Maps were never that much fun with new Google Map update

Fahad Majidi

New updates for the Google Maps is coming real soon, probably this Wednesday and not so surprisingly on the same day Apple will be releasing the new iOS which will be removing Google Maps from all iOS devices and kick in its own mobile maps.

As for Android devices, the new Google Maps will augment the search experience and make it much easier to use and you will also be able to personalize your map searches.

Speaking of augmenting the search experience, all of your Android devices will be synced with Google Maps. The things that you will search on Google Maps on your desktop will instantly become available on to your Android devices. For instance, in the morning you looked for a restaurant on your desktop and later in the evening you again went to Google Maps to look for a restaurant. As soon as you start writing in search box Google Maps will suggest you the previous searches you have made on your PC or any other Android device.

Vice president of engineering Google Maps Brian McClendon said that you do not type that much fast on your phones. So, our aim was to reduce typing. When he was asked about the Apple’s mobile map he refused to comment on it. But one thing is for sure, Google Maps definitely has the advantage of massive search engine Google backing all of its searches and data.

McClendon believes that really sets apart Google from the rest is its experience in the creating maps. He said Google has been doing this for seven years now and making maps is not easy. You need to put in a lot of effort and time to figure out how it is done properly. Experience is its crux.

Another feature that really stands out in Google Maps is the Google Map Maker which allows you to add in places and locations you know but Google does not. This is something really amazing and adds more depth to Google Maps. Whether it is a hiking trail in Namibia or an overpass that no longer exists in New York you can add anything. But Google with its algorithms and Street View photographs authenticates the legitimacy of your edits.

Referring to the Street View McClendon said that Google works on the world’s largest image database. It utilizes computer to update changes on the streets. In the beginning Google licensed its maps’ data, just Apple is planning to do, but then it started creating maps of its own by taking data from different agencies such as public transit data has been taken from various transit agencies. Not only that, Google has also mapped out the Tokyo subway stations from inside, guiding people to their closest destinations.

You can also go to your previous searches under the My Places section. And to save time you can also save addresses such as you work place or home address. With this you do not need to enter address over and over again, simply type home or work place and Google Map will give you the directions.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 Review

Fahad Majidi

Samsung has released its new Android based tablet called the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 [Affiliate Link]. The device seems promising as a lot things have been overhauled especially in the field of hardware. And speaking of hardware Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is equipped with 1.2GHz dual core processor along with the RAM of 1GB. As the name suggests it has 10.1 inch display with 1280 by 800 pixel resolution and display has been augmented with Samsung Touchwiz user interface. Running on Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0, the device comes with the storage capacity of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, each with different price tags. And if this is not enough for you external microSD card support is provided up to 32GB of external storage capacity. The rear 3 megapixel camera is accompanied with a flash; it also has a front facing camera of 0.3 megapixels for video conversation, also equipped with Wi-fi capability and 7000mAh battery. And all this will cost you at £250 or around $380 in the US.

In terms of design Galaxy 2 10.1 bears resemblance to its predecessor Galaxy Note 10.1 and the overall look of the device is not that much of a premium with its glossy white plastic casing. But keeping in mind the price and things it offers with just a trivial cost of £250, these minor aesthetic flaws can be overlooked.

Although the plastic case looks pretty shabby but it does have one benefit and that is portability. Samsung

Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 measures at 9.7mm thin and weighs only 588g which makes it much lighter than its competitor Apple’s iPad. You can easily carry Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and you will barely feel any weight whereas iPad 3 is much heavier than Galaxy 2 10.1 and you can feel holding a heavier device.

As mentioned above it looks pretty similar to its predecessor Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the new Galaxy Tab is definitely much lighter and thinner than the old one. And it also has a bit expanded bezel which is made to house two large speakers. Although the design seems pretty attractive but it is true that Samsung has come up with alternative design because it is just being cautious not to get tangled in any legal quarrel with its nemesis Apple.

As compared to the new iPad, Samsung Galaxy 2 certainly has a better screen. It is integrated with huge 10.1 inch with 1280×800 resolution display, something iPad 3 does not have. On our hands on test it worked quite impressive and we found no issue with the viewing angles as well. Although we did notice little pixel flaw on few occasions but overall it provided clear and vivid display which would certainly provide with sharper visuals for gaming, enhancing the gaming experience.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 [Affiliate Link] does have a larger screen and high resolution display than the iPad but with iPad’s 246ppi pixel density the images on iPad look much more clearer than on Galaxy Tab 2 which has 149ppi pixel density. So, in a nutshell Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is a nice device with the ability to give Apple strong competition.

Fahad Majidi is a Paid Contributor for the Paulstechtalk.com website.  Any views of his is his own and not of the website.   Any Links in this article are affiliate links to products mentioned to help support paying for the contributor.


 

The Virgin Mobile Mifi 2200 is Really Usefull!

Paul

For Mobile Data, This is good!

I bought the Virgin Mifi Card in late December, has come into being used again this fall.  I figure it was high time to talk about this little card a little more.  I have been starting to use this again with me working those long hard hours and needing internet on the road and not wanting to hear Straight Talk complaining about me Tethering my HTC inspire or even using their Unlimited Data Plan.  So I thought it was high time to re-activate my Mifi Card and use that.  I say even for paying $50 a month for the service, it has been tremendously helpful with it being always on type internet.  Some of the things you will notice about this compared to tethering you HTC inspire are:

  • Better responses annd better speeds — I haven’t done any Speed testing onn the connections because I went to T-mobile on my phone.  I have notices a better loading of pages with the Mifi Card. 
  • No complaining — Virgin Mobile has been running Pandora almost every day and I haven’t heard any complaints from them yet!
  • Price — The price of the Mifi card is cheaper than buying a phone.  You can always use this with other devices such as the Kindle Fire HD or the Google Nexus 7 up to 5 devices!

