How Big Should a Smart Phone Be?

Smart phones have a come a long way since I started covering them professionally back in 2009 they have a ton of new features, GPS, 41mp cameras, fingerprint sensors, heart-rate monitors, etc...  They have also in increased in size perhaps a little too much even.

 

When the HTC Titan came out it was well...HUGE at the time.  I remember opening the box to it's massive 4.7 inch screen.  That's right massive!  People made fun of me for how large my phone was and asked how it was even useful at that size.  Now devices that are under five inches are "mini" devices.  Which begs the question what is the idea smartphone size?

Up until two weeks ago I'd be firmly in the 5.7 inch plus camp.  I mean honestly how often do you use your smartphone as phone?  Five percent of the time?  Most of the time it's more of tablet. Playing games, texting, watching Netflix, showing of pictures to your friends, etc... All of this stuff is best done on a larger screen.

However I recently went back to my Lumia 1020 from a six inch device and I find the 4.5 inch screen to be more useful to me.  Even with my small hands most of the screen is reachable and I am using it one handed all of the time now.  It pockets in/out like a breeze and feels more natural in use.  This isn't saying I don't miss my large phablet device sometimes because I do however I have the tradeoff isn't worth it anymore.

So what's the correct screen size?  That depends on how you use your device but I think ASUS has the answer to this problem and no one is simply paying attention to it.

Asus Padfone line is the answer.  A 4.5 to 5 inch device that docks into a 7 to 9 inch tablet.  Yes please!! This allows it to be portable enough as a phone yet relax at home like a tablet.  I have no idea why others have not jumped on this form factor.  The hardware itself if not great, a mid-range at best however the idea is sound.  Rumor has this device getting refreshed in a Android and a Windows Mobile version.  If indeed the update version is Windows based I will be first in line.

Best Buy: Motorola Moto G now $19.99 Off Contract

If you desire an affordable handset that is a genuinely good smartphone, then the original Moto G is still one of the most potent options out there? It has always been a bargain since launch, but thanks to Best Buy and Motorola the original Moto G is now a must have device. The retailer is offering the Verizon variant of the smartphone for just $19.99 off contract.

For a cent under twenty bucks, you can walk away with a very solid smartphone, and at this price we suspect the Moto G will fly off the shelves as it is a perfect intro into smartphones for teenagers, kids, or just someone who wants an affordable device.

This is a true bargain. The Moto G comes with a 4.5-cinh 720p HD screen, a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and a 2070 mAh battery. There is an 8 megapixel camera around the back, while the device is even upgradeable to Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Older Sony Xperia Z and Xperia Z1 Smartphones get Android Lollipop

Sony has already updated its flagship Xperia Z3 devices to Android 5.0 Lollipop and now the company is bringing the software to its older Xperia Z devices. The company has started rolling out Android 5.0.2 Lollipop to the Xperia Z, ZR, Z1, Z1 Compact, and Z Ultra starting this week. The firmware builds in question are 14.5.A.0.270 for the Xperia Z1 devices and 10.6.A.0.454 for the Xperia Z series smartphones.

Sony has published the changelog (see below), while the update also comes with the full Android Lollipop goodies such as Material Design, Project Volta, Quick Settings, Notifications, and the ability to move apps to the SD card. This is a huge 1.2GB file, so you will have to have a Wi-Fi connection to hook up to it. The update is being rolled out over the air now, however you can also use Sony’s desktop software to pull in the upgrade.

Ensured the lock screen / notification bar doesn’t indicate “no service” when the device has coverage

Added a Sony feature; bringing back the “close-all-button” in the activity menu, so you can easily close all apps at once

Unblocked devices with server policies (such as Exchange Active Sync for e-mail), to enable the new Lollipop lock-screen notifications

Ensured the LED light is lit across all sound modes – and no longer offset by “silent”

Made the necessary fixes to enable the easy movement of content from internal memory to external microSD card (something we saw affecting a few devices)

Improved messaging functionality in Ultra stamina mode – some conversations could not be opened before in Ultra stamina mode

Here’s Why Phone Design Doesn’t Matter

If there is one thing I use to LOVE about new devices when they first got introduced was design.  There are magic designs out there.  The HTC One is still a piece of art work, the latest Galaxy device is nice, iPhone's (while I hate the OS) are very well crafted and designed devices.  But something has changed in the past few years that made all of this design obsolete.

