GIV Mobile: BLU Advance 4.0 Android Smartphone with Everything Unlimited Plan

Disclosure: Products mentioned in this post were provided for review purposes only. Opinions are completely honest.

Giv Mobile announced they are giving away an Android Smartphone when an unlimited everything plan is purchased. The phone is the BLU Advance 4.0 Android Smartphone, which is an awesome entry level Android Smartphone with a multitude of features.

Design: The Advance 4.0 has a vibrantly dynamic 4” touch display. The phone displays images very nice and bright. Images are easily seen, except when tilted at an up/down angle. When it’s slightly tilted the screen looks washed out. It doesn’t do this when tilted sideways, so I don’t know what causes it.

The phone comes with a clear case and screen protector. There is 4 GB of internal memory; 1.27GB of space for apps (the other 2.72GB is for the Android OS). That isn’t much but space can definitely be upgraded with an inserted SD card. When you pair it with an SD card (which most people do), internal memory doesn’t really matter. Take the back off and under the battery there are three slots; two for SIM cards, the other for a mini-SD memory card.

Performance: The MediaTek chip and 512mb of RAM doesn’t have the same get-up-and-go as a flagship phone, but for daily use this performs quickly and efficiently. The phone is loaded with what is basically stock Jelly Bean, which is great. Multitasking is a breeze; I can check my email, update my twitter, and listen to music all at the same time.

I listen to a lot of music on my phone, continuously read emails, and occasionally watch videos on Youtube- and this phone hasn’t failed me once. The phone is downloaded with all the apps that I needed, with no extra junk to have to remove. I appreciated that very much. Usually I have to go through and delete a few, but I didn’t this time. The Play Store is all ready so you can download extra apps such as Facebook or games.

Every game that I downloaded from the Play Store worked very well. There was absolutely no freezing or re-loading. The Gmail app that came downloaded with the phone is a lifesaver. You can make the setting so that it dings when new emails pop-up. The emails came through as soon as they were sent, even when the Gmail app on my Samsung S4 would not.

Connectivity: Reception for cell and data are, of course, entirely dictated by location. The closer you are to towers, the stronger the signal is. The Advance 4.0’s Wi-Fi signal is very strong, even better than my Nokia Lumia Icon. I can get the Advance 4.0 to connect in places that the Lumia wouldn’t even think about connecting.

It will even let me connect to my neighbors wi-fi through two houses and about 45 feet. Data connectivity is flawless - both on wifi and 3g (the phone is compatible with HSPA+) and ping was good per Speedtest.

Battery: The Advance 4.0 comes with a 1600mah battery. With the MediaTek chip, the battery should last a very long time. To test the batteries life-span I streamed music via iHeartRadio via WiFi to my Sol Republic Bluetooth Wireless Speaker (which is a double battery drainer). I also watched some videos, checked my email, downloaded apps, and browsed the web.

I was on the phone ALL day then left it on all night without charging. It was also streaming music while I slept, and when I woke up there was still a 23% battery life. For a cheaper Smartphone, this one is phenomenal.  Of course, I wouldn’t NORMALLY be on the phone ALL day streaming music and downloading stuff. There’s no way the battery is going to completely die unless you forget to charge it for long periods of time.

To be eligible for the offer- sign up for either a $40 or a $50 two-month Everything Unlimited plan. The plan comes with unlimited text (which includes global texts), voice and data. The $40 plan includes 250MB 4G/3G data, while the $50 plan gives you 2 gigs monthly at 4G/3G speeds.

Paired with GIV Mobile’s “Unlimited Everything” service that starts at only $29/month plan, it is not only an affordable gift, but the receiver can choose up to three charities such as the Alzheimer's Association, Kids in Need Foundation, American Forests and more to receive 8% of their bill every month.

 

Tech Specs

Height
4-9/10"

Width
2-5/8"

Depth
1/2"

Weight
3.2 ounces

Phone Style
Bar phone

Band and Mode
GSM|HSDPA|3G
Number/type of bands and modes the phone can use, which affects coverage and capabilities.

