Reaching The Mark? The New Samsung Galaxy S3

Right, so I have to get clear off-the-bat, that I'm not a big fan of Samsung phones. As I've said in previous posts, there was something with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus that didn't quite 'click' with me and I think that was down to the way Samsung phones handle the front end of Android Ice Cream Sandwich. But, needless to say, I do know that the new Samsung Galaxy S3 will have been eagerly awaited by those Galaxy S2 fans out there, and to those of you that this is aimed at, this could be the phone of the year for you. Samsung's new 'flagship handset' so-to-speak. So to keep this as professional as I can, I will try to be as un-biased as possible and give it the credit it deserves. 

One of the things I really disliked about the Galaxy S2, was it's flat, boring, rectangular shape, almost without any curves whatsoever. Samsung have ditched this, and opted for a more oval shaped approach, very much like the Galaxy Nexus. (Which I have to say, is a very pretty phone), and lets be fair... What your phone looks like, is becoming more and more important when choosing it. So already, Samsung have got a +1 in my books for the looks of the Galaxy S3. It's also considerably bigger than its predecessor, the S2. 4.8 inch corner to corner, JUST slightly larger than my HTC One X, making it one of the largest smartphones on the market. Obviously no where near the size of the Samsung Galaxy Note... but that's just ridiculous :P

Another interesting feature coming from Samsung with the S3, is that you can now get it in either white or blue... That's a new one... I can't say I've seen many blue phones about. This will add somewhat a distinction to the handset when stood around on the train, bus stop, or wherever you are when looking at what phone the person next to you is using. You'll easily be able to identify that it's a Galaxy S3.

Following in the Galaxy Nexus' footprint (and in keeping up with the trend), the new Galaxy S3 is also has a true HD screen, matching the HTC One X's 1280 x 720, although the S3 uses Super AMOLED screen, whereas the HTC One X uses Super LCD 2. I'm sure there will be some uber boffins out there that will correct me on this, but to me, the truth is that it's getting harder and harder to distinguish between all these technologies, as both theses screens are superb.

The Galaxy S3 comes with an 8-megapixel camera, which is the same resolution as last year's Galaxy S2. Although It might not have increased the pixel count, it does have some new and quite cool features, including one of my favourites from the Galaxy Nexus, which was its ability to capture a shot the split second you hit the shutter button, with no lag whatsoever, thus making sure you NEVER miss a shot, as well as other common features such as face and smile detection.

The S3 packs a powerful quad-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz (not quite the 1.5GHz of the HTC One X - but what's 0.1GHz between friends), which should make it more than capable when playing high-resolution video and graphically demanding games. However, I have noticed with the HTC One X, that as phones get more powerful, the apps and games that are released are equally becoming more demanding, making it un-noticeable that you are using a phone with just as much (or in some cases) more power than  your home PC or laptop. But I suppose, that was to be expected. Needless to say, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is definitely up there with the big boys when it comes to processing power.

All the usual toys are packed into the S3 too, such as Samsung Beam (S Beam), which works very similar to the NFC features on HTC and other android phones, allowing you to instantly pass data from one phone to another, only this time, as apposed to going over NFC, S Beam uses wifi, making it slightly faster (if that's possible).

I think the newest toy to come with the Galaxy S3 is the new S Voice... a strike back at Apple's Siri. Siri well and truly stole the majority of the limelight in the aftermath of the iPhone 4S launch: It could be said, that the iPhone 4S was marketed almost exclusively for it’s voice assistant feature. But what the people loved, more than actually productive stuff like scheduling appointments or sending texts, were the more... random commands (some of which are admittedly hilarious), such as telling Siri 'I love you' and asking 'where is the best place to hide a body?'. Each one coming back with a witty answer, such as 'but we barely know each other' and listing places such as local tips, morgues and rivers. But now it's Samsung's turn. In addition to initiating calls, S Voice can wake the phone, request songs, send emails and text messages, use the calendar app, adjust the volume, capture photos, snooze the alarm and enquire about the weather, making Siri old news. For now, Samsung says this feature will support eight languages, including, among others, Spanish, German, Korean and American / British English.

