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Showing posts with label Gadget Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gadget Review. Show all posts

2013 Best Android Tablet for Gaming

1:08 AM Lecor Martineau


The development of new chips that deliver zippier performance, smoother gaming, faster Web surfing, and longer-lasting battery life will soon make their way into new Android tablets. While the chips themselves -- and the high-end tablets that will house them -- have yet to be released, we have it on good authority that they'll deliver on their promise.

Gaming is an increasingly popular way tablet owners are spending time with their devices, and chip makers are paying attention. The gaming experience on Android tablets has improved in just the last year, and it's bound to only get faster, smoother, and prettier (and hopefully even more fun).

As of yet, however, the new chips don't have confirmed release dates, but if you're looking for an Android tablet that can deliver impressive graphics now, we've got you covered. We gathered every high-performance tablet we could find in the CNET Labs and put them to the test. Below are our top seven.

We've listed each tablet with as much pertinent-to-gaming-performance information as we could think of and have listed them here in order, from weakest to strongest based on benchmark scores derived from 3DMark.

3DMark runs a canned demo of a simulated sci-fi game called Ice Storm. The 3DMark scores are determined by three tests: two focusing on GPU speed and another on CPU performance. The tests were run on each tablet a few times, and the chart below represents the highest score for each tablet, with higher scores indicating faster performance.


Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1's overall sensible design and great performance make it one of the best Samsung tablets to date. The scores represent overall gaming performance, and is heavily GPU-biased, so despite the Note 10.1's faster CPU, its underwhelming GPU performance lands it last on the list.


CPU: 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos 4 Quad (4412)
GPU: Mali T400MP4 (quad-core)
RAM: 2GB
OS tested: Android 4.1.2


Samsung Galaxy Note 8
As one of the smaller members of the Samsung Galaxy, the Note 8 has one of the best-looking screens on a small tablets. It shares a few similarities with the Note 10.1, including the S Pen and unimpressive GPU performance matched with a well-performing CPU, but the Note 10.1's smaller counterpart edges out its competition with faster gaming scores.


CPU: 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos Dual (4410)
GPU: Mali T400MP4 (quad-core)
RAM: 2GB
OS tested: Android 4.1.2


Google Nexus 7
The Google Nexus 7 is still the best 7-inch tablet with its combination of comfortable design, good overall performance, at a low price. Games run smoothly, but never impressively so.


CPU: 1.2GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3
GPU: ULP GeForce (12-core)
RAM: 1GB
OS tested: Android 4.2.2


Kobo Arc
The Kobo Arc may be an unexpected contender, but its powerful GPU earns it a spot on this list. The PowerVR SGX544 delivers high frame rates in games, but from a design and features standpoint, there are better 7-inch tablet choices on the market.


CPU: 1.5GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 4470
GPU: PowerVR SGX544 (single-core)
RAM: 1GB
OS tested: Android 4.1.1


Sony Xperia Tablet S
The Sony Xperia Tablet S's Tegra 3 chip delivers gaming performance near the top of the heap, but a few show-stopping software and hardware bugs prevent it from being a truly great tablet.


CPU: 1.3GHz NVidia Tegra 3
GPU: ULP GeForce (12-core)
RAM: 1GB
OS tested: Android 4.1.1


Asus Transformer Infinity Pad TF700
The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 is one of our favorite Android tablets thanks to its sharp screen, thin and light design, and impressive gaming performance. Tegra 3 is beginning to show its age when dealing with the high 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution, but it's still fast enough to place at No. 2 on our list.


CPU: 1.6GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3
GPU: ULP GeForce (12-core)
RAM: 1GB
OS tested: Android 4.1.1


Google Nexus 10
The Google Nexus 10 tablet takes home the gold with its superior gaming performance. It's the fastest Android tablet we've ever tested and it's the first to house Samsung's Exynos 5250, a Cortex A-15 System-on-Chip with a Mali T-604 GPU. Overall, the tablet is great for all uses, but for gaming, it's the best Android tablet out there.


CPU: 1.7GHz Dual-core Samsung Exynos 5 Dual (5250)
GPU: Mali-T604 (quad-core)
RAM: 2GB
OS tested: Android 4.2.2

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Samsung Galaxy S4 In-Depth Review

10:37 PM Lecor Martineau


After months of speculation, the Samsung Galaxy S4 has finally been unveiled at an event in New York. With a larger screen, faster processor and range of new features, it's the company's new flagship smartphone.

As such, it's got more power and more up-to-date features than the iPhone 5 and pre-empts the upcoming iPhone 5S. We had people present at the launch to give us the lowdown on the phone and help us find out if it matches up to the hype. 


The first thing to note is that the Galaxy S4 looks similar to the Samsung Galaxy S3, and builds on that phone's looks. The Galaxy S4 is a little bigger, thanks to its 4.99in screen, but not as much as you might think: at 136.6x69.8x7.9mm, it's roughly as wide as the S3, but around 5mm longer, and around 1mm slimmer.

