HTC’s line of ‘One’ labeled phones (clearly inspired by HTC’s design firm One&Co) have really refreshed the look and feel of their devices, making them sleek, understated, power devices. It’s not just the devices undergoing a change, this new line of phones signals a serious refresh and reboot for the company, one that was sorely needed. But a reboot is only as good as the product backing it, and the One X doesn’t disappoint.

The overall quality of the new phones is superb, and the One X is their flagship. Wrapped in a sturdy curved plastic shell, which is just quite wonderfully slim and feels very comfortable resting in your palm, with a beautiful 720p SLCD dominating the front of the device, the X is one attractive phone.

Under all that minimalist covering is one of the most powerful phones available right now. With a thumping 1.5GHz quad core Nvidia Tegra 3 at its heart, the phone is brisk and responsive, and gaming is an absolute pleasure. Of course all this power comes with a price, and it’s not just your wallet running low. Battery life is decent, all things considered, but not stellar. You can expect about 4 hours under heavy load, and about 14 hours of average usage.

Specs

• Display:
  720 x 1280 pixels, 4.7 inches, Super IPS LCD2 capacitive multi-touchscreen, 16M colors, Corning Gorilla Glass
• Data:
  HSDPA 21 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, NFC, microUSB
• Memory:
  32GB internal (26GB available) storage, 1 GB RAM, no SD slot
• Camera:
  8MP, autofocus, LED flash
• Video:
  1080p @ 30fps
• OS:
  Android OS, v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• Chipset:
  Nvidia Tegra 3
• CPU:
  Quad-core 1.5 GHz
• GPU:
  ULP GeForce

Awarded best smart phone at CES 2012, the Nokia Lumia 900 continues the great trend set by the Lumia 800. The look and feel of the design is the same attractive, and comfortable, shape used for the 800 and several other nokia phones. While very similar to the Lumia 800 it does have some stand out features that set it appart. The 900 has a bigger display that really fills the larger frame and, like the 800, this is an AMOLED Nokia ClearBlack display, one of the few displays really usable in direct sunlight.

Of course the new 900′s real champion feature is its 4G LTE radio, one of the first phones available that supports 4G. The battery has also been beefed up, (an 1830mAh Li Ion) and performs really well, even with that power hungry 4G radio running 24/7. You can expect a full days average use on one charge, and about 5 hours under heavy load.

And to round it all out, the Lumia 900 comes in a variety of hues: Black, Cyan, Magenta, White. Already launched overseas, the 900 should be available soon in South Africa, although we don’t have any dates confirmed.

Specs

• Display:
  480 x 800 pixels, 4.3 inches, AMOLED capacitive multi-touchscreen, 16M colors, Corning Gorilla Glass
• Data:
  4G LTE(HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps), Wifi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, microUSB
• Memory:
  16GB storage, 512 MB RAM
• Camera:
  8 MP, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, dual-LED flash
• Video:
  720p @ 30fps
• OS:
  Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 Mango
• Chipset:
  Qualcomm APQ8055 Snapdragon
• CPU:
  1.4 GHz Scorpion
• GPU:
  Adreno 205

Ever since Microsoft debut the kinect controller we’ve all been aching for our favorite gaming adventures and genres to make good use of it. Alas this has proven quite difficult, with the majority of kinect titles feeling gimmicky and quickly forgotten. Now if there was ever a franchise that seemed perfect for kinect, the light saber and force wielding adventures of Star Wars would be it. Have they finally managed to pull off a great kinect game? Is swinging a light saber and crunching your foes with the force satisfyingly reproduced?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Overview

The long lost Jedi archives have recently been recovered and, along with R2D2 and C3PO, your job is to comb through the ancient tomes. The game has plenty of atmosphere, and you really feel like you are in the depths of the Star Wars universe, surrounded by familiar sights and sounds. From the archives menu you can jump into a variety of game modes, such as Podracing, Galactic Dance Off (yes really), Duels of Fate, and Rancor Rampage, but it’s the campaign mode that makes up the bulk of the game.

Gameplay

Each of the modes of play offer something interesting, Rancor rampage has you tearing through innocent villages as a giant Rancor, tossing people about and basically doing as much damage as possible. In Duels of Fate you get to relive some of the most famous duels in Star Wars history. The campaign follows the story of a Jedi Master and her Padawans during the Clone Wars. From here, you, and a partner, play as two fresh faced Jedis in training, working your way through a collection of scenes inspired by legendary moments from the Star Wars story.

While at first fun the game definitely feels targeted at a younger audience. Most modes also suffer from clunky and unresponsive controls, where often you are left frustratingly swing your arms about and having your character stare ahead like they’re waiting for the bus. All modes except Podracing support two players, which is really the best way to experience the game, especially in a family setting, with parents playing along with kids.

Conclusion

A great game for younger kids and families, but the overall experience lacks polish and depth.

Kinect Star Wars is available at Incredible Connection for R399.95

Plot

You play as one of five heroes who have stepped forward to defend the dark world of Sanctuary against two of the lesser evils, Azmodan and Belial. The old characters, having done their bit against the ancient evils of Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal, have been granted peace, and Diablo III players may fight as the Witch Doctor, the Barbarian, the Wizard, the Monk, or the Demon Hunter. Confirmed non-player characters include the pivotal Deckard Cain, his niece, Leah, and an additional character who follows the main storyline from time to time.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gameplay

Blizzard has done loads of custom development, and the game is supported on their own physics and 3D game engines to provide a rich, detailed, and destructible environment. Players will be forced to play online (via Battle.net), so an internet connection is required.

Additionally, some small improvements have been made to Diablo II gameplay – gold doesn’t have to be clicked on directly to pick it up, health orbs can now be picked up after killing enemies, there’s a new skills bar (enabling more skills to be active at once, instead of just one for each mouse button), and skill runes can be picked up to enhance or alter character abilities.

Conclusion

Speaking purely from what I’ve read, heard, and experienced as an avid Diablo II player, I can’t wait for this game to be released. It’s a bit of a pity that it’s only playable via Battle.net, but I’d seriously consider coughing up a bit of loot for even a slow line to get my hands on some of the Diablo III action. It’s guaranteed to keep you entertained for months, maybe even years – Diablo II certainly didn’t lose it’s appeal a decade after its release.

Competition

Of course there’s a competition! We have a Collector’s Edition and 2 standard editions of Diablo III to give away.

Visit this page at Gaminginc.co.za, and vote on the poll, telling us which character class you’d play first in Diablo III.

