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2014 Top 5 Android Tablets

January 23, 2025 Tech Review
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Every time we talk of tablets, a majority of people would think of iPad, the crowning glory of Apple Inc. Not long before, its two latest models iPad Mini 2 and iPad Air were launched to the market, sparking a big sales record. However, not all people would like an iPad and Apple’s tablet is, in fact, not the only game in town. The truth is, there are many other great options out there.

andriod tablet

Seriously, if you don’t fancy on an iPad, the Android tablets will be a great the way to go. There is no denying the fact that, Android Jelly Bean is currently the main rival to the iOS 7 toting iPad Air and iPad mini 2. Currently, more and more high-quality Android-based tablets are showing up on the market. We have got a long list which includes Amazon Kindle Fire, Google Nexus 7, Nexus 10, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy Tab, LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition, Sony Xperia Tablet Z, Asus Transformer Pad TF701T and so on. That said, you may be racking your brains on deciding which tablet should choose. To ease your pain, we have specially listed 5 worthwhile Android tablets for your easy reference.

1. Google Nexus 7

The Nexus 7 was announced in late July 2013. It is one of the best 7-inch tablets available on the market. Equipped with a small interface, the Nexus 7 is slimmer, lighter, and more comfortable to hold on hands than the Apple iPad mini. What deserves an honorable mentioning is that, the Nexus 7 is the first Android 4.3 tablet, running a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm S4 Pro APQ8064 processor.

Google Nexus 7

2. LG G Pad 8.3

The L G G Pad 8.3 is LG’s the best Android tablet. It is a compact tablet with a sheet of aluminum shell. It is sized at 216.8 x 126.5 x 8.3 mm, about 16mm taller than the iPad mini. Even though it runs an older version of Android, the LG G Pad 8.3 is a great device with advanced internal hardware such as a 1.7Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 600 SoC, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.

lg g pad 8.3

3. Sony Xperia Tablet Z

The Sony Xperia Z is a super-light device with a super slim chassis, impressive screen. It is 10-inch, pitting itself against the likes of the Google Nexus 10 and iPad 4. Frankly, its 1,920 x 1,200 resolution screen falls a little short of ‘retina’ sharpness of the iPad 4’s 2,048 x 1,536 or the Nexus 10’s stupendously sharp 2,560 x 1,600 screen. However, it prides itself in obtaining the great feature of water resistant up to one meter for 30 minutes and dust resistant.

XperiaTabletZ

4. Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7

The Kindle Fire HDX 7 is Amazon’s newest 7-inch tablet. Compared with the original Kindle Fire, the HDX 7 has got great changes in design. It is all angles and contrasts with a smooth matte back now joined with a glossy metallic top containing the speakers. Besides, this brand new 7-inch screen device provides a fantastic screen resolution of 1920×1200 at 323ppi, making it a not bad choice for entertainment. Besides, it has got a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor along with 2GB of RAM, which means that games play smoothly whilst video playback is lag-free. Plus, it also provides 11-hour battery life and with mixed-usage.

kindle-fire

5. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is a large decent tablet with 10.1-inch screen. It provides a 1280×800 pin-sharp pixels display just as the Note, although the resolution is not high, users can still get a satisfying movies/pictures/web pages viewing experience. Backed by a 1GHz dual-core OMAP 4430 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage, this Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 hits the nail on the head of so many Android tablets. To sum up, it is a well-designed tablet with powerful speakers, a responsive screen, and expandable storage.

samsung galaxy tab

Google Nexus 5 Review

January 16, 2025 Tech News
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Even after Nexus 4 has made a global hit, Google continues making something – something bigger. Finally, the latest member of Nexus family – the Nexus 5 is here! Needless to say, the brand new model surpasses its predecessor Nexus 4 in every way. In general, the Nexus 5 is a fast and gorgeous device which is well stocked with many great features, which include but not limited to sleek and solid build, LTE for multiple carriers, long-life battery, etc. Literally, it shows the true power of Google and the Android operating system.