Technology Details
3G|HSDPA
Wireless network technology the phone uses. Common technologies include GSM, CDMA and TDMA (including iDEN).

Bluetooth-Enabled
Yes

Talk Time
Up to 15 hours
Amount of time you can spend talking on the phone before the battery is depleted.

Standby Time
Up to 25 days
Amount of time the phone can be left on (waiting for a call) before the battery is depleted.

Battery Type
Lithium-ion

Vibrate Mode
Yes
Silently alerts you to incoming calls when ringing is not desirable.

Customizable Ring Tones
Yes
Feature that allows you to download additional ringtones and/or create your own.

Voice Activated
Yes
Lets you dial a preset phone number by saying a word (e.g., "home").

Downloadable Games
Yes
Indicates that a phone is capable of downloading games from the Internet.

Speed Dialing
Yes

Color Display
Yes
Color LCD screen for displaying call information, navigating menu options and viewing photos and video (as capable).

Internet/Email Capable
Yes
These devices offer wireless Internet, which can be used to access email at specific sites. Some devices also offer a full e-mail client that can connect directly to a standard POP or IMAP e-mail server over a wireless Internet connection.

Built-in Digital Camera
Yes
Lets you take digital photos and send them to other phones or e-mail accounts.

MMS
Yes
Multimedia Messaging Service enables cell phone users to send text messages, graphics, photos and audio and video clips to other MMS users or to e-mail accounts.

Text Messaging/Instant Messaging
Yes
Text messaging is the ability to exchange short text messages with other cell phone users. Instant messaging enables text conversations with computer users through programs such as AIM or Yahoo! Messenger.

Touch Screen
Yes

QWERTY Keyboard
No

Camera Resolution
5.0MP

MP3 Playback Capability
Yes

Vibration Alert
Yes
Silently alerts you to incoming calls when ringing is not desirable.

Speakerphone
Yes
Lets you talk and listen to calls without holding the phone. Ideal for making conference calls with others in the room.

Graphics
Yes
Type of graphics (video) adapter (usually built into the motherboard), identified by manufacturer and model.

Downloadable Ringtones
Yes
Indicates that a phone is capable of downloading additional ringtones from the Internet.

External Caller ID
Yes
Small screen that displays the name and number of the person calling.

Device Manufacturer
Blu

Product Line
Advance

Product Model
4.0

Handset Type
Smartphone

Mobile Operating System
Android

UPC
848958008286

 

Connect with Giv Mobile:

Facebook, Twitter, & Pinterest

 

Who would you love to give this to for a Christmas Gift?

Net10 Wireless- Samsung Galaxy S4 #Review

If you’re looking for something stylish without being tethered to a contract, then you should definitely check out Net10 Wireless. No-contract wireless plans are on the rise with consumers & Net10 is America’s largest no-contract cell phone provider. They offer a variety of airtime choices to ensure you get wireless your way. I can’t believe it starts at only $40 a month.

Starting at just $40/month, you can experience unlimited talk, text and data. Even more, Net10 Wireless gives you freedom of device with its BYOP program, which lets you keep the phone you love while getting the best mobile experience from the nation’s best 4G LTE networks at about half the cost.

View all your content on a stunning 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED™ display that's powered by a robust 1.9GHz quad-core processor — all in a light 0.29LB smartphone.

I have always preferred an android to anything else. I love the Google sync feature. I can access everything I need right from my phone. Gmail, Calendar, and Google Play. There’s no app in this world you can’t find on Google Play and most of them are free. I’ve had a Nokia Icon (Windows OS) and the apps are totally different. I would choose android hands down every time.

 

Shoot Like a Pro

The phone is always fast and reliable. Downloading apps, watching a Youtube video, or uploading pictures- the Galaxy S4 never lets you down. Some apps will let you listen to music or radio stations, and it never hesitates or takes very long to load. It’s also awesome to download books and listen to them while you’re working or talking a jog around the block.

