Neos all-in-one Android PC looks modern, acts old

The Neos all-in-one ships with Android 4.1.1 and comes pre-loaded with various apps.

(Credit: Xiomara Blanco)

 

The Astak Neos all-in-one packs the appeal of Android in a shareable, user-friendly desktop PC, but its dated specs result in underwhelming performance that don't justify its $499 starting price. Even though the device boasts a sleek and modern design, its laggy touch-screen, dull display, and mediocre capabilities make it a half-baked attempt at being a media hub for the family.

Design
The Neos comes in a white and silver design and is light enough to be easily lifted, however, it isn't meant for mobile use and can only be used with the power cord. There are capacitive home/wake and volume buttons on the top right corner of the device and power button on the back.

The Neos can lay on its back, but its bad viewing angles make it hard to use.

(Credit: Xiomara Blanco)

 

Ports include a 3.5mm audio jack for playing music through the speakers, SD card expansion slot, USB port, and LAN port. There is no headphone jack for personal listening and keyboard or mouse accessories are not included.
The Neos sits upright, like a typical monitor, and features no ergonomic support. It can also be used flat on its back but, due to its angular design and poor viewing angles, this set-up is awkward and only useful for portrait orientation apps.

There are only a few ports on the back, including an SD card expansion slot.

(Credit: Xiomara Blanco)

 

Features
The Neos can run pure Android 4.1.1 or with the pre-installed Kloud user interface, which categorizes apps into groups. A variety of apps come pre-loaded and sorted, but can be easily uninstalled if unwanted.
Highlighting an app for a few seconds gives you the option of placing it in a certain group, like games or lifestyle, and you can also create your own group if you'd like.

The 15.6-inch screen is very pixelated and displays dull colors.

(Credit: Xiomara Blanco)

 

I personally didn't find much use in Kloud, but I can see how the user-friendly approach can appeal to families with children. The good news is that the Neos has access to Google Play store, but the bad news is that not all apps are compatible.

Hardware
The Neos houses a 1.6GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 dual-core CPU, PowerVR SGX 540 single-core GPU, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage.

The capacitive buttons on the upper right corner respond quickly.

(Credit: Xiomara Blanco)

 

Performance
The screen is drab, with large pixels, bland color saturation, low maximum brightness. The touch-screen response often lags and small text is sometimes blurry, making it difficult to read.
Video quality, even in HD, looks a bit fuzzy and, once again, the Neos' poor viewing angles didn't do it any favors. Colors on the 1,366x768-pixel resolution screen appear dull and bright images sometimes look blown out.

I wasn't lying about those bad viewing angles.

(Credit: Xiomara Blanco)

 

The 5-megapixel front-facing camera works fine for video conferencing, but don't expect to get any amazing photos from it; colors are washed-out and focus is blurry, however, there is a manual focus option.
A performance upside for the Neos is its Onkyo 5-Watt stereo speakers that can connect to a smartphone, MP3 player, or other media device. The speaker quality is good and audio quality holds up at most volumes; at its loudest, bass sounds slightly muffled, but at low and mid-ranges everything sounds clear and full enough for a pleasurable listening experience.

You can use the speakers to play music from your smartphone or MP3 player.

(Credit: Xiomara Blanco)

 

Popular Android games like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja ran smoothly for the most part. The touch screen's ever-present occasional lag made it difficult to play sometimes and although larger apps and games take their time to load, wait times were faster than I expected.
A shareable Android device -- without the accidental damage hazards of a tablet -- is an appealing investment for families, but the Astak Neos is too dated to warrant its $499 starting price. HP offers the Slate 21 all-in-one, which features a bigger screen with a higher resolution, better viewing angles, ergonomic support, and a newer version of Android for $399. Even though it's not a performance powerhouse, it one-ups the Neos for less money and provides a better alternative for those in the market for an Android desktop PC.

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iPhone 5S or Galaxy S4 owner? What's your problem?

A new report from FixYa logs the most common issues that users of the two phones encounter. It also spills the beans on the HTC One and the Moto X.

