What's Difference Between Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note

Except announced the world's first Win8 smartphone, Samsung has also announced  Galaxy Note 2, the phone with high expectation from people since Galaxy Note and Galaxy S3. As the second generation phone of Galaxy Note, most people it may bring us a big surprise, and many articles about Galaxy Note 2 VS Galaxy Note have been post on the webs, so exactly what's the difference between Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note?

Samsung Galaxy Note won the world-shaking success when it first appeared on the market, because most people think that huge screen and S Pen features are great, and these amazing features not only still keep on Galaxy Note 2, but also have been updated and enhanced on Galaxy Note 2,  so they believe Galaxy Note 2 is better than Galaxy Note. Maybe that is just the difference for Galaxy Note 2 from Galaxy Note.

Display Differences Between Note 2 and Note

Difference on Display Between Note 2 and Note

The obvious difference is Galaxy Note 2 has a 5.5inches display, Galaxy Note has a 5.3inches display, and except for the screen size, there are also some other differences on the two phones display, display resolution on Galaxy Note is 800×1280 but on Galaxy Note 2 is 720×1280 (16:9), and pixels density for Galaxy Note is 285ppi, but for Galaxy Note 2 is 267ppi.

So if you want to use a phone to watch movie, Galaxy Note 2 is a much better choice from Galaxy Note, Galaxy S3, HTC One X and iPhone, just because of its huge and 19:6 display.

The same thing between them are they both use the HD Supper AMOLED display, and both support the full HD 1080p movie playback.

Differences on CPU, Memory Between  Note 2 and  Note

Processor and memory differences are just what the things amaze us on Galaxy Note 2, compared to Galaxy Note's 1.5GHz dual core processor , 1GB of RAM and 32GB maximum card size , Galaxy Note 2 is much more better than Galaxy Note, which has 1.6GHz quad core processor, 2GB(dual channel) of RAM and 64GB maximum card size.

With this kind of configuration on Galaxy Note 2, we'll be able to do things much more smoothly.

Camera Difference Between Note 2 and Note

Actually, except for the slight difference on front cameras for Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note, there are no differences on camera between Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note, the main camera on both Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note are 8 MP camera, and both support to record 1080p @30fps videos, the front camera on Galaxy Note 2 is 1.9MP camera, but on Galaxy Note is a 2MP camera.

S Pen Features Differences Between Note 2 and Note

Galaxy Note 2 S Pen

Except the things can do with S Pen on Galaxy Note, like S Note, S Planner, Shape Match, Formula Match. There are some new features for S Pen on Galaxy Note 2, they are Email With Hand-Writting Integration, S Pen Keeper, Quick Command, Popup Play, Popup Note, Air View,Easy Clip, Photo Note, Paper Artist.

With this new features, our life will become more easy, like when we call, we can use Popup Note with S Pen to note, but not need to find a pen and a piece of paper to write on.

Video Playback Difference Between Note 2 and Note 

No matter Galaxy Note or Galaxy Note 2, they are both great for movie playback, as they have huge display, but which one is better? Obviously, Galaxy Note 2 is much more better for watching movies so far, not only due to its big display, but also due to its capability for supportting  many more video/movie formats and codecs, on Galaxy Note, we can play MP4, WMV, 3GP, AVI,ASF format video or movie with MPEG4/H.263/H.264/DivX,WMV,VC-1 codecs.  But on Galaxy Note 2, as the same as Galaxy Note 10.1, which start to support MKV and FLV movies directly aside from formats like MP4,WMV, 3GP,AVI and ASF , the codecs VP8, except for what Galaxy Note supported is available on Galaxy Note 2.

So , among smartphones, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is become the best smartphone for watching movies, I think. As we'll be able to play MKV movies on Galaxy Note 2 directly without converting it to MP4, or save the device's space without installing a media player in it.

Other Difference Between Note 2 and Note

Some other difference on Galaxy Note from Galaxy Note you may find that some new features have added from Samsung Galaxy S3, like S Beam, which means we'll be able to transfer files like movie, video from Galaxy Note 2 to another Galaxy Note 2 or Galaxy S3 with S Beam just near them.

At last, we can get to know that the main improvements on Galaxy Note 2 are higher hardwares configuration,  the enhanced S Pen features and the transplanted features from Galaxy S3. But they are enough to make Galaxy Note 2 become one the hot smartphone.

ZTE V970 (Dual SIM with 3G support)

Introduction

Approximately one month after MediaTek's official launch of the new MT6577 platform, the first devices based on that same chipset started to emerge...

