Product Review: LG G4 - Can This Phone Compete Against the iPhone and Galaxy?

LG has tried to focus on what everyone actually wants out of a smartphone, a great looking design, colour rich display and the great camera for photos - but it doesn't quite deliver as impressively as we'd hoped. Don't let that put you off though.

There's a lot going on with the LG G4, and for the most part it's rather positive indeed. The leather back is much nicer than the plastic option, and it will make your phone stand out among the swath of glass and metal offerings. Its large, expansive screen is one of the best on the market, the 16MP laser auto-focus camera takes some cracking shots and the rear buttons are easier to hit on a handset this size. As usual, LG has offered us a phone that's got a brilliant spec list at a phenomenally low unlocked price - if you're after something a bit different, this is a great choice. The LG G4 does a few things differently though. This time the brand has aimed for elements the user will actually want: longer battery life, improved camera and upgraded screen, and combined them with a slightly outlandish design: covering the thing in a leather coat that's certainly something the rest of the market hasn't seen yet. One of the early sticking points I had with this phone was the price - it came at a 'normal' level, rivalling the iPhone and Galaxy flagships pound for pound. That's now dropped massively to make it, once again, one of the cheapest and most attractive top-end handsets in price terms. Let's hear feedback from some of the LG G4 users out their. Does this phone live up to your expectations? And if not, how can the product be improved to gain market share against Apple and Samsung? Share your comments with us at the Smartphone and Tablet Zone: http://smartphoneandtabletzone.blogspot.com/

PC Magazine Selects 100 of the Best iPhone Free Apps for 2016

With 2015 behind us, many people all across the world are about to become the proud new iPhone owners. While the hardware itself is a stylish status symbol, and iOS9 is a top-tier mobile operating system, it's the apps that really make an iPhone worth having. But what apps should you download immediately after setting up your new phone? The App Store is jam-packed with quality programs. Fortunately for you, the expert analysts here at PCMag test iPhone apps all the time, and we've used that insight to create the following list of the 100 best iPhone apps. Many of these apps will run just fine on a range of iPhones. You can press firmly on the Facebook app icon to bring up a menu and immediately start updating your status. Now that the latest iPhones are out in the wild, we expect apps to take even more advantage of the phones' unique functionality in the future. View the come Top 100 free app list via video at: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2391521,00.asp.What are your favorite free iPhone apps? Share your comments with the Smartphone and Tablet Zone:http://smartphoneandtabletzone.blogspot.com/

Verizon Offers Practical Tips for Keeping Your Smartphone Secure

What are the most important elements of smartphone security? Verizon has published 8 guidelines for keeping your device secure. 1. Protect your investment. Losing your smartphone can be pretty stressful. Each day, 200,000 devices are lost, stolen or damaged. You might be surprised by the high out-of-contract price of replacing a lost smartphone with an equivalent make and model. To prevent this from happening, consider Total Mobile Protection. 2. Use a pin, password or pattern to lock your phone. 

Setting this up is easy. For most Android™ devices, go to your Location & Security Settings for instructions. iOS users can find these functions in the General options of their settings. 3. Download apps only from trusted stores. If you’re browsing for a new game or something more productive, use places such as Google Play™. Make sure you check ratings and reviews if they are available, and read the app’s privacy policy to see exactly what phone features it will have access to if you download. 4. Back up your data. This is more about protecting and restoring your information should disaster strike. With Backup Assistant Plus and Verizon Cloud, you can save your contacts, music, pictures, videos and documents to the cloud. 5. Keep your operating system and apps updated. There are typically periodic updates to both of these that not only add new features, but also offer tightened security. 6. Log out of sites after you make a payment. If you bank or shop from your smartphone, log out of those sites once your transactions are complete. 7. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® when not in use. You think of them as ways to connect to something, but thieves can use them to connect to your device and access files. 8. Avoid giving out personal information. That text message that looks to be from your bank may not be. If you get requests via email or text for account information from any business, contact the business directly to confirm the request. Share your smartphone security suggestions with the Smartphone and Tablet Zone.

Product Review: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ - Send Us Your Comments

The Galaxy S6 Edge+ makes you feel like disappearing down an underground cavern while keeping a close eye out for tricksy hobbitses. It is precious. It is achingly desirable. It is futuristic. Slap it down on any beer stained pub table and it will make every other phone look old school. The main allure comes, of course, from the unique, curved dual-edge display.