                  (Credit: FixYa) 

 

Unhappy with your battery-sucking iPhone 5S or your overheating Samsung Galaxy S4? You're not alone.
Battery life and overheating issues were just two of the problems cited by users of four of today's top smartphones in a new report from tech Q&A site FixYa.
Released on Tuesday, FixYa's Black Friday Smartphone Report revealed the top gripes among its site users about the iPhone 5S, Galaxy S4, HTC One, and Moto X. The report bears the Black Friday name as FixYa has aimed it at consumers who plan to shop for a new smartphone the day after Thanksgiving.
The top grievance among iPhone 5S users was battery life. Of course, that's nothing new. iPhone and smartphone owners in general often bemoan the short life their devices get on a single charge. But this remains a frustrating dilemma for people who travel and find their phones out of juice long before the day is over.
The new fingerprint sensor on the 5S also aroused concerns among people fearful that their fingerprints may end up in (on?) the wrong hands. But Apple has stressed that the fingerprint password is stored locally and not uploaded to any cloud-based system. Display size was a third issue among iPhone users who want a bigger screen. That wish could be granted with next year's iPhone, which rumors say will undergo a bump in screen size.
Overheating was the top problem cited by owners of Samsung's Galaxy S4. People say the phone becomes hot to the touch when used for a long time. The Galaxy S4 uses a plastic body as opposed to the aluminum chassis found on other smartphones, one factor that may be to blame for the increased heat.
Like the iPhone, the Galaxy S4 has trouble sustaining enough battery life on a single charge. Users said that running multiple apps or snapping lots of photos with the camera tended to deplete the battery. S4 owners also complained that the screen is darker compared with that of other phones.
Grumbles about poor battery life hit the HTC One as well. Some said the battery also takes a long time to charge. Additionally, users voiced complaints about hearing an audible hiss in the background during phone calls and a lack of high-quality photos from the camera.
Finally, the Moto X was faulted for its limited storage space. The base model offers just 16GB of storage, while the more expensive version increases that to 32GB. But there's no SD slot to expand the capacity. Users also criticized the poor quality of the Moto X's 720p display and its inability to capture high-quality photos.

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Nokia's Lumia 525 upgrades its bestselling Windows Phone with more memory

Nokia's Lumia 525 popped up in a Chinese regulatory filing earlier this month, but now we have official information about this new budget Windows Phone 8 device. In lieu of fanfare or a Middle Eastern press event, it's appeared via a YouTube video and a simple product page. Appearing as a successor to the popular Lumia 520, the 525 keeps the swappable covers (orange, yellow or white) like previous Lumia models and the polycarbonate style-jacking iPhone 5c, while doubling the amount of RAM inside to 1GB. Just like the earlier model, it has a 4-inch screen, the 5MP rear camera is still without flash, microSD storage expansion, and it's powered by a dual-core Qualcomm S4 processor. It will arrive with Nokia's usual Lumia apps, but with that extra memory it can run more of them at once.

There's no release information yet on the page yet, while the website only lists Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific. However, Nokia has said it will not be coming to the US or the UK. Fortunately, Engadget Chinese reports the 525 and 526 have been announced for China Unicom and China Mobile, respectively, at an off-contract price of 1,099 yuan ($180 US), shipping in December. This pricing is in line with the 520, aligning this as the pay-as-you-go WP8 option it appears to be, but we'll keep an eye out for domestic carrier release info just to be sure.

Specification :

• Main camera sensor: 5 MP
• Display size: 4''
• Touch screen technology: Super sensitive touch
• RAM: 1 GB
• Mass memory: 8 GB
• Processor name: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ S4
• Location and navigation apps: HERE Drive;HERE Maps;HERE Transit

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Motorola Moto G: 5 reasons why you should wait for it to launch in India

Planning to buy an affordable Android phone? We’d suggest you wait for the recently announced Moto G.

Moto G has all the ingredients of an excellent, affordable Android phone. We give you five clear benefits of Motorola’s Moto G over other budget Android phones available in the Indian market.

Moto G will redefine budget quality

Motorola has a long standing history of making good quality devices, the Moto G is expected to be a very well built device in terms of use of materials, fit and finish and the overall feel. It will be a refreshing change among the usual crowd of average built devices which lack the quality and finish that you’d expect from a 15k device. The curved back design (similar to the Moto X) along with the rubberized matte finish body lends a touch of class and sophistication to the affordable Android phone market.