The camera on the Samsung Galaxy S4 is an amazing 13-megapixel camera with simultaneous dual photo capture. I am loving the “speech” part of the camera. I no longer have to hold the phone at an awkward angle just to get the right shot. There’s no need to even touch the camera button. The camera responds to me saying “smile” “capture” or “take picture”. That is spoiling me right there! That’s exactly what I needed, lol.

Did I mention that there are 2 cameras? Both front and back. The front is great for selfies (if you do that sort of thing lol). The front faced camera is only 2MP and doesn’t contain a flash, but you can’t tell. The images are still sharp and in focus.

Organized

 

A good phone is like the memory you don’t have. It helps keep me organized on the go. It helps to have everything right there on hand. My Calendar, planner, to-do lists, and emails. I had it all written down but it’s just so much easier to just get notifications. I’m pretty sure there isn’t anything this phone can’t do. It might actually transform when I sleep, who knows? It’s that freaking awesome!

I can check my Paypal and transfer or send money straight from my phone. I can email anybody at anytime, even emailing pictures is super fast and easy! Being organized never looked so good!

 

Did you know that you can now bring your own phone to Net10 Wireless?

More to come…

Have you ever felt the freedom of not being tethered to a contract? Now you can!

 

 Get Yours: Net10 Wireless Samsung Galaxy S4

 

Connect with Net10 on Facebook, Twitter, & Youtube

 

Until Next time

-Jessica

Tech Review: Nokia Lumia Icon #VZWLife

Disclosure: I received a Nokia Lumia Icon at no cost for review. I am a Verizon Wireless Buzz Lifestyle Blogger. I did not receive compensation for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

(Picture credits):  Verizon Wireless.

I’ve been working with Verizon and I was given the opportunity to review the Nokia Lumia Icon Black. Nokia has definitely stepped up their game with the Icon. It has the ability to do things that no previous Nokia can.

There are so many features that make it worth buying, but the best one is the camera. I’ve never seen a smartphone with a better camera. Even the Galaxy S4 is only 13 megapixels while the Icon is 20 megapixels.

The Nokia Icon pulls ahead of most other smartphones in some ways. The Nokia Icon is jam-packed with futuristic, cutting edge hardware, including a 2.2 GHz Quad-Core CPU. This is definitely the perfect windows phone that everybody has been wanting.

Specifications-

• Windows Phone 8 Update 3, build 10521
• Lumia Black firmware
• 5” full HD 1080p OLED display, ClearBlack, Sunlight readability, Glare-free, Super sensitive touch, Gorilla Glass 3
• Pixel density: 440 ppi
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad-Core processor, 2.2 GHz
• Adreno 330 GPU
• Camera: 20 MP PureView, ZEISS optics, OIS, 2x lossless zoom, oversampling, dual LED flash
• 2 GB RAM
• 32 GB internal storage (no micro SD)
• Bluetooth 4.0 LE
• Display features: Brightness control, Orientation sensor, Sunlight readability enhancements, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3, Easy to clean, High brightness mode, Lumia Color profile, Sculpted glass, Wide viewing angle
• 2420 mAh internal battery with Qi wireless charging
• Dimensions: 5.39 x 2.79 x 0.39 in
• Weight: 166g /5.86 oz
• nano SIM
• Networks: LTE: 700MHz; SVLTE Band 13; Band 4; CDMA: 3G EVDO 850/1900 Rev A with Rx Diversity; Global Ready: GSM (850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz)  UMTS (850MHz, 900MHz, 1900MHz, 2100MHz)

Design-

There aren’t any creative or bold design colors available with the Icon. It is only available in white or black. So if you were hoping for green, yellow, or blue.. you won’t find it. Nokia tried to keep the Icons design as conservative as possible and since most people buy cases, phone color shouldn’t matter anyway. Or at least to me it doesn’t.

It definitely feels sturdier than other smartphones. I needed something that could withstand the torment of my 5 year old and seven year old. I needed something tough and the Google Glass screen makes it just that. The phone has already fallen out of my truck onto the concrete and it didn’t even scratch anything (WITHOUT a case).