Yup that's right somewhere along the way smartphone OEM's have started a war about how thin a device is, how little bezel it has and how light the phone is.  These phone are very, very pretty and impressive.  This thinness comes with the price of weakness and lets face it's an expensive device to produce.

Thin, expensive, frail device the needs to last consumers at least 18 months?  Only one thing left to do that's case up the phone.  Face it when you get a new device if you don't buy a case at the store you have already ordered it online and treat the phone like a newborn till said case arrives.  In reality most people buy their device look at it's prettiness for oh three minutes case it up and never see the naked device ever again.

Here's my call out to OEM's stop the nonsense!  Make a reasonably thick device, make it a little more durable and put a bigger battery into it.  A device like that would sell like hotcakes!!  Or perhaps I am just a little too old school here.

Android Wear 5.1.1 Lands on Compatible Smartwatches

The company said the upgrade will be rolling out in stages so you may not be seeing it right away. However, Mountain View pointed out that some may be waiting days or even weeks to get the newest build of Android Wear.

As we have written before, this is the build that brings with it Wi-Fi support, with users able to sync to their smartphones without using a Bluetooth connection. It is worth mentioning that only four current Android Wear products will support this Wi-Fi connectivity, the LG Watch Urbane, Sony SmartWatch 3, Samsung Gear Live, and the Motorola Moto 360.

If you are running something else, such as the LG G Watch R or ASUS ZenWatch, you can still pull in the update and have the other new features. They include a new always-on feature for apps, a new left swipe gesture to access contacts and apps, as well as the ability to change font size, and emoji drawing support.

Sharp Announced AQUOS Crystal 2

Last week Sharp announced the hugely impressive AQUOS ZETA smartphone and tablet, devices that caught our eye with premium build and strong specs. The Japanese electronics giant has been doing well with its smartphones recently, and arguably the most impressive device was the bezel free AQUOS Crystal. That smartphone has now received an update in the shape of the AQUOS Crystal 2.

Last year the AQUOS Crystal landed in two variants, a high end flagship handset and a more modest version, it was this latter one that found its way to Sprint and Boost in the U.S. While we guess a flagship AQUOS Crystal 2 is on its way, Sharp has launched the device in a mid-range flavour, but luckily it retains the cool design. That means, save for the bottom bezel the smartphone is all screen (all 5.2-inch of it), and in person it really is a striking product.

As for specs, the AQUOS Crystal 2 is modest and comes with a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage (sadly no micro SD slot), a 2030mAh juicer, LTE connectivity, an 8 megapixel rear camera, a 2 megapixel front facer, and NFC connectivity.

The handset is being listed by SoftBank in Japan and it appears to be a carrier exclusive. No price details have been offered yet, but the handset will be rolled out by the end of July, and we are hoping the AQUOS Crystal 2 can find its way to other markets.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Getting Android 5.0 this Quarter

Samsung has done a good job updating a lot of its devices to Android 5.0 Lollipop, but the company has a huge array of smartphones, many of which are still lacking Lollipop. For example the Galaxy S5 Mini has yet to get an upgrade to Android 5.0 and is still knocking around on good old Android 4.4.2 KitKat. That is about to change though as Samsung Denmark confirmed the software is imminent on the device.

It was already known that the mid-range handset would get the software eventually, the Galaxy S4 Mini is barely one year old and Samsung also confirmed Lollipop would land on the smartphone back in February. The Danish division has not offered an exact date but the update is expected to land something during the second quarter, which would be during the next five weeks.

The Galaxy S5 Mini is a watered down flagship that we are generally down on, but it still remains a solid enough mid-range handset. It comes with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor paired with 1.5GB of RAM, while there is also a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED 720p panel, an 8 megapixel camera, and 16GB (expandable to 64GB) of storage on board.