With varieties of cases available on the market today for the Apple iPhone 5, it can be a challenge looking for that case that you like or one that suits your mood; well look no further, this case from QDOS is a different kind of case that not only protects your iPhone 5 from accidental damage but also gives you the option to customise the look. Since Apple only give users the option to get two colour variants, why not get a case that allows you to modify a little more.
QDOS Custom Buttons for iPhone 5 Review Video
The QDOS custom buttons has all the required cutouts you would need to have it functional while installed on your iPhone 5; installing the buttons is extremely easy and requires no college degree, simply pop it in and get the clicking feedback to be sure that it is secure, then install your iPhone 5. It looks great on the iPhone 5 also with a snug fit and did not lose tight snug fit to the iPhone 5 during the duration we used and tested this case. Even with removing and putting the iPhone back in frequently, it still did not expand, thanks to the materials used.
So do we recommend it? yes we do, it does exactly what it says on the tin and better yet, there are other options available, should in case you are not into cars like us. It wil cost you just £19.99 which is a price you would expect to pay for a decent iPhone 5 case.
Personalise your Gagdets, Get $50 Credit for only $25 with Slickwraps [Daily Deals]
Most gadgets offers minimal level of customisation which means you walk around with exactly the same MacBook Pro, Headphones, iPhone or even a pebble watch as everyone else; there is absolutely nothing to personalise it to make it your own. Thanks to Slickwraps, you can get an array of options available to help you wrap your gadget in other colours besides that of your manufacturers; not only does it give you the option to personalise it, it also protects it and if you hate to have cases on your smartphone for example because of the extra bulk it adds, then you are in the right place.
Slickwraps makes amazing skins for big name brands like Pebble watches and Beats By Dre headphones. They literally make hundreds of sweet skins for just about every tech gadget out there including your iPhone and/or Android phone. To help you get hands on the amazing skins, we have an offer to give you $50 of credit with Slickwraps, that is a whopping 50% off the regular price; what you waiting for?
$50 Credit For Anything on Slickwraps Website
Use your $50 credit on dozens of different skins for your favorite tech gadgets:
Smartphones (average price is approx. $20)
iPods (average price is approx. $15)
iPads & Tablets (average price is approx. $25)
MacBooks (average price is approx. $45)
Gaming Gadgets (average price is approx. $10)
And Other Cool Gadgets (average price is approx. $20)
Deal of the Day: Cleanup Your iTunes with Tunes Cleaner For Mac
iTunes hate it or love it is an essential for any Apple product owner, well any Apple user who owns an iOS product and from time to time we download songs from iTunes Store, rip songs from an old CD and sometimes in my own case I get free mix-tapes which sometimes has the same song I’d already downloaded from the iTunes Store. the problem here really is that I get duplicates, sometimes I get the same song with maybe an extra letter in which makes it a different song or I get songs and albums with no artwork which just defeats the whole UI design of iTunes especially when it hits my iPhone or iPod Nano.
Thanks to Tunes Cleaner, I can now have my library as tidy as possible and take up less memory on my iPhone with duplicate music and nothing sounds as annoying as the same songs repeating when I am driving. Imagine going through a library of over 5,000 songs trying to find duplicate artists and songs well you get the gist. It usually retails for $30, but for limited time, you can get your copy of Tunes Cleaner for just $5.
Some of the Top Features:
Delete Duplicates: Duplicates can accumulate easily on iTunes. Clean ’em up!
Add Proper Album Covers & Artwork: Artwork adds a dynamic to your library that you will not appreciate until you experience it.
Add Missing Info Including Artists & Album Titles: Not only does this look great, but increases functionality on iPhones, iPods, & iPads.
Easy-To-Use Interface w/ Simple Program Operation: So easy that your iTunes will be cleaned and organize upon installation. Only requires a couple clicks to maintain!
Readers Notice: This is an advertorial. GadgetsBoy gets a portion of each unit sold.
Just when you think Business Cards are fading away….
