So two weeks ago I was given the chance to take home a Playstation 4 for a review. Smh, and
here I thought Christmas was in December. So, this week with a smile from ear
to ear I’m proud to bring to you my review of the PS4.
System Design
Let’s admit the Playstation
3 (PS3) first designs wasn’t something we were too pleased with because of
it sheer size. It looked too much like a meat grill that I see advertising on
cable. Sony wised up this time and made the PS4 sleek and thin with a LED
light strip running on the top of the system, and two touch sensitive buttons
for eject and power. The design of this system is leagues slimmer and
attractive than its predecessor.
System Controller
The Sony DualShock 4
is a controller that most gamers would appreciate for it great future proof
features. This controller has a light bar at the back, a touch pad in the
middle of the controller and an option and share button. Also, the L2 and R2 buttons feel more like triggers unlike the things we are used to
on the PS3 controller. There is also
a speaker located in the middle of the controller to play back selected in game
audio. The feature that amazed me the most was the addition of a headphone port
on the controller. This port can be used
with any headphone to route all game audio to it. So now you can step into the
game world without disturbing the persons you live with.
System User Interface
The User Interface (UI) for the PS4 is entirely different from what you would see on the PS3. First off, you can’t access
numerous parts of the dashboard without a constant internet connection. The
worst part is that not even your trophies are accessible while offline… Yes,
you heard me right. You can’t see your pass, present, or future trophy without
internet. This is a sore point for me… cause I have no internet at home and I
am a trophy hunter with a level 20 PSN account!!!
Moving on… the system UI is strongly integrated with Facebook and Twitter for posting game updates and achievements. You
can also post gameplay videos with commentary directly from the PS4 to Facebook, Twitch, and Ustream with the simple press of the
share button on the controller. In addition, the ability to switch between two
running application has been added finally and can be accessed by double
tapping PS home button. I must say,
switching between apps is lightening fast on the PS4.
Final Thoughts
The PlayStation 4
is an awesome piece of hardware. It's quick, delightfully built and it's also
simple to grasp form the first time you pick up the controller. The only
missing elements are mp3 and video playback without streaming, which is still
possible to be added at a later date with a system update. I really enjoyed
testing the system. Now I need to get one for myself before Infamous Second Son comes out. Lotto here I come… Weh mi fifty dolla
deh??? Oh… Forgot to tell you folks that the PS4 doesn’t play PS3
games, so don’t throw away your PS3’s
if you have one. The products mentioned in this article were provided courtesy
of Royale Computers and Accessories
telephone#: 906-1067, 906-1068, and 754-5048.
I was fortunate enough to have two tablets on my desk to
review this week. These two tablets are geared towards two different audiences
completely. One of the target markets is currently untapped when it comes to
tablets. The tablets I speak of are the Polaroid 7” kids tablet and the Lenovo
Yoga 10. Let’s get this review on the road and start it off with the Lenovo
Yoga 10.
Lenovo Yoga 10
The specification sheet for this device shows that Lenovo
was aiming to attract the cost concerned consumer. This tablet has no wow
factor on the specification sheet. The word yoga gives you the idea of
flexibility, bends, and stretching and you would be right to a certain extent.
Hands on Experience
The one saving grace for this device is the strange and
versatile kickstand that gives the tablet many angles to be used in. I have
fondled with it enough that I can say without a doubt that the three main
positions you’ll be using this tablet’s kickstand in are as follows.- · Stand – for watching movies and etc.
- · Lay inclined on flat surfaces – for easy typing and reading.
- · Cylindrical hump on the side – for easy one handed use (Grip).
Final Thoughts
The Lenovo Yoga 10 at price tag around $50,000 is one of the
few 10 inch tablets on the market right now that’s this flexible, but that’s
where the advantages stop. They are many competitors out now that can match and
outperform this tablet if you take the time to look.
Polaroid 7” Kids Tablet
The most common question I get these days is “hey, what’s
the best tablet I can buy for my 9 year old child?” Just the thought of a
youngster with a $50,000 device give me nightmares… chills. Lucky, Polaroid has
realized the need for kids tablet and has introduced the Polaroid 7” Kids
tablet. Let’s see if it’s really kid proof. For this I have employed Alex… yes
I know he is a grown man, but his brain is numb from all the PVP (Player Vs
Player) matches in Dark Souls and he drools.
Hands on Experience
The Polaroid 7” kids tablet isn’t a pretty sight to look at,
but a 6 – 10 year old child wouldn’t be complaining about that so cant mark it
down for that. The main highlights for this tablet are as follows.- · Child proof design.
- · Bright Child friendly UI (User Interface)
- · Plenty of children games already installed
- · More security features than my girlfriend’s blackberry.
This tablet was made with parental control in mind with a very articulate security system. After sometime trying to figure out and setting up the parent control I will say it’s totally child proof and somewhat adult proof too. You can set the tablet to only allow you as the parent/guardian to access certain apps of your choosing. My suggestions… lock YouTube first! Don’t want your child singing that brain cell killing Ricky Carty song (3 mins of your life you’ll always regret). The preinstalled games on this device are quite fun and can occupy a toddler’s attention for a long time.