In Summary, it would seem that there's not a great deal of change with the Galaxy S3, other than upgrading all the major components... but, with the S2 being such a huge success, there wasn't a great deal to change other than bringing it in to the current (ever changing) times. And although I won't be rushing out to get my hands on one, I'm confident it will be the success that the Galaxy S2 was last year.

The Cookie Law

On 26th May 2012 all UK websites must offer their users a consent mechanism to allow cookies to store information about your browsing activity and potentially pass this to 3rd parties. This includes tools such as Google Maps, Google Analytics, social sharing buttons and many more! But what does this mean for your website?

What are cookies?
Cookies are a small sweet cake (biscuit), typically round, flat, and crisp. The best cookies usually have chocolate chips in them, or (my personal favourite) are chocolate biscuits with chocolate chip cookies in them... #NomNom... OK.. slightly off track there. In the digital world, cookies are small text files that are stored on the user's computer (yours) to remember choices as you navigate round the site. They are used to remember user preferences, to track site performance and to target advertising. Essentially making your user journey better.

What is the law?
‘The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive)(Amendment) Regulations 2011’ has been commonly referred to for at least the last 12 months as the ‘Cookie Law’.

What does it do?
In short, it means that all website operators are now required to ask a website user’s permission when placing certain types of cookies on their devices or computers. They must also explain what they are and why they are placed there.

When did it become law?
26 May 2011, and assumed that browser technology could be used to manage cookie permissions. However, this was not the case, and the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) declared a suspension on enforcing the law until 26 May 2012 by when browser developments would have caught up. Again, this has not proved to be the case, which has left all website operators with the task of implementing measures to comply. With no practical guidance being issued by the ICO on how to do this, companies are taking their lead from the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce).

What can be done?
To ensure your site complies with the law, your Privacy Policy on your sites must explain the different types of cookies used and how you use them. There are four categories of cookies summarised as; strictly necessary, performance, functionality and targeting. In addition, users have to give permissions to allow categories two to four.

What else can be done?
The ICC have interpreted the law to mean that you can gather consent for category one to three cookies by agreement to terms and conditions or privacy policy. Category four, which is what the law was specifically targeted for, and requires explicit consent.

Hungry for more cookies?
For more information on the Cookie Law, visit The Cookie Collective, or visit BBC Food (I know which I prefer :) 

Where Apple Are Going Wrong...

Well it's been a few days (almost a week) since I wrote my last blog post, and already I'm starting to feel like a naughty school boy for not doing something that I should have done. Not to mention the with-drawl symptoms I am getting from not writing.

So I thought today, I would write a post to let Apple know where they are going wrong. And because I because I know my opinion means a lot to them, I know they will honor it and completely re-write their strategy, launching the new iPhone 5 (whenever that may be) with a completely new look,  cut me in on the profit thus making me a millionaire over night. (Well.. you can but dream!).

I used an iPhone for a quite a long time in comparison to other handsets I've had. I even bought my girlfriend one for Christmas last year, so obviously, I appreciate that they are amazing phones. They are built to an extremely high standard, they look beautiful, and in terms of their touchscreen, they are more responsive than any other phone on the market. Quite simply, they are perfect... Which is where I think they fall flat.

To maintain their perfection, they have sacrificed a certain element that I think a lot of people (particularly Android users) want from a smart phone... They lack that element of fun!

When I hit the unlock button on my HTC One X, I am suddenly hit by a smoothly animated picture showcase. Beautiful images flying around the screen in Polaroid style frames which make me smile every time I unlock it - each one displaying in a crisp, sharp resolution making me smile in amazement at its performance, followed by an almost bigger smile as the memory of the photo which is being displayed. And because I have so many photo's on my phone, It's very rare that I am shown the same picture as last time. Making each time I unlock, a new reminiscing moment of happy times in my life...

