OPPO R7 Plus phone by Oppo

7.5/10 (at times 8/10) I know you like it precise...

I got this phone recently, my first Oppo, and I have a mix of feelings about it. He is a hot guy but he is also a bit dumb at times. There are things that I truly love, but others that are a bit ploff-ish to me. Here it goes, my experience in using my new pal.

HITS
> The  phone looks like an IPhone or the last Samsung with its round edges, golden case and metal build. Glossy. Large. Super-flat. Crafted with love. The good thing it will cost you half the price of most super-duper phones out there. 
> Battery is awesome! and charges fully in less than an hour; 15 minutes of charging will get you a long call. The battery lasts for two days easily especially if you have good energy-saving settings. You won't find the need to to run to the closest power point because it is 6pm and you mob is exhausted after 12 hours.  Example, I had my mobile 100% charged on Mon and the battery was at 12 the next day before bed.  
> Huge 6in screen, bigger is better always! Perfect for people with poor sight or who want to use the phone as a phablet for reading and browsing comfortably.
> Awesome resolution, detail and vibrant colours.
> Very good camera with plenty of shooting settings, and with a selection of lovely filters so you don't need to install any extra app unless you really want.
> Very responsive to touch, and silky feeling when gliding your fingers over.  
> Fast processor, so apps open/close fast, the network tools activate and deactivate in a second, and everything runs smoothly, almost as if you were using your laptop.
> 4G lite capable. If your phone carrier is not capable and a bit 'retarded', Oppos loves it the same.  
> The phone comes with some goodies that one usually gets from the apps store: torch, cleaner program, compass, eye filter, apps-locking system, back up and restore system, clear memory tool, a mini-office pack called Kingston Office, a free theme and wallpaper store, and, of course, the basics from Mr Google.
> The world at your fingers, literally. You can do most things just with your fingers not just touch. Double tap to lock and unlock if you want, use gestures for whatever you want, or use the fingerprint reader to unlock locked apps.
> Very accurate and flexible finger print reader. It doesn't matter if you don't always plant your finger in the same way.  

EXTRAS
<< A silicone transparent case is included in the box. Gift oh oh moment. Not a flashy case but it does the job and lets your original phone bling to bling! 
<< I got a super-duper Oppo's powerbank for free as they didn't have the selfie stick included in the offer. The powerbank is very stylish, flat and well designed ad has the plugging cord incorporated into the edges, so you don't have to carry any cable when you go out. I am very happy with the switch as I am not into selfies. You can always kiss my rear :O.

MISSES
> ColorOS system is a freak of an OS. ColorOS over Android OS sounds to me like a pony copulating with a race horse. Sorry if the analogy offends you. ColorOS is simpler and easier to operate than pure Android, also less polished and organised, but also has way better graphics and better gesture functionality. Good news, Oppo has realised that customers want something different and are listening and working on a new remix. They are launching an new freaky system that is closer to the original Android but keeping the improvements of ColorOS. Win-Win. The release of the new system for this specific model, is according to Oppo, around beginning of 2016.
>> I bought this phone because it is advertised as having double SIM and SD card. Well, that is incorrect (euphemism for a lie) and a pain in the butt taking into account the price and that this is 2015. The card slot allows two Nano SIM cards or one Nano card and one SD card. That is like so very three years ago in design dudes! My previous phone, which was a low range Samsung, was way smaller than this one, and had two SIM slots plus another for the SD card. Bigger is not always better :)
> No apps drawer. I was in dismay. Where is it, where is it? No 'is it'. The phone has  a widgets drawer and plenty of empty room in the other drawer containing the Oppo Music Player, but you cannot add anything there, because it is locked. Silly. Perhaps it can be done, let's check the manual... This being the case, the apps you download are left on the pages (the last page in your mobile) randomly, so you need to create folders and place them there, or to download a drawer app to get what any Android phone has.   
> The battery cannot be extracted or replaced when the fatal moment arrives. How long is the battery life? Seeeeecreeeetttttt! Check the manual.... No, you have to contact CS for them to tell you what to do or so the tiny booklet says. WTF!  
>  Their charger is not universal, so if you forget yours at home and decide to recharge your Oppo with a normal one you can do it, BUT it will take ages. 

