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By Gareth November 25, 2013 Read More →

Nokia introduces the Nokia Lumia 1520

Nokia announces the UK availability of the Nokia Lumia 1520, its first smartphone with a 6 inch high definition display.

Many of the UK carriers have already announced release dates and Carphone Warehouse is starting to take pre-orders for delivery on the 6th December.

The main features of the Nokia Lumia 1520 include:

Stunning 1080p HD screen – seamlessly combining both work and play
20MP camera – capture amazing images, edit with Refocus and document your files using Nokia Storyteller
Additional 3rd live tiles column – access even more of your favourite apps from the homescreen
Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor – faster downloads of your files and games
7GB of SkyDrive – free and secure cloud storage to access media files anywhere
Micro SD support – allows for an additional 64GB of storage

The Nokia Lumia 1520 will be available to purchase on contract from approximately £38 per month from O2 retail, Vodafone on-line, Carphone Warehouse, Phones4u and independent retailers via Micro-P from Friday 6th December 2013.

Press release:

London, UK – Nokia today announced the availability of the Nokia Lumia 1520 its first smartphone with a 6” high definition display. The Lumia 1520 takes productivity to a new level by seamlessly combining both work and play. Watching videos and playing games has never been more fun as with its stunning 1080p HD screen, the Lumia 1520 brings even the most sophisticated games to life. Accessing your favourite apps is now even faster with an additional 3rd column of user defined live tiles on the home screen. When it’s time to work, the Nokia Lumia 1520 really delivers, with Microsoft Office already on board and its Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, viewing and editing documents and files on the move becomes simple, fast and intuitive. Backing up documents to SkyDrive is also simple with 7GB of free and secure cloud storage and as the Lumia 1520 also supports micro SD storage up to an additional 64GB you can be sure that every document edit is stored, even on the go.

Getting more productive

”The application and graphics performance provided by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor allows Nokia to continue creating new and innovative imaging experiences for consumers.” said Raj Talluri, senior vice president of product management for Qualcomm technologies, Inc. “The advanced integration level in the Snapdragon 800 processor means less individual components inside the phone translating to lower power consumption and smaller overall motherboard design, this lets Nokia to package all Windows Phone experiences into a beautifully designed product.”

Telling stories better on a large screen

With its 20MP camera and ZEISS optics, Nokia PureView remains at the forefront of the 1520 experience. The 1520 includes Nokia’s latest imaging innovations such as Nokia Camera which integrates the most popular imaging modes – ProCam, SmartCam, and video – into one seamless picture-taking experience. These features are enhanced by exciting new applications such as Nokia Storyteller and Refocus. For the first time PureView imaging meets HERE maps with the launch of Nokia Storyteller merging the two signature Lumia experiences together. Re-live memories in a new, dynamic, and interactive way that integrates pictures with HERE location information into a chronological photographic journey on a map. Zooming out of a picture reveals tagged points of interest and contact information, user reviews and even driving directions. Viewing the images on the map makes memories truly come alive with auto playback of video, animated images and sequential movement in a still picture.

Conor Pierce, VP of UK & Ireland for Nokia said, “The Nokia Lumia 1520 is a stunning device, everyone who tries it instantly falls in love with it which is why it has already received great reviews. Aside from its unrivalled camera I also see it being hugely popular in the B2B space, where productivity really matters.”

The Nokia Lumia 1520 will be on sale from O2 retail, Vodafone on-line, Carphone Warehouse, Phones4u and widely available from independent retailers via Micro-P from 6th December priced from approx. £38 per month on contract.

Nokia Lumia 1520

Windows Phone 8 with the latest updates
HERE location and mapping services
HERE location and mapping services: Free global HERE Maps and HERE Drive+;Free HERE Transit available in the Store
6” full HD 1080p LCD. Great outdoor visibility with, ClearBlack technology, High Brightness Mode, Sunlight readability, Super sensitive touch for glove and nail usage protected with Gorilla glass 2
3400 mAh battery with integrated wireless charging (Qi compatible)
2.2GHz Quad Core Snapdragon 800 processor
Main camera: PureView 20 MP Auto Focus ZEISS optics with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), 2x lossless zoom, dual LED flash, 1080p @ 30 fps video with optical image stabilisation. Front facing camera, 1.2 Skype HD 720p video
Rich Recording with four microphones, Wideband Voice and multi-microphone noise reduction with four microphones, Dolby(R) Headphone, Graphic equalizer, Audio levelling, FM radio
2GB RAM, 32 GB internal user memory; 7 GB SkyDrive cloud storage, micro SD card support up to 64GB

