11 reasons why the iPhone 6 Plus is better than the iPhone 6

Credit: Apple/Pocket-lint

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/131751-11-reasons-why-the-iphone-6-plus-is-better-than-the-iphone-6

My list:

• Will it bend? – despite all the hype about bend-gate, when Consumer Reports actually did some measurements, they found that the 6 Plus is actually less bend-prone than the 6.
• More screen real estate – I've owned a succession of tablets because a 4 to 5 inch screen just isn’t big enough. 5 to 6 inch just might be.
• I have big hands – more comfortable with a bigger phone. Bigger fingers are less precise for touch screen use, so I use a stylus. For this reason, two-handed phone use is not a barrier for me. Also, on a bigger screen, all other things being equal, all of the touch-targets are bigger, so, paradoxically, I may actually be able to go to one-handed use with a bigger phone.

But … the iPhone 6 is outselling the 6 Plus 3 to 1:

http://www.gsmarena.com/iphone_6_is_selling_three_times_better_than_iphone_6_plus-news-10216.php / Apple latest generation iPhone 6 Plus massive leap forward a step too far massive cumbersome scored half-a-star lower stablemate reviews device lived with primary smartphone smart phone beast of a phone dropping down in screen size better option massive screen better great for watching films on movies TV shows travelling space is at a premium overlap nearby passengers screen higher resolution 4.7-inch Retina HD display 1334 x 750 1920 x 1080 Retina HD display view content full HD 1080p better experience pixel density 401 ppi pixels per inch apps games look crisper 326 ppi battery life daily battery life larger battery lasts longer talk time talktime data use 12 hours 3G LTE Wi-Fi real world use experience never run out of battery in a day heavy use watching TV show playing games Internet connection listening to music talking callers weight slim slimmer weight reduced heavy encased official Apple leather case device thief snatch slippery grip drop slippy aluminium casing better screen video capture iPhone camera more apps on screen word processing Microsoft Word word processing apps iOS larger screen keyboard documents on the move go sausage fingers statement /

Tesla Model S – tyres cost more than “fuel”

Credit: islandus.is

Electric vehicles are very cheap to run, compared with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. There are many factors which operate together to make this happen: an electric motor has one moving part. An ICE has hundreds, all grinding away at one another. And the whole thing is driven by explosions! An ICE vehicle has to be serviced frequently because of the ICE itself. Explosions & hundreds of pieces grinding one another to destruction have to be cooled &/or lubricated. Oil gradually loses its ability to lubricate, largely due to contamination with fuel & combustion products. Spark plugs, fan belts, air filters, oil filters & the oil itself all need to be replaced.

Another factor is that electricity is much cheaper per kilometre than petrol or diesel, or, as one Tesla owner has found, than tyres:

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095439_life-with-tesla-model-s-tires-cost-me-more-than-my-fuel-does / electric vehicle car EV cheap to run set replacement tires for Tesla Model S 26000 miles less per mile electric fuel electricity power energy charge recharge tires Michelin Primacy MXM4 all season grand touring tires $250 each apiece mounting balancing distance miles 4.3 cents per mile high performance luxury sedan cost of electricity 8,531 kiloWatt hours electricity electric Tesla network of free high power Superchargers Supercharger 5,500 Supercharged miles 2,500 mile round trip Florida my home New York Hudson Valley 1,800 free kWh Superchargers local utility Central Hudson charge charged charges recharge 14 cents per kWh special night time electric car rates tire costs vary Model S owner Goodyear Eagles Model S owners optional 21 inch rims high performance tire replacement 15 cents per mile electricity rates vary tire expenses national average rate 11 cents per kWh many utilities special night time rates local utility Indianapolis Power and Light electric car only rate for off-peak charging free Supercharged miles /

Want to try the stock Android experience? Now it's easy

Credit: Google/Reddit

Want to try the stock Android experience? If you have Android 4.1 or later, you can. Just install Google Now Launcher.

Before you do that, you might like to install Home Switcher, which does pretty much what it says: allows you to easily switch the launcher you get when you press the Home button. A search for Home Switcher in the Play Store will find many matches, some with exactly that spelling. I’m using the one by “ymst”. Others may work as well, or better, but that’s the one that has done everything I’ve wanted on a Samsung Galaxy S4.

Home Switcher:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ymst.android.homeswitcher

Google Now Launcher:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.launcher

When the installation has finished, click [OPEN]. Congratulations, you’re now having the stock Android experience.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2014/08/06/stock-android-on-every-device/

If you decide you don’t like it, or want to switch back temporarily, just use Home Switcher to switch back & forth.

If neither the stock launcher, nor Google Now Launcher are to your liking, try Nova Launcher. Free & paid versions, with many options to tweak, if you are so inclined.

