forced me to abandon attempts to play GT Racing before I even managed to get a car on the track. It's even too weak to run the Anomaly gaming benchmark app quickly, so don't plan on playing anything beyond the graphic intensiveness of Angry Birds Go.
Blu Life One X
The mere mortals who need only a solid web browsing experience will find using the Life One X a more reasonable proposition. The phone moves at a normal pace when reading Twitter or checking email. It also is surprisingly fast when using the camera app. Photos are taken in a split second and the start-up time is quick unless triggered from the lock screen. The Life One X lacks the blazing-fast appeal of a Nexus 5, so someone with experience using a high-end phone might notice there's not as much zip in its movements. Thanks to a high amount of RAM that is managed efficiently, there's not much lag and it loads content at a decent speed. Non-gamers can be confident in the phone's ability to get things done.
Key Specifications
- 1.5 GHz quad-core processor (Mediatek)
- Power VR Series 554 GPU
- 2GB RAM, 16/32GB internal storage
- 5-inch IPS display (1920x1080, 440ppi)
- 13-megapixel camera with Bright+ and LED Flash
- 5-megapixel front-facing camera
- 2,000 mAh battery
- Dual SIM 4G HSPA+ 42 (850/1900 or 850/2100), Bluetooth 4.0, micro USB 2.0
- Phone includes: screen protector, silicon case, and earphones
Blu Life One X Android 4.2 app drawer
Software and Apps
Android is the driving force of Blu's latest product but it sadly does not include the latest version of Android. The Life One X runs a mostly stock version Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. That's rather unfortunate because I really like how Blu has made very few changes to the OS, but I'm disappointed it lacks some of the refinements of Version 4.4 KitKat. There are no performance enhancements and under the hood additions, and things like the full-screen media thumbnail on the lock screen are absent as well. The lack of small touches and inclusion of old software is a bit of a letdown.