Posted in: News, Phones
Tags: 1520, Lumia, Nokia, pureview, Windows Phone

By Gareth November 25, 2013 Read More →

Samsung calls retrial to halt

Yup, they are at it again. In the Apple Vs. Samsung trial that is never ending, Samsung has called the whole thing into question based on the testimony from the Patent Office which suggests that the pinch-to-zoom feature Apple has been eager to defend may not even be legitimate. The Patent Office’s statement regarding patent no. 7,844,915 doesn’t invalidate Apple’s claim; it is just that the company will need to provide more evidence to support their claims.

Samsung, in response said, “This PTO decision calls into question the entire jury verdict in this trial. During its presentation, Apple made a deliberate decision not to separate the damages between the different asserted patents. Therefore, it will be impossible to determine what allocation of damages belong to the invalid ‘915 patent versus the other patents. It would be unjust to have damages evaluated and awarded on a patent found to be invalid by the PTO.”

The retrial picked up last Tuesday to decide specifically how much Samsung owed Apple, given that a previous jury had already declared that infringement had, in fact, taken place. Regardless of how the jury is swayed this time, next year a new patent trial between the electronics manufacturers will kick off – starting the slap fight all over again. I can’t help but think the only people who will profit out of this ongoing wrangle are the Law firms attached.

Posted in: News
Tags: Apple, Samsung

By Matt November 24, 2013 Read More →

Kindle Fire HDX WiFi issues

I got my hands on a new Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ a few days ago and you may have seen me experiencing some issues with connecting to the App store during the recording of my Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ unboxing video.

Since then I have been really struggling with the HDX. Despite its dual-band dual-antenna WiFi, it’s consistently dropping its WiFi connection and even when it reports connected to WiFi the connection is either poor or non-existent.

Now, it’s entirely possible that I just have a faulty unit and my Kindle Fire HDX WiFi issues could well be just a fluke. However, Googling for WiFi problems on the Fire HDX does yield rather a large number of results and there seem to be quite a few people out there with the same problem. Helpfully, one site suggests downloading the latest firmware for the Kindle and whilst there is a System Update available for my HDX, guess what, I can’t download that without an internet connection!

So as it stands, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ may well be a super looking, light and powerful tablet with an incredible screen, but I’ve so far been able to do very little with it.

Obviously I’ll be speaking to Amazon support about it and will report back, but if anyone else out there has the same problems and better still knows the solution, I’d love to hear from you!

Posted in: Editorial, News, Tablets
Tags: kindle fire hdx

By Gareth November 24, 2013 Read More →

What has Google been up to?

Google are busy as always tinkering with their massive array of products and we are going to have a quick look at what has been modified, moved and removed from Google’s catalogue. The Nexus 5 is out, most of us are on Android 4.4, is Google sitting back and having a rest? Nope.

Chromecast

Google has recent made small alterations to their Chromecast app. It’s still the configuration app for the Chromecast HDMI stick, however, the recent update is easing navigation, improves time zone display, displays the Chromecast MAC address and fixes a crash when launching device settings screen.

Google Play

We have seen a roll-out of some previously announced changes for the Google Play store that are said to make it even easier for tablet users to discover apps and games – designed and optimized for Android tablets. However, unlike Google’s integration on Google TV, where users only see for Google TV developed apps, in this case Google is first presenting tablet optimized apps by showing tablet users a “Designed for tablets” section as the default view in top lists.

Google Play Newsstand

We can say goodbye to Google Play Magazines and the beastly Google Play Currents Android apps. With Google Play Newsstand users can discover more of the news and magazines they care about, all in one app for Android tablet or phone. It displays breaking news and in-depth articles featuring audio, video and more. From sports, business, cooking, entertainment, fashion and more – Google Play Newsstand offers both, free and paid news plus the ability to subscribe to full HD magazines. With hundreds of premier publishers – it’s all there, easy to follow, read, and share. In addition, it allows to add own own news channels, for instance from RSS feeds or Google Play Currents.

