Samsung S7 edge to buy or not to buy

So I have purchased the s7 edge after sticking with HTC for the last 3 years and before that I had iPhone. I made the plunge and went back to Samsung a few weeks ago.

Before I give you my review let's start at how I made the decision to change.

I knew I wanted something different because I had the HTC M7. M8 AND the M9 so I needed my phone to feel like something new.  When you stay with the same brand even in the higher end phones it doesn't always feel like your getting a new phone. Just upgrading certain features. So that was a start.

Working with phones i am surrounded by all kinds of phones and pretty much know all a person should know before buying you would think this makes it easier but no. It makes it harder. I hear people's horror stories too so I wanted something reliable. 

As I am a gadget girl I love technology so I want my phone to be the highest in technology. I want my phone to do things no other phone can do.

As most females my age (late 20s) I want to be able to take a nice photo Wether it be a selfie or just nice scenery when I'm away or going for a walk. Not that I'm a self proclaimed photographer or anything I just love photographs.

I am gone for over 12 hours a day so I need a good battery life my old htc battery was starting to die quite quuckly and I had done a factory reset on my phone a few times. (I don't recommend constantly factory resetting your phone but every now and then is fine. More on this in another blog)

So with all that in mind I had a lot to think about. It took me months to decide. One day in work this new phone came in store it blew me away it was beautiful. It could do things no other phone could do and it looked absolutely stunning it had fast charge it was water resistant it came in a beautiful blue grey colour. I've always had black phones. The pen came with its own features  . It was the samsung note 7 if you hadnt figured it out yet!! My mind was set that was it that was the phone for me.

But alas before I could purchase it the handset came to a complete and shell shockingly  horrific end... in a blaze of fire like my dreams of having the perfect phone it blew up.

So let's start again. I thought no way I can't go through all this again so I broke it down the s7 edge didn't have that pen but I thought ya I can live without it but I need something more. Than bam the gear vr was my answer (Samsungs  virtual reality headset) I have a cardboard headset but it's nothing like the gear)

So there it is I had a phone that in theory had everything I wanted. But what was it going to be like when I started using it my way. Just because I work with phones all day doesn't mean I get to use them the way I would my own. 

At first I wasn't sure about it because the whole interface was different. (interface is the layout and menu, navigation from colours to icons pretty much everything how the phone looks when using it)

It's a 5.5 inch screen so at first it looks a bit bigger than most phones which can be daunting for some and I have an Otterbox on it which makes it look a bit bigger. for me I love the size of the screen and I would never have a phone without an Otterbox so therefore it doesn't bother me in the slightest any case would make it bigger but this way it's protected at its best.

The fast charge is 60% in 30 minutes and there was never a truer word said  I have plugged this phone on charge gone to make a cup of tea and been really surprised by the amount of charge it took while I was gone. You can be told this by someone who is selling you your next phone but until your using it and really see it you will never use a normal charger again. EVER.

The screen resolution and colour is amazing. Can't really say much about it other than it really feels the price of it when I'm looking at it. It's bright clear colours which you could say about any smartphone but again I sell this phone everyday and until I started using it myself with my own apps I never really noticed how fantastic it was.

Battery life apart from fast charging it has a stay on feature so I can check my notifications on screen without having to push the power button or home button this saves battery and like I said in a previous blog I'll just about make it Til the end of the working day but I use it throughout the whole day. The phone rarely leaves my hand. This is checking emails and whatsapp and text messages. And on my break i watch videos scroll through Facebook and browse Google Chrome. Once I make it Til I get home from work this doesn't bother me. I can always give it a fast charge before I leave to make it home with if needed.

A really cool feature is while I'm in one app and I receive a text message the phone will show me the text message and I can even reply to the message without me having to close down the app. Which never happened in any other phone I had  it seems to me like it's such an obvious feature to have now why every phone doesn't do this I'll never know.

I mentioned I wanted a great camera and we'll this phone is such an obvious choice for its camera. Though it may seem when you check what megapixels the phone has don't let that fool you at all. Samsung have opened up its lens which allows in way more light and more light means you get a much clearer photo and with the HDR this means even in low lighting.