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A Detailed Look at Google Nexus 5

1. Design

Honestly, the Nexus 5 is not a bold device. What does that mean? Well, taking a quick look at its design, we will find that it is not eye-catching at all. Some people even described it as “dull”. The truth is the design of the Nexus 5 is not breathtakingly amazing, however, it is not a bit dull. That said, “Tidy and clean” might be much suitable for describing it. Featuring the straighter edges and sharper curves, the Nexus 5 looks more stately and austere than the Nexus 4. As to the size, the Nexus 5 is of 5.43 inches tall, 2.72 inches wide and 0.34 inches deep, making it comfortable, sturdy and dense in the hand.

2. Display

displayAs its name makes obvious, the Nexus 5 is topped by a 5-inch display. The 4.95-inch True HD+ IPS panel provides stunning resolution of 080 x 1920 pixels of 445ppi density (surpass that of the iPhone 5S by 119 ppi). Naturally, this newest device is perfectly good for image viewing, video watching and gaming. Truly, this fresh device provides users the stunning 1080p display with excellent viewing angles. When playing 3D games on this IPS panel, the quality is incredibly gorgeous. Plus, even in full whack, the IPS panel is very bright as well with the only fly in the ointment of using up lots of battery juice.

3. Android 4.4 KitKat

When asked what is the big deal of the Nexus 5, we can never miss the “Android – version 4.4 KitKat”. Roughly, the overall appearance of Android 4.4 is decent. It is worth mentioning that, this is the first pure Google device running the Android 4.4 OS. Although the Nexus 5 uses Google’s own execs and engineers, the changes made on KitKat are very familiar with that of the Android. That said, if you are an Android user, you will feel right at home with the Android 4.4 KitKat. Though not long on flashy new features, KitKat brings an ever deeper integration with Google’s expanding array of services and a promise to end the age-old scourge of Android fragmentation. Besides, the Android 4.4 KitKat includes Hangouts in lieu of a standard SMS messaging app, forcing SMS support into the Google ecosystem.

Android 4.4 KitKat

4. Camera

Thanks to the Android 4.4.2 update, significant improvements were made to the performance of the Nexus 5’s camera. The newest device comes with an 8-megapixel camera with HDR+, and LTE support which features optical image stabilization (OIS), therefore, the image quality is absolutely decent. When comes to video capture, we have already got some mobile phones capable of capturing 4K videos, while unfortunately, the Nexus 5 is stuck with more conventional 1080p. However, it too uses the optical image stabilization that had such a positive effect on low-light performance.

camera

Final Words on Google Nexus 5

Google Nexus 5 is an impressive device shipped with strong performance and high-end features like Android 4.4.1 KitKat. Priced at around £299, it is a true value for money Android device.

5 Best Social Networking Apps

January 9, 2025 Tech Review
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If you are netizen, you must heard of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, MySpace, Google Plus and many other social networking sites. In the recent years, technology has gained fast development, bringing forth a wide variety of different social networking websites. Currently, those sites are increasing in popularity. According to a new eMarketer report, nearly one in four people worldwide are using social networking sites in 2013, an 18% increase than that of 2012. Besides, by 2017, the global social network audience will reach 2.55 billion. That’s true! Whether we are sharing media like videos/photos/games on Facebook, Twitter or other SNS, it is possible for us to keep track of how many people like them. Listed in the following are 5 best social networking apps which helps to facilitate your digital life.

1. Vine

Vine is a free video sharing app available for free on the Apple App Store. It was acquired by Twitter in October 2012. Users are allowed to make mini, creative movies in a simple & fun way and then share with families and friends. Within the Vine app, users can view videos from their followers in their “Home” screen. Under the “Explore” tab, Vine users can view trending posts, editor’s picks and featured or trending hashtags. Vine also allows users to view their recent activity, including new follows, comments and “likes,” all on one screen.

Vine

2. Yonder

It is a second to none app especially good for the outdoorsy types. It can discover a lot of locations around the globe as well as 22 activities such as biking, hiking, skiing, etc. Users are able to filter the searches by rock climbing, biking, skiing, and much more. Besides, it also allows users to upload photos and videos to share their activities with others or on Facebook, Twitter, email, and iMessage.

