One of our more frequent requests from readers is to tell them how to record your screen on Android. The functionality has been around for quite some time but usually requires some tinkering and adjustment to get it. In Android Lollipop, they have a screen recording method building into the OS and that’s how most people do it these days. Let’s take a look at a few Android apps and some other methods to get you screen recording.
First up is AZ Screen Recorder and this is one of the many screen recording apps that were designed to work specifically on Lollipop. Some of the features include the Magic Button feature to control recordings without showing anything on the screen, the ability to capture your front camera as well as screen recording, and some cursory stuff like countdown timers and video trimming. It’s free to use with some in-app purchases if you’re interested.
[Price: Free]
Ilos screen recorder is a totally free option when it comes to screen recording on Lollipop. It’s a very simple app that doesn’t have a lot of bells or whistles but it does record audio and it should work on all devices running Android 5.0 and higher. They also tout no advertising, no watermarks, and no time limits. The company also has an interesting web recorder on their official website that will record stuff from your computer if you need that functionality.
One Shot Screen Recorder tries to keep the process of screen recording simple. It puts the whole process into four easy steps for your convenience and that’s really all you need. The process aims to keep it easy to use over other options and it does fairly well at it. The free version is a trial that puts a watermark on your videos with the premium version removing the watermark, adds the ability to impose your own logo, hide the notification icon, remove ads, and more.
Telecine is the highest rated app on the list with a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on Google Play. It puts an overlay on your device so you know you’re recording and boasts that it doesn’t clog up your notification with various things you’d typically see with screen recording apps. It’s also totally free and has no watermarks. It’s also open source so developers can submit fixes and patches all on their own or build their own app based on this one.
[Price: Free]
Unlimited Screen Recorder is our last Lollipop-centric screen recording app. It’s another totally free option that has no watermarks, unlimited video recording, and more features. It features a simple, one-touch interface and records both video and audio. There are also some advanced settings for experienced users.
Mobizen is an option that lets you do all kinds of stuff including sending SMS from your desktop, transfer files to PC, and stream video directly to your computer screen. You can also record the screen and this is one of the very few ways you can record using an Android app before Lollipop without root. Unfortunately, the screen recording isn’t great and there will likely be jumps, skips, and frame rate drops. It’s not perfect but it is there and it’s free.
A Facebook-like social network has appeared on a North Korean web server, apparently installed by the state-run Internet service provider.
The site, which wasfirst spotted by Doug Madoryat Dyn Research, is available at www.starcon.net.kp. It’s running PHP Dolphin, a do-it-yourself social network application that advertises to allow anyone to create their own social network.
It doesn’t look like any customization has been done, so why it’s appeared and what it’s for is a mystery. It could even have been a trial that was inadvertently made public.
Star is the name of the Internet service provider in North Korea.
The site has already attracted a number of curious Internet surfers to sign up, but there isn’t much to see. It’s devoid of content except for a few messages users outside of North Korea are posting.
The DPRK has one of the world’s strictest Internet censorship systems and the vast majority of citizens are not allowed access. Those that do have access are closely monitored, so the idea that a social network could exist on the Internet for domestic use is difficult to see.
Of course, someone has already made a Kim Jong Un account.
A fake Kim Jong Un account on the Starcon network.
An interesting note: every posting and message immediately shows up as 30 minutes old, presumably because the Dolphin software doesn’t recognize North Korea’s recently created time zone, which is 30 minutes off most of the rest of the world.
Enjoy it while you can. I expect the site will be taken down when an engineer at the ISP realizes it’s public and attracting attention.
Microsoft isn't interested in building its own self-driving car. Speaking at the Converge conference in Hong Kong this week, Microsoft's Peggy Johnson revealed that the company will continue to build software for cars rather than create vehicles. "We won't be building our own autonomous vehicle but we would like to enable autonomous vehicles and assisted driving as well," said Johnson, who is the head of business development at Microsoft.
Google and Fiat Chrysler agreed last month to work together to build self-driving Chrysler Pacifica minivans with Google's autonomous technology. It appears that Microsoft is keen to follow a similar path, but just on the software side. "We in different ways enabled a variety of different partners and you'll see us continuing to do that," explained Johnson. Microsoft is open to partners requesting an operating system for cars, and Johnson specifically cites examples of being able to work in self-driving cars eventually.