MIND
>>> The phone uses a Nano SIM not the mainstream micro SIM. This means that most probably you will need to change SIM card. Nohworrees  Ring your carrier, mention change of phone and the need of a nano and they'll tell you to buy a nano and, once you have it, they will swap the numbers and keep your credit and plan information. Easy Peasy Missy. You might lose your contacts if you save them there, so take the precaution of backing them up before the swap. It took five minutes to swap my card, and it was operational not even an hour later. So nothing to worry about. Just be aware. 
>>> The SIM tray is opened by introducing a needle-like pin into the tiny hole beside the tray (located on the right edge, top area, of the phone), which ejects it. Where is the pin? Well, you might notice it immediately but I did not as it is inserted totally flat upon opening, looking like a drawn Oppo logo, on the top of the phone flat case. Here it is

>>> Screen shot is easy to take. Don't waste your time and bites downloading any app. Press at the same time the volume and power buttons. The first time you do that you will get an overlay informing you how to select just part of the screen. My screenshot of today: 

 

BLONDY MARY DEESEES UNBEELIFABOL
The tiny printed instructions booklet is worthless. A few multilingual pages with little information, not even a hungry frog will swallow that. The booklet says, go to your phone for further info and check the manual. You go there, and surprise surprise!... nothing. I contacted Customer Service asking for a PDF of the manual: sorry sorry, manual is not available addeesverimowmen. If you want you can get it. Oh really, wonderfool. So you have to go to url so and so, download the manual, install an installer to install the manual and then install the manual. Ha ha ha, no joke; this is a classic WTF! Loving the manual...

*** 

I am always looking for alternatives to Apple and Samsung or any other company that monopolises the market. Oppo is a promising cool young company doing innovative things, offering mid range sexy good phones at decent prices, with a very enthusiastic team of designers (mostly inspired but they have their moments like everybody else) that needs a bit of more common sense and launching phones and OSs when they are ready not months earlier. Oppo already has my money, my love is growing, but I like it hot. 
 
Full Specifications and photos from Oppo's site here.

 ***

 WAYS TO SAVE TONS OF BATTERY LIFE IN YOUR OPPO
After many months of constant use of my Oppo, I have found that, since switching on and off some features works fast and wonderfully, you better keep off some features that will suck your battery. 
+ Switch off the GPS unless necessary. Most of the  time is not.
+ Switch off the Wi-Fi unless you are going to use it or using it.
+ Switch off the Data connection unless you are going to use it. If you keep it on while idle, it will suck up part of your battery. Using data all day long is one of the highest suckers of energy.
+ Switch off the screen auto-rotation functionality. Some apps (books and some games) automatically rotate the screen even if you have that option switched off. This doesn't happen often.
+ Unless really necessary, switch off all the sounds: new sms sound, new email sound, typing sounds, calendar sounds, most notifications sounds.
+ Unless really necessary, keep your mobile on vibration or silent. I do that during working hours and in the evenings and night, so I am not interrupted. But when I am not, the phone consumes way more energy, just because that option is on.
+ Activate the power saving function.
+ Bear in mind that high brightness of the screen and keeping the screen on for a long time consumes a huge amount of energy.  

***

TROUBLESHOOTING
I keep my phone on all the time, as if it was a land line. At times, after many days without switching off, the phone does funny things, like I start to have problems with the Internet connection, or some functions or apps seems to behave oddly, or the battery seems not to recharge normally. Solution: Restart your phone or switch it off for 1-2 minutes and switch on again. I have found that this a great magic wand that solves everything!   

