In addition to their announcement of the Kindle Fire HDX Amazon have launched a refresh of the Kindle HD. At a wallet friendly £119 this looks set to take on the Tesco Hudl in a battle to the death. that £119 will get you the 8gb model, whilst the 16gb will run you £139. The Kindle Fire HD has been redesigned to be thinner and lighter, with an HD display, dual speakers boasting Dolby Digital Plus technology and the latest version of the Fire OS, Mojito!
Here’s what you get for £119:
High-definition display with 1280×800 resolution and 216 pixels per inch, making films, TV shows, books and games vivid and detailed. 66% more pixels than the previous generation
Kindle Fire HD features:
- Powerful, dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, 60% faster than the previous generation Kindle Fire.
- Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio — the standard in high-end audio.
- All-new slim design that matches the look and feel of the new Kindle Fire HDX.
- Fast downloads and web browsing with built-in dual-band Wi-Fi.
- Powered by the latest version of Fire OS — Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito”— with hundreds of new and upgraded features, platform updates and Amazon-exclusive services. New features include expanded X-Ray for films and TV, Quiet Time, Quick Switch, and more.
- Kindle FreeTime extends parental controls to give parents a simple, engaging way to manage
the way children use Kindle Fire — parents select content and set time limits by content type.
Coming later this year.
- Stay connected and productive with all-new e-mail, calendar and Silk web browser.
- Free, unlimited Cloud storage of all of your Amazon content, for downloading anytime, anywhere.
- Vast selection of content, including millions of films, TV shows, songs, apps, games, books, audiobooks and magazines.
Recently Amazon announced it would be launching the Kindle Fire HDX in the UK. Available in a couple of different flavours, 16/32/64GB and either WiFi or 4G at different price points Amazon hope to capture the market with low cost and high specs. Check out the Press Release below:
Powerhouse Tablets Built for Work and Play All-new Kindle Fire HDX — stunning new 7” or 8.9” HDX display, quad-core 2.2 GHz processor with 3x the processing power, 2x more memory, 11 hours of battery life, and dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio.
New HDX display goes beyond HD — exceptional pixel density, perfect 100% sRGB colour accuracy, reduced glare, dynamic image contrast and improved brightness for the best viewing experience, indoors or out Powerful quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor running at 2.2 GHz delivers over 3x the processing power for fast and fluid performance — the only tablets with a processor over 2 GHz. Both HDX 7” and 8.9” available with 3G and 4G LTE connectivity from Vodafone
Lightest large-screen tablet — Kindle Fire HDX 8.9” is astonishingly light at 374 grams.
Introducing the Mayday button — revolutionary on-device tech support — free, 24/7, 365 days a year.
Stay connected and productive with updated e-mail, calendar and Silk browser, plus seamless integration with Facebook and Twitter; enterprise-ready with support for encryption, Kerberos Intranet, secure Wi-Fi connections and VPN integration
Kindle FreeTime gives parents a simple, engaging way to manage the way children use Kindle Fire — parents select content and set time limits by content type — coming soon.
Luxembourg—16 October 2013—Today, Amazon announced that the all-new Kindle Fire HDX is now available for customers in the UK. The Kindle Fire HDX tablets combine groundbreaking hardware, the latest version of Fire OS and new features and services such as Kindle FreeTime, expanded X-Ray for films and TV, and the revolutionary new Mayday button. Learn more about the new Kindle Fire HDX family at www.amazon.co.uk/hdx.
The new Kindle Fire HDX family features:
- Stunning exclusive HDX display — beyond HD with exceptional pixel density (323 ppi for 7”, 339 ppi for 8.9”), perfect 100% sRGB colour accuracy, reduced glare, dynamic image contrast and improved brightness for better viewing under any lighting conditions.
- Powerful quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor running at 2.2 GHz provides over 3x the processing power compared with the previous generation, plus the latest graphics engine and 2x more memory for fast and fluid performance. These are the only tablets with a processor over 2 GHz.
- Astonishingly light design — at just 374 grams, the 8.9” Kindle Fire HDX is the lightest large-
screen tablet, 34% lighter than the previous generation. - Powered by the latest version of Fire OS — Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito” — with hundreds of new and upgraded features, platform updates and Amazon-exclusive services.
- New Mayday button delivers revolutionary, live tech support — one tap connects you to an Amazon expert who can guide you remotely through any feature — 24/7, 365 days a year, and free of charge. 15 seconds or less is the Mayday response time goal.
