LG G3 - Is this the smart phone of the year?

Last year LG gained a whole lot of respect from the tech community with their LG G2, which was amazing in almost every way and it got one of the highest scores from me last year (9/10) to be exact. This year LG is hoping to repeat all their success all over again with some killer specs and all around a great experience. So can they do it? Well read along with our first look and find out.

The LG G3 makes a statement in many ways and especially in specs. This beast is running a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset paired with a Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 CPU and an Adreno 330 GPU, which shouldn’t be taken lightly. Speeds appear to be rock solid and makes the phone very enjoyable to use.

Right off the bat LG gives us their own flavour of Android on top of 4.4.2 KitKat. LG’s skin seems to be quite different from last year, not in a bad way though. The color pallet and fonts are tuned down to make it look more “professional” I guess you could call it. The icons are flattened and it looks very modern in my opinion. Plus you get all of LG’s extra goodies such as a Google Now like feature which can help with recommendations without you even asking. It seems good but we’ll have to see how the consumer likes it.

The screen is beautiful, like honestly it’s amazing. The True HD-IPS+LCD panel looks stunning and produces some amazing quality and at 5.5 inches it’s also great for consuming media. Not to mention how it’s got 1440x2560 pixels (534ppi) which is amazing. The screen is a huge positive for this phone.

The build is fantastic too. Not an HTC One M8 like quality, but close to it. It feels like metal on the back, even though it’s not. Also on the back is the very popular volume up/down button and power button, which has become very well known with LG. They even changed the way they feel to make it easier for the user as it provides better physical feedback. At 149 g (5.260z) it feels great in the pocket, plus the very popular curve is on the phone, which is becoming a benchmark in the Smartphone world.

The camera is a 13MP shooter which has a whole suite of features from LG, which can shoot videos in 1080p. The camera is paired with a 2.1MP front facing camera for all your selfies, which can also shoot 1080p video. For my short testing it provided some great photos and low light seemed good as well.

So there you have it folks, just a quick rundown of the phone and some quick opinions. Be sure to stay tuned in the channel and website to keep up to date on news and reviews, including the G3. Follow Geekanoids on social media as well. Thanks everyone and leave a comment on what you think about this phone, we love to read them. Have a good one!

Author: Ben Smith - Twitter

Top Tips to help you afford the latest gadgets

There’s only so much you can expect from people on your birthday and at Christmas, isn’t there? So how can you get hold of the latest tech on the market? How can you be the owner of an X-Box One or a PlayStation 4? Here is our guide to the best ways to be able to afford the latest gadgets on the market.

Make a trade.

There are plenty of high street stores that will buy your old gadgets off you: CEX and Game being two prime examples. There are also a plethora of online stores that will do the same, from Music Magpie to Mazuma Mobile. Most of these places pay cash or cheque, meaning that if you have a treasure trove of unwanted old technology, you can trade it in and maybe put a bit of that money towards something brand new.

Save up.

The dreaded word: savings. Before you start to try and explain how little money you have in the first place, and how you don’t save, think of it this way. If you put away £50 a month, in eight months, you’ll have enough for that brand new PS4 you’ve been after. That’s not so long, and it’s not that much to put aside. A few nights out, a game, that’s all it costs each month to afford it. Saving money might not be the easiest way to afford something new, and it might not be the quickest, but it is the safest. You don’t rely on another company to give you money, or to value your old tech, and you don’t have to pay anything back with interest.

Take out a loan.

The last option also seems like the easiest and quickest option. You can take out a loan for the value of whatever it is that you want, the money will be in your account quickly, and you’ll be able to spend it instantly. Of course, you’ll have to pay it back, but then, you’ll have the gadgets or tech that you were after in the first place. If you do consider going down the loan route, then you might be interested in Totally Money’s ‘Cheapest Ways to Borrow’ tool, which can help you work out the least expensive way to borrow money for your situation. It may suggest a credit card is the cheapest way or if you’re looking at paying it off over a really long time, a loan may be for you.

Olympus TG-850 Winner

So the winner has been chosen. Both myself and the Olympus UK team went through all the amazing #TG850MAY photo entries and unanimously agreed on the winner. The theme for May was to post 'action' or 'tough' themed photos and this one from Joseph Choi really captured so much action in the boy doing an awesome flip. The emotion in the face is epic too. Congratulations go out to Joseph who has won an Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 camera. Thank you to everyone else who took part, keep checking back for more photography competitions coming soon. 