The usual replicas of the hottest smartphones available on the market will always continue to appear, but also big Chinese companies are betting hard on MediaTek platforms. Lenovo is a great example of that, with some successful models such as A60 (MT6573), A750 (MT6575) and the most recently released A789 (MT6577).

Another known Chinese manufacturer choosing MediaTek platforms to power its devices is ZTE. By 2011, ZTE was the world's fifth-largest telecommunications equipment maker measured by its revenues and the world's fourth-largest mobile phone manufacturer measured by unit sales. This review will cover details about the newly released ZTE V970, a dual SIM smartphone based on MT6577 chipset.

Specifications

Chipset
Name:	MediaTek MT6577
CPU:	Dual-core 1 GHz ARM Cortex™-A9
GPU:	PowerVR™ SGX 531
Instruction set:	ARMv7
Software environment
Embedded:OS:	Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Body
Dimensions (width x height x depth):	127.4 x 65 x 9.9 millimetres
Weigth:	140 grams (battery included)
Color:	Black
Battery
Capacity:	1600 mAh
Memory
RAM:capacity:	1 GB
ROM-capacity:	4 GB
Expansion slot:	microSD memory card, supporting up to 64 GB
Network support
Primary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS900, UMTS2100
Secondary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900
Data links:	GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA
Display
Type:	IPS-LCD capacitive touchscreen
Size:	4.3 inches, qHD resolution (540 x 960 pixels)
Camera
Main (rear):	5 megapixels with autofocus and single LED flash
Secondary (front):	None
Interfaces
Bluetooth (802.15):	Bluetooth 3.0 + Enhanced Data Rate
Wireless LAN / Wi-Fi (802.11):	IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
USB:	USB 2.0 Client, Hi-Speed (480 Mbit/s) USB Series Micro-B (Micro-USB) connector
Satellite navigation
Built-in GPS module:	MT6620 chipset
GPS antenna:	Internal
Complementary GPS services:	MediaTek EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit)
Additional features
Sensors:	Gravity, Proximity and Light sensors
Analog Radio:	FM radio (87.5-108 MHz) with RDS radio receiver
Others:	Dedicated LED for notification of missed calls / new messages

Design and construction

The overall design of V970 is relatively sleek, resembling the Nexus S in its preference for slimness and rounded corners. The outer bezel around the display is made of metallic plastic while the back cover is made of a textured rubbery which provides good, solid grip and a nice feel when holding the phone.

There are four Android touch-keys on the bezel  –  Menu, Home, Back and Search. The buttons are illuminated by a backlight when the screen is turned on.

On the top left corner, it is placed the usual power charging LED (red colored). But in addition to that, there is also a green LED that becomes permanently lit when the battery is fully charged and also blinks as form of notification of eventual missed calls / new messages received.

The volume rocker is placed on the top left edge while the microUSB port is located further bellow.

The 3,5 mm headset jack and power button are located on the top edge.

On the back side, there's a 5 megapixels autofocus camera placed left to a single LED flash.

Placed in the lower-left corner, there is a small notch that allows you to peel off the rear cover, providing access to the SIM card slots, battery and microSD card slot.

The fact that you can access this memory expansion slot without removing the battery isn't just a matter of convenience - V970 lets you hot swap microSD memory. That means you can remove and replace memory without turning the handset off, much like you would on a computer.

Display quality

The phone features a IPS-LCD. Its 540 x 960 resolution and 4.3 inches diagonal are in line with the HTC One S, and while the 256ppi density means it doesn't approach retina display levels, it's still extremely sharp.

Functionality

This phone comes pre-installed with Android 4.0.4. It makes no sense to detail the features all over again taking into consideration that the framework from MediaTek hasn't changed much from the previous Android 4.0.3 builds. So, I'll leave here just a few screenshots and deeper details can be found under ZOPO ZP300 functionality review as the same applies to V970.

The phone supports quad-band GSM as well as UMTS 900 MHz and 2100 MHz as confirmed under hidden MTK Engineer Mode.

The stock ROM from ZTE doesn't provide access to Google services, but that situation can be easily overcome by installing the latest version of Google apps.

Final thoughts

I'm very impressed with V970 and must say that it is actually one of the best dual SIM smartphones I have ever had, leaving behind the memories of my "good old" G11i Pro.

This phone can be bought from etotalk.com. ZTE V970 is now available for 205.99 USD.