Just when you thought smart phones are taking over from traditional business cards that’s been around for years, a company called Moo has used that advancement in technology to their own advantage. Currently business cards are ever so small which means you can only fit so much information on the card before it starts to look unprofessional which defeats the purpose. Moo’s NFC cards has taken advantage of both Android Phone app and NFC technology to give the user the opportunity to link it to whatever information they like.
For example, if you created an online business card on about me, you can link you NFC business card to it, meaning who ever you come in contact with who also owns a compatible smart phone can easily access those information in one place, better yet, you won’t have to print thousands of cards as you only need that one NFC enabled business card which you can also link to whatever you want whenever you want. It also makes it a green technology as I would only need to print one for myself rather than thousands.
The drawback however is that the card has to be very well designed, presentable and durable so that it lasts for a while; you would also have to bank on the hope that most people you meet has a phone with NFC connectivity. The companion app allows you to:
link to a website
link to a map
link to social media networks
call a number
create a new contact on the phone
See it in action here:
So what do you think? would you get one, would you replace your business cards with this? leave a comment below.
HTC One, Making Smartphone purchase decision difficult since 2013 (Review)
HTC’s new flagship device has been grabbing headlines from everywhere and it has been no surprise that it has been. It almost felt like HTC has never done anything right and this is the first time they have; they have had nothing but praise and in my industry they are making it extremely difficult to decide on not only which Android device to get but just what smart phone to purchase. Some who has been waiting for the new iPhone has not even bothered to wait any longer after seeing and playing with the HTC One.
As we do on gadgetsboy, let us take a look at the unboxing and first look video of the HTC One:
Unboxing and First Look Video of the HTC One Silver
HTC is a work of art, the 4.7-inch is perfect in hand with a curved back to make it feel as natural as possible, in fact the only downside to the design we have noticed is just to do with when laying it flat on its back but what does that matter when all the solid aluminium ergonomics makes you want to do is pick it up just to use it.
HTC One Aluminium Body
The aluminium body feels, and looks premium, there as never been a smart phone yet that is fully enclosed in aluminium whilst keeping the handset light. The rubber strips to allow good network signal or to allow the antenna to function well also adds to the design and looks. The HTC One representative we spoke to said it takes up to 3 days to make them, no wonder they had delays getting them to the thirsty public. Having sang praised of how nice it looks and feels, the back plate does scratch up quite easily, so either get a case for it or do not put it in the same location as your keys or lose change.
HTC One Screen Size
To compliment the metallic looks, the volume rocker on the right side is also finished in a nice metallic look sitting flush on the side; on the the bottom is the Micro-USB port for battery charging, data transfer or MHL connection for hooking it up to your HDTV. On the left is the microSIM tray; a sim ejector tool which also looks premium is included in the box. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S4, the HTC One has a unibody design meaning no memory card slot or removable battery. The Micro-USB port is also backwards meaning if you have a docking station like that of iDAPT, you would have to have your phone facing the wrong direction.
The power button is placed right at the top and it also doubles up as an IR Blaster for the TV remote control feature called Sense Tv (more info below and video of it in action). For most people the top placement of the button would be quite frustrating as it means stretching your thumb to reach the top or using two hands to support the other.
HTC One IR Blaster
The most prominent design feature that is hard to miss is the two from speakers covered in a well soothing grills to make the handset look even smart on the front. The stereo speakers produce what HTC calls Boom Sound and they are not wrong; engineered with Beats audio, it has been the best speakers we have seen on any smart phone this year and placing them on the front just make them even better for watching videos or simply playing your favourite songs.
HTC One Speakers
The HTC one measures at 137.4mm tall and 68.2mm wide by 9.3mm thick and is just under that of Sony’s 5-inch Xperia Z measuring at 139mm by 71mm by 7.9mm. The HTC One’s weight is very well distributed and can be used for watching Netflix in high quality weighing in at 143g which is also lighter than the Xperia Z’s 146g.