The edge screen functionality is quite cool if you like to be organised. It's more like a PDA system for yourself.  Have an edge screen for all the apps I use at work. I also  have an edge screen for my most used contacts

So that's everything I really enjoy about this phone.

I really only have two things I'm not so keen over. Which is the edge screen sometimes while I'm using the phone I will accidentally swipe the edge and it'll bring up the menu so if your easily confused about maneuvering around your handset then this would annoy you but this can be switched off altogether so you'll get the nice big screen without any edge functionality.

I also don't like the one handed feature if I accidentally hold too long on the top of a page or app I'm looking at it will minimise the screen similar to how it would on a computer screen. Again this feature can be turned off its quite a small thing.

One thing I noticed it had that no other phone I've seen has had. Maybe it's been out before and I never really knew about it because it's not something I would use. However if you like your games you can activate the game centre controls which gives you a very cool option to record your game play for whatever reason one would do this I think that it's a really cool idea for people who like to create videos about games. Not sure if this is in all phones  maybe someone could let me know?

So I'm hoping that was all very easy to understand  I like to try and keep it simple. Some techy people may think it wasn't enough information and maybe some not so techy people will think it was too much so whatever your opinion please let me know by using the comment section. Also feel free to share :)

XOXO
GG

Taking requests

As you journey along with my blog you are officially becoming more and more of a geek as you learn more about technology :) so let me just say welcome to the geek squad haha yes i realise how geeky that sounds and I am proud of it.

Below is a link to my new T shirts. I am so excited to see you guys wearing them.

Who said geek isnt sexy :) Follow the link below to see the geeky T shirts and Hoodies.

https://teespring.com/geek-is-the-new-sexy-9759#pid=380&cid=100098&sid=front

Let me know what you think.

I am looking to hear from you all and i want to hear your requests on what you would like to hear more about.

What would you like to see more of? Any questions you may have about your smartphone here is your chance to ask without even leaving the house.

Any of your feedback can be posted below in the comment section. I cant wait to hear from you guys.

XOXO
GG

smart phone basics: How to care for your new phones battery

smart phone basics: How to care for your new phones battery: The biggest question I get asked about handsets is "Whats the battery life like?" and my answer is always the same because no...

How to care for your new phones battery

The biggest question I get asked about handsets is "Whats the battery life like?" and my answer is always the same because no matter which phone you get it's also quite subjective to how you use it.

Some people will use their phone more and therefore they will have to charge their phone more often. Others will use it way less therefore will have to charge it less. Instead what you need to ask yourself is what do I use on my smartphone that will drain the battery so here is ways to save your battery throughout the day.

On average people will get a day out of their phone and by day I mean 15hours. Our general answer is a day, day and a half. For me I have a fully charged phone at the start of the day at 6am and by the time i get home normally 7pm from work I may have 20percent left this is a new handset that I have had a few weeks but use constantly throughout the day. So let me say you will notice at the beginning your handsets battery will last alot longer because you have used it less over time.

Everything we do on our smartphones is using power and if we do not close down an application when we are finished this is still running power on the phone. If you wish to check what is using your smartphones power you can check this in the settings In most android devices you can hit Settings > Device > Battery or Settings > Power > Battery Use

It will look something like this.

Here we can see that the screen brightness is using the 70% of this handsets power. Our screen brightness being at full is not necessary. You may only need this in harsh sunlight depending on your handset. I would then resolve this issue by turning down the brightness on my phone to below the half way mark. 

My Biggest and best advice I can give you to keep your battery life in good condition is not to charge your battery overnight. I dont care if a device manufacturer tells me the phone has a built in feature that will stop it charging when its full. This is not only a fire hazard ( as we seen from the samsng note 7) it Does also ruin your batteries life span. I have seen batteries that have swollen to a point that you cant even close the back on the phone. (If it is a removable battery that is) which brings me to another point. Some phones batteries can not be removed from the phone unless you can unscrew which it i do not advise. This is an even bigger reason why you should not charge your battery overnight. If the battery swells in a non removable handset it is a danger. Again the samsung note 7 is an example here. Instead what you should do is charge the phone before you go to sleep and even if it is not full unplug your phone. Put it on flight mode if you use it for an alarm this will save the power on the phone and make sure you have enough power for your alarm to wake you. 