Highs:

• High quality product from one of the world's biggest mobile phone manufacturers
• Very good performance

Lows:

• Lack of front camera

Galaxy S Duos: Ideal Phone for Fast-paced Work Users

Samsung has released multiple awsome mobile devices continually this year, including Galaxy Note LTE, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 10.1, and soon, there will be a new smartphone, Galaxy S Duos, start to be released in September from Europe, and then roll out to worldwide. You may find Samsung Galaxy S Duos is not a high-end smartphone , and much differences on it from Galaxy S3, when you campared Galaxy S Duos to Galaxy S3, although there is a Galaxy S3 appearance-like on Galaxy S Duos. Actually, it's true, but we can still find high performace on Galaxy S Duos, and it is designed specifically for those people who balance fast-paced work and social lifestyles.(Citing from Samsung Tomorrow)

Original text:Samsung’s new Android 4.0-powered smartphone is ideal for users who balance fast-paced work and social lifestyles. The GALAXY S DUOS offers all the style and high-end performance users expect from GALAXY smartphones. It also affords the convenience of Dual SIM access, giving the smartphone added communication flexibility.

Samsung Galaxy S Duos Specs

Samsung Galaxy S Duos is neither quad-core nor dual-core smartphone, so we think it is not a high-end smartphone, actually, which is just a smartphone with 1.0 GHz single core processor, and 512MB of RAM. The good is which offers a 4GB internal memory, and users can update it up to 32GB with a Micro SD card. And which screen is a 4.0inches 480×800 resolution TFT display, smaller than Galaxy S3. The main camera on Galaxy S Duos is a 5MP rear camera with LED flash and 480×854 pixels@30fps video recording ability, the sub-camera is 0.3MP front camera. The key spec and also the most different spec from Galaxy S3 is Galaxy S Duos support dual SIM card at the same time, and which will bring users a new different but useful feature. And the Ice Cream Sandwich OS will on Galaxy S Duos.

Samsung Galaxy S Duos Features

Not like Samsung Galaxy S3, there is no Smart Stay, S Beam, S Voice or Pop up Play feature on Galaxy S Duos; not like Samsung Galaxy Note LTE, there is no S Pen or S Note feature on Galaxy S Duos. But there is a different but very useful feature on it, which we have mentioned on Galaxy S Duos Specs, that is Dual SIM Always On feature.

With this Dual SIM Always On feature, users will be able to receive calls on one SIM number while they are talking a call from other, thus, it can help you to avoid to miss any calls. And whith this dual SIM card supporting function, users will also be able to select diffrent billing plans for either SIM flexibly.

So with Dual SIM Always On feature, you must find Galaxy S Duos is an awesome smartphone for different calls, no matter family members or co-workers or other person. Indeed, it's really good, but the more you'll find is the free mobile commucation service ChatOn is preloaded on Galaxy S Duos.

With ChatOn, the commucation among your firends, family and classmate or co-workers will become more interesting and convenience, with ChatOn, users will also be the same on Galaxy S3 or S2 or Galaxy Note to be available for easy instant messaging, group chatting , interaction rank and images, videos, voice, contacts etc. multiple format content sharing on Galaxy S Duos.

So you may have got it that the most key feature on Galaxy S Duos is just commucation with one word, the Dual SIM Always On and ChatOn  make Galaxy S Duos more like a phone but not a computer.

Aside from that , of course, users can also do some entertainment on Galaxy S Duos with its multimedia feature.

As the same as other devices from Samsung, users can also play most popular TV shows and movies on Galaxy S Duos, and when you install the Youtube live app on it you can also be able to access Youtube to watch Youtube videos online. And with some skills, you can also make it possible to play DVD  and MKV movies on Galaxy S Duos for enjoyment, but one thing we should notice that the video codecs accept on Galaxy S Duos are MPEG4, H.263 and H.264, that means the best video format for Galaxy S Duos are 3GP and MP4, and the video size should be not more than 854×480 pixels.

So with these specs and features, it's right that Samsung Galaxy S Duos is an ideal phone for people who are fast-paced work and social lifestyle, and with its Galaxy S3 like, Galaxy S Duos is awesome too.

Source

• Juggle work and play in style with Samsung GALAXY S DUOS 

• Share Your Experiences with ChatON Now 

• How to Play MKV Movie on Our Mobile Devices

Upcoming MediaTek chipsets... expected in 2013

Reports seems to point that MediaTek plans to launch two new SoC products using the 28 nm manufacturing process by the first quarter of 2013...

