Samsung Galaxy Nexus battery life -- some updated impressions

Android Central

We've got around a fortnight of Galaxy Nexus use under our belts, so we thought we'd offer up some updated thoughts on the device's battery performance. Before we begin, remember that we're talking about the international GSM/HSPA+ version here, as opposed to Verizon's upcoming LTE model.

When we first reviewed the Galaxy Nexus we reported that its 1750 mAh battery lasted us around 14 hours on a single charge with pretty heavy usage. That involved a decent amount of browsing over Wifi and HSPA+, music playback, a little video streaming, voice calls and shooting test photos and video footage for our review. That's not at all bad, and more or less mirrored what we got out of the international Galaxy S II when we reviewed it back in June.

Android CentralWith any rechargeable battery, there's a certain amount of settling in to be done, which is why you'll often notice that a brand new device's battery performance may improve over the first week or so of use. During this time you'll also notice that you're using your new toy a little less, and this'll also affect your battery performance, as you're less likely to be pulling the thing out of your pocket every few minutes.

Over the past couple of weeks we've been using the Galaxy Nexus day-to-day as our daily driver, and with less intensive usage patterns we've been very pleased with the phone's battery life. So far, we've never been in a situation where the phone's died on us before the end of the day while we're out and about. However, we will say that with heavy use -- for example, constantly streaming from YouTube -- it is absolutely possible to run down the battery in a few hours. Then again, that's something that applies to just about every smartphone out there -- it's not unique to Android, ICS or the Galaxy Nexus by any means.

With more conservative use (by which we mean "using it the way we normally use a smartphone"), we were regularly going over 24 hours on a single charge. In one instance, it even lasted from Saturday evening through until Monday morning. The main factor at work here is the phone's exceptional efficiency when it's "asleep" with the screen off. When it's sleeping, even with various accounts syncing away in the background, it uses next to no juice at all. This is a common theme with many dual-core CPUs, and one of the reasons why multi-core chips are so cool. It's balanced out, though, by the fact that at higher brightness levels, that HD SuperAMOLED screen can quickly chew through the battery. That's nothing new either, and we've seen it before on many AMOLED-based devices. As such, we recommend leaving the auto-brightness setting to do its thing.

Hopefully that gives you a rough idea of what to expect from your GSM Galaxy Nexus if you've got one ordered, or are thinking of dropping some cash on one. As we said, who knows what kind of performance we'll see out of the LTE version when it arrives, but for now we're more than happy with its international cousin.

More: Samsung Galaxy Nexus review

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/tsxRV7dTbfI/story01.htm

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Windows 8 welcome screen revealed, looks very Metro

windows 8 welcome screen
It's not really a secret the Microsoft had planned on bringing bits of Windows Phone 7's Metro UI to Windows 8, but we haven't seen a lot of really telling evidence. However, with the Windows 8 milestone 3 build now available to Microsoft Connect partners, it was really just a matter of time before we started to get a peek.

Thanks to Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott, we've now had a glimpse at what the Windows 8 welcome screen will look like. As you can see, the typography is very Metro indeed. Within Windows also mentions that the background image is customizable, and we're wondering if it might not pull from your current Windows 8 theme. This particular shot shows the CTRL + ALT + DELETE login option, but we imagine you'll still be able to log in by clicking your account picture tile as well.

Rivera and Thurrott also mention that the tablet version of the welcome screen will allow you to log in by swiping a pattern on the screen -- as you can on current Android devices.

Windows 8 welcome screen revealed, looks very Metro originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/windows-8-welcome-screen-revealed-looks-very-metro/

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Corel VideoStudio X4 giveaway

corelvideostudiox4giveaway
This morning, Corel released VideoStudio X4. We've already published a quick overview and hands-on of the application, and now is the moment you've all been waiting for: We're giving away ten full licenses of this new version, each worth $99.99!

To enter our random draw, you just have to leave a comment. Full terms and conditions are after the break.