*** 

UPDATE MARCH 2016
After a few months of constant use, I have to say that this phone ticks all the boxes that I wanted a medium-range phone to tick. The downsides I mentioned above are still there, I got used to the lack of drawer and how the phone organises files, but now I am familiar with that and is no longer an issue. The overall performance of the phone and the life of the battery are great, the phone is great for light gaming, and the the inbuilt connectivity is great. I constantly switch between WI-FI and prepaid data, use flight mode on and off, and everything works timely and smoothly. The more I use my Oppo the more a I love it and the more I want this company to do better. It would be great if they made a new version that allowed a double SIM card plus a memory card. I love the KingsoftOffice pack, which works greatly for every-day use, and costs you nothing. I don't like the in-built weather app as I like other weather apps better. The in-built mail app, which worked greatly until last week, began doing funny things and I realised that it can't be upgraded or reset; there must be a way to do it, but there is no manual of instructions. However, there are many mail apps on Google Store and that is never going to be a problem. 

I still think that extractable batteries are way better for consumers than in-built ones. It is just better for company to have it the other way around. Extractable batteries are way better for consumers, gadget companies know that and don't want that. Especially with Oppo, you don't want your in-built battery to fail, not even before the life of the battery comes to an end, because this is a 'small' company with a still small infrastructure and reduced customer service. How long does this battery lasts? We don't know because they don't want to tell us, not eve approximately. I have the same problem with my Google tablet. I prefer extractable rechargeable batteries. They could have sophisticated long-life powerful extractable ones if they wanted, Oppo or any other company, but they don't.

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Mandala Colouring Pages by José David Pujó

I am going to use the F word... Free, Fun and Fabulous.

Mandala Colouring Pages is a free app that allows you to do something that is very trendy right now because it is very relaxing and enjoyable always -- colouring. You have 90+  mandalas to colour, a large colour palette and a binaural tune that absorbs you in ways that I find difficult to believe. Some of the mandalas are very basic and simple, while others are very intricate, and  there are some figurative motifs as well. 

The app has many features that put it ahead other similar apps. Music on and off, huge colour palette, easy way to undo and redo an action, touch zoom in and out, easy way to size in/out the colour palette and the mandala, save your mandala to your SD card, share it easily, the app runs fast and is very light, the adds are minimal (a small banner at the bottom of the screen, which invades the full screen occasionally) and much more. The price for the add-free version is little over $1 and worth paying because this is an awesome app and  you will get endless hours of creative relaxing Zen.

I recommend it to anybody, especially if you are anxious or nervous or find difficult to concentrate because the app is extremely relaxing and absorbing and seems to bring your mind to the right now of pure Zen.  If you are are already a relaxed and cool dude or 'dudine', this app works with your natural strengths and helps you with your creativity or to make your visit to the toilet more colourful :P. 

Some of the things I miss in this app are: a larger number of mandalas, a way to move the single drop colour selection because, when you zoom it  in a lot, there is no way to fill in the space that the icon uses. Also the colours change noticeably from the phone screen to the screen in your computer, so there must be a way for the images to keep the colour you choose in the photo when they are are saved. Although I love the tune, I would love having different tunes to choose from. Finally, there must be a way to lock-in colours, so even if you touch the screen they do not change again unless you unlock the colour there. 

Below some of my mandalas. Pity that the real colour isn't there. 

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Dots: A game about connecting by Playdots Inc

 There are many dots games, but this is the best and the most imitated, and the most challenging. There is a reason why it has a cult-following -- once you start playing you will understand why. 

This is a simple colourful puzzle game, clean and sleek, customisable and fun. You will find yourself totally addicted to it. The game is easy  to play, without locked levels to pass. What you have to achieve is to get a high score, get to 500+, which is something very difficult. That requires focus, strategy and also a bit of luck and knowing how the system works to undermine it a bit in your favour. Getting 100 or 150 points might be relatively easy, but getting 200+  is far from easy and I am stuck in the 300+ benchmark right now in the Moves Mode and about 200+ in the Timed Mode, and, honestly, it is difficult!

