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| TechRadar Tip Off: $20 off the new Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:41 PM PST  Amazon is selling two of its celebrated Kindle readers for $20 off their normal prices, but only through Valentine's Day. Considering some readers might be scrambling for a last minute gift, we thought this worthy of the Tip Off. First, the new 2014 Kindle is down from its normal $79 to just $59 - the price of a single video game. Second, the Kindle Paperwhite - Amazon's best-selling Kindle - is available for $99, down from its usual $119. Both tablets are on sale through Valentine's Day, February 14, so get 'em while you can!  |
| UPDATED: PS4 vs Xbox One: which is better? Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:09 PM PST  Introduction and design
Now 15 months into this PS4 vs Xbox One comparison, sales have proven that Sony is more popular with early adopters of the next-generation of video games. PlayStation 4 has surpassed 18.5 million systems sold worldwide, while Microsoft's numbers for the end of 2014 indicate 10 million Xbox One consoles have shipped to stores. But those are overall sales statistics - all meaningless, as the latest Xbox One price drop and subsequent surge in popularity in December made the debate a little more even. Microsoft is mounting a come-from-behind campaign, adding more "Only on Xbox" games to its library this year to join must-have next-gen exclusive Titanfall. It is also the sole console with EA Access, and Microsoft has added some much-requested features - like the ability to take screenshots - in recent months. Sony is preparing PS4 for a streaming and virtual reality future with PlayStation Now, PlayStation TVand Oculus Rift-rival Project Morpheus. This year's exclusive games include Uncharted 4 and The Order 1886. It's also stepping up its entertainment game, morphing Music Unlimited into the Spotify-powered PlayStation Music and doing the same for Video Unlimited. And both consoles are rumored to be getting a 4K hardware refresh for their second birthdays. "We have have the advantage in powering gamers through the next decade," say both companies. To see if that's true, our Xbox One vs PS4 comparison needs another update. FutTv : k2J1D34XTbE72Xbox One vs PS4 hardware designDeciding between PS4 and Xbox One is like peeling back an onion, and it starts with the outermost layer, the hardware design. Xbox One's dimensions make it a menacing gaming beast that measures 13.5 in x 10.4 in x 3.2 in. It's also riddled with vents, a design decision to avoid another Red Ring of Death overheating scenario.
It towers over every other device (though Microsoft advises not to stand it up vertically), and completely dwarfs our smallest home theater gadget, the app-filled Chromecast.
PS4 has a more distinctive angular shape with an overall stylish design. This half-matte half-gloss console measures a slimmer 10.8 in x 12 in x 2 in at its widest regions. These dimensions make Sony's machine more media cabinet-friendly, at least next to Xbox One. The new Xbox also weighs a heftier 3.56 kg vs PS4's 2.75 kg.
PS4 has the advantage of hiding ports too, though as we illustrated in our video comparison, this can actually make it harder to plug cables into the back of the system. In this way, Xbox One represents functionality over form. A lot of the internal specs are comparable, but Microsoft and Sony really diverged when it came to the designs of Xbox One and PS4. That may matter since you're buying into an expensive console that's going to sit front and center in your living room entertainment system for the next ten years. The future of gaming, in association with O2 GuruYouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq4uCoo1Q-0Xbox One vs PS4 front and rear portsMore clear cut is the wireless connectivity situation. PS4 makes room for gigabit ethernet and 802.11 WiFi bands b/g/n, while Xbox One includes all of that plus the older 802.11a band. Xbox One also supports both the 2.4GHz and newer 5GHz channels that are compatible with dual band routers. PS4 limits connections to 2.4GHz, which is likely to have more interference. Both systems have 500GB hard drives, but only PS4 allows user-replaceable internal drives. An Xbox One teardown found a standard-looking drive inside, but replacing it voids the warranty. Instead, the Xbox One June update finally allowed gamers to add external storage to the monster-sized system. There are strings attached. The drive needs to be 256GB or larger and USB 3.0 compatible. External storage isn't an option that Sony supports in its "go big or go home" internal approach.
PS4 and Xbox One are void of remarkable characteristics on the front. There's a Blu-ray/DVD combo drive to the left and their respective, muted-color logos to the right. PS4 has a pair of USB ports tucked between its sandwich-like halves next to where the disc drive is located. It's party in the back Xbox One connections. That's where it has two USB ports, HDMI in, HDMI out, S/PDIF for digital audio, a proprietary Xbox One Kinect port, an IR blaster connection and an Ethernet port. To the far right is a K-lock in case you want to lug this system around to LAN parties. Sony went with a minimalist approach when it came to PS4's rear ports. You'll only find an HDMI out, S/PDIF, Ethernet and PS4 camera port (marked "AUX") around back. Xbox One is more feature-packed in this area thanks to its HDMI in and IR blaster connections used for its TV cable or satellite box functionality. But are you really going to use this feature? PS4 lacks this passthrough technology, opting to stick with gaming as its top priority. Specs
Is PS4 or Xbox more powerful?PS4 and Xbox One multiply the power of Xbox 360 and PS3. More importantly, they were built with smarter internal designs, drawing from mistakes of last-generation consoles. Chip manufacturer AMD benefitted the most from these upgrades. Xbox One has a custom 1.75GHz AMD 8-core CPU, a last-minute upgrade over its original 1.6GHz processor. The PS4 CPU remained clocked at 1.6GHz and contains a similar custom AMD 8-core CPU with x86 based architecture. This represents a roughly 10% increase in processing power for Xbox One, but the opposite is true when it comes to the all-important graphics processor.
PS4 boasts a 1.84 teraflop GPU that's based on AMD's Radeon technology. The Xbox One graphics chip, also with an AMD Radeon GPU, has a pipeline for 1.31 teraflops. Microsoft claims that as of June's Xbox One update, Kinect-free games can reclaim 10% of the GPU that was reserved for system level processing like Kinect-related skeletal tracking data. But developers still have to take advantage of this cache in new games or patch titles. Right now, the PS4 specs make room for faster graphics rendering than Xbox One, especially when combined with Sony's choice in superior system memory. FutTv : RIRhQQQ48P7yDBest PS4 vs Xbox One specs for RAMEven more controversial is the memory under the consoles' matte black hoods. It's not the amount of RAM at issue - both are future-proofed with 8GB of RAM - it's the type of RAM used. PS4 has a distinct advantage with faster 8GB GDDR5 memory, while Xbox One went with the slower bandwidth of the 8GB DDR3 variety. But, wait, there's more to it. Neither system allocates all of that RAM to game developers - some is reserved to run their operating systems. PS4 reserves up to 3.5GB for its operating system, leaving developers with 4.5GB, according to documentation. They can sometimes access an extra 1GB of "flexible" memory when it's available, but that's not guaranteed. Xbox One's "guaranteed memory" amounts to a slightly higher 5GB for developers, as Microsoft's multi-layered operating system takes up a steady 3GB. It eeks out a 0.5GB win with more developer-accessible memory than PS4, unless you factor in Sony's 1GB of "flexible" memory at times. Then it's 0.5GB less. The PS4 and Xbox One specs have similar AMD architecture at their core, but contrast like apples and oranges when it comes to memory. Only developers can determine how this battle is won. Graphics comparisonYouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0QIs6eZBa0PS4 vs Xbox One graphics comparisonPutting all of these specs to the test, developers have had months to build and demo games to us. We're finally seeing the side-by-side results. The graphics comparison between multi-console games, like the recently released Grand Theft Auto 5 and Metal Gear Solid 5, have given us the best PS4 vs Xbox One graphics benchmarks. A gameplay video on YouTube of GTA 5 pans between the two next-gen versions of the game with a definitive answer. The PS4 GPU is able to handle more foliage in environments. Yes, you literally have to get into the weeds to see the differences, though both the PS4 and Xbox editions of GTA 5 look stellar compared to their last-gen counterparts. YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMsr_EzXLFQIn the Metal Gear Solid 5 comparison, there's slightly more clarity to the PS4 version. Specifically, distant textures and moving objects appear softer among the otherwise identical Xbox One visuals. It's a trend we're seeing from PS4 games that achieve a 1080p resolution at 30 or 60 frames per second when their Xbox One counterparts run at 720p or 900p at 30 or 60fps.
That's the case with Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty: Ghosts, The Witcher 2 and Thief. It's even more evident in Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition where it's 60fps on PS4 vs 30fps on Xbox One. Battlefield 4 is one of the few PS4 games with a native resolution of 900p. Alas, it was still just 720p on Xbox One. Not that it matters. Both versions were plagued with glitches for months. This is in no way a deal-breaker for the Xbox One, and here's why. First, it's almost impossible to tell the difference without a side-by-side comparison. You won't miss the extra grass in GTA 5. Second, everyone's hopeful that as developers mature with these two year-old consoles, the gap will close and games on both systems will prove what next-generation gaming is all about. DirectX12 could make that a reality, with Microsoft promising a preview version of its Direct3D 12 graphics toolset by the end of the year. It could make up for the slower DDR3 RAM. Third, the differences are more noticeable in the Xbox One and PS4 graphics comparisons that include Xbox 360 and PS3. Both Microsoft and Sony leave their last-generation graphics chip architecture and RAM limitations behind, and it shows. PriceXbox One vs PS4 price differenceIt's expensive to be an early adopter, and the PS4 and Xbox One prices prove just that in each of the countries the systems have launched. One year ago, the PS4 price was the more tempting deal: $399 for the console and DualShock 4 controller. Xbox One was expensive at $499 for the system, Xbox One controller and Kinect.
After two official Xbox One price drops, the cost comparison is actually in Microsoft's favor in the US. The new list price is $349 with a game, but without Kinect included. That's $50 cheaper than the PS4 that doesn't come with a game. In the UK, Xbox One bundled with Sunset Overdrive is £349, just £20 more than standalone PS4 that's still officially £329. In Australia, Xbox One is now AU$499 selling with multiple games included and retailers are selling the PS4 for $549 with one game for free. The early PS4 vs Xbox One price difference gave Sony an lead at face value, and gamers didn't seem to mind that the PS4 camera was a separate purchase. Also, for almost a year, it was the only console of the two being sold in countries like India, Japan and Turkey. Price and availability made for Xbox One's assured shortfall in the beginning. Now, the price point is moot. Can it catch up?
What's in the box?There was more value in the original Xbox One Kinect bundle, accounting for some of the initial price difference, so it's important to dive deeper into what's included and, of course, what's not included in the box. At launch, Xbox Ones came with the console, a controller. and the Kinect camera. These systems also had "Day One 2013" emblazoned on the cardboard box and at the center of the controller. That's a nice perk for Xbox loyalists, though not worth the premium they paid. Subsequent Xbox One bundles have included Titanfall or Sunset Overdrive for the same price, while newer, cheaper systems make Kinect optional. FutTv : OgT38n7i5N9ZkAll Xbox One boxes contains an HDMI cable, wired mono headset and stingy 14-day free trial for Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold online service. There's no USB charging cable, as the Xbox One controller uses batteries out-of-the-box. Inside the PS4 box is the console and one DualShock 4 controller. Wires include an HDMI cable (Sony learned its lesson after backlash for not including one with the PS3) and a micro-USB cable for the controller. Don't throw out the box right away. Tucked inside is a 30-day subscription to PlayStation Plus and a wired mono earbud, contrasting with the just-a-cheap Xbox One headset. The price difference between the PS4 and Xbox One was a sticking point for gamers over the lasts twelve months. Microsoft reshaped the argument at E3 2014 with price-matched Kinect-free Xbox One. The question is, will gamers bite in the new year? Controller and cameras
The controllersThe most important aspects of the PS4 vs Xbox One controller comparison include comfort, size and battery life, but a lot of this is going to come down to personal preference. The good news is that both conform to your hands better vs the less ergonomic Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. The Xbox One vs Xbox 360 gamepad comparison illustrates some of the 40 design innovations like a tweaked D-Pad and extra rumble effect via "Impulse Triggers" in the shoulder buttons. Our PS4 vs PS3 gamepad comparison shows even bigger improvements thanks to the fact that the DualShock 4 is larger this time around. Its handles are easier to grip in long gameplay sessions and its dual analog sticks have a recessed divot. Precision movement is now easier. The PS4 controller's front touchpad and mono speaker are a unique way to interact with games, and developers are starting to find ways to adopt this technology into their controls schemes. Which controller is better? There's a lot of satisfaction with the PS4 gamepad, but that may have more to do with people's surprise at how much more comfortable the DualShock 4 is compared to the DualShock 3. That wow factor may wear away soon. The Xbox One vs PS4 controller comparison ends up being a matter of opinion. Some gamers are accustomed to Sony's parallel dual analog sticks, while plenty of others opt for offset analog sticks that have been part of the Xbox universe since the beginning.
Xbox One Kinect vs PS4 CameraA robust games list for Xbox One Kinect and PS4 Camera has been slow to materialize, even though Microsoft and Sony insisted on sticking with controller-free camera inputs. The good news is that the new Kinect technology is promising, tracking up to six skeletons at once and processing 2GB of data per second. It can pick up heart rates, facial expressions and 25 joints, thumbs included. The camera's 60% wider field of vision compared to the Xbox 360 Kinect remedies the annoying "stand 6 feet away" error messages we experienced last time around. Xbox One Kinect is certainly powerful, it just needs more games. Right now, there are few reasons to keep the 1080p camera plugged in.
There's a free Kinect Sports Rivals demo that's fun, and the full version came out this year. It also supports two Xbox-exclusive workout games, Just Dance 2014 and a pair of Harmonix titles: Fantasia: Music Evolved and Dance Central Spotlight. Fighter Within, though, is far from playable. PS4 doesn't have as much to offer at this point either, but it's hard to find in stock. Formerly called the PlayStation Eye, it features two 1280x800px cameras in a body that's slimmer than the Kinect. Unfortunately, the PS4 Camera games list is also slimmer. The included robot mini-game The Playroom has been updated since the console launch, but little else besides Just Dance 2014 requires the device. In the future, Project Morpheus will utilize the PS4 Camera for virtual reality, but the a long-off prospect of VR games doesn't really explain why the camera is often sold out. Best gamesYouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0mF0O3XxjAThe best PS4 and Xbox One gamesThe PS4 and Xbox One games list is still now over 100 each, but only a few of the releases in the last year stand as exclusives that make deciding between the two matter. Titanfall stands above all others on Xbox One if you're into playing Call of Duty-style first-person shooters in which you double jump with a jetpack, wall-run and hop into a giant mech. Sunset Overdrive feature just as crazy-frantic gameplay, while Halo: The Master Chief Collection lets us relive old classic. Xbox One launch titles Dead Rising 3 and Ryse: Son of Rome provided over-the-top action early on, and Forza Motorsport 5 was the only first-party racing game at launch of either console. It's been joined by the more arcade-like exclusive Forza Horizon 2. Call of Duty Advanced Warfighter and CoD: Ghosts, while not exclusives to Xbox One, has downloadable content (DLC) that is going to be a timed-exclusive (by a month) held over PS4 gamers' heads.
Xbox One games in development include the Halo 5: Guardians, the next Gears of War game, Quantum Break, Fable Legends and LittleBigPlanet-like Project Spark. PS4 exclusive Infamous: Second Son couldn't match the groundswell of attention generated by the Titanfall beta in the spring, but it's superpower-filled gameplay is nonetheless entertaining. Even newer exclusives to PS4 include LittleBigPlanet 3 and DriveClub Killzone: Shadow and Knack are the two Sony-made games that released on discs at launch, but the console is benefiting most from remakes like The Last of Us and digitally distributed indie games. Resogun and Mercenary Kings were really driving up the points for PlayStation Plus in our book. They were free in April with a subscription to the Sony's paid service. Further out, we're looking forward to The Order 1886, Uncharted 4 and The Witness the most.
