Category: TommyLog – TECH

TommyLog TECH – HTC Dot View Case – HTC One M8 #VZWBuzz #AD

In my last installment of TommyLog TECH, I introduced you to the beautiful HTC One (M8) with its all aluminum curved body and awesome 5” screen.  For today’s TommyLog TECH I want to show you how to protect that investment with this great case. It’s called the HTC Dot View™ case. It’s a match made in heaven and just rocks!

HTC Dot View™ I put cases into to very distinct categories.  Cases that are light duty to help protect from scratches and dings and ones that protect against major drops and abuse. The Dot View™ case fits the first. It’s made of lightweight plastic and protects not only the back, but the front facing glass of the smart phone as well. The front cover door is perforated with small round dots all over it. This allows the image on the screen to show through, similar to a coerce screen of sorts. The effect is pretty slick and really works well.

But this is much more than just a pretty face. The HTC Dot View™ case is beautifully integrated into the functionality of HTC One as well. When you open the case, the HTC One turns on, close the cover and it turns off. Pretty neat. Double tap on the front cover when closed and the HTC One lights up and displays the time and any notifications you may have missed. While it’s closed and sitting in view on your table or desk, the screen will light up for any notifications, messages, calls or emails. HTC has a cool app that can be downloaded from Google Play to set preferences for the HTC Dot View™ case. There you select different background themes. Don’t like what they offer, take your own picture and make it a background if you like.

HTC Dot View™ case totally 100% Tommy Approved! GET ONE NOW!
Want your own HTC Dot View™ case http://www.verizonwireless.com/accessories/dot-view-for-the-all-new-htc-one-m8/
For more information on how to get your very own HTC One M8 from Verizon, Here’s a link http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/device/smartphone/htc-one?&zipRdr=y

[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]

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TommyLog TECH – Motorola Power Pack Slim 4000 #vzwbuzz #ad

Hello kids, for today’s TommyLog Tech I want to show you a small solution for one of biggest problems facing those who are bitten by the mobile tech lifestyle, the Motorola Power Pack Slim 4000.

The Motorola Power Pack Slim 4000 is a super small, portable battery pack that recharges all your mobile tech gear. As the name suggests the Motorola Power Pack Slim 4000 offers up to 4000 mAh of power. Well what’s the really mean to me? For you iPhones users, that means you can recharge your iPhone’s up to 3 times. Samsung galaxy Note 3 users can get more than a full charge and iPad mini, almost 75% recharge. That’s a lot of charging power packed into such a small size. This device is about the same physical size and weight as my iPhone 5S.

The Motorola Power Pack Slim 4000 has a power button that and a set of 4 LED status lights that tells you how much charge is left in the battery. The power pack also has a industry standard micro USB as well as standard USB plug for all your charging needs. iPhone users just plug in your lightning cable to the USB port and away you go. The Motorola Power Pack Slim 4000 can even charge 2 devices at the same time. That’s pretty awesome.

The Motorola Power Pack Slim 4000 has built in computer circuitry to charge your device as fast as the device can take current, and is even smart enough to shut itself off when not in use. The computer brains allow the Motorola Power Pack Slim 4000 to be plugged into the wall outlet at all times without over charging –so it’s ready to go when you are.

The Motorola Power Pack Slim 4000 is totally Tommy Approved and is part of my mobile lifestyle!

For more information on how to get your very own Motorola Power Pack Slim 4000 from Verizon, Here’s a link http://www.verizonwireless.com/accessories/motorola-power-pack-slim-4000/

[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]

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TommyLog TECH – First impressions – HTC One (M8) #vzwbuzz #AD

For today’s TommyLog Tech I welcome the new HTC One (M8) to the fold and wanted to give my initial reactions to this new device.

I have to say it and say it loud, this thing is just gorgeous. Do not pass go, do not collect $200– drop dead gorgeous! The 5-inch screen is crystal clear in all its amazing glory. I’m darn near speechless at the fit and finish of this handset. HTC has knocked it out of the park on this and if Steve Jobs were to have made an Android handset, this would be it!

