Well played Microsoft - They've purchased SwiftKey

Although MS probably have one of the best default keyboards on Windows Phone they've gone and bought SwiftKey as they continue to push products on the Android and iOS platforms. Smart move as SwiftKey along with Swype have massive popularity in the enhanced input market.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/02/03/microsoft_buys_swiftkey/

I bought a OnePlus One - mini review time!

The UK is a horrible place for buying a contract phone! 12 month contracts are hard to come by and when someone does offer them, there is usually a considerable mark-up on the overall cost. 

So having gone now the sim-only rolling contract route, I got a great deal with Three.co.uk a while back which equals to: 200mins, 5000 SMS and Unlimited 4G* for about £13per month. You can't really argue with that and the price has since gone up. The only draw back is I can't tether other devices but I rarely do that to validate an extra £8 a month. 

So being on this contract left me with my old faithful Samsung Galaxy S4. It still works but looks beaten and deserves a rest (or a £100 exchange with recycling firms). 

Enter the OnePlus One. a high(ish) end phone that seems to have been priced as a mid-range phone. The excuse being they don't blow all their money on marketing. I went for the 64GB version as it doesn't have a micro SD slot. This comes in a £269 (not inc shipping). I also got the blue flip case for a little protection. 

Impressions:  It's big! Previously I had a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and it feels on par with that although not as wide and more comfortable in the hand as the buttons don't feel as low down on the bottom. Compared to the S4 it's huge! Thickness is what you'd expect from this size of phone and slips into pockets easily enough when combined with not being overly wide.

The Screen: It's 1080p, not 4k which is actually probably a good thing in terms of battery. The brightness is good and text looks clear and sharp.

Battery: This is my third day with it so I'm still unsure about this. I have been using the phone a lot while customising it and installing everything back onto it including videos and music. The specs suggest a nice large 3100 mAh battery which should mean a decent stint under normal use.  I haven't messed with any battery saving features so I might not be used to length as I always had my S4 on power saving mode.

The camera: The camera is great and the flash is even better. I haven't tested the 4k video yet but this was another appealing factor about the phone. Also the fact that it uses multiple mic's for better sound recording!

I mentioned in a previous post I got some Samsung Level Over's. These and the Samsung app for them work beautifully.

Only issue I've hit so far is that I used to get cheap plastic bike holders for my Samsung phones. Ironically with this being a Chinese phone I would have thought there would have been a ton of cheap accessories flooding the market. I seem to only be able to find universal bike holders which I'm not overly keen on.

[Edit] - Actually, I don't like how they've integrated SwiftyKey. I changed over to Swype in stead and found that much better.

Anyway, to wrap up. I'm very impressed with this phone. Any questions? Leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.

https://oneplus.net/uk/one#specifications

*Fair use policy applies.

New FreeNas release

I love FreeNas but they don't half release on an almost too regular basis.

They are planning a auto-update feature in their next major update which might be nice as long as they put some good QA in place before releases.

Anyway:

Release announcement:
http://www.freenas.org/whats-new/2014/04/announcing-freenas-9-2-1-5-waking-up-edition.html

Bug fixes:
https://bugs.freenas.org/projects/freenas/issues?query_id=75

Windows Phone. You've now got a fighting chance! (Windows 8.1 feature set post)

• Swype support (Sorry iOS, your now out in the cold).
• VPN (Er... the business phone with Office and Exchange support but no VPN till now!!!)
• Rotation lock. ( Reading emails in bed will no longer be infuriating).

You've finally listened!

Now all I need is Sky Go but I can live without while I still have a tablet!

http://www.wpcentral.com/windows-phone-81-features

Other notable mentions:

Media

• Audio/video transcoding, Hardware accelerated

System

• Bluetooth 4.0 LE
• Chkdsk for SD cards to ensure card health
• Miracast, PlayTo, mirror and project via wireless display or USB-out
• Mouse and keyboard support (HID)
• Stereoscopic 3D support
• Wi-Fi Direct

The Verge: KitKat 4.4

Google continues its bizzare attitude towards Windows Phone.

I guess they are bitter than MS makes money out of each Android OS purchase (google android licensing issues). MetroTalk is being forced off the Windows phone market place as of May 2014 due to using 3rd party access to Google voice.

Google have a search app for the OS but that's literally all there is. For a platform gaining market share even without Googles services support it's an interesting move. It was recently announced that WP is doing better than iOS in Italy!

Microsoft have had a increasingly open mind when it comes to multi-platform releases as we see some xbox titles and apps coming to the other mobile platforms. Obviously they are holding back on a few of their key software products such as Office but I think they are going about things the right way. Demo the functionality to users and tempt them across..

They are also keeping up the media attention and get involved with companies who need further support / incentive when WP wants their apps on the platform!

The only problem is the OS's glacial pace for key updates. I think it's good to have such strict hardware requirements to give developers consistency but there are some major features that need implementing like a system rotation lock!

http://www.neowin.net/news/google-forces-metrotalk-to-be-pulled-from-windows-phone-store

Xbox One controller to get PC support

Good to see they are making an effort with the PC support. Its a good platform in the later years of a control cycle for testing new graphics APIs and a fair amount of PC gamers are starting to use controllers with the likes of SteamPlay.

http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-xbox-one-controller-will-work-on-pcs--in-2014

MS info graphic...

Worth checking if your workplace has a HUP (home user program)to get a cheap copy of office.


What's in and what's out in Office 2013? by microsoft training courses

Phones4u sim free Nokia Lumia 920 software update.

I'm a bit late with this but yesterday I checked and the update was out:

Macheist.com software bundle (Charity donation included)

Worth it if you see something on this list you like. If it unlocks BioShock 2 then it's definitely worth it if you haven't played that! A lot of the games are steam codes which makes re-downloading in future dead simple too.

Bundle Contents

Scrivener
DiskTools Pro
Bejeweled 3
Radium
Artboard
Jurassic Park
PDF Signer
Sam and Max
Courier
HDRtist
Strong Bad
Evernote
Printopia
MacGourmet Deluxe 3
Firetask
BioShock 2
Corel Painter Lite




http://macheist.com/