Nokia NFC Writer for Windows Phone Devices
Filed Under: Articles By Mike Temporale March 3, 2013 8:00 am Leave a Comment

Nokia has released a new tool to help everyone get the most out of the NFC built into their Lumia devices. For those that don't know, NFC stands for Near Field Communication, and it's a very short range wireless technology. Basically, you have to touch your device to the NFC tag for a connection to happen. An NFC tag can be loaded with any one of numerous different commands. When you're phone comes in contact with the tag, the pre-loaded command is sent to the phone and executed. Some simple possibilities are dialing a phone number, toggling Bluetooth or WiFi, and checking in on FourSquare. Nokia has released an application that will write different configurations to NFC your tags. If you don't have any NFC tags, you'll want to pick some up. You can find them all around the internet at various different prices. I picked up a set of 25 for $17.75 ($0.71 each) from BuyNfcTags.com. But that's just a suggestion. You should search around and buy them from a site you trust. Nokia … [--Read More--]
Nokia Lumia 620 is Available Now From Telus
Filed Under: News By Mike Temporale February 25, 2013 8:00 am Leave a Comment

As Mobile World Congress approaches and Nokia prepares to announce their latest and greatest devices, Telus has released the Lumia 620. The 620 comes from the affordable line of Nokia's smartphones. Telus has the phone listed for free on a 2 year contract, or you can buy the phone outright for just $250. If that's not affordable, I don't know what is. Of course, at that price, you'll have to do without a few of the specs found on the higher end devices. But don't let that fool you. Nokia still packed this device with some decent specs - 1 GHz SnapDragon processor, 8GB storage, 5 megapixel camera, and even a MicroSD card slot allowing you to expand the memory by an additional 64GB. Unfortunately, Telus isn't currently offering the 620 in any of the brilliant colors, other than black. Perhaps they'll bring some other colors in the near future. But right now, you'll have to settle for black. The full press release is posted below. But the best way to get familiar with this phone is to … [--Read More--]
How To Remove that Annoying “ENG” Key from your Windows Phone Keyboard
Filed Under: Articles By Mike Temporale January 26, 2013 1:00 pm Leave a Comment

Here's a handy tip for anyone that's picked up a Windows Phone and finds themselves frustrated by the extra "ENG" key on the keyboard. For some, it might show a different 3 letter abbreviation. Basically, it's you're language button that allows you to easily switch between keyboards while typing. It sits on the bottom row and takes up valuable real estate which results in a smaller than normal space bar. For me the smaller space bar is super annoying. More so, since I don't speak any other language and rarely if ever have the need to type on anything but and English keyboard. Thankfully, there is a way to remove this key and reclaim the extra width for the space bar. From your Start screen, swipe to the right to pull open the application list. Find and tap settings, and then scroll down and locate and tap on Keyboard. On the resulting screen, you will see a list of all the keyboards that are installed on your phone. If you tap on a keyboard, you will be presented with all … [--Read More--]
Review – Hands On with the Samsung ATIV S from Rogers
Filed Under: Reviews By Mike Temporale January 25, 2013 10:00 am Leave a Comment

The Samsung ATIV S is the latest smartphone from Samsung running Windows Phone 8. And just like their previous Windows Phone powered devices, the ATIV S brings new specs and features to the platform, like how incredibly thin the device is, its massive screen, and then there's the addition of expandable storage. Is that enough to set the ATIV S apart from the crowd? I had a chance to use the ATIV S for a couple weeks over the holidays and gathered more than a couple thoughts to share with you about it. The ultra thin ATIV S packs a Qualcomm Dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, a massive 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED screen at 768 x 1280 resulting in pixel density of about 306ppi, 16GB of storage space, 1GB of RAM, and a 2,300 mAh battery in the thin and lightweight frame measuring 137.2 x 70.5 x 8.7 mm and just 135 grams. Of course, there's also an 8 megapixel rear camera, a 1.2 megapixel front camera, Corning's Gorilla Glass 2, a MicroSD slot, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, and LTE speeds that … [--Read More--]
Inno-In Kaya Folio Case for the Apple iPad
Filed Under: Reviews By Tony Bowers January 24, 2013 9:52 pm Leave a Comment

Inno-In (Innovative Inception) is a relatively new company on the case scene. This is the first case I've reviewed from them. Given that Folio style cases are quite popular for the iPad, I was curious to check out the Kaya case to see what Inno-In had to offer. This case sells for 20 GBP or about $30 Canadian, coming in at $10 less than most iPad cases tend to start at. Can you still get a good quality Folio style case for around $30? Check out the full video review below. Pros: price, full coverage, access to all ports and controls. Cons: smart cover feature doesn't always work Overall I have 2 give Inno-In 2 thimbs up on this one. $30 is a great price for a case of this quality. You can check out the case on Inno-In's website here. … [--Read More--]
24 Hours with a Red Nokia Lumia 920
Filed Under: Thoughts By Mike Temporale January 24, 2013 9:30 pm Leave a Comment