The all aluminum case is just so smooth and curved to fit in your hand perfectly. The phone is noticeably bigger than my daily driver iPhone 5S, but not as huge as the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 I also use. You’ll notice that there’s no removable battery on the One (M8). Many manufacturers poked fun at the iPhones lack of removable battery –mums the word from HTC on that issue. ☺ After you get past the stunning screen and case, you’ll notice the dual front facing speakers.  I can’t comment on sound quality yet as I have not fully tested it but my initial reaction was good.

On software side of things, both the HTC One (M8) and Samsung Galaxy Note 3 run similar versions of Android 4.4.3 vs. 4.4.2 respectively. But to be fair, you wouldn’t know they were so similar when you use the different devices. HTC’s Sense vs. Samsung TouchWiz have many differences. Little things like moving the back button from the right to the left side, swiping down to get settings to HTC’s own BlinkFeed. The user experience device to device is very different and will take some getting used to.

One thing I like about the HTC One (M8) is the “Kid Mode.” Similar to the multi-user mode on the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014, put the phone into “Kid Mode” and then hand it to your kids. In this mode they can take photos and videos and play just the games you want. No more dinking with your settings, deleting your contacts or worrying about them resetting the phone.

Stay tuned as will be spending much more time with the HTC One (M8) and give my full review on how it fits into my busy tech lifestyle.

At first glance, the HTC One (M8) is totally Tommy Approved!

For more information on how to get your very own HTC One M8 from Verizon, Here’s a link http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/device/smartphone/htc-one?&zipRdr=y

[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]

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TommyLog TECH – Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Ed. #vzwbuzz #AD

OK kids, for today’s TommyLog Tech I take a look at the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition in a non-techie side-by-side comparison.

The first big difference you will notice between the 2 devices is the screen. The Note 3 has a 5.7” inch screen with Note 10.1 having a, you guessed it, 10.1 inch screen. Both screens are just amazing. The Note 3’s screen is a super AMOLED 1080 x 1920 vs a “Super Clear” LCD 1600 x 2560 for the Note 10.1. I have no idea what Super Clear LCD really means, but if it means gorgeous, then that’s spot on. Both the screens are just bright and awesome!

The cameras on each device are a bit different too. The rear-facing camera on the Note 3 is 13 MP while that of the Note 10.1 is 8 MP. Both have nice flashes and have 2 MP front facing cameras perfect for video chatting like Skype. The Note 3 does allow you to take amazing 4K video while the Note 10.1 is limited to 1080p video. I’m not a big camera buff, so telling the difference between the 2 cameras wasn’t that obvious.

Of course, another huge difference is the weight and battery size. The Note 3 weighs in at less than 170 grams while the Note 10.1 maxes out at almost 550 grams. All that extra weight is screen hugeness and battery. The battery in the Note 10.1 is over 2.5 times the size of the Note 3, which is needed to illuminate the screen in all its glory! I can get a full days worth of usage out of the battery from the Note 10.1. With the Note 3 I just can’t seem to get that much time out of it. I get 7-8 hours max and that’s on a good day. I do have plenty of notifications going on, your mileage will very.

Both the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Note 10.1 share the exact same CPU, graphics processor and RAM. Both models came with Verizon’s signature 4G LTE service for browsing and internet access anywhere, anytime.

While both devices share the exact same version of Android OS, v 4.4.2, one feature that’s missing from the Note 3 is the ability to create user accounts. The ability to create users accounts has really been a huge deal. I can safely give the Note 10.1 to Emma or any of the other kids with out fear that they will goof up my settings, read emails or sent social media postings behind my back.

Both the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 are totally Tommy Approved!

For more information on how to get your very own Samsung Galaxy Note 3 from Verizon, Here’s a link http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/device/smartphone/samsung-galaxy-note-3-black
For more information on how to get your very own Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition from Verizon, Here’s a link http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/device/tablet/samsung-galaxy-note-10-2014-edition?&zipRdr=y

[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]

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