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Nokia Lumia 610 Windows Phone budget smartphone review

Microsoft's Windows Phone may not have yet unseated Google's Android or bloodied the nose of Apple's iOS since it burst onto the mobile scene in 2010, but Nokia's latest release could mark a significant change in its current fortunes.

The Nokia Lumia 610 is the first Windows Phone for the cheaper end of the market - a sector which has been ably exploited by legions of low-cost Android devices.

With weaker technical credentials but also a more reasonable price tag, the Lumia 610 aims to expand Windows Phone's reach to younger mobile buyers. 
SIM-free handsets can be picked up for roughly €225 (US$285).

Should you buy the Nokia Lumia 610?

If you've watched the development of Microsoft's Windows Phone platform with interest but haven't been brave - or perhaps rich - enough to take the plunge, then the Nokia Lumia 610 is going to be right up your street.

Sony Xperia U Android budget smartphone review

The Sony Xperia U is the baby of Sony's Xperia family, but takes a lot of design cues from the more-expensive Xperia S.

In essence, the 3.5" device is a successor to the Xperia Ray, which was released last year to great acclaim.
Sony is one of the few companies that continues to build Android devices under 4", and the Xperia U is a great example of a device that hits all the right notes without breaking the bank.

Is this the right entry-level phone for you?
Let’s dive right in.

Specs:

- Google's Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread with custom Sony overlay
- 3.5" 480×854 pixel LCD display
- 1Ghz dual-core NovaThor SoC with Mali-4ooMP GPU
- 512MB RAM / 4GB internal storage / 1.9GB app storage
- 5MP camera w/ flash, VGA front-facing camera
- 720p video capture
- WiFi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1, A-GPS
- HSDPA 14.4Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps
- 3G: 850/1900/2100Mhz, 2G:  850/900/1800/1900Mhz
- 112 x 54 x 12 mm
- 110g

First look at ViewSonic Android Smart Display 21.5" 'tablet'

ViewSonic might not be one of the major tech players on the market, but one thing you can say about them is that they never fail to throw some curveballs come tradeshow time.

Computex 2012 was no different, with ViewSonic showing off what could legitimately be described as a 21.5” Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablet, called the Android Smart Display.

The 21.5” 1920 x 1080 HD display is anti-glare and multi-touch, and runs Google's Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
The 21.5” whatever-you-want-to-call-it stands on its own, and runs on a 1 GHz TI OMAP 4428 dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, with 1 GB of LPDDR2 RAM. WiFi connectivity and Bluetooth v2.1 support is also on board.
There is a front-facing 1.2 MP HD camera, one HDMI port, three USB 2.0 ports, a micro SD slot supporting up to 32 GB of storage, and a headphone jack, as well.
Audio comes from Supreme SRS Sound technology.

Apple unveils iOS 6 at WWDC 2012 - 8 best features

Apple spent two hours delivering stats, news, and demonstrations during its WWDC 2012 presentation on Monday.

Looking specifically at iOS 6, Apple's next-generation mobile platform adds more than 200 new features and is primed to debut this Fall.

Here's what looks good and what Apple appears to have left out.

Facebook: 
Apple has finally included Facebook integration in iOS 6.
It delivered Twitter integration in iOS 5, and that left many users crying foul over the lack of Facebook support.

That changes with iOS 6. Once it arrives, iOS device users will be able to fire off status updates, share photos, and share links directly from within other iOS applications.
The new sharing tools bring Facebook to the iPhone in a long-overdue way.

Apple OS X Mountain Lion new features preview

We were able to see an in-depth preview of Apple's next Mac Operating System (OS) - OS X Mountain Lion - this year at WWDC 2012.

Here are the big changes coming to your Mac this July.

 

Game Center

Perhaps the biggest news for gamers is the Mac's integration with Game Center - the gaming hub for iPhone and iPad.

Game Center allows you to play friends online, compare achievements ("points") and add friends - it's the Xbox Live of the mobile world, and now it's making its way to Mac with OS X Lion.

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablet - netbook quick preview

The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity includes a high resolution IPS screen and an improved front-facing camera.

Apple's market leading iPad is widely recognised as having the best display of any tablet on the market.
That appears to have come under heavy consideration at Asus headquarters, as the key feature of the Transformer Pad Infinity is a 10.1" super IPS+ screen with an impressive 1920x1080 resolution.

This resolution is likely to be an important milestone in the non-iPad tablet market.
Up until now, almost all 10" Android tablets come with a resolution of 1280x800.
The Transformer Pad Infinity's much higher resolution gives it a pixels per inch (ppi) rating of 224ppi, only slightly behind the new iPad's 264ppi.
This should mean crisper and sharper text and higher levels of detail.