Google Translate

Google has announced Google Translate is to launch a new Google Translate app for Android. The app is now featuring faster and simpler speech translations, additional language support and a sleek new look. Google Translate for Android works as before, all it needs is to open the Translate app and press the microphone icon. Google has also added gesture support now, so with a simple turn of the screen, it’s possible to switch back and forth between languages.

Google RSA migration

Google‘s security engineer Dan Dulay announced that the tech giant has successfully upgraded all its SSL certificates to the longer 2048-bit RSA. Google has sought to strengthen its SSL certificates by switching from 1024-bit to 2048-bit RSA keys. Doubling the key length will, hopefully, make it much harder to crack the encryption of sensitive data such as banking transactions, email, and others. The company announced in May that it has started the migration and expects to finish by the end of the year. It seems that Google has managed to finish earlier and will now start the next phase, that of issuing 2048-bit certificates for its websites and online services.

Posted in: Apps & Games, News, Phones, Tablets
Tags: google

By Matt November 23, 2013 Read More →

Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ unbox & hands-on

Back in October of this year, Amazon announced that the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ would be available here in the UK in time for Christmas and just a few days ago, in a further announcement we learned that the HDX had commenced shipping.

With the HDX Amazon not only do we get an amazing hi-res IPS display with a staggering 2560 x 1600 resolution but there’s also a 2.2GHz Quad-core CPU, 2GB RAM and 16, 32 or 64GB storage.

Dispite the heavyweight specification the Fire HDX is still able to boast its “lightest large-screen tablet” status, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9” is astonishingly light at 374 grams.

In another innovation, the HDX also has a “Mayday button” a revolutionary on-device tech support system which is free, 24/7, 365 days a year.

In the video below I get hands-on and set up my new Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ and have a look around that new Fire OS 3.0 Mojito UI.

Posted in: News, Tablets, Videos/Unboxings
Tags: Featured, Kindle, kindle fire hdx

By Matt November 22, 2013 Read More →

Nexus 5 Camera Fix

Possibly one of the most disappointing things about the otherwise-excellent Nexus 5, apart from the battery life, is the camera. Whilst it may be 8 megapixels and offer an optical image stabilizer, the image quality still leaves much to be desired. This is a real shame when pitched against excellent cameras in the Xperia Z1, Nokia 1020 and the HTC One.

Many other reviewers are calling the Nexus 5 camera ‘terrible’ or ‘awful’ but personally I don’t think it’s quite as dire as others are making out but certainly think that it really lets the Nexus 5 down.

Nexus 5 Camera Fix

There is potentially good news for Nexus 5 owners. Thanks to one of the developers over on on the xda-developers forum, Jishnu Sir,has been working on a Nexus 5 Camera fix and has released a camera patch which is said to improve the camera quality in a number of key ways:

Sound Recording now in Stereo with the secondary Mic.
Faster Focusing for the camera.
Front Camera also records 720P Videos@ 20 Mb/s.
Front camera Audio Bitrate@ 192000 Kb/s.
AntiBanding default set to 50Hz
Focus Range Adjusted.
Enhanced Smooth Zoom.
Turned Edge Enhancement ON.

So that’s definitely good news. However, if you want to apply the Nexus 5 Camera Fix package you’ll have to have a Nexus 5 with an unlocked bootloader in order to install it. This will certainly deter many a Nexus 5 owner.

However, what it does point to, is that the Nexus 5 camera can be improved with a software patch and reveals that the camera hardware, optics, sensor etc. are actually quite good.

So there are now calls for an official update to be released for the Nexus 5 to address the issues about and, hopefully go even further with help from the manufacturers and development team.

Posted in: News, Phones
Tags: Android, Nexus 5

By Gareth November 22, 2013 Read More →

Carriers rejecting plan to add smartphone kill switch

Back in June, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched an initiative called Secure Our Smartphones, with a coalition of consumer advocates, police, prosecutors including other officials in an effort to put pressure on smartphone makers to bring a halt to smartphone theft. One of the goals was the introduction of an industry-wide “kill switch” that would allow consumers to remotely render a stolen smartphone worthless.

