The bright-colored BLU Life Play is the most affordable member of the recently launched Android smartphone series by the Miami-based manufacturer. Priced at only $229 with no contract, the dual-SIM handset offers tremendous value without heavily skimping on the hardware specs.

Like the BLU Life View and the BLU Life One, the entry-level Life Play features a MediaTek MT6589 SoC with 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU, a PowerVR Series5XT series GPU, and 1GB of RAM. Read more »

The LG Optimus G Pro made its way officially to the United States, so we managed to spend some quality time with the Yankee version of the Korean flagship. The smartphone is exclusively offered by AT&T for $199.99 with a two-year commitment.

As far as specs go, the US LG Optimus G Pro is practically identical with the Korean version which we extensively reviewed, save for the omission of FM radio. Highlights include a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 SoC, 5.5” 1080p IPS display, 13MP camera, as well as every trick from the playbook of today’s crop of Android flagships. Read on to find out what’s different about the US model. Read more »

With a 5” IPS LCD display, the BLU Life One sits above the entry-level Life Play, and below the phablet-proportioned Life View in the freshly launched smartphone series from the Miami based manufacturer. Given the increasing popularity which the 5” Android smartphones enjoy lately, the dual-SIM BLU Life One is likely to generate the most interest from potential users.

Save for the smaller display, the BLU Life One packs the same spec sheet as its bigger brother which we previewed a couple of days back. Read more »

The BLU Life View is certainly not what passes as a budget-friendly Android smartphone these days. With a 5.7” HD IPS display, quad-core CPU, dual-SIM functionality, and a metal clad body, the handset looks like anything but a device with a sub-$300 price tag.

Roughly a year ago, the BLU Studio 5.3 turned our idea about a budget smartphone upside down. This time around, the Miami based manufacturer launched a trio of Life series smartphones, and the 5.7” View is leading the way as the flagship of the bunch. Read more »

In its continuing quest to streamline its online services, Google brought three of its most popular goodies under the same roof. In its official Gmail blog, the search giant announced that, beginning over the next couple of weeks, Gmail, Google Drive, and Google+ will merge into the same 15GB pool of shared cloud storage.

The move by Google, allows users to allocate their available storage any way they like between the three services. An updated Google Drive storage page will be updated to show the usage of the storage space. Read more »

At a quick glance, the RHA SA950i on ear headphones look like they want to accomplish everything a headset can possibly do. Priced at $59.99, the headphones qualify as an entry-level model, yet their maker boasts that they deliver professional grade audio quality and superb ergonomics. To top things off, the RHA SA950i come with a pretty sweet three-year warranty.

Founded in 2008, the British audio company Reid Heath Acoustics’ (RHA) team spent three years in product research and development before releasing a product to the market. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, the young company has already established a name for itself by offering affordable, high-quality products and superb customer service – enough to make me plenty curious to put the RHA SA950i headset through its paces. Read more »

The Klipsch Image S4A (II) headset, as its name kindly suggests is the second generation of the manufacturer’s in-ear headphones, designed specifically for use with Android devices. Part of the company’s award-winning Image Series, the headphones aim to deliver good balance between sound quality, ergonomics, and price.

Klipsch products have been among the benchmarks in their field for a good reason – the company is one of the first in the United States to manufacture premium audio speakers. With a product range covering everything from in-ear headphones to professional cinema speakers, and heritage going back to the 1940s, there was plenty to look forward to when I opened the Klipsch Image S4A (II) box. Read more »

Acer took the wraps off the Iconia A1 Android Jelly Bean slate. The 7.9″ tablet sports a quad-core CPU and a starting price tag of $169.99 which is bound to stir things up in the market for entry-level tablets.

The Acer Iconia A1 is powered by a quad-core CPU whose type is yet to be known. Read more »

It looks like the days of paltry single-core CPUs powering the entry-level smartphones are nearing to an end. A brand new SoC by MediaTek is set to bring dual-core oomph to the lowest tiers of the smartphone realm.

The MediaTek MT6572 SoC supports dual-core Cortex-A7 CPUs, clocked at up to 1.2GHz. Read more »

You might have noticed by now that Samsung loves infographics. The latest one to be released by the Korean giant naturally centers around the Samsung Galaxy S4 flagship and the ways it enriches your lifestyle.

The latest Samsung Galaxy S4 infographic summarizes the most notable new tricks which the smartphones is capable of. Read more »

Mophie’s popular Juice Pack extended battery/protective case is now officially available for the HTC One. Users of HTC’s metal-clad flagship can pick up the popular accessory in silver or black to match the color of their brand new handset.

The Mophie Juice Pack for the HTC One adds a 2,500mAh backup battery to the smartphone’s non-removable 2,300mAh unit. Read more »

It looks like Facebook for Windows Phone 8 is on its way to catching up with its iOS and Android counterparts. A new beta of the official app for Microsoft’s smartphone OS improves the social networking experience, while allowing users to submit their feedback.

The app’s beta redesign includes support for high-resolution photos, improved sharing of posts, and Facebook Timeline. Read more »

HTC One has made it to the carriers’ shelves in the United States over the last week. The Taiwanese flagship is offered by AT&T, Sprint Wireless and T-Mobile across the Atlantic.

We’ve managed to spend some quality time with an AT&T version of the HTC One. Here’s a quick look at the differences between it and the international version which we extensively reviewed. Read more »

The freshly announced HTC First made its way to our office. The AT&T exclusive smartphone, as its name mildly suggests, is the first to come with the Facebook Home Android launcher out of the box.

The HTC First is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset with two Krait CPU cores, clocked at 1.4GHz. Read more »

The Phiaton Moderna MS 200 are the Korean manufacturer’s top of the line in-ear headphones. Made from exotic materials such as carbon fiber and featuring eye-catching design, the headphones aim to offer enough value for money to sway you away from the offerings of the well-established premium brands.

This not the first time I’m spending quality time with a Phiaton product. A couple of months back, I was impressed by the Phiaton PS 210 BTNC wireless headset. Naturally, given my past experience, I approached the MS 200 with high expectations. Join me to find out if the headset could live up to them. Read more »