What do the symbols on the status bar of my phone mean?

Here is a list of symbols that normally appear on the status bar of a mobile phone  and what they mean;

G - GPRS or 2G. This is the slowest form of internet data speed for mobiles.

E - Edge or 2.5G. This is the next highest speed of mobile internet data above GPRS.

H - HSDPA or 3G. Most phones display it as 3G However there are some models that display it as H or occasionally HSDPA

H+ - HSDPA+ or 3.5G. Again most phones will display it as H+ or occasionally HSDPA+

4G - a.k.a LTE, currently the highest form of speed for mobile internet

How much storage space does your device really have?

Most devices with 16Gb on-board really don't have that amount on start up this is due to space occupied by the operating system.

The illustration below should help clear this up.

"When is the best time to upgrade my phone?"

I get this question all the time and the easiest answer would be that it depends on the time closest to when your contract runs out.

Newcomers to the mobile market such as ZTE, Archos, Oppo, Huawei and Lenovo tend to launch their products at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas every January because they cannot compete with the others. The big manufacturers (Sony, HTC, LG, Nokia) launch tend to announce their flagships at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) held in Barcelona every February but in the case of Samsung they host their very own event a month after.
So for example this year expect Samsung to announce the Galaxy S5 at their standalone event in March with a view to worldwide release in April. Which brings us to the elephant in the room, the iPhone, they tend to announce/launch their phones in September at their standalone event the Worldwide developer conference(WWDC). A new trend has also developed where manufacturers tend to launch "Phablets" (devices such as the Galaxy Note series with screens over 5.5in) and tablets at the IFA Consumer electronics show held in Berlin every September.

So with all that in mind if you want the latest android/windows flagship, upgrade your phone between April and July, if it is the iPhone you are interested in then wait until the WWDC when the latest iteration is announced. The same goes for phablets and tablets, upgrading from October onwards is your best option.

I hope this explanation helps 8-)

StaySafe, the best personal safety app to have

Staysafe app available especially for those that feel vulnerable.

Download links available below;

Google play store
Apple app store

Best Phones To Buy in 2014

This year promises to be the year of companies pushing the limits of what they can cram into mobile devices (2K display anyone?) and here are some of the devices that will rule the roost this year;

Android
- Galaxy S5 (Due March 2014)
- LG G3 (Due March 2014)
- HTC M8(One successor) (Due March 2014)
- Sony Z2 (Due March 2014)

- Galaxy Note 4 (due October 2014)
- Sony Z2 Ultra (due September 2014)
- Nexus 6 (due October 2014)

iOS
- iPhone 6 (Due Sep/Oct 2014)

WIndowsPhone
- Microsoft/Nokia Lumia 1030?(the successor to the 41Megapixel 1020 due May 2014)

Let's go!

Hello and welcome to my tech blog!

I decided to put this together due to the keen interest I have in technology especially mobile.

The thought has been bubbling in my mind for years as to how to share my thoughts on tech news and advice so please enjoy the site and share with your friends :-)

Tobi.