Harman is integrating Microsoft Office 365 into its infotainment systems, and the partnership will bring the entire suite of productivity apps including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to cars for the first time. "You're sitting in the car for many, many minutes a day. Can that be part of your new office, can it be your new desk, a place where you actually get work done?" asked Johnson. "We believe it can."
Microsoft has a long history of providing software for vehicles. Ford, Kia, BMW, Nissan, and Fiat have all used special versions of Windows to create their own interfaces and systems. Microsoft even revealed its "Windows in the car" initiative two years ago, but it has yet to partner with any manufacturers to make it a reality.
The iPhone 6 features 802.11ac Wi-Fi and improved LTE antennas, which allow for faster Web browsing on both Wi-Fi and LTE.
Connecting to the Internet is fast on the iPhone 6. LTE browsing on an AT&T iPhone 6 in several locations (including San Francisco; New York City; Montclair, New Jersey; and Green Bay, Wisconsin) delivered download speeds that were slightly faster than LTE browsing on an AT&T iPhone 5S; upload speeds were a little more impressive. In Green Bay, I averaged 5.09 Mbps download and 10.6 Mbps upload speeds in the Lambeau Field parking lot for a Jets-Packers game, compared to an average of 4.3 Mbps download and 6.2 Mbps upload speeds on an iPhone 5S. From a restaurant in Clifton, New Jersey, I averaged 8.3 Mbps download and 4.6 Mbps upload on the iPhone 6, versus 8.4 Mbps download and 3.3 Mbps upload on an iPhone 5S.
Call quality
The iPhone 6 supports high-quality audio via voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) and can route calls through a Wi-Fi network when a cell connection is weak. Performance varies depending on location and carrier.
In the past, Verizon iPhone users could not simultaneously use voice and data application; they now can, as long as both parties are using VoLTE-compatible phones in VoLTE-compatible coverage areas.
FaceTime calls looked better on the iPhone 6 than the 5 because of improvements Apple made to the front-facing camera. Voice calls sounded clear, though somewhat softer than calls made on the iPhone 5S.
The iPhone 6's front and rear cameras have the same megapixel count (8 on the back, 1.2 on the front), LED "true-tone" flash, and sapphire lens as the 5. The still shots I took using both models looked more or less comparable.
The iPhone 6 shoots great video and the video-recording speed can be set as low as 60fps now, which helps maintain the crispness in high-speed action. Slow-motion video recording can be set as high as 240 frames per second; this results in large files sizes but you end up with highlight clips that feel like "Matrix" outtakes. And the panorama mode takes clear 43-megapixel photos that allow you to zoom in for more detail.
FaceTime front-facing photos feature an f2.2 aperture, HDR sensors and a quick-burst mode (first added to the rear camera with the iPhone 5). It's noticeably better for selfies in low light and for FaceTime calls, too. The FaceTime camera is located slightly to the left of the speaker, which helps line up your face with the lens in landscape mode.
The iPhone 6 Plus features optical image stabilization for photo and video recording, where the iPhone 6 provides digital image stabilization. In practice, there's not much difference between the two.
The iPhone 6's camera is better than the iPhone 5's, especially its auto-focus performance; the 6 and 6 Plus are more or less a wash.
Storage boost: Onboard and on iCloud
Apple offers a maximum of 128GB of storage for the iPhone 6. The $199 on-contract iPhone 6 ($649 off-contract) provides 16GB of space, which is OK if you don't use your phone to shoot lots of video. The 64GB model costs $299 ($749 off-contract), and the 128GB model costs $399 ($849 off-contract).
The price of Apple's iCloud storage plans, which allow for seamless online backup of mail, documents, and photos, have also fallen down to earth. The first 10GB of storage is free, and you can pay to add up to 1TB. Though there are cheaper cloud storage plans on the market, iCloud is increasingly competitive with services like Dropbox.
iOS 8
Before Apple delivers iOS 9 this fall, iPhone users have access to iOS 8, which can be installed on any iPhone (model 4S and later), iPod Touch (fifth generation) and iPad (model 2 or later). The operating system is quite similar to its predecessor, iOS 7 , though with a deeper focus on extended functions:third-party keyboards, plug-ins, expanded notifications, and a new Health app that aims to knit in measurements and medical reports from other apps and sources, as well as HomeKit for smart-home connectivity (though you may need an Apple TV to serve as a hub in your home). You can find more details in our iOS 8 deep dive .
iPhone 6 versus the competition
The iPhone can't compete with all of the myriad unique and often deliberately boundary-pushing features on many Android phones. The quad HD super-high-res screen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The waterproof Sony Xperia Z3 and Samsung Galaxy S5 . From removable batteries to microSD cards to smart styli, the iPhone 6 lacks some bleeding-edge -- and even just merely useful -- features.
