Nexus 6 Review

I've had my Nexus 6 for about two months now and I love it. I was a bit skeptical because I only bought it for the unlocked bootloader and developer support. Which means I was also getting a phone codenamed "Shamu" that was facing numerous issues with encryption and memory leaks and weird screen problems. I was the most disappointed person in the room when Google announced the 6" monstrosity that is the Nexus 6. I put off by a lot of the news with the specs because it became apparent that Google might actually care about sales for once. Regardless, I am one of few customers who value their level of tinkering over everything else about the phone. To be honest if the Nexus 5 worked on Verizon I'd have bought it instead because I would have a smaller phone that I could still tinker with despite it being a year old. All of this considered I really like this phone, more than I

thought I would.

Specs

OS: Android 5.1 Lollipop

Display -

     Size: 6"

     Resolution: 1440x2560p QHD

     Tech: AMOLED

Camera - 

     13 megapixels

     4K video capable

     2 Megapixel front facing

Hardware - 

     SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 805

     Processor: Quad Core Krait 450 - 2.7 Ghz

     Memory: 3GB

     GPU - Adreno 420

     Storage - 32GB or 64GB

Battery - 3220mAh

Wireless Qi Charging - Yes

Bluetooth - 4.1

WiFi - 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac

USB - 2.0 micro

Can be used on any carrier with any radio type.

Qualcomm Turbo Char
ging 2.0

Source: Phone Arena

Beyond the Specs

My Favorite Smartphones [Early 2015]

The smartphone market has exploded with offerings from all sorts of manufacturers. Unless you keep up with the latest news on phones nobody can possibly keep up with the latest and greatest. I will list my favorites in no particular order except for my overall winner. The reasons which I like a specific phone differ greatly from the average consumer's point of view, however I won't allow that to interfere.

OnePlus One

Starting off the list is my overall favorite phone. It has been out for a while now and is still the king of phones in my opinion. Despite being impossible to buy the One is a very special phone. I recently purchased one and I really like everything about it. Starting with an off-contract price of $300 for the 16GB version and $350 for the 64GB version the One is all about being the best at everything including price. Packed with a Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, 5.5" 1080p display, 13MP camera, and finally a 3100mAh battery. OnePlus did something special with this phone in that it sips power very slowly. You never have to worry about battery life because this phone will get through the day and night without a problem. In my experience the phone will allow you to get 8 hours of screen on time! That's phenomenal considering the Droid Turbo with it's massive battery can't even claim that. If you are on a GSM carrier, especially an MVNO such as Straight Talk, this phone is absolutely the best phone on the market. OnePlus allows open purchasing of the phone every Tuesday so go to OnePlus.net and you can get the phone there. Also check Swappa.com for used models, I bought mine from here and it was in perfect condition. 

On a separate note the phone currently comes with Cyanogenmod as its OS which allows for some neat customization and better experience on Android overall. The other nice feature that some will appreciate is the ability to unlock the phone's bootloader and root it. There are many custom ROMs to choose from that allow you to really take customization and UI to a new level. 

DROID Turbo

Sorry non-Verizon users feel free to skip this section. The Turbo is a great example of a no compromises smartphone. It has the best battery, processor, RAM, screen, and physical design of any phone. It even has a 21MP camera, Motorola went all out to make a very powerful phone complete with all the neat Moto features such as Active Display, Touchless Controls, and automated features to change your settings depending on setting and location. The Droid Turbo is a max spec phone for anybody on Verizon who wants a phone with no drawbacks. Since the OnePlus cannot be used on Verizon I recommend this phone instead. 

The only drawback to the Turbo and the sole reason I won't be using an upgrade to get it is that the bootloader is locked down. This means I cannot use highly customized ROMs such as Cyanogenmod or Paranoid Android. Again, this is something that most users don't care about and it doesn't detract from the overall quality, speed, and functionality of the phone. The lack of an unlocked bootloader may be a deal breaker for me but unless you already care about that then this is irrelevant information.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

The Note 4 is the phone Samsung needed to get back into the swing of things. I'd still argue that they are riding the Galaxy SIII hype still. No phone since the SIII has changed mobile the way it did but back to the Note 4. Packed with all the specs you'd expect from a top tier device. The camera is amazing, most reviewers tout it as being the best Android camera out there. The screen, that beautiful screen, the huge display packed with tons of pixels makes a sharp high quality display. The Note 4 has excellent battery life, you won't have to worry about making it through the day on one charge. Anybody on any carrier looking for a phablet should be picking up one of these. Unless you're like me and want to root the Nexus 6 honestly can't touch this phone.

Moto 360 Review

The First Round Smartwatch

Motorola's first crack at the smartwatch industry is the Moto 360, the first smartwatch to feature the more traditional round face we are accustomed to seeing on classic timepieces. The tl;dr is I like the watch a lot, it is useful, stylish, convenient, and I love wearing it everyday, however for most people $250 is just too much.

Design

I love the design of the watch, and until you get a notification it is much more subtle than other reviewers are saying. I've had it over a month and I have yet to have somebody notice it without the screen drawing their attention when it lights up. It looks good, its comfortable, and you don't look like a complete geek for wearing it. 

Selection

Against traditional watches, the Moto 360 isn't much larger

The band I have is the black leather band that comes stock with the black version. The leather is Horween Leather, it is very comfortable, doesn't irritate the skin at all and is durable. The Moto 360 has to elements to it, the watch and the band. The watch is available in black, stainless steel, and gold. Originally you could only get the bands in black or grey leather. However, Motorola recently released new replacement bands if you'd like to move to a metal band. The metal bands come in three widths, 18mm, 22mm, and 23mm, presumably the 18mm are designed for women who typically have smaller wrists and only come gold or silver metal. The 22mm bands are the leather bands that come in black and stone grey. The 23mm bands are metal and come in black or silver/ The new metal bands are very nice looking and I'm hoping I can get my hands on one soon.

Watchfaces

As for the watchface itself, you can customize them easily to look however you want. Some opt for
the Mickey-Mouse style, others like me look for a minimal elegant style. I will admit I have some "flashy" faces in case I want to show off a bit. The customization is endless and right out of the box Motorola Connect offers an easy solution and other apps are available to do the same job.

The Moto 360 design isn't too big or flashy and it now comes in all kinds of colors. There are options available for women now as well, and this watch won't pop out on smaller wrists as much as you might think. If you're in the market and style matters to you, this should be at the top of your list. 

Performance and Specs

Processor: TI OMAP 3

Memory: 512

Storage: 4GB

Size: 46mm Diameter

Weight: 49g

Screen: 1.56" LCD IPS (320x290)

Battery: 320mAh

OS: Android Wear

Note: IP67 Certified, Bluetooth 4.0, Heart Rate Sensor, Pedometer

Past the Spec Sheet