Thursday, 7 November 2013
Google Nexus 5 vs. Nexus 4: What's changed

Google and LG finally unveiled the much-awaited new Nexus smartphone, the Nexus 5 with significant changes - they have made the smartphone more powerful, apart from lighter and thinner. The Nexus 5 is also meant to be the platform lead device for Android 4.4 KitKat, showcasing the potential of the new OS. Here is how the Nexus 5 squares up against the Nexus 4, its predecessor, and platform lead device for Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Display
Google and LG have decided offer a bigger display with the Nexus 5. It features a 4.95-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixel) IPS+ LCD display which boasts a pixel density of 445ppi, and comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. On the other hand, the Nexus 4 sports a 4.7-inch HD (768x1280 pixels) IPS+ LCD display with a pixel density of 320ppi, and Corning Gorilla Glass 2. We've yet to get our hands on the Nexus 5, and for now, can't take a call on which display is better for now (in terms of viewing angles, colour accuracry, brightness and contrast), with both featuring the same display technology.
Camera
The Nexus 5 sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with OIS, a new addition to Nexus smartphone line-up. It also houses a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. On the camera front, the Nexus 4 was criticised for its relative average camera performance. However, Google has now acknowledged the issue and has introduced the optical image stabilisation (OIS) feature in the Nexus 5's camera, which should ensure sharper images and video. The rest of the imaging optics appears to be the same as the Nexus 4, with the same 8-megapixel sized rear camera, and 1.3-megapixel front camera. In addition, the camera app was also updated with Android 4.4 KitKat (which will make its way to the Nexus 4), with Photo Sphere for Panorama 360 degree shots; HDR+ mode for burst shots which automatically chooses the best shot.
Hardware
The Nexus 5 is powered by top-of-the-line 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, which is coupled with the Adreno 330 GPU. Its predecessor, the Nexus 4, is powered by 1.5GHz quad-core Krait Snapdragon processor with Adreno 320 GPU.
It seems for the Nexus 5, Google and LG decided to stick with the flagship tradition and chose the Qualcomm's latest processor, available on nearly all the recently launched flagship smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, LG G2 and Sony Xperia Z1.
There is an upgrade in the battery department as well; the Nexus 5 comes with 2300mAh battery which the manufacturer claims can deliver up to 17 hours of talktime (3G) and a standby time of up to 300 hours (3G). Nexus 4 came with a 2100mAh battery, which was rated to deliver up to 15 hours of talktime (3G), and 390 hours of standby time (3G).
Notably, the Nexus 5 does not feature expandable storage with a microSD card slot, once again knocking the smartphone off a potential purchase list for some users - the lack of microSD card support was perhaps the biggest omission the Nexus 4 was criticized for.
Design
The Nexus 5 at 8.59mm is definitely slimmer than the Nexus 4, which is 9.1mm thick. It is also lighter at 130 grams, compared to the Nexus 4's 139 grams. The overall design has been also re-worked and instead of the glass back seen on Nexus 4, the Nexus 5 comes with a Nexus 7 (2013) tablet style-panel, featuring a matte finish and prominent Nexus branding.
Connectivity options
Connectivity options on the Nexus 5 have also seen an upgrade with the much-requested addition of LTE network support. The Nexus 4 had been criticised heavily for not including support. The Nexus 5 brings dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 ac as well. Not many other changes have been made on the Nexus 5 on the connectivity front.
The Nexus 5 also features Android Beam, an NFC enabled feature which lets users share digital details with just a tap of smartphone. Other connectivity features included are wireless charging support, and Bluetooth 4.0, which are also available on the Nexus 4. T
Software
Google's new Nexus smartphone is the first device to run Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box and is definitely an improved version of the Jelly Bean. The Nexus 4 will be receiving the update soon as well, and will have all the same features - so, only the preloaded aspect is different. The new features include a smart dialler, and Google-powered Caller ID. KitKat also brings the ability to wake the smartphone by just saying 'OK Google', a feature which was earlier seen on Moto X.
Google also claims that the Android 4.4 KitKat can now optimise memory and improve touchscreen response for better multitasking. Android 4.4 also bring some new features such as Hangouts app now can show messages and MMS; new immersive mode, offers full screen while reading, watching or playing, on swiping the edges offers navigation bar and status bar; native printing from Android, offers users an option to print documents, images and web pages from a device.
Price
Nexus 5 is priced at $349 for the 16GB variant while the 32GB model costs at $399. In India, the Nexus 5 has been priced at Rs. 28,999 for the 16GB model while the 32GB variant is listed for Rs. 32,999.
On the other hand, the Nexus 4 16GB was launched at $349 in October 2012, and received a $100 price cut in August 2013. For the Indian pricing, the Nexus 4 16GB was launched at Rs. 25,999 in May.
Overall
Those considering upgrading from the Nexus 4 to the Nexus 5 will get a better-specced device that will deliver much faster performance, new Android 4.4 KitKat software out-of-the-box, improved camera, upgraded battery and LTE support (though not for India).
Once again, like the Nexus 4, the Nexus 5 is a great deal for those looking for a value for money performance Android smartphone - just the Snapdragon 800 chipset at this price is a steal.
The Nexus 5 has now been listed on the Indian Google Play store with a pricing of Rs. 28,999, while the Nexus 4 has been removed from the store completely, though we expect online retailers to continue listing it for a while, without a price drop.