What do you have to do? Connect dots of the same colour and score high. The aim of the game is to make as many squares as possible, as one square gets you 10 points not 4, and squares beget more squares, which start to appear more often the more you make.

There are four playing modes. The Timed Mode (60 seconds) which is the most difficult; the Moves Mode (30 moves to finish, that is the one I recommend to learn and find your way without the pressure of time); the Endless Mode (which you have to pay for) and the Blind Competition with other gamers. To help you with the scoring. you are given three tools to improve your changes. They are called runners-up. One is the time-stop (the clock stops counting for 5 seconds), the shrinkers (you press one and it eliminates the dot you press from the screen) and the expanders (it eliminates all the dots of the same colour from the screen).

The game is free but not cheap, if you know what I mean. It is pleasing to the eye, customisable, scores are kept safe for next time you play, and your best score on each mode is recorded without you having to do anything. So, there is no need to access Facebook or Google+ to save anything or play with other gamers. There are several free themes and colour schemes. I tend to use the purple one a lot, and the original white. The other ones are not as good to me.

 

You get extra bonus points for playing certain number of matches, at certain times of the day, with certain themes, for benchmark points, for using the runners ups, for number of dots eliminated by one move and so on. Each time you get one of those bonus it will show at the end of your match by small red characters with a description. 

The game gives you plenty of points that you can exchange for any of the runners up, if you want, for free, without the need of purchasing anything.  

 

The best way to score high is to make as many squares as you can. It sound easy but it is not. Sometimes the  initial dots panel is set in a way that makes difficult to make any square at all, no matter how good you are. You cannot do anything about it. But you can restart the game and start it up again with a new dots panel. I do that until I see I have some workable changes to start with and I am not doomed from the start. 

I have played the game in my tablet and phone, and for whatever reason I find playing with the pone is easier, probably because there is a bigger distance between the eyes and the screen and one can spot shapes better. 

 

EXTRA KUDOS

+ I find the game easy to find on buses, planes and in moments when you don't have much time. Lunch break or bus commuting for example. 

+ It occupies little memory and runs smoothly.  

+ It saves your scoring and piles up on it automatically.

+ Unisex game.

+ All ages game. 

+ Colour blind mode.
+ Play matches with other players without the need of registration or interacting directly with them.
+ Free exchange of points for runner-up dots.
+ No annoying ads or promotional interruptions.

TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR (MY) SCORING

> Start with the Moves Mode to practise your focus and strategy without the pressure of time.

> Use your shrinkers and expanders wisely. Unless you are getting a high score and want to improve it, you are wasting them.

> Set the theme that best suits your sight and you feel most comfortable with. I personally found the original and the purple the ones that work best for me. I cannot resist purple anything
.> Restart the game if you see that the initial dots panel is setting you for a low scoring.

> Avoid the temptation of linking many dots in a long line. By making a square and linking four dots you are getting 10 points, which is more of what you get with long lines most of the time. 

> Focus, focus, focus. Patience, Patience, Patience.

> Don't rush. I have seem that a mechanical impulse of my fingers has just destroyed a square that I saw a millisecond after my fingers had touched the screen. 
>  If you are playing the Time Mode and need a few seconds, instead of using your time-pause runner up, press the time/moves on the left top of the screen and the game is suspended automatically. Then, you can press the green button and return to the game as you left it, or you can restart by pressing the red button.
>  The use of shrinkers and expanders is very useful, but it is worthless if you are scoring low and waste them in this occasion. Use them when you are scoring high to score higher and get more squares! The shrinkers are specially convenient as they are very cheap to exchange for your gathered points.

DOWNSIDES

# Initial explanation about what the function of shrinkers and expanders is missing from the game unless you press on them and you see what the text says. The game starts with a simple exemplification of how the game works, why not doing the same with the runners up?  

# You cannot adjust the sizing of the dots to your liking.
# If you want to change the colour palette and customise it, you have to pay for it.
# You can buy double scoring dots. This being the case, any gamer who is using those has way more chances of scoring high that you will ever have even if you have the same skills and create the same number of squares. Unfair!

