Nokia Lumia 1520

Nokia Lumia 1520

It seems like it has been forever, but I am back and recovering very well. I have been away for a while because on Feb 14th, 2014 I feel very ill and have been down in the dumps ever since. I have been working hard with my condition and have also just been able to just take in tech for what it is actually worth. Thanks to my friends and family who help me get through these very tough times for me and thanks to my kids even more for being so awesome and supportive and also trying to help me through this. Without them being fearless and giving me the courage sometimes, I don't know where I would be. But those of you who are fans, thank you for your patients and your things of that nature, as today we get right back into the thick of things. I am really behind on some things, so please bear with me.

This week you go all Microsoft. I know its an interesting thing to do to come back on, but, they have been in the press lately and I see a lot of good things headed their way. This week I touch on the best phone the have to offer (carrier wise), the phone with the best camera......still (sorry Samsung that s5 is not worth the upgrade), the best Windows RT tablet and some other Microsoft goodies if you haven't been keeping an eye on them. So without further delay, let's get right to the best Windows phone you can get right now (carrier wise).

Lumia 1520 in middle of Nexus 7 and Nexus 5

Okay so here is the deal, I don't do contracts so I buy all phones unlocked (anyone that knows me can contest to that) and I don't do Verizon Wireless. With that being said, I have not had a chance to check out the Nokia Lumia Icon and honestly I probably will not. The Nokia Lumia 930 is not out yet, which is the successor to the Lumia 920 (one of my favorite phones of 2012), so I can not say how that is. So with all of that out of the way, the best Windows phone you can get period (to me) is the Nokia Lumia 1520. Here is the deal with this phone: 6 inch phablet with a full 1080p display which is about 366 or 367 ppi, has gorilla glass 2, a micro sd card slot that supports up to a 64gb micro sd card, can get you 4g lte, 16/32 gb on board storage and 2gb of RAM. If you can not find the 32gb version, don't fear, get a 64gb micro sd card and with windows 8.1, you will be able to save apps and games to the sd card.... like Android USED to do.

There is also NFC on board, bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP and micro USB 2.0 though. The camera is a brilliant 20 mega pixel shooter (its not the Lumia 1020 with 41 megapixels, but it is nice though) Carl Zeiss optical, with image stabilization, autofocus, and dual LED flash. PureView technology, dual capture, geo-tagging, face detection, panorama. And as far as the video recordings go, you can record in1080p@30fps with video light, and stereo sound recording. The phone as of now runs Windows Phone Black (Windows Phone 8.0 Black) and will soon upgrade to windows Phone 8.1 in the very near future. Those of you in the know, can get Windows Phone 8.1 on your phones now, and I can say it is a lot to look forward to. Windows Phones have come a very long way.

Packed on the inside of the phone, is a Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800, with a Quad-core 2.2 GHz Krait 400 CPU and an Adreno 330 GPU. The battery is an awesome 3400 mAh battery, and honestly in my tests it ran all day long with charging being needed around bed time. Not bad for a phablet with a full 1080p display. That’s all the internal geek stuff, but how well does the phone work and perform for everyday use is what many people want to know. Well if you have never used a Windows phone before or have been interested in switching from iOS or Android (or the others that are out there), then this phone is a great start. The good thing about Windows phone is that your user experience will be the same just about if you go with a Lumia 520 or a Lumia 1520. The problem with a lot of Android devices is that they are all really good or great but this phone doesn't have what this phone has and this one doesn't have what that one has. Its more than just size that matters, its the user experience and the UI. Samsung goes Touchwiz on just about all of their mobile products, but if you picked up a Moto X or Moto G, that’s either a blessing or a curse. On Windows Phone, the Lumia 520 is a 4 inch phone whereas the Lumia 1520 is a 6 inch phablet, the main difference. I mean there are other differences inside like RAM and camera and specs like that, but you can’t go wrong with any Windows Phone if its your first or your tenth.

The point I am trying to make is that Windows Phone is just about the same user experience on the smaller device as it is on the bigger ones. That is great, but it also bad as well. The thing that makes Android so great and why people say iOS is so boring is because, with Android, if you don’t like something, change it. There are skins and ROM downloads and things like that to make your phone truly yours. Different phone sizes from different phone makers all with different strokes for different folks. iOS is what you see is what you get and that is where Windows Phone tries to be different. Windows Phones range in size from 4 inches to 6 inches and to me that is a step in the right direction. Now don’t get me wrong, HTC and Samsung makes Windows Phones as well, with their takes on the OS, but overall its the same experience in the end. So what makes the Lumia 1520 the best?