Indie games on PS4 and Xbox OneOur most-wanted PS4 games list doesn't end there because Sony got out in front of supporting independent game developers. Octodad: Dadliest Catch from Young Horses and Transistor from Supergiant Games came to Sony's console in April and May. Outlast from Red Barrels Studio made the PC-to-PS4 transition in February. At first, Microsoft maintained that Xbox One games would need to be fronted by a publisher. That changed when the company announced that it would allow self-published games and, in the future, every console would act as a developer kit. We're still waiting on this "free Xbox One dev kit," a potential game-changer when PS4 developer kits cost thousands of dollars. Until that shift happens, Sony has the attention of the indie developer crowd thanks to its early lead. Apps and backward compatibility
Xbox One vs PS4 appsThe Xbox 360 and PS3 proved to be more than just gaming machines and Xbox One and PS4 are no different. Of course, most are shared across both platforms. All gamers have access to Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Crackle, Vudu and Redbox Instant and baseball subscription service MLB.TV. Xbox One corners the app-filled market with the first next-gen access to HBO Go, ESPN, Fox Now, FX Now, NFL, Ted, The CW, Twitch, Univision Deportes, Verizon FiOS TV and YouTube. It also has Microsoft's own Internet Explorer, OneDrive, Skype and Xbox Music and Xbox Video services. That contrasts with PS4. Sony's console features Crunchyroll, Epix, NBA Game Time, NHL GameCenter Live, YuppTV, the WWE Network and the free music video playing app VidZone. More niche apps are expected as time goes on, so this is hardly the final list of apps for Xbox One and PS4. Sony backers who are also HBO subscriptions can expect equal next-generation treatment for the the premium on-demand network "eventually," which just cements Xbox One's app-filled advantage. FutTv : Gg7iOIQoN8maZAre Xbox One vs PS4 backward compatible?Sony and Microsoft keep teasing the ability to bring old games to their new systems in a variety of ways, but we're still waiting for Xbox One and PS4 backward compatibility. Right now, Sony's PlayStation Now is in open beta and it costs money to rent games like The Last of Us, God of War: Ascension, Dead Space 3 and Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes on the PS4. Sony has expanded its Gaikai-based video game streaming service to PS Vita and PlayStation TV, with plans to add even Bravia TVs, and then include PlayStation and PS2 to the so far PS3-only lineup. Microsoft could take the same route with Xbox One backward compatibility. The company is working on Xbox 360 emulation for the newer console, but doesn't have plans to bring it to fruition right now. None of these options are foolproof yet. That means you'll need to keep your Xbox 360 and PS3 in order to replay Halo 4 and Uncharted 3. You can't sell the old systems, and that means people won't be able to readily buy them - they're more likely to purchase them directly from Microsoft and Sony. Other PS4 and Xbox One differencesThe look of the console, the feel of the controller and the appeal of the games list are the main differences from which consumers will decide on PS4 and Xbox One. However, there are other factors at play one should consider before buying into a new system. It's a good idea to converse with friends, keeping mind of their potential bias. Since there's no such thing as cross-platform multiplayer, you may be split up when playing Call of Duty on PS4 when all of your friends own it for Xbox One. Both Microsoft and Sony are charging for multiplayer this console generation, whereas PS3 gamers got to log into matches Scott-Free. Sony sadly moved closer to Microsoft in this way, while Microsoft moved closer to Sony by tearing down the Xbox Live app paywall. You no longer have to subscribe to stream Netflix and other apps. Microsoft also supports MP3 and DLNA playback with the Xbox One, whereas Sony neglected to add such compatibility. It's promised to rectify that in a future firmware update, but hasn't supplied us with an update in several months. The PS4 vs Xbox One comparison has evolved in the last ten months, mostly because Microsoft's plans have shifted, from Xbox One price drops to more lenient paywall policies to graphics specs upgrades. These two next-generation consoles are now on a more even video game playing field, which means Sony and Microsoft are going to start throwing Uncharted 4 to Halo 5 Guardians at you, and that's a win for all gamers. The expert viewsKeza MacDonald - Editor, Kotaku UK For me it comes down to the variety of games, and PS4 has that sewn up right now. You can play all the biggest games on both consoles, but if your tastes are eclectic, Sony's indie and in-house lineup is irresistible. Matt Hill - Editor, Gizmodo UK PS4 for me. The majority of multi-platform games run better on it, the PS Plus subscription service serves up a stream of good, cheap games – even better if you also have Vita and PS3 – and it looks nicer in the living room. Is that a valid reason? Damn straight it is. Sophia Tong - Global Editor in Chief, GamesRadar I have both because I like having options and access to everything (I even own a Wii U). For me it's about the games, but if I had to choose I do like the Xbox One's interface more because I can bark commands at it. Hugh Langley - UK News Editor, TechRadar It has to be the PS4 right now. Between PlayStation Plus, PS Now, Vita cross-play, and the promise of Morpheus, the whole PlayStation ecosystem feels like it's growing into something truly terrific. That said, don't get comfortable, Sony - the Xbox One is definitely beginning to close the gap. FutTv : 2jhE7e1D15j7l |
| Updated: PS4 vs Xbox One: which is better? Posted: 10 Feb 2015 04:07 PM PST Introduction and design
Now more than 15 months into this PS4 vs Xbox One comparison, sales have proven that Sony is more popular with early adopters of the next-generation of video games. PlayStation 4 has surpassed 18.5 million systems sold worldwide, while Microsoft's numbers for the end of 2014 indicate 10 million Xbox One consoles have shipped to stores. But those are overall sales statistics - all meaningless, as the latest Xbox One price drop and subsequent surge in popularity in December made the debate a little more even. Microsoft is mounting a come-from-behind campaign, adding more "Only on Xbox" games to its library this year to join must-have next-gen exclusive Titanfall. It is also the sole console with EA Access, and Microsoft has added some much-requested features - like the ability to take screenshots - in recent months. Sony is preparing PS4 for a streaming and virtual reality future with PlayStation Now, PlayStation TV and Oculus Rift-rival Project Morpheus. This year's exclusive games include Uncharted 4 and The Order 1886. It's also stepping up its entertainment game, morphing Music Unlimited into the Spotify-powered PlayStation Music and doing the same for Video Unlimited.
And both consoles are rumored to be getting a 4K hardware refresh for their second birthdays. "We have have the advantage in powering gamers through the next decade," say both companies. To see if that's true, our Xbox One vs PS4 comparison needs another update. FutTv : k2J1D34XTbE72Xbox One vs PS4 hardware designDeciding between PS4 and Xbox One is like peeling back an onion, and it starts with the outermost layer, the hardware design. Xbox One's dimensions make it a menacing gaming beast that measures 13.5 in x 10.4 in x 3.2 in. It's also riddled with vents, a design decision to avoid another Red Ring of Death overheating scenario.
It towers over every other device (though Microsoft advises not to stand it up vertically), and completely dwarfs our smallest home theater gadget, the app-filled Chromecast. PS4 has a more distinctive angular shape with an overall stylish design. This half-matte half-gloss console measures a slimmer 10.8 in x 12 in x 2 in at its widest regions. These dimensions make Sony's machine more media cabinet-friendly, at least next to Xbox One. The new Xbox also weighs a heftier 3.56 kg vs PS4's 2.75 kg.
PS4 has the advantage of hiding ports too, though as we illustrated in our video comparison, this can actually make it harder to plug cables into the back of the system. In this way, Xbox One represents functionality over form. A lot of the internal specs are comparable, but Microsoft and Sony really diverged when it came to the designs of Xbox One and PS4. That may matter since you're buying into an expensive console that's going to sit front and center in your living room entertainment system for the next ten years. Xbox One vs PS4 front and rear portsMore clear cut is the wireless connectivity situation. PS4 makes room for gigabit ethernet and 802.11 WiFi bands b/g/n, while Xbox One includes all of that plus the older 802.11a band. Xbox One also supports both the 2.4GHz and newer 5GHz channels that are compatible with dual band routers. PS4 limits connections to 2.4GHz, which is likely to have more interference. Both systems have 500GB hard drives, but only PS4 allows user-replaceable internal drives. An Xbox One teardown found a standard-looking drive inside, but replacing it voids the warranty. Instead, the Xbox One June update finally allowed gamers to add external storage to the monster-sized system. There are strings attached. The drive needs to be 256GB or larger and USB 3.0 compatible. External storage isn't an option that Sony supports in its "go big or go home" internal approach.
PS4 and Xbox One are void of remarkable characteristics on the front. There's a Blu-ray/DVD combo drive to the left and their respective, muted-color logos to the right. PS4 has a pair of USB ports tucked between its sandwich-like halves next to where the disc drive is located. It's party in the back Xbox One connections. That's where it has two USB ports, HDMI in, HDMI out, S/PDIF for digital audio, a proprietary Xbox One Kinect port, an IR blaster connection and an Ethernet port. To the far right is a K-lock in case you want to lug this system around to LAN parties. Sony went with a minimalist approach when it came to PS4's rear ports. You'll only find an HDMI out, S/PDIF, Ethernet and PS4 camera port (marked "AUX") around back. Xbox One is more feature-packed in this area thanks to its HDMI in and IR blaster connections used for its TV cable or satellite box functionality. But are you really going to use this feature? PS4 lacks this passthrough technology, opting to stick with gaming as its top priority. Specs
Is PS4 or Xbox more powerful?PS4 and Xbox One multiply the power of Xbox 360 and PS3. More importantly, they were built with smarter internal designs, drawing from mistakes of last-generation consoles. Chip manufacturer AMD benefitted the most from these upgrades. Xbox One has a custom 1.75GHz AMD 8-core CPU, a last-minute upgrade over its original 1.6GHz processor. The PS4 CPU remained clocked at 1.6GHz and contains a similar custom AMD 8-core CPU with x86 based architecture. This represents a roughly 10% increase in processing power for Xbox One, but the opposite is true when it comes to the all-important graphics processor.
PS4 boasts a 1.84 teraflop GPU that's based on AMD's Radeon technology. The Xbox One graphics chip, also with an AMD Radeon GPU, has a pipeline for 1.31 teraflops. Microsoft claims that as of June's Xbox One update, Kinect-free games can reclaim 10% of the GPU that was reserved for system level processing like Kinect-related skeletal tracking data. But developers still have to take advantage of this cache in new games or patch titles. Right now, the PS4 specs make room for faster graphics rendering than Xbox One, especially when combined with Sony's choice in superior system memory. FutTv : RIRhQQQ48P7yDBest PS4 vs Xbox One specs for RAMEven more controversial is the memory under the consoles' matte black hoods. It's not the amount of RAM at issue - both are future-proofed with 8GB of RAM - it's the type of RAM used. PS4 has a distinct advantage with faster 8GB GDDR5 memory, while Xbox One went with the slower bandwidth of the 8GB DDR3 variety. But, wait, there's more to it. Neither system allocates all of that RAM to game developers - some is reserved to run their operating systems. PS4 reserves up to 3.5GB for its operating system, leaving developers with 4.5GB, according to documentation. They can sometimes access an extra 1GB of "flexible" memory when it's available, but that's not guaranteed. Xbox One's "guaranteed memory" amounts to a slightly higher 5GB for developers, as Microsoft's multi-layered operating system takes up a steady 3GB. It eeks out a 0.5GB win with more developer-accessible memory than PS4, unless you factor in Sony's 1GB of "flexible" memory at times. Then it's 0.5GB less. The PS4 and Xbox One specs have similar AMD architecture at their core, but contrast like apples and oranges when it comes to memory. Only developers can determine how this battle is won. Graphics comparisonYouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMsr_EzXLFQPS4 vs Xbox One graphics comparisonPutting all of these specs to the test, developers have had months to build and demo games to us. We're finally seeing the side-by-side results. The graphics comparison between multi-console games, like the recently released Grand Theft Auto 5 and Metal Gear Solid 5, have given us the best PS4 vs Xbox One graphics benchmarks. A gameplay video on YouTube of GTA 5 pans between the two next-gen versions of the game with a definitive answer. The PS4 GPU is able to handle more foliage in environments. Yes, you literally have to get into the weeds to see the differences, though both the PS4 and Xbox editions of GTA 5 look stellar compared to their last-gen counterparts. YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMsr_EzXLFQIn the Metal Gear Solid 5 comparison, there's slightly more clarity to the PS4 version. Specifically, distant textures and moving objects appear softer among the otherwise identical Xbox One visuals. It's a trend we're seeing from PS4 games that achieve a 1080p resolution at 30 or 60 frames per second when their Xbox One counterparts run at 720p or 900p at 30 or 60fps.
That's the case with Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty: Ghosts, The Witcher 2 and Thief. It's even more evident in Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition where it's 60fps on PS4 vs 30fps on Xbox One. Battlefield 4 is one of the few PS4 games with a native resolution of 900p. Alas, it was still just 720p on Xbox One. Not that it matters. Both versions were plagued with glitches for months. This is in no way a deal-breaker for the Xbox One, and here's why. First, it's almost impossible to tell the difference without a side-by-side comparison. You won't miss the extra grass in GTA 5. Second, everyone's hopeful that as developers mature with these two year-old consoles, the gap will close and games on both systems will prove what next-generation gaming is all about. DirectX12 could make that a reality, with Microsoft promising a preview version of its Direct3D 12 graphics toolset by the end of the year. It could make up for the slower DDR3 RAM. Third, the differences are more noticeable in the Xbox One and PS4 graphics comparisons that include Xbox 360 and PS3. Both Microsoft and Sony leave their last-generation graphics chip architecture and RAM limitations behind, and it shows. PriceXbox One vs PS4 price differenceIt's expensive to be an early adopter, and the PS4 and Xbox One prices prove just that in each of the countries the systems have launched. One year ago, the PS4 price was the more tempting deal: £349 for the console and DualShock 4 controller. Xbox One was more expensive at $499 for the system, Xbox One controller and Kinect.
An official Xbox One price drop has made this comparison a moot point going forward. The new list price is £349 without Kinect, but with a game included. In the UK, Xbox One bundled with Sunset Overdrive is £349, just £20 more than standalone PS4 that's still officially £329. That's a better price than at launch, but as always other countries have it better. In fact, the Xbox One has had two official US price drops and the cost comparison is actually in Microsoft's favor there by $50. In Australia, Xbox One is now AU$499 selling with multiple games included and retailers are selling the PS4 for $549 with one game for free. The early PS4 vs Xbox One price difference gave Sony an lead at face value, and gamers didn't seem to mind that the PS4 camera was a separate purchase. Also, for almost a year, it was the only console of the two being sold in countries like India, Japan and Turkey. Price and availability made for Xbox One's assured shortfall in the beginning. Now, the price point is moot. Can it catch up?
What's in the box?There was more value in the original Xbox One Kinect bundle, accounting for some of the initial price difference, so it's important to dive deeper into what's included and, of course, what's not included in the box. At launch, Xbox Ones came with the console, a controller. and the Kinect camera. These systems also had "Day One 2013" emblazoned on the cardboard box and at the center of the controller. That's a nice perk for Xbox loyalists, though not worth the premium they paid. Subsequent Xbox One bundles have included Titanfall or Sunset Overdrive for the same price, while newer, cheaper systems make Kinect optional. FutTv : OgT38n7i5N9ZkAll Xbox One boxes contains an HDMI cable, wired mono headset and stingy 14-day free trial for Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold online service. There's no USB charging cable, as the Xbox One controller uses batteries out-of-the-box. Inside the PS4 box is the console and one DualShock 4 controller. Wires include an HDMI cable (Sony learned its lesson after backlash for not including one with the PS3) and a micro-USB cable for the controller. Don't throw out the box right away. Tucked inside is a 30-day subscription to PlayStation Plus and a wired mono earbud, contrasting with the just-a-cheap Xbox One headset. The price difference between the PS4 and Xbox One was a sticking point for gamers over the lasts twelve months. Microsoft reshaped the argument at E3 2014 with price-matched Kinect-free Xbox One. The question is, will gamers bite in the new year? Controller and cameras
The controllersThe most important aspects of the PS4 vs Xbox One controller comparison include comfort, size and battery life, but a lot of this is going to come down to personal preference. The good news is that both conform to your hands better vs the less ergonomic Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. The Xbox One vs Xbox 360 gamepad comparison illustrates some of the 40 design innovations like a tweaked D-Pad and extra rumble effect via "Impulse Triggers" in the shoulder buttons. Our PS4 vs PS3 gamepad comparison shows even bigger improvements thanks to the fact that the DualShock 4 is larger this time around. Its handles are easier to grip in long gameplay sessions and its dual analog sticks have a recessed divot. Precision movement is now easier. The PS4 controller's front touchpad and mono speaker are a unique way to interact with games, and developers are starting to find ways to adopt this technology into their controls schemes. Which controller is better? There's a lot of satisfaction with the PS4 gamepad, but that may have more to do with people's surprise at how much more comfortable the DualShock 4 is compared to the DualShock 3. That wow factor may wear away soon. The Xbox One vs PS4 controller comparison ends up being a matter of opinion. Some gamers are accustomed to Sony's parallel dual analog sticks, while plenty of others opt for offset analog sticks that have been part of the Xbox universe since the beginning.
Xbox One Kinect vs PS4 CameraA robust games list for Xbox One Kinect and PS4 Camera has been slow to materialize, even though Microsoft and Sony insisted on sticking with controller-free camera inputs. The good news is that the new Kinect technology is promising, tracking up to six skeletons at once and processing 2GB of data per second. It can pick up heart rates, facial expressions and 25 joints, thumbs included. The camera's 60% wider field of vision compared to the Xbox 360 Kinect remedies the annoying "stand 6 feet away" error messages we experienced last time around. Xbox One Kinect is certainly powerful, it just needs more games. Right now, there are few reasons to keep the 1080p camera plugged in.