The result is the Galaxy S4 feels good in the hand and every bit as comfortable to hold as the S3. It's certainly not us unwieldy as the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

There are a few notable changes between the phones' designs, including a metallic banding running around the edge of the Galaxy S4. Clearly, Samsung felt the need not to mess too much with a winning formula, but we would have personally loved to have seen an aluminium chassis, as on the HTC One, rather than the plastic used here.


SCREEN
The 4.99in Super AMOLED display is gorgeous. It has a Full HD, 1,920x1,080 resolution with a high pixel density of 441ppi. While that's certainly impressive, the HTC One has the same resolution but a smaller screen, so a higher pixel density of 468ppi and the Sony Xperia Z has the same size screen and resolution, so has a matching 441ppi. What's important is that on all three phones everything looks pin-sharp and there's no danger of spotting individual pixels.

It’s worth noting that you can't directly compare the Galaxy S4 to LCD-based Full HD handsets, such as the HTC One. This is because Samsung continues to use a Super AMOLED display with a PenTile pixel arrangement. Simply put, this means there are only two coloured sub-pixels per pixel instead of three. The reduced colour resolution is made up for by the excellent contrast and blacks that AMOLED provides (as well as lower power usage), but it’s a matter of taste which screen type you prefer. When we saw the phone we found its screen bright and colourful, but we'll save a full opinion for when we can do a proper side-by-side comparison.

As expected, the screen can be operated just by hovering your finger over it, giving rise to two new features. Air View lets you hover over content, such as an email or photo, to preview it without having to open it. Air Gesture lets you change tracks, scroll through a web page or answer a call with a wave of your hand. We haven't had chance to try the system out yet, but this should make fine-control of the touchscreen operating system that little bit easier.
Gorilla Glass 3 helps make the phone durable, although we'd still recommend a screen protector or case if you're going to keep your phone in a pocket with sharp items, such as keys.


PROCESSOR
The phones at the event were kitted out with Exynos octo-core processors running at 1.6GHz. It's not strictly an eight-core phone, though, as it uses ARM's big.LITTLE architecture. The eight cores are divided in two, with four high-power, complex cores to do the heavy lifting and four smaller, power-efficient cores for more mundane tasks. The S4's architecture is designed so that the phone can switch seamlessly between the different types of core.

However, at the launch Samsung confirmed that the UK version of the phone will have a measly four cores. The good news is that the UK S4's Snapdragon 600 chipset will run at a faster 1.9GHz, which will hopefully go some way to making up for the cores shortfall.

The Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean OS certainly felt fast on the phone and web browsing was similarly as slick. We can't imagine that things will get worse with the UK version of the phone, but we'll have to save final judgement until we get our hands on a production model.


BATTERY
The battery on the S4 is an impressive 2,600mAh. That's around 500mAh bigger than the S3's battery and bigger than the vast majority of batteries used in smartphones today. With such a big battery it shouldn't have any problems providing all-day power.


CAMERA
The camera has been upgraded to a 13-megapixel model. It has a Backside-illuminated (BSI) sensor for better low-light sensitivity, although there's also a flash for when it's really dark. We took a few test shots in the dark demo hall and they looked fine on-screen, but actual quality tests need to wait until we have a test handset.

At the front is a 2-megapixel BSI camera. While it can be used for video calling, it can also be used with Samsung's Dual Camera mode, which lets you superimpose a shot from the front camera on the footage from the rear camera. In practice, this means that you can have your floating head, bordered by a postage-stamp frame imposed on the picture taken by the main camera. It feels a little gimmicky.

The front camera also serves a purpose in controlling the phone with Smart Pause. This technology knows when you're looking at the screen so it can, for example, pause a video when you turn your head and look away. As soon as you look back, the video continues. It's a neat way of using the cameras for more than just still images and video.


STORAGE
The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available in versions with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB of storage, although it's expandable by up to 64GB via the microSD card slot. Prices for the models haven't been announced yet, but it may well work out much better value to buy the 16B or 32GB models, then upgrade storage as and when you need it.


TRACKING
Samsung has said that the Galaxy S4 will get security tracking built in. This works in a similar way to Find My iPhone, letting you track a stolen handset online.

However, while Apple's implementation can be wiped out by resetting the phone, Samsung has got something more secure up its sleeves. By partnering with Absolute, which makes the Computrace laptop-tracking software, Samsung has got firmware persistence technology built into the Galaxy S4. In other words, the tracking software sits in main firmware and so it can survive a full hardware reset.

Security tracking is part of the Knox security suite, which is designed to make the platform more secure. It's aimed at business users, where it will also provide a business and personal side of the phone, so that you only have to carry one device. The work mode can be locked down and managed by your company, while the personal side is yours to do with as you will; importantly, both sides are completely independent.

We're in the process of finding out if the security tracking feature will be available to consumers, or if it will only be available to business users.


ACCESSORIES
As well as what comes with the phone, Samsung is also pushing the phone's lifestyle aspect with a selection of Galaxy S4 accessories. These range from health accessories that can monitor how active you are and your weight and heart rate, to a gamepad that you clip the phone into. There's also a wireless charging dock, so you can charge your phone simply by laying it on the charging pad.


