Tell Me First
General tec updates and new product ideas
Sunday, 13 May 2018
Generate Electricity From Your Windows Using SolarGaps’ Blinds
Wednesday, 9 May 2018
The umbrella that forecasts the weather
Tuesday, 8 May 2018
Meet Tess: the mental health chatbot that thinks like a therapist
Monday, 7 May 2018
Better battery life
Better battery life
In 2017, we got a surprisingly big boost in battery life on our phones. Battery life among flagships increased by 25% last year when compared to the previous one, according to our proprietary battery test.
Sunday, 6 May 2018
Project Treble to fix Android software update problems
Project Treble to fix Android software update problems
If you have an old Android phones, you now how dire the software update situation is. Android updates arrive late, sometimes never, bugs following the update are not always fixed in time, and - unless you have a Google Pixel phone - it's just one big frustration.
Saturday, 5 May 2018
Great affordable phones from China incoming
Great affordable phones from China incoming
Friday, 4 May 2018
Apple’s first augmented reality headset
Apple’s first augmented reality headset
Thursday, 3 May 2018
The first foldable phone
The first foldable phone?
We have been hearing about foldable phones for years and we have seen sloppy attempts from some companies (we're looking at you, ZTE Axon M), but the technology is finally expected to reach its final stages towards the end of 2018.
Wednesday, 2 May 2018
What is 5G and when is it coming to the UK?
What is different about 5G?
Why is it so much faster than 4G?
Monday, 30 April 2018
Apple needs to be more upfront about the iPhone's black box
Saturday, 28 April 2018
Live in the EU? Facebook is after your face data (again)
Tuesday, 17 April 2018
What information does the GDPR apply to?
- Personal dataThe GDPR applies to ‘personal data’ meaning any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier.This definition provides for a wide range of personal identifiers to constitute personal data, including name, identification number, location data or online identifier, reflecting changes in technology and the way organisations collect information about people.The GDPR applies to both automated personal data and to manual filing systems where personal data are accessible according to specific criteria. This could include chronologically ordered sets of manual records containing personal data.Personal data that has been pseudonymised – eg key-coded – can fall within the scope of the GDPR depending on how difficult it is to attribute the pseudonym to a particular individual.
- Sensitive personal dataThe GDPR refers to sensitive personal data as “special categories of personal data” (see Article 9).The special categories specifically include genetic data, and biometric data where processed to uniquely identify an individual.Personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences are not included, but similar extra safeguards apply to its processing.
Check back tomorrow for more information on how you can become compliant with the new regulations.
Monday, 16 April 2018
L’Oreal UV Sense
Sunday, 15 April 2018
AirSelfie 2 pocket drone
Are you GDPR compliant, if you have a business in UK you have less than a month
Guide to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Friday, 15 May 2015
Simply Good Food TV now available in the apple and android app store.
Some of the
great chefs who will be making new shows are:
·
Mich
Turner
·
Peter
Sidwell
·
Jon
Fell
·
Theo
Michaels
·
Nikki
Walsh and more.
To find the app go to the app store and search for Simply Good Food TV or have a look at our website.
http://www.simplygoodfood.tv
Sunday, 26 April 2015
The Apple Watch is on sale but Apple doesn't want you to buy one yet - here's why
The Apple Watch officially went on sale Friday but if you've been trying to get your hands on one you'll probably have realised by now that it's not that simple. In fact, it almost seems like Apple doesn't want you to buy one. So read on to find out why it's currently so difficult to get your mitts on an Apple Watch.
Back at the beginning of March, Apple told the world that the Apple Watch would be hitting the shops on April 24, today, with prices starting at £299 and getting towards a mind blowing £14000 ($18000 USD). And while that's technically the case, with the Watch popping up in six designer boutiques spread over London, Paris, Milan, Tokyo, Los Angeles and Berlin, it's a lot more difficult getting hold of Apple's latest gadget if you live somewhere slightly less salubrious.
Before you start furiously knocking on the doors of Apple Stores up and down the country, begging for the must-have wearable, it's worth considering the fact the Apple Watch is unlike anything else Apple has previously sold. It's not just a piece of tech, it's no longer about what the Watch can do, but this time Apple is hinging its success on the Watch being fashionable, selling on its looks and desirability. The Apple Watch is a whole new ballgame for the company, and as it’s something more personal, it needs to take a different approach - and of course, Apple doesn’t know what the demand is going to be like, so taking a limited approach makes more sense.
