*Steve Makris is a technology expert who does a weekly Tech Talk segment during Edmonton’s Sunday Morning News. You can watch his segment above.
Hi folks, today on my Tech Talk segment on Global News’ Sunday Morning News I showed a tale of two new smart phones.
The cutting edge LG G3 will please those looking for the best in a phone, while the Motorola Moto E redefines the most affordable modern smartphone.
The LG G3, is available beginning August 1 at Bell, MTS, Rogers, Sasktel and Videotron, as well as national retailers Tbooth wireless, The Source, WIRELESSWAVE, WIRELESS and WOW mobile.
There are no price plans yet, but count on about $700 for a no-plan option.
For that, you get some out-of-the-ballpark technologies. The G3 sports the sharpest quad phone screen resolution ever, 2560 x 1440, 538 DPI (dots per inch) 5.5-inch Quad HD IPIS display walks away from the Samsung S5 at 432 DPI and the iPhone 5s at 326 DPI. This means never before seen sharpness and clarity on a screen, especially on quality photos and 4K video, which the G3 shoots.
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The 13 megapixel back camera uses Lazer Auto Focus, meaning no more annoying red light before you shoot. And it has a faster and more accurate focus in pitch black rooms. The image quality impresses and will outshoot larger point-and-shoot cameras with sharp corner-to-corner images from the pictures I have been shooting with it. Pressing the shutter icon continuously records a burst of 7 FPS frames . You could record hundreds of frames and after you stop the G3 is instantly ready for the next frame…that is one fast cache write.
The Magic Focus feature is interesting, allowing you to focus on the closest object in your photo and after shooting, it allows you to adjust what part of the photo can be refocused, from ultra close-up to infinity. One interesting surprise here is that if skipping the stage of refocusing, the resulting save picture is sharp all the way through, something other smartphones can’t do.
The front 2.1 MP camera has a smart three-second self timer activated by closing your palm to a fist on camera, and the unique Front Facing Soft Light made by the phone’s screen yields soft light with no shadows. Smart. You can quickly switch between selfie and back camera mode with a finger swipe across the screen.
The 3,000 mAh removable battery gives longer life to the G3 and while you have the back open, you can access the micro USB slot for more memory. I like the adaptive smart Keyboard features allowing you to adjust the keyboard size and layout, nice for smaller hands.
I like Smart Notice for little catch-ups on how your device is doing, especially on wasted space or location based reminders.
The G3 steel keeps its rear key design which when used truly lets you use the phone with one hand for most functions. On that note, I like the simplified optional Knock Code for starting the locked dark screen G3 by taping four pre-configured points anywhere on the screen.
A personal lock, becoming popular with new phones, lets you keep your personal files when sharing the G3 with others. It is light and not hot to the touch when in use. I recommend a case for it as it fits like a glove in your hand with its nicely curved back, but can slip around easy.
My only beef is the absence of a USB 3.0 connection like the Samsung S5 and Note 3 for immediately watching 4K vids on USB 3 capable TVs. You would have to transfer the videos to a USB 3 stick first. But online 4K vids look amazing on the G3.
Check my first G3 photos at www.facebook.com/stevoid
Motorola just turned the cell phone business model crazy by introducing the Moto E for $170 on www.motorola.ca and Staples.
That’s not the price with a contract folks. That is the cost of the phone, yours to keep and unlocked. Yes, it will run on any North American sim card, which means you can take any pay as you go plan from any cellco.
The Moto E has some top tech features but has shaved off others to bring the price down.
It has a high-resolution 4.3” 256 DPI display, the sharpest in its class, more than sufficient to view sharp text and photos. The screen is Corning® Gorilla® Glass and has a water-resistant splash guard.
The 1980 mAh battery will last all day and it runs on the newest Android™ 4.4.4, KitKat® – the most recent version of Android. It runs on a peppy Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 200 processor with dual-core CPU and 1GB RAM. It only has 4 GB storage but takes up to 32 GB add on with the included micro-USB slot.
It also has an average quality 5MP rear-facing camera with Motorola’s easy to use streamlined camera interface. Touch anywhere on the screen to take a shot, capture panoramic pictures or record video 720 video. There is no front facing camera, so no selfies.
The built-in FM radio is nice, saving you data for free music listening.
It also includes the very handy ready-to-go Motorola Assist for setting up features like how to answer your phone from strangers or loved ones. Or if you are in a meeting. You can even easily set up how to access emergency calls from the real thing, to close friends or relatives who can know where you even are at any given point in time. Smart!
The Moto E is meant for first time users, folks on a low budget and is built like a rock. It’s great when travelling to the U.S. for using local SIM cards. Available in black or white.
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