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Android 4.4's 'Caller ID by Google' raises privacy concerns: How to opt out


Google unveiled Android 4.4 KitKat last week, announcing a number of improvements, including more immersive graphics, as well as deeper integration with Google's intelligent assistant, Google Now, among other changes and improvements.
 
A part of these improvements is the new Phone app that automatically prioritises the users' contacts based on the people they talk to the most. Users can also search for nearby places and businesses, contacts, or people in their Google Apps domain directly from the Phone app. 
 
The Mountain View giant has now posted more details about the new Phone app on Google+. 
 
It has talked about the 'Caller ID by Google' feature in detail through which Google will let users identify unsaved phone numbers. It reiterates that the new Phone app helps users find the right number, even if it's not in their contact list, by letting them search among nearby places or even Google Apps accounts (including their company's directory, if employees numbers are shared). 
 
Other than that, it will match numbers against the names of companies and services with a Google Places listing.
 
However, the more worrying bit in terms of privacy is that, in early 2014, users who have verified their phone number and have discovery turned on will also have their names and Google Profile photos displayed whenever they call users, or users call them. Google says that 'it's great if a new friend who hasn't been saved in your contacts yet calls you' but some people would surely not like to get their phone number listed and available for lookup on an open public directory. It's not clear if Google will also allow people to search for numbers by entering names and browsing through profile listings.
 
Fortunately, you can check your Google Account to see if your phone number is listed and disable it by unchecking against the phone number by visiting this page. If you uncheck it, people will not be able to look up your name, photo and public Google profile (and other profile information you have shared with them) via the phone number. It's worth pointing out that it takes a day or so for this change to take effect, as per Google.
 
If you're worried about the privacy of your phone number, you should uncheck the option to display it with your Google profile.

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Call of Duty: Ghosts sell-in hits $1 billion

Activision also expects game to be most successful launch title for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 "by a wide margin."


Activision announced today that Call of Duty: Ghosts generated $1 billion in worldwide revenue on launch day.

Activision specifically noted in its announcement that it "sold more than $1 billion of Call of Duty: Ghosts into retail stores worldwide as of day one," meaning the figure is made up of units sold to retailers and not necessarily sales to consumers.

By comparison, Call of Duty: Black Ops II needed 15 days to reach $1 billion in sales, though that figure included units sold to consumers and not only to retailers.
Citing data from Microsoft, Activision also announced that Call of Duty: Ghosts has moved to the top spot on Xbox Live as the most-played game this week.

On the Xbox 360, average play sessions for Call of Duty: Ghosts have been longer than Black Ops II or Modern Warfare 3 over the same period, Activision said.

Looking ahead to the game's release at launch for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said Call of Duty: Ghosts will be more successful than all others.

"This is the must have launch title for the next generation of consoles, and we expect Call of Duty: Ghosts to be the most successful launch title for the Xbox One and PS4 by a wide margin."

Call of Duty: Ghosts is GameStop's most preordered next-generation game, Hirshberg said, citing data from the retailer.
Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto V generated $800 million on day-one and $1 billion in three days. Notably, however, those figures are based on units sold to consumers.

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GTA 5 stimulus packages starting delivery today

If you played, GTA 5 in October, you're getting some (in-game) money through direct deposit in the next 48 hours.


Rockstar announced today that stimulus package payments have started going out to all Grand Theft Auto Onlineplayers who logged into the game in October 2013.
You may recall that the online version of GTA hit an unexpected hiccup early in October that caused connection issues and loss of character progress for many players. The $500,000 recompense will be delivered to players' in-game accounts through direct deposit.
Rockstar added, "We expect that it will take up to two full days for the Stimulus Package to be fully delivered to the entire player base from October 2013, so please be patient if you do not see it appearing in your in-game bank account just yet."