Just look at the people Cupertino brought in when designing the Apple Watch, with ex-Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts and ex-Nike designer Ben Shaffer lured to Apple, and the company has been since driving interest in the Watch by making sure it's seen on the wrists of the influential and famous, including fashion designer Karl Largerfeld, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams. Make no mistake, Apple really wants people to lust after its Watch, and part of that means making it trickier to get hold of one.
And let's face it, if you spend money on a fashion accessory, the last thing you want to see is everybody in the room wearing the same thing. You want to stand out, you want to feel special, and that means Apple needs to carefully control how many Watches are out there - at least for starters.
So while you can buy the Apple Watch if you ring up and make a reservation at one of the top six fashion boutiques, it'll certainly be a while before you can hand over cash and take one away from a regular Apple Store, or even other designer shops like Selfridges. The limited approach is certainly more likely to appeal to fashionistas, and it's a world away from seeing thousands of people queue round the block for regular Apple gadgets - there's nothing cool about desperately queuing up, right?Of course, there are other ways you can get hold of an Apple Watch - and rather than battering down the doors of Apple Stores, Cupertino would much prefer you to pre-order its wearable. The first batch of Watches reportedly sold out in hours, but it's only a matter of time before you can get your hands on a Watch from the next batch. This is actually a far more pragmatic approach from Apple, with batches making it a lot easier to judge demand.
And with people buying the Watch either online or in specific fashion boutiques, it means there will be more time to make sure you get the right fit if you do go and try one on - something that's more important than ever, particularly if you're splashing out for the mega-pricey Apple Watch Edition.
The limited approach certainly helps to make the Watch feel more special if you do get your hands on one, but can you imagine pre-ordering and waiting, or heading to a dedicated boutique, or is it simply a step too far?
www.easyappsbusiness.com
Monday, 20 April 2015
Apple Watch won’t hit Apple Stores until June
Apple Watch won’t hit Apple Stores until June
This may be the time of real Apple Watch fever, but it sounds like you won’t actually be able to buy one in-store until June.
A leaked memo, courtesy of 9to5Mac, from the head of Apple’s retail team, Angela Ahrendts, more-or-less confirms we’re not going to see stacks of Apple Watches in Apple Stores until June. “We are only taking orders online right now,” she says after giving all the Apple Store employees a well-deserved pat on the back for the retail soft launch last week.
Here’s the real stinger, though: “we expect this to continue through the month of May. It has not been an easy decision.” No deliveries 'til June, then.
The primary reason is pretty obvious. Apple just doesn’t have enough stock to spread across its stores worldwide without that spread looking comically thin. Making a product in a totally new area is a little trickier than just banging out another phone, it seems.
The earliest Apple Watch orders online are expected to ship on 24 April. However, that date has also been quietly wiped off the Watch’s order page. Put one in your virtual shopping basket now and you’ll see an expected dispatch date of June.
Apple’s known for being a bit conservative about its estimates at times, but it does look as though Apple Watches are going to now be incredibly hard to get hold of until June.
Saturday, 18 April 2015
Asus Vivowatch, LG G4, Huawei P8, Microsoft Band, Swimmo fitness band
Asus Vivowatch, LG G4, Huawei P8, Microsoft Band, Swimmo fitness band: Gadget Digest
Added: about 15 hours ago
From fitness bands capable of tracking your swimming progress, to a smartwatch that lasts all week and longer, it's been a great week for gadget lovers. And now we're reaching the weekend it's time to glance back at the biggest and best stories from the past few days. So read on as we take a look in our Gadget Digest.
Wearables galore
We've seen all sorts of wearables and fitness bands over the past couple of years, and now there's a smartwatch designed specifically for the swimming pool. Capable of tracking laps and swimming cadence, Swimmo could be the ideal wearable for fitness freaks, but could you imagine ditching the Apple Watch in favour of one?
If you're after a more conventional fitness band, there's always the Microsoft Band, which is finally touching down in the UK. You can order the Band now, and it costs a reasonable £169.99.
Asus hit the headlines this week, with its new VivoWatch. We already loved the look of the Asus ZenWatch, but the VivoWatch could be one of the best all-rounders yet, packing in a 10-day battery life that would put it in a direct head-to-head with the Pebble Time.
While it may not fall into the traditional wristband category when you think of 'wearables', the Panasonic HX-A1 wearable camera also popped up this week, and it looks more than capable of giving GoPro a run for its money.
Throw in a wearable for dogs, capable of tracking the fitness for your canine friend, and it's dfficult to ask for anything more!