Windows RT first hands-on preview

While Microsoft' Windows 8 was just about everywhere at Computex 2012, a few vendors also championed upcoming tablets running Windows RT, essentially Windows 8 running on ARM-based processors.

What we saw in demos from Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instrument was clearly not finished, but it was quite impressive and revealed interesting tradeoffs compared with Windows on traditional x86 architectures.

Windows RT is an exciting concept. 
It takes the Windows 8 experience and moves it onto the ARM architecture, but still looks pretty much like Windows 8. 

Developers who create Metro User Interface (UI) applications should be creating applications that work on both Windows 8 and Windows RT. 
The environment does have a desktop, just like in Windows 8, so the basic Operating System (OS) functions, such as file management, are very familiar. 

A look at Windows 8 Release Preview

Last week, Microsoft issued a "Release Preview" for the public to further test and evaluate the next version of its desktop operating system.

It reflects four more months of development and user feedback from the February "Consumer Preview," another word for beta test.

Compared to the Consumer Preview, the Operating System (OS) is much more complete.
It's not feature complete, as a new desktop theme that leaked out in March 2012, but you got a lot of new features like integrated Adobe Flash, all new starter apps, more customization of the Start screen, and a whole bunch of little tweaks here and there.

MSI Slider S20 Windows 8 tablet / ultrabook quick preview

The thing that makes tablets so terrific for some people and so terrible for others is, unfortunately, what makes a tablet a tablet:
Its lack of a truly convenient keyboard.

At Computex 2012, MSI is demonstrating that those days may be gone for good.
The Slider S20 is a tablet with, as you may have guessed, a built-in keyboard that slides beneath it.

Cheating you say?
Maybe, at least according to the standards of Asus, which demonstrated its Transformer Book (with a removable tablet) before Computex even started.

But don't be too quick to judge:
According to MSI, the Slider S20 meets all of Intel's requirements for an ultrabook and has even been certified as such.
It's driven by a third-generation Core (aka "Ivy Bridge") processor, is based on the Chief River platform, and offers a multitouch 11.6" (1,366-by-768) display.

Samsung ready to launch budget-minded Galaxy Pocket Android smartphone

It was just a couple of months ago when Samsung announced the arrival of their latest Galaxy family member.

We are talking about the up and coming Samsung Galaxy Pocket.
So what can we expect from this handset? And to whom is this suited for?

All of these questions and more will be answered in this article.
Read on!

With the phone’s name alone, you will instantly understand why is named that way.
This handset is literally and figuratively pocket-friendly.

Highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S III overall well noted by reviewers

Samsung’s highly anticipated flagship Google's Android smartphone, the Galaxy S III, debuts in 28 European countries, Africa, the Middle East and few Asian countries this week.

As such, reviews began pouring in across the Internet from those lucky enough to get their hands on the top Android smartphone.
Meanwhile, technophiles and Fandroids in the United States only hope the saying “Good things come to those who wait” applies.

To refresh your memory, the Samsung Galaxy S III runs a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor, 8-megapixel camera, 2100 mAh battery, and a Near-Field Communications (NFC) chip for mobile payments. Running Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Galaxy S III has a 4.8" Super AMOLED display and records 1080p video.

Samsung Galaxy S III Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone review

Android fans can finally exhale - Samsung's follow-up to the wildly popular Galaxy S II is here at last.

Simply dubbed the Samsung Galaxy S III (Galaxy S3), this beast of a phone packs a whopping 4.8" 720p-resolution display, quad-core processor and boasts a slick new design.

The Galaxy S III comes in 16, 32 or 64GB storage options but it also has a microSD card slot so you can further expand its virtual shelves.

Marketed under the axiomatic tagline 'designed for humans', read on to find out exactly how humanising the S III is as you poke and prod its shiny surfaces.

Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy S III?

The S III is not a phone for folk with modest mobile needs or small amounts of cash to spend on a blower.
Happily, those guys are spoilt for choice - with so many great mid-range Android phones to choose from which will serve their mobile masters as faithfully as Old Yeller.

Huawei Ascend D Quad Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone express preview

Huawei is a brand we would normally associate with low or mid-range smartphones that attempt to offer good value for money, but the Ascend D Quad is a completely different story.

Boasting a quad-core processor and a 4.5" screen with a 720p HD resolution, the Huawei Ascend D Quad will aim to compete with the best flagship Android phones on the market.