I tend to download heaps of free games and they have a very short life in my gadgets for several reasons. Basically they don't give me what I am looking for. Dots is difficult but gives me what I am looking for. It is here to stay!

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Comfort Inn Wenworth Plaza Hotel (Perth WA)

300 Hay St, Perth WA 6004
(08) 9338 5000
Bookings:1800 355 109
Email
Website
Facebook

I stayed in this hotel for a night during my last visit to Perth. There are two good things that this hotel is worth staying for. The first is its central location at the corner of William St with Murray St, surrounded by many shops, cafés, bars, and the Rayne Sq Shopping Mall. The train station is across the street as well. The second is that this a good value-for-money hotel taking into account that it is in Perth, a city with indecent prices for everything. These two things make it a winner if you intend staying overnight or want a couple of nights in the heart of the city without spending a fortune. This is also an upgrade from a backpacker hotel, cheap enough if you are sharing room and with more facilities and comfort that any backpacker place in Perth.

There is secure access to the rooms as you need your key card to access the lift. 

The Hotel is directly communicated with La Bohème Bar and Restaurant, where you can have breakfast (from 7am onwards) lunch, dinner or just a drink at night, when the place is very popular with locals for after-work drinks. The English pub Moon is next door as well.   

On the other hand, the hotel looks old and run down, outdated (1950s like) with ugly rooms and decoration. If you love the style, my apologies. Having said that I loved the style and colour scheme of the corridors.

 

My room was very basic and functional. I had everything I needed for my overnight stay, TV, clock, desk, complimentary coffee and tea facilities and a mini-bar. I loved the toilet with its retro look, and the set of toiletries was basic but good enough. Both the room and toilet were spotless clean

The mattress was medium hard, so not my cup of tea, as my back suffers with those, but not bad either. The main problem of the room is the the lack of natural light as the window faced an inner courtyard full of other windows. Also, the rattling of the ventilation system was noticeable during the night. 

 

The staff  member at Reception when I arrived was matter of fact, not specially welcoming. On the contrary, the girls in the morning shift were truly friendly. Yet, I asked something to one of them and I was misinformed, so another staff had to correct her. 

EXTRA KUDOS
>There are always taxis at the door, so no need to call one or wait for one.  

FUNNY MOMENT 1
In my booking online page, in the room information area, among the facilities in the room, the following are listed:
> Toilet
> Bathroom
> Towels
> Linen
Woohoo!!! I am impressed!!

FUNNY MOMENT 2
I organised a wakeup call for 630am just in case I missed my phone alarm and my connection. It was 6.19 a.m. according to my watch and to the room's clock when I heard the phone ringing. It was one of those pre-recorded wakeup calls, and said "this is your 6.30am wakeup call." WTF. There are many minutes from 6.19 to 6.30... just saying. It seems that the wakeup system is jet-lagged.  

FUNNY MOMENT 3
Well, guys, remember, just in case you come from the North Pole, or you have just left your hut in the jungle that the contents of the mini-bar are not complimentary. 

IF THIS WERE MY HOTEL
> I would revamp and change the colour palette used for bed covers, cushions and bed linen to make it more modern and pleasant to the eye. 
> I would fix the wakeup system.
> I would make sure that the staff, even trainees, are informed of the basics. Otherwise, well, let them have a trainee badge. 
> I would fix the power points that do not work. One of those in my room.
> I would make sure that sachets of creamer are added to the set, or just replaced. None in my room.

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WTF Foodie Moment 9: Strong Coffee

I order my coffee, a regular size that has two shots of coffee.
The barista prepares it.
> Do you want sugar?
> It depends, how strong is it?
> It has two shots.
My eyes roll around my head like  a Saturn satellite.
> Yes, but the strength depends on the beans used and the roasting so two shots can be strong or weak. (not to mention the size of the regular cup, that is not always the same or regular.)
She looks at me as if I am talking in Chinese.
>  I don't know at all, I don't drink coffee.
WTF!
Where? Two Brews Cafe

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Kungfu Kitchen (Northbridge WA)

Shop 3, 145 Newcastle St
Northbridge WA 6003
0413 908 997

Kung-Fu Kitchen is a little eatery serving authentic Szechwan Chinese food at cheap prices. The place is not glamorous, but is very luminous, functional and quiet.