Luxurious smartphones
There's been plenty going on in the past few days when it comes to smartwatches too, not least with leaks of the leather-clad LG G4. Whether the use of leather will be enough to make people want to go for the G4 over the gorgeous Samsung Galaxy S6 remains to be seen, but top marks to LG for trying something a little different - we’ll be finding out a bit more about LG’s flagship closer to its official launch.
We saw some smart additions on the software side of things this week too, and the next time you lose your phone, you'll now be able to Google it. With the ability to type 'find my phone' into Google, and have a web app launch to track down the Android blower logged into your Google account could be a life saver, and you can also make it ring in case it's simply lost somewhere down the back of your sofa.
Huawei made the news on Wednesday with its new P8 and P8 Max flagships, and the metal-clad wonders look ideal if you're a fan of big screens. There's a 5.2-inch panel on the P8, and the P8 Max gets a monster 6.8-inch display - a tad too big for most people, we'd imagine. Stay tuned for our full review of the P8.
And in other news...
It's also been a good week for more unconventional gadgets, such as the new Dyson Hot + Cool AM09 - a heater which, as the name cunningly hints, is capable of blowing both hot and cold air. We loved the Cirrus7 Nimbini micro PC, and the Xbox One has also received a promotional price cut - will you be jumping in?
Sunday, 12 April 2015
Win a signed copy of Mich Turner's Cake School Book
Saturday, 11 April 2015
Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4
The Easter bank holiday may have made this a short week, but that doesn't mean we've been short on gadgets. There have been loads of great gadgets to feast your eyes on - especially with Gadget Show Live taking place, and we've also seen a couple of titans of the gadget world finally go on sale. So read on as we catch up with all the week's biggest and best news stories, in your Gadget Digest.
A good week for Apple
After months of sitting back and waiting, you can now finally pre-order an Apple Watch, and you could be wearing the year's most desirable bit of tech before the end of the month. Apple is expecting stock shortages though, so if you want one make sure you put your name down as soon as possible.
That wasn't the only news from Apple this week, as it looks like the Retina screen on the latest iMac could be about to get a whole lot better. According to LG, the next-gen iMac could pack in an almost barely believeable 8K screen, up from the already razor sharp 5K iMac that’s out now. We can only imagine how good photos and movies would look at that resolution, although it'll be a while before there are any apps or services that truly take advantage.
The latest phones and phablets
We fell in love with the searingly sharp, bright and colourful Quad HD screen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, but it seems that Samsung isn't content to rest on its laurels, and its replacement - the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 looks set to pack in the sharpest screen we've ever seen. A phablet with a 4K display certainly sounds interesting!
Speaking of phones with pin-sharp screens, the Quad HD-toting LG G3 has a successor is on the way, and the LG G4 looks like it'll also cram in an impressive camera. LG certainly wants us to think so anyway, and its official teaser video shows off a snapper with a fast F1.8 lens.
Gadget Show Live
This week also saw Gadget Show Live kick off, and the show will still be underway at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham over the weekend. We saw some brilliant gadgets there at the beginning of the week, and there are also shows taking place all weekend. Throw in some ridiculous vehicles and what more could you ask for if you're looking to be entertained this weekend?
Wearable wonders
For lots of us, the Moto 360 was one of the most stylish wearables yet, but it wasn't perfect. There was the 'flat tyre' look at the bottom of the round screen for starters, and there's definitely scope for improvement. That's where the second-gen Moto 360 comes in, and it looks like it could get a fully round display. Throw in an even sleeker design, and it could well be the wearable to take the fight to Apple.
If you prefer your wearables to be a little more subtle, how about the Jawbone Up3? The sporty wristband is finally set to hit the shops, although it's currently only shipping to the US - UK fans will be able to get one "later this year". It should be good for fitness fans though, with its bioimpendance sensor claimed to be more accurate than a more traditional optical heart rate monitor.
And in other news
We absolutely loved the Bolt - a tiny electric skateboard that’ll get you from A to B in no time at all, and you'll also be able to film all the aerial action using one of two new DJI Phantom 3 drones. It also looks like electric cars are finally starting to deliver too, with the Tesla Model S 70D promising to get you all the way from London to Leeds on a single charge.
What's your favourite gadget of the week though?
Monday, 30 March 2015
Imagine all your favorite chefs and recipes with a few simple clicks, from simple how to instructions, great food ideas to some of the best factual cooking programs from all over the world.