RELEASE DATE
You'll still have to wait a while to get your hands on the phone; Samsung's official release date for the Galaxy S4 is 26th April, and this assumes there are no manufacturing problems, such as HTC is fighting with its HTC One. Official pre-orders for the phone are now open, as of 28th March.

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Best 802.11ac Routers to Choose From

10:11 PM Lecor Martineau


The latest 802.11ac standard is the latest and arguably the most anticipated Wi-Fi standard, thanks to its much faster speeds. Since it was first showcased more than a year ago, there's been an influx of new routers that support the new Wi-Fi standard.

There's a different side to this development, however: we can't enjoy the new 802.11ac standard the way we do 802.11n just yet. That's because as Wi-Fi standards go, in order to have 802.11ac Wi-Fi connections, in addition to a supported router, you'll also need hardware clients, such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones, that support this standard, and currently there are very few clients that have built-in 802.11ac support. However, Windows computer owners can quickly add 802.11ac to their systems via a USB adapter, such as the TEW-805UB from Trendnet. Mac users can rest assured that 802.11ac will soon be supported.

However, everyone can benefit from a good 802.11ac router, and that's because they all support Wireless-N. Basically, 802.11ac routers are N900 or N600 routers with support for 802.11ac on the 5GHz band. 

Here are the top 802.11ac routers on the market. These are the first routers from their respective vendors, so it's possible that better 802.11ac routers could be on the way.


Trendnet TEW-812DRU



The good: The Trendnet TEW-812DRU AC1750 Dual Band Wireless Router offers excellent Wi-Fi performance and ease of use at a low cost.

The bad: There's no wall-mounting option and the router's USB plugged-in storage performance is slow.

The bottom line: The Trendnet TEW-812DRU is the most affordable 802.11ac-enabled router on the market, and it offers excellent performance.


The Trendnet TEW-812DRU is by far the most affordable 802.11ac-enabled router on the market. At $150, it's in fact cheaper than many N900 Wireless-N routers. And the low price doesn't mean low performance. In my testing it's among the top three fastest routers on the market; it also offered a very stable Wi-Fi signal.

Its only drawbacks are the slow USB storage speed, when working with an external hard drive plugged into its USB port, and the lack of wall-mounting options.


Netgear R6300



The good: The NetGear R6300 WiFi Router supports 802.11ac and offers superb performance. It comes with a nice mobile-app-enabled Web interface that's easy to use.

The bad: The Netgear R6300 WiFi Router is bulky. Its mobile app only works within the local network and the performance of its network storage and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band could be better.

The bottom line: The Netgear R6300 WiFi Router is for a high-standards, low-ego type of user: it's not something you can show off aesthetically, but a powerhouse for a robust, fast home network, both for now and tomorrow.


The Netgear R6300 router is the first 802.11ac router I've seen that offered close to what the 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard is supposed to be. In my testing, it proved to be the fastest Wi-Fi router by far, when coupled with another 802.11ac client (which, by the way, was another R6300 configured to work as a media bridge). The router, however, works with all existing Wi-Fi devices on the market, offering up 450Mbps Wireless-N on each of its two frequency bands.


Asus RT-AC66U



The good: The Asus RT-AC66U 802.11ac Dual-Band Wireless-AC1750 Gigabit Router offers great performance on the 5GHz frequency band, and lots of features for homes and businesses.

The bad: The Asus RT-AC66U runs rather hot, and is relatively expensive.

The bottom line: The Asus RT-AC66U is an excellent router and is currently one of the best options among those that support the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard.


The Asus RT-AC66U is basically the N900 RT-N66U with support for 802.11ac. It has almost exactly the same features as the previous model. One of its novelties is the fact that it can work as a VPN server, making it an excellent choice for business users. Also, it's capable of hosting a cloud storage service when coupled with an external hard drive. You can also use a USB cellular modem with its USB port as a backup Internet connection if your DSL (or cable) goes down, or when you're out and about.


Buffalo AirStation AC1300 / N900 Gigabit Dual Band Wireless Router WZR-D1800H



The good: The Buffalo AirStation AC1300 / N900 Gigabit Dual Band Wireless Router WZR-D1800H supports 802.11ac and all previous Wi-Fi standards. It's very fast on the 5GHz band and is comparatively affordable.

The bad: The router's 802.11ac speed, while very fast, isn't close to what the new standard is supposed to offer. Its 2.4GHz band Wireless-N performance could use some improvement, and the support for USB external hard drives is limited and buggy.

The bottom line: The Buffalo AirStation AC1300 / N900 Gigabit Dual Band Wireless Router WZR-D1800H offers great value by adding support for 802.11ac on top of a high-end N900 router without increasing the price. However, the router doesn't have enough appeal for those who just need simple, low-budget wireless home networking.