@pauljyyang

jchoi717's photo on Instagram

AOC goes ultra-sharp with 28ʺ Ultra HD monitor

Amsterdam, 27 May 2014 – The trends in the monitor market go to larger screen sizes and higher resolutions. AOC now combines both of these trends: With the u2868Pqu, the display specialist launches a 28ʺ (71.1 cm) monitor with the stunningly high Ultra HD resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels at a 60 Hz refresh rate. Equipped with DisplayPort, HDMI (MHL) and USB 3.0 connectors, the sophisticated display also comes with full ergonomics to meet the high standards of professionals and demanding home users alike – at a surprisingly low price.

Ultra HD: See every detail
CAD/CAM professionals, architects, engineers and power users at home – all will benefit from the finely detailed pictures delivered by the u2868Pqu’s latest TN panel technology. Thanks to the Real 8-bit +FRC arrangement, more than a billion colours can be produced. With the Ultra HD resolution (3840 x 2160), over 8.29 million pixels are displayed in a 16:9 aspect, equalling four times the pixel amount of Full HD panels. The 28ʺ model delivers UHD resolution with a refresh rate of full 60 Hz. With a pixel response time of 1 ms only, the u2868Pqu is even perfect for working on or watching fast-paced action video clips or enjoying games. Delivering a luminosity of 300 cd/m², the UHD model is well-suited for desks with bright ambient light. The picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture functions allow watching images simultaneously from different signal sources, such as (4K) Blu-ray players or PCs.

Ultra convenient
The u2868Pqu boasts a classic design with a finely texturised surface in black. For full ergonomic flexibility, the bezel offers an intelligent cable management, tilt, swivel and pivot (90° rotation) functions as well as height adjustability of 130 mm – adjusting the monitor to individual users results in reduced eye and posture fatigue. The monitor is capable of receiving signals via its DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI and D-Sub connectors. For Android enthusiasts, the HDMI connector also offers MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) connectivity to directly mirror smartphone and tablet screens onto the big screen. In addition, AOC equips the display with four USB ports, two each of the 2.0 and 3.0 standard, as well as a set of integrated 3 W speakers. The monitor can be fixed on VESA compliant wall mounts and racks.

AOC offers a 3 year warranty with on-site exchange service for the u2868Pqu. The Ultra HD monitor is available as of now at an MSRP of £ 499.

Do We Know Microphones?

Most consumers think that there is just one type of microphone that everyone uses, but that is far from the truth. There are many different types of microphones that are used in a variety of situations. So what are they? There are four main types which are dynamic, condenser, boundary and ribbon. 

Fun fact: Did you know that a microphone is a speaker reversed?

Dynamic microphones are the most common that are used in live performances, in a recording studio and the same technology is used video camera microphones. They work using magnets and a copper coil which create an electrical current which then turns into an audio signal. A small diaphragm inside the microphone moves when air is passed through causing the magnet to move back and forward through the copper coil creating the electrical current. These microphones are well known to have a solid build quality, which is why they are used for live performances. The most well known and most used by musicians is the Shure SM58, this microphone was developed in the 60s for rock and roll but others soon learnt about its clear and crisp sound quality and now use it for professional sound recordings.

The most common type used in a studio situation is a condenser microphones and typically needs an electrical current to operate. These microphones are mostly used in a studio situation and not in live performance as they are too sensitive. They work with two plates, one being the diaphragm. These move when current audio waves pass through changing how much signal goes through the microphone. They can be used in all sort of situations in a music studio, to capture vocals, room ambience, drum mic ups and guitars. They offer a flatter frequency when compared to the dynamic variety but come at a heavier price.

The next two microphones are well less known and used within the music industry, but they are still used in some places. A boundary is a small microphone which is can be used in a recording studio environment but it is mainly used in meeting rooms so the meeting can be recorded. It works with a boundary plate and a dynamic microphone. Sound bounces of the boundary plate and into the microphone capsule. For best results it has to be flat or mounted on a wall.

A ribbon microphone is very special, this type was used in the early days of radio, giving broadcasts that amazing warm sound. These microphones are mainly used in studios for the clear crisp sound, which is caused by a ribbon of metal in the microphone. This minute piece of delicate metal is suspended between a magnet when the pressure changes it sends the signal to the microphone. Ribbon microphones are extremely delicate and very expensive, they can easily be damaged by loud noise.

I hope this give you some insight into the four main types of microphone available.