So if you are baking bakes with Mitch Turner or chilling out with Jamie Oliver in Italy the Simply good food TV app will have it all for you
At the moment it is available for the ipad and android tablet , we are currently developing the iphone, android phone versions .
Please check back for updates
apple ipad available at https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/simply-good-food-tv/id944874041?mt=8
Android app avilale at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.peter.sgftv
Twitter https://twitter.com/sgftv
facebook, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Good-Food-TV/635071273282169
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Apple iPhone 7, HTC One M9 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, Apple Watch, Amazon Fire TV
We've been particularly excited about the Apple Watch this week, with Cupertino's wearable hitting the shops in April, but there’s been loads of other great stories during the past week as well. So make a brew, sit back and join us as we catch up on all the biggest gadgets of the past seven days.
All go in the smartphone world
The Samsung Galaxy S6 is arguably the best smartphone we've ever seen, but it's still not perfect. The lack of microSD could be enough to put some people off, although it looks like a solution could be on the way in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, which could boast removeable storage. Is that enough to make you wait?
If you do decide to hang on though, it's Samsung's future phones that could really shake things up, with rumours of a folding blower on the way. We're certainly excited - it could be the latter-day reinvention of the much-loved flip phone!
The Samsung Galaxy S6 also made the news for offering the ability uninstall bloatwear, and that'll certainly appeal to lots of owners. Ditching the apps you don't use will result in a faster, smoother OS, and you'll also have more storage space to play with - sounds good to us.
Not to be outdone by Samsung, HTC hit the headlines with the shiny new HTC One E9, which showed off a snazzy design in leaked snaps. The One M9 Plus is set to be unveiled next month, too.
Apple was once again in the headlines this week with its iPhone 7, and this time we could see a camera that features a DSLR-like zoom lens. The iPhone 6's camera is already pretty good, but we certainly wouldn't turn our noses up at an optical zoom, and it can only make an already impressive smartphone even better.
The best wearables
With the Apple Watch set to touch down next month, developers have been working on apps and ways to take full advantage of Apple's wearable, and there's a Philips Hue Apple Watch app on the way. So get ready for lightbulbs can can be controlled by tapping your wrist!
We're used to seeing smartwatches come with hefty prices, but that's not the way it needs to be. Hannspree showed exactly that this week, with a smartwatch that comes in at just £30, yet still promises to deliver notifications and more straight from your smartphone.
We were also happy to see Google Glass pop up again, with the chief of Google - Eric Schmidt - pointing out that the innovative headwear will make a return at some point in the future. With battery and other tech getting better every day, you can bet it'll be more stylish and more capable the next time around, too.
A good week for tele addicts
Apple TV has had a tough time of it recently, with other cheaper devices like Google's Chromecast enjoying the limelight. Not one to sit back and give up, Apple is set to unleash a new Apple TV in June, and you can expect to see it offer third-party apps and Siri integration. Siri, find us something good to watch!
If it's cheap you want though, TV and movies on demand won't get much more affordable than the Amazon Fire TV Stick, which is set hit the UK costing just £7 for new Amazon Prime customers. If you've already got Amazon Prime, it'll cost you £19 - still a decent saving on the usual £35 price tag.
There's also the Google Nexus Player, which is set to go head-to-head with the Apple TV, and you can now get your hands on one for £80.
Sunday, 15 March 2015
Apple MacBook, Apple Watch, HTC One E9, Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, LG G4
This week started off with a bang, with Apple unleashing a brand new MacBook and the Apple Watch, and since then we've seen loads of fantastic gadgets. Now we're heading into the weekend, it's time to sit back and catch up on all the stories you may have missed, and make sure you're up to date with all the most exciting news.
All things AppleThe week started off with some particularly exciting Apple gadgets, not least the brand new 12-inch Apple MacBook. Thinner, lighter and more desirable than the Air, and with a Pro-rivaling Retina display, could this be one of the best MacBooks yet? You'll have to ignore the almost complete lack of ports if you do want one, and it's definitely not the most powerful laptop out there, but we still can't help but want one...
The same goes for the Apple Watch, which was finally given a price and launch date - you'll be able to get your hands on one on April 24. We're not convinced it'll be the ultimate wearable, but it's definitely one to add to the wish-list.
If like us, the claims on battery life for the Watch aren't enough to impress you, this handy strap that doubles as a charger could be the ideal solution, but you'll need deep pockets - it's £166.