What a crazy name, you might think, but the Buffalo has a good reason for the lengthy name: it was the very first 802.11ac router on the market. The vendor probably wanted to make sure that users would be aware of its new features.

Like the Netgear R6300, it supports Wi-Fi clients that use any previous Wi-Fi standard, be it 802.11n/g/a or /b, offering dual-band Wireless-N, with each band being able to provide up to 450Mbps of bandwidth. So even without any 802.11ac clients at home, you can still enjoy its performance, just as you would a Wireless-N router.


D-Link DIR-865L



The good: The D-Link DIR-865L Wireless AC 1750 Dual Band Cloud Router offers good performance on the 5Ghz band and can be easily managed via the Internet, using a browser or mobile device.

The bad: The DIR-865L's performance on the 2.4Ghz band and its network storage feature could be better. The router's cloud-based features are limited and fragmented.

The bottom line: The D-Link DIR-865L Wireless AC 1750 Dual Band Cloud Router makes a decent investment thanks to its cloud-based features, support for 802.11ac, and good performance on the 5Ghz band.


The D-Link DIR-865L is the first 802.11ac router from D-Link, and it supports the company's new cloud approach: you can manage the router via the Mydlink portal, using a Web browser or mobile app. Other than that, it's a decent router that offers excellent performance on the 5GHz band (with 802.11ac clients or Wireless-N clients). On the 2.4GHz band, however, its performance could use some improvement.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 To Be Release on March 2013

11:05 PM Lecor Martineau

March 15 or March 22 only suggest that Samsung's Galaxy S4 is coming to town a few weeks from now, and many are reviewing the list if the latest rumours about the flagship device would tally with the ones set for unwrapping next month.

Do we get to see jaws dropping by the time Samsung pulls down the veil covering its second 2013 handset masterpiece, the first one being the Galaxy Note 3 (which likely will debut earlier via the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona)? 



It's worth revisiting the specs that numerous reports said would practically make up the sleek look and powerful beast that is the Galaxy S4.
Is it quad-core or 8-core?

For some time, and experts agree, all reports about the latest Galaxy S smartphone point to a CPU upgrade that will see the S4 strutting the Exynos 5 Octa 8-core processor. Developed by Samsung, this replaces the Qualcomm CPU that came with the Galaxy S3 and is generating excitement for its apparent brute ability without gobbling too much battery juice.
But the storyline saw a twist this week when SamMobile reported that Samsung's premier handset will hum into its processing tasks with a maximum speed of 1.9GHz on a quad-core chip provided by Qualcomm again. It appears that some experts called it right in insisting that eight-core mobile computing will not be a reality until 2014.
What exactly are the display elements?

Earlier this year, the Galaxy S4 is said to sport a bendable screen, making the front portion of the device virtually unbreakable because the glass material covering its screen has been tempered for better flexibility. Samsung even showcased a prototype handset that bears the actual screen flavour.

It turned out, however, that the technology will only be ready for mass production by 2014, at the earliest so speculators trained their attention to the latest Corning Gorilla glass screen. There was even a suggestion that Samsung would wait out until June this year to launch the Galaxy S4 in order to make sure that phone rolls out with the best Corning technology to date.

Nothing is definite till now on the overall display attributes of the S4 except that it will have a better Super AMOLED rendering that is viewable on its 1080p 4.99-inch screen. Another possible addition, though remote by now, is on-screen gesture capability, with Samsung reportedly mulling the use of maXTouch S sensor that was first seen in a Sony Xperia handset.
Do we get to see real high-end camera offerings this time?

On S3, tech experts could only hand down decent remarks about the phone's 8MP rear-shooter. The euphemism also meant that Samsung could have done better because its snapper is easily beaten by the competition like HTC's One X, according to Gotta Be Mobile.

Hopefully, with leading smartphone brands fitting 13MP capturing tools with their products, Samsung would equal or raise the bar a bit higher. HTC has been bragging that it is jumping to the UltraPixel level via the HTC M7 (or HTC One), which maybe Samsung can replicate with last-minute adjustments prior to the Galaxy S4's launch time.
Will Samsung tweak the Wi-Fi signal?

This is crucial because as Gotta Be Mobile noted, all smartphones connect via Wi-Fi. And Samsung would further boost the Galaxy S4's appeal if owners can rely on faster and more stable wireless connection. This feature will be made possible if Samsung would use the new Broadcom 4335 5G Wi-Fi chip. When partnered with a compatible wireless router, S4 users will experience the best Wi-Fi technology there is, the same Gotta Be Mobile report said.
How much juice can be squeezed from the S4 battery?

From 2100mAh battery, the Galaxy S4 will reportedly pack a 2600mAh battery and paired with better chip components, the prospect of using the new Samsung smartphone longer in a single charge is much higher. And if Exynos 5 Octa CPU actually makes it to the handset, many owners should regale with the promise of 70 per cent less power requirement of Exynos. That means more gaming, media playing and communicating hours on the Galaxy S4 before users scramble to look for the nearest power outlet.
Will it be JellyBean or Key Lime Pie on S4?