Nova Launcher free:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher

Nova Launcher paid:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher.prime / Google reinvented Android Nexus stock Android Nexus experience the future of Android tool app called update user interface device stock Android look latest tweaks device apply stock Android running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean or above Android phone tablets most stylish version of Android easy access to Google Now voice control say Ok Google homescreen stock Android launcher runs incredibly quickly smoothly budget handsets Motorola several bloatware apps Moto E runs faster stock Android launcher Samsung Galaxy S4 TouchWiz Android skin Google partners Samsung reducing bloatware credit smartphone smart phone smooth slick easily upgradeable Android 4.4 KitKat hardware Google search homepage browser Google Chrome faster way to browse install link upcoming Android L Android 5.0 decision user driven customers win fix fragmentation issues Material Design strategy app makers Android revolution /

Lexus CT 200h Hybrid ad attacks electric BMW i3 – update

Update: the Lexus vs. BMW i3 advertisement has been taken down, moved, & taken down again several times. If you follow the link at the very bottom of this post, you may see it, if Green Car Reports is continuing to update their link. You can get the flavour from an earlier post, or check out the videos immediately below for something more measured:





You may remember a recent post about an upcoming survey of public electric vehicle charging facilities in Japan by Toyota & how puzzling such a survey is, when conducted by a company whose corporate attitude to electric vehicles varies between hostility & indifference.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095388_lexus-ct-200h-hybrid-ad-slams-electric-bmw-i3-gloves-come-off / Toyota threatened electric alternatives hybrid luxury Lexus brand shortcomings alternative powertrain sneer electric vehicle EV BMW i3 electric car vehicle ad advertisement removed taken down withdrawn Funny or Die re-posted YouTube Los Angeles area dealer Longo Lexus 5 minute video driving Van Nuys California Las Vegas Lexus CT 200h hybrid BMW i3 electric car stop to charge a few hours 3 hours fully recharge i3 240-Volt Level 2 charger 20 30 minutes 80 percent recharge public DC fast charging stations fitted CCS connector charge recharge without air conditioning BMW i3 range extending extender internal combustion engine ICE BMW i3 REx photoshopped gas petrol door /

5 reasons you should get a Galaxy Note 4 instead of an iPhone 6 Plus

Credit: newegg.com

Something the linked article doesn’t mention is the Note 4’s adaptive fast charging – zero to 50% charge in 30 minutes – only works with the supplied charger, but could be a lifesaver.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/11/5-reasons-why-you-should-get-a-galaxy-note-4-instead-of-an-iphone-6-plus.html / Apple massive big screen 6 inch phone Samsung Note series phone phones smartphone smart phone make phone calls device tablet phablet large smartphone Android owners switch iPhone big screen Note 4 Galaxy Note 4 iPhone 6 Plus larger screen smaller size larger display make room circular home button large bezels massive vibrant 5.7-inch display larger smaller 5.5 inch display more display content less wasted space true stylus support Note’s biggest draws S Pen stylus proprietary stylus functional reactive third party stylus variety of options tools software slot back of the phone multitasking open up apps side by side run simultaneously copying pasting copy and paste quicker Ultra Power Saving Mode massive batteries last at least all day huge benefit power users greyscale brick phone phone calls texts SMS manually refreshed email ten percent battery hours of battery life great safety feature removable battery expandable storage unibody design aesthetically pleasing sturdy removable back access battery micro SD slot biggest advantages Android devices iPhones tipping point buyers upgrade storage cost replace your battery /

Toyota to survey electric vehicle charging facilities in Japan – updated

Credit: Charged EVs

Toyota’s effort to manufacture sustainable vehicles has, so far been restricted to the Prius hybrid. In some markets, there is a plug-in version (with a larger battery), in which petrol is augmented by electricity from the grid.

In the US, Toyota marketed a battery electric vehicle (BEV) variant of the RAV 4, with battery & drivetrain supplied by Tesla. However, this vehicle was seen as a compliance car. I.e. produced & sold in small numbers, in restricted markets, to comply with emissions rules. Toyota hasn’t renewed its contract for supply of battery & drivetrain, & has, in fact, sold its Tesla shares.

A misleading advertisement produced by Toyota’s Lexus subsidiary in the US suggests that all BEVs require 4 hours to charge at a public charging station.

Update: accuracy of Toyota anti-BEV advertisements isn't improving.

Toyota’s plan to begin marketing a hydrogen fuel cell car in the US in December, seemed to put an end to any possibility of a BEV from that company.

With an attitude to BEVs which seems to range between disinterest & hostility, Toyota’s plan to survey charging facilities in Japan is puzzling:

http://chargedevs.com/newswire/toyota-tests-evse-expansion-in-japan/ / Toyota five month test public EV chargers charging charge recharge Aichi Prefecture Japan commercial tourist accommodation facilities tests cultural social service facilities aim ascertain optimal number location charging stations ease of use 147 standard chargers newly installed identify identifying ideal charger locations operating methods monitoring charging frequency duration facility installing chargers city owned facilities in hilly and mountainous areas will allay user concerns about running run out of charge instal installation installing multiple chargers commercial facilities where usage is heavy monitoring changes use usage energy management measures peak shaving /

Machines making machines

That’s a the Volkswagen Golf Mk 7 production line in Wolfsburg, earlier this year. / VW plant manufacture robot robotic mechanise production line automation automated computer CAD CAM manufacturer mechanised work station workstation /