OK... so maybe the above is a bit much, and making you want to grab a bucket... but it's just one of the simple things you can do with an Android phone which you can't with an iPhone. And of course, this is only one of the features you can set to the unlock screen... You can have a vast array of things displayed there to make your day so much brighter, including the local weather. Beautiful animation of what the weather 'could be doing' near you.. (although you could look out the window). You can have notifications up there also, allowing you to see who's been messaging / emailing or calling you without even having to go in to the phone, which can be simply dragged into the unlock ring, transporting you instantly to whatever app is delivering this notification. 

You can even display your latest Footprints updates up there... Instantly displaying your closest friend's and family's latest Facebook and Twitter updates. All of which you don't get from an iPhone.

Other little things an iPhone can't do which Android does effortlessly are the widgets... And we all love our widgets. I'm particularly fond of my newest widget which set me back a whole £1.60... Ouch! The Pure Calendar widget, (linked directly to my Google ID) displays all my calendar entries on the home screen, allowing me to see where I'm supposed to be and what I'm supposed to be doing over the coming week without making a mess of my home screen. This fully customisable app can be set to a small font with a transparent background so that it doesn't take away from your favourite wallpaper in the background... Now to me, that's perfection :)

I'm not gonna go on listing all the little functions and widgets that are available on Android but not on iPhone... But I will end this with 2 quotes that I've had from Sally and my Mum...

Sally on the iPhone:
The iPhone does exactly as you expect, as soon as you take it out the box, or tap on one of the apps, you know exactly what its going to do.... It lack's fun!

Mum on her HTC Sensation XL:
I can always find some new function/feature, each time I play with it. It's smooth and fast and never had any issues.

So there you go Apple... Make your next iPhone a little more exciting, make it a little less user friendly, and most of all... MAKE IT MORE FUN!!! :)


If like me, your a fan of all things tech, including Android... Check out my mates blog. Relevant Social Media. It's full of interesting articles including a Full Serving Of Ice Cream Sandwich and the new Samsung Galaxy SIII (boooo). Not just pushing this blog because he's a mate... it genuinely is a really good, easy reading and informative blog... So check him out! 

Google - Much, Much More Than An Email...

OK, so I'm a huge fan of Google. Not only do they produce what I believe to be the best mobile phone operating system (Yes folks... Android is Google's contribution to the smart phone world), but they also have a whole host of amazing products that have the ability to make your life (and mine) so much easier, enjoyable and integrated. Yet, it astounds me that in this day and age, in the era of smart phones, tablets and social networks, that many people I talk to (mostly friends that aren't in the digital industry that I am) aren't aware of what a Google ID actually is and don't see it as anything more than just another email address, much like Yahoo and MSN... This is FARRR from the case!

On that, I thought I would write my next blog post about a few of the features and functionality that Google provide me with on a daily basis. All of which don't cost me a penny, are all interlinked and enable me to be more organised, efficient and sociable. :)

Google Mail...

Yes, it's email... straight forward and simple email. But, your email address is just the start. It's not just an address... it's an ID. An online passport if you like. This ID is the core of all Google products, it is the login ID that you use for them all, and the ID which stores all that important information which you hold dear, and in some cases, (like mine) an online backup to your life... How? I'll tell you. But before I do, I'm sure of you by now are wondering... "what if I don't want Google to know everything about my life?" Well, unfortunately, they probably already do. What with all the data you share on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and whatever other social media network, there's probably not a great deal about you life that isn't already on the world wide web. There is a benefit to this however, especially in Google's case. All this data that is collected, including your online browsing behaviour, shopping habits, type of websites visited, etc... is all used by Google to make your online experience better, particularly where advertising is concerned, because lets face it... you're gonna see ads. Doesn't matter if you like them or not, you're going to see them. So wouldn't you rather see something that is of interest to you? That's why Google collects this information. To make the ads you see, more relevant to you. But this post isn't about online marketing, its about Google and it's products.

OK, so we've established that Google Mail is the email functionality, but encompassed in this are a few other nice and handy little features. Google Talk, Calendar and (my favourite) Contacts.

