Author: thelostdigit

OnePlus One New Synaptics Firmware Fixes Touch Issues

October 2, 2014

I have switched from the stock kernel to the Franco kernel which implements Synaptics’ new firmware for the touchscreen and the difference is huge. No longer are there any issues when typing fast or scrolling and the phone finally feels like a finished product. It is amazing how a bad firmware for the touchscreen can make the whole experience of using a phone horrible.

Until the official update comes you can use Franco’s kernel on either Cm 11s or AOSP Roms. I am using it with a CM Nightly and it is running flawlessly.

The app isn’t necessary but it has some great features: Play Store

Screenshot_2014-10-02-12-21-41
Franco kernel updater

AMD Catalyst 14.9 Stable Released

September 30, 2014

After a long wait, the stable release of the AMD Catalyst Control Center version 14.9 was finally released. This version is supposed to bring massive gains in several games and I hope it is true. In day to day tasks it runs the same as compared to 14.4 with no real difference outside of specific games. I have run 2 3D benchmarks on 14.4 and 14.9 to see if there were any general improvements to unoptimized games, but the results were almost the same before and after the update.

GPU: Gigabyte R9 270OC with stock clocks

14.4 2
Furmark 720p Benchmark on 14.4
14.4
PerformanceTest 3D Test on 14.4
14.9 2
Furmark 720p Benchmark on 14.9
14.9
PerformanceTest 3D Test on 14.9

Patriot FUEL+ 5200mAh Dual-Port Power Bank Review

September 29, 2014

The Patriot FUEL+ 5200 mAh power bank is interesting as it balances features and size well. Most power banks that have a dual output system or a 2.5 amp output are much larger than this one. It is nice to see good build quality and solid functionality on a power bank of this size. It is more expensive than its generic siblings but those usually have a single 1 amp output. The 2.5 amp output is great because it allows me to charge big devices such as my OnePlus One much quicker than most other power banks.

IMG_20140921_165915
Packaging
IMG_20140921_170038
Dual Outputs: 2.5A and 1A
IMG_20140921_170248
Bright Blue Charging Lights

Pros:

  • Great Build Quality
  • Looks Great
  • Sits Flat on a Table
  • Blue Lights
  • 2.5A Output
  • Dual Charging Capability
  • Ability Charge a Device and the Power Bank Simultaneously
  • Very Portable

Cons:

  • The Power Button Isn’t Raised For Easy Pressing
  • Expensive Compared to Others

Moto G (2014) 2nd Gen In Depth Review

September 18, 2014

I have made an in depth video review and I will list the key points under it:

Pros:

  • Affordable
  • Fast
  • Smooth
  • Responsive
  • All Day Battery
  • Great Screen
  • Great Size
  • Very Good Camera at Night (No Noise)
  • Surprisingly Good Photos For A Budget Device
  • Stereo Speaker Configuration
  • Great Call Quality
  • Micro SD Card Slot

Cons:

  • Speakers are weak
  • Audio Output is weak
  • Camera Can’t Focus Close Objects Well
  • Display Contrast isn’t Great
  • Buttons Feel Cheap
  • Feels A Bit Fat Sometimes

Moto G (2014) 2nd Gen Camera Test and Comparison

September 15, 2014
Moto G (2014)
Moto G (2014)

In the video I show many different scenarios in which the camera may be used and I compare it directly to the Moto X (2013) and the OnePlus One. It performed very well in most scenes and really passed my expectations for a phone of this price. It’s worst performance was during a macro shot as the camera doesn’t allow for getting very close. In most situations, its colors were more accurate than the Moto X and overall they looked great. It takes low res 720p videos which are decent in day time and surprisingly clear in low light, even out performing the OnePlus One while in low lit situations. It also does a great job when recording very loud audio keeping away any saturation and holding the volume at an acceptable level.

Watch the video to see for yourself whether or not it is worth it and look under the video for the raw images:

IMG_20140914_175659862
Moto G (2014) Front Cam

IMG_20140914_170133998 IMG_20140914_170139468_HDR IMG_20140914_170343714 IMG_20140914_170548600 IMG_20140914_170808105 IMG_20140914_172759176 IMG_20140914_174709056 IMG_20140914_174734653 IMG_20140914_174942877 IMG_20140914_175002778

Moto G (2014) 2nd Gen Stereo Speaker Test and Comparison

September 14, 2014

IMG_20140913_124056

I test and compare the stereo speakers and audio out of the Moto G (2014) to the Moto X (2013) and the OnePlus One.

The speakers aren’t that loud and don’t sound the best, but in a stereo configuration they do just fine. The audio out is good quality but doesn’t have much output power.

Personal Opinion:

Speaker Quality: OnePlus One > Moto X > Moto G

Speaker Loudness: OnePlus One > Moto X > Moto G

Audio Out Quality: OnePlus One > Moto X > Moto G

Audio Out Loudness: OnePlus One > Moto X > Moto G

Immersive Ability: Moto G > OnePlus One > Moto X

How To Fix The Recent OnePlus One Battery Drain Bug (Update)

September 9, 2014

Update 9/13/14: The battery is better but still nowhere near the 7 hours screen on time and 40+ standby of old times.

The battery life was really bad after the most recent two updates, even though they claimed to fix the battery drain bug in them. My last resort was to install the newest CM Nightly (9/07/2014) on it, and the difference is HUGE. I am finally back to the way things were when I first purchased the phone. The battery lasts 2 days  over one day and gets over almost 5 hours of screen time again.

CM Nightly List
CM Nightly List

That’s it, if you want to go back to the way things were, install the newest CM 11 Nightly and enjoy the difference. It will not void your warranty, but do it at your own risk. Also, don’t forget to install the camera apk from CM 11s to enjoy 4k recording and switch to ART for better battery. Many of the software bugs are gone now, the only bug that remains is the touchscreen ghosting/jumps, that will supposedly be fixed with a future firmware upgrade.

Links:

Guide to Unlock Bootloader and Flash Recovery: https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/guide-oneplus-one-how-to-unlock-bootloader-install-custom-recovery-and-root.64487/

CM 11 Nightly: http://download.cyanogenmod.org/?device=bacon

CM 11 Gapps: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Google_Apps

CM 11s Camera APK with 4k: http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/themes-apps/app-cameranext-one-plus-one-cm11s-t2730715

Asus AMD R5 230 Unboxing, Benchmarks and Overclocking

September 8, 2014
Asus R5 230
Asus R5 230

The R5 230 is the cheapest and smallest of the new generation of GPUs from AMD. It can’t do much in terms of graphically intensive tasks, but when you are in need of a cheap solution that is strong enough to do anything other than game or create videos, it runs suprisingly well. It was able to play even 4k video content smoothly when loaded locally (YouTube 4k lagged as it does on my R9 270). Everything ran great in terms of operating system and web browsing tasks. I was able to easily overclock it using the built in AMD Overdrive software and temperatures never even reached 60 degrees during the Furmark benchmark. In the video below I show the card and the results of the tests I ran on both stock clocks and the overclocked clocks.

Buy the R5 230 on Amazon

Buy the RX 460 on Amazon