As you can tell, I have been nothing but pleased with this Mifi card.  Something that I don’t always like about Straight is the lies and deceit they claim to have unlimited but yet they are constantly complaining.  

Paul Sylvester

Novatel Mifi Card From Amazon [Affiliate Link]

Motorola’s New and Improved Droid Razr M Android Smartphone

Fahad Majidi

Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX 4G Android PhoneMotorola has never been on my list until the release of Motorola Razr M. when I first bought my Android based Motorola smartphone Clig XT it was a terrible experience. It was an underpowered good for nothing smartphone which was soon abandoned after its release. Running on Android 1 point something it never got upgraded to next level and in the end all I was left with was CyanogenMod which gave it life for another few months or so.

The Droid Razr M [Affiliate Link]is a good entry to the Motorola’s Droid Razr lineup and far better than the Clig XT. It is slim and light and a robust step towards the future of Droid Razr franchise. Not imitating any of Apple’s features the device accounts for number of reasons why you should go for Android.

One of the facts that accounts for the success of Android is affordability and Droid Razr M certainly among the cheapest of the smartphones out there. It costs around $149.99 at Verizon with a two year contract and $99 if you for mail-in rebate. As far as design of the device in concerned it is compacted and light weighted and but at the same time it is integrated with large display which makes web browsing, movie watching and mail reading much more of a delightful experience. It manifests what Motorola and Google can do as a whole.

Handset is extremely slim measuring around 8.4mm at its thinnest and at its thickest the device accounts for 1cm, clinging to the old but successful approach by keeping the handset as thin as possible. Integrated irremovable 2000 mAh the device sits pretty comfortably in hand with its 12.2 by 6.1cm dimensions. Scratch resistant Gorilla Glass is provided with 950 x 540 pixel display and to further augment things display has been corroborated with eye popping colors and brightness. Clubbed between rear and front camera providing you video recording at high definition 1080p and also provids you with videoconferencing. On the inside the phone is runs on a 1.5 GHz dual core processor which is supported by RAM of 1GB and a storage capacity of 8GB is given. And out of the box it also holds the NFC support as well, so it has all the things that a high end handset has to offer but comes with price tag of just $149.99.

Droid Razr M [Affiliate Link]runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and does not possess any skins or integrated apps by manufacturers or carriers, which is pretty good because most of the times you do not really want all that stuff but you can remove it either. Battery life of the device is pretty brilliant even on 4G LTE of Verizon the battery lasted for complete one day and a bit more. It is all because of the Motorola’s power conservation system called Smart Action which depends extends battery life and depends on number of situations such as physical location or time of the day. For instance, when it comes to me I have custom set the Smart Action which disables the 4G data after 8 p.m. switches to Wi-Fi which is then turned off after midnight. You can set it according to your own schedule.

Fahad Majidi is a Paid Contributor for the Paulstechtalk.com website.  Any views of his is his own and not of the website.   Any Links in this article are affiliate links to products mentioned to help support paying for the contributor.


One Tablet to Rule Them All!!

Paul

Tablets Now a Days!

I’ve recently talked about the Kind Fire HD and how I pre-ordered it.  I’ve been really having second thoughts about this because of some of the comments I’ve read on the internet about the original Kindle Fire.  You can bet that you’ve probably heard the stories of how the last Kindle Fire went.  I’m one of those who questions this stuff about some fo the newest reviews on Amazon [Affiliate Link]. I just don’t have a good feeling about buying the Kindle Fire HD.   Some of the things that may be a game changer for me are:

  • No Charger!
  • 15$ dollar charge for no sponsor advertising(Called Special offers).
  • Amazon Market Place only, no Google Play ability.
  • No SD card expansion unlike the Nexus 7 [Affiliate Link].
  • Only 2 core unlike the Nexus 7 [Affiliate Link] with quad core!

Nothing is too compelling after all this to want to buy the Kindle Fire HD.   I just have to say that I am more than likely going to cancel my pre-order of the Kindle in lieu of buying the Google Nexus 7 which I can do more of.  The Only thing that I was truly going want from Amazon was the Amazon Video on Demand and streaming and storing of my videos for offline storage of my shows.  You see I like to be able to have videos to watch offline while doing other such stuff!

In the Coming Weeks!

I will be buying the Google Nexus 7 and since I’ve already have a 8 Gb Micro SD card, I will just use that to expand it to 24 Gb of storage and probably later on probably buy a 32gb micro SD card [Affiliate Link]!  In other words I’d make it almost like 50 gb of storage for offline viewing of my media files.  I basically just want to watch my video offline, I did however find out some interesting stuff about Google Play.   You can download up to 5 devices of videos and thus I thought I could only do it with Amazon Video on Demand.   I just hope Google gets more publishers to come to them and lets me watch my shows offline that I so love.   I will do a full review of the Google Nexus 7 [Affiliate Link]in the coming weeks once I buy it and play around with it.   I am sure I will find this tablet a very useful in the coming months and I see they have some great reviews of it all around.

Paul Sylvester