Google Talk is very much like MSN messenger. Quite simply, it's a chat applet. The clever and most useful ones though are the calendar and contacts. They are as you would expect. They are a calendar, and a store for your contacts. However, if like me, you are a smart phone user these are automatically synced with your phone. Meaning as you add new appointments, meetings, contact details, etc... to either interface (phone or Desktop) these are updated on Google's servers, giving you access to them wherever you are... 'Simples'.

Don't you just hate it, when you get a new phone and have to transfer all your details across? Contacts, meetings, photo's etc... You're Google account removed this issue. Once your data is stored on Google, you simply connect your new phone to Google, and viola... all your contacts and details are restored :) 

So those are the basics... But then there's more... More (much more, but I'm not going into all).

Another one of my favourites is Google Reader... There are soo many blogs, forums, sites of interest out there these days that have an RSS feed, it's hard to keep up. Anything from the BBC, through to your local Poodle lovers site... (In simple terms, an RSS feed is a URL which pulls through the posts on a blog, forum etc... Copying this feed url in to a feed reader will display them all in that app, reader, site, etc). Google Reader does just that.

If I come across a new site that I like, and it has an RSS feed, I simply click it, and subscribe using my Google ID. This feed subscription (free) is then added to my list of feeds, which again, I can access either via Google Reader online, or the mobile app. This allows me to keep up to date on news and updates on things that I find interesting, and most mornings, I spend my commute to work reading the latest Android, Disney, and Driftworks updates. 

Google+ (plus)

Google+ is Google's answer to Facebook... Slightly behind the times in coming out, but slowly getting bigger in terms of people using it. And, to be honest, I quite like it. Its got some great features in it, such as Hangouts (Like video chat-rooms which you create and talk to mates using video), Circles (similar to Facebook friend groups, but much easier to use, segment, create, etc... as well as the ability to share certain things, comments, posts with certain Circles). I think one of the best features to Google+ however, is its seamless integration with Picasa, Google photo sharing service. You can link all your photo albums on Picasa directly to your Google+ account, and share them through that. As well as being able to them instantly download (or upload) these to / from your smart phone.

So there's just a few of the things which I use on a daily basis from Google, and maybe Yahoo and MSN offer exactly the same and maybe some of you reading this now are just as happy with your Yahoo & MSN accounts, but there's something about Google that makes you feel secure, makes you feel like your data is safe. Afterall, I have never had my Google account hacked and used to send spam, but I have my Hotmail, and, I've never had spam emails from any of my mates using Google, but I have their Yahoo... 

HTC One X - 1 Week In

Right... as you will have no doubt gathered by now, I'm a bit of a geek, and love my techie things. Especially mobile phones and as I mentioned in my second post, I recently changed my Nexus for a HTC One X. I'm now a week into using it and thought (as many have) I would write a review on my thoughts, expectations and opinions of what I think to be HTC's greatest achievement to date.

Usually at this point, a week in to using a new mobile phone, I would have something to niggle about, something that just wasn't quite right. Because like a lot of men... I'm never happy, never satisfied. But... I can honestly say, with the HTC One X, this isn't the case. OK, so if I really wanted to be fussy, there are a couple of teeny weeny little things, but these are just things I'm finding for the sake of finding something. But I'll come onto these later.

First Impressions

I think the first thing you notice about the HTC One X is how well built it feels. Almost on par with the iPhone 4(s), only difference being you can feel confident that if you were to drop the One X, it wouldn't shatter into a million pieces, which is the feeling I always had with my iPhone.

 I've read some reviews that have slated the single piece, polycarbonate body, and lack of access to the battery, but I actually like this idea. Makes the phone feel much more solid and reliable. I've also read about people not being happy that you can't get access to the memory card, or add any kind of expansion to it... Really?? It's already 32Gb... What more do you want? I mean, I'm a huge music fan, and have a HUGE collection of music on my phone, and that's only taking up 20Gb of space, which leaves with with plenty more for other things. Its not like I want to store numerous films on there or more music that I can listen to in a week. There's just no need for it.