- Kindle FreeTime extends parental controls to give parents a simple, engaging way to manage the way children use Kindle Fire — parents select content and set time limits by content type.
- Watch thousands of films and TV shows with LOVEFiLM, Europe’s leading film subscription service. Expanded X-Ray for films and TV, adding trivia, character backstories and soundtrack information.
- All-day battery life — up to 11 hours of mixed use and 17 hours of reading.
- Updated e-mail, calendar and Silk browser to stay connected and productive.
- New enterprise features including hardware and software encryption, Kerberos Intranet, secure
- Wi-Fi connections, VPN integration and wireless printing.
- Both HDX 7” and 8.9” are available with 3G and ultra-fast 4G LTE, available from Vodafone. Kindle Fire HDX offers you an optional promotional bundle for just £25. This includes 5 GB of data, 20 GB of Amazon Cloud storage and £5 credit for the Amazon Appstore.
- Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio and virtual 5.1 multi-channel surround sound — the standard in high-end audio.
- Front-facing HD camera makes it easy to stay in touch with Skype, plus a new 8 megapixel wide-aperture rear-facing camera on the 8.9” Fire HDX offers crisp photos and 1080p HD video.
- Full integration with the world’s best content ecosystem — over 27 million films, TV shows, songs, apps, games, books, audiobooks and magazines.
- New Origami covers feature an innovative design that allows you to position Fire HDX in both portrait and landscape mode.
Seems that everyone is in a hurry for more information about the forthcoming Google Nexus 5 and the anticipation is certainly building for what is expected to be the fastest, most powerful Android Smartphone to date.
So when it comes to leaked information about the Nexus 5 it is, perhaps, quite surprising to see that it has been accidentally ousted on Google’s own Play store earlier today.
For a short time the Nexus 4 could be found on the Play Store alongside the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 device and full details of the Nexus 5 Specification could also be found there.
Much of the rumoured specification has been confirmed; The five-inch display will be an IPS full HD, a Quad-core 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 takes care of business with 2GB of RAM and either 16 or 32GB of on-board storage. This will also be the first Smartphone to be powered by Android 4.4 KitKat.
The price has also been revealed to be $349 for the 16GB model but there’s no UK price available at this time but $349 comes out to a little over £220, factoring in VAT we should be looking at around £275 – £300 here.
It’s perhaps a little surprising that the Nexus 5 will have ‘only’ 2GB of RAM whereas the Note 3 has 3GB and an otherwise similar specification.
The Nexus 5 has since been removed from the Play Store but this mini leak possibly points to the device’s launch being imminent.
HTC announced the HTC One Max earlier this week and folowing some unboxing and demo videos that we posted, we’ve had a lot of questions and feedback about the new device.
One of the recurring requests has been to compare the new HTC One Max to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Both the One Max and Note 3 are of a similar size and spec and occupy the same place in the market.
One of the things that we thought we could do to compare the two devices is to have them both run a benchmark test and see which one comes out on top.
Obviously we’re expecting the Note 3 to come out on top in this test, it has a 2.3GHz quad-core CPU vs 1.7GHz on the One Max but just how big is the difference? Check out the video below to see the numbers!
| HTC One Max | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 |
|
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Quad-core 1.7 GHz | Quad-core 2.3 GHz |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 600 | Snapdragon 800 |
| RAM | 2GB | 3GB |
| ROM | 16/32 GB | 16/32/64 GB |
| Screen Size | 5.9 inches | 5.7 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels |
| Dimensions | 164.5 x 82.5 x 10.3 mm | 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm |
| Weight | 217g | 168g |
| Primary Camera | 4 MP (Ultrapixel) | 13 MP |
| Secondary Camera | 2.1 MP | 2 MP |
There is a new device on the block and it’s called the “Skully P1” and it’s actually an Android-powered motorcycle helmet which can let you see what’s behind you with an Augmented Reality overlay. This innovative device actually has a rear-camera built-in and displays a 180-degree AR view of what’s behind the rider.
That’s not the only cool thing about this high-tech armour. It also includes a Skully Synapse HUD integrated into the helmet visor. This makes it appear the HUD is floating about 20 feet in front of the riders vision. This HUD includes two different views. One incorporates the rear view display as previously mentioned, but the other offers detailed turn-by-turn navigation. This HUD uses a lithium-ion battery which will hold a charge for nine hours of use
As mentioned, the helm uses Android for its OS, and will integrate with other smartphones from Androids to iPhones. The OS also includes voice controls for playing music, getting directions, and more. The manufacturer will launch an SDK for app developers later in 2013. No details on pricing have been shared just yet.