HTC One’s Screen/Display
The HTC comes loaded with a very noticeable sharp display with 1920 x 108op Full HD resolution, and such on a small display coupled with Boom sound can only mean one thing; it is absolutely brilliant for watch movies whether you are using YouTube or Netflix. The display features does not stop there, its also loaded up with 446 pixels per inch (ppi), and if the best display you have ever experienced is that of the iPhone 5′s Retina display then you need few minutes with the HTC One as it is far superior to the 326ppi of the iPhone 5′s retina display.
HTC One Screen/Display
With deep black levels and good contrast, not only will you be watching movies in good enjoyable quality, you can also view pictures, read texts with pleasure; viewing angles are not lacking in performance either especially when playing games that requires you to move around a little.
HTC Sense 5 and Blinkfeed
HTC has updated Sense to version 5 which now includes Blinkfeed; the first think you might notice is that you cannot remove Blinkfeed although you can decide to change the default settings to deselect it from been your first screen however if you would like to explore the usefulness of Blinkfeed then you will notice similarities between Blinkfeed and Flipboard.
HTC One Blinkfeed
Blinkfeed is capable of collating latest news of your selection, news and updates from Facebook and if you have Sense TV setup you can get TV related news about your favourite episode; we found it quite limited in news displayed or news sources available with only 12 featured websites to choose from, and 39 wider categories so for now it will not be replacing Zite or Flipboard.
Dig deeper into the app drawer and you will notice the new 3 x 4 grid, which comes as a shock at first as it looks quite spaced out and unusual till you notice the settings allowing you to change the grid size to fit more applications and have less spaces out apps. Blinkfeed might not have the best or all sources available but it has the basic ones and performance is acceptable with fluid scrolling up and down; it actually makes the screen look gorgeous and inviting to use. Video below gives a detailed walkthrough of HTC One’s Blinkfeed.
HTC One Full Walkthrough:Sense 5, UltraPixels, Zoe photography, BlinkFeed
HTC Sense TV
HTC Sense TV is a great addition to the One; it allows you to control your TV, set top-boxes, Sky and Cable boxes just by searching for your device from the accessible database, and if you cannot find yours, you can simple learn from your remote control. We do not encourage mischievousness, but you can even cause some trouble for a laugh at your in-laws that you do not get on with by changing channels or turning their TV off (we did not tell you).
HTC One Sense TV
It is very well implemented in that it just doesn’t control you TvV, it follows your favourite programs giving you integrated reminders into your calendar and gives you program schedule and guides to help you enjoy your TV watching experience. See Sense TV in action in video below.
HTC Sense TV Demo
HTC One Camera Review
HTC only loaded up the One with a 4 MP camera sensor and for most people it immediately means poor camera quality until someone explains what it means; branded as Ultra Pixel, the 4 MP in the HTC One has bigger individual pixels meaning in theory it should be able to capture more detail, more light therefore we should get better images as a result of that result. It does perform well in testing and comparison with its competitors in low lighting conditions, however in day light it does not offer anything outstanding, especially when zooming in, it begins to add noise and lack detail.
To compete with the likes of the Galaxy S4 or Xperia Z (may be the other way round since, it came out before the Galaxy S4), HTC has added some cool camera modes to make photography a lot more fun and functional. A new camera mode branded HTC Zoe means you can now take a 3-second video clip comprising 20 frames rather than just a regular or standard photo, it then allows you select individual frames from an action sequence to save the best shot. Video of the Walkthrough above shows that feature in much more detail than words can describe.
Besides HTC Zoe, you can add extra effects such as filters like Instagram, tweak brightness, contrast and once you’re done, you’re able to share to Instagram or other social networks. If you would like to take more than a 3 second video clip, you can switch to the video mode and capture the moment.
HTC One camera is able to shoot full 1080p HD video in both standard and HDR mode ; if you are feeling ambitious or creative you also have an option to shoot in slow motion which is quite cool but could be HTC trying to pack too much in a smart phone camera.