Now five months later, the New York Times reports that wireless carriers State side are not keen with the idea. Gascón was reportedly working on a deal with Samsung Electronics to include anti-theft software with its phones in the United States, that would have undoubtedly rolled out worldwide soon after. Unfortunately, this software requires approval from the wireless carriers that service the phones: in this case, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint. All four rejected the idea a kill switch. Described as “unwilling“ Gascón reportedly viewed emails that took place between a Samsung executive and a software developer that revealed the four carriers’ reluctance to allow the software. The emails suggested that all four were more concerned about the profits made through insurance programs that are purchased to cover lost or stolen phones.

“Corporate profits cannot be allowed to guide decisions that have life-or-death consequences,” Gascón said. “This solution has the potential to safeguard Samsung customers, but these emails suggest the carriers rejected it so they can continue to make money hand over fist on insurance premiums.”

Instead of worrying about money the Carriers could have pointed out that there is room for abuse for such a step, say the kill switch is installed and a hacker gains control of the phone. They could disable the device and lock owners out. Or in the case of police evidence could be destroyed remotely from confiscated devices.

In the case of Apple’s Activation Lock, that’s not entirely true: the customer can disable the phone if it’s been lost, and then reactivate it with the correct username and password if found. For Android Device Manager, users can remotely lock their smartphone or tablet with a new password, or remotely reset the device to the original factory settings. The latter doesn’t stop thieves from selling the device on a secondary market, but at least the user data is mostly erased.

Gascón is reportedly evaluation what action can be taken against the carriers refusing to cooperate with the kill switch initiative.

“We have repeatedly requested that the carriers take steps to protect their customers. We are now evaluating what course of action will be necessary to force them to prioritize the safety of their customers over additional money in their pockets,” he said.

Posted in: News, Phones

By Gareth November 22, 2013 Read More →

Advent Vega Tegra Note 7 cheap goodness

If you were looking to pick up one of the best values in an Android tablet in time for Christmas, then you probably want to check out the Advent Vega Tegra Note 7 is the first (and currently only) Tegra 4 powered Android tablet available. At a price of just £179.99 over at PC World and Currys, the power and features of this little tablet might surprise you.

Here’s a recap of the Advent Vega Tegra Note 7:

NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 SoC, (This is the same ultra-fast processor and GPU combo found in the NVIDIA Shield)
7-Inch IPS 720p Display
1GB RAM
16GB of storage
MicroSD card slot
5MP rear camera
1.3MP front-facing cam
Android 4.2.2 at launch
An integrated stylus
Dual front-facing speakers
MicroHDMI port

While the amount of RAM is a bit low, and the display isn’t true HD like many of the newer tabs, the graphics prowess of the Tegra 4 could rival some desktop PCs. This tab is obviously built with gamers in mind, but at this price point it should attract more than just gamers.

Posted in: News, Tablets
Tags: Advent

By Gareth November 22, 2013 Read More →

The Toshiba Excite 7 announced

The Toshiba Excite 7 was officially announced yesterday. It boasts a quad-core processor, a microSD slot and more for only $169.99 (105). Here’s a breakdown of specs and features:

Toshiba Excite 7 specs:

7-inch 1024 x 600 Display
Quad-core processor
1GB of RAM
0.3MP front facing camera
3MP rear camera
Android 4.2.2 runs the show
Enhanced stereo speakers
12 hours of general use / 7.5 hours of video playback
microSD support

The specs are rather mediocre, although the microSD slot and Quad-Core CPU is appreciated. At this price point there are certainly better options however with the name Toshiba you know you will be getting a good quality device.

Posted in: News, Tablets
Tags: Toshiba

By Matt November 21, 2013 Read More →

SlingPlayer 3.0 rolls out

Sling Media have just released an important update for Slingbox customers, offering SlingPlayer 3.0 and a SlingPlayer for Roku boxes.

A new version of SlingPlayer for iPhone and Android smartphones is available today as part of the Roku channel introduction. Sling Media will also introduce an app for Windows 8.1 in December.

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Nov. 18, 2013 Sling Media Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corp. (NASDAQ: SATS), today unveiled three new clients that further enhance discovery, navigation and the social experience customers now enjoy with content, giving Slingbox customers the ultimate video experience both inside and outside of the home. SlingPlayer 3.0 and the SlingPlayer channel on the Roku® streaming platform are both available for download today. A new version of SlingPlayer for iPhone and Android smartphones is available today as part of the Roku channel introduction. Sling Media will also introduce an app for Windows 8.1 in December.