There’s nothing else like it, apart from its smaller sibling the S6 Edge. It’s streets ahead of the Note 5 and iPhone 6 Plus when it comes to appeal.  An aluminium alloy frame is sandwiched between the tough Gorilla Glass 4 screen and back. It’s an upgraded version of the metal on Samsung’s previous phones and should help it avoid the (in our experience unfounded) Bendgate furore caused when the latest iPhones were released. One thing it hasn’t managed to resolve is quite how easily the rear glass attracts greasy fingerprints. It’s a problem the S6 and S6 Edge also suffers from and it’s not too bad on the Sapphire Black version we’re testing here. Opt for the new silver coloured Edge+, though, and be prepared to regularly look like a cricketer getting ready to bowl.  Samsung’s Super AMOLED screen technology is one of the best you can get on a phone or tablet and the super-sharp, Quad HD S6 Edge+ makes the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus pale in comparison, literally. Colours pop and blacks are deep – this is the best screen you can get for watching movies on the go. Share your comments on the Samsung 6S Edge+ with us or visit the the Smartphone and Tablet Emporium:

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Apple's New iPhone 'Mini' Announcement - Facts and Fiction Abound

iPhone 6c/iPhone 5se branding: iPhone 6c or iPhone 5se? If there’s one thing a smartphone needs to become successful, it’s strong branding. 

While we’re sure Apple has a host of ‘you-need-this-phone’-esque adverts up its sleeve for after the announcement of the smartphone, no one is quite sure what it’s called right now. Since the rumours of a 4in Apple smartphone originally surfaced, it had been widely referred to as the iPhone 6c – the upgrade to the budget (see: not so budget) iPhone 5c that was released back in September 2013 alongside the iPhone 5s. However, more recently we’ve seen a flurry of different nicknames for the 4in iPhone including the iPhone 6e, iPhone 7c, and lastly, the iPhone 6 mini. While we’ve always been confident of the iPhone 6c branding, the most recent rumour suggests that we may have got it wrong, and in fact the upcoming 4in iPhone is rumoured to be called the iPhone 5se. Even though we’re not a fan of the name (is it pronounced ‘ce’ to sound like the letter C?) 9to5Mac sources provided a great explanation behind the branding: “The “se” suffix has been described in two ways by Apple employees: as a ‘special edition’ variation of the vintage 4-inch iPhone screen size and as an ‘enhanced’ version of the iPhone 5s”. It’s also internally codenamed “N69” for those of you that are interested. What are your predictions for the new Apple iPhone? Share your comments with the Smartphone and Tablet Zone.

Product Review: Is the Huawei's Mate 8 Smartphone the Right Fit for You?

Huawei's all-metal, 6-inch Mate 8 has a lot going for it, especially its long-lasting battery and high camera quality.  large size is polarizing and won't fit comfortably in all hands, dim screen lighting and low screen resolution. So is the Huawei Mate 8 a good fit for with your smartphone needs? Send us your comments here at the Smartphone and Table Zone. The prices alone aren't the problem; they're in line with premium rivals. The problem is that the Mate 8 just isn't a premium phone, certainly not premium enough to best the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Google's Nexus 6P,  two of the phones we would look at if you're thinking of going large (scroll to the end for a full specs comparison). Part of my recommendation to skip the Mate 8 stems from the other, admittedly minor drawbacks, including a screen resolution that's lower than I'd like on a phone of this size. A much lower price would help blunt those flaws and give fans of big phones a good alternative in an all-metal build. However, if you can get the Nexus 6P or Galaxy Note 5, or even the LGV10, do that instead. You'll get more for your hard-earned cash. Advantages of this new phone include long-lasting battery, run's Android V6.0 software recent version of Google's software, and a loud speaker audio.Is the Huawei's Mate 8 Smartphone the Right Fit for You? Share your comments with the Smartphone and Tablet Zone:

Gfk Research: Smartphone Market Trends - 2016 and Beyond

Gfk Trends and Forecasting has identified four major technology and market trends in the smartphone arena.  First, bigger screens: Globally, sales of smartphones with larger screens (5”+) grew +180% in 2014, and have continued to drive growth in the first quarter of 2015. 

Share of such devices grew from 32% – or one third – of the global smartphone market in the first quarter of 2014, to 47% – almost half – in the first quarter of 2015. So it is no surprise that supersize screens are expected to be the largest  sales segment worldwide in 2015, surpassing the 4 to 4.5” segment for the first time. Second, the rise of 4G: 4G-enabled devices surpassed 50% share of the global smartphone market for the first time in the first quarter of 2015, buoyed by continued price erosion of 4G smartphones. Our forecasts point to 4G device share increasing further in 2015, reaching 59% in the fourth quarter of 2014. Third, cheaper handsets: In the first quarter of 2015, low-end smartphones – those priced below $250 – saw their share increase to 56%, up from 52% in Q4 2014, at the expense of high-end models ($500+), while the market share of mid-range devices ($250-$500) remained stable. And forth, the fast growth of emerging markets: The rapid growth of the smartphone market has been shown to slow at country level when saturation point is approaching. For this reason, Spain and France are expected to see a slowdown in smartphone unit growth in 2015 compared to 2014.Which trends are you observing which will have the greatest impact on your smartphone use and productivity> Share your comments with the Smartphone and Tablet Zone. Source: GfK Trends and Forecasting has identified four major trends in smartphone technologies and markets.