HTC One Video Samples (Standard and HDR Mode at 1080p)
Standard:
HDR:
HTC One Performance and Battery Life
The HTC One is not only a Rolls Royce with its premium and luxurious looks but it is also a Bugatti Veyron packing a whopping 1.7 GHz quad-core processor coupled with 2GB of RAM; although not as powerful like that of the Galaxy S4 Octa-Core processor but then again it is also not carrying the same price tag.
HTC One Geekbench test
HTC One Geekbench Score
It performs well for a smart phone of its calibre and it is to be expected of any handset that carries such a hefty price or any handset a manufacturer calls their flagship device. The transition between screens, playing games, using it day to day is buttery smooth and lag free.
Battery usage is also impressive; HTC quoted up to 48 hours of usage but the HTC One is no Motorola RAZR HD, only lasting the day and when used less heavily it would last over a day and few hours before it starts flashing for battery juice. Usage used for the test includes:
Emails and messaging,
Watching YouTube videos and uploading to YouTube,
Browsing the web,
Making and receiving phone calls,
Instagram and social networking,
Taking photos and recording videos,
Playing games
Full brightness
Those listed above we would class as heavy use of a smart phone.
Conclusion:
HTC has set a whole new design benchmark for any future premium device to come out in the market with the full aluminium body. Besides the excellent low light performance, the camera quality is nothing as special as advertised but camera modes and features are impressive. No option for battery removal or expandable memory also means the Galaxy S4 could easily sway some of its potential buyers however Boom Sound is hands down the best speaker on a smart phone yet.
Today’s Tech Deal: Burn Digital Media With Roxio Toast 11 Titanium
With the increasing consumption of media and high popularity of the likes of YouTube, there is always a need for a software that allows you to get those media files for use in various ways that users see fit and there is where Toast 11 Titanium comes in; it makes it easier than ever to capture, burn, convert, copy and share digital media. Available on our deals area, Toast 11 Pro is a valuable collection of Mac digital media apps including Toast 11 Titanium, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Blu-ray Disc authoring and more!
Top Features
Capture: Grab video & music from anywhere – the web, portable devices, discs, LPs, or apps running on your Mac.
Copy: Copy CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs – even using multiple drives. Copy dual layer DVD-Video discs on to 4.7 GB single-layer discs.
Convert: Convert video from the web, TiVo DVRs, EyeTV tuners, Flip Video camcorders, to play on the iPad, iPhone, video game consoles and more.
Share: Publish your video directly to YouTube, Facebook, or Vimeo. Toast will even automatically tweet your YouTube and Vimeo links.
Burn: Toast is the easiest and fastest way to burn your digital media on to CD, DVD or Blu-ray Disc for both Mac and PC.
To top if off , you can save your self 50% off the retail price of $100, Roxio’s Toast 11 Titanium is available on our Deals area for just $49.99 and that is a bargain for the best tool for digital media management. What are you waiting for? get it today!
Readers Notice: This is an advertorial. GadgetsBoy gets a portion of each unit sold.
GadgetsBoy Brings Exclusive Tech and Gadgets Deals
Any of our readers who follow on Twitter or recently visited GadgetsBoy website would notice the Exclusive Deals Menu hat has just been added, and the Twitter guys would have seen some tweet about deals and offers.
We are happy to introduce you to our Exclusive deals brought to you by Stack Social; everyday or at least weekly you will receive some really money saving tech and gadgets deals, they are as a result of our effort to help our readers save money on some of the latest technology, gadgets hardware and software out there today. Some of them are Mac OS, some PC and some cross platform, some offers even lets you name your own price, so you could bag a software pack worth $400 for $3 for example so there is nothing to lose.
On the deals page, you will see all the latest offers available and it does not stop there, you also have the option to sign up for the deals to land straight in your inbox so you don’t miss a thing; the perks of signing up is you also get notified about freebies from time to time so be sure to sign up.
In the efforts to bring you this deals, please note you will not be spammed unnecessarily or bring offers that are not deemed useful and we always welcome feedbacks; any feedback feel free to contact us via our contact us page.