The selection of dishes is varied, and you have them photographed on the wall with both their Chinese and English names. They have plenty of soups, and dishes using products that Australians are not that keen on: tongues, paws, and other animal body parts. Others, on the contrary are the sort of food that you find in Chinese-Western restaurants.

My spicy dry noodles were fresh and tasty, full of flavour, a nice mix of textures, a bit hot, and a large serving portion. The noodles were cold, so a bit of the joy dissipated when I tried them. Perhaps this is how they are originally served in China, I don't know. If this is the case, would be worth adding a "cold dish" sign to the photo. I do not want cold noodles in winter! 

The searing hot pot is so spicy hot that it was impossible for me to eat. A priory it was great. You choose four vegetables and two meats and they prepare your soup. When it arrived it looked great, fresh and yummy. However, the chilly was so strong that no flavour came out but that of the chilly. Two girls from Hong Kong  were eating the same soup and agreed that the soup was extremely hot. I was crying a river out of spiciness even though I eat very spicy hot food without a problem. I told the lady behind the counter to have it medium spicy, but I want to think that she did not understand me well.  
 
Some of the soups I saw looked yummy and were huge in size, and customers were positively commenting on them, so I will definitely return for those before summer kicks in. Their simplest of the simplest burgers are also in my to-try list.

They have free barley tea for customers. Free self-refilling makes me always happy.

 

The place is fully packed with Chinese people, which is always an indication that the place prepares authentic food. It is becoming increasingly popular with non-Chinese, but there is not much hype because the place is not glamorous and very simple, and because the Tuck Shop Cafe is just across the street.

The service is matter of fact and not especially welcoming. The lady behind the counter is very cold, I think out of shyness, and you feel that you have are being punished and given the the cold shoulder for something naughty you did in your past life. The girls attending to the tables were, on the contrary, quite friendly.

Pricing is very good, with most dishes under 15 bucks, and the serving portions are generous.

It is open every day, almost every hour of the day. It is perfect for a lunch escapade if you work in the Northbridge area. Yet, are you prepared for authentic Chinese food?

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Kailis Brothers Fish Café (Leederville, WA)

101 Oxford Street, Leederville, WA
(08) 9443 6300
Website
Facebook
Opening hours:
   Mon-Sun: 7am-11 pm

The place is comfortable, and very functional in its decoration, but also crowded and noisy depending on the day and time you visit. The restaurant seems to attract large crows of +70yo on Sundays, and families, and +35y.o. couples and groups on Saturdays.

The staff are lovely, and they are very accommodating about everything. Service in general was fast, friendly, and attentive -- Very good.

 

As you can expect, the fish they use is super-fresh and yummy, but the food I tried was nice overall, nothing more. The fish and chips were average. The fries tasted of frozen ones. The fish was good, but very oily, and needed a bit of a dry-off. The creamy chowder was utterly disappointing and tasted more of corn flower than of fish. That is unforgivable! I have had a better chowder at Bivouac, and they aren't fish experts. The entrées of prawn croquettes and zucchini chips were the best thing I tried there, really flavoursome. 

They have a decently priced and varied chart of local and international wines, and a good selection of sweets. 

 

The place is utterly overpriced for the quality of the cooked food they offer. Example: 4 little croquettes, tapa size, 20 dollars. A rip-off. It made me want to swear the continental way. I swallowed a WTF instead!I have found better prices for croquettes in posh restaurants in Perth. Just saying.

The fish markets are great, but you will pay top dollar for the fresh fish and marinated goods they have for sale. Yet, this is Perth.

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