Another way is one since the dawn of 3G. 3G is your mobile data this is what keeps all your apps running their magic but if our phones are in our pockets or our handbags being idle why have this on? Having mobile data switched off means the phone is not always trying to pull information and will really keep your battery going and depending on your carriers plan this will also save your data. However most of us that use social media do want this feature kept on because we can get our messages on social media and so on. My advice is You are not looking at your phone while it is in your bag or your pocket. Switch it off then turn it on when you wish to check it. A simple google search will help you find instructions like these

1. On your Homescreen, tap the Apps icon.

1. Tap Settings.

1. Tap More.

1. Tap Usage.

1. Tap the On/Off switch next to Mobile Data. Setting the switch to On will mean that Mobile Data is enabled.

If you are afraid to Your battery may die and you need to make sure your battery stays on just until you can get to a charger. Before your battery goes beyond the 15% mark some phones have an extreme power saver mode in the settings. This cuts off every feature on your phone except calls and texts. Its a very handy feature in emergencies. Unfortunately on IOS I have not seen this feature so for you apple guys try turn on the airplane mode on your phone and switch the screen brightness down at 20% battery. Again another simple google search will help you find the instructions.

How to switch on extreme power saver mode:

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers to access the quick settings menu.

1. Tap on the menu button next to Power Saver Mode.

1. Tap on the back button at the top to return to the Battery Manager screen.

1. Turn On the option for Extreme Power Saving Mode.

How to turn on Airplane mode iphone:

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, swipe up from the bottom of your Home screen to open Control Center, then tap  . You can also go to Settings > Airplane Mode and tap the slider to turn it on.

So to recap so far we have two ways to save power on your handset.

 1. Check what apps are using the most power and shut them down. 

 2. Do not charge your phone overnight as this is a hazard and also depletes the battery life. 

3. Switch off your mobile data

4. Use extreme power saver mode or Turn Airplane mode on.

I hope these little tips have helped you. Please feel free to leave me a comment if you feel you may have some tips of your own. 

See ya soon,

XOXO

GG

Choosing your Handset (Internal memory)

Choosing your Handset

Now you have read my previous post Bill pay vs Prepay, you can now have a look what phones are available by calling into your store and asking your sales rep.

Now to most people what the sales assistant is saying to you is pretty much gibberish if you have no idea about phones.  If i had 1euro for every time a person said to me "I have no idea about this stuff" I might not be rich but i'd be a whole lot better off.

So what do you need to look for in a good phone? If your reading this it means your pretty curious about what a decent phone should be and which one to choose so like i said in my previous blog you can not look at the cheapest phone.

phones are pretty personal so I can not guarantee that the points I will make will suit you, but they are definitely for the most common users of smart-phones. When your in store you will notice that there is information written below the handset to telling you a little bit about the handset.

First thing I look at is the internal memory, you will see it will say from anything like 8GB up to 64GB in some cases 128GB. What this is, is the memory to which the handset can hold information. Everything we do on a phone uses memory, from your contacts to your photos and the apps that we download. Apps and photos can take up a lot of memory so you will need a phone with a good internal memory. I would say for a user that takes a lot of photos and likes to use apps you will need at least 16GB of memory.  Though the phone may be 16GB your not actually getting to use 16GB because this memory is also used on the applications and files that come installed on the phone. If you have a 16GB phone you may only get to use 12Gb.

Just a quick idea of how big that is. there is 1000 MB in 1 GB depending on the size of the photos which will be determined by the size of the camera, generally with a standard 8MP camera you will get 250 photos with 1GB so therefore a 16GB phone would get you 3000 photos.

you can expand the memory on a phone with an SD card to hold all your photos and music however do not let that be an easy way out because an SD card can not hold applications.