The best bet, admittedly, is the latest JellyBean when the Galaxy S4 comes right out of the box. But many are hoping that Samsung would able to persuade Google into deploying Android 5.0 first via the S4. Tall order maybe but still possible. One can only imagine the smooth collaboration between the latest TouchWiz skin and Google's KLP, which later on this year skirmish with Apple's iOS 7.

We are so looking forward if all these questions or at least most of them will get the right answers in a few weeks' time.

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iPhone 6: Facts or Rumors?

8:54 PM Lecor Martineau



Here you'll find all the latest news on the iPhone 6 release date, the rumours, upcoming features and of course specs on the eagerly anticipated iPhone 6 update.

With the iPhone 5 release date still fresh in our minds it is no surprise that the rumour mill is already looking ahead at the next iPhone from Apple whether it's a refresh in the form of the iPhone 5S or the even bigger update in the form of the iPhone 6.



Apple iPhone 6 screen

With the Retina display likely to appear onthe iPhone 5S it would appear as though Apple may shift to a larger iPhone screen for the 6 with reports suggesting the company will finally try and compete with the screen of smartphones like the upcoming HTC J Butterfly.

Reports are flying around that Apple could be looking to implement a 4.8-inch Retina+ IGZO screen made by Sharp which will make the iPhone display thinner, brighter and much clearer boasting better than HD resolutions.
According to those inside the manufacturing industry Sharp is working on making its super HD display iPhone-ready however because the technology is so advanced it’s unlikely to appear on the iPhone 5S with Apple saving the bleeding-edge tech for the likes of the iPhone 6 and possibly even the iPad Mini 2.


Apple iPhone 6 features

With the iPhone 5 featuring the super-fast and super-efficient A6 processor it’s believed that the iPhone 6 will come with the new A7 chip which would be limited to the next-generation iPad and the 6.

The source that suggested this also believes Apple will be looking to launch the iPhone 5S quicker than usual in order to give them enough of a window for the iPhone 6 to be a significant update on the previous model.

A new feature that could well appear on the 6th generation iPhone is the use of sonar as a replacement to the current infared sensors which use sound as a proximity sensor letting the phone detect where it is, either as a way of alerting the user about an incoming object, or as a way of detecting whether the phone is being held to the users ear.


Apple iPhone 6 release date

The Apple iPhone 6 release date could well be one key reason why there may not be an iPhone 5S at all. Tech website Technorati believes that Apple will be looking to regain the wow factor and to do that it needs to restrict its launches to game changing products.

While they could well launch the iPhone 5S as the ‘budget iPhone’ the iPhone 6 will be the next major version of Apple’s smartphone and the website believes that Cupertino could be looking to release it late 2013 possibly even 2014 in order to compete directly with what would surely be the Samsung Galaxy S5.

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Apple iMac In-Depth Review

8:45 PM Lecor Martineau



The new iMac 2012 from Apple is thinner and more powerful than its predecessor but lacking an optical drive. Do you care?

Lest we forget, amid the ballyhoo surrounding the iPad Mini's announcement, that Apple simultaneously promised to give its new iMac range a fresh lick of aluminium. What seems like an eternity later and here we are, typing on said upgrade.


iMac 2012: Size and build

The biggest feat of engineering change rests with the incredibly svelte display, which measures 5mm at its thinnest edge. Used in high-performance engineering, Apple has employed 'Friction-stir welding' to create the super-thin, single piece of aluminium that surrounds the LCD screen.

However, while Apple claims that 40% of volume has been shaved off from the previous generation, the footprint depth of the whole unit is 6.9-inches - half an inch less than that of the iMac 2011.


iMac 2012: Screen

Those with narrow desks might find that the 21.5-inch LED-backlit screen is pressing up against their face, which is apt considering that Apple has actually brought the (non-Retina) 1920x1080 res, IPS LCD, 2mm closer to your nose.

Slap a new coat of anti-reflective 'plasma deposition' tech on the cover glass and you've got the most glare-free display we've ever seen on a desktop. Colours are full and vivid, blacks are full. It's a real showcase piece.


iMac 2012: Performance

Despite the trimming, Apple has managed to up the performance. Supplied with OS X Mountain Lion, the model we looked at had a 2.9GHz quad-core i5 processor at its centre with 8Gb of 1600GHz DDR memory, a 1TB Fusion Drive (more on that below) and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M graphics chip. Resource-hungry software, graphically demanding tasks and polygon-shifting games all motored along without a glitch.

It's not revolutionary (similar technology appears elsewhere), but it's more proof that Macs continue to compete with PCs on any level. However, something had to give and, for the first time in the iMac's 15-year history, there's no optical drive.

For some, this will be a necessity and a sour point. For others, they won’t be able to remember the last time they put a CD or DVD into a computer. Apple clearly wants you to ditch physical media, but still offers its SuperDrive (£65) and still supports Remote Disc.


iMac 2012: FusionDrive

Combining HDD and SDD drives to perform power-specific tasks isn't anything new but, in typical Apple fashion, the fiddly management is taken out of your hands. To put it plainly, the 1TB Fusion Drive is, essentially, a partition that uses SSD for things like loading apps quickly and accessing frequent files, while the HDD stores archive material and less-used software.