There's a free Kinect Sports Rivals demo that's fun, and the full version came out this year. It also supports two Xbox-exclusive workout games, Just Dance 2014 and a pair of Harmonix titles: Fantasia: Music Evolved and Dance Central Spotlight. Fighter Within, though, is far from playable. PS4 doesn't have as much to offer at this point either, but it's hard to find in stock. Formerly called the PlayStation Eye, it features two 1280x800px cameras in a body that's slimmer than the Kinect. Unfortunately, the PS4 Camera games list is also slimmer. The included robot mini-game The Playroom has been updated since the console launch, but little else besides Just Dance 2014 requires the device. In the future, Project Morpheus will utilize the PS4 Camera for virtual reality, but the a long-off prospect of VR games doesn't really explain why the camera is often sold out. Best gamesYouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0mF0O3XxjAThe best PS4 and Xbox One gamesThe PS4 and Xbox One games list is still now over 100 each, but only a few of the releases in the last year stand as exclusives that make deciding between the two matter. Titanfall stands above all others on Xbox One if you're into playing Call of Duty-style first-person shooters in which you double jump with a jetpack, wall-run and hop into a giant mech. Sunset Overdrive feature just as crazy-frantic gameplay, while Halo: The Master Chief Collection lets us relive old classic. Xbox One launch titles Dead Rising 3 and Ryse: Son of Rome provided over-the-top action early on, and Forza Motorsport 5 was the only first-party racing game at launch of either console. It's been joined by the more arcade-like exclusive Forza Horizon 2. Call of Duty Advanced Warfighter and CoD: Ghosts, while not exclusives to Xbox One, has downloadable content (DLC) that is going to be a timed-exclusive (by a month) held over PS4 gamers' heads.
Xbox One games in development include the Halo 5: Guardians, the next Gears of War game, Quantum Break, Fable Legends and LittleBigPlanet-like Project Spark. PS4 exclusive Infamous: Second Son couldn't match the groundswell of attention generated by the Titanfall beta in the spring, but it's superpower-filled gameplay is nonetheless entertaining. Even newer exclusives to PS4 include LittleBigPlanet 3 and DriveClub Killzone: Shadow and Knack are the two Sony-made games that released on discs at launch, but the console is benefiting most from remakes like The Last of Us and digitally distributed indie games. Resogun and Mercenary Kings were really driving up the points for PlayStation Plus in our book. They were free in April with a subscription to the Sony's paid service. Further out, we're looking forward to The Order 1886, Uncharted 4 and The Witness the most.
Indie games on PS4 and Xbox OneOur most-wanted PS4 games list doesn't end there because Sony got out in front of supporting independent game developers. Octodad: Dadliest Catch from Young Horses and Transistor from Supergiant Games came to Sony's console in April and May. Outlast from Red Barrels Studio made the PC-to-PS4 transition in February. At first, Microsoft maintained that Xbox One games would need to be fronted by a publisher. That changed when the company announced that it would allow self-published games and, in the future, every console would act as a developer kit. We're still waiting on this "free Xbox One dev kit," a potential game-changer when PS4 developer kits cost thousands of dollars. Until that shift happens, Sony has the attention of the indie developer crowd thanks to its early lead. Apps and backward compatibility
Xbox One vs PS4 appsThe Xbox 360 and PS3 proved to be more than just gaming machines and Xbox One and PS4 are no different. Of course, most are shared across both platforms. In the UK, both systems share Netflix, Crackle, Amazon Instant Video (formerly Lovefilm), Sky Now TV and Demand5. Exclusive Xbox One apps include YouTube, Ted, Twitch and region-specific services like 4oD, Blinkbox, Eurosport, Muzu.tv and Wuaki.tv. Microsoft-owned apps Internet Explorer, OneDrive, Skype and Xbox Music and Xbox Video are all here too. That contrasts with PS4's UK app offering. Sony's console features BBC iPlayer, BBC Sports and BBC News, VidZone and Sony's Music Unlimited and Videos Unlimited services. In Australia, app-deprived gamers have access to VidZone and Quickflix and Sony's own apps. Xbox One delivers a better lineup: Crackle, MLB.TV, SBS ON DEMAND, Ted, TENplay, Twitch and YouTube as well as most of Microsoft's apps. FutTv : Gg7iOIQoN8maZAre Xbox One vs PS4 backward compatible?Sony and Microsoft keep teasing the ability to bring old games to their new systems in a variety of ways, but we're still waiting for Xbox One and PS4 backward compatibility. Right now, Sony's PlayStation Now is in open beta - but only in the and it costs money to rent games like The Last of Us, God of War: Ascension, Dead Space 3 and Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes on the PS4. Sony has expanded its Gaikai-based video game streaming service to PS Vita and PlayStation TV, with plans to add even Bravia TVs, and then include PlayStation and PS2 to the so far PS3-only lineup. But when will all of this exciting PlayStation Now content from to the UK? Sony is on the record saying that you can expect to see it sometime in 2015. That's not too far off. Microsoft could take the same route with Xbox One backward compatibility. The company is working on Xbox 360 emulation for the newer console, but doesn't have plans to bring it to fruition right now. None of these options are foolproof yet. That means you'll need to keep your Xbox 360 and PS3 in order to replay Halo 4 and Uncharted 3. You can't sell the old systems, and that means people won't be able to readily buy them - they're more likely to purchase them directly from Microsoft and Sony. Other PS4 and Xbox One differencesThe look of the console, the feel of the controller and the appeal of the games list are the main differences from which consumers will decide on PS4 and Xbox One. However, there are other factors at play one should consider before buying into a new system. It's a good idea to converse with friends, keeping mind of their potential bias. Since there's no such thing as cross-platform multiplayer, you may be split up when playing Call of Duty on PS4 when all of your friends own it for Xbox One. Both Microsoft and Sony are charging for multiplayer this console generation, whereas PS3 gamers got to log into matches Scott-Free. Sony sadly moved closer to Microsoft in this way, while Microsoft moved closer to Sony by tearing down the Xbox Live app paywall. You no longer have to subscribe to stream Netflix and other apps. Microsoft also supports MP3 and DLNA playback with the Xbox One, whereas Sony neglected to add such compatibility. It's promised to rectify that in a future firmware update, but hasn't supplied us with an update in several months. The PS4 vs Xbox One comparison has evolved in the last ten months, mostly because Microsoft's plans have shifted, from Xbox One price drops to more lenient paywall policies to graphics specs upgrades. These two next-generation consoles are now on a more even video game playing field, which means Sony and Microsoft are going to start throwing Uncharted 4 to Halo 5 Guardians at you, and that's a win for all gamers. The expert viewsKeza MacDonald - Editor, Kotaku UK For me it comes down to the variety of games, and PS4 has that sewn up right now. You can play all the biggest games on both consoles, but if your tastes are eclectic, Sony's indie and in-house lineup is irresistible. Matt Hill - Editor, Gizmodo UK PS4 for me. The majority of multi-platform games run better on it, the PS Plus subscription service serves up a stream of good, cheap games – even better if you also have Vita and PS3 – and it looks nicer in the living room. Is that a valid reason? Damn straight it is. Sophia Tong - Global Editor in Chief, GamesRadar I have both because I like having options and access to everything (I even own a Wii U). For me it's about the games, but if I had to choose I do like the Xbox One's interface more because I can bark commands at it. Hugh Langley - UK News Editor, TechRadar It has to be the PS4 right now. Between PlayStation Plus, PS Now, Vita cross-play, and the promise of Morpheus, the whole PlayStation ecosystem feels like it's growing into something truly terrific. That said, don't get comfortable, Sony - the Xbox One is definitely beginning to close the gap. FutTv : 2jhE7e1D15j7l |
| In Depth: 5 quirky technologies that want to change the way we use computers Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:42 PM PST  Doing more with motionWhen it comes to input devices for our computers, not a lot has changed in the last two decades. Keyboards were around well before computers even existed, and the first mouse was invented way back in 1946. Meanwhile, track pads have been a part of mobile computing since the Apple PowerBook 500 was first introduced in 1994. Gaming has paved the way for a variety of interesting input devices, such as the Razer Hydra motion sensing controller, and Valve is trying to develop a controller that's actually optimized for PC gaming for use with Steam Machines. However, in the age of virtual reality, wearable sensors and motion tracking, we're poised for even more exciting ways to use our computers in the very near future. Below you'll find five technologies that are still in the early stages yet are poised to change the way we use computers. They include Leap Motion, which has made its way into HP laptops, and Cortana, the personal assistant that will roll onto PCs with Windows 10. What they have in common is a promise of replacing the tired mouse and keyboard with far more advanced methods. Read on for the full rundown, and let us know what you think of this tech in the comments below.
Intel RealSenseWe've seen Intel's RealSense technology become integrated in more devices as of late. The camera technology can see depth up to a human vision-like 10 feet and provide near perfect dimensions by simply viewing an object. I did a quick hands-on with the RealSense camera built into the Dell Venue 8 7000 tablet at an event, using it to measure a Subway sandwich to see if was indeed a foot long. (It was). Aside from measuring dimensions, manufacturers have begun implementing the Intel camera technology into PC gaming. So far, we've seen a few demos with RealSense implemented in All-in-Ones like the Dell Inspiron 23, and laptops including the Lenovo B50 and Acer Aspire V17 Nitro, for head tracking and steering a virtual car. While it may sound similar to the Xbox Kinect, RealSense doesn't use infrared cameras. Instead, it utilizes multiple cameras (up to three on the Dell Venue 8 7000) to create a three-dimensional rendering of the real world. If this 3D photography technology works as promised, fans of flight simulators and serious racing games could kiss goodbye to their specialized Track IR setups. Plus, RealSense opens doors to new control schemes for all sorts of games.
HP SproutAlthough HP Sprout utilizes Intel's RealSense camera as the same underlying technology, it isn't just adding an extra control scheme for gaming or a virtual measuring stick for mobile devices. Rather, the Sprout camera and projector system does away with the mouse and keyboard entirely and replaces them with a giant touch-sensitive mat. Users can glide their hand over this jumbo-sized touchpad to select and control objects on their PC. Meanwhile, a hanging projector displays anything from a keyboard to a piano. It's an interesting concept that turns this typical 23-inch All-in-One into an immersive computing experience with a second screen. The projector housing also holds several cameras that capture images using both visible and infrared light to create a 3D view of the world. In fact, users will be able to place things like photos and documents on to the touch mat for a quick scan into their computers. A personal assistant for your computer
SteelSeries Sentry eye trackerIn case tracking your head and hands wasn't enough, SteelSeries has developed eye tracking technology in collaboration with Tobii Technology. Originally designed to help disabled users operate a computer without using their hands, SteelSeries is now adapting the technology into a gaming peripheral called Sentry. So far, the Sentry eye tracker has been used to give eSports fans a sense of the action by letting them see how the Pros play. Sure, broadcasting games is as easy as taking the footage from players screen, but it's impossible to capture the hand and eye movements of a skilled gamer. SteelSeries hopes to use Sentry to add another layer to the streaming experience by highlighting exactly what part of the screen the player is looking at. Sentry could bring even neater tricks in the future. When the eye tracker was first introduced, SteelSeries suggested the device could be used to control in-game features such as selecting items and controlling the camera. The idea sounds extremely intuitive as you're already locked on a screen when playing a game, so it makes sense to turn your eyes into yet another controller. The Sentry isn't available yet, but SteelSeries has plans to bring the peripheral to the consumer market. For now only time will tell whether or not this idea truly takes off.
Leap MotionOut of all these technologies, Leap Motion is the only one to see mass distribution thus far; the motion-tracking sensor made its way into the world thanks to KickStarter and HP Envy laptops. Unlike Kinect and other motion sensors, Leap Motion isn't exactly a camera. Instead, it's a sensor pointed towards the sky that creates a virtual space in which you can move your hand to control applications and play games. Leap Motion can visualize your hand as a skeleton, identifying each joint, which makes it fairly neat to seek your bones outlined on screen in neon colors. Unfortunately, you can't just start flicking through Windows 8.1 menus with the motion-sensing peripheral. Leap Motion has a specific set of compatible applications in its Airspace suite, which allow you to swing your fingers around in games like Fruit Ninja or manipulate Google Earth as if you were handling a real globe in your palm. It's another step towards immersive technology and could make using computers feel a little less disconnected as it is with a keyboard and mouse, though it will need to work with more applications to truly take off.
CortanaThe Star Trekian future is nearly here. While we've been barking orders at our smartphones since Siri popped onto the scene with iOS 7 in 2012, Cortana will be the first, real virtual assistant on computers. The Halo-inspired personal assistant is baked right into Windows 10, and Microsoft promises it will be smart enough to learn more about users over time. Creepy as that might sound, the hope is your computer will eventually be smart enough to set your appointments or prod you when you forget to put reminders into OneNote. Of course, you can also direct Cortana with straightforward commands such as searching for queries and starting a Skype call. There is a growing crop of new control schemes popping up. Gaming is no doubt helping to push this trend, with the Kinect and Wii driving interest in motion-controlled gaming. Meanwhile, PCs are become increasingly integrated with our living rooms, where it's simply not fun to balance a keyboard on your lap while you recline on the couch. Keyboards and mice work great at a desk, but they're days elsewhere are looking numbered.  |
| Blip: This Project Tango app might sell you on Google's weird tablet Posted: 10 Feb 2015 03:10 PM PST  Since Google introduced its 3D-mapping Project Tango tablet one year ago, there hasn't really been a reason to get excited about it. But with the technology finally in the hands of developers, we're starting to see some cool stuff - like Space Sketchr, a drawing app created by California's Left Field Labs. The developers call it "a new kind of sculpture or drawing with a timeline in space." It's kind of hard to explain - using Tango's 3D-sensing capabilities, you sketch as you move around, creating 3D shapes - so we'll let the video below do the talking. Suffice to say it finally makes Tango seem like a dance we might want to do. YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEv8BJmqiXwMore blipsFortunately you don't need an experimental tablet to read more of TechRadar's blips.
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| Canon brings cloud connectivity to the imageFORMULA DR-C225W Posted: 10 Feb 2015 02:20 PM PST  If you've ever felt overwhelmed by having to scan the occasional receipts for an expense report, the Canon imageFORMULA DR-C225W could help. Unlike traditional flatbed scanners, the imageFORMULA's upright design saves space on a desk and the built-in WiFi reduces cable clutter. imageFORMULA has a feed tray that can hold up to 30 sheets for scanning with scan speeds up to 25 pages per minute. Scanned files can be stored in either 150, 200, 300, 400, or 600 dpi resolution files. imageFORMULA can capture documents with 8-bit greyscale or 24-bit color. Additionally, the imageFORMULA is capable of scanning both sides of a page in a single pass, saving businesses time. After the scan is complete, the file is sent to PCs, Macs, smartphones, and tablets via WiFi. Mobile devices running iOS and Android can download the Canon CaptureOnTouch Mobile app for free. Enterprise useIf your business documents are stored in the cloud, you can have your scans automatically routed to services like Evernote, SharePoint, Dropbox, SugarSync, Google Drive, and OneDrive. Thanks to ISIS and TWAIN drivers, you can also connect the imageFORMULA to third-party software applications. Business travelers who need to submit expense reports containing different types of paper and different fonts will be happy to know that the imageFORMULA adjusts its settings automatically to deliver high quality scans. "These features can improve the legibility of hard-to-read documents through clear font outlining and bolding, crop shadows and straighten scanned images," Canon said in a statement. "For mixed batches of documents, the scanner can automatically detect color sheets, as well as automatically adjust the output resolution for text sheets verses photographs." The imageFORMULA can handle documents up to 118 inches (300 cm) long. There is also a folio mode for scanning oversized documents, up to 11 X 17 inches (27.94 X 43.18 cm). Canon says that the scanner is intuitive. For double-sided scanning jobs, users will load sheets front-side forward. The scanner can also automatically detect if double-feeds occur to ensure that users will capture all the data they need with little intervention or oversight in the scan process. The scanner weighs in at just under 6 pounds (2.70kg) with dimensions of 8.7 X 11.8 X 6.1 inches (22.1 X 30.0 X 15.5 cm). The imageFORMULA DR-C225W Office Document Scanner is available now for $549 (£359 or AU$707).  |
| Two carriers are giving LG and HTC flagships a lick of Lollipop Posted: 10 Feb 2015 02:10 PM PST  The LG G3 and HTC One M8 are the latest phones to get their Android 5.0 Lollipop, today on AT&T and T-Mobile, respectively. LG said in January that the G3's Lollipop update was coming soon, and HTC said much the same of the HTC One M8's at the end of last month, despite delays. Both updates have begun to arrive today for users on those carriers. Android Lollipop has been slow to roll out to many devices, but it recently cleared enough to at least make a blip on Google's Android usage statistics.