The issues that come with choosing a phone with low internal memory and then using that device for photos and applications and so on will then make your device slow down, this also causes your phone to freeze and can even switch off and on again. Imagine the handset like a train. Each time you use the phone, download applications or take photos you are adding cargo to that train which gets heavier as you add. eventually it becomes too heavy and slows down and inevitably it has to stop as it does not have the power to keep going.

Even if you are a minimal user of phones I would generally say 8GB minimum would be a nice start. you can get a handset with as low as 4GB these days. Those handsets I would use more for an emergency phone or back up or festival type phone.

 Now I want to keep it simple so absorb that information and come back for my next blog soon!!

Any questions comment below and I will answer all that I can :)

See ya soon,
GG

Billpay Vs Prepay

Welcome back!

I have waited to post this blog because I wanted to see how much interest there was. Though this blog may not have kicked off yet I have still decided to carry on with it. Why? I spend most of my time off talking about smart phones. I have yet to leave the house without someone asking me questions about their current smart phone or opinion of a smart phone. I never get sick of technology and neither do you. 

In this article I will point out the important things to look out for in a smart phone. Buying a smart phone can be scary because they are so expensive and what if the phone you purchase isn't worth the money you spend on it? Phone stores don't allow exchanges on phones because you have decided you don't like the colour or the phone. unless you have an actual fault in the phone it wont be exchanged and even then it will only be exchanged for "Like for Like" meaning you get the same phone you originally purchased. Something not many people know. The reason behind this is not because the phone company are trying to rob you of your money or trying to sell you a crappy phone. It is because once opened that phone is no longer of use to anyone kind of like when you buy underwear in a shop as far as they know you've worn those underwear and can not be risked anyone else wearing it because of hygiene. That opened phone is not safe for someone else to use for their virtual hygiene in other words for security reasons.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

When you buy a phone in a phone store the end decision is yours. You MUST do your research first before buying a smart phone. Which is why I am here. To give you simple easy to understand insight to purchasing a smart phone. I do not have any diploma in technology but I am a pretty good sales assistant in a phone shop which i won't mention any brands. I am not here to advertise phone companies. I deal with customers everyday from advising them which smart phones to purchase and with the issues they may have with their phone after purchase. I also have a lot of experience from growing up with technology. My first phone was like many my age. The nokia 3310 and upwards to now having a HTC M9 which i will soon be upgrading but more about that at another time.

COST OF PURCHASING A HIGH END SMART PHONE 

Before purchasing your smart phone you need to accept that you will have to spend a decent amount of money. Countless times people come in store and they want the top branded phone but don't want to spend the money on them. So phone companies have given us bill pay. This allows us to make a certain amount of calls and texts and use a certain amount of data AND either have a phone for free or at a much less cost all depending on your tariff.  IF you do not have the money to spend on a top brand phone you either have to choose between a lower end to mid range phone at a cost you can afford or sign up to a monthly tariff you can afford. Its that simple. There are no hidden discounts that the staff are hiding from you. Trust me when I say if there was discounts you would know about them before asking. People always ask. Most of the time if you look around the shop any offers that are on at the time will be displayed. The staff want you to buy and so does the company so they want to give you offers as phone companies are constantly competing against each other. If we tell you a phone is €659.99 we really me is €659.99 we have no control over that. That comes from the brand of the phone not the company unless there is an offer on.

BILL PAY VS PREPAY 

Now with all that said and thought about, you have decided if you are going to buy a phone out-right or get it on bill pay. If you have decided to buy it outright you can skip this this part. However if you are contemplating bill pay in order to get a phone at a discount. DO NOT just go ahead and pick the cheaper plan with whatever is free. DO NOT expect to go on the cheapest plan and get everything on your tariff and the highest branded phone for free. THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN! I can not stress that enough. you get what you pay for. Yes prepay (top up) can work out cheaper at a monthly cost if the plan or bundle is right for you but you will not get the same in bill pay with a phone at the same monthly cost. Please respect that it is a business, They do want to make money at the end of the day just like the rest of us won't work for free. A lot of the time Bill Pay can work out cheaper for people because they end up topping up by more than a monthly bill cost, I am one of those people. Bill Pay is the way for me. 