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Microsoft has confirmed that changes to the way Windows 8.1 interfaces with pointing devices compared to previous releases are causing heartache for gamers, and promises it is working on a fix for the flaw.
Shortly after the release of Windows 8.1, the free upgrade made available to all Windows 8 users, gamers began to notice glitches in the way their mice worked. Games that had been butter-smooth on Windows 8 suddenly started juddering and jumping, 1:1 mouse movement stopped working, and polling frequencies were dropped significantly compared to prior releases.

For twitch-gamers, any one of the above problems were enough to swear off upgrading to Windows 8.1 - but Microsoft states that it is working on the issues. 'We want to thank our gaming community for the detailed feedback many of you have provided on these issues,' a Microsoft spokesperson posted on the company's Answers site. 'While we don’t have a date yet for the release of a fix, we are working to get these issues resolved as quickly as possible. The “mouse lag” issue is actually several different issues that could vary based on the game, input methods used, etc.'

Sadly, Microsoft isn't at the point where it can offer workarounds for these issues - short of asking gamers to check whether their titles support raw mouse input, which would bypass the application programming interface (API) causing problems in Windows 8.1. Other reported bugs - including the pointer being restricted from reaching all areas of a game's window, and an inability to left-click on laptop trackpads immediately after pressing a key - do come with a few recommended ways of reducing their impact.

Beyond that, the company is simply asking gamers to be patient and wait for a fix for the flaw, or to try running older games in compatibility mode, available from the Properties menu when right-clicking on a game's shortcut.
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Red Harbinger Cross PC Desk

After a long design and development period, a full retail version of forum-member Peter Brands' (l3p) desk PC has finally been made available for pre-order in the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia.

The desk is based on Brands' Mod Of The Year winning desk PC, the aptly titled l3p desk. After winning the award Brands and six other compatriots set about creating a commercially viable desk PC case design, a process which was also logged on the forums. The result is a company called Red Harbinger, and its first product called simply the Cross. 

The design consists of a powder-coated metal desk into which is mounted space to fit two PCs, with two motherboard mounts (via a forthcoming Dual PC upgrade kit) along with loads of drive bays and space for other components, plus a plethora of ventilation grilles cut into the sides. This is all topped with scratch-resistant glass for easy viewing of your PC.

The cost? Well in the US the desk is on offer for $1,699, with those of us in Europe seeing a $390 flat rate shipping charge added on top bringing the total to $2,089 or around £1,350. Given some top-end PC cases retail for over £400 and a well made desk will be just as much, the price isn't unreasonable for what you're getting. 

We've seen a few instances of community-designed products making the leap from custom-made to mass-manufactured. And given the interest surrounding Brands' original desk design, it's no surprise that his L3p desk was snapped up with the promise of a retail version soon after. 

Take a look at the full specs below as well as the gallery and don't forget to let us know your thoughts in the forum. All we can say is WANT.

Specifications
  • Material: Steel and Aluminum, Powder Coated
  • PSUMount: 1 standard
  • Max PSU Mounts: 2*
  • Motherboard Compatibility: mITX, ITX, mATX, ATX, E-ATX†, XL-ATX†, SSI-EEB†, HPTX†
  • Standard Expansion Slots: 8, 10†
  • Maximum Expansion Slots: 8+8*, 10†+8*
  • 5.25” Drive Bays: 4 (2x2)
  • 3.5” Drive Locations: 8 (left side) + 12 (right side)
  • 2.5” Drive Locations: 6 (right side) + 12 (center, hidden)
  • Glass Type: Scratch Resistant, Tempered with Frosted Border, 10mm
  • Front Ports: USB 3.0 x 2, Audio, Mic, 22mm Power and Switch x 2
  • Max Front Ports: USB 3.0 x 4, Audio x 2, Mic x 2, 22mm Power and Switch x 4*
  • Cooling Fan Locations: 120mm x 3 (left), 120mm x 3 (right), 120mm x 8 (back)
  • Physical Dimensions (L x W x H): 59.1” x 28.6” x 30.1” (1502mm x 726mm x 765mm)
  • FEATURES:
  • Max GPU Length: 300mm standard (480mm with drive cage removed), 480mm†
  • Max CPU Cooler Height: 153mm
  • Covered Back PSU/Cooling Compartment
  • Optional Interior Leg-Mounted Shelving
  • Optional Interior Leg Mounted Headset Mount
  • Modular Tray System allows for conversion to Single/Dual/HPTX
  • Hollow Legs and Body Frame for optimal cable management and lighting.
  • Bottom Access Panels for cable management
  • Hidden Center Bridge compartment for 2.5” drives






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