The red and white Nokia Lumia 920s are just starting to hit the Rogers store shelves. There's no yellow version in the stores yet, but hopefully they will show up shortly. I was lucky enough to secure a red one just as stock hit the stores, so I thought I would post some initial thoughts on it, and how it differs from the Black Lumia 920 that I reviewed earlier. The high gloss color changes a few things. First, the phone is a little more slippery in your hands. This doesn't have to be a bad thing. The Lumia 920 is one solid device. As such, I'm not as concerned about dropping it as I would be for other devices. In fact, I accidentally dropped a friends black 920 fro a height of about 4 feet, onto a polished concrete floor. The result; no scratches, scuffs, or cracks. You could even tell it was dropped - thankfully, or else I would have to buy him a new phone! The other effect of the high gloss is how the light reflects off it. Under certain lights, it appears to have more of an … [--Read More--]
A Look at the Nokia Lumia 920 – Dressed to Impress
Filed Under: Reviews By Mike Temporale January 23, 2013 9:00 am Leave a Comment

Nokia announced the Lumia 920 as their flagship Windows Phone back in September, and Rogers started shipping the device the day after Microsoft officially revealed Windows Phone 8. With new and innovative features, many are looking at the Lumia 920 as the hot new phone. I've gone hands on with the 920 over the holidays to see if it's truly the best choice on the market today. If you're not familiar with the Lumia 920, its the new big brother to the Lumia 900 that was released a year ago running the older version of Windows Phone. But don't think for a second that it's the same old thing with a little more memory, and a faster processor, because that's far from the truth. It may have the same polycarbonate body design, but that's about it. The 920 offers features that have never been seen in a mobile phone before, like optical image stabilization, and a camera that takes amazing pictures in low light scenarios. It also brings groundbreaking features like wireless charging to a … [--Read More--]
iLoome Screen Mate Tempered Glass Screen Shield for the iPhone 5
Filed Under: Reviews By Tony Bowers January 22, 2013 8:51 pm 1 Comment

Tempered glass screen shields are pretty new to the world of mobile phones. Some might wonder why use glass instead of the normal film style we have become used too? The answer is simple, once the glass screen shield in installed, you literally can't tell it's there. They are the clearest screen shields I have ever used. And I've used a lot. dozens of different kinds. Today we'll check out the Screen Mate shields from iLoome. Pros; Price, can't tell it's there, almost scratch proof. Cons; 1 chance install, mess it up and shield is ruined. Overall I have to give these screen shields a solid 2 thumbs up. Price is great, and they are the clearest you will find anywhere. Learn more about them at iLoome's website here. … [--Read More--]
Review – Sprint LG Optimus G
Filed Under: Reviews By Steve Hughes January 19, 2013 12:20 am 1 Comment

LG known is well known for making high-end phones and was recently tapped to manufacture Google’s latest Nexus 4 phone. The “halo device” in LG’s Android lineup is Sprint's version of the LG Optimus G . This flagship phone features many new technologies as any halo device should. The display is a 4.7 inch True HD IPS+ Display with a Stripe RGB IPS Panel that utilizes in-cell touch technology which makes for an overall thinner screen as the world’s first Zerogap Touch, the thickness of the screen panel is reduced by 30% compared to the previous screen technology and the screen graphics appear to float under your fingertips. So when the display is turned off- the bezel and the body blend to seamlessly match with the screen. When the display is on, the combined display sports an amazing high pixel density of 320ppi and a1280x768 resolution in a 15:9 aspect ratio that has extreme brightness at 470 nits while providing a 70 percent reduction in power consumption … [--Read More--]
The Samsung Galaxy S III Takes The Nokia Lumia Pitching Machine Challenge
Filed Under: News By Mike Temporale January 17, 2013 11:00 pm Leave a Comment
Ever wonder what would happen if your smartphone was hit by a baseball? Well, thanks to the guys behind the NokiaUS YouTube channel, we get to find out. They've put the Samsung Galaxy SIII and the Nokia Lumia 920 up against a pitching machine. With the phones video camera running, they starting shooting baseballs at the device. We've all seen drop test videos and even versions that drop from various heights in an attempt replicate real world scenarios. Truth be told, a baseball is far from real world scenario. However, it shows exactly how much force a phone can take. And of course it's just plain fun to launch baseballs at gadgets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3oUkgk6vSY And if you liked that, then you should head over to their YouTube channel and watch some more of their interesting videos. … [--Read More--]







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