Huawei first unveiled the Ascend D Quad smartphone in February 2012, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) trade show in Barcelona.
At the time, it was the first smartphone with a quad-core processor to officially be announced, though it has been beaten by the HTC One X, which came to the market first.
With Samsung's hotly-anticipated Galaxy S III set to be in a shop near you very shortly (it already has been spotted in Dubai), Huawei will certainly need to get the Ascend D Quad to market fairly quickly if it intends to compete with the big boys.

Samsung Focus 2 Windows Phone review

Microsoft's Windows Phone may not have much market share, but you can’t blame Samsung for its woes.

It has released more Windows Phone 7 handsets than almost anyone.

Unfortunately since the release of the HTC Titan 2 and Nokia Lumia 900 in the last couple months, the Korean maker has been left as the only Windows Phone maker without a 4G LTE capable device.

Enter the Samsung Focus 2.
Capitalizing on the relative success of the original Focus, Samsung has made a phone that offers LTE for the best price yet.
But is it worth the deal?
Follow us after the break to find out. 

HTC One X Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone review

With new smartphones hitting the street on weekly basis and each sporting yet another new set of killer features, HTC's latest flagship smartphone needs to impress in order to foot it with other handsets from manufacturers like Samsung and Apple.

Let's look at the HTC One X Android Ice Cream Sandwich in detail.

LOOK AND FEEL
Un-boxing the HTC One X, the most immediately noticeable feature was its Gorilla Glass screen which goes all the way to the edges of the phone's curvy smooth polycarbonate chassis.

At 4.7", the One X feels like it's all screen, yet thanks to its pocketable weight (130g) and svelte design (it's a mere 8.9mm thick), it felt pretty comfy in the hand.

First look at highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S III Android ICS smartphone

After all of the rumors and speculation, the Samsung Galaxy S III is finally here but you probably have a few questions about this new Google's phone.

The Galaxy S III will go on sale in Europe at the end of this month.
No official word yet on a USA launch, except that it will come this summer.

Can the Galaxy S III Really Follow Your Every Move?
The Samsung Galaxy S III really wants to be your new best friend - your new psychic best friend.
According to Samsung’s somewhat creepy commercial (shown after the break), the Galaxy S III “follows your every move.”

Scared yet?

LinkedIn comes to Windows Phone with an app far superior to iOS and Android's

Microsoft's Windows Phone Marketplace can check another major app off of its wishlist.

LinkedIn quietly rolled out its Windows Phone app last Monday.
LinkedIn for Apple's iOS and Google's Android apps have been around for a long time, but now Windows Phone users are getting an especially slick and easy way to access all of their professional information on the site.

LinkedIn's Windows Phone app takes advantage of the platform’s Metro User Interface (UI) and Live Tiles, creating a very different experience from LinkedIn’s other app offerings.
You can still access all of the same resources, including updates from your connections, your profile, the latest LinkedIn news, groups you follow and your inbox.

But the Windows Phone app offers a couple of extra perks.

First look at Google Drive for Android

Google Drive was officially launched yesterday, complete with an Android app to help you manage your Drive.

Take a quick look at the official Google Drive app to see how it works.

You may have noticed shortly after the official announcement of Google Drive that Google Docs was no longer on your Android device.
Instead, you can find the Google Drive app in its place.

If, for some reason, your Google Docs app hasn't made the switch yet, you can download the Google Drive update to your device from Google Play.

Let's take a look at how the Android app integrates and works with Google Drive.

Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 review

An inexpensive alternative to an Android smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 ($149.99 / €114 list, 8GB) acquits itself well as a basic, budget MP3 and video player that also runs most of the 400,000 Android apps available.

It's for people who want to play "Draw Something" but don't want to deal a smartphone contract, and it costs US$50 (€38) less than the same-capacity iPod Touch.

But its low-res screen may limit its appeal to status-conscious teens who could make up its core market. 

Physical Design and Networking

 The Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 looks like a small budget smartphone.
Made of black and chrome plastic, it has standard MicroUSB and headphone jacks on the bottom panel and a matte back.

The front is mostly a somewhat-dim 3.6", 480-by-320 LCD screen with three standard Android touch buttons below it. At 10.6 by 6.6 by 1cm (HWD) and 119 grams, it'll fit easily into any hand and most pockets.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 review

We guess we have Amazon to thank for proving that you don't need a premium tablet to be successful.

While Samsung tried competing on the premium tablet front for the last year and will continue to do so, it's finding this strategy to be more difficult than anticipated.

With the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, the company is, thankfully, learning from its mistakes and taking a price cue from Amazon by offering a full-featured tablet for US$250 (€191).

The market isn't stagnant, though, so will Samsung actually have time to capitalize before more powerful and still cheap alternatives enter the fray?