I have had 5 Windows Phones since 2012, the Lumia 520, the Lumia 920, HTC 8x, Lumia 1020 and the Lumia 1520. Out of all of those phones the 1520 is the best because it hits everything that I was looking for right in the middle or over exceeds what I was looking for but also kept the same user experience at the same time. What I mean by that is, the Lumia 520 is the best cheap phone you can get, with 4g speeds and micro sd support. I just don’t care for the screen. The size is not bad, but it is a little small for my hands over time. The 920 or the 8x are great phones overall but both don’t have micro sd slots and I wish the camera was a little better and the 8x is thinner than the 920. The Lumia 1020 has the best camera period, but at times just feels like i’d rather have the 920 with a better camera. And that is where the 1520 comes in, it hits all the right spots that i am looking for just right. Micro sd slot, bigger in size, good form factor, great price, feels good in the hand and not to bulky (it does look huge though) and a great camera.

That’s why if a Windows phone is your next purchase, I say go with the 1520, you will not be disappointed. The only real problem with the Windows platform is apps. There are apps and games that most of us play on iOS or Android and they are just not there on the windows platform. You could always just go into the browser, but you could do that as well on the other platforms. But what about the games then? Well that is the problem and also support from other products like if you have Phillips Hue or Belkin WeMo or a Pebble/Pebble Steel watch or even a Nike Fuel Band. There is no native support these items (not to say there is not any support, because there are third party developers who do make great apps for these products out there) and honesty, until Windows Phone actually takes off here in America (in other countries Windows Phone is putting boots to asses), there will probably not be anytime soon. But if you're like me, who is hopeful of the Windows platform and love the change that is Windows Phone compared to Android and its ad galore platform or the boring iOS world that is Apple, or just love good tech in general and/or want something different, then Windows Phone is for you and this Lumia 1520 is a grand slam.

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Everything You Get

Xbox One

The Xbox One aka OZ

     The all mighty and powerful "xbone" as they like to call it. Spearheaded by all the gripes and complaints, DRM issues and just a flat out bad presser (when they had it and E3), is the "xbone" really a "bone" at all? This is my review of the Xbox One.

Sony Always In There Somewhere lol

     The Wonderful World of Oz. Such a beautiful place and a road paved in gold! Ahh, what a place. This my friends is Microsoft. A place where your gaming needs can come true and everyone who is anyone has one sitting right in their homes (Xbox 360 that is). But alas, what is this a new OZ powered by a graphical powerhouse and speeds that would make Usain Bolt look like a snail riding a turtle? Why would anyone not want to go there? Well even in the Wizard of Oz, Dorthy wanted to go home (or back to reality) and that is what a lot of Xbox fans wanted to to do, go back home....and play games (without issue that is). So maybe Sony's new toy (PS4) is home and Oz is Microsoft's home away from home. Is the Xbox One really that bad? I can honestly say as of right now, no not really. It's actually quite awesome. So awesome in fact, I have left "home" and moved to "Oz". If you didn't catch that, that means I have moved to an Xbox One. In this review I will explain why and what I hope to get out of my new accommodations and what you as gamers or people who are interested should know.

     First thing you should know, the always on thing is true and not true. So while connected to your internet, everything looks good and runs like it should. If your a person like me who lives on pinning things (quicker access to things you use most) to your start screen or pinning them on Xbox 360 into "my pins", then you should know that Xbox One (X1) has their pins to the left of the main start screen. No big deal, its easy as hell to get to. The problem is that when your not connected to the internet or for some reason lose connection, then your start screen (well start up screen in general) looks real bad. The pins on the left and the items on the right of the start screen just fade with the internet. I have not seen if the system still works or not (which I am sure it does) but the things that make your X1 come to life are gone, when the internet does not exist. So your internet does not always have to be one or your X1 always connected, but the internet sure does play a big part. The difference on the way the games look are also noticeable but then again it depends on your TV. I game on a plasma and plasma's just look the best as far as color reproduction and those blacks are amazing (oh and the refresh rate). But gaming on the plasma and looking at NBA 2K14 (yes the GAME RIGHT THERE) on the X1 and then on the PS4..there are small differences. To me, PS4 looks better. But when looking at the same game on the LED on PS4 and then on X1, those differences become the same (to me).

     I am not going to get into the internals and all of that and then more comparing of the PS4 and X1 but you can see more of that HERE. But what I will do is talk about the unboxing and the experience I have had so far and why I choose to go the way of "Oz".

The Unboxing

     This is one of the worst unboxing's I have ever done lol. It took a long time just to get things out of the box, setup and then started. It had to have taken me 15 to 20 minutes. But even so, the unboxing felt like I was getting a premium device/unit. The extra controller that you have to buy (yes the X1 comes with one), the box was simple and easy to get to and it made it seem as if the controller was your weapon of choice to vanquish evil. After taking all the plastic off and protective coverings, the unit described in one word...Huge. Those of you you who were able to know what a VCR is, think of the X1 as that or a Beta Max Player. This thing is huge and heavy. But don't let that scare you. When Microsoft said that they wanted to be number one in the living room, this big black device is big enough to scare the other things (and consoles) away to make that happen. In my living room lives the receiver, the cable box, and the X1. Yes I did connect my cable to the X1 (also the PS4 and the Nexus 7 2013 edition) and it works very, very well. The only thing is, sometimes the commands will tick you off...really bad, but its better than last generations Kinect. 