Size-

Plenty of people skipped out on buying the Nokia Lumia 1520 because of its enormous size. The massive size made it awkward to hold the phone comfortably. The Nokia Icon has totally changed up the game with the size, it’s only a hair taller than the Lumia 928. Fits perfectly in my hands, and I have small hands.

Homescreen

The Homescreen is fully customizable with Live Tiles and apps that you check the most, such as email or social media. I absolutely love it. I love that the tiles flip and show my updates and notifications. I don’t have to constantly click anything because my homescreen lets me know if I have a new email, message, or Facebook update.

Screenshots

Each smartphone is different in which buttons you should push to get a screenshot. With the Nokia Lumia Icon:

To capture a screenshot, press the Start button and the Power button at the same time.
To view the screenshot you've taken, navigate Photos > albums > Screenshots from the start screen.

I love how easy it is. It’s even easier to screenshot with the Icon then it is the Galaxy S4. With the Galaxy I was having problems getting the home button to push in as the same time as the power button. The home button gets stuck sometimes. With the Icon, the windows button responds very well to my touch. It didn’t even take me a second to get it right. With the Galaxy I’d have to try a couple times before it would work!

Apps

I have been having tons of fun playing around with the apps. There are so many different apps in the Windows Store. There are apps for everything. The Store is an amazing place because you can search for exactly what you’re looking for. I personally think that the apps at the Windows store are somewhat better than regular Google play apps.

I love that I don’t have to keep scrolling through all the available apps and games. I can just jump straight to whatever it is I’m looking to download.

I also love the fact that the apps are alphabetized and can be searched through. I don’t have to spend time searching through the long list. I can just hit the search button and have the app right there. Makes things 10x easier.

Camera & Videos

The 20 megapixel camera puts the icon at the top of the list for the most powerful cameras. It never fails whether you’re in a light or dark place. The pictures are always sharp, never dull and fuzzy like some night pictures are. It also allows rezooming and reframing pictures after they’ve been taken.

There are also a ton of apps that you can download that takes amazing pictures, lets you edit, and lets you add filters. I love the fact that I no longer have to pack around a heavy camera to get high definition, beautiful pictures!

You can record full HD Video with the amazing visual and audio qualities. This is because the Icon has Nokia PureView Imaging. It comes with 4 microphones, which are all high performance. This allows the phone to capture true stereo sound with impeccable accuracy at cutting out most of the background noise.

It doesn’t matter what you’re looking for in a smartphone, the Icon definitely has it. There is no better choice and you’ll love the feel of the Windows 8 interface.

The Nokia Lumia Icon is only available at Verizon Wireless.

There will be more app reviews and such to come..

 

-Jessica

Samsung Galaxy S4 Review #VZWlife #vzwbuzz

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the top choice for anyone wanting a large screen and a phone that does everything. It’s long list of features is what draws most people in. There are so many features that make it stand apart from other phones.

The phone is ultra slim and easy to hold in one hand. It runs on a super fast Android 4.2.2 Jellybean operating system. It is the latest and greatest Android phone on the market and for good reason. The S4 is one of the fastest loading smartphones on the planet when it comes to graphics. The phone can do absolutely everything and is fast while doing it. Keeping me organized and entertained at the same time, I love it.

It has a unique textured back and the phone comes in both white and black. It has a rectangular home button with metallic colored accent around it. The Volume & Up/Down buttons are made of polycarbonate plastic with metallic accents. Since I always get a phone case anyway, the plastic design doesn’t matter to me.

I really love the sophisticated sleek design of the phone. I would definitely choose this over the boxier IPhone designs any day!

I am loving the battery life of the S4. I can read, check email, update Facebook or Twitter, watch YouTube videos, and play games without the hassle of the battery going down really quickly. The average battery life is about 10 hours, which is amazing. It does need to be charged daily. I also love the fact that this has a removable/replaceable battery. Most newer phones don’t, I’m glad this one does!

Android is definitely the best OS a phone could have. It has so many extras such as directly connecting to your Gmail account. I have access to Google Play, YouTube, Gmail, Google Calendar and so much more. I couldn’t imagine my life without the Galaxy now, it is AMAZING.