Still, the iPhone 6's construction quality, camera quality, overall system and graphics speed, and software-hardware integration is a formula that remains hard to beat. The iPhone is increasingly surrounded by equal-footed alternatives, but it's as good, easy-to-use and full-featured as any of them.
Except, maybe, for battery life.
CNET video-loop battery test, which plays video in Airplane mode with the screen set to half brightness, ran for 10 hours and 38 minutes; an iPhone 5S running iOS 7 lasted 11 hours. I noticed the same minimal difference in my own casual use that included downloading, Web browsing, endless social-media checks, taking photos, streaming videos, and all the stuff I normally do.
So: not bad, but not great; the iPhone 6 delivers enough battery life for part of the day, not all day. The iPhone 6 uses the same Lightning cables as before and requires about 2 hours to fully charge an empty battery. (Note that Apple promises longer battery life fromthe next version of its operating system, iOS 9 , due out in fall 2015.)
Conclusion
The iPhone 6 makes a very solid upgrade for any owner of an earlier model iPhone. It's an excellent phone overall, one of the very best you can buy, with the annoying exception of battery life, which is merely adequate. That noted, if you're looking to buy an iPhone with outstanding battery life, theiPhone 6 Plus , which also offers an elegant design, a fantastic camera and the same user-friendly OS as the 6, is certainly among our favorites.
In 2014, Apple forked its iPhone product line, simultaneously introducing the next generation of its flagship model -- the iPhone 6 -- and debuting its super-sized sibling, the iPhone 6 Plus . The iPhone 6 is an exceptional phone in nearly every way but for its middling battery life. The iPhone 6 Plus is also impressive; larger and thinner than other iPhone models, and with the capacity for far more endurance on a single charge than most comparably-sized and smaller competitors.
When choosing between the 6 and 6 Plus, in the end, it's a matter of personal preference. I know several people who love the iPhone 6 Plus, with its larger screen size and better battery life. But the iPhone 6 feels best in my hand. It's thin, elegant, performs really well, and is considerably less expensive than the 6 Plus. For that reason, I think the smaller iPhone 6 is the way to go for most people.
The iPhone 6 (left) and the 6 Plus
Review update: Summer 2015
If Apple sticks to the same mid-September release calendar it's followed for the past several years, we are just a few short months away from the next version of the iPhone. And if Cupertino follows the same upgrade plan -- big redesigns for even numbered years, internal specs updates for odd ones -- we can likely expect something a bit less radical than the big-screen makeover the iPhone got in 2014. (You can read our predictions of what to expect from the next iPhone here .)
At its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple introduced the next edition of its mobile operating system, iOS 9 . According to Apple, in addition to a number of incremental enhancements, iOS 9 will feature a stronger, more "proactive" version of Siri, the personal assistant; an upgraded maps app and a new news app; and, importantly for iPhone users, improved battery life (plus a new low-power mode for even longer performance). iOS 9 is currently available only to developers; the rest of us can sign up for the public beta in July.
Those looking to purchase an iPhone this summer are advised that Apple still sells the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C -- both of which, in what are likely to be their waning days on store shelves, constitute an excellent value.
Outside of the Apple ecosystem, those on the prowl for a new phone should consider the handful of upcoming flagship models announced at Mobile World Congress in March 2015, including theHTC One M9 and Samsung Galaxy S6 , an especially worthy competitor for the iPhone 6 that features a larger screen and higher resolution (see a detailed comparison here). Suffice to say that the competitive landscape will soon be shifting.
Cut to the chase: How the iPhone stacks up
For those looking to buy a new phone in the near-term, here's a framework for how to think about the iPhone 6:
For owners of older iPhones looking to upgrade, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are thinner and come equipped with faster A8 processors, improved cameras, speedier Wi-Fi and LTE cellular data connectivity, better voice quality on voice-over-LTE, and -- except for entry-level models -- more onboard storage. In terms of screen size, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will probably be more than enough for anyone upgrading from a 4-inch (iPhone 5 or 5S) or 3.5-inch screen (all previous iPhone models). The 6 Plus may simply be too big for some, though its large display and extended battery life are terrific.