The Experience

     So far when using the X1, it has been a charm unless I am trying to show someone the features or things like that, then it wants to not work or makes it difficult to operate and people look on as if to say "I think i'll pass". On the other hand, when it works, it works like a charm. I would give the over all system use about 8/10 times whereas last generations Kinect would be around a 5-6/10. Skype works great on the X1, had a call or two on there already. The only thing I don't like about the X1 is the menu layouts and where is the information on how much space I have left on my unit. That's right, there is no way yet, to know how much space you have your hard drive. The menus, are terrible. Trying to find things is like a journey into Minecraft, it only gets better once you dig deep. And dig deep you will just to find this or that. The cool thing is that most of the stuff you can pin to the start screen, but other things like account info and (not profile people) will have you journeying to the center of the earth. It's not bad once you get used to it or if you have used Android devices, then you will be able to pick this up in no time. If you have used a PS4 and are coming to X1, then you are in for a treat (not a good one either). 

     The other thing I don't like is the new controller. Man it is awful. I like the feedback in the trigger buttons, that is actually awesome. The feel of the new controller is ok, but the overall and while playing games, boo! People keep saying they are the same as the 360's and ones just bigger or smaller. I am sorry people, those two controllers are worlds apart like 2K14 on 360 and 2K14 on X1. The PS4 controller in my opinion is way better than the new X1 controller because Sony made the right changes to the DualShock whereas Microsoft seemed like they made changes cause this was a new system. The 360 controller was already worlds better than the PS3 and it fit the hand real nice, as the PS3 controller was to small and button placement was to close together. It seems like Sony and Microsoft made a switch in the controller wars. But again don't let that scare you off as well. To be honest anything negative I have said about the X1, that's just about it. Other than a few minor hiccups here and there, the X1 is a solid next gen console. The only thing now is games and other content (which they both lack) but the end of January (early February) is looking real good for games like Titanfall, Project Spark (which was one of the only things I saw during Microsoft's press event that I actually liked and plan on buying), Quantum Break and of course Halo. Of course these are all console exclusives and I think the coming months are looking real promising. For more games take a look HERE. Another awesome feature is the Sky Drive integration and the Game DVR. The game dvr is awesome because all you do is yell out "Xbox record that" and that game clip records to your hard drive and then you can edit it and upload it to the Xbox One universe or you can save it with Sky Drive. For more check out this VIDEO. The last thing is the Snap feature. The Snap Feature woks like this. So when the Cavaliers go to half time, I play Killer Instinct or finish up 2K14 or maybe Dead Rising 3. But half time is fast at times, I end up missing like 3 or 4 minutes of the game. Well when you say "Xbox Snap TV" (considering you have cable or satellite hooked up) the X1 will slice your game and TV viewing in half and you will be able to watch TV and continue playing your game as well. The multitask feature on the X1 is amazing and these features I love more and more.

The Decision 

     I know for some this may come as a shocker, even most of my friends were surprised to know that I went with the X1 over the PS4. Well honestly, it was a really hard decision but one I felt was the right one to make. Why you ask, well recently I switched over to Windows Phone and chose the Nokia Lumia 1520 (or Windows Phone 8) and it just made perfect sense. I got tired of the same thing over and over (as iOS and Android go) and just wanted something different but something familiar (as in I had a Lumia 920 last year and gave it up for the Galaxy Note 2, boy what a mistake)(got me again Samsung!! Got me a-damn-gin) that I had no problem using. The review for the Lumia 1520 and the Lumia 2520 are coming soon. I got my son a phone for Christmas (he already had one but not a smartphone) and ended up getting him a Lumia 520 because he has been full time Xbox, so I figured that the connection between the two would be awesome and hopefully he would like it. Well thank goodness he did and AT&T has a great deal on them and plans (shocker I know). My daughter also now has a Windows Phone and I figured that using Microsoft services is not all that bad and that their phones are actually quite good. I am subscribed to a few of their services like Xbox Music and having everything rolled into one neat little package was a big deal for me. Since he has 360, I went out and got a 360 as well and figured we could game together on at least a few things (Minecraft and WWE 2K14). I love Sony, don't get me wrong, but the PlayStation 3/4 moves very well and I have heard that their phones, well not so much. I like getting updates..hence that's why I love Nexuses so much and that stock Android. The thing with the X1 after awhile became easy and I just kind of accidentally fell into the Microsoft ecosystem. Most of the top notch games are going to PS4 and X1 anyway with a bunch of console exclusives here and there, but X1 won over my living room with (what I thought was a gimmick) features that I use everyday that I paid no attention to. 

