T-Mobile - Perfect For Those on the Upgrade Treadmill

The Upgrade Treadmill is something gadget lovers struggle with on a frequent basis.  Companies release so many devices with incremental improvements that those always wanting the next best thing are in a perpetual state of buying and selling devices to feed our addiction.  This can often be time consuming and not very cost-effective. With T-mobile's advent of the 'uncarrier' label and their value plans, I believe they've positioned themselves to both change the cell phone game and help us that always want the latest tech.

Oppo Find 5 Review

The Oppo Find 5 the flagship device from a company otherwise not well known to the smartphone community.  +OPPO  is more well known for their blu-ray players and other tech and has recently made the jump into the high end cell phone market with the release of the Oppo Find 5.  Currently available mostly through Chinese retailers the phone is very hard to get ahold of in the states which was part of it's allure for me.  With the recent release of the HTC One and the Galaxy S4, I knew those would be the two flagship phones for 2013 (note 3 pending) that the masses would be after.  I however stumbled across a review done by +Marques Brownlee here that had me so intrigued by the phone I sold my Note 2 on swappa and began the hunt for a Find 5.

First Impressions

I was able to find probably the only Find 5 in california on craigslist and picked it up one night after work at 11pm (yes, I was that anxious).  Upon opening the box I was immediately surprised by the quality of the packaaging as well as the device itself.  Everything about the phone screams quality and as I found out later the manufacturer is taking huge steps to set it apart from the rest of the android crowd.  Inside you find an apple-esque USB charger and generic looking set of headphones and usb cable.  Otherwise its pretty bare aside from the sim tray removal tool.  I did like the subtle touch that the tool resembles the companies logo. 

Upon powering up the device for the first time I was pleasantly surprised at the crisp sound coming from the speaker.  Setting up the phone was much like any other device but landing on the home screen reminded me of a MIUI rom with cartoony icons.  I messed with settings for a bit trying to get the homescreen to my liking but ended up installing Nova Launcher as I do on my other devices.  

Daily Use

I used the phone for a few days with just a basic launcher installed over top and found it to be quite pleasurable.  It came preinstalled with classy notifications, a nice UI skin for menus and the dialer, and was overall very snappy with completing tasks.  One thing to note is that because Oppo is so new to the smartphone market they have not optimized their battery consumption to I was finding it to have rather lackluster battery life; especially coming from the Note 2.  

The screen on the Oppo is a thing of beauty. The colors are bright without tinting any certain hue (Samsung) and having it nearly edge to edge width wise keeps the size of the phone down. I was able to notice some of the touch matrix on the device  at some angles in direct sunlight which is something I haven't seen on any other phone but it doesn't bother me. The full hd resolution is great for watching videos and text is crisp. Scrolling around the web is done smoothly even with ad heavy web pages.

While some will surely complain about the weight of the phone being it is constructed with a steel chassis, I find the heft of the device pleasurable and a validation of the quality of materials used in its construction. It's edges are smart without cutting into your palm and the design of the phone is sleek. 

After continuing to play with the phone I did notice a few quirks worth noting.  Oppo set the phone up to refresh the recovery partition on each boot which caused the phone to boot to the stock launcher and required changing it back to Nova each time.  I also did notice the phone would alert me that Go SMS Pro was attempting to send an SMS at random intervals, and clicking the 'do not ask me again' did nothing after a reboot.  I also noticed that the keyboard would also revert to stock at random times. 

Because of the above small nuisances I took the forums at Oppo.com and flashed an AOSP based rom to compare the performance.  I immediately noticed the above quirks were eliminated and the phone had regained the vanilla android flavor I was used to.  Battery life improved and overall satisfaction with the phone had skyrocketed to it possibly being my favorite device of all time.

Oppo and the Community

Now I know the above statement regarding it being my favorite device of all time may seem bold and premature, but I'll tell you why its not.  Oppo is commited to listening to its users and patches issues with software updates every 2 weeks or so.  This is great in that they listen to the suggestions of users and address them in a very timely manner. In addition Oppo is taking a different stance than other manufacturers in that they are embracing the open source nature of the andorid community.  As I posted in an earlier blog entry the company posted to their Google+ page that they are excited to be included in new builds of CM10 and have official support.  When a user asked Oppo if rooting or flashing CM10 would void their warranty Oppo responded by saying as long you do not overclock or damage the internal hardware you will retain warranty.  With other developer teams such as +Paranoid Android  also beginning beta support, the future looks bright for Oppo even as a niche in the market of cell phones. 

Closing Thoughts

With awesome build quality, a powerhouse spec sheet, and a manufacturer that supports its device when rooted Oppo has secured itself as a company to look out for.  As a previous Nexus snob, seeing someone come out with a phone so well built and embrace the community with fresh builds every two weeks and support third parties as well is a breath of fresh air the +Android world need. 