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| Industry Voice: Become a cloud facilitator in 3 easy steps Posted: 10 Feb 2015 02:00 PM PST  With the improvements in the US economy, businesses – especially small businesses – feel more confident to put technology to work for them. Gaining this competitive advantage is why SMBs are looking to spend more money on IT. According to the 2015 State of Small Business Report, 38% of SMBs are planning on increasing their IT investments in 2015, and replacing computer hardware remains a top priority for most companies. These SMBs want to move to the cloud; however, many of them need guidance and are afraid of making costly mistakes. They need cloud facilitators, a term originally coined by IT consultants in the enterprise space, to help get them there. So how do you become a cloud facilitator? Here are three easy steps: 1. Decide on a cloud platform:SMBs want the cloud to be easy. They don't want to have to remember multiple usernames and passwords, multiple site addresses, or multiple anything. They want to focus on one thing: getting their work done. Because of this, you are going to want to introduce your SMBs to a cloud platform that "houses" all of their apps. The platform needs to provide users with a basic infrastructure for using the cloud, like having a link to each cloud app, single sign-on between the apps, and some degree of central user management across apps. This way it's easy for your SMBs to dive right in without missing a step. Apps like InfoStreet's SkyDesktop, Google Apps for Business, and SalesForce each bring a different type of cloud platform to the table. 2. Get your partnerships in lineNow that you have picked a platform, you'll want to get partnerships in place to maximize the apps you can offer inside that platform. Some platforms, like InfoStreet's SkyDesktop, will come with pre-made partnerships ready for you to take advantage of. Others, like Google Apps for Business, have data partnerships with tons of other apps. Keep in mind, you may still have to work out a financial relationship with each partner on your own. The platform you choose really just depends on what the best option is for your company. 3. Stop pitching products and start pitching solutionsMany salespeople are used to having a single product that they pitch, listening to their clients, and offering specifics on how that particular product meets the clients' needs. This sales approach worked when the world did not offer so many choices. Today, for every single product in the market, there are more than a dozen products that pose as competition. It is best that you leverage the support that you receive from a cloud platform in your back pocket. This provides your clients with choices and the guarantee you are the one delivering the solution, as opposed to the traditional method of losing a sale due to one or two app features that you do not support. Any one of the cloud platforms mentioned above has no less than 50 apps that you can pick and choose from in order to meet your client's needs. You are no longer pitching one product; you are listening to the client and then pitching a complete solution that you have cherry picked from the plethora of apps you have to choose from. Following these 3 basic steps will make you an instant cloud facilitator. I look forward to see more MSPs moving companies to the cloud.
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| Buying Guide: Monitor buying guide: the displays we recommend Posted: 10 Feb 2015 01:54 PM PST  IntroductionTen years ago, monitors were nothing more than necessary accessories. Today, they can be luxury items that dramatically improve all aspects of computing and content consumption. There are so many types of monitors that suit so many different needs. Screen resolution, response time, panel weight: everything should be considered when choosing a personal device or an enterprise fleet. Unfortunately, all of these specs can be confusing. We've compiled this roundup to help you sort through the abundance of options available.
Viewsonic VP2772The Viewsonic VP2772 ($1,019, £599, AUS$1096) is a 27-inch SuperClear IPS panel that boasts a 2560x1440 QHD resolution that covers 99% of the Adobe RGB color space. Viewsonic created the perfect monitor for working professionals in the creative space, for video editors, design professionals, and print departments. The size of this monitor is perfect for those who want a bigger screen, comparable to the Apple Thunderbolt Display, but without paying a high price. The VP2772 weighs 19.84 lbs (9Kg) without its base, and its dimensions are: 25.3" x 18.5" x 13.7" (64.26cm x 46.99cm x 34.80cm). Viewsonic put multiple ports into the VP2772 including a Dual-Link DVI port, an HDMI 1.4 port, a mini-DisplayPort, and four USB 3.0 ports.
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| Updated: Printer buying guide: our recommendations for inkjets and lasers Posted: 10 Feb 2015 01:52 PM PST  Overview and inkjets #1-5This article was recently updated. Inkjet printersIn choosing the best printer for you, your first decision should be whether to go for a standard printer, or a multi-function device that includes a scanner and that can also work as a standalone copier. These aren't much larger than regular printers, but they're a whole lot more versatile, especially when you need to keep a copy of a letter, a bill or any other important document, so our first list includes the best inkjet printers and best multi-function devices. You should also think carefully about whether to invest in an inkjet or a laser. Lasers are usually associated with office environments, where they produce sharp, smudge-free printouts quickly, quietly and economically, but this can be just as useful at home or in a home office. And don't imagine that mono laser printers are the only option - color laser printers are now very affordable, and you can even get get multi-function laser printers, too. So we've also come up with a list of the best laser printers, and not just for office users with budgets to burn, but home users looking for value, quality, compactness and ease of use. It's important to keep in mind overall cost of ownership. Don't just look at the initial price and make your determination. Figure out what you'll be printing, how often you'll be printing, and what kind of energy consumption this will require. Then you will be able to make an educated decision. So let's firstly look at the our favorite inkjet printers - hit the second page for our favorite laser printers. Please remember that the prices shown here are for guidance only. HP DeskJet 2540 - ($79.99)
This solid photo printer is great for home or small office use. If you want something at a fantastic price, that offers wi-fi connectivity that's capable of printing quality photos from a mobile device, then this is the machine for you. Just be aware that it doesn't offer a color screen, it doesn't do borderless printing and it is incredibly slow. The device offers nowhere to plug in removable memory cards, there's no internal paper tray, and there's no auto Duplex. But the 2540 holds its own very well considering how cheap it is. Read our HP Deskjet 2540 review Canon Maxify MB5320 The MB5320 is a wireless inkjet all-in-one printer that is available in the US only for $399.99. It comes with a stacked feature set and robust paper handling that should limit paper jams and spills. The price is a bit steep for the target market (small businesses), and users looking to get high-quality graphic and photo creation, might be disappointed by the quality. However, the Canon MB5320 would be a sound addition to any small or home office looking for an efficient printer that can handle large volumes of paper without a ton of maintenance. Read our Canon Maxify MB5320 review Canon Pixma MG7520 - ($199)
The Canon Pixma MG7520 is a steal for photography enthusiasts who don't need to print large documents or in high-volume. This 17.4 pound printer is only 17.2" wide and 5.9" tall, so it isn't exactly compact, but it is pound-for-pound a solid device. The prints it produces are exact replicas to their digital files. You'll spend hours printing photos and loving every minute of it. Canon says the MG7520 can print documents and web pages at 15 images per minute for black ink and 10 images per minute for color ink. However, it took us 18 seconds to print one full-color print on plain Letter paper. It took nine seconds to print the same image in black & white on Letter. When we loaded the tasks to print 20 copies, we were able to print the image in black & white 14 times in one minute on Letter-sized pages, but it took 85 seconds for the image to print once in 300 dpi on Canon Semi-Gloss photo paper. Don't worry though, the print quality warrants the moderate pace. Read our Canon Pixma MG7520 review Brother MFC-L2740DW - ($299)
The MFC-L2740DW is very well suited for small offices or home offices that require a lot of printing. Running costs are good and the unit itself is highly affordable. Although the design and the touchscreen are iffy, the printer itself offers good value for your money. Read our Brother MFC-L2740DW review Epson XP-820 - ($199)
If you're looking for a device that prints high-quality color photos in addition to handling your regular printing tasks, this is a great option. Not every customer will need to shell out for a higher end desktop printer just to print photos from the Grand Canyon. However, the Epson XP-820 is a great option for a household in need of a multi-tasking home office printer that can also print high-quality photos. Page 2: Lasers #1-5Laser printersSharp MX-C301W - (Price depends on configuration)
This compact unit is a great, multi-purpose device for small-to-medium-sized enterprise use. With a straightforward out of the box set up, quick and easy color printing, speedy scanning, and standard copying features, the Sharp MX-C301W is a competitive addition to the enterprise market. It might be a little too much to handle for the home office user, but if you're interested in bulk printing and speed, this is a safe bet. Read our Sharp MX-C301W review Samsung Multifunction Xpress C460FW - ($470) If you're after a high-quality text printer that can do the odd image too, the Samsung Multifunction Xpress C460FW won't disappoint, but its photo printing lets it down. There's a lot to like about this low-cost all-in-one laser printer, but we don't think it will be the model to crack the home market. Read our Samsung C460FW review HP LaserJet Pro MFP M225dw ($305)
This laserjet combines a fast engine with a quality ADF scanner. It features excellent wireless connectivity options that can feed up to 250 pages at a time that prints at up to 25 pages per minute. Print quality is solid for business printing, but it won't beat a photo printer. It's perfect for small businesses and consumers who want something that packs a punch but doesn't cost a ton. Read our HP LaserJet Pro MFP M225dw review Brother HL-L9200CDWT - ($700) The HL-L92000CDWT is a capable, affordable option for everyday home of heavy office use. It's wireless functionality, including AirPrint and Cloud Print, and high capacity toners make for excellent performance no matter how and what you're printing. Unfortunately, it's a giant beast of a machine, so make sure you have the room for it before you make a purchase. Kyocera Ecosys M6026CIDN - (Price depends on configuration) Living in an age where cost and performance indicators are closely monitored, KYOCERA has gone all out to ensure that its revamped M6026cidn ticks all the right environmental and efficiency boxes. If you have a growing business operation where every component is expected to deliver efficiently, economically and smartly, then this MFP should be under serious consideration as an essential mainstay of the organisation. Read our Kyocera Ecosys M6026CIDN review  |
| Buying Guide: Projector buying guide: our recommendations Posted: 10 Feb 2015 01:43 PM PST  Projectors #1-4With busier schedules than ever, we can all agree on one thing: we have less time than ever, and we don't want to waste it waiting for someone to figure out how to use the office projector. Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped plenty of offices from cheaping out in this regard, or not doing their research, and investing in headaches for years to come. It's a new year, though, and that's as good an excuse as any to review our favorite options for your office's projector unit.
Philips PicoPix PPX2055Sure, we've reviewed some portable projectors, and many in this roundup qualify as portable, but the Philips PicoPix PPX2055 is shockingly small. So small, that you wonder what use case demands it be that small, aside from it being able to easily fit into a your briefcase, or even a jacket pocket. Measuring in at 2.8" x 2.8" x 1.1" (W x D x H), and at ¼ of a pound, it does not come close to tipping any scale. Philips has created a projector so small it could be used to surprise unsuspecting co-workers who were blissfully unaware that a meeting was in their future. Selling for an affordable $299 (about £198, AU$371), it featured an easy setup and was able to project content only drawing power via USB. However, it did not play friendly with our MacBook Air, and you'll need a pitch-black situation to get the 55 lumen-capable lighting to show an image your team can see. It also failed dramatically to hit its advertised projection size of 120" images, only hitting a still-respectable 50" mark. Also, if you're projecting video, which the device can handle (if not especially sharply) consider a secondary speaker to drown out audible noise coming from the spinning DLP wheel.
Epson EX7235 ProIf your meetings are never in the same location often, you're going to want a no-nonsense projector that's easy to carry. For that, we can recommend the Epson EX7235 Pro ($599.99, £385.24, AU$738.45). Weighing in at 5.29 pounds, and measuring 11.7" x 9.0" x 3.0" (W x D x H), it supports connecting via USB, WiFi, VGA, HDMI, or the mobile MHL. Not only is it easy to move around with, it's extremely easy to use, so much so that booting and choosing your input source only took a mere 34 seconds in our testing. This is all with an intensely strong lamp, which maxes out at 3000 lumens. It is ideal for those who need a simple, portable projector for anything except for streaming video, as we experienced quality issues there, with output being either grainy or stuttering. It also suffered from a moment reminiscent of IKEA, with Some Assembly Required. That in 2015 we're requiring customers to find a screwdriver in order to set up WiFi sounds comically backwards. Sure, the EX7235 Pro doesn't force users to rely on just WiFi for presenting, but when you're dealing anything meant for on-the-go, WiFi is the connection of choice for most. Setting up said WiFi wasn't easy either, but once it's up, the EX7235 Pro performed like the four-star unit we believe it is.
ViewSonic Pro8600 & Pro8520HDIf you're looking to present in a bright room, or shopping with no worry about price, ViewSonic's Pro8600, weighing 8.5 pounds and measuring 13.1" x 10.4" x 4.3" (W x D x H), and Pro8520HD, also 8.5 pounds and a very similar 13.1" x 10.4" x 4.8" (W x D x H) are especially relevant. The Pro8600 retails for about $1700 (around £1125, AU$2068) online, and the Pro8520HD can be found online at a bump up to around $1799 (around £1190, AU$2188). Both machines run very loud and very bright, thanks to the Pro8600's 6000 lumen and the Pro8520HD's 5000 lumen capable lamps. So if you're looking to make presentations to people who drift off when the lights go out, make sure you consider these options. Neither are great with USB, but if you're looking to present video, both have HDMI slots - the Pro8520HD actually offers two, if that's something you would need. Both projectors render HD color video beautifully, although Pro8520HD arguably over-saturates the colors. While the video on the Pro8520HD is of great quality, you're going to need to have any audio pretty loud, thanks to a whirring fan that hovered around 79 decibels in our testing. While the Pro8600 suffers the same noise pollution - its fan reaches 65 decibels - it does feature a useful ECO mode that can dampen the noise. As you would expect from projectors marketed on their HD quality, these units can get an image large enough for native HD proportions.
Projectors #5-8
Optoma ML550The ML550 by Optoma may not be the smallest projector we're talking about here, but it's a lot more powerful than the pocket-sized PicoPix from Phillips. Retailing at about $712 USD (£470, about AU$880), but much cheaper these days on Amazon, it weighs in at an ultraportable 0.83 pounds with palm-sized 4.1" x 4.2" x 1.5" (W x D x H) footprint. The differences in size between this and the PicoPix are negligible for the power you get in return: a 550 Lumens lamp that lets you present in rooms that aren't completely darkened. Not only is it port-rich with one MHL-ready HDMI input, a USB 2.0 slot for thumbdrives, a universal I/O slot, and a microSD card slot, but the ML550 handled our 90-inch test screen with impressive results, and peaked at a 60-inch-or-so size. Much like the ViewSonic PLED-W800, though, the ML550 had us grumbling because you need to buy a dongle to achieve WiFi. Which felt as arcane at the time of this projector's release as it does today. And in another moment that felt anachronistic, there is no way to work with the projector via smartphone or tablet.
Sony VPL-FHZ55The Sony VPL-FHZ55 is designed to be installed once and not moved for a long time. At 26.5 pounds nobody will be volunteering to move it between floors, or even carting it between rooms. It measures 15.3" x 19.8" x 5.8" (W x D x H) and we believe it best positioned on a ceiling, even though that will make it even harder to ever move. With all that size, there is a lot to say about it. Noteworthy for being the first 3LCD projector - a projection chip technology popularized by Epson and Panasonic - with a lamp-less treatment, thanks to a blue laser light source deployed by Sony. For all that above hype and hubbub, the enormous price of about $11,490 (£7,000, about AU$12,540) should not shock you. It's seriousness isn't just from a top-out of 4,000 lumens, but the fact that it can go for 20,000 hours, reducing the routine expense of replacing burnt out lamps that projectors generally include. It is connector heavy, as it should be with that price-tag. The right-hand side is a full set of BNC/component inputs, an RGB D-sub 15-pin slot, DVI-D, monitor output and an HDMI input. On the opposite side is S-video, composite video, various analogue audio ins and outs, an RS-232C control jack (beloved of Crestron control systems, among others), the DC inlet, and wired LAN. Unfortunately, as we notice all too frequently even with the best reviewed units, there is no built in WiFi for the VPL-FHZ55, though it can be networked. And the last thing we'll note is that the VPL-FHZ55 needs some room. To fill our 80-inch test screen we had to place the VPL-FHZ55 about 11.5 feet away!
Epson EB-X11If you're looking for the jack of most-trades option, Epson's EB-X11 is a good place to start. Selling at about $620 (£409.99, about AU$754) or less online, the EB-X11 fits into the middle of the pack, with enough features to make most take it seriously. Measuring just 11.6" x 11.9" x 3.0" (W x D x H) and weighing 5.1 pounds, the EB-X11 is easy to move between conference rooms, or even buildings. One feature we were particularly keen on is the lens cover that instantly shuts off the lamp and speakers. The lamp inside the EB-X11 is more adaptable than some because of its relatively high brightness rating of 2600 lumens. Unfortunately it comes with a handful of flaws. The machine only projects to the 4:3 aspect ratio, and when you're showing photos (likely with black bars above and below, thanks to that ratio) you're not going to see the sharpest reproduction thanks to the projector's low resolution. Unlike other projectors we've talked about in this round-up, the USB slot on the EB-X11 can only handle photos, and the machine has no WiFi options. If all of those red flags aren't enough to dissuade you, and poor audio quality wouldn't either, then still consider the EB-X11.