     The Kinect is the biggest gimmick for Xbox, so I thought, but addition of adding your cable/satellite to the box and.....AND it works together.....very well in fact....I had to go with that and the fact that I have a Windows Phone and the games on their add to my gamer score (well Xbox and Xbox Live games) and Sky Drive and Skype just work so well together, its close but almost comparable to Apple and their ecosystem. Who knows maybe I would have stayed with Apple if they had a console (console worth buying) or maybe I would have stayed 100% Android if Sony's phones and services for them were a bit better. But in the end I went with what I thought was the better overall selection and that's Microsoft and the Xbox One. Sure there are things that it can't do, but there are things that it can do as well. One thing that its definitely doing is helping me and my son game together from far away and somewhat getting us closer together. As far as the X1 goes, its just another piece to the ecosystem that works really well with everything that I have around me. The difference between the PS4 and X1 comes down to preference and real gamers will have both anyway (we do rule however). But for those of you who want to get just one or the other, my advice for you is to make your decision based on what you want the most. Most of my friends have no clue which one to get first, but look at it like this. 1) did you have a PS3 or a 360? if you had a 360 then go to X1 and keep all of your content and gamer score/achievements in tact. If you had a PS3 then go to PS4 for those reasons as well. 2) if you had PS3 but want to switch to X1, ask yourself why and how much of a commitment are you going to make and willing to make for it. Same as if you had a 360 going to PS4. 3) lastly, where are your friends going and do you want to follow them or do your own thing. If the majority of your people are going all one way, then making the transition with them should be an easy one for which ever you decide. For me, I choose X1 because of the features built in it, like game DVR and being able to add on your own external hard drive down the line (I am really hoping to put a 2 or 4 TB onto this thing), Snap Feature, the multitasking and other things (I feel like I am missing something). Should you get though overall, I say, why not?!

twitter: @TitosTech
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this is what it says when no internet connection is found and you play a game

This is my setting with the Hue Lights when I play Xbox One

Sony Again lol

Fantastic Race Game

That red glove is the one I use when I unbox or get new electronics. Gotta keep them gadgets clean!

Sony PlayStation 4

If you were there Nov. 15th, 2013 (here in America) like I was for the release of the PS4, then you know how awesome the experience was. If you were one of those people who picked this up or received this for Christmas, then you already know about the excitement this console holds. But if you are one of those people who are on the fence or were on the fence about this console or didn't get a chance to get one (or the other console, with review coming soon), then this review maybe able to help you out. With over 4 million consoles sold (as of yesterday) and nearly impossible to find, this is the Sony PlayStation 4.

Let's just get this out in the open so you don't think I am biased or in favor of one machine or the other. This console, the PS4 is by far my favorite console...of the next gen consoles. Until you have actually played one it is hard to describe how easy it is to navigate to menus and the PS store and things like that. This thing just flat out flies. If you were a PS3 owner like I was (or still are) and you go to the PS store or view trophies or go from one thing to the other, you know that on the PS3, it almost seemed like a chore to go from one to the other. On the PS4, that is a thing of the past. This machine takes navigation smoothly to a whole different level. But that's just one thing. I don't even know where to start because there is so much to say about it.

On the inside of the PS4, it houses an 8-core AMD Jaguar/Kabini x86-64 CPU, a Radeon 7870-derived GPU with 18 compute units (vs. Xbox One’s 12 CUs), and 8GB of unified GDDR5 RAM. The best thing is the RAM which provides both the CPU and GPU with 176GB/sec of unified (shared) memory (can see more here). The design of the system is what gets me though. Its black (shiny and matte like Xbox One) (who designed these consoles?!) and very oddly shaped. Think of it as a rhombus. The measurements, which are 275 mm x 53mm x 305mm, remind me of how the PS3 first came out with the huge block/dome looking design, meaning its odd. The controller also got a revamp and is by far the best of the DualShock's and I find it better than the Xbox One's. It's almost like the 360's controller passed the torch to the DualShock 4. I say that because it is a no brainer that the 360 had the better controller as far as feel, hand placement/hand ergonomics, and the overall weight of the controller. This time around the PS4 controller is top of the class other than the share button placement. 

In my honest opinion, and this is just how I feel, but I feel like the games look better on the PS4 vs the Xbox One. I can't put my finger on it, but the games run smoother and are just overall better looking. For those of you who have both, I know you can agree with that a little bit. NBA 2K14 (you knew I would get it) looks and runs smoother on the PS4....to me. Same with FIFA 14 and Assassin's Creed Black Flag. The features of the PS4 are awesome as well. Being able to stream live gameplay is really awesome via Twitch and Ustream. I ended up signing with Twitch and have broadcast a few NBA 2K14 games. I also streamed Killzone as well. The one thing that I don't like is the fact that you cane share video (that I do like) but not to anywhere, it has to go to Facebook! I personally hate BookFace (if you know what show that came from you are awesome) and hate the fact that you can only share your video with them but pictures go to Twitter. Sony does a lot with Android and Google, why can't you share with Google Plus? C'mon Sony get it together! But anyway, that is a small gripe for such an awesome machine. 