“With today’s announcements, Sling Media has clearly brought the Slingbox experience into the living room, changing the way our customers discover, navigate, view and socialize around content,” said Michael Hawkey, VP and General Manager of Sling Media. “With SlingPlayer 3.0, we’re giving customers the tools they need to turn traditional prime time into Prime Time Social Time. Our customers have been asking for Roku support and a Windows 8.1 app. We’re pleased to deliver the Roku channel today and the Windows 8.1 app in the very near future.”

SLINGPLAYER 3.0

SlingPlayer 3.0 combines the core value proposition of viewing live or recorded TV anywhere with powerful, seamless discovery and second screen enhancements that customers are now asking for. SlingPlayer 3.0 turns the iPad into the first screen and second screen at the same time.

Features include:

Content discovery – SlingPlayer 3.0 offers a visually appealing interface that enables users to seamlessly find content they want to watch from the vast number of shows on TV at any given time. Filters are provided in conjunction with customers’ personal TV lineups for easy management as well as third-party services that provide users with tools to quickly discover content they may be interested in.
Sports experience – SlingPlayer 3.0 greatly enhances the sports fan’s experience providing an easy and visual way of finding which channel the game is on, no more cumbersome surfing of the grid guide. In addition, once a game is selected, either for viewing on iPad or on the TV, fans can enjoy live statistics on individual and team leaders, get game scores and engage their social networks to comment or call out their favorite team or player.
Social – SlingPlayer 3.0 uses social media for both discovery and engagement. Users can filter live TV programming based on their personal social media network likes and once tuned to a show, users can join the Twitter conversation with a live feed of content-relevant tweets or let everyone know what they’re watching via Facebook posts.
Second Screen Control – Slingbox customers can use SlingPlayer 3.0 as a powerful second screen companion. Users now have the ability to cast their Slingbox experience to a TV from their mobile device, making SlingPlayer 3.0 the ultimate remote control inside the home, in addition to being able to watch your home TV on a connected device from anywhere in the world.
Split-Screen Navigation – This split screen framework empowers Slingbox customers to browse for other content, view show details, engage with social networks or see live sports stats while simultaneously watching video on the iPad.
Compatibility – SlingPlayer 3.0 requires iOS 7.0 or higher.

SLINGPLAYER CHANNEL ON ROKU
Slingbox customers can now watch their live or recorded TV through a Roku streaming player connected to a TV in another room in the house or in a remote location. Customers will use either SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone or Android phone to initiate the video and send it to the TV with a tap of a button. They will also need to install the free SlingPlayer channel, from the Roku Channel Store. Roku devices supported at launch include the Roku 3, Roku 2, Roku 1, Roku LT (models 2400X and 2700X), Roku 2 XS, Roku 2 XD and Roku 2 HD players as well as the Roku Streaming Stick. Support for the Roku HD (model 2500X) and Roku LT (model 2450X) will be added later this month.

“Roku offers consumers the most choice of any streaming device,” said Ed Lee, vice president of content acquisition, Roku. “This partnership with Sling Media will bring even more value to Roku customers by giving them additional ways to enjoy live or recorded TV on their Roku players.”

Features include:

Sling to a Big Screen – Use Slingbox to send your TV to another TV via a Roku player. Use cases would include households with a second TV in the home (bedroom, basement, office, back porch etc.), in vacation homes or in college dorm rooms.
Smartphone Remote Control – The authentication and navigation of live and recorded TV played via Roku is all done via the SlingPlayer client on iPhone or Android phone. Customers must be on the same network as their Roku and once video is initiated on the phone they can “send” to the TV with a single tap. Changing channels, accessing the guide or DVR, etc. is all done via the phone commands.
Value – The SlingPlayer channel on Roku adds value to existing cable/satellite subscriptions, bringing live TV to additional TVs inside a home or in remote locations that have may have broadband, but not a cable/satellite/telco service.

SLINGPLAYER FOR WINDOWS 8.1
Sling Media is developing an app for Windows 8.1 customers who own a Slingbox. This new app will deliver an enhanced SlingPlayer experience across Windows 8.1 devices including Surface, desktop PCs, laptops and convertible devices. Sling Media expects the Windows 8.1 app to be available in December.

Posted in: News, TV & Home Cinema
Tags: Slingbox

News

Nokia introduces the Nokia Lumia 1520