ViewSonic PLED-W800Although it's less expensive than other ViewSonic models mentioned here, the ViewSonic PLED-W800 (about $808, £535, AU$983) still performs well. It earns its price tag thanks to ultra-portability, weighing in at 1.98 pounds and measuring 13.1" x 10.4" x 4.3" (W x D x H). With a lamp that can reach up to 800 lumens, you can still run a presentation in whatever room you can bring it to, provided you can shade the windows and lower the lighting. It comes with an SD Card slot, a USB slot, an MHL-ready HDMI input (for connecting DVD/Blu-ray players and also smartphones/tablets) and a VGA input for laptops. Much like other portable projectors we talk about here, just because you can pass video through this unit doesn't mean you should. For it's price, though, making you pay even more for an optional WiFi dongle (ViewSonic recommends its PJ-WPD-200, which brings Miracast and DLNA compatibility) feels like you're getting nickel & dimed. If presenting Microsoft Office documents is a large part of your practice, and it probably is, the PLED-W800 should stand out thanks to native support for presenting Word, Excel, and Powerpoint files directly from a USB stick or SD card.
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| Tech Bargains: TechRadar Deals: Android tablets, Nintendo, Xbox, headphones + more! Posted: 10 Feb 2015 10:34 AM PST  Each day TechRadar brings you great deals on tech products from around the web and today we've got some excellent bargains for you. How about we start with some great gaming deals? We've found Battlefield 4 for PS3 online for just £7.99. The super-fun Nintendo Land for Wii U is currently available for a bargainous £8.89. Sniper Elite 3 for PS4 has just been reduced to £24.99 while the Tolkein-tastic Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is now just £36.86. And how about excellent sneak-about title Thief, now just £16.98? Valentine's Day deals: quick links
TODAY'S HOT DEALS
Speakers: Need some stereo USB speakers for your desk? TechRadar has an exclusive deal for you on the GOgroove BassPULSE 2.0 speakers for PC and Mac. They're currently selling on Amazon for £19.99 but with our secret code TRADAR99 you can get them at half price - just £9.99!
Android tablet: Samsung is still streets ahead of many other brands when it comes to phones and tablets and the Samsung Galaxy NotePRO 12.2-inch Android tablet is one of the best products out there. It's currently available for just £324 at Currys.
Nintendo: If you're one of the many millions of people who haven't dusted off your Nintendo Wii in a while, perhaps today is the day. You can currently puck up Nintendo Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board all for just £19.99 at Amazon - have fun and stay active at the same time!
Headphones: If you're a runner and your headphones keep falling out of your ears, it's probably time to get some new gear. You can currently get the Plantronics BackBeat FIT wireless earphones for just £63 at Amazon - they're flexible and they're sweatproof!
Xbox One: And if you're an Xbox One gamer and you're tired of playing at home on your own, you're going to need a second controller. You can currently save £10 off the price of a new pad with the secret code FEBGIFT10, making the pad available at just £30. MORE DEALSSEAGATE Wireless External Hard Drive - 2TB - £84.98 at PC World Corsair Raptor HS30 Stereo Gaming Headset - £23.99 at eBay Pebble Steel Smartwatch - Matte Black - £144 at Amazon.co.uk BT 6510 Digital Telephone and Answering Machine with Nuisance Call Control, Twin DECT - £49.95 at John Lewis Logitech G502 Proteus Core Tunable Gaming Mouse - £44.99 at Amazon.co.uk SanDisk 16GB Cruzer Switch USB Flash Drive - £7.57 at Amazon.co.uk LG 47LB650V 47-inch Widescreen 1080p Full HD Wi-Fi Smart 3D TV - £479 at Amazon.co.uk Caseit Flexi TPU Case Cover for iPhone 6 - £4.52 at Amazon.co.uk Freedom Expression Ultra Slim Bluetooth Tablet Keyboard - £25.23 at Amazon.co.uk Pioneer X-PM12 Power Micro System with FM Tuner/CD/USB and Bluetooth - Black - £89.99 at Amazon.co.uk  |
| Interview: How the cloud is driving transformation across the business world Posted: 10 Feb 2015 10:30 AM PST We spoke to Nick Hyner, Director of Cloud Services, Dell EMEA, about how the cloud will play a significant role in future business practices across a wide variety of industries, and where the development of cloud services is currently taking place. TechRadar Pro: Who is driving the adoption of cloud within organisations? Nick Hyner: There are a number of factors driving cloud adoption within organisations. One of the biggest drivers is the business need to deliver applications as part of core services over multiple platforms to the end customer. Another comes from marketing and digital teams wanting to analyse customer behaviour around the world, in order to establish what to sell to whom, and through which channels. From an industry vertical perspective we are also seeing industries that monetise content such as media and music being forced by the changing market to embrace cloud as a central part of their business models, in order to remain competitive. Users expect to be able to access content anytime, anywhere, and cloud is the perfect enabler for this. TRP: Which businesses have managed to use cloud to turn a profit and what were the success factors? NH: I think the clearest examples would be social media, as well as internet-enabled businesses such as travel and insurance comparison or property information websites. Dell itself has used cloud successfully in a number of its services to end customers. One example of that is Dell SecureWorks that monitors and analyses cyber-security events to provide cyber-security managed services to organisations and governments globally. When you look at the scale of these processes, we're talking about the analysis of over 60 billion internet cyber-related events a day so cloud and big data technologies are essential. Success stems from identifying user needs to develop a cloud strategy, whilst having an overview of legal and operational elements in an implementation. If you have correctly assessed all of these factors, the next step is finding a cloud service or provider that aligns with your requirements, to help you turn a profit. TRP: How will new cloud security legislation help or hinder the industry? NH: Areas where cloud-specific security legislation will boost gains for the industry include increased certainty to customers. If there is a standard that can be reached that gives 'clearance' with regulators, then customers are more likely to adopt. The alternative is ambiguity which can frighten customers into inaction. Another area is standardisation across regions. If better defined mandatory 'regulations' were introduced across a single region, such as the EU, this could help vendors achieve compliance and scale regionally (and perhaps globally) rather than having to address localised interpretations of 'directive' based legislation. On the flipside if future regulations are either too regionally focused or prescriptive it may become a burden which will slow adoption. Furthermore, if fines for data breaches are increased it may mean that companies shy away from cloud innovation because of perceived risk. TRP: What will be the biggest areas of investment in the cloud over the coming years? NH: I think we will see significant investment in the following areas:
TRP: What were the most significant developments in cloud services that we saw in 2014? NH: The following developments:
TRP: Which sectors in particular are benefitting from cloud and these specific developments? NH: The following sectors:
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| Posted: 10 Feb 2015 09:42 AM PST  Features and FAQImagine everything you liked about cable. You probably enjoyed surfing the channels, watching the shows people were talking about when they aired instead of months after. And, if you were lucky enough to own boxes of a certain caliber, pausing and rewinding said TV shows in real time. Now, imagine everything you hated: the costly bill at the end of the month, the bulky, expensive equipment that marred the side of your house and entertainment center. Not to mention the service contract that never seemed to end. But what if you could get everything you loved about TV without any of those gripes? That, in a nutshell, is Sling TV. It's live TV streaming whenever and wherever. No contracts, no equipment and no costly statement. Sling TV? Is it the same thing as a Slingbox?While there are some concepts borrowed from Slingbox, Sling TV is in a different league when it comes to cutting the cord. Sling TV is a US-only service offered from DISH that allows you to watch the channels you'd typically find on basic cable for $20 a month without a contract, subscription to DISH or any pesky cable equipment on your roof or in your living room. What devices can I use to watch it?Create an account on DISH's website and use that info to login to the app on iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google's Nexus Player, Xbox One and Roku TV. The service will also work on select LG and Samsung smart TVs, and on Macs and PCs via a website portal. The service is expected to come to Google Chromecast later this year.
It's available almost anywhere and everywhere. Not once during my two-week testing period was I without service, something that couldn't be said about cable. The system is more eloquent than apps like TWC TV or Xfinity, and while the latter is almost universally available, trying to remember whose name and email you use to login can ruin a session before it even starts. What channels are available?Channels on the basic, $20-per-month plan so far include ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Travel Channel, CNN, Cartoon Network, ABC Family, Disney Channel and AMC, the latter just added for the launch in February.
FunctionalityNow, remember when you asked about Slingbox? Well, it's true, Sling TV and Slingbox share a few similarities beyond the first syllable. Sling TV allows you to pause, rewind and fast-forward live TV on some channels (note the word "some" there), and the ability to watch shows a few days after they've aired (I watched an episode of Cutthroat Kitchen at noon, despite the fact it aired at 11).
Also similar to Slingbox, Sling TV lets you watch its service on most mobile devices anywhere in the world. That is, as long as you can establish and maintain a bitrate of about 1.5 Mbps for high-quality streams, 0.8Mbps for medium resolution, and 0.5 Mbps for low-quality. Sling TV on RokuTechRadar was given two platforms to test Sling TV. One was Roku (specifically on a Roku 3) and the other was iOS, which we'll get to in a minute. By and large, the experience on Roku was everything I've come to love about a cable box: simple functionality, clean layout and crisp picture. Installing the app was as easy as going to Roku channel store, finding the Sling TV app and pushing it to my Roku 3. Coming from the home screen, Sling TV's interface loads up In a matter of seconds. The time it takes to get from home screen to live TV is astonishing - it's leagues faster than the time it takes my DirecTV cable box to boot up. Once loaded, the stream was crisp and clear. (This obviously is a YMMV situation, as my home setup isn't identical - or even necessarily in the same ballpark - as everyone else.) A quick test of my network showed I was pulling around 26Mbps over Wi-Fi, which worked fairly well at high-quality 1080p 99% of the time.
The only stark contrast to traditional cable, at this point at least, is the amount of content available on Sling TV. Comparatively, the 12 channels offered on Sling TV are just a drop in the bucket compared to the over-800 I have available on DirecTV. And because you aren't able to record a show like you can on TiVo, you're limited to watching whatever's on or whatever's been on in the past few days. Sling TV on iOSSling TV on iOS is a vastly different experience. Not only are you trading down to a smaller screen size, but you're also losing connection stability and clean interface of the set-top app. Using an iPhone 5S for testing, I took Sling TV with me for a gauntlet of daily errands. As you might expect, over LTE the stream was nearly flawless. Dropping down to 3G, however, presented real problems as seconds slipped away to buffering screens.
Problematically, when you return home, continuing what you were watching on your phone isn't as simple as starting up your Roku. You'll need to go into the menu, find the show you were watching and rewind it manually. Trying to use both a phone and a Roku at the same time won't work either. DISH is clearly (and rightfully) afraid of the account-sharing trap that has befallen HBO Go and Netflix, and doesn't allow two devices using the same account to run the service simultaneously. Overall, I found the iOS experience less enjoyable than the set-top app, but still impressive. Being able to take TV figuratively anywhere is an appealing, practical proposition for morning commuters or long-distance travelers. [Editor's Note: We haven't tried the service on Amazon devices, PCs or Xbox, however we will update the review with those sections when they become available.] VerdictSling TV is a great solution for users of a certain lifestyle, like restaurant owners who only use ESPN and CNN, or cord-cutters who know exactly the channels that they like. If you don't fall into those groups, you're not out of luck. The service is just starting, and with more content packs en route, your favorite set of channels may be just a few months out. Curmudgeons, however, could easily quote Shakespeare's famous line in Romeo and Juliet: "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." We likedAt its core, there's a lot right with Sling TV. It presents the clearest alternative to cable we've ever seen. Plus, when combined with a movie streaming service like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon and an HD antenna, provides a nearly complete solution. There's no setup, no fees, and no contract. It's simple, just the way we like it. Sling TV is also awesomely and incredibly convenient. Whether you're trying to quickly catch up on a show on the go with the iOS app or bunkering down for a marathon on your PC, accessing the service isn't a problem. We dislikedBut no matter how much I liked the service and its convenience, there are still some glaring issues Sling TV needs to fix to score my full recommendation. DISH still hasn't found the right balance between cost, content offered and features, like letting an additional viewer watch simultaneously or enabling every channel to offer pause, rewind and restart options. Seriously, the lack of pause and rewind on every station, or a way to record live TV to watch later, is a bummer. And while traditional cable may have cost upwards of $70 per month, there are easily over 100 channels of content available in those services. It can be argued that a typical user only watches seven or eight in a given week but, even so, the options are always there. Sling TV users aren't so lucky. VerdictYes, DISH is offering a $20 a month, contract-free plan that can be streamed to any mobile device and most set-top boxes. But that $20 could easily turn into $30 by the time you tack on the additional two packages. Add on a few more and you'll quickly find yourself paying the same amount you gave to the cable company before cutting the cord. And $20 a month for 12 channels doesn't present the same content-to-dollar ratio that a service like Netflix or Amazon Instant provides, especially when you consider that you can only have one device active at a time.
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| Why is the Broadwell-powered Zenbook UX305 already winning awards? Posted: 10 Feb 2015 09:36 AM PST  Asus has announced the Zenbook UX305, a sleek 13.3-inch notebook that comes with Intel's fifth-generation Intel Core M processor. Under the bonnet is a 128GB SSD that's backed up by 8GB of RAM. Intel's Broadwell chip has allowed laptop makers to introduce fanless designs, and the Zenbook UX305 gets the treatment. According to Asus, it features a thermal management design that allowed it to remove cooling fans to make it fast yet completely silent when in operation. The UX305 measures 12.3mm thick and tips the scales at 1.2kg. Connectivity-wise it has three SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports to offer a higher level of speed on data transfers, and it supports Asus Charger+ technology that makes it faster to charge up mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Rounding off the connectivity features is a USB-to-Ethernet adapter and a mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter for connecting to a display. Design for life
The Zenbook UX305 races of the traps with a design gong in tow having picked up the Good Design Award from the Japan Insistute of Design Promotion, and a place on the Good Design Best 100 list. Top level sound has not been left out of the ZenBook UX305's repertoire and the SonicMaster audio, which incorporates ICEpower, Bane & Olufsen technology promises to bring booming bass and crystal-clear vocals. ASUS has confirmed that Currys/PC World and John Lewis will soon stock the 1080p version of UX305 for £649.99. Currently pricing is only available in the United Kingdom, but we will update this article as soon as new information in the United States becomes available.  |
| Posted: 10 Feb 2015 09:27 AM PST  Introduction and designIt doesn't take a huge wad of cash to secure an Android tablet nowadays, but the experience at the budget end of the market can be frustratingly bad. It was only a matter time before someone aside from Google managed to produce a halfway decent, budget tablet, offering the full Android experience, but who knew it would be Tesco? Step aside Google, out of the way Amazon, it takes a British supermarket to show you how to make a jaw-droppingly cheap tablet that's actually desirable. If you're looking for a tablet for the kids, something cheap to use around the house, or an affordable option for the tablet-virgin in your life, the Tesco Hudl 2 is going be downright impossible to ignore. This is an accessible device with an HD display, solid build quality, and almost unadulterated Android 4.4 KitKat. You won't be shocked to find that the Hudl 2 costs less than half the price of the iPad mini 2, but it's also £70 cheaper than the Nexus 7. Every little helps indeed.
The Kindle Fire HDX, another competitor, has had a price drop down to just £99, giving the Hudl 2 a fierce run for its money. Building on the success of the original Hudl, which now drops from £119 to £99, Tesco's Hudl 2 is bigger and better in almost every way. There's a larger 8.3-inch HD screen, a quad-core processor that Tesco claims is three times faster, double the RAM at 2GB, and a slightly improved 5MP camera. I did not expect to be charmed by the Hudl 2. It only costs £129, it has a stupid name, and it's part of Tesco's bizarre plan to make and do everything. It was with some reluctance, reticence, and even regret that I put my Google Nexus 7 (2013) aside and took up my new tablet. Hudl round and allow me to explain how Tesco's tablet won me over.
Google's first Nexus 7 tablet made the smaller tablet form factor fashionable, but just as smartphone displays are growing consistently larger, so are tablets. When Apple decided to enter the smaller tablet market it chose to make the first iPad mini's display 7.9 inches. Tesco takes the trend slightly further with an 8.3-inch display in the Hudl 2. That display is the first thing you're going to notice taking the Hudl 2 out of the box and it makes a great first impression. The resolution has been significantly boosted to 1920 x 1200 pixels. That's a full high definition screen that matches the Nexus 7 (2013) resolution.
Colours are rich and vibrant, text is sharp and easy to read, and you can happily watch movies, game, or read on it for hours. It feels like quite a big tablet if you're coming from the older Hudl or a Nexus 7. The Hudl 2 measures 224 x 128 x 9 mm (8.8 x 5 x 0.35 inches). If you hold it in landscape then it's much wider and slightly slimmer than its predecessor, but exactly the same height. It's also pretty heavy at around 410g, compared to 370g for the original Hudl, and just 290g for the Nexus 7 (2013). I can hold the tablet one-handed for short periods, but if you're reading or watching a movie you'll want to prop it or your arm is going to get tired. Two hands are obviously a necessity for navigation.