Don't Fear, COD: Ghosts Never Came Out of The Plastic!! COD=Terrible

When I got the system, I picked up NBA 2K14, Injustice: Ultimate Edition, and Killzone Shadow Fall. I went with these games because I had Battlefield 4 on and instant upgrade for $10 and all the free games I got for being a Plus member. Resogun is a BEAST!! Love that game. But I wanted a fighting game, and 1st party FPS. 2K was a no-brainer. There were so many deals going on around that time, it was really easy to stack up on games. So I got to try a lot of next gen games and I can honestly say only a handful of them are worthy of next gen labels. Games like Madden 25...first why does it look like that? All the commercials they showed made the camera's close and really nice (not great) detail. But when you play, well you will see it when you play, its not next gen worthy to me. Killzone looks ohh so delicious!! But that's the difference when you actually spend time making a game and just not putting something together just to make money *cough couch EA cough cough NBA Live 14 cough* just saying. Also, why is NBA Live 14 still $60? They came out and said that it was trash but yet they still sell it for $60?! Anyway, The PS4 has all the basic streaming people like Netflix and Hulu Plus and things like that (not as many as Xbox 360 and still a bit under Xbox One) but its a console that you can tell is all about gaming. I mean it took me about 15 minutes from the first start up (after the problem I had) to actually being able to play a game. I had to find WiFi and then connect and then enter PSN credentials and then put in 2K and let it install for about 4-5 minutes and I was playing right after that. Granted it was only the exhibition mode, but I was playing it none the less. 

PS4 is the console you want to own that has a no nonsense attitude and the system you want for pure out games. I bought a game console to play games. I don't need my system to play Netflix and all that other stuff, I have a smart TV for all of that. Even id you are a person who does not, the best Roku player or an Apple TV (and other options) can all be had for about $99 (some Roku's are starting out at $49). But some people like to have everything in one convenient place and I get that and for that, the PS4 does all the major players just right. It doesn't do the TV thing like Xbox One (yet. more on that HERE) but looking towards the future, I think PS4 might be this generations console winner. They have to keep the games coming and those games have to be good, not great but good. They have to be San Antonio Spurs good, not Miami Heat great. I say that because they don't need the heavy hitters, they just need a basic consistency of good games like the Spurs have players. I don't know how they turn average to below average guys into good/great players but they do and it works. I think the Heat will phase out (no doubt they are great) like a trend. And that is how I see the Xbox One and the PS4, Heat and Spurs. To bad the Spurs lost to the heat but the Spurs will continue to be good consistently and the Heat will phase out or lose the luster behind them. The PS4 has a bunch of small features that make it the best thing going like the Spurs as well. And its only going to get better with what they announced at CES 2014 with PlayStation Now (game streaming service) and their take on TV with streaming TV to your console to watch live TV just about anywhere. The PS4 is a beast to be reckoned with and again it is my favorite system of the next gen war. 

I have not been playing it for awhile but there were other things I was testing out and really just wanted to get the feel of the other things I was testing and using. The PS4 should be in your life rather you want it or not. It is a system that people be able to just pick up and play and I really think its trying to make its own lane. What I mean is, when Apple came out with their stuff years ago up until iPhone 5, everything they made or others made went through that 30-pin connector. People had accessories galore. But the new iPhone 5 used a different connector and people went nuts! So what I am saying is PS4 has nothing to do with PS3 or PS2 or even PS1 like the other versions did. PS2 allowed you to play PS1 games on it and even the early versions of the PS3 let you play some PS2 games and PS1 games. Heck even Xbox 360 played some Xbox games. The point is, PS4 is its own thing. Its a gaming console first and everything else second. It does however have something to do with the Vita but we all knew that when they were making project Orbis or NGP. The PS4 will stand on its own two feet and take us into the future. 

The last thing I will say about the PS4 is the PS Vita function. The PS Vita and the PS4 work together as a second screen experience or work perfectly well without each other. If you are familiar with the the Wii U, then you know you use the Game Pad to do a lot of the functions and when someone wants to use the TV, you can just keep playing your game on the Game Pad while the TV becomes free. Well same concept with a tad bit better execution. I say that because the screen on the Wii U is 50/50 at best while the Vita's screen is awesome. The controls are nice, touch screen and a rear touch pad as well. They both can act as a second screen but I think the biggest difference is that you can play your PS4 anywhere in the house (as long as there is wifi) and not just up to 20 feet away. So on nice summer days you can go lay outside in the back yard (hammock action) and just play away. Man that sounds so peaceful. Also the Vita Plays just about every PS4 game so you can really stop playing on the TV and switch it right to the Vita. Its a great companion. And some games come with cross buy. So that means if you buy it for PS3/PS4, you can get it free on the Vita. Like how iOS/Android work, buy it on one device and its free for the other devices you own that run those OS'es. 