Yonder

3. Osfoora 2 for Twitter

Osfoora 2 is a refresh, elegant Twitter client for iOS7. It is available in iTunes at $1.99. Sported with a minimal yet sophisticated interface, this app allows users to browse timeline, mentions, and messages. Besides, users are able to bookmark tweets, upload photos from Twitter, img.ly, Mobypicture, TwitPic, and CloudApp, and mute hashtags and users.

Osfoora-2

4. Retro – Instagram viewer for iPad

If you have got an iPad and an Instagram account, this third party client app is really an ideal choice for you. It looks great, runs smoothly and loads fast. Its key features are as below:

• Multiple accounts support

• Notifications for your photos - number of new likes/comments

• Multiple viewing modes for quick/detailed browsing of your Instagram feed

• Photo downloading

• Smart gestures for navigation and common tasks

• Read/comment/like on your feed

• See the photos you liked

• Discover popular photos

Osfoora-2

5. FastFeed for Tumblr

As its name implies, this app works perfectly for Tumblr, providing a smooth, convenient and attractive feed experience they’ve ever met. Instead of having to tap the back button eight times to get back to the first Tumblr account they were reading, just select from one of the tabs that automatically opens every time you tap a link. Currently, this app is available in iTunes for free.

Fastfeed-for-Tumblr-Main

2013 Social Networking Sites Survey in the U.S.

January 2, 2025 Tech News
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Social Networking Sites are playing a dominant role in our daily lives. Up till now, we get a long list of hundreds of SNS with the notable ones such as Face book, Twitter, Tumbler, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google+, Reddit, YouTube, Flickr, MySpace, Live Journal, etc.

Starting from August 7 to September 16, 2013, Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project conducted a survey on social networking usage in the U.S. The survey was based on the data from telephone interviews among a sample of 1,801 adults, age 18 and older. Without any surprise, Facebook remains the dominant social networking platform in the number of users, although some other SNS such as Pinterest and Instagram are making huge progress. There were some key findings on the survey, for example, a striking number (42%) of online adults in the U.S. are starting to use other platforms; the number of Instagram users is more or less the same as that of Facebook users on a daily basis.

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Compared with last year, around 71% of online adults are using Facebook, a slight increase from the 67% of online adults who used Facebook as of late 2012. In the meanwhile, other sites have also made great progress. LinkedIn usage went from 20 percent to 22 percent; Pinterest has attracted 21% of users, 6% increase than that of last year, while Twitter has got the same great achievement with 4% increase in the number of users. As the study implies, all of those platforms have developed their own unique demographic user profiles. For example, a majority of Twitter and Instagram users are younger adults, urban dwellers, and non-whites. LinkedIn particularly appeals college graduates and internet users in higher income households. Pinterest is loved by most female users (the number of female users is nearly four times that that of male users).

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As to the usage of the five specific sites (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn), the survey revealed that, about 36% of online adults use a single social networking site while 42% use two or more of the SNS at the same time. Besides, 84% of people replied that Facebook was the major and only platform that they were using frequently. In the meanwhile, 8% of people were using LinkedIn, 4% for Pinterest and 2% each for Instagram or Twitter.

Additionally, Facebook also has got the highest level of engagement with 63% users visit the site on a daily basic. As Pew told us, “with 40 percent logging on multiple times a day”, apparently, the user number of both Instagram and Twitter was much smaller, however, they have got a relatively higher frequently visiting rate. You see, around 57% of Instagram users visit the site at least once a day (with 35% doing so multiple times per day), and 46% of Twitter users are daily visitors (with 29% visiting multiple times per day). All that said, many people couldn’t help but ask “is Facebook starting to give way to those sites like Instagram and Twitter?”. There was even a small-scale media frenzy about Facebook was “dead and buried”. However, Pew didn’t specifically address the question. Come what may, Facebook stills remains the most popular social networking service among U.S, entrenching in the mainstream American life, which is something that none of its competitors can match.