Home » Archives for Matt » Page 58
The emerging tablet market is dominated by Apple to such a degree that some experts have worried about anti-trust legislation as iPad sales far outstrip competitors. Some have sued over patent infringement but the core of the matter is that the Apple iPad 2 is the most well-developed product on the market and also dominates with the number and range of apps available. This has certainly helped the corporate giant make tablets mainstream, yet competition is ultimately good for the consumer. Thankfully, Apple’s dominance may be starting to fade as numbers show that more people are picking up Android tablets. In the third quarter of 2011, 26.9% of tablets shipped ran Android’s OS. The new Kindle Fire is also aiming to capture some of this market.
Android devices have by no means overtaken Apple, yet it is good news to see that Google is putting up a fight. In the next few quarters we may see competitors such as RIM and Samsung begin to gain steam in this market. This will ultimately spur competition, lower prices and lead to better products. Tablets offer a lot of promise, but they are a fairly new concept and there is still a lot of work to be done.
If we look at the recent iPhone update we can see many examples of ideas pioneered by other companies that Apple have adopted and integrated into their iOS. Hopefully, a similar process will follow with iPads where competitors arise and force the creation of even better iPads, as well as host of alternatives for non-Apple lovers.
Posted by: Matt
Vodafone have just added three new handsets to their Data Test Drive programme. This allows customers that purchase or upgrade to Smartphones to have unlimited data for the first three months of their contract so that they can assess the usage of their new phone without the risk of those potentially high data bills.
This is a great idea as it allows those that are new to Smartphones to really try out their capabilities while not being obsessive over watching their usage while the get used to it.
Full release follows:
News just in from the guys over at The Smartphone Centre, apparently they’ve just slashed more than £150 off the price of the HTC Flyer! The full press release follows:
Massive Price Drop On The HTC Flyer At The Smartphone Centre
The HTC Flyer has been a hugely successful portable 7-inch tablet with a magic pen that can do more for you than you can imagine.
From creating masterpieces with a stroke of a paintbrush, to taking multimedia notes or even signing digital documents.
The Smartphone Centre are pleased to offer the HTC Flyer at the following low pricing:
HTC Flyer – 3G – £559.95inc vat & delivery HTC Flyer – 3G – £399.95inc vat & delivery
HTC Flyer – WiFi (16GB) – £454.95inc vat & delivery HTC Flyer – WiFi (16GB) – £299.95inc vat & delivery
Both versions of the HTC Flyer are in stock and these prices are only whilst stocks last.
As with all our smartphones and tables, the HTC Flyer will be SIM Free and Network unlocked (3G Version only). We also offer FREE UK Delivery.
For further information, or to place your order please visit the HTC Flyer product page.
Posted by: Matt
Following on from our video of the HTC Titan from a few days ago we now have our hands on the HTC Radar. Smaller than the HTC Titan the Radar is a slightly more pocketable 3.8″ but has the same Windows Phone 7.5 Mango operating system.
The HTC Radar is similar to the HTC Mozart from last year with a slightly larger screen and updated OS, the other specs are much the same. However, The HTC Radar offers a premium design. Crafted from a single piece of polished metal, the phone just feels great in your hands and is built to last.
Full review coming up soon but you can check out the unboxing video below.
Many of you will know that I am currently sunning myself with the family in Orlando, Florida. I decided to bring my HTC Evo 3D with me as I thought that pictures and video of us all enjoying the attractions would be fun. However, as good as the Evo is, when you take those 3D photos and try to either print them or convert them to 2D for review on a PC or a Mac they are a bit lacking, mainly because the photos are not captured at the full 5 megapixels that the cameras are capable of but instead uses only 2 megapixels. You may well ask why there are two 5mp sensors then but that’s a topic for another time!
So enjoying the idea of the 3D photos and video I decided to see what other options there were out there and stumbled across the Fujifilm Finepix W3 digital camera. This one seemed to tick all the boxes, has dual 10 megapixel sensors and takes full 10 mp 3D photos as well as taking 720P 3D movies. Furthermore the W3 has a 3.5″ 3D LCD screen and 3x optical zoom. The price isn’t too bad either so I ordered one for delivery here and decided to unbox from the comfort of my hotel.
Below you’ll find a short unboxing video and I’ll have a full review for you once I get back from my travels.
Sony Ericsson seem to be churning out Android phones with impressive frequency and this week we have another, the Xperia ray.
Upon first inspection the ‘ray’ looks a bit like a smaller Arc with similar design elements. The thing that really stands about about the ray, though, is the display. Despite it being only a 3.3 inch screen SE have managed to cram 480×854 pixels in to that small space and the result is an extremely sharp screen with high pixel-density and it looks great.
Other specs are impressive with 1Ghz CPU and 1GB ROM to name just a few. Check out the benchmark score in the unboxing and demo video below!
Last year orange in conjunction with ZTE released what in the end became a huge success, the San Francisco. Now judging by the success of that device it is no surprise that this year the companies have brought out another Orange branded device, which is called the Monte Carlo a massive beast of a phone with a 4.3 inch display.
So the obvious question really is can the Monte Carlo build on the huge success of the San Francisco and make a name for itself?
The ZTE Skate was announced way back in February and has been on sale for a short time as the Monte Carlo on Orange here in the UK and it’s proven to be really popular.
The ZTE Skate is the SIM-free version of the same handset and goes on sale shortly. Our review model is pre-retails and unboxed but we think we have the final hardware and final ROM, albeit that ours seems to be Portuguese.
There has been some confusion over the CPU speed of the Skate though. At ZTE’s press event at the Ice Bar in London some weeks ago a ZTE representative stated that the SIM-free version would have a 1GHz CPU where the Orange Monte Carlo has 800MHz. However upon closer inspection of our review model reveals the same 800MHz CPU. Not sure if this is going to be updated of if that was just duff information!
If the intense competition surrounding the development and production of online games has proved they are something worth creating, then the popularity of the most-played games and the financial rewards that come with them will inspire many software writers and programmers.
Currently, much of the focus is on games for the small screen. First came the Nintendo DS and Sony’s PSP. Both however, were rapidly put into the shade with the development, in particular, of the iPhone and the rise of the app.
What’s more, the depth of the online gaming and downloadable app market means there’s something for everyone. With that in mind, here’s a small sample of the best games available for the three biggest online gaming demographics:
I can guess, before I even ask the question what the answer will be and it send shivers down my spine.
Do you back up your Mac?
Many years ago, I managed to lose all the data I held on my computer. Never again. Ever since this happened I have always carried out regular backups. Both on external hard drives, partitions and CD/DVD’s. Obsessed? Slightly.
I was over the moon when Apple introduced TimeMachine, a back up solution anyone could use without even knowing it. TimeMachine ran in the background and kept backups of individual files as well as the whole computer. If you lost a file, you could simply restore it. Have a HDD failure, swap it out and restore form TimeMachine. Bliss.
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.