Sharp screen and compact dimensions

With a 720p, 4.5-inch screen, the Moto G will offer a sharp screen with the same pixel density as the iPhone 5S and the iPad Mini Retina. The smaller screen also allows the Moto G to keep its overall dimensions in check. The combination of compact dimensions and a sharp screen will allow the Moto G to stand out from the crowd of bulky 5/5.5-inch Android phones in India, offering a quality device that is easy to carry and allows for a comfortable one handed operation.

Faster updates with better OS performance

Coming from the house of Google, Moto G is almost sure to get all the latest Android OS updates for a minimum of 15 months. And, those updates will come to the Moto G a lot quicker (right after the Nexus range) compared to other budget Android devices. While the Moto G is currently shown running on Android JellyBean 4.3, Motorola has assured that the Moto G will get the latest Android KitKat update by January 2014.

Snapdragon 400 based Quad-core SOC

Motorola Moto G runs on the Qualcomm MSM8926 SOC based on the SnapDragon 400 series, it is a fairly potent SOC with four A7 architecture based Krait cores running at 1.2 GHz. The SOC combined with 1GB RAM should be able to handle most tasks with ease. It should perform better than the Mediatek based quad-core SOCs, especially in gaming, when it has to process fewer pixels as compared to the processing required to feed 5-inch 1080p displays.

Customization with add-on accessories

With the announcement of Moto G, Motorola has also introduced an exciting range of accessories that will allow you to customize your device with high-quality shells and grips to protect the device while adding a personal touch to the device. Most comparable Android phones launched in the sub 15K price bracket hardly offer any kind of quality branded accessories, forcing users to opt for low-quality after-market accessories.

Moto G’s 5MP 720p camera and lack of memory expansion, the only obvious chinks in the armor?

The modest 5MP camera with a maximum support for recording 720p videos is perhaps the only area of concern for the Moto G. While higher megapixels do not equate to better performance, by the time the Moto G goes mass market in India, it might face a hard time convincing buyers to choose its 5MP snapper over the standard army of 8 and 13MP Android smartphones in the same price range. Not being able to expand storage capacity is another downer with the Moto G, 50GB of free cloud storage is nice, but it does not negate the need for built-in storage expansion.

Nokia Lumia range vs. Moto G

Take Android out of the equation and suddenly the budget friendly Moto G might not look as attractive. While it all depends on how much the Moto G finally costs in India, OS agnostic buyers hunting for a quality affordable smartphone will evaluate the Moto G against the entry level Nokia Lumia range. The expected update to the popular Nokia Lumia 5/6/720 series will compete head-on with the Moto G in terms of value and experience. Even the current budget champ, the Nokia Lumia 520, at a street price of Rs. 8,500 offers the best bang for the buck to anyone looking for an entry-level smartphone with quality support and smooth user experience. The Moto G should ideally target a similar status, aiming to be the king of budget Android smartphones in India, sporting a price tag that is just under Rs 12,000. Or, so we wish…

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Tired of losing your phone or leaving it behind, the HTC Fetch is your solution

If you’re tired of losing your phone or leaving it behind, the HTC Fetch is your solution. Just press the button and the sleek, compact keychain device activates your phone’s ringtone within 15 meters*. Pair it with your phone and you’ll get a warning beep if you leave it behind. If you lose both, a convenient map location feature lets you know where your HTC Fetch and phone were last together. 

*Working range may vary depending on operating environment.

After spending a whopping Rs 56,490 for a phone, you'd want to do everything in your power to make sure it doesn’t get lost/stolen. HTC knows that, and has unveiled something called as HTC Fetch along with its pricey new handset HTC One Max.

The tracking device, HTC Fetch, makes use of GPS (Global Positioning System), Assisted GPS, and mobile-tower triangulation technology to ascertain a phone's location. The device, which is worth Rs 2500, as reported by DNA, when paired with HTC One Max's fingerprint scanner, makes it fool proof. That said, this tracker will work only with the One series handsets. Once connected wirelessly, the device and handset will begin ringing if the phone is 10 metres away from the owner, and an e-mail with the phone's location on Google Maps will be fired.