Now you need to decide what you want from your phone. Please don't say 'I want calls, texts and data' That is pretty much obvious we all want that. Now if you do want everything you can have everything at the higher price. Be ready for that price but if you want to keep costs down be realistic about what you do on your phone. As an example. Internet is my most important feature. with or without WiFi. I use facebook, and whatsapp and google and games I play, use Internet as well. For some people YES facebook uses internet (some people do not know this), I am also a texter so I could live without calls and I could probably get over not having many texts then again i like knowing i can pick up my phone and use everything. I also need to have the most up to date phone being the gadget lover that I am my phone is a very big part of my life. I do not make enough money to pay outright for a high end phone and I am terrible at saving but i will always pay my bills so Bill pay is the most satisfying option for me. Some people run business' so they will always need their phone to hand and need it to be reliable therefore they will be the same as me. They need to have every feature their phone can offer and will most suit a bill pay option. 

If you have decided bill pay is not for you then choosing a prepay option that best suits you. Again I am not here to advertise so I won't go into phone companies plans but do go to each company and find a plan on prepay that suits you after you have considered the above. Think what could you live without the most, calls, tests or data? what is the one feature you can not loose? Prepare a budget for a decent phone. DO NOT go for the cheapest unless you need a phone for a very short period of time. those cheap phones are not made to last a lifetime like you expect. I would suggest a budget for a prepay phone would be around €200 - €300 or go all the way and spend nearly €700 if you have it. 

My next article will be about what phones and features to look out for, When buying your first smart phone or if you're a little more advanced, we will then have a look at other brands to look out for. In the meantime if you have any questions or any feedback then please post a comment :) 

Happy Shopping,

GG 

a little bit about me

Smart phones for dummies

So hey, this is my first blog. Where have i been right?!

As most people blog about their passions nowadays which seems to be all about make-up and fashion, as much as i do enjoy those things being a girl I also love other things. I am going to blog about mine or more so what i spend my day doing. Which also happens to be my job. What do I do you ask? I work in a phone store. A mobile phone shop. Now before you think of it, I am not here to sell you anything, Therefore I  wont be mentioning the brand of phone shop I work in. 

what is my goal?

What I am aiming to do is have a place for all you guys and gals that don't know how to use your smart phone or have parents/friends that can't use their smart phone, a place to go for you to learn or for you to show them how to use their/your phone.

It may seem ironic that I am using the Internet through a blog page to show people that do not know how to use a smart phone how to use their smart phone, because we mostly assume that those people can't access the Internet, never have and are still living under a rock, however NOPE that's not the case. working in a phone shop has told me that most of these people have already been using this technology but for some reason they can not grasp the mobile phone. they would much rather keep to a nokia 3310, well let's face it, if we still had one we wouldn't to throw it away either. (or is that just me giving away my age)

I NEED YOUR HELP!!!

It will be a tough task to pull off I think but with your help I know it will work out. so what I am going to ask is that you guys share any of your questions about smart phones with me anything that you're unsure about or were unsure about in the past and any suggestions you might have. 

I will be posting a blog on turning the phone on and off.. Yes I know to some of you that this might seem a little unnecessary. but hey the page is "smart phones for dummies" and we wanna share everything from the beginning to the endless possibilities so that includes the magic power button. You would be surprised how many people come in store and think their phone is broken. wanting to buy a new one because this one stopped working for me to then turn it on and them looking amazed like I had just saved a dog from a burning fire. 

So as this is my first blog I would like to keep it short and sweet. Think of it like a little introduction into what it will all be about. SO please feel free to share your smart phone fears and tell me anything you would like to know. ( I don't know how to end this thing, I kind of feel like saying xoxo gossip girl) maybe i need some sort of cool signature at the end too like gadget girl instead of gossip girl :) so if you have any suggestions share those too. until then you will have to settle for this.

Bye,

 GG