What are your thoughts on the device? Please share & respond in the comments section!

OPPO gets CM10, states root will not void users warranty

According to a post made on Google+ yesterday, +OPPO has announced being added to the CM10 supported list.  But the real news is a response made to a question from a fan:

That's correct; Oppo states rooted devices or those with third party roms will retain their manufacturer warranty.  This could prove to be a huge boost to their supported community and hopefully bring over more developers.  Thoughts?

LG HBS-700 Bluetooth Headphones

After a freak accident that left the headphone port on my Note 2 damaged, I had to look into other options to listen to my music and podcasts.  After looking at several options on amazon, weighing the user reviews, cost, battery life, and features I decided on the LG HBS-700 Bluetooth Headphones.

The box was pretty standard, with a magnetic front flap which opened to show off the design of the headphones while highlighting the features and buttons.  Opening up the packaging shows the headphones themselves, a micro USB charger, quick start guide, and user manual.  The headphones were lighter than I thought, and after putting them around my neck for the first time forgot they were there after 5 minutes.

The button layout on the headphones are thoughtful and intuitive.  On the left side is the pulsing indicator LED that surrounds the call/answer button as well as the rocker for volume up or down.  Housed on the inside edge is the micro USB charge port with cover to prevent sweat or dust.  On the outside of the left side is the power switch, which i'm glad is a switch rather than pressing and holding a button for an extended period of time.  Opposite these controls on the right side is the play/pause button, and a rocker for forward and back.

Another great feature of the headphones is the ear-buds themselves are magnetic, and they attach easily to the ends of the neck piece when not in use.  The neckband is a soft rubber feel and has two plastic tabs that help manage the ear-bud cable so it prevents tangling and keeps excess wire tucked under your collar or jacket.

The headphones paired easily with my Note 2, without needing to enter a code on my phone or press any specific buttons the headphones themselves.  Audio quality did leave a little bit to be desired, audio sounded a little flat however holding the volume up and down together for a few seconds turned on enhanced bass mode which added a little more to the dynamic of the audio.  I did read online the audio quality was improved on the later HBS-730 however owners complain of a decrease in range when compared to the HBS-700.

That's also another reason I chose the HBS-700.  I have a small studio apartment and wanted to be able to leave my phone in a central location and be able to go about my business and have audio throughout the whole place.  I have noticed with line of sight I can easily stand 30-35 feet away without choppiness, however through a wall signal is reduced to about 20-25 feet.  This also comes in handy when i'm at the gym so I can set my Note 2 on the floor under a bench and still go to the weight rack and back or get water without losing audio or having to lug around the note 2 in basketball shorts.

Speaking of exercise, the HBS-700 excel at the gym.  They are light, and stay put around your neck in most situations.  However while laying on a bench or doing crunches i do have to tuck the ends of the headphones under my shirt collar to keep it from slipping off.  While running on the treadmill the ends of the neck piece do tend to bounce a bit, but tucking them under your shirt collar solves that problem without much hassle.

Since I do exercise daily, another selling point for these was their amazing battery life.  LG makes checking your battery level easy, with a quick hold of the volume down button the status LED can show 1 of 3 colors to tell you how much battery you have left.  A typical day of use for me involves a 40 minute dog walk with my pup when I wake up, 15 minutes in the car both ways to the gym plus 2 hours of music at the gym. I can usually go 3-4 days without needing a charge but I usually plug it in each night anyway.

The headphones also do a great job handling phone calls.  When receiving a call, the neck piece vibrates, the led flashes, and a simple audio ring chimes in the ear buds. Clicking the call button answers the call, while pressing the volume down button silences the call.  Another nice feature is holding the call button down for 1 second redials the last caller, and holding it for 2-3 seconds launches voice commands through whatever application is defaulted on your device.

All in all, I couldn't be more impressed.  With stellar battery life, great features and a lower than typical price point of between 50-65 on amazon, the LG HBS-700 is a great choice for those looking for a Bluetooth alternative for their smartphones.

Amazon

Microsoft Wedge Bluetooth Keyboard

While looking for a Bluetooth keyboard for my Nexus 10 I was overwhelmed in my search at the abundance of gaudy, bulky cases with Bluetooth keyboards built in that didn't have the aesthetic appeal I was looking for.

Nexus 10 Smart Cover Released

The Google Nexus 10 has been out for over 6 months and after much anticipation and patient waiting the first official accessory has been released by Google. The Smart cover comes in two colors: Dark Grey and Scarlet from the Google Play store for $29.99 with 3-5 day shipping. The case itself looks to be fairly straightforward with a cutout to use the rear facing camera with the cover flipped open. One thing I noticed is that it is lacking a cutout for the notification LED.

Scarlet

Dark Grey