We’ve published quite a few reviews in the last couple of weeks, and with all the news that’s also been coming out, it’s entirely possible that you might have missed some of them. So, to make sure you’re across the latest and greatest hardware, we thought what better to do than a wrap of the recent reviews, a bit of an into, so you can decide if you’d like to read more.
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Daydream View, VR by Google
Ever Since Clay Bavor took to the stage at Google IO this year and announced Daydream VR, we’ve been anxiously awaiting all of the required hardware to try it out. First Google ‘gave’ (and by gave we mean charged $1,419) us the Pixel, Phone by Google, and yes we love it, despite its price. Now Google has released the the Daydream View for sale, and a bunch of apps to go along with it.
I’ve been using the Daydream View for a little under a week now, and so far I’ve really enjoyed it. Admittedly, the app catalogue pre-launch was not extensive. However, what apps I did have access to really gave me a sense of what Daydream was capable off. So the real question is how did Google do with Daydream VR? Is the Daydream platform worth your time and money?
Read on to find out.
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Moto Z
Last year I was fortunate enough to get to review the Moto X Style and it was with a very heavy heart that I had to hand it back when I was done. You see I loved it. I loved the design of the phone (a black rectangle with curved corners — revolutionary), I loved how it sat in the hand but most of all I loved Motorola’s (now Lenovo’s) approach to Android software. In my opinion they do it perfectly, even better than Google. So when the opportunity to review the Moto Z came up I was jumping up and down with both hands in the air. Coming from such a high expectation could it live up to the hype that I had placed on it?
Read on to find out.
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Moto G4 Play
When Lenovo announced back in May that a 4th generation of Moto G devices was coming out in three different variants, I was a little excited to see how Lenovo could improve on its Moto G3 range last year which we reviewed and found to be a massive improvement over the previous generations of Moto G devices. Hands down.
As someone who has owned (and still owns) Motorola devices (the Motorola RAZR M and a Moto G2), I jumped at the chance to review the Moto G4 Play as I wanted to see how well it stacks up not only against the current a Moto devices that I have, but the Moto G4 Plus which Chris reviewed only a couple of months ago.
So has Lenovo come up with a cracker of a devices at a reasonable price? Can it hack the everyday usage of my daily life? Let’s have a look at what the Moto G4 Play can offer and do.
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BlueAnt Pump Mini 2 headphones
There are a couple of essential smartphone accessories if you’re more than a passing user of your devices, and a good set of headphones is definitely near the top, if not at the top, of that list for most people. As much as I will defend the need for a 3.5 mm headphone jack with my dying breath, I also really appreciate the elegance and usability of a good set of Bluetooth headphones.
My issue has been finding a really good set of Bluetooth earbuds that could replace my great wired collection with something just as good sound wise, be wireless but not have terrible battery life and range and not be ridiculously overpriced. Believe it or not, in the smaller form factor that can be a difficult combination to find.
Enter the $129.95 AUD Pump Mini 2 from Australian Bluetooth accessory manufacturer BlueAnt. I’ve been using these little guys as my daily driver for podcasts, music and of course calls. So after over 2 weeks of non-stop use how did they go? Have I finally found my ‘perfect’ Bluetooth earbuds? Read on to find out.
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Microsoft Surface Pro 4
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 is undoubtedly one of the more popular portable machines on the market. I know that reviews of Windows devices are not why many of you come to Ausdroid, but equally, Android doesn’t exist in a vacuum. For getting work done, sometimes, we have to spread our wings just a little further, and so here’s my thoughts of my time with the Surface Pro 4.
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Lenovo Yogabook
The Yoga Book is different from most 2-in-1s on the market, but even calling it a 2-in-1 really under-values what Lenovo has created with the Yoga Book. The Yoga Book can run either Windows or Android – or if Lenovo comes through, possibly Chrome OS as well down the track.
At it’s core it’s part tablet, part laptop, part notepad. The device is a convertible, so it can be all of those things, but what really sets it apart is the unique bottom layer which features what Lenovo calls the Halo Keyboard. It’s a non-permanent light up keyboard that can also be switched with a tap to a graphics tablet that lets you use the included stylus to write or draw on the surface and have that digitised on-screen.
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Pixel, Phone by Google
Here it is, possibly the most anticipated Android phone of all time, and at least of 2016. It’s been manufactured by one of the biggest players in the Android space, HTC but unlike the previous Google based iterations of mobile devices being the Nexus – The Pixel phone design process has been entirely controlled from start to finish by Google, this is a Phone by Google.
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Thanks for revisiting some of our recent reviews.
What would you like to see us take a look at next?
I would caution people thinking of buying the Daydream View. This is not intended for use beyond about 20 to 30 minutes at a time. Your phone will heat up significantly and it will notify you to stop using VR. I’m not sure if this is a bug but a lot of people are reporting this. I feel kind of silly now having spent $119 on it, and who knows what long term affects this will have on the phone’s battery.
You guys planning on doing a ‘best smartphone’ comparison like you have done in the past?
They’re always interesting to read.
Yeah we’ll be working on our best of 2016 very soon now.
Nice. Looking forward to it.
I sound like a Parrot here but is anyone reviewing the Idol 4S anytime this year?