For iPhone 5S owners or habitual iPhone upgraders, the chief advantages are the iPhone 6's bigger screen and support for Apple Pay. The improved processor, camera, 4G LTE and Wi-Fi speeds, and possible battery-life gains are steps up, but not massive leaps. In other words, if you don't need the larger screen, you aren't sacrificing much by sticking with the iPhone 5S (running iOS 8) until the next generation drops.
For Android owners who jumped ship from iOS and want to come back, this is the iPhone generation you've been waiting for. It's the best iPhone since the iPhone 5 . Back then, 4G LTE and an improved screen and camera made the difference. This time, a larger screen, a fast processor, support for Apple Pay, additional customization features of iOS 8, and increased storage help close the feature gap with top Android phones.
For hard-core Android fans, there are certainly non-Apple phones that cost less and come equipped with higher-resolution screens, better battery life, SD card support, and removable batteries. And theAndroid Lollipop operating system brings a lot to the table. Still, the larger screens and customization features of iOS 8 make the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus the most attractive iPhone generation to date. Android owners may be tempted.
Apple iPhone 6
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
Samsung Galaxy S5
Motorola Moto X (2014)
US base price (with two-year agreement)
$199
$299
$199
$99
UK base price (unlocked)
£539
£619
£350
£420
Australia base price (unlocked)
AU$869
AU$999
AU$900
N/A
Display size/resolution
4.7-inch 1,344x750 IPS (326 ppi)
5.5-inch 1,920x1,080 IPS (401 ppi)
5.1-inch 1,920x1,080 Super AMOLED (432 ppi)
5.5-inch 1,920x1,080 AMOLED (423 ppi)
Processor
1.39GHz Apple A8 (64-bit)
1.38GHz Apple A8 (64-bit)
2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon (Krait400)
2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon (Krait400)
RAM
1GB
1GB
2GB
2GB
Internal storage
16GB, 64GB or 128GB
16GB, 64GB or 128GB
16GB, 32GB
16GB, 32GB
Expandable storage
No
No
Yes (microSD)
No
Networking
802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
Operating system
iOS 8
iOS 8
Android 4.4.2
Android 4.4.4
US carriers
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon
AT&T, Verizon
The iPhone 6's thin, all-metal aesthetic makes for one of the sleekest designs in the smartphone universe. This iPhone is only slightly thinner than the previous model but feels more so; this is due to the increased screen size and curved design. Glass from the front folds ever so slightly around the edges -- a departure from the sharp industrial edges of the iPhone 5 and 5S. It also feels a little like theoriginal iPhone , which had a rounded design. But that phone was chunkier, with a far smaller screen. It felt like holding a pebble. The iPhone 6 is flat and thin, like a slab
The iPhone 6 feels good to hold, beautifully solid, with a smooth, metal back and glass front. But it has an aura of fragility -- maybe it's the extra-slim look, or the massive pane of curved glass on the front. I instantly wanted to slip it into a case just to be safe. Early reports of bending iPhonesmay have been overblown. Consumer Reports' testing found that the new iPhones canwithstand less pressure than the iPhone 5, LG G3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3 , but are about as equally durable as the HTC One M8. In other words, it's not exactly delicate, but, like any other phone, it can be damaged -- so handle with care, and get a case for it.
Iphone 6 case
The camera lens on the back of the iPhone 6 protrudes slightly, which made me worry about setting the phone down on rough surfaces, despite the fortitude of the sapphire lens. Again: using a case will alleviate any concerns.
A round Touch ID home button is located underneath the display; a simple press on the fingerprint reader unlocks the phone, and works amazingly well most of the time. While this feature is no longer as novel as it was when it debuted, Touch ID remains quicker and more reliable than the fingerprint detection capabilities we've seen on other smartphones. And with iOS 8, you can use fingerprint access for a wide variety of apps beyond the lock screen and iTunes Store.
If I have one problem with the new design, it's the bezel around the display. It's still big -- bigger than that of most Android phones, which means that the iPhone 6, with its 4.7-inch screen, is the same size as other phones with 5-inch screens. For example, the iPhone 6 runs as tall and wide the Nexus 5 , which has a larger 5-inch screen; it's also larger than the 2013 Moto X, which fits a comparable 4.7-inch display into a more compact body. (Both the old Moto X and Nexus 5 are thicker, however.) The iPhone 6 measures 5.4 by 2.6 inches, and 0.3 inch thick (138 by 67 by 69mm). It weighs 4.5 ounces, or 128 grams.