It's not all good news for Apple fans this week, and the company also hit the headlines when designer Jony Ive spoke out about battery life, pointing out that whatever your complaints, you simply dom't need a bigger battery in your iPhone. With the thought that larger batteries would compromise the beauty and design, it looks like future iPhones will also place aesthetics ahead of function.
All the latest smartphone newsIt's also been a great week for smartphone fans, with loads of blowers hitting the headlines. We saw the first brand new Vaio smartphone for starters, although it didn't quite manage to meet our high expectations.
The LG G4 Note phablet also popped up this week, going head to head with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, and we saw leaks of the LG G4 smartphone too. Could this be the best smartphone to land during 2015?
Not if HTC has anything to do with it, and hot on the heels of the HTC One M9, we saw news of the HTC One E9, which could manage to cram in a 5.5-inch Quad HD screen, an octa-core processor and a 20-megapixel camera. We already love the One M9, but this has all the potential to beat anything on the market, especially if it comes with the same great build quality.
There was some sad news too though, with the Google Nexus 5 finally bowing out. It was an impressive handset, and with the Nexus 6 going upmarket, it could be the last truly affordable Nexus smartphone we get to see.
We can't blame Google for wanting a piece of the high-end action though, and Samsung is also bringing out the big guns with the new Galaxy S6 Active, which could add waterproofing and shock resistance to the mix.
And in other news...Fancy a cheaper MacBook rival? The Chromebook Pixel could well be up your street, coming in at £799 and impressive build quality. Other innovative gadgets this week included the Dyson V6 Fluffy and V6 Absolute, and we loved the Podo - a gadget that promises to banish selfie sticks to the cupboard, never to be used again!
www.easyappsbusiness.com www.tell-me-first.com
Monday, 2 February 2015
Microsoft HoloLens, Windows 10, Samsung Galaxy S6, HTC One M9, OnePlus One: Gadget Digest
With CES now well behind us, we've started to see more and more gadgets being announced or leaked, and it's been a brilliant few days for tech lovers. From augmented reality gaming and Microsoft’s brand new Windows 10, to leaked high-end smartphones like the HTC One M9, there's plenty to catch up on as we head into the weekend. It’s all here for you in your Gadget Digest.
High-end smartphones leaked
Out of all the latest gadgets, high-end smartphones always leave us drooling in anticipation, and it looks like HTC and Samsung could be the next to unleash a couple of blinders. The Samsung Galaxy S6 popped up on our radar yesterday, and although there weren't any pics on offer, the thought of a 5.1-inch QHD smartphone packing a 64-bit octa-core processor and a 20-megapixel snapper into an aluminium chassis certainly left us wanting more.
Samsung will have a tough fight on its hands if it's going to beat HTC's next flagship though, with the HTC One M9 also hitting the headlines. The high-end blower may look near identical to the older HTC One (M8), including a slick metal body and BoomSound speakers, but this time it's claimed to cram in a bleeding-edge Snapdragon 810 chip and an even sharper screen.
Fans of the OnePlus One also got the chance to get their hands on one of last year's best handsets without needing an invite, at least for a couple of hours. Sadly it's back to invite only again now (plus £229 of your money), so you may well end up playing the waiting game if you want one.
Wonderful wearables
Not content to let LG and Motorola enjoy the limelight when it comes to round smartwatches, Samsung has also been working on its own round Apple Watch beater, and it may also be one of Samsung’s first smartwatches to use wireless charging tech as well.
Speaking of Apple's upcoming wearable, the Apple Watch also hit the news today, with a claimed battery life of just 2.5 hours under heavy use, and not a lot longer simply having the watch face turned on constantly. That's desperately disappointing for one of the year's most anticipated gadgets, but evidently the price to pay for power-packed components and a small battery. Fingers crossed it holds up better under mixed use.
Microsoft unleashes some awesome concepts
It was Microsoft's jaw-dropping HoloLens that really caught our eye this week though, with the augmented reality wearable promising to shake up gaming and other industries. We particularly loved the demo showing off Minecraft, and instead of playing the game in your own little world, HoloLens makes it possible to drop blocks on your living room furniture and interact with the world around you. It looks brilliant, and we really can't wait for Microsoft to bring its vision closer to reality.
No doubt the HoloLens will be pricey when it finally does land though, and if you're looking for a cheaper wearable to help keep you warm, the Smart Scarf looks ideal. It's another concept from Microsoft, and biometric sensors help to make it warmer (or indeed cooler) to help keep you at the perfect temperature. Throw in vibrations to alert you of notifications, and it won't matter when your Apple Watch's battery dies a death after a couple of hours either!