The clever part is how, depending on what you do and use, the Fusion drive will continually fine-tune its operation to give you the fastest computing experience possible. It sounds like a fragmentation nightmare, but seems to work a treat. Oh, and it only works with Mountain Lion.


iMac 2012: Connections

Connectivity wise, the iMac is bestowed with four USB 3, two Thunderbolt, SD, Ethernet and headphone sockets. All of which are located at the back. There's no FireWire but new dual-array mics for improved background noise elimination – effective in Face Time and Skype calls - and down-firing speakers, which impressed us in terms of high/mid clarity, if not a little bass flat.


iMac 2012: Verdict

The iMac 2012 is superbly crafted, highly-capable and with a screen to die for. Owners of 6th-gen iMacs need not apply, nor do PC fans that equate power to price. But, for anyone requiring the best-looking desktop on the market, which is also highly capable, meet your new best friend.

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Google Nexus 10 vs iPad 4: Head-to-Head Comparison

9:00 AM Lecor Martineau



It's all very confusing in tablet land: one minute Apple's making ten-inch tablets while Google settles for sevens, and the next Apple's making iPad minis and Google's unveiling the Nexus 10.


With a display so good you'll be able to see ghosts, the Nexus is a serious bit of kit for a seriously good price - but is it good enough to beat the latest, greatest iPad, the iPad 4?

Google Nexus 10 vs iPad 4: UK price
The UK price for the Nexus 10 is £319 for the 16GB version and £389 for the 32GB version. The Wi-Fi-only iPad 4 starts at £399 for 16GB, £479 for 32GB and £559 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + Cellular models are £499, £579 and £659 for 16GB, 32GB and 64GB respectively. Google doesn't currently offer 3G or 4G-enabled Nexus 10s.

Google Nexus 10 vs iPad 4: release date
iPad 4s will start arriving on the 2nd of November, while the Nexus 10 will be "available for purchase" on the 13th of November.

Google Nexus 10 vs iPad 4: content
The Nexus is integrated with Google Play and the iPad with the App Store, and while both services have stacks of apps - 700,000 for Apple and Google alike - Apple's offering has more dedicated tablet apps. From November 13, the same day the Nexus 10 goes on sale, UK Nexus users will be able to access the Play Music service, which has previously been US-only.

Google Nexus 10 vs iPad 4: display
The Nexus 10's screen is the main selling point here: its 10-inch panel runs at 2560 x 1600, achieving a screen resolution of 300ppi. That's far in excess of Apple's resolution, which delivers 2048 x 1536 and 264ppi. The Nexus 10 is a 16:9 display while the iPad is 4:3.

Google Nexus 10 vs iPad 4: processor
The Nexus 10 sports a dual-core Samsung Exynos processor with a quad-core ARM T604 graphics processor. The iPad has Apple's own A6X processor, a dual-core design with quad-core graphics.

Google Nexus 10 vs Apple iPad 4: memory
The Nexus 10 has 2GB of RAM. Apple doesn't publish specifications, but the iPad 4 is believed to have 1GB.

Google Nexus 10 vs Apple iPad 4: operating system
The Nexus 10 runs Android 4.2, aka Jelly Bean. The iPad 4 runs Apple's iOS 6.

Google Nexus 10 vs iPad 4: storage
The Nexus 10 is available with storage capacities of 16GB or 32GB, while the iPad comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions. Both devices need some of that capacity for the operating system, and neither device has a card slot for additional storage.

Google Nexus 10 vs iPad 4: cameras, sensors and speakers
The Nexus 10 has a 1.9MP camera on the front and a 5MP camera on the rear, while the iPad 4 has 1.2MP on the front and 5MP on the back. iPad cameras are flash-free, whereas the Nexus 10 has an LED flash. The Nexus 10 has stereo speakers and the iPad 4 a single speaker. The Nexus 10 has an accelerometer, a compass, an ambient light sensor and a gyroscope, as does the iPad, but only the Nexus has a barometer. It isn't there to predict the weather: it's to identify your altitude for better GPS performance.

Google Nexus 10 vs iPad 4: battery life
The Nexus 10 has a 9000mAh battery, promising 9 hours of video or 7 hours of web browsing. Apple reckons you'll get 10 hours of web, video or music, and nine hours of browsing using mobile phone networks.

Google Nexus 10 vs iPad 4: network
The Nexus 10 has dual-band 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi with MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output), but there's no 3G or 4G version as yet; Apple's Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad supports both 3G and 4G LTE mobile data. All iPad 4s also support dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, with support for channel bonding to achieve download speeds of up to 150Mbps. Both devices have Bluetooth 4.0, and the Nexus 10 also has NFC for Android Beam. The Nexus 10 has built-in GPS, while the Wi-Fi iPad does without. The Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad 4 has GPS and GLONASS, the Russian alternative to GPS.