The Screen

'Amazing'... That's quite simply the only word that can be used to explain the display on the HTC One X... the resolution is second to non, it's almost as tho the screen is floating on top of the glass and is crystal clear. It's responsive too, but I suppose that's to be expected coming from what, for the moment, is the worlds most powerful mobile processor. The Tegra 3, quad core chip is definitely setting the bar here, and wow, what a bar it is to reach. I've not yet come across a situation where the processor starts to fail, or lag... It's seamlessly jumps from app to app, opening and closing windows, files, apps, whatever you ask it to do, it does it within a fraction of a second and amazingly smooth.

Whilst we're on the subject of 'switching from app to app'... one of the little things I mentioned above, about being silly little niggles for the sake of finding them. One of the things I have noticed with the HTC One X, is how using the 'recent apps' button, doesn't actually show you the apps in their open state... it shows you a screen shot of them, and selecting them, zooms in on the screen shot, and then loads the app as apposed to showing the actual app and zooming into that. Sounds strange, I know, and not the easiest thing to explain without showing it on the actual handset. But when using the same feature on the Nexus, it was the live app that was shown, and selecting it would instantly jump back into the app. Whereas now, there is a millisecond of a delay as the phone switches from the screen shot, to the live app. Again, not an issue to discourage anyone at all from the HTC One X. It's just another one of those things that you would kinda expect 'not' to see from such a high end device.

Camera

I'm a huge photography fan... and although I'm by far no David Bailey, I can take some pretty good shots, and like to know that my phones camera isn't going to let me down when the perfect moment for a great shot passes by. The HTC One X definitely lives up to the mark on this one also... Similar to a lot of smart phones out there now, you are able to access the camera straight from the unlock screen. However, unlike most smart phones, which use the main processor to handle the image taking tasks. The HTC One X uses a new ImageSense processor, a dedicated chip only for the camera. This makes the One X camera amazingly fast, whether it’s the focusing time or the shot to shot time. 

It also has an awesome quick burst mode, which although is pretty quick, isn’t as fast as the machine gun sound the phone makes when you use it, which leads you to believe you have actually taken more shots that you have. That said, it's great to capture those actions shots, when you're not quite sure when to press the button. With the One X, you simple press and hold the shutter button and the phone does the rest. allegedly, it can take up to 99 shots in a minute, although I'm not sure why you would want to.

I'm not really big on taking video's so can't really comment on the video recording capabilities of the One X, but I've read reviews that have raved about this just as much as its still image capturing ability. There is a nice feature in the playback however, which allows you to take stills straight from the video. Which I'm sure comes in quite handy.

Music

Now this is probably one of the highest things up on my list of important factors of a smart phone. Its music playing capabilities, purely because, as mentioned above, I'm a huge music fan and the majority of the time, can be found listening to my music wherever I may be... Usually on my commute to and from work. Music playback on the Nexus was a huge let down. Not only was the max volume far too low, but its equaliser was also pretty poor and the bass was non existent. Even through my  Beats earphones, my 'Drum & Bass' and 'DubStep' were more like 'Drum & .......' and 'TinStep'. Which was really disappointing considering this was supposed to be Google's flagship device.

The HTC One X however, is a different beast all together. I suppose this comes from the Beats by Dre processor tucked away in that shell, although I've never used another Dre handset so couldn't comment. The HTC One X tho is amazing. This is the first handset where I haven't constantly had my volume turned up to max, purely because on max, the music would be deafening... The bass is also top notch, and even through my cheap JVC earphones (the Beats have died) the music quality is crisp and clear.

It's a nice interface too, easy to use, fast to respond and has to neat little features in it, including the ability to download album art, fetch additional info on the artist and / or album via SoundHorn as well as the ability to share what you are listening to straight onto your favourite social network.

Overall

I think it's pretty obvious from the above that I am over the moon with the new HTC One X, and am pretty confident that its going to be on top of the 'smart phone league table' for some time. From reading previews of the new Galaxy S3 also, I don't think that's going to be much threat either. It would appear that HTC are making a comeback with one hell of a punch and with the HTC One X, they are definitely re-setting all the bars for the likes of Samsung and Apple to try and reach.