It does feel nicely balanced and it's satisfyingly slim. The soft touch coating on the back wraps around the sides adding grip and making it very comfortable to hold. It feels most natural to hold it in landscape and the larger bezels at either end make this easy to do without obscuring the screen. Flip around to the back and you'll find a metallic embossed Hudl logo in the centre. Two fairly large speaker grills dominate either end and the camera lens sits above the right speaker grill at the top corner.
Still holding it in landscape, the left edge of the Hudl 2 plays host to a standard 3.5mm headphone port. The right has the micro USB port for file transfer and charging. Up top there's a volume rocker with a power button just beneath it. The buttons are plastic and they have a decent amount of travel. It's not hard to find and use them in the dark. The bottom edge includes an open microSD card slot for storage expansion with cards up to 32GB in size. It looks a little odd that the port is open and you can expect a bit of dust collection if you don't use it, but it's fairly unobtrusive.
Further along towards the middle of the bottom edge there's a surprise micro-HDMI out connection so that you can plug your Hudl 2 directly into your TV. This is a rarity on tablets nowadays and it's one that some people will appreciate because it makes it very easy to play content from your tablet on the big screen. The Hudl 2 feels surprisingly premium and it looks good too. I had the black model for review, but you can add some colour if you prefer as it's available in blue, turquoise, orange, pink, purple, red, or white. Based on the design alone I would never have guessed that this tablet was so cheap. Key featuresThere's little doubt that Tesco will shift truckloads of these over the holiday season and the key reason for that is the price. The Hudl 2 costs £129. You can also use Clubcard points to get money off. In fact Tesco's Clubcard boost can turn every £5 of Clubcard vouchers you have into £10 towards the Hudl 2. For regular shoppers looking for something to spend their vouchers on, this is a seriously tempting tablet. As an extra incentive you'll find some freebies in the box to help you explore Tesco's ecosystem. There are vouchers for £10 off movies, £10 off ebooks, and another £10 voucher for a month's free music trial, all through Blinkbox.
There are rumblings about the future of Blinkbox amid Tesco's financial difficulties, but they are just rumours. What I do know right now is it's a decent library of content and it's very easy to use. You'll find a large selection of the latest movies and TV shows on offer. I think £3.49 for a rental or £9.99 to buy a movie like 300: Rise of an Empire is too expensive, and so is £1.79 per episode or £16.99 for a series of Game of Thrones. But you can rent older movies for as little as 99p and there are some discounted TV shows as well. While they can't match Blinkbox's newer content, it's worth remembering that you can get access to unlimited streaming from Netflix or Amazon Instant Video starting at £5.99 per month.
On the music front, Blinkbox offers more than 12 million tracks, which puts it in contention with Spotify, Deezer, and the rest of the music streaming gang. There's a free ad-supported version of Blinkbox Music, but there's also a £1 a week option that gets rid of ads and allows you to create playlists (up to 100 songs). It looks very competitive for the budget conscious. You'll also find a smattering of Tesco apps with money off Tesco Direct, the F&F clothing range, and Tesco Photo when you spend a certain amount. Put all of this together and the Hudl 2 is a really great prospect for Tesco shoppers. Another key feature that sets the Hudl 2 apart from the crowd is the deliberate family feel. This is a mass market device that could be used by anyone.
There's a Get Started app that explains how to use the tablet in terms that your Luddite grandfather will understand. There's also a Top Apps selection highlighting Tesco's suggested picks. Naturally Blinkbox is front and centre, but refreshingly they do actually suggest some other competing services that are worth a look. Best of all there's a Child safety app that allows you to set up profiles for your youngsters and manage exactly which apps and websites they can access. It automatically configures based on your child's age, but they can request access to certain websites and you can tweak categories or make exceptions. Whenever you install a new app it will ask you which profiles should have access to it.
It also enables you to set time limits for usage. You can choose specific times or allocate a number of minutes. There are other apps out there that handle this kind of thing, but Tesco's offering is really nicely laid out and extremely simple. It compares well. If you're feeling a bit of Tesco overload by now, it's important to remember that none of this precludes you from using whatever you want from the wonderful world of Android. All of Google's apps are present and correct on the Hudl 2 and you can snag whatever you like from the Play Store. Interface and performanceThe Tesco Hudl 2 runs Android 4.4.2 and it's basically stock Android, just like Google's Nexus tablets. All Tesco has done is load its own smattering of apps and the My Tesco launcher. The launcher has some Tesco widgets pointing you at Tesco content and a basic app drawer.
You can't uninstall the apps, but you can disable them. You can also download a new launcher, such as the Nova Launcher and make it the default instead of My Tesco launcher. For many people the Hudl 2 will be their first Android tablet and it is clear that Tesco has acknowledged this with a bright and welcoming interface that greets Hudl 2 owners when it is first turned on. The bright and cheery welcome you get promises to help take you through the process of setting up the Hudl 2, including connecting to Wi-Fi and setting up a Tesco account. It's a nice touch for people who have never set up an Android device before, although it's a shame that some of the steps you're taken through revert back to the standard Android interface, leading to a bit of inconsistent experience. Once set up you're brought back to the bright and cheery Hudl interface, and a short animated introduction to the features of the Hudl 2 are shown. The main interface is essentially stock Android. You have three home screens to begin with, but you can add a couple of extras by dragging app icons or widgets to the edge for a total of five home screens. The app drawer is bottom centre in the permanent dock where you can configure three app shortcuts either side. The app drawer is slightly different in that it's just a big list of your apps, there's no widget tab in there. You long press on the screen to add widgets, or to change your wallpaper. Tesco includes a large selection of wallpapers featuring happy people huddling together. Pull down from the top left of the screen and you'll get your notifications. Pull down from the top right and you can access settings. Stock Android is a breeze to use and it's very easy to get to grips with. I found the My Tesco launcher a little bit laggy. The animation when you swipe isn't always very smooth and the widget can take a while to populate. When I switched to the Nova launcher navigation felt that little bit snappier.
Taking a look inside the Hudl 2 you'll find an Intel Atom quad-core processor clocked at 1.83GHz. It's backed up by 2GB of RAM. That's a major boost over the original Tesco Hudl and it does feel fast and responsive. For the most part apps and games are quick to load and you can skip back to the home screen with a tap. Geekbench 3 gave the Hudl 2 a single-core score of 792, but we're really interested in the 2147 multi-core score. I ran Geekbench 3 on my Nexus 7 (2013) and it scored 576 and 1896 respectively. When we tested the, much more expensive, Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 earlier this summer it scored 2722. What we can conclude from all this is that the Hudl 2 is fast and performs well. I ran some high-end games like Asphalt 8 and there was nary a stutter. It gets pretty hot around the back near the camera when you play graphically intensive games for any length of time, but so does my Xperia Z2 and my Nexus 7.
It hasn't all been rosy, there were a couple of moments when the Hudl 2 seemed to freeze coming out of an app. I suspect that the My Tesco launcher is the culprit there. It also completely refused to turn on at one point. I was watching Netflix, using the Hudl 2 to select content and streaming it to my Chromecast. I watched a couple of episodes of Suits and when I went to stop it, the Hudl 2 simply didn't respond to the power button. I tried holding it down for ten seconds, nothing. I tried holding down the power button and the volume down button for ten seconds, still nothing. The battery hadn't been low, but I tried plugging the Hudl 2 into the charger for a while anyway and the screen seemed to come on, but it was blank and dull. I read the booklet, but it has no information and the current technical support on Tesco's website still refers to the original Hudl.
After half an hour of charging I unplugged it and tried again, but it still wouldn't turn on. Finally I just sat holding down the power button and the volume down button and eventually the Hudl 2 vibrated and powered completely off. When it started up again it went through the boot cycle and worked as normal. I used the Hudl 2 with Netflix and the Chromecast again several times, but it never happened again. For the most part the Hudl 2 performed well during our time together. There's no telling how often it will get updates. My Nexus 7 already has Android 4.4.4, while the Hudl 2 is on 4.4.2 and I did check for updates with no results. We contacted Tesco about the possibility of the Hudl 2 getting updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop, but we've yet to hear back. Battery life and the essentialsBattery lifeTesco prefers to state "up to 8 hours battery life" rather than provide us with a capacity in mAh. I suspect that the battery isn't all that big, and that's a shame, because the Hudl 2 really needs a big battery.
I found that the battery drained very quickly out of the box, but it's not unusual for batteries to take a while to bed in and you tend to use new devices more than you realize in the first few days. There's also an additional drain from downloading and installing all your regular apps. After fully charging the Hudl 2, I gave it a lazy Sunday test. I surfed the web for a couple of hours, played Clash of Clans for ten minutes, watched two movies, and then the kids watched an episode of Spongebob. By the end of that it was dropping down to the 10 percent mark. Not too impressive. In an average week day with light usage you probably aren't going to have any problems, and you might squeeze a couple of days of use out of it between charges. Medium and heavy users are going to have to get used to charging it daily at least. Playing a relatively simple game like Duet for ten minutes drained the battery by 4%. Playing Asphalt 8 for ten minutes drained it by 6%.
Running our 90 minute battery test video at full brightness on a fully charged Hudl 2 reduced the battery to just 63%. That's a worryingly large drain of 37 percent. The original Hudl only lost 21%, the Nexus 7 dropped 20%, and even the relatively poor LG G Pad 8.3 only dropped 30% during the same test. The drop was so large I ran the same test again a month later. Sure enough, the battery dropped to just 64%, proving that our initial tests were no fluke; the Hudl 2 really is that bad at losing battery. If you want a tablet to take out and about on your travels, then you had better look elsewhere. The Hudl 2's weak battery shouldn't be such a big issue when you're at home with a plug socket at hand, but I'm still disappointed at its lack of stamina. The essentialsSince the Hudl 2 is essentially using stock Android the basic essentials are solid. The keyboard is accurate and easy to type on. The stock Android calendar, email, contacts, and camera apps are straightforward. You'll find the same redundancy you get on many Android devices with Google's Gmail app and an email app, as well as a Gallery app and Google's Photos app. It's not an especially big deal, but it's going to confuse some people.
In addition to Tesco's Blinkbox content offerings you'll find apps for ordering food, banking, clothes, managing your Clubcard, and Tesco's photo store. Some of them aren't apps at all; they're just shortcuts to the website. All are useless and eminently ignorable if you don't use Tesco. All of Google's content apps are there and you'll also find Google Maps. I tested it a couple of times and the Hudl 2 GPS was quick to get an accurate fix. You're not likely to use it for navigating, especially with the limited battery, but you could if you wanted to. You'll find Google's Chrome browser as the default web browser on the Hudl 2, but there is a slight oddity related to the parental controls for your children's profiles. If you set up a child's profile and limit web access then they use a special browser labelled Internet which keeps them from browsing anywhere you don't want them to. It works, but it's not as slick or fast as Chrome. CameraWhy do they put cameras on tablets? The Tesco Hudl 2 has no answer. Tesco has beefed up the main camera to 5MP, compared to the 3.2MP in the original Hudl, but the front-facing camera has gone the other way from 2MP down to 1.2MP. Megapixels aren't everything, but it would be challenging to argue that there's anything impressive about either camera in the Hudl 2.
It's a little strange that the front-facing camera has been hobbled when it's probably the more likely to get used, whether for apps or for making Internet calls on apps like Hangouts and Skype. The app is the stock Android camera app and it's very basic. You can switch on grid lines to help you line up shots, or you can swivel to the front-facing camera.
There's also a timer option. If you swipe in from the left side of the screen you'll reveal the menu where you can switch to video or try out the Lens Blur, Panorama, or Photo Sphere effects.
You can tap on screen to tell the camera to focus on a specific area or subject. It's pretty slow to actually take a shot and the quality is generally poor. Google's camera effects are a bit gimmicky and can be very frustrating to actually pull off, with repeated errors about moving too fast when you try to pan. The photos I took with the Hudl 2 were all bad. They lack detail, contrast is bad, and the camera can't deal with low light at all. There's no flash, so this is strictly a camera for well-lit situations. The video camera is equally terrible, struggling to adjust to changing light, blurring if you move it, and introducing loads of noise unless you're in a very well lit area. Camera samples
Click here for the full-res image
Click here for the full-res image
Click here for the full-res image
Click here for the full-res image
Click here for the full-res image MediaThankfully when it comes to the important things the Tesco Hudl 2 does the business. This is a tablet that's well-suited to watching movies and it's a pleasure to game on. The 8.3-inch display looks good and high definition content is available in all its glory. It is quite reflective and I found it was much more pleasant to watch movies or play games when I cranked the brightness up (which no doubt contributed to the battery running out fast).
I have to mention that the Hudl 2 has an Intel processor and apparently there could be some incompatibility problems with certain Android games. Intel is trying to break into mobile hardware and catch up with ARM and the two have been arguing about how big an issue the compatibility is in recent months. Every game I tested on the tablet worked fine, but it might be something to consider. The Hudl 2 also has stereo speakers featuring "Dolby optimised sound". If you're sitting holding it in the landscape position, as you will for the majority of movies or games, the speakers work great and you get a real stereo effect.
The problem is that they are both on the back, so if you rest the Hudl 2 on anything then it's going to muffle the speakers. It actually works best of all if you have it in your lap and cup your hands round the speaker grills to redirect the sound towards you. If they were front-facing that would be really ideal, but they are still better than you can reasonably expect to find in a tablet this price. The Hudl 2 can also serve up music in a pinch. I found that the speakers distorted quite easily when I was listening to music, so headphones or an external speaker are advised for music.
If you're a big reader you'll be glad to know that the Hudl 2 can definitely double up as a device for ebooks. The Blinkbox app seems to have a very big collection. It had everything I searched for from Bulgakov's Master and Margarita to The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson. You can always install the Kindle app or another reader if you prefer. As I mentioned before, the Hudl 2 is quite heavy so you'll probably want to prop it up if you're reading for a long time, but it's a comfortable tablet to hold. Storage is definitely an issue. This is a 16GB tablet, but you only get 9.12GB free out of the box. It will fill up fast, so you'll need to invest in a microSD card. The Hudl 2 will take microSD cards up to 32GB in size, so you can boost the storage up to around 40GB, which should be enough for most people. If you use streaming services like Netflix and Blinkbox Music then you possibly won't need a great deal of space on the tablet. However, if you like to play games you could run out of space fast. Asphalt 8 is 1.6GB on its own. You can also boost your storage with a wide variety of cloud storage options including 15GB with Google Drive, which is installed out of the box. CompetitionGoogle Nexus 7 (2013)
Google has had the smaller Android tablet market sewn up for a long time now, perhaps that's why we're still awaiting a new Nexus 7, or possibly a Nexus 9. The Nexus 7 (2013) has been on the market for well over a year. Despite a tidal wave of budget competitors and a serious challenge from Amazon, ask any tech writer "what's the best small Android tablet?" and they'll still tell you to buy the Nexus 7. Tesco's Hudl 2 is serious competition. It has a larger screen, stereo speakers, and it is significantly cheaper. Given the option between a £129 Hudl 2 right now and a Nexus 7 from Google at £199 I would definitely advise you to buy the Hudl 2. If you want something for the whole family to use around the house then the Nexus 7 is not worth the extra £70. Even at Tesco's price for the Nexus 7 which is £169, the Hudl 2 is a better bargain. The two tablets have exactly the same 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution. Look at them side by side, and because the Nexus 7 is smaller, it looks a bit sharper. Its screen is also a bit more vibrant, and if you angle yourself to the side it has slightly better viewing angles, but it's not enough to make a major difference, the Hudl 2 screen still looks great. Get rid of the My Tesco launcher and you've essentially got a stock Android tablet with newer hardware and an 8.3-inch screen at a lower price. The biggest compromise you have to make with the Hudl 2 is battery life. Amazon Kindle Fire HDX
The basic Kindle Fire HDX is now only £99 and it has a smaller 7-inch display with the same 1920 x 1200 resolution. The processor is clocked at 2.2GHz compared to 1.83GHz for the Hudl 2. The Kindle Fire HDX also has better battery life. Both are aimed at the family market. The Kindle Fire HDX has a range of user-friendly features like Mayday for instant technical help and easy screen mirroring. The big difference is that the Kindle Fire HDX locks you into Amazon's eco-system. You don't get Google's great range of apps and services. You don't get full access to the Play Store. Not only is there a smaller subset of apps available in the Amazon App Store, but some of them are older versions. Amazon provides its own set of apps, but they aren't as good. The Hudl 2 is more attractive because Tesco doesn't lock you down at all. The Hudl 2 also had a price advantage, but now that the Kindle Fire HDX has dropped in price by a huge £100, the Hudl 2 is now slightly more expensive than Amazon's tablet. iPad mini 2
At the premium end of the small tablet market we have Apple's offering. The iPad mini 2 with Retina display starts at £319. It's not really fair to compare the Hudl 2 at £129. As you would expect, the iPad mini 2 is faster, slicker, and all-round better, but at well over double the price it had better be. It has a 7.9-inch display at 2048 x 1536 pixels. It also has 16GB of storage, a 5MP main camera and a 1.2MP front-facing camera. I'm not going to argue the merits of Android vs iOS here, but on paper Apple's diminutive tablet does not look particularly special next to the Hudl 2's specs. In reality Apple optimizes its hardware and software to run harmoniously together and gets real world results that exceed expectations for the specs. A fairer comparison might be the original iPad mini, but you're still looking at paying £249. If you're invested in the Apple eco-system and addicted to that premium design maybe you'll see that added value, but is it £120 better than the Hudl 2? Tesco Hudl 2 vs iPad mini (original)With so many models on the market there's never been a better time to invest in a tablet and even budget buyers have a strong selection to choose from. The Tesco Hudl 2 and the iPad mini are two of the best affordable options available right now and both are great choices for first-time buyers or anyone who can't justify splashing out hundreds of pounds. As you can see above, there are better iPad minis on offer, but they're a lot more expensive. Either the Tesco or Apple option would make for a memorable Christmas present, but while they're both good and both relatively affordable we can see that not everyone would take to both equally; so to make deciding between them easier, here's how they compare! ScreenThe Tesco Hudl 2 has an 8.3-inch screen while the iPad mini is 7.9 inches. So Tesco's slate is slightly bigger but not enough to make a significant difference in use. They're both on the small side as tablets go, but that makes them more portable than larger slates and they're still big enough to comfortably web browse or get engrossed in a video. Both screens also use IPS LCD technology, which gives them better viewing angles than a standard LCD display would be capable of and we noted rich and vibrant colours on the Tesco Hudl 2, while the iPad mini has impressive contrast.