Google Nexus 10 vs iPad 4: dimensions and weight
The Nexus 10 is 263.9 x 166.6 x 8.9mm and weighs 603g. The iPad 4 is 241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4mm and 652g (662g for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model).

So, what is your choice? Google Nexus 10 vs iPad 4?

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LG Nexus 4 Review

8:45 PM Lecor Martineau

Google’s Android operating system is used on hundreds of smartphones and tablets. But the flagship Android devices, the ones the company calls “the best of Google,” are labeled Nexus. They are meant to show the world all that an Android device can be, and are designed and sold directly online by Google. Next week, the company will begin offering the latest phone in this line, the Nexus 4.



This new phone is part of a Google-designed portfolio that now includes two other devices: The Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets. The phone, which features a new version of Android, hits the market at a time when Apple has had early success with its iPhone 5, and as Nokia and HTC are bringing out devices with a fresh version of Microsoft’s phone software, Windows Phone 8.


I found the Nexus 4 more evolutionary than revolutionary. It has some nice features and carries on Google’s recent tablet tradition of low pricing. But there’s no knock-your-socks-off stuff in the new phone. Even the new version of Android is just a further iteration of the current variant, called Jelly Bean, rather than an all-new edition, such as Google introduced last year at this time with the prior Nexus phone.

And the Nexus 4 is missing two important features: The ability to use LTE, the most consistently speedy 4G network in the U.S.; and a memory capacity greater than 16 gigabytes, the amount most smartphones start with. The new phone also lacks a memory-expansion slot. The phone’s most touted new capability, the ability to capture 360-degree pictures, worked poorly in my tests.

Otherwise, I found the latest Nexus to be a solid, reliable, phone and a good value. On Nov. 13, Google will begin selling it starting at $299 for an unlocked version — one that has no carrier plan or contract — with a puny 8GB of internal storage. A 16 gigabyte unlocked version will cost $349. You’ll have to add the cost of a contract or prepaid plan from T-Mobile, AT&T or carriers that use the same network technology to those prices (the phone won’t work on Verizon or Sprint). T-Mobile will be offering the 16GB version for $199 with a two-year contract. To grasp how inexpensive the Nexus 4 is, consider that Samsung’s popular Galaxy SIII is about $550 unlocked, $199 with a two-year contract.

The Nexus 4, built for Google by LG of Korea, has a large 4.7-inch screen with high resolution, higher than Apple’s 4-inch Retina display on the iPhone 5, though with slightly fewer pixels per inch because it’s spread over a larger display. The new Nexus is 20 percent thicker than the iPhone 5 and 24 percent heavier. But its curved rear edges made it feel comfortable in my hand.

It’s made of plastic, but is clad in relatively sturdy Gorilla Glass 2 on both front and back. There’s a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front and an 8-megapixel camera on the back. These cameras took sharp, vivid pictures and videos and you can apply filters to snapshots.

While I didn’t do a formal battery test, the Nexus 4 lasted a full workday in mixed use, including Web surfing, lots of app use, email, texting, viewing of short videos, occasional music playback and voice calling.

A new feature in the Nexus 4 allows you to charge the battery, which is sealed inside, without plugging in an adapter, by merely placing it on a charging pad plugged into the wall. These pads, which Google doesn’t sell, must comply with an industry standard called Qi. I had mixed results trying this. I tested it on two Qi pads and only one worked with the Nexus 4.

Instead of LTE, the Nexus 4 relies on a 4G standard called HSPA+, which is more common outside the U.S. This network standard can be as fast or faster than LTE in places, but in my tests comparing the Nexus 4 on HSPA+ with an iPhone 5 using LTE, the differences were often stark. In one location, the two were about the same, at just under 15 megabits per second for downloads. But in two others, in two cities, the Nexus 4 on HSPA+ managed average download speeds of just 2.8 mbps and 3.8 mbps, while the iPhone 5 on LTE averaged nearly 30 mbps. Some other phones offer both LTE and HSPA+.

I found voice calls to be clear and reliable, but the external speaker sounded weak and it’s worse when you aren’t holding the phone because it’s located on the rear.

The phone’s fast processor, coupled with improvements in the new version of Jelly Bean, called Android 4.2, made the Nexus 4’s touchscreen fast and fluid. One new feature of the latest operating system is called Gesture Typing, which allows you to compose text by swiping from key to key, rather than tapping them. This worked fine, but is similar to a system called Swype, which has long been available on other Android phones. Another nice feature in Android 4.2 is improved auto-correction. It now tries to anticipate the next word likely to be typed. So, if you type “Monday,” it suggests “night” and “morning.”

However, I found the most touted new feature on the Nexus 4, an enhanced panorama photo feature called Photo Sphere, disappointing. A Photo Sphere is a 360-degree image of a scene, in which you can pan around to see up and down as well as side to side. Google has made it easy to take such a picture, guiding you with blue dots as you move from around a starting point, automatically adding more of a scene in all directions until you decide to stop.

