Blue Bugle: Mobile, Desktop & Web Technologies

You have probably already read our reviews of HTC One  and Galaxy S4 . These are the best and brightest of the currently available Android smartphones on the market. These smartphones have the best display, processors, graphics options, memory, storage, and of course high price. They come with Android 4.1.2 and 4.2.2 respectively, with HTC’s and Samsung’s special skin on top of Android. Google releases its Android OS and licenses it out to all these smartphone manufacturers, who decide to change the OS in the way they want and skin it up with their own designs. Although these designs are quite amazing, people are still pretty interested in Google’s own non-customized Android as found in the Nexus line. The latest Nexus device is LG’s Nexus 4  that has its own disadvantages, such as lack of LTE for one. Now, however, you are getting an option to get a Nexus-like operating system on one of these premier devices, HTC One and Galaxy S4. Here are the Google Play editions of the...

In an event in Taiwan, HTC unveiled the next big device in its Butterfly series (you probably know it as Verizon’s Droid DNA). Droid DNA and its international edition, J Butterfly have been two of the most exciting and high-end smartphones developed by HTC. Here is Butterfly S, which comes with similar features and a whopping large screen of 5 inches, the largest that HTC has ever made. Engadget China has managed to get its hands on the device here . Here is the promo video of the device: Technical Specifications Here is the technical specifications of Butterfly S in comparison to two other devices, HTC One  and Samsung Galaxy S IV. Feature HTC Butterfly S HTC One Samsung Galaxy S IV Display Super LCD 3; 5 inch 1080p (441 ppi) Super LCD 3; 4.7 inch 1080p (469 ppi) Super AMOLED HD; 4.99 inch 1080p (440 ppi) Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Corning Gorilla Glass 2 Corning Gorilla Glass 3 ...

One of the biggest news of the last two days is the release of yet another smartphone in the Samsung Galaxy family, a phone of no especial features, with 720p 233ppi TFT screen, Android Jelly Bean, 1.5 GB RAM, 8/16 GB internal storage, Exynos 5 1.7 GHz dual-core processor, etc. The smartphone, known as Galaxy Mega is peculiar due to its screen size, of 6.3 inches, which makes it the mammoth of the smartphone market. Samsung was the first manufacturer to lead the way to phones of unusually large screen sizes. Soon enough, other manufacturers followed, and some even managed to go a few steps further. Is this rat race for large screen sizes come to an end? Is it time for customers to really think about the display technology, rather than the screen size? Let’s find out. The year was 2011 and the place, Berlin, home to the Berlin Radio Show. Samsung announced a legendary product in its Galaxy family of devices—the Galaxy Note. The product is in its second generation now , with sales g...

One of the announcements that has rocked the world of smartphones in the last couple of days is that of Facebook Home, which is as Facebook says, a piece of software for your phone designed to put your friends above everything else. What does this mean to the existing smartphones, and how does it affect the status quo? Let’s find out. Check out the promo video: The announcement came two days ago, on Apr 12, 2013 . It has received, as expected, widespread attention from the smartphone community. On an unrelated note, I was unable to check it out at the time because I was hospitalized for renal calculi that were eating me alive. Facebook Home is not a new operating system that targets Android or iOS, neither is it an enhanced app for your existing Facebook smartphone app, which by the way is one of the most popular apps out there. Facebook Home is an enhanced home screen option for Android devices. Also, not for all Android phones, only these—HTC’s First, One , One X, Samsung’s...

Have you noticed the tech CEOs and top executives are constantly engaged in bashing the competitors’ products? Our favorite tech companies and their executives badmouth the competitor products almost all the time, especially when the competitor is winning on several aspects. It is not peculiar, but quite a bit distasteful (on the part of the bashing company) considering that the winning company not only bashes back, but enjoys being silent in a debonair sort of way. BlackBerry & Apple One of the recent so-called opinions was from Thorsten Heins, CEO, BlackBerry, about—the obvious competitor, Apple iPhone. Australian Financial Review conducted a minor interview  with Heins, in what he mentioned this: Apple did a fantastic job in bringing touch devices to market ... They did a fantastic job with the user interface, they are a design icon. There is a reason why they were so successful, and we actually have to admit this and respect that. History repeats itself again I gues...

Samsung has given us a lot of stuff with Galaxy S IV, which we believe is an awesome new smartphone . There are a number of features that we mentioned in that review, but there are a lot more. Samsung has its own software applications bundled on the device, to make it unique in the industry of highly competitive products. It definitely seems like Samsung has done an awesome job with this smartphone, and it could unsettle other manufacturers—HTC with One , LG with Optimus G Pro , and Sony with Xperia Z , which are Samsung’s immediate competitors in high-end smartphone market. In this article, let me talk about a few features on Galaxy S IV that ‘sort of’ resembles products and technologies from other OEMs and companies in the current smartphone market. 1. A Gaming Accessory, Game Pad Take a look at this specific gaming accessory that Samsung is introducing with Galaxy S IV, known as Game Pad. This particular device will transform your Galaxy S IV into a gaming console almost lik...

I am not talking about the smartphones that will be released in the coming months or days or the ones that are no longer available, but the ones that are in the market right now. You, as a smartphone customer, are looking for various factors to determine your purchase. Some of us want to get our work done quickly and effectively. Some of us want to read books and watch movies, and are looking for amazing screens. Some of us are interested in amazing build quality. Some others want to have their phones work everywhere, in all networks, in all plans. Well, there is a recipe for each requirement, but not one that satisfies all, I am afraid. Let’s take a look at the best of the lot in this post. Also, one thing to note, these smartphones are the ones with highest configuration out there. We have left out the low performance models completely. 1. The Most Productive The answer is simple. Apple iPhone. With over 750,000 apps available, iPhone has the one app ecosystem that has everythin...

Time when we were buying SLR and digital SLR cameras for capturing various moments in our lives is gone. Now, those special moments are captured right from within your smartphones. Most of these smartphones have evolved to the point that it is right to say the best camera in the world is the one in your hands. The time of puny 1 MP and 3 MP cameras is gone, and now it is time for 8 MP, 12 MP, 13 MP, or 41 MP cameras among smartphones. In this article, let’s look at the major technologies used in the cameras of our favorite smartphones. According to research firm NPD’s statistics, in 2011, over 27 percent of the photos were taken by smartphone cameras. Also, this zest for camera phones is negatively affecting the point-and-shoot camera market. The Basic Technology Digital cameras have these—a lens, an image sensor technology, and the image signal processor. When you are taking videos with these digital cameras, one additional component called video encoder also comes into pl...