There's a big difference in their resolutions though. The Hudl 2 comes in at 1200 x 1920 for a pixel density of 273 pixels per inch, while the iPad mini is 768 x 1024, giving it a far lower pixel density (screen sharpness) of 162 pixels per inch, despite its smaller size. That makes text and images far less clear than on its supermarket rival and while you might not realise what you're missing if this is your first tablet, anyone who has used a high-end smartphone or slate won't be impressed. Design and buildThe Tesco Hudl 2 isn't the most stylish tablet around but nor is it ugly. It has a colourful plastic shell with a soft-touch feel, making it comfortable to hold and easy to grip, while at 224 x 128 x 9mm it's fairly slim, though it's quite heavy at 410g.
The iPad mini leaves it in the dust though, with a premium aluminium shell, a super-slim 200 x 134.7 x 7.2mm build and it's substantially lighter too at 308g. Looks aren't everything but they're a good start and the iPad mini definitely comes out on top in that area. Processor and RAMNeither of these tablets are packing top flight processors, but nor do they feel particularly underpowered. The Tesco Hudl 2 has a 1.83Ghz quad-core Intel Atom Z3735D processor and 2GB of RAM, while the iPad mini has a 1.0GHz dual-core Apple A5 processor and 512MB of RAM.
On paper then the Tesco Hudl 2 should be far more powerful than its fruity foe, but in practice performance is fairly snappy on both. Neither of these slates is quite as fast as a top end tablet like the iPad Air 2, but in general operation both perform well and we even found that the Tesco Hudl 2 could comfortably cope with graphically intensive games. If there's one black mark against the Hudl 2's performance it's that the 'My Tesco' launcher which it ships with can lag a bit, but as it's an Android tablet you can easily swap it for a different bit of software to speed things up. OSThe operating system that each of these tablets run is arguably the biggest difference between them, as while the Tesco Hudl 2 is an Android slate the iPad mini runs iOS. More specifically the Tesco Hudl 2 runs Android 4.4 KitKat while the iPad mini runs iOS 8.1. This makes a big difference: Android is incredibly customisable with widgets and tools that can make the tablet your own, which is good because, as mentioned previously, the overlay Tesco has put on it is a bit laggy, so you may want to replace it.
However while Android is powerful it's still not quite as intuitive as iOS and while both stores have a large number of apps available there are loads more tablet-optimised apps on Apple's store and more games too. On the other hand it's unlikely that the iPad mini will be updated to iOS 9 as it's getting on a bit, but the relatively new Tesco Hudl 2 may well receive an update to the new Android Lollipop, so is slightly more future-proofed. It's worth giving a shout-out to the Hudl 2's parental controls as well. These allow you to set up kid's profiles, limiting which apps they can access and even setting time limits for use. The iPad mini has similar controls but doesn't allow for multiple profiles or time limits. StorageWhile the iPad mini used to be available in a range of sizes the 16GB version is the only one that's still being sold. The Tesco Hudl 2 also only comes with 16GB of storage, but there's one key difference: the Hudl 2 also supports microSD cards of up to 32GB while the iPad mini has no microSD card slot. That means the iPad mini only gives you 16GB to play with, which can easily fill up with media and games, while the Hudl 2 can potentially provide up to 48GB if you buy a card and even more if you don't mind swapping microSD cards on the fly.
If you're not planning to store much content locally then 16GB should suffice, but it's nice to know that with the Hudl 2 there's the option to expand. BatteryTesco hasn't revealed the size of the Hudl 2's battery, instead just saying that it provides up to 8 hours of life, while the iPad mini has a 4490mAh juice pack, which Apple promises will keep it going for up to 10 hours.
In practice the iPad mini definitely has better battery life and should last around a day with heavy use or two to three days with more mixed use, while the Tesco Hudl 2 is unlikely to see you through a transatlantic flight, but could still feasibly stretch to a couple of days with light use. The upshot is that either device should see you through a daily commute and as use isn't likely to be as heavy as on a phone you'll probably be able to get through more than a day with both slates, but if you do have a whole lot of time to kill and only a tablet for company the iPad mini is a better bet. Price and verdictWhile both these slates are at the more affordable end of the market there is still quite a difference in their prices. The Tesco Hudl 2 is just £129, while the iPad mini is a pricier £199, or £299 if you want mobile data, which isn't an option on the Hudl 2.
So you're paying at least £70 extra, which is quite a chunk of change when the difference between the two isn't huge in day to day use. Whether the iPad mini is worth the extra is debatable. Sure, it has better battery life and a superior build quality, but it loses out in some ways too, with less storage potential and a lower resolution screen. It's arguably the more desirable slate, with a high-end build and brand name appeal, but it's not necessarily better and with its colourful design and parental controls the Hudl 2 is probably a better buy for children.
Tesco Hudle 2 accessoriesAfter purchasing your cut price Tesco Hudl 2 you'll probably have a bit of cash left over, so why not accessorise your new tablet with some handy additional products. Tesco Hudl 2 soft touch case
If you're in the market for an inexpensive case to provide a little extra protection for your new investment then the £20 soft touch case fits the bill nicely. The soft rubber finish provides useful additional grip and the screen cover means the display is protected when not in use - perfect when it comes to sliding the Hudl 2 into a bag. This case also doubles as a stand, allowing you to enjoy hands free video sessions, especially handy when on the train or in bed. Tesco Hudl 2 protective bumper
Planning on handing the Hudl 2 over to the kids? Then you might want to wrap it in this protective bumper - it's even got some funky stars on the back and it's available in blue and pink. It's a touch cheaper than the soft case at £15, but you don't get the screen cover/stand combo and it's not as subtle in the design department. It will, however, protect your Hudl 2 from various knocks and bumps and that's worth the price tag in itself. Tesco Hudl 2 keyboard case
Turn your Tesco Hudl 2 into a mini laptop with the keyboard case. This case with integrated Bluetooth keyboard makes text input a doddle. The battery inside the keyboard is good for 90 hours on a single charge, so you won't need to remember to pack a second charging cable if you go out and about. It's only available in black and at £40 it's one of the more expensive accessory options, but well worth it if you'll be doing a lot of typing. Hudl stylus
Compatible with the original Hudl as well as the Hudl 2, this simple stylus is available in five different colours and costs just £5. It doubles as a pen too, with a ball point pen at one end and a stylus tip at the other. Plus it works on other touchscreen phones and tablets, giving you real bang for your buck. Hudl kid's headphones
Is the noise from that game the children insist on playing at full volume on the Hudl 2 starting to really test your nerves? Get them a pair of headphones! Tesco offers up these highly affordable, Hudl branded pair for just £12, and sound is limited to 80 decibels to protect their tiny eardrums. Bless. Hands on gallery
VerdictWe're fast approaching the end of 2014 and the Tesco Hudl 2 could be the budget tablet of the year. The basic asking price of £129 is a real bargain and if you have Clubcard vouchers the boost could make it irresistibly cheap. For Tesco shoppers and Blinkbox users the vouchers in the box with the Hudl 2 are another added incentive. We likedThe 8.3-inch HD display is excellent. The 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution is enough to ensure that reading is pleasurable and the Hudl 2 is a really nice size for kicking back with a movie or a blast of gaming. It's great to see stereo speakers and they really enhance movie watching and gaming. If they were front-facing I'd be even happier, but they're still a definite plus point. The introductory Tesco apps are good and I can see them being genuinely helpful for tablet newbies, but the parental controls are the star of the pre-installed show. They're simple, effective, and well-thought out. The Hudl 2 is amazing value for money and Tesco's additional voucher incentives really make it a steal. We dislikedThe battery life is undoubtedly the Tesco Hudl 2's Achilles heel. Graphically intensive games and streaming HD movies drain that battery far too quickly. It's going to be a definite sore point for some people. That slight laggy feel at times is a concern, but ditch the My Tesco launcher and you should find it's much less noticeable. Hopefully the incident when it failed to turn on is a one-off freak occurrence. There's always an element of pot luck with electronics and bugs. It hasn't happened again, but I had to mention it, and it's the sort of thing that could really distress a tablet novice. Storage is not adequate at just 9GB free out of the box, so you'll have to invest in a microSD card. You'll pay around £10-£15 for a 32GB card, but that will give you a decent storage limit of over 40GB. VerdictIf you're shopping for a family tablet that you can share with the kids, this is it. If you want to gift a tablet to someone who has never tried one before, this is it. If you want a cheap tablet for casual use around the house, this is it. The Tesco Hudl 2 is not the best tablet on the market. It's not the fastest or the prettiest. It doesn't have cutting edge specs. What it does offer is a solid all-round experience at an unbeatable price. Pound for pound you will not be able to find anything better, at least until Google refreshes the Nexus line. If you want the best value stock Android tablet on the market, this is it. First reviewed: October 2014  |
| Updated: LG G4 release date, news and rumors Posted: 10 Feb 2015 09:02 AM PST -470-75.JPG) LG G4 release date, news and rumorsThe LG G3 is a phone that hugely impressed us, but there are a lot of things which could have been improved and some areas, such as battery life, in which it was even a step down from the LG G2. Times are a-changing too and while the LG G3 is still a fairly recent phone it becomes that little bit more dated with each passing month and every new flagship release. So it's not hard to think of ways that the LG G4 could be better. Thankfully most of the rumors so far suggest that it will be a substantial improvement. Update: New rumors point to a 3K display and a dual-camera setup, which would make for a markedly different handset to the LG G3. Cut to the chase
LG G4 release dateThe LG G3 was launched in May, so given that LG has so far taken to releasing one flagship a year we'd expect the LG G4 will arrive in or around April or May 2015. Having said that the LG G2 launched in September 2013, so LG has been a little inconsistent with its dates so far and some rumors even suggest we'll see the new phone at MWC 2015 in March, so that it's better able to compete with other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S6. May still seems a likely bet though, with another set of rumors pointing towards a later launch away from the hustle and bustle of MWC in Barcelona and a recent earnings call pointing to a quarter 2 release. LG G4 specificationsA recent batch of leaks suggest that the LG G4 could be a powerful handset. They apparently confirm that the LG G4 will sport the new Snapdragon 810 processor. The leaks also claim that the LG G4 will have a healthy 3GB of RAM and the camera will be boosted from the 13 megapixel resolution of the LG G3 to 16 megapixels. Though G4Games reports that LG has unveiled a new 20.7MP sensor, which could be headed for the LG G4. The key question then is how the brand will use this new technology after the snapper on the G3, which should have been awesome, was woeful compared to the competition. One rumor, this time stemming from inews24, is that the LG G4 will have dual rear cameras a bit like the HTC One (M8), though we'd take that rumor with a pinch of salt. LG has unveiled an own-brand octa-core processor, so that might be used in the new phone. If not we'd expect to see a Snapdragon 810, as that's also been rumored and is likely to be the processor of choice in 2015's flagships. With the arrival of the LG G Flex 2 at CES 2015 and its Snapdragon 810 processor, rumors that the LG G4 will sport a 64-bit chip have also been given a boost. There are reports that Qualcomm's 810 chip is facing delays, which could push back the launch of the LG G4 - although the chip maker has recently said progress is good with the latest iteration on Snapdragon. The LG G4 also looks like it will run Android 5.0 Lollipop straight out of the box, which is good news if you want a handset that comes with Google's latest mobile operating system. LG G4 design and screenWe've started to hear some rumblings in the technology underworld linked to LG's next flagship smartphone. It could be goodbye bezel on the LG G4, as the South Korean firm has launched a display with a super slender 0.7mm of fat around its perimeter. The screen in question measures 5.3 inches, which is a jot smaller than the 5.5-inch G3, and we'd prefer this smaller size as it would be easier to handle. The LG G3 has 1.15mm of bezel either side of the screen, so this new display could make the G4 look visually stunning. LG is apparently also preparing a fleet of bendable phones for 2015, following in the footsteps of the LG G Flex and the LG G Flex 2, and links are being made between this and the rumored G4. In fact LG quietly took the covers off a three sided smartphone at CES 2015 in Las Vegas - could this be our first glimpse at the LG G4?
We can speculate that the G4 will probably have at least a QHD screen, given that the LG G3 has one, though one wilder rumor based on a leaked specifications screenshot tied to the G4 suggests that it will have a 3K 1620 x 2880 display. There is also a suggestion that the LG G4 may pack a stylus in its body, but we'd be surprised if LG put this on its core flagship device. It's probably something that will arrive with a variant, like the LG G3 Stylus. LG G4 what we want to seeWhile we're fleshing out the details of what will be coming with the LG G4, here's what we want to see when we do: A metal chassisThe LG G3 sure does a good job of looking metallic, but that's all it is, an effect, and as soon as you pick up the phone the illusion is broken, so much so in fact that it actually winds up feeling cheaper than the LG G2.
So we really hope the LG G4 will go the whole hog and have a shell crafted from actual metal. Even Samsung's sticking metal in its phones now so LG really can't afford not to. We'd also appreciate it if they gave the G4 a unibody rather than having a removable back, as it's likely to feel more solid and premium as a result. Improved battery lifeThe LG G3 had good battery life, but it was actually slightly worse than the G2's battery and that's not a trend we like to see. There's steeper competition here now too, with Sony in particular doing well with the Xperia Z3 and the Xperia Z3 Compact, both of which have a whole lot of juice. A battery saving modeBattery saving modes are all the rage these days, whether it's Sony's Stamina mode, HTC's Extreme power saving mode or Samsung's Ultra power saving mode, but the LG G3 doesn't have one. Now it already does a good job of conserving battery on the fly, by adapting the display and slowing down the processor when the extra horsepower isn't needed, but it would be great if the LG G4 went even further and had additional options that could be toggled as needed, just to squeeze even more juice out. More powerMore power is an obvious wish and an increasingly redundant one as most high end phones are levelling out and delivering near faultless performance. But the LG G3 actually did noticeably lag at times. Maybe that's down to the QHD display, maybe it's just down to poor optimisation, but whatever the reason we really hope LG sorts it out and gives us a faster phone in the LG G4. A slicker interfaceLG could also afford to do some more work on its interface. The G2's was a cluttered nightmare and the G3's was a big step in the right direction, but still not as slick as it could be.
In particular we'd like to see improvements made to Smart Notice. This sits below the weather widget on the home screen and gives you tailored advice and suggestions, for example it might give you more details on the weather or suggest you add someone to your contacts if you call them a lot. The problem is it just doesn't work that well, often providing irrelevant advice, so LG should make it smarter or ditch it, we already have Google Now after all. A better cameraOn the whole the LG G3 has a pretty great camera, complete with optical image stabilisation and a laser autofocus. But while it performs well in bright light it's not so good in low light, relying on software to unconvincingly smooth over noisy shots, rather than taking good photos to begin with. So hopefully the LG G4 will improve in that area. Recent rumours have suggested that we'll be getting what we wished for, with the LG G4 coming with a 16 megapixel snapper.