Overall, the best system period. We are in a new year and I waited so long to give out a review because I wanted to actually play it and experience it. A lot of reviewers get these systems and new gadgets and just use it for a week or two tops. People in the real world can't just keep using these new devices every chance they get like some of the tech people out there because they are using their hard earned cash to pay for these things. So because of that, they tell you a system or phone is good today, maybe even great but they never tell you how that device is 3 months after or even 6-7 months either. A lot of people didn't get a PS4 or Xbox One because they were waiting for more games or couldn't afford it or just missed out completely. But when they read my reviews a few months from now, I will still be talking about this system and other things because I use them everyday and not just for review purposes only. So when March or April comes around (and its tax season), these will be times when people buy this system for the first time and before they buy may want to know which direction to go in. Don't worry, starting this year I will be doing a review of things every 3-4 months just to keep the reader up to date and those starting off new in the loop and not get surprised like my buddy did with his phone that runs very poor for him. Anyway I hope you all enjoyed and stay tuned for my review of this later in the coming months and my reviews on future products like Xbox One, Lumia 1520, and HP Chromebook 14 just to name a few. 

PSN: The_D_O_P_E_69

XBL: TitosTech

WiiU: titostech

twitter: @TitosTech

Raptr: TitosTech

Twitch: TitosTech (more streams coming soon)

G+: @TitosTech

With My Hue Lights, This is My PS4 Setting When Its Game Time

Simple UnBoxing

Game Time!!

My Number

The Finished Product

Philips Hue

     Lets find a movie, pop some popcorn, sit back on the couch, set the mood and watch the movie. Sounds like a great Friday night in for most or even a movie night with friends. But lets focus on the one command, "set the mood". Most people just cut the lights off and watch the movie in complete darkness only using the light from the TV to set the mood. When you go to the movie theater, its not 100% darkness in there, there are a few lights in there that help set the mood and help those know where they are going. And that is where the Philips Hue Personal Wireless Lighting system comes in. There is more than movie night lighting with this unit so lets dive in and see what we got. This is the Philips Hue.

     So lets get the cat out of the bag, this is not your normal average everyday lighting unit. This my friends is a $199 wireless lighting unit with personal settings, different mood settings and a variety of colors for your personal needs. Still not convinced, that's ok, this is not for everyone, I was brought into this unit with the quest for my own home personal automation. So far, this is the first step. But on to the Hue lights. So what this is really is a light bulb (3 of them) that you can program ( a slew of different colors) and personalize to your own discretion. When you get your system you get 3 sets of wireless bulbs, a disc shaped wireless hub (or the bridge that the lights connect to) and a network cable. Yes this has to be hard wired to your existing router, but that's ok, just hook it up and put it somewhere out of sight. Once you get everything out of the box, you download the app in either the Google Play store or the App Store on iOS. You can also connect via your computer and that's cool as well just incase you are away from home and you want to control your lights or you want to turn them home while your on vacation or if you are a Windows Phone owner, because there is no native app on Windows Phone...yet (I don't even know if there will be one either). So whatever your preference, there is a way for you to connect to this system.

     Once you go through the very simple setup and then naming your lights so you know which one is which, that is when the magic happens. I will give you an example of how we use our lights. I have a ton of timers set, but they are all at different time intervals. The kids get up in the morning to the "Waking Up" mood setting. This turns on at 5 am Monday through Friday, every week and shuts off at 7:45 am every week as well. When the light cut on, they are set to come on as incandescent lights and they are at about 45% brightness. That way when they get up, its not totally dark in the house and they don't have to search for lights in the house. I have all three lights coming on and they serve there purpose very well. So the afternoon is a little different. The lights are set to come on at 4:50 pm (now because where we are it gets dark around this time and totally darks outside at about 5:15-5:30 pm) and then cut off at 11 pm. Those lights are at a different color white, almost a yellowish color light. So its bright in the house but not to much. The idea is to get a bunch more of these bulbs, only thing is they are $59.99 for each additional bulb. Yeah they are a bit expensive, but if you are building a network and just want a piece of mind, maybe then the cost is not an issue for you. I want about 3 more in the living room and then 1 in each of the kids rooms. When its homework time, they have a preset mood setting called homework and concentrate. Both offer a lighting solution that is very easy on the eyes, a kind of a soft light with a low brightness and reading a book with it flat on the table as kids do, I think its a good lighting solution for them to not have to move the books all the time just to get a good reading angle. It would be cool to set their timers for the times that they do their studies and in room activities.

     The best thing about the Hue is that when you do add more lights, you can add up to 50 light bulbs to one hub (the disc bridge thing) and mix and match with a bunch of different mood settings. Now I don't want you to think of these as glorified light bulbs, because there are a lot more ideas you can come up with when using these light. I have a setting on the app for when we watch movies. Lights are at about 15-20% brightness and if its scary movies, a reddish like tint and for other movies, we use blue. When I play PlayStation in the living room, I use all blue and Xbox is at a bright green. Its actually a cool ambience. The Wii U has only been used once out here in the living room (where I am working at now) since I have had these lights and I used the Wii U's blue color to set mine at their blue color. Now if your wondering how I got to use that sky-bluish color, well here is the thing. When you set up a new mood setting, you set it by picture, either pictures within the app or pictures from your own camera. If you don't have anything on your camera roll that you like, then snap it right then and there. Once you do that, you move the color selector to the color you want it to be within the picture. If not that, then there are basic colors off to the side.