The Handbag...

Well... here it is... here is the result of what happens when you ask a woman to write a post for you blog :)

Content kindly donated by my dear Mum today :) (thanks Mum xoxox)

Yes ladies, we all have one, or one hundred and one ! And we still desire/buy/require/NEED, more!!

Handbags are a woman’s best friend. You can go without a lot of things, in this day and age, but the one thing a woman does not leave the house without, is her beloved handbag.

It may amuse you to learn that it was men, yes men, in the 14th century, that first carried a “handbag“. It was a measure of ones social status!! [ooo er. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the term ‘handbag’ emerged, to describe handheld luggage designed for rail travel.

Hence, all of our lusted after names such as Hermes, [who were in fact saddlers], Mulberry, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, etc. started life making large luggage ! [yep, the kitchen sink did in fact fit]

So next time your dearly beloved dares to pass comment [also known as complaining] about your increasingly large collection - blame him !

Drifting... #1

Drifting - To Drift - To purposely force the car into an oversteer, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels, while maintaining control from entry to exit of a corner.

A car is drifting when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle, to such an extent that the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn (e.g. car is turning left, wheels are pointed right or vice versa). Also known as 'opposite-lock'.

I blame my parents for both my love of motorsport and the burning passion I have for taking part. Throughout my childhood years we we're involved in a catalogue of activities from 2 wheels to 4, from water to forest. All of which I loved to be involved with and learnt a great deal from. Whether it was helping my Dad build a Rover V8 engine in the hallway of the flat at 12 years old (and destroying my skate board whilst trying to move it - "Yes, I remember, Dad"), to watching them tearing across the countryside in the Ricker. I loved every minute of it.

When I was young, drifting wasn't really on the scene, as I feel if it were, that would have been another sport my parents would have had a go at.... It's only really become big over here in the last few years. Probably coincides with the release of Fast & Furious, Tokyo Drift in 2006.

Needless to say, now, It's huge... From small local events ('Run What You Brung' days) where privateers can turn up in their daily driver and thrash it out across a simple drift course, right through to national championships, on national race tracks - filled with (what are now becoming) well known teams such as Japspeed and Team Orange (US). The sport even has it's own local celebrity, Shane Lynch, who following the demise of Boyzone, donned his helmet and became a 'professional' drift racer for Team Japspeed.

I don't quite know what it is about drifting that I find so compelling, maybe its the thought of being completely out of control, but at the same time maintaining complete control. Maybe its the noise the cars make whilst in a full 4 wheels slide at 60/70MPH, with the rev counter bouncing off the limiter as the flames shoot out of the exhaust. Or maybe, its just memories of watching Tiff Needell on Top Gear as a young boy, purposely sliding cars around the test track in complete control. I really have no idea where this passion for the sport has come from, but I do know that this is going to be my next hobby, and am pretty sure, once I get going... Is going to be what this blog will mostly consist of.

But first things first... I need to find a car... 

Now there are many to chose from in the world of drifting, but of course there are a select few favourites out there, but in the end, it all comes down to your budget. If money were no object, they say that the Scoobie Impreza has an amazing chassis for drifting... just doesnt have what it takes in the engine department and can often be found with full Toyota Supra engine and running gear in them. But that's only when you have money to burn. Another couple of popular cars are Skylines and Silvia's (S13, S14 & S15) but again.. these can work out to be pretty expensive. I need something cheap... something cheerful... and most importantly, something that's not gonna bother me on my first attempt to drift when I ends up in a ditch, against a wall, or round a tree... cause lets face it... It's going to happen. It's not a case of IF... its a definate WHEN! :)

All that said, that still leaves me with a few options to go from... There's plenty of cheap BMW's out there, all of which are rear wheel drive (RWD) and with a little bit of a diet (stripped out of all interior, doorcards, excess weight, etc...) I'm sure it would make the perfect beginners drift car.

So there you have it... That's my new, up and coming project... Will keep you all posted on my progress with reports and possibly some pics as and when they come.