Gareth and Matt enjoy a warm and fuzzy recollection of days gone by in this the latest instalment of the Retro Tech Addicts podcast.
This week we talk about the NeXT computer, NASA’s first launch, the Sega Dreamcast and the Atari 2600
Whether it is a laptop tablet hybrid or a smartphone with voice recognition technology, there is always a new addition to the technology market that means consumers have a frantic need to own the latest device with technology that will be life changing. Does technology evolve too fast? Are we ever able to actually keep up and own the devices that appeal to us? As soon as we purchase one gadget another is released in its place and it makes it hard to keep up with the items that have some of the best features and that are claimed to be far superior to its predecessor.
The Past…
In the early days of technology, the rate of development was manageable and consumers were able to get to grips with new items, purchase them and have a considerable amount of time with that device before a new update was released.
The Present…
The rate at which new technology is released is faster than anyone ever anticipated that it would be. There are constant new releases of items and updates every few months and consumers are unable to keep up with the number of products that are released every year. The consumer places a great deal of pressure on itself to indulge in the most recent items that will allow them to participate in the technological culture that has long since been an important part of life.
The Future…
Technology will quite possibly continue to evolve at much the same rate as it is now. People will continue with their frantic need to keep up with technology and possess the items that make a great deal of promises regarding the way people are able to carry out everyday tasks.
Smartphones are one area that result in a high number of technological advancements and see people scrabbling for the latest in phone technology. The smartphone market really took off 6 years ago with the release of the first iPhone, and since then mobile phone makers have transformed their handsets and the technology they use to fill the latest desires of the consumer. The smartphone and tablet markets tend to go hand in hand as many mobile makers are indulging in the tablet market as a way of securing the popularity of the consumer and its place in the industry. 20 million people a month use a tablet, which is up by 39% from 2012.
Society has quickly become dependant on technology and the benefits that it brings, gadgets and devices are must have items and shape the way we carry out even the simplest of tasks.
As soon as we get used to one format and one way of doing things, it quickly changes to cater for the latest advancements and the changes it brings to everyday life. People are often judged or considered to be ‘out of the loop’ if they do not embrace the latest in technology releases and embrace items such as smartphones and tablets but there is a real concern that one day we will all lose touch with technology as it grows at a rate faster than we can keep up with…. Are technology manufacturers hurting themselves and their consumer? Competition is the backbone of the succession of new releases although there seems to be little consideration for the main focus of the business… the consumer.
Just a quick review of a case that I picked up at the weekend for my new iPhone 5S that I’ve been using since launch day without a case.
I previously had an iPhone 5 and I used that with a shell case from launch day until I got the new S model.
I was quite shocked at the condition that the iPhone was in. It appeared that small pieces of grit had somehow managed to get between the case and the phone and has scratched the finish off the edge of the phone.
I decided that I wouldn’t be using this case with my new 5S but I tried it on there for an hour or so and it felt a little loose on the new phone. I decided that I would use the phone without a case and see how I got on. I quickly found that I don’t like the way the iPhone 5/5S feels without anything on. It is too slippery and too thin for my liking and I was constantly scared that I was going to drop it whilst removing it from my pocket.
Whilst walking past an Apple store I thought I’d take a look at the different cases that they had available and the Apple case really caught my eye for the simplicity and quality. It seemed a little expensive at £35.00 but I thought that if I can buy one case and stand a good chance that it would look after the finish of my phone in everyday use it was worth a go.
This is what your £35 gets you.
I chose the black but it is also available in brown, beige, yellow, blue and a special (Product) Red version where some of the profits go to a Charity set up by Bono of U2.
The back of the case has a nice embossed Apple logo and the leather feels very nice. There is a warning on the back of the packaging that the case is made of natural leather and that the finish will change with use.
There is a nice large cut out for the camera and flash but all of the buttons are covered and have little bumps so that you can feel where they are. No need to try to reach through the case to press them with a fingernail here. Unfortunately apple chose not to replicate the ring/vibrate switch as part of the case and it might be a struggle for those with larger fingers to operate. As a plus it will not get knocked accidentally.
The case is lined with a nice, soft suede/micro-fibre material which should help to prevent scratches like I experienced before.
Inserting the phone is easy, just push it in.
The case fits the phone perfectly. If it had been any other way I would have been shocked.
The case offers a small lip to provide some protection to the screen if laid on a surface face down.