I'm not sure at that price point many people would actually want to buy the HTC One Max, let alone buy a tracker device that expensive as an accessory. On the bright side, this is a cheaper and more useful accessory than what Samsung has to offer with its Note 3 device.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Secure your phone and belongings
Last seen tracking
Remote camera shutter
Easy to set up. Easier to use.
Sleek and compact design

CONNECTIVITY

Bluetooth® 4.0/BLE

WORKING RANGE

Up to 15 meter (Depends on working environment)

BATTERY

6 month battery lifetime (CR2032 replaceable battery)

COLOUR

Black

COMPATIBILITY

HTC One mini, HTC Butterfly s, HTC One max

All Specs

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Handy Android apps for hassle-free holiday travel

If you're hitting the road (or skies) this holiday season, these three Android apps can make your journey less of a headache.

Travel can be stressful no matter the time of year, but the holiday season always seems to be worse. You're stuck managing multiple reservations for flights, hotels and car rentals, facing long lines at security, and, depending on where you're traveling, there's often a looming threat of a snowstorm grounding your plane.
Luckily, we have technology to do some of the hard work for us. While nothing can make airport lines any shorter, I've highlighted three Android apps that can help take the edge off the rest of your travel woes.

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TripIt helps you organize all your travel plans and reservations.

(Credit: Screenshot by Sarah Mitroff)

Tripit (Free, 99 cents for ad-free version)
Your trip is all planned out, and now your inbox is brimming with confirmations for flights, hotels, and rental cars. Enter Tripit, a freemium service that corrals all the dates, confirmation numbers, and other vital information from your upcoming reservations and turns them into an organized travel itinerary. All you have to do is forward your travel-related emails to TripIt's address and the service figures out the rest.
All the information you could need as you make your journey from airline counter to hotel check-in, including flight times and confirmation numbers, is stored in the Android app and you can even view it when you're offline. You can also get weather reports, directions, and turn-by-turn navigation for the hotels and destinations listed in your itinerary.
You can also download TripIt for iOS.

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            FlightStats tells you if there are delays at the airport.

(Credit: Screenshot by Sarah Mitroff)

FlightStats (Free)
There are many, many flight-status apps, but FlightStats is my favorite because of its simple design. This free app helps you track your flight's status and saves your searches for quick access later. It will tell you if your flight is on time, it's estimated departure and arrival times from the runway, terminal and gate numbers, and at which baggage claim carousel you can claim your bags. Once the flight takes off, friends or family who will be picking you up from the airport can track your plane in the air.
You can also search by airport to see local weather conditions and seven-day forecast, time and date information, and a delay index, which tells you if there are any flight delays and how severe they are.
You can also download FlightStats for iOS.

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Get a last-minute hotel with Hotel Tonight.

(Credit: Screenshot by Sarah Mitroff)

Hotel Tonight (Free)
This last-minute hotel booking app is essential for when staying with the in-laws isn't working out, or you're stuck at the airport after a canceled flight and don't want to sleep in the terminal. It has an elegant design which makes it easy to find a nearby hotel room on short notice. You might even get a deal since many of the rooms listed are discounted.
There's no need to worry that you'll be staying at a dive, as Hotel Tonight vets all the accommodations that it lists in the app. You also get access to Hotel Tonight's 24-7 customer service, which can help you with a booking.

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Experience the Galaxy Note 3 on nearly any Android device

Samsung offers a free app to show you what it's like to use the Note 3.

                             (Credit: Jason Cipriani) 

 

Do you currently have an Android device? And are you on the fence about whether or not the Note 3 is the right device for your next purchase? Samsung has an answer for you if you said yes.
By downloading and using the Galaxy Note 3 Experience app, available for free in the Play Store, you can get a firsthand experience of what the Note 3 offers. You'll need to be using a device running Android 4.1 and above.

            (Credit: Screenshot by Jason Cipriani) 

As noted by Android Authority, you'll be guided through selecting different functions you value, and then walk through how the Note 3 is going to make those functions easier for you.
The overall experience on my Nexus 5 was a bit jittery, and the touch responsiveness of the app was delayed at times, but in the end you get the general idea of how the S Pen and the Note 3 work together. Don't worry about your selections the first time you run the app, once you're done experiencing how the Note 3 handles each category you're able to view all categories.
As we have covered in the past, companies seem to be releasing more and more apps like this one. Is an app like this something that will sway you one way or another when deciding whether or not to purchase a device?

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