There is no need to download the essentials. It comes with Google Play Store, Gmail, YouTube, Kindle App, and many more. The others can be found in the Play Store (where most are free). I love the fact that I can search through the apps and find exactly what I need.

 

I had a Nokia Lumia 900 before getting the Galaxy. The Window Apps are so different, There was no way to search for certain apps like “Facebook” or “Instagram”. I had to scroll and scroll until I found what I was looking for. The apps are also different. I couldn’t directly get Instagram on the Nokia without paying $1.29. The Google Play store offers tons of apps free that I couldn’t get in the Window apps.

It IS hands-down an amazing smartphone, so smart in fact it should be named SUPER smart! It has a 13 Megapixel camera that gives us the ability to take pictures with our voice. All you have to say is capture or smile. It automatically focuses in eliminating any chance of blur, which is awesome in itself!

1. (Me when I was a little kid) 2. Me, My little cousin Mikie, My sister Brandy, and my cousin Sara

1. My son Aidan when he was a toddler. 2. Me @ the age of 9

1. My daughter when she was a baby   2. My great grandma, me, and my sister.

I love the fact that I was going through some of my grandma’s old picture albums and was able to capture pictures of the actual photos. There was no blur, no issues, and the auto focus was amazing. I was able to share them instantly on Facebook with the people in them, which is also awesome.

It also has dual-shot. The front facing camera is only 2 Megapixels and doesn’t contain a flash.. but still it’s pretty awesome. Usually the person taking the picture gets left out of the fun! Now, they can be IN the picture as well! Cheers! There are tons of settings to use when taking pictures.

I have to admit that I chose the Galaxy S4 for it’s strong camera performance and picture taking options. As a blogger I have to take a ton of pictures. Whether it’s pictures of a product, or a selfie of me with the product in use, I needed a great camera on my phone. I’ll admit I had a ton of fun testing out the different features.

Even if you take away all the other amazing features, the 13 megapixel camera is still stunning. I was very impressed with the pictures and how well they turn out. This phone takes better pictures then the digital camera I have, so WIN! The pictures are clear, crisp, and very detailed thanks to the HD feature.

Taking pictures is so easy. I love how I don’t have to push a button and risk slipping and messing up the picture. I can just say “smile” or “capture.” I absolutely LOVE this feature. It makes it 10x easier to take pictures of myself- both up close and full body pictures. Before I’d have to set a timer for the full body pictures and they didn’t always turn out so well.

 

The phone comes with the ability to add more memory, which is definitely something I look for in a phone. What use is it having a phone if you can’t add your favorite music, apps, and books because you don’t have a memory card slot?

I got the SD-micro mini adapter for about $10 at Walmart, so I can easily transfer music, videos, pictures, and documents from my laptop straight to the phone without a problem. If I had Bluetooth on my computer, I could automatically connect that way, which would be awesome… but my laptop doesn’t have it.

The phone comes with 64MG already on the phone, which is plenty for most people. I love the fact that Samsung gives me the option to add more though. The phone makes it easy to store photos on the SD card even if the pictures were taken on the hard drive of the phone. I also have a lot of music, apps, games, & Ebooks—and am not even close to the 64MG.

This phone does things I’ve never seen and never thought possible before. It has the ability to become a remote for your T.V., (Smart Pause) Can watch your movements and pause when your head or eyes move, and can translate what you say into another language.

 

This phone just keeps on amazing me. I am so in love with how quickly everything loads. Whether I’m reading and replying to emails, searching through Pinterest, or updating twitter or facebook. Articles from blogs and websites are amazing. I can zoom in easily with 2 fingers, which I also love.

As a blogger the phone has everything I need. I can write posts directly to my blogger AND Wordpress blogs, social media, and everything I need to stay organized. Like access to my Google Calendar, to-do list apps, and even Microsoft OneNote. 

This phone will actually let you put it in easy mode if you don’t want all the extra features. The extras might be confusing to those who are new to phones or just want something simple. The Galaxy S4 is definitely ahead of the pack!

I will continue updating about different features of the phone!

 

Jessica