Final Thoughts
After
two weeks of dropping, kicking, and saliva baths the Polaroid 7” kids tablet is
still working. The tablet might have minor nicks and scoffs but it will still
be fully operational. So parents this is the only viable $18,000 option for
children tablets right now. Remember to lock YouTube!!! The products mentioned
in this article were provided courtesy of Royale
Computers and Accessories telephone#: 906-1067,
906-1068, and 754-5048.
So... the CES highlight for this blog is the Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 which was the
second device I fiddle with in the Samsung booth. The Galaxy Camera 2 is a
fully functional camera with an Android 4.3 O.S (Jellybean) at its core managing
the operation and connectivity of the device.
Day One
Galaxy Camera 2
The
first time the galaxy camera emerged on the scene I was skeptical to see a
camera with so much tech jammed inside in it, but now that society needs to
stay connected it seems logical to stick all this tech into a camera. This camera
comes with the best tech you can find stuffed into it, like a quad-core
processor that runs at 1.6GHz, 2GB of ram, 720p display, and Android 4.3
(Jellybean). 
The camera also has 16MP, 1/2.3” size sensor, pop up xenon flash, optical image stabilization, accelerometer, and compass. Every time I read the specification sheet I think that’s a high end android phone I’m talking. The high end
This camera has a very premium feel which is a definite plus for any Samsung device these days. The camera UI is perfect and simply so much so that any regular android user would feel right at home. Now on to picture quality this has to be the strong point for this device given the fact that it should be a camera first and foremost. The quality of the pictures I took with this camera at the show was remarkably detailed even in zoomed shots. This camera will be a great asset to anyone seeking a rounded camera to do online posts, and blogging.
Let me start off by saying that last week was a blast… This
was my first visit to CES and after what I have seen and experience I’m hoping
it won’t be the last. This week I have many blogs lined up from CES 2014 and things I wanted to blog
before I left to Las Vegas. So let’s start off by covering the highlights of my
CES trip.
Day One
Note 12.2
I headed to the Samsung booth that was enormous and housed a
lot of gadget, techs, appliances, and prototypes.
The first set of Samsung products
I had to investigate were the Tab Pro and Note Pro line of tablets.
The first
one that greeted me was the Note Pro 12.2 which is quite frankly very hard to
miss given the size. My first impressions were somewhat mixed because I couldn’t
fathom why an average Joe would want a tablet that big. But after speaking with
Jaime Beitia who is Product Manager for PC’s Samsung Electronic Latin America I
found out that the note pro 12.2 is the first move to phase out enter level
laptops on the market right now. Looking back at it now it all makes sense, and
very smart move on Samsung’s part. The Note Pro 12.2 will come in two models which
is the true Octa-Core( Exynos 5 Octa) or Snapdragon 800 chipset clocked at 2.3
GHz with both having 3GB of RAM. The UI has also been redone the new Samsung
Magazine UX. This UI is capable of displaying segments of information, and News
on the home. The Note 12.2 is light weight and has a very a lovely display.
As soon as persons hear Samsung and Tab beside each other
they immediately assume that it’s an Android device you’re talking about. But this
week we had the pleasure of reviewing the Samsung ATIV Tab 5 which is an 11
inch tablet that has Windows 8 as its operating system. Take that assumption!
Let’s us further evaluate the marvel.
Hardware and
Design 9 out of 10
At first glance a person can mistakenly take this tablet
to be the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, because of their similar design, but that’s
where the similarities stop. The ports
and internal components are far different from what you would find on a Note
10.1. Take a look below on some of the hardware that makes the Tab 5 tick.
- Operating System: Windows 8 (32-bit)
- Processor: Intel® Atom™ Processor Z2760 (1.8 GHz)
- Display: LCD 11.6" inch Resolution - 1366 x 768 Touch Screen
- System RAM: 2GB LPDDR2 (800MHz)
- Storage Capacity: 64GB
- Web Cam: 2.0 MP HD (Front) 8.0 MP HD (Rear)
- Wireless LAN: 802.11 a/b/g/n
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Micro HDMI Port
- USB 2.0 Port
- Multi Card Slot
- Gigabit Wired Ethernet LAN (Available with docking station)
Impressive specification sheet indeed; the only thing left
out is a DVD burner, and this would be a full on Windows 8 laptop.
UI (User
Interface) 9 out 10
This tablet brings the familiarity of Windows desktops into
the palm of your hands with little or no compromise. The only hard adjustment a
user has to undertake is the new live tile feature that’s used by Windows 8.
Apart from that aspect users will be happy to know that there are a lot of
things Windows 8 have in common with Windows 7 and familiarity is a plus in
most people book.
Operating System
(OS) 9 out of 10
It’s a full functioning Windows 8 OS which means that all
your favorite applications that you grow to love on your desktop PC are able to
be installed on this device with no hassle. That’s one aspect Windows tablets
will always have over Android and iOS devices.
Final Thoughts
After a week with the Tab 5 I can see how a person wanting a
lighter alternative to a laptop could make an easy transition to a windows
tablet, especially one that has all the features of this tablet. Wait… I just
added an external DVD burner to the tablet and it works!!! Sweeeeet!!! The Samsung ATIV Tab 5 is just an
external DVD burner purchase away from being a solid laptop alternative. The
products mentioned in this article were provided courtesy of Royale Computers and Accessories
telephone#: 906-1067, 906-1068, and
754-5048.
