Tag: android

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News: Samsung Galaxy S5 and S6 – IPsec Service consuming device space

I’m a fairly heavy user of apps on my mobile devices. I periodically review them, but it’s quite rare I discover an app that I can happily uninstall and live without. It’s not uncommon for me to have over a hundred apps installed, only one of which is a game. And I’m sure I’m not alone in this. It tells us, doesn’t it, what an invaluable tool the smart phone has become for life, work and play.

So initially when my phone (a Samsung Galaxy S5) told me I was running out of space, I wasn’t all that surprised. Time to review my app usage. Time to move some apps from device storage to SD. Time to clear out some on-device photos and videos. Which I duly did.

And then a few days later – running out of space again. Curious.

I chased it down to the IPsec service. Each time I freed up a bit more space, according to the app manager, IPsec Service expanded to fill the void. At the time of writing, it’s now consuming a wholly excessive 1.64GB – but as I’ve read around about this problem I see reports from Galaxy S6 users who have lost over 4GB to this service’s insatiable appetite. On a clean install by the way, it’s taking up 388KB.

IPsec service run amok

As best we can tell, it’s due to some kind of memory leak in the IPsec service. This afflicts Android 5.0 – and as luck would have it, a few weeks ago I finally relented and upgraded my S5 to Lollipop. And it will be some time before the fix, in 5.1.1 is rolled out by my carrier – that’s if they ever do get round to it. The S5 is so last year, darling.

So what’s the workaround? Well, I wish I could give you good news. I’ve come up with nothing. This has taken me to the point of saying the heck with the warranty, I’m going to root it and flash a different ROM. What with this and the recent StageFright scare, it almost makes me want to move over to the Dark Side and buy an iPhone. Almost!

If you’ve found a more satisfactory solution, do let us know in the comments. Meanwhile, I’ll be getting to grips with CF-Auto-Root and finally releasing my handset from the whims of manufacturers and carriers. Wish me luck!

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Review: Nook Simple Touch eReader from Barnes & Noble

UPDATE: If you’re looking for a super-cheap, colour, Android tablet, you might like to know that Amazon has recently slashed the price of the 7″ Kindle Fire to £99. Find out more here.

So then, the Nook Simple Touch eReader from US book retailer Barnes& Noble has become their loss-leading attempt at getting a toehold in the UK/European market. Geek, the tight-wad  wouldn’t shell out for a proper tablet, but when the Nook was slashed to £29, he couldn’t resist. And then I stole it off him for a play.

nook Simple Touch eReader

The first thing I notice when I take it out of its packaging is how tactile it is and how light. On the reverse, there are two parallel ridges that conform nicely to my grip and it feels comfortable to hold. It has a slightly rubberised feel to it, which also adds to that tactile feel.

It has a nice quick guide pre-installed and four buttons where your thumbs naturally locate on the front frame, which are additional navigation guides for turning pages. It took me a while to realise these were buttons and they need to be pressed hard to get them to work and as you can turn a page by swiping the screen, a bit redundant I think!

Usage wise, I quite like it, largely due to the very tactile feel. The size was just right for my style of reading although I can imagine it might be a bit on the small side for some people. I did read it on occasion under office LED lighting and found that some flat angles reflected that kind of light quite badly but I had to struggle to find such a position and overall the Nook was easily readable in all usual lighting conditions and gave me no kind of eye strain problems after long periods of reading.nook Simple Touch eReader

One issue I can foresee is the fact that it doesn’t link into the Amazon Bookstore but rather Barnes & Noble’s own store, which whilst adequate, isn’t quite as good.

A further little irritation for me was the screen transition and the way it seemed to flicker when refreshing. It wasn’t as fluid as a Kindle but then it doesn’t cost Kindle money!

Battery life appears to be everything claimed and having used the Nook for 3 or 4 days, the battery level indicator has not moved at all. The wireless connectivity has been switched on during this time although not heavily used.

The WiFi connectivity appeared faultless and it immediately connected or could see all of the wireless networks that my iPhone 5 could see.

Everything about it is just pick up and go or plug in and go. epub books can be put in the Books folder via a mini USB connector from your PC or via the MicroSD card with a simple cut & paste action. I did find the SD card slot to be poorly labelled and the compartment flap seems a bit flimsy.nook Simple Touch eReader

At £29 there’s really no excuse for not owning one. As a basic entry level eReader, especially when I line it up against a Kindle, considering the bargain price of the Nook, it has to be a solid competitor.

Now the Geek tells me it’s possible to “root” this and turn it into a whole different beast but to be honest that’s beyond me so I’ll leave him to look into that.

I’d recommended the Nook pretty highly. The market is crowded but it does what it says on the tin at less than the right price.

[easyreview title=”Dummy rating” icon=”dummy” cat1title=”Ease of use” cat1detail=”Downloading ebooks is a breeze. Basic eReading functions are intuitive.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Features” cat2detail=”It really has everything a good eReader should have and a few besides.” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Value for money” cat3detail=”At the current price of £29 it is probably the best value for money eReader out there.” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Build Quality” cat4detail=”I think it’s great. I love the tactile feel of it.” cat4rating=”4.5″ summary=”A very good value for money product that makes an excellent entry level to eReading if you were thinking of giving it a go.”]