MT6588 chipset will feature a quad-core ARM Cortex™-A7 processor running at 1.5 GHz or 1.7 GHz. This chipset will support WCDMA and TD-SCDMA (used by China Mobile) network technologies.

Thanks to the integrated PowerVR™ SGX 544 GPU, it will also feature support for up to 1280×800 pixel displays, 1080p video playback and up to 13 megapixels cameras. 

Aside from the new quad-core chipset, MediaTek will also release the dual-core MT6583, which will likewise run at either 1.5 GHz or 1.7 GHz. This one will support a resolution of up to 854×480, meaning it will target a different market segment, particularly lower-end to mid-range devices.

MediaTek roadmap

Additionally, MediaTek's general manager was cited to say that the company is focusing on including LTE support in its chipsets, which can enable smartphone manufacturers to release lower-priced handsets that support this technology.

Galaxy Note VS Galaxy Note 2

Galaxy Note is one of the most successful smartphones in 2012, with its 5.3 inch screen and strong S pen feature, which has won high honor. But things seems never stopped, an amazing message is spreading on the internet that in this 29 August, Samsung will announce the second generation of Galaxy Note, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. As the same as iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, as a new phone, most of use may want to know what's the difference between Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note. So exactly what's the difference between Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note?

Actually, the characteristics on Galaxy Note are huge screen and S pen feature. so that is easy for us to get the difference between Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note 2.

Galaxy Note VS Galaxy Note 2

Galaxy Note is a 5.3 inch (The most huge screen smartphone so far) smartphone with 1.4 GHz dual core processor, 1GB RAM and up to 32GB storage space. 8MP rear camera and 2MP from camera, with the ability of shooting 1080p@30fps videos.

Galaxy Note 2 is just one upgrade from Galaxy Note, which will run a quad core processor, with 1.5GB RAM and  the same storage space with Galaxy Note. 13 MP rear camera will be on Galaxy Note 2, except for shooting 1080p@30fps videos, which will help people to shoot higher resolution photos.  And the obvious change from our visual is the size of the phone, the Galaxy Note 2 will be 5.5inch, 0.2 inch bigger than current Galaxy Note, so which will be as the small Tablet to use, or we can call it as phone tablet.

As what we have known that Galaxy Note's characteristics huge display and S pen feature, so these upon may probably be the main differences between Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note, as to the application on Galaxy Note 2, I don't think there will be a revolutionary change. So that means we'll still can enjoy the S pen or enhanced S pen feature on Galaxy Note 2, broswer web site via Wi-Fi on Galaxy Note 2, play our favorite game on Galaxy Note, and watch MKV movies with special media apps on Galaxy Note 2, but the visual effect will be greatly promoted.

Source 

• Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Specs

• How to Play MKV Movie on our Mobile Devices

ZOPO ZP300 Field (Dual SIM with 3G support)

Introduction

I've been very busy lately and only now had the needed spare time to finish the review of a recent MT6575 based smartphone that I've got as replacement of my ThL V9. The review will focus on ZP300 (also known as Field) from the Chinese manufacturer ZOPO.

Previous and quite successful models from ZOPO are ZP100 (Pilot) and ZP200 (Shining). Just like ThL, this manufacturer provides ROM updates very often. This is worth to mention because it is always important to have such kind of support.

Specifications

Chipset
Name:	MediaTek MT6575
CPU:	1 GHz ARM Cortex™-A9
GPU:	PowerVR™ SGX 531
Instruction set:	ARMv7
Software environment
Embedded:OS:	Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Body
Dimensions (width x height x depth):	133 x 68.2 x 11.3 millimetres
Weigth:	123 grams (battery included)
Color:	Black (or white)
Battery
Capacity:	1800 mAh
Memory
RAM:capacity:	1 GB
ROM-capacity:	4 GB
Expansion slot:	microSD memory card, supporting up to 64 GB
Network support
Primary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS850, UMTS900, UMTS1900, UMTS2100
Secondary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900
Data links:	GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA
Display
Type:	LG AH-IPS capacitive touchscreen
Size:	4.5 inches, HD resolution (720 x 1280 pixels)
Camera
Main (rear):	5 megapixels with autofocus and single LED flash
Secondary (front):	2 megapixels
Interfaces
Bluetooth (802.15):	Bluetooth 3.0 + Enhanced Data Rate
Wireless LAN / Wi-Fi (802.11):	IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
USB:	USB 2.0 Client, Hi-Speed (480 Mbit/s) USB Series Micro-B (Micro-USB) connector
Satellite navigation
Built-in GPS module:	MT6620 chipset
GPS antenna:	Internal
Complementary GPS services:	A-GPS (Assisted GPS), MediaTek EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit)
Additional features
Sensors:	Gravity, Proximity, Light and Magnetic field sensors
Analog Radio:	FM radio (87.5-108 MHz) with RDS radio receiver
Others:	Dedicated LED for notification of missed calls / new messages