The headphone and Lightning connector ports are nicely exposed for the majority of things that you’d want to use them for but strangely the lighting connector will not work with one of Apple’s own accessories that I use every day. I have still not updated my bedside dock to one with native Lightning and so, I have been using the 30 Pin to Lighting adapter. As you will see this will not work with this case.
The mic and speaker ports in the case line up perfectly with those on the phone and no difference in call quality or speaker volume can be noticed.
Apple iPhone 5s leather case Verdict.
Over all I am extremely impressed with the case but it does have a couple of downsides but for me these are not enough to make me want to return it and search for something else.
Pros
- Quality looks and finish
- Perfect fit
Cons
- Not all Lightning accessories will be compatible
- Ring/Vibrate a little difficult to access.
- £35 is quite a lot to spend on a case.
Looks like LG are back in with a new and exciting tablet. Having made only a small dent with a number of unmemorable tablets in the past LG look to be pushing aggressively with their G Pad 8.3. With the specs quoted and a nice price point this looks like a very serious contender for your Christmas gifting list.
LG RE-ENTERS THE UK TABLET MARKET WITH THE LG G PAD 8.3
Hotly anticipated tablet launches in the UK
UK, 15 October 2013—LG Mobile today announced that its highly-awaited LG G Pad 8.3 tablet will be rolled out across the UK and Ireland in the run-up to Christmas. The impressive tablet is the first of its size to offer Full HD display and is the latest ground-breaking addition to LG’s G Series line-up of premium mobile devices. This follows the successful launch of the G2 smartphone in October.
The LG G Pad 8.3 will be available in the UK market via an exclusive partnership between LG and IT distributor Micro P, at an SRP of £259.99. Harvey Norman will also exclusively offer the device in the Irish market from the end of October through its retail and online stores. This forms part of the global roll-out of the G Pad 8.3, which will also go on sale in over 30 other key markets by the end of 2013.
“The introduction of the LG G Pad 8.3 is another great step in design and technology from LG and shows that the G Series is going from strength to strength,” said Andy Coughlin, Head of Mobile for LG UK. “Just like the LG G2, the G Pad 8.3 delivers cutting-edge technology in a slim and sleek form, and is just the product for our re-entry into the UK tablet market.”
Powerful yet portable
The LG G Pad 8.3 was unveiled at the IFA 2013 trade show in Berlin in September where it received praise for its intelligent design and industry leading technology. Despite its large display and powerful 4600mAh battery, the G Pad 8.3 is comfortable to hold in one hand and as light as a newspaper at just 338g.
First full HD display tablet in 8-inch class
The LG G Pad 8.3 is the first 8-inch class tablet to offer a Full HD display, just like its G Series cousins the G Pro and G2 smartphones. The G Pad 8.3 is equipped with a 1920 x 1200 WUXGA (Widescreen Ultra Extended Graphics Array) display capable of delivering picture quality with even higher resolution than a standard Full HD display. The Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600 Processor with 1.7GHz Quad-Core CPU enhances the viewing experience with powerful performance as users will be able to enjoy Full HD content without any compromise.
The G Pad 8.3 meets the challenge of the convergence age by improving connectivity between multiple devices. The unique QPair app allows users to receive smartphone calls and messages through their G Pad and to send simple replies.
Key Specifications:
- Processor: 1.7GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600 Processor
- Display: 8.3-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200 pixels / 273 ppi)
- Memory: 16GB eMMC
- RAM: 2GB LPDDR2
- Camera: Rear 5.0MP / Front 1.3MP
- Battery: 4,600mAh
- Operating System: Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2
- Size: 216.8 x 126.5 x 8.3mm
- Weight: 338g
- Colours: Black / White
This afternoon Apple announced a press event to be held on the 22nd October in San Francisco. Press invitations have already been sent out to the event in which we’re expecting to see the new iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 unveiled but the tag line in the invitation “We still have a lot to cover” possibly suggests that there may be more in the line up for the day.
Certainly the smart money is pointing to the two new iPad models both of which are expected to have the Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor introduced in the iPhone 5S as well as a version of the 64-bit A7 chip.
The hope from us is that the iPad mini 2 will have a retina display but there have been many rumours about this over the past few weeks that seem to equally say yay and nay, all will be revealed next week.
Other possible attractions at the event are OS X Mavericks that went GM earlier this month and the Mac Pro which has been teasing us for several months.
We’ll be coving the event from 6PM BST on the 22nd October.
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