     If your still wondering why you should spend $200 for a set of 3 lights, then these lights may not be for you. They are not very practical, but they can be used that way and in that way very well. You don't always have to use and app to turn off or on the lights, you can flick the switch just like normal on and off and it will still work. Having a diner party, add some light to the party. Having a house party with music and all, add some color to the mix. On Android, there is an app called Hue Pro that adds even more fun to the hue lights like lava lamp and pulse to music. Its real nice, almost better than the real app but it doesn't work as smooth but when it works, it works real well (both actually). If there was anything else to say about these awesome light bulbs other than, you should buy these, I am at a lost for words because when I seen the demo of these, I was had at the first sign of color. If you are interested in these and you wonder where you should buy this at, I got mine from the Apple Store. I seen that Best Buy is now selling them (awesome) and Amazon sells them as well. Overall these lights are worth it to me. There are more lights from Philips that are out there now as well (Friends of Hue and the light strips) and I think I am more interested in the one more than the other. But this again is the first step into my home automation because I love tech a lot and a connected household is the future for me and this family. Next up will probably be some sort of cameras or the Nest thermostat systems/smoke detectors. Then it will be the door lock and so on and so forth. Home automation is here and I find it as the beginning as the next step into the future.

     Well this was the Philips Hue Wireless Lighting System. I didn't talk much about the geo-tag feature were when connected to your phone sense's where you are (well tracks your phones geo location) and when your close to your house or whatnot, your lights can cut on or set it up the way you want. I haven't talked about it because I have not used it yet and honestly probably not. But it is a feature that maybe you can try out and tell me how it works out. Thanks for reading.

Coming Soon: AOC 23" Full 1080P monitor; PS4, Xbox One, Games for next Gen, and thinking of switching to Windows or Android or iOS for full time use.

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Google Nexus 5

Nice Box Presentation (my box opening tool on the side aka Hercules)

 I know it has been awhile for me to post things, but with Christmas shopping out of the way, PS4/Xbox One releases have come and gone and there were some personal issues within life that always like to get at you when you least expect it, I have finally been able to put out my review of my Nexus 5 smartphone by Google. So with out further delay, here is the Google Nexus 5.

 

     So, I cannot stress this enough, this phone feels great and is very light for it being a 5 inch phone. Off of first impressions, this phone is very comfortable and light. Of course this phone is being shipped with Android 4.4 KitKat and right now most Nexus 5 owners have KitKat 4.4.2 (I have it on my Nexus 7 but not Nexus 5 yet). And I don't want to talk to much about 4.4 KitKat, but you can tell Google is on to something here and I like the way it looks on the phone for that overall appeal. Anyway, the Nexus 5 is everything you love about Android phones with not all that extra crap on there that carriers and manufacturers put on there. It felt good opening up the phone and not see AT&T blasted throughout the phone or a very lag-tastic Samsung start-up screen. What I got was pulsating Google logo and setup screen, and then after that(after the set-up) you turn it off then on again and the same thing occurs but right to the phone. The process to go from full off to home screen takes about 10-15 seconds, its beautiful. My Galaxy Note 2 took about 30-35 seconds and my Droid about 25-30 seconds.

     The design of the phone is very nice and comfortable to hold. The back is coated in a nice soft gripping rubber like material and he front is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The phone doesn't feel to big in the hand, its almost like 4.9" or 5.0" is the sweet spot for phones. if you are coming from and iPhone, you are going to be pleased with the screen and the extra real estate. If you are coming from something else, this will either be right at home for you and hit that sweet spot again or it will just a shade under what you are used to. The camera on the back is a small circle with and LED flash under it, and just for those who love cell phone cameras or what to become the next great photographer with this phone, please look elsewhere. The camera is not bad.....but then again its not good either. I know its a 8 megapixel camera (8 MP), but this camera is just missing the full use of those 8 megapixels somewhere. I can't put my finger on it, but its just missing something. Again, the phone is light, about 4.60 ounces light and I cannot stress that enough. The way the phone is, it just feels so good.

   The display of the phone is NOOICE! (shot out to Key & Peele) Sorry if you are not in the know, it means its a nice screen, about 445 ppi to be exact. It is a 1080 x 1920 inch display that can produce just about 16 million colors on screen. What that mean to you is that the colors pop and the sound that goes with those beautiful colors just don't add up. The speaker grill which is located at the bottom of the screen, is ok and its loud, until you go out into public and realize how crappy your speakers really are. But for the price of a Nexus 5, you can't complain. This is a top of the line phone with specs to match. On board is 4G LTE, 16/32 Gb of storage (no add on), 2 Gb of RAM, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (yes AC is on board and if you have it...it is screaming fast) wifi, Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 processor, Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400, Adreno 330, wireless charging (Qi standard) and more. All of that for $349 (16Gb) or $399 (32GB).....oh and the best part, NO CONTRACT!! They have these phones on contract but why would you do that?