However, in all four of my Photo Sphere tests the results were poor. Objects like chairs, roofs and even people came out distorted and uneven. Google officials said they couldn’t explain my results.

Also, you can only fully share these Photo Spheres with others, for now, via the company’s Google+ social network. If you email them, they arrive as static scenes.

The new version of Android introduced on the Nexus 4 also has an enhanced version of Google search, which yields more answers, rather than just links, and speaks some of the answers back to you when you search by voice rather than typing. But the same new features were just released in a new version of Google search for the iPhone. In my tests, the iPhone version sometimes gave richer answers, such as hourly temperatures on weather searches, missing from the Android version.

Overall, the Nexus 4 is a good phone, with especially good prices for unlocked versions. But I’d advise Android buyers to consider other models with LTE, better speakers, and the ability to add more memory and work on all carriers.

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Top 5 Android Tablet in the Market

5:42 AM Lecor Martineau

Google's Android mobile OS is considered one of the best alternatives to Apple's iOS when it comes to smartphones and tablet computers. Unlike Apple's closed system of hardware and software, the open-source nature of Google's Android OS makes it inviting for many hardware manufacturers to try their hand at making an Android-based device. That said, it's a system that has been slow to bear fruit when it comes to viable competitors to the Apple iPad. 

The following five tablets represent the highest-quality Android-based tablets currently available.

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 
The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 is one of the fastest Android tablets out there, combining an already proven design with a better camera, a faster processor, and a beautiful screen.


The good: The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700's high-resolution screen rivals the new iPad's display in sharpness and clarity. Also, apps launch quickly, GPS works well, and its rear camera is the best I've seen on any Android tablet. The tablet's body has the same great thin and light design as the Prime.

The bad: So far, not enough Android apps take advantage of the TF700's higher pixel count. Also, its battery life isn't as good as the Prime's.

The bottom line: The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 is one of the fastest Android tablets out there, combining an already proven design with a better camera, a faster processor, and a beautiful screen.

Price: $488.00 - $560.91 


Google Nexus 7
With a beautiful screen, fast performance, a comfortable design, and overall great media options, the Nexus 7 is easily the best 7-inch tablet available and one of the top tablets on the market.


The good: The Nexus 7's quad-core Tegra 3 processor delivers fast performance and a beautiful and responsive screen. Also, it's comfortable to hold and Android 4.1 brings a surplus of welcome additions. At only $200, the Nexus 7 is a steal.

The bad: The lack of built-in expandable storage and omission of HDMI are disappointing, and the design follows the plain, black tablet mold. The top and bottom bezels are a bit too thick.

The bottom line: With a beautiful screen, fast performance, a comfortable design, and overall great media options, the Nexus 7 is easily the best 7-inch tablet available and one of the top tablets on the market.

Price: $199.00 - $244.98


Asus Transformer Pad TF300
Though it isn't as thin or as sturdy, the Asus Transformer Pad TF300 delivers Prime levels of performance at a more affordable price.


The good: The Asus Transformer Pad TF300's Tegra 3-induced performance more or less matches the Transformer Prime's and goes a step further with a better rear camera, faster Wi-Fi performance, a more responsive screen, and an actual (and official) GPS feature. Micro-HDMI and microSD return, as does the keyboard option. The $350 entry price makes the TF300 the best full-Android tablet value currently on the market.

The bad: The tablet's design isn't as thin, sturdy, or sexy as the Transformer Prime's and feels a bit hollow in comparison. The $150 keyboard dock is still $150. The screen isn't outside-friendly, like the Prime's.

The bottom line: Though it isn't as thin or as sturdy, the Asus Transformer Pad TF300 delivers Prime levels of performance at a more affordable price.

Price: $345.99 - $422.47


Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is the best Samsung tablet yet. If you can get over its somewhat high price, it's a sound Android tablet investment.


The good: The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 sports a proven, sensible design, a bevy of useful features, and fast performance. The S Pen Stylus is a unique addition.

The bad: Only a limited number of apps make full use of the S Pen and some of the ones that do can be buggy and confusing. Some S Pen features aren't enabled by default and others don't work properly.

The bottom line: The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is the best Samsung tablet yet. If you can get over its somewhat high price, it's a sound Android tablet investment.

Price: $469.99 - $629.95


Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 delivers a beautiful screen and fast performance but our enthusiasm is ultimately tempered when the price is taken into account.


The good: The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7's AMOLED screen provides gloriously deep blacks and superbright colors. The tablet is the thinnest small-form tablet yet and includes expandable memory, impressive games performance, and an IR sensor that turns the tablet into a smart remote control.

The bad: Two-year cellular contracts for tablets still stink, and even if waived, the subsidized $500 price looks like a steal compared with the overpriced noncontract tag of $700 staring you in the face. Also, an HDMI or USB port would have been useful.

The bottom line: The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 delivers a beautiful screen and fast performance but our enthusiasm is ultimately tempered when the price is taken into account.

Price: $399.99 - $529.99

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