Author: Jake George

Motorola Moto E - Smartphonebargainoftheyear

Motorola, a company many have come to love just made news again. If you thought that the Moto G was an amazing device, with an even better price tag and that it couldn't be topped, well think again. Meet the Moto E, let's dig in and see if this is the device that you and your wallet will love forever.

Motorola, a company in transition after being purchased by Lenovo, and with a reputation of making very affordable devices that show specs the back seat in favour of quality, may have just done it again. Yesterday Motorola gave us the Moto E. This device is actually fairly decent for the price. 

But before we begin, this is something worth mentioning. Motorola also came out with a new Moto G that now sports LTE, which was a big complaint with the previous Moto G. It will cost about $225 and will definitely add sales to the best selling phone in Motorola’s history. Over 6.5 million units were shipped worldwide, they won't tell how many were sold, but this update can only help their cause

Right off the bat Motorola gives us some decent internals. We get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor with a 1.2GHz dual core A7 CPU and an Adreno 302 400 MHz single core GPU, which is pretty good for the $130 and below Android category. Not to mention how the latest version of Android 4.4.3 KitKat is included and should get timely updates.

5MP for a camera is a little on the low side for me, not to mention how it doesn’t even have a front facing camera, but who knows, it might surprise us. It only ships with 4GB of storage; luckily it has microSD support for up to an extra 32GB which is plenty of storage. Motorola promises “all day battery life” with its 1980mAh battery, I think that this will be a very hard feat, but again who knows, they might surprise us.

The 4.3 inch screen is not the biggest, but does get the job done. With a 256ppi and not even 720p, there’s nothing special, but again it's not a flagship phone. However there is a very nice bonus feature with the screen, it comes with Gorilla Glass 3, which basically means that the screen will be okay if it runs into a little frazzle dazzle with the keys in your pocket.  

 It would appear as though it will fit great in your hand, at just 142g it will feel like it’s barely there. Not to mention that Motorola doesn't like to make phones with bad build quality, so you get very similar materials used in the Moto X and G.


The Moto E looks like a very worthwhile device for the price. One of the biggest things that cheaper Android phones have lacked is a good all around experience. You always have to sacrifice things. The Moto E is looking to change that. “Built to last, priced for all” the slogan that Motorola is using and we hope that its true. As they try so hard to give people the temptation to leave there old flip phone and get a new Moto E.

So what do you think? Would you consider purchasing this device? As always leave a comment and tell us what you think. Check the YouTube page and the Geekanoids website regularly, so you don’t miss anything, including our review of this phone. Thanks for reading and keep on enjoying tech!  

Just a reminder that this is just an overview, but do stay tuned for our full review.

Author: Ben Smith - Twitter

Is Apple Purchasing Beats by Dre a Good Move?

Its been in the news that Apple has recently bought Beats audio. Before we get to what we think, lets go back to the very start of digital music, and what many say started it all; Apple …

Specifically the iPod was the very first true way of having your music go where ever you did. It changed the way people listened to music, and literally changed the music industry. Some would argue that the Ipod was one of the most important inventions Apple ever made. Boy did it sell, at the start nearly 400 million sold, not to mention  the millions if not billions that have been sold ever since. Then the iPod touch came out, the true start of capacitive touchscreens and what gave way to perhaps the most well known and most talked about phone ever; the iPhone

Beats isn't a company to mess with either. A privately owned company that never releases results or revenue earnings and who is known for the color red does very well for themselves. The high priced and amazing quality and portable speakers are where their main revenue comes from. Beats Music does okay, just okay with an estimated paid subscription group of just 200 000 people, but the streaming service does have some great options in terms of songs. Lets face it, Beats is one of the best known audio brands in North America and Europe where Apple dominates in not only profit but also market shares

So why now? Well with Apple getting set to launch their new iPhones very soon I'm sure they wouldn't mind having Beats Music to add to their iTunes collection, Beats has some very big contacts and experts in the music industry as well. Apple might also want some help in the headphones department, when Beats was working with HTC the made some awesome earphones that shipped with the HTC One. Now does that mean the Apple will stop including their well known while earpods? Probably not, but Beats could of course help improve them. But the biggest reason they probably would have bought Beats is to improve sound. When Beats was working with HTC they produced such amazing sound that we just couldn't get enough of it. I still personally use an HTC One as my daily driver and one of the biggest reasons is because it still has Beats. Apple already has amazing sound and having Beats on board will only help that cause.

Now nothings been officially announced but what do you think? Do you think that this will help Apple, as always leave a comment down below and follow us on social media, subscribe on Youtube and keep checking the website. Thanks for reading!

Author: Ben Smith - Twitter