How I decided on which smartphone to buy (Part 2)

Since I wrote Part 1, I have switched from the iPhone 4s to the 5s, 6 and most recently 6s.

Criteria 1 – Size

4.7-5″ phones are, I believe, the sweet spot for the overall size of the handset. I’ve been tempted by the screen of the “Plus” iPhones but always suspect that the huge size will end up being an annoyance.

I have a friend who switched to the Plus, then to the iPhone SE then finally ended up with the iPhone 7. I suspect I would have a similar journey as him, ie I’d revert back from the 5.5″ screen back to a 4.7-5″ screen.

But all this was before the advent of the bezel-less or thinner bezel phones. Because of course you can fit in a bigger screen into the same sized phone if you remove the bezels.

At least for my hands, a phone that’s roughly the size of an iPhone 6/6s/7/8 would be ideal.

Criteria 2 – Privacy / security

I believe that Apple’s track record when it comes to privacy is better than Google’s.

It also helps that Apple phones get updated to the same, most recent version of iOS at the same time which brings me to the next criteria.

Criteria 3 – Running the latest OS

In addition to security, having the latest OS means that you get the latest software (some software won’t run on older operating systems) and also the latest gestures or UI improvements.

In the case of Apple, OS updates sometimes even makes older phones faster though they have admittedly also slowed them down in the past.

At least, unlike Android phones, there’s no manufacturer to come between your phone and your phone OS update.

If I were to purchase an Android phone I’ll probably go for either Google’s line of Nexus phones or a phone running Android One. That way I’ll ensure I get access to the latest Android.

Criteria 4 – A good camera

I have to say I think that photos taken in good lighting don’t really differ from smartphone to smartphone. It’s in low light or high-speed motion shots that having a better camera makes a visible difference.

What do you think? What are the most important criteria to you?

 

Nintendo – time to Switch back?

I believe the first console that I bought with my own money was the Playstation.

But the second console that I purchased was the Nintendo Gamecube!

I loved my Gamecube, mainly because of Zelda. I’ve been a fan of the series ever since I played A Link to the Past whilst house-sitting for a friend back in the 90s.

I got The Legend of Zelda Collector’s Edition for it which came with The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask and a demo for Wind Waker. That was a great disc! I thoroughly enjoyed playing Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask and quickly bought Wind Waker after playing through the demo.

It helped that I was playing on a vibrant 20″ Sharp Aquos TV. Flat screen TVs were just becoming available then.

So I was extremely excited when the Wii came out. As soon as it became available in the country I was staying in, I picked it up. Had to call around half a dozen stores before I managed to put my name down for one. Hurriedly went to pick it up after work to play the new Zelda – Twilight Princess. Was so overjoyed, had never been so excited before (or since) to pick up a console.

Subsequently to the Wii I purchased the PS3, then the Xbox One. Inbetween the two I actually purchased the Wii U for a bargain price but was forced by the missus to sell it off. 😦

Anyways, the release of the new Nintendo Switch reminded me of my excitement when I got my Wii. But now, being older and wiser, I have decided not to join the Day One crowd.

Especially when the Switch is priced above the PS4!!!

I plan to wait to see the reviews on Breath of the Wild to see if it runs better on the Wii U or the Switch. If the former I’m sure I can pick up a second hand Wii U + the game for less than the price of the Switch!

Given that the Switch is region-free, if the Switch version of the game is better, I can always look to purchasing the console + game in America. Would probably work out cheaper…

Sorry Nintendo, but your pricing strategy in this part of the world means that I won’t be Switching back…not yet anyways!

Apple Bluetooth Keyboard on a Surface Pro 3

 

I have a Wireless Apple keyboard which I manage to connect to my Surface Pro 3 (running Windows 10).

However the volume function keys didn’t work. This bugged me to no end so I rolled up my sleeves and used my Google-Fu to figure out a solution.

Installing the keyboard driver

I watched the YouTube (above) and being (too) clever I used a more recent version of BootCamp. The version of BootCamp I used was from using the BootCamp Assistant on my MacBook Air.

The files you want are (after you unzip the BootCamp file) under BootCamp, Drivers, Apple. The two files that you want are the AppleKeyboardInstaller64.exe and BootCamp.msi.

Copy the two files into another directory. Then run the Command Prompt as an Administrator. Switch to the directory containing the two files. Then run the command “msiexec /i BootCamp.msi” (without the quotation marks).

Remember I said I was too clever? The latest version of BootCamp failed for me. The Play/Pause, Forward, Backward function keys worked but not the Volume function keys.

So now I had to uninstall them.

Uninstalling the keyboard driver

I uninstalled Windows Driver Package – Apple Inc. Apple Keyboard from Control Panel.

But when I tried to uninstall Boot Camp Services I couldn’t! The trick to that is to right-click on the BootCamp.msi file in the directory containing the two files, and select Uninstall. Whew!

After that I followed the instructions on the YouTube video more closely. It appears that the drivers on Apple’s website, though older (2015) works. The BootCamp drivers I used was version 5.1.5722 which worked perfectly with my Apple Wireless Keyboard 2011.

Hope this helps someone out there!

OnePlus 3 equals four?

 

1. The screen

AnandTech had a bad review on the screen’s color gamut.  Which they subsequently reversed after OnePlus released a new firmware.

But for me, the fact that it’s a PenTile AMOLED display is a huge negative for me. Especially at this screen size (5.5″).

2 The camera

Some people think that it has bad low light performance. But AnandTech’s review gives it a glowing tick. They reckon it’s even better than the iPhone 6s!

For me low light performance is expected, so that’s another strike against the OnePlus.

3. The memory management

I had bad experiences with memory management with the HTC One X.

I would write a SMS, take a note in a text editor or in Evernote, or type an address in Google Chrome, swap to some other app for some reason or other.

When I returned, whatever I had typed in would have disappeared because of aggressive memory management. 😦

I haven’t been able to ascertain whether the memory management suspends the apps or closes them (and hence losing interim data entry) but I’m not going to take that risk.

4. No go

Adding up these 3 negative points, I’m leaning towards taking the chance on OnePlus 3 3 and buying it.