Design and construction

In terms of design, it is very similar to LG Optimus LTE and the built quality is very good. The display covers almost all the front of the phone. There are three soft-buttons in total, although when the backlight is turned off, only Home button can be noticed. When turning on the display the other two soft-buttons are seen, Menu on the left and Back on the right.

Near the front camera, more or less on the upper right corner, it is placed the usual power charging LED (red colored). But in addition to that, there is also a green LED that becomes permanently lit when the battery is more than 90% charged and also blinks in order to notify the user of eventual missed calls / new messages received.

The volume rocker is placed on the right edge.

The microUSB port is located on the bottom.

The 3,5 mm headset jack and dedicated power button are located on the top edge.

On the back side, we find the 5 megapixels autofocus camera above a single LED flash.

Placed on the left side of the bottom edge, there is a small notch that allows you to easily remove the rear cover.

The two SIM slots and the microSD slot can only be accessed after removing the battery.

Display quality

This phone features an AH-IPS LCD from LG. With a 1280x720 resolution on a 4.5 inch surface, this display has an impressive pixel density of 329 ppi.

Functionality

The phone comes pre-installed with Android 4.0.3. Here are some screenshots and details of the most important features with a special detail of the dual SIM functionality.

The notification panel provides a fast access for brightness and display timeout setting, enabling or disabling auto rotation, Wi-Fi, BT, GPS and data connection, as well as alternating between sound profiles.

The user interface of Android 4.0 is definitely very polished.

The dialer interface has changed a little bit, although the features are exactly the same. It supports smart dialing feature which works perfectly and very fast!

The dial button can immediately start the call when a SIM is set as default for voice calls or open a pop up which let's you choose from which SIM the call should be established.

Many options can be set under the dual SIM management menu. The user can edit the name of each SIM and also set the associated background color that will appear in call log as well as in the notification bar (behind the network strength bars).

In the same menu, the user has the possibility to set a default SIM card to establish all outgoing calls (both voice and video) or set it to always ask, thus enabling the pop up that I have referred above (with the options of which SIM card should initiate the call). The same thing can be set for messaging and data connection purposes.

  

Android 4.0 adds new controls for managing network data usage. The user can monitor total usage by network type and application and then set limits if needed. Of course, as mobile data can be enabled on SIM1 or SIM2, data usage of each SIM card can also be tracked.

It also natively supports tethering and portable hotspot feature, letting the user share mobile data connection through USB or over a wireless (Wi-Fi or even Bluetooth) network.

Just like it was mentioned on my previous review, on the MT6575 platform, SIM2 will be reachable even if there is an active data connection established on SIM1. The data connection will be immediately dropped when a new call is incoming from SIM2 and the download will be automatically resumed after the call is over.

Other than that, I have recently found that 3G can be enabled for SIM1 or SIM2 (one at a time), which means that you don't need to exchange the SIM cards from one slot to the other when you want to enable 3G data services.

  

A part of the ROM is available as internal memory storage for user data. There is plenty of space available, letting you to have several applications and games installed.

The stock ROM includes support for the following languages: Indonesian, German, English, Spanish, French,  Italian, Dutch, Portuguese (from Portugal and from Brazil), Vietnamese, Turkish, Russian, Malay, Arabic and Chinese (traditional and simplified).

All Google applications are already pre-installed on the stock ROM, supporting e-mail, contact and calendar syncing. Google Play Store (formerly known as Android Market) works flawlessly, providing access for free and paid applications / games.

Final thoughts

If you like phones with such a big screen, then ZP300 is perfect for you. The performance is very good, even taking into consideration the higher resolution (HD vs qHD from other MT6575 based phones). Phone runs very stable and the display quality is simply amazing.

And now the usual advertisement... in order to avoid questions regarding where to buy it from, you can always visit my partner shop (etotalk.com). ZOPO ZP300 is available for 299 USD.