Though the iPhone 6 is basically one-hand friendly (and certainly more so than the iPhone 6 Plus), it comes with a useful but weird software feature called Reachability that pulls the top half of the display down to midscreen with a light double-tap of the Home button, for easier thumb access.
The screen
iPhones have always had phenomenal displays, both in terms of brightness and color quality. In CNET's battery of tests, they found that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus's screens are even better than those on previous iPhones, with superior grayscale and contrast levels.
Though phones with OLED displays, like the Samsung Galaxy S5 , deliver more vivid contrast and slightly richer, if less accurate, color, the iPhone 6's 4.7-inch IPS display is excellent: vivid and rich. The display's 1,344x750-pixel resolution is higher than the fifth generation's 1,136x640, but it has the same 326ppi pixel density. It's a good step up.
A grid of six-by-four apps now fits on each page plus the four in the dock below, for 28 total; on the 5's 4-inch display, it's 24. There are more pixels horizontally and vertically, unlike the merely vertical lengthening of the iPhone 5. That also means the aspect ratio is the same (16x9), and videos and Web pages scale similarly.
Native apps look fantastic and nonoptimized apps scale up well, too: games and streaming video services designed for a smaller display still fill the screen and have crisp text. I still think many people will find this 4.7-inch screen to find the right balance between functionality and portability. That noted, the iPhone 6's screen resolution is a step below ideal.
Performance: Faster still
The iPhone 6 is among the fastest phones around. It comes equipped with the A8 64-bit dual-core processor, which Apple claims delivers a 25 percent boost in speed and a 50 percent graphics boost over the iPhone 5S; this claim was confirmed in both our benchmark tests (see below) and hands-on testing. Navigating the UI and launching apps is zippy, and the phone runs nearly all tasks at a silky-smooth clip.
Apple's Metal coding tool helps some iOS games perform even better than the benchmarks suggest. Games that have been iPhone 6-optimized look great and load and run quickly, but the difference isn't as dramatic as you might expect. (Read about Apple'sMetal-related announcements from its Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2015.)
3DMARK ICE STORM -- UNLIMITED
Apple iPhone 5S
13,858
Apple iPhone 6
17,374
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
17,565
Motorola Moto X (2014)
19,802
Samsung Galaxy S5
18,305
HTC One M8
20,669
NOTE:
In frames per second; longer bars indicate better performance
GEEKBENCH 3
HTC One M8
869
2409
Apple iPhone 5S
1412.2
2,562
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
1619
2881
Apple iPhone 6
1627
2924
Samsung Galaxy S5
949
2934
Motorola Moto X (2014)
1001
3052
LEGEND:
Single-core (Blue)
Multi-core (Red)
NOTE:
In frames per second; longer bars indicate better performance
LINPACK MULTITHREAD
Motorola Moto X (2014)
803.175
HTC One M8
814.815
Samsung Galaxy S5
869.416
Apple iPhone 5S
975.92
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
1358.2
Apple iPhone 6
1378.2
NOTE:
In MFLOPS; longer bars indicate better performance
SUNSPIDER 1.0.2
Motorola Moto X (2014)
776.6
Samsung Galaxy S5
769.2
HTC One M8
635.1
Apple iPhone 5S
416.6
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
381.9
Apple iPhone 6
345.2
NOTE:
In milliseconds; shorter bars indicate better performance
The iPhone 6 features 802.11ac Wi-Fi and improved LTE antennas, which allow for faster Web browsing on both Wi-Fi and LTE.
Connecting to the Internet is fast on the iPhone 6. LTE browsing on an AT&T iPhone 6 in several locations (including San Francisco; New York City; Montclair, New Jersey; and Green Bay, Wisconsin) delivered download speeds that were slightly faster than LTE browsing on an AT&T iPhone 5S; upload speeds were a little more impressive. In Green Bay, I averaged 5.09 Mbps download and 10.6 Mbps upload speeds in the Lambeau Field parking lot for a Jets-Packers game, compared to an average of 4.3 Mbps download and 6.2 Mbps upload speeds on an iPhone 5S. From a restaurant in Clifton, New Jersey, I averaged 8.3 Mbps download and 4.6 Mbps upload on the iPhone 6, versus 8.4 Mbps download and 3.3 Mbps upload on an iPhone 5S.
This was the first part from the review if you want to complete reading just press on the button below.
One Shot Screen Recorder (no root required)
Telecine (no root required)
Mobizen (no root required)
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