   Anyone that knows me knows I hate contracts and think they are the worst things for us as people to buy when there are so many alternatives. 2 years with the same phone and plan? I can't do it. Give me a service that I can pay when I want and have more control over and get the same benefits as others with LTE (or better with unlimited this and that) for less money. Sign me up! I think that is why the Nexus community loves Nexuses so much, high end phones with low end prices and I agree, it just makes sense. The one bad thing I will say about this phone other than the camera is the battery life. The battery life on this phone is not good at all. When I mean not good, I mean maybe a recharge throughout the day.....and that's everyday. The battery already is a non-removable Li-Po 2300 mAh battery, and if you know anything about batteries, you know that is not that good. However, if you are thinking about getting this phone, don't let that scare you off, because depending on what time you start your day and what time you end it, the battery life of the phone may be just good enough for what you do. For what I do, the battery life is just that, good enough. Again, its not a Droid Maxx or an HTC One or an iPhone as far as battery life goes, but it is good enough for me and it may be for you as well.

     There are always plus and minuses when it comes to new phones and even new software/OS'. This phone has both. Its good because it is a top of the line phone without all the gimmicks (looking at you Samsung and look away SMH) and bloatware, its just straight phone and all its simplicity. However with that high praise comes the other factor that sucks, not everything you download or want to download may not be compatible. Example, my Time Warner Cable app (or TWC app) didn't work on my Nexus 5 for about 2 weeks. That's because, TWC had not optimized their app for Android 4.4 and because of that, I was unable to watch TV on my phone for a few weeks. As for other things like games, some of them just don't work at all and will not work like Amazing Alex. Not a big deal to some and not even to me, but there are those out there that play this game and love it but can' play it on this phone (as of yet). This is also one of the big differences between iOS and Android as well. Amazing Alex works on iPhone/iPod and also on iPad/iPad Mini. I know some of you may say who cares, but for some people that is everything. If this doesn't work, what else doesn't work? I haven't found anything else but there are some things on Android  that are like that though.

     All of that other stuff aside, I have had this phone for over a month ( I ordered it the day it was available) and all of the tech talk and things like that aside, this phone is really good. One of my favorite phones of the year, if not top 3. When talking to people, the calls sound good, and dialing people has never been easier. When people call in and they are not in your contact list, Google finds out who it is and puts picture to the number, its really cool. I got a call back from the Best Buy headquarters and the picture that popped up the Best Buy ticket. It was really cool. Other feature of the phone that I like is the almost Google Now feature like on the Motorola Moto X. Key word there was "almost". The Moto X works when the screen is off when you say the phrase "OK Google". The Nexus 5 is just like that but it only works from the home screen. Its a really cool feature and Google Now works like a charm. I hate to hear people say its way better than Siri or Siri is way better. Look people they have two different functions. Just because you talk to the does not mean they do the same thing. Siri is real good at hands off activity. For example, ask Siri to remind you "watch Scandal at 10pm on Thursday". She confirms what you ask and then prompts you to reply. All you have to do is say yes and there it is. One button operation. For those of you who do not have a Nexus 5 but use Google Now, you know it is a few button presses and then confirm. But on a Nexus 5 (from the home screen) same command, "remind me to watch Scandal at 10pm on Thursday" and then it wants you to confirm it, but right there is where you have to hit the remind me at this time button at the bottom to confirm and then it saves. For some that is not bad, but you HAVE to be at the home screen to work that or in the search. With Siri you just hold the home button, phone off or on. The music commands on both are worlds apart, but Android is coming around. When trying to navigate with Google now while talking with music playing, Google now was unresponsive. The best thing however about listening to music on your Nexus 5, is when you look at the beautiful full screen music art on the lock screen.


     What else can I tell you about this phone? I know other writers out there may tell you how something is but only after a few days of messing with something. A good example is a Galaxy Note 2, a Galaxy S4 (my buddy knows lol sorry for your phone bro) or a Nexus 7 2012 edition. Those phones and tablets are awesome for the first few weeks and that is how these reviewers tell it. But most of these guys or some girls, don't use their device longer than the few days that they have it, that would be crazy. I write about these things because I live with these things and use them everyday and know that after a few months (some after the first 30 days) the performance starts to dip a little and then a lot. My Note 2 started to crawl after 2 months of use and for a flagship phone, to me that is unacceptable. I usually don't bash a lot of good tech, but my experience with Samsung products have been very lackluster experiences. But that is neither here nor there and this phone, the Nexus 5 made by Google and LG, is a phone any android user would love for years to come. My final thoughts for this phone after using it non-stop for a little over a month, this phone is a great piece tech goodness. If you are looking for a phone and want to pass on contracts but want a high end phone, go with this one. I use this phone with Straight Talk and pay way less than what my buddy pays for his S4 (in terms of cost of phone, monthly data/minutes, and still have updates and Android goodies before him) and his contract. Trust me I am not bashing him, I hope he would know that, I am just simply telling all you out there that if you want a high end phone, you don't have to pay those outrageous prices and don't have to settle for an "Okay" phone in the process. If I have enlightened you as a reader, then my job is done and I would hope you all got something out of it about the phone or contracts in general. But if you want to know more about the phone or anything else I write/talk about hit me up on:

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