In other Microsoft news, the Redmond giant also unleashed a closer look at Windows 10, and it promises to make it a lot easier to switch between Windows phones, PCs, the Xbox One and tablets. It also ushers in a new era for cross-platform gaming, which sounds good to us!
And in other news...
With so many exciting announcements this week, narrowing down our gadget digest to just a few different stories has been incredibly difficult! With that in mind, it's also well worth checking out the 12-inch MacBook Air, the Mission Impossible book that can destroy itself, and HP's HTC-alike Android tablet. Throw in the drone-hunting drone (that's right, a drone that hunts its own!) and an entire PC crammed into a mouse and it really has been a fab week for gadget lovers. Which one’s your favourite though?
Tuesday, 4 November 2014
Amazon Fire Phone: Five ways we’d fix this Android upstart
Amazon’s Kindle business has been a roaring success, and its Kindle Fire tablets have been well received likewise. But its smartphone attempt has not quite had the same spark. The e-tailer reported a huge $430m (£273m) loss in quarterly earnings today, and much of that was down to a $170m (£105m) writedown on the Fire Phone, which was met with poor sales in the US (It’s only just gone on sale in the UK). We were similarly unimpressed, pointing out in our recent review that the Kindle Fire fails to offer anything particularly compelling compared to other Google certified Android phones. Yet. It’s not too late for Amazon to turn it around: here’s how we’d do it if we were Jeff Bezos.
Add Google Play
There’s no getting around it: Amazon isn’t improving Android by removing all of Google’s software from the underlying open-source software, just limiting it. While the Amazon AppStore is fairly well stocked with must play games and useful services, it’s the omission of Google’s own apps on the Fire Phone that smarts the most. Amazon’s email app is clunky and underpowered compared to the peerless Gmail Android client, and there’s a big Google Maps shaped hole in Fire OS too. All of these problems would be negated for punters if they could just have access to the Google Play store too. After all, if Amazon is so confident its software is better, what’s it got to be scared of?
Cut the price
Amazon like to tout its phone as affordable, but the truth is the Amazon Fire Phone is not a great deal, even if you’re tempted by the year’s subscription to Amazon Prime thrown in. At £28 per month on a two year contract, or £399 upfront on Pay As You Go, the Fire Phone is far more expensive than the stunning new Motorola Moto G, which comes with a huge five-inch HD screen and costs just £144 unlocked for use on any network. While Amazon’s phone may sport a slightly faster processor, the truth is you’d be hard pressed to detect much difference in performance between the pair. Which brings us to the next point...
Design does matter
If you are going to charge £400 in a world where the Motorola Moto G exists, you’d better make sure your phone looks the part. Sadly, the Amazon Fire Phone does not. While the company just about got away with the plain black plastic vibe on the Fire tablet line up (after all, a tablet is still a luxury device, and all about the screen), customers clearly aren’t giving the Fire Phone a similar pass. As we said in our review, the thick, smeary, glossy Fire Phone looks like an encased iPhone prototype an employee accidentally left in a bar somewhere. Compared to the iPhone 6, HTC One (M8) or the full metal jacketed Samsung Galaxy Alpha, well, it just doesn’t - and these rivals are only marginally more expensive.
Enter the specs war
If Amazon isn’t going to up its design game, it should at least consider entering the smartphone specs arms race. The 720p resolution screen of the Fire Phone looks paltry in comparison to the astonishing 2K, beyond HD panel on the LG G3 Android phone. The 13 megapixel camera meanwhile can’t compete with the latest sensors from Apple, Sony and Nokia (now Microsoft). Future Fire Phones need to at least keep up with the big boys if the company’s going to charge much the same price as Samsung, Sony et al.
Stop focusing on selling
Amazon treats its Fire devices much like digital kiosks, and another chance to hawk you all its wares. You can’t really begrudge it that after all, since the company runs on wafer thin margins at the best of times, but it’s telling that the best ideas Amazon has introduced to tablets and smartphones are the ones that aren’t trying to get you to buy batteries or a few more chances to lose at Candy Crush Saga. Its Mayday helpline, manned by real assistants who can draw on your screen and change settings for you, is a godsend for technophobes, while its multiple cameras on the front face let you peek and pan around the screen without even touching it - an idea with lots of potential still to be realised. More focus on the user convenience, and less on the impulse buys will surely help make the next Fire Phone more of an impulse buy itself.