Continue reading Corel VideoStudio X4 giveaway

Corel VideoStudio X4 giveaway originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/22/corel-videostudio-x4-giveaway/

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Daily Tip: How to set up safe iPad or iPod touch email for your child

Thinking about getting your child an iPad or iPod touch and wondering how to safely give them limited email access on iOS? Email is a handy way to share things like pictures they’ve taken with the Camera app. I’ve chosen to use Hotmail (Windows Live) for my kids because...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/eZa7L3X85kM/story01.htm

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Rumor: iPad 3 and iPhone 5 both on track for LTE

Nikkei Business is reporting that the iPad 3 and iPhone 5 are both on their way with LTE 4G radios, set to debut on Japan’s NTT DoCoMo in summer and fall of 2012 respectively. Yes, we already suspect an iPad 3 and iPhone 5 are coming...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/7Jy9Blca-zw/story01.htm

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Watch the story behind Wind-Up Knight

Android Central

We love Wind-Up Knight, there's little other way of saying it. While not everyone is a fan of it's pricing structure, no-one can deny that it has been gaining massive recognition since its release. 

For the developers, Robot Invader, this was their first foray into the mobile application world. In an interview with the AndroidDevelopers YouTube channel, they go into a bit of the back story behind the game and talk about their experiences developing for the Android platform. Long and short of it, they liked it! 

Check out the video after the break. If you've still to try the game for yourself, check out our review and hit the break for the video. 

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/8OiI1JQMhWs/story01.htm

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LaCie LaPlug Product Review

Doesn’t everyone have a few USB Memory Sticks or a USB hard drive that they want to share their content with their family and friends?  Personally, I have a 500GB USB hard drive and a couple of 8GB Memory Sticks that I and my children constantly move from computer to computer to share content.   [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/11/27/lacie-laplug-product-review/

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Berg's Little Printer churns out RSS feeds with a receipt and a smile

It's hard to think of a device more aptly named than BergCloud's Little Printer. It's little. It prints. It even smiles at you. And why wouldn't it? It's adorable. Equally notable is what it produces -- RSS feeds printed out on grocery store-style receipts. All you have to do is hook it up to your router, configure your RSS subscriptions from your smartphone and press a button to print them out. The Little Printer connects wirelessly to a small box that's plugged into your router. This box, in turn, interfaces with the Berg Cloud (also unveiled this week), providing constant updates and pulling down any web content you've selected. If, for instance, you want to print out Foursquare updates, you can use the app to add them to your queue and print them out for later reading. It's basically like InstaPaper... with more paper. BergCloud has already struck partnerships with ARUP, Foursquare, The Guardian, Nike and Google, though more are on the way. No word yet on pricing, but the device is slated to go up for pre-order sometime next year. Check it out in action, after the break.

[Thanks, Dave]

Continue reading Berg's Little Printer churns out RSS feeds with a receipt and a smile

Berg's Little Printer churns out RSS feeds with a receipt and a smile originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/kuyt1F1d-N8/

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Box Offers Free Cloud Storage for LG?s Android Smartphones

If Google hasn't fully convinced you that the future is in the cloud, other smaller online storage services are erasing all doubt whatsoever. Take, for example, Box.net, a cloud-based storage and file-sharing site. The company has partnered with electronics manufacturer LG to offer a whopping 50GB of free storage for anyone who purchases LG Android smartphones. The storage giveaway begins this Wednesday, and continues through the end of March 2012.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/11/box-free-cloud-lg-android/

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MudWatt Generates Power from Mud and Garbage

The MudWatt kit from KeegoTech is an educational DIY kit that can teach kids about soil chemistry, microbiology and electricity. By combining ordinary dirt from your yard, along with scraps from your refrigerator, kids can create a fuel cell that will light up an LED. The MudWatt set is priced at $44.95 and can be [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/11/27/mudwatt-generates-power-from-mud-and-garbage/

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