We'd also like to be given more manual control. The LG G3 is great if you just want to point and shoot, but there aren't many options for those who want to adjust the exposure or ISO for example. A superior screenThis one might seem strange, after all the LG G3 is already QHD, but we're not talking about more pixels. Rather we'd like to see improved performance from the pixels that are already there. In particular the LG G3 suffers from a noticeable loss in brightness when not viewed square on, so if LG can sort that for the G4 we'd be pretty happy.
Water and dust resistanceWhile not exactly a headline feature, water and dust resistance are undeniably nice things to have. We have to wonder how many people ever actively make use of the fact that they can submerge their smartphone, but knowing that it can survive a little water gives us some peace of mind. Here in England it rains all the time and sometimes we'd actually like to be able to use our phone while outside, without first crafting a makeshift shield from whatever else we happen to be carrying / wearing at the time. Knock Code ImprovementsWe love Knock On – the ability to wake up your phone with a tap, but Knock Code, which takes things further by letting you also unlock your phone with a series of taps, just doesn't work all that well. The main problem is that if you touch the screen when picking the G3 up it registers that touch as the first tap and causes the pattern to be interpreted incorrectly. We're not quite sure how LG can get around that so it's a good thing we're not designing the G4, but hopefully LG has a solution because a feature which doesn't work is just an annoyance. Front-facing speakersWith support for high quality audio the LG G3 already does a great job when listening to music through a good pair of headphones, but its speaker isn't so hot either in terms of positioning or quality. For the LG G4 we'd like to see dual front-facing speakers, like those on the HTC One M8 and Sony Xperia Z3. It's a much more logical place for them, especially when you're watching something or playing a game. If LG can make the sound crisper and richer too then all the better.
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| Updated: Android Lollipop 5.0 update: when can I get it? Posted: 10 Feb 2015 08:45 AM PST  Google, HTC, Samsung and SonyIt's been a while since Android Lollipop was unveiled, but a lot of your handsets still don't have it, as it's down to individual manufacturers to bring it to their devices. That takes time, but we're finally seeing it trickle out to ever more phones, and many manufacturers have also revealed when they plan to roll out the update. Of course, there are still things we don't know, (only a few) but leaks, rumors and past form help us fill in the gaps. We're constantly updating this article as new information emerges so read on for details about your specific device and manufacturer and remember to check back regularly. The good news though is that if you don't have Lollipop for your phone yet you probably will soon. And the even better news: it's worth the wait, as it includes a smorgasbord of new features, a visual overhaul and numerous under-the-hood improvements to make if faster, more efficient and lighter on your battery.
Latest update: HTC has failed to deliver Android Lollipop to some users within the promised time frame, but One (M7) owners should start seeing it soon. One of the best things about buying a Nexus device is that they're first in line for software updates. As such not only did the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 ship with Android 5.0 Lollipop, but it's since been rolled out to the Nexus 5, Nexus 4, Nexus 7 Wi-Fi (both the 2012 and 2013 versions) and the Nexus 10.
That's most of the remotely recent Nexus devices accounted for, but it does leave a big question mark against the cellular versions of the Nexus 7 2012 and 2013. Those tablets should see an update at some, though Google has not indicated when this will be. Any Nexus devices older than the ones we've already mentioned are all but guaranteed not to get it, meaning that Nexus S owners are plum out of luck. Google has also confirmed that the Galaxy Nexus will not receive the update. HTCHTC has been more forthcoming with its update plans than some manufacturers and it's no surprise given how quickly it's started bringing the update to users. In a statement the company originally said: "We will begin rolling out updates to the HTC One (M8) and HTC One (M7) in regions worldwide within 90 days of receiving final software from Google, followed shortly thereafter by other One family members and select devices."
HTC has made good on its promise for some users, but not for others. The Google Play Edition of the HTC One (M7) has got the update, while unlocked and developer versions of the HTC One (M8) worldwide and the HTC One (M7) in the US have now been given a lick of Lollipop too. But owners who have a device that's tied to a specific mobile network or those with a One (M7) outside the US may have to hold on for a little while longer. HTC has addressed the fact that it's late with the update for many devices, citing issues with the initial builds of Lollipop, but assuring HTC One (M8) and HTC One (M7) users that the update will be with them as soon as possible. We're going to assume that most other HTC handsets released in the last 12-18 months will also get Lollipop at some point given HTC's commitment to the upgrade cause. As a general rule the more recent and high profile a device is the more likely it is to get an update. Indeed according to LlabTooFeR the HTC Desire Eye and HTC One E8 will both get updated by March. Another leak states the HTC One Mini 2 and Desire 816 will get Lollipop sometime in March or April, while the HTC One Max, HTC One Mini and Butterfly S have an expected Android 5.0 rollout of March-May.
As well as a fresh coat of paint, complete with new animations and a new multitasking and notifications screen, the update to Android 5.0 Lollipop brings new features to HTC's devices according to LlabTooFeR, including an 'Easy Mode', which simplifies the interface. It does this by putting core functions front and centre as well as upping the font and icon size, which could be handy for those new to smartphones or anyone with poor eyesight or dexterity. The update is also adding new accessibility options, such as colour inversion, colour correction and high contrast text. SamsungSamsung started rolling out Android 5.0 to the Galaxy S5 in mid-January, so most if not all S5 handsets should have it by now. So far the Galaxy S5 is the only Samsung phone to have made the jump in most parts of the world, but numerous other devices are expected to get Lollipop soon. We've heard news that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Note 4, and Galaxy S4 will be getting the update to Android 5.0 Lollipop at some point in early 2015. In fact it's now started rolling out to the Galaxy Note 3 already according to SamMobile, but only in Russia so far. Russian users of the Galaxy S4 should also be able to grab the update, while various European countries are seeing the update land on the Galaxy S4 LTE-A. Galaxy Note 4 users are still waiting, but Samsung recently updated the user manual for the handset to include the various changes and new features that the upgrade will bring, so presumably it will be here very soon. To whet your appetite before it lands it looks like photos of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 running Android 5.0 Lollipop have leaked on to the internet.
The Galaxy Alpha is also likely to get the update soon, according to Danny Dorresteijn, the co-founder of respected fan site SamMobile. He got even more specific about the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, claiming that Android 5.0 will land on it in February and if you're feeling very brave a leaked beta version of it for the Note Edge has now appeared on XDA.
Other Samsung handsets may have to wait a little longer, although we'd expect that most high profile devices released in the last 18 months to 2 years will get the update, including the Galaxy S4 Mini and the Galaxy S5 Mini. We doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S3 or anything older will get Android Lollipop. It's a device that's already over two years old and some versions of it didn't even get Android 4.4. Samsung doesn't seem great at updating its tablets either. There's a good chance recent slates like its Note Pro and Tab S ranges and even the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 will get Android Lollipop, but anything older or low end is probably not going to happen. SonySony has openly declared that it will be "bringing Android 5.0 Lollipop to the entire Xperia Z Series." It's even published a full list of handsets which are in line for Android Lollipop, so here we go... Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1S, Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z2 Tablet, Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3v, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact. The Sony Xperia Z Ultra Google Play Edition has already received the update.
As for the rest of its phones, at the CES 2015 convention in January, COO of Sony Electronics Michael Fasulo announced that it will be bringing Lollipop to its Xperia Z3 range starting in February, which presumably means the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact will be first. No further details were given about the time frame Xperia Z3 owners can expect to see the update, but carrier branded handsets may have to wait until March, as that's when Canadian network Rogers reckons it will have the update, while it claims the Xperia Z1 will get Lollipop in April. LG, Motorola, OnePlus, Huawei, Asus and ZTELGIf you have an LG G3 then depending on your network you may already have got the upgrade to Android 5.0 Lollipop, as Vodafone in the UK has brought Android 5.0 to all of its branded LG G3 handsets. By now many LG G3 users across Europe should have Lollipop, but the US is still waiting. On January 23 LG teased on Twitter that the update is coming soon, but it's not got more specific than that.
Next up seems to be the LG G Pro 2, which has already got Lollipop in South Korea and is now starting to get it in Hungary according to Phone Arena, so keep an eye on your phone, especially if you're a European user. LG G2 users might not have long to wait for it either, as LG has indicated that it has scheduled the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for it in the future and indeed it's already in testing according to Italian site Tutto Android, but we haven't heard anything about LG's other handsets. We imagine that in time the LG G2 Mini will probably get updated too and the LG G3 Beat and LG G3 S are both bound to get updated. MotorolaMotorola has confirmed that Android Lollipop will be coming to a number of its handsets in a post on the official Motorola blog. According to the post Android Lollipop will come to both the first and second generation Moto X, the Moto G, the Moto G 4G and the Moto E. A more recent blog post has announced that Android 5.0 Lollipop has begun rolling out to second generation Moto X and Moto G devices in the US. There are also reports from Android Geeks that some first generation Moto G's have received the update. But apparently these early updates are just a limited soak test roll out. Users who missed out on that shouldn't have to wait long though, as on January 13 Luciano Carvalho, a software engineer at Motorola, confirmed that the Android 5.0 Lollipop is coming to Motorola smartphones "really soon." Motorola has launched a helpful website where you can track when your handset will get updated to Android 5.0, which is being constantly updated with information about the upgrade process. Other Motorola handsets that will get Android Lollipop are the Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx and Droid Mini.
Motorola's UI is very close to stock Android as well so it shouldn't be as much work to get new versions up and running and back when the company was owned by Google it was pretty prompt with updates, unsurprisingly. Things might be different now that Lenovo's in the driving seat, but so far it seems like there won't be too long a wait for Android Lollipop on any recent Moto handsets. OnePlusThe OnePlus One is still bizarrely hard to get hold of thanks to the requirement for an invitation (except on Tuesdays), but if you have managed to get your hands on one you'll be pleased to know that the company plans to upgrade it Android Lollipop.
In a statement posted to the OnePlus forums a staff member confirmed that not only would its first and only handset be getting Android Lollipop, but that it would arrive within three months of Google releasing a final build.
Since then OnePlus has had a bit of a falling out with the makers of CyanogenMod, but that doesn't mean OnePlus One owners will be left Lollipop-less. OnePlus has got its own team of software developers together to make its own Android Lollipop fork, and the alpha build is ready to download right now. HuaweiHuawei isn't always the quickest at updating its phones, but the company has announced on its blog that the Ascend Mate 2 will get Lollipop in the first half of the year, while the Honor 6 will also get it in early 2015 according to GizChina.
Its recent flagship, the Ascend P7, shipped with Android 4.4 and we imagine it will probably get Android Lollipop, perhaps in early to mid-2015. We're less sure whether any of the company's other phones will get it, but fingers crossed. AsusAsus has confirmed that the Asus ZenFone 5, along with the rest of the ZenFone line, will be updated to Android Lollipop in April. The Padfone S will also be updated around April.
In June Asus will update its Padfone Infinity smartphone. So far though there's been no news about Asus' other devices, such as the Padfone mini, and when they will be updated to Android 5.0. ZTEIf you're one of the relatively few with a ZTE handset you might be wondering if and when Android Lollipop will be arriving for it. Unfortunately so are we and this is one case where it's very much an 'if' rather than a 'when'.
Fairly recent phones like the ZTE Blade V and the ZTE Blade Q Mini launched with old versions of Android and they haven't been updated, so we're not optimistic that they'll get Android Lollipop. NvidiaNvidia might not be high on most people's radars when it comes to Android devices, but gaming fans might be interested in knowing that the Nvidia Shield already has Android 5.0, as the update began rolling out at the end of November. Nvidia told us that "we've worked hard to support every official Android release in the past, as you can see with our SHIELD portable and our software team is always working hard to bring new features and the latest updates with no delay. We try to make sure that updates come as close to their announcement as possible." Clearly so far it's achieving that, so if you own an Nvidia Shield tablet you should be able to update to Android 5.0 Lollipop right now.  |
| Google will give you 2GB of Drive storage in exchange for one simple favour Posted: 10 Feb 2015 08:36 AM PST  Dangerously close to maxing out your Drive space? Fret not - Google is offering up an extra 2GB of storage, and all it wants in exchange is two minutes of your time to complete a security checkup. Really, you'll walk away the better-off party, as you'll have more Drive space AND better security on your Google account. The storage upgrade will roll out to accounts on February 28, but only if you complete their Security Checkup by February 17 - so get it done soon. You can read more over on Google's blog here.  |
| Review: mini review: Harman Kardon Soho Wireless Posted: 10 Feb 2015 08:20 AM PST  Continuing down the path of making edgy portable audio technology, Harman Kardon has whipped up the Soho Wireless. Like its Bluetooth speaker brethren, the Esquire Mini, these headphones are laden with classy detail and design. They even pack the same "that sound came from that tiny thing?" punch. The Harman Kardon Soho Wireless has a lot going for it, but there are a few problems. At $249 (£229, AU$318), it's coming in at a premium price point for wireless headphones. Does this offering justify the investment required? DesignThe Harman Kardon Soho Wireless headphones are petite and portable. Accents of stitched leather and stainless steel make up the frame. The materials themselves are inarguably premium, but the execution sometimes feels like a misstep.
The headband is wrapped in leather on the top and bottom and under this smooth detail, my first issue with the Soho Wireless. The headband padding is awfully stiff against my head. The lack of plush support makes them feel more like wearing winter earmuffs rather than a pricey set of headphones. Reaching down from the headband are the stainless steel sidearms. While they serve as the shiny highlights of design, the 6 adjustable notches also provide plenty of wiggle room to fit around my large-ish head.
Framed in the stainless steel bracket, the ear pads can swivel a full 180-degrees. For some extra portability, the hinges allow a 90-degree flex of the pads which allows them to achieve an impressively small form factor. Each earpiece sports a leather-covered appearance topped off by subtle branding. Facing the ears, the thin coating of leather fixed to the padding is perforated to allow sound to pass through. These pads feel breathable, thanks to the mesh material underneath the grille. Here, we'll also find the gamut of features. There's not much to see on the left, but the right ear pad is loaded. On the bottom, there's a 3.5mm alternative wired solution if you want to save battery. We also find the micro USB port for charging and the Bluetooth discovery button which doubles as a power button.
The right ear pad also boasts touch support for easy song navigation and volume control. Although you've only got a small area to move your finger around in, up and down accurately control the volume, with left and right swiping forward and backward between songs. One tap on the outside of the pad plays or pauses music and can also pick up phone calls. The Harman Kardon Soho Wireless hope to be the go-to set of sporty, yet classy wireless headphones. They have no problem achieving something special with the design, but how does it stand up to everyday use? PerformanceSpeaking on portability, the Soho Wireless are a breeze to carry around. I prefer to travel as light as possible and even without the included carrying case, these headphones fold up pretty nicely in my coat pocket. But you're not going to want to forget about the case. The leather headband was scuffed without incident, only the result of normal wear and tear. The sound that the Soho Wireless produces is generally favorable, but it doesn't get the recipe totally right. Treble is the high point here, with tunes like "Only In My Dreams" by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti coming through clearly. On the other hand, "I Could Be Underground" by Spoon shows that bass, while very present, is a little muddled and less defined by comparison.
I achieved just over 9 hours of continuous wireless play before I needed to charge again, which is a surprisingly good turnout for such a small package. The tether over Bluetooth was strong and never faltered. Calls come through without a hitch and the built-in microphones could pick up my quiet, inside voice as well as my "shouting outside in the streets of Manhattan" voice. The touch controls are responsive. You'd think that the conductivity of a leather surface would be pretty bad, but correct inputs registered every time. It should be noted that, if you're using the wire to save battery, the touch function doesn't work. You're left with expensive wired headphones without inline controls or a microphone. Comfort was a bit of an issue for me. I bring it up in every review of on-ear headphones that the on-ear style has its share of haters, but I'm not usually one of them. That said, these ear cushions are splendidly cozy, but the headband is about as uncomfortable as can be. When I first started using the Soho Wireless, I noticed a subtle hiss in the right ear speaker while listening wirelessly. As of late, I haven't noticed it but it caused some worry off the bat. We likedHarman Kardon is onto something here. The flashy design and stellar portability will appeal to many. On top of that, these headphones offer fun, and more important, useful features. We dislikedWhile the sound is approaches greatness for many genres of music, enthusiasts won't find much to clamor over here. And or as comfortable as the ear pads are, the headband is another story. More padding would have been appreciated for the price. The design is tight and aesthetically pleasing, but handling them is an exercise in caution. The leather scuffs easily and it makes toting them around in the included bag necessary. Final verdictIf you're in the market for stylish, portable, full-sized headphones, you'll really enjoy the Harman Kardon Soho Wireless. They make wireless listening easy and fun with the innovative touch integration. If the questionable build material and passable sound quality are a bother to you, check out the wireless Koss BT540i. They offer several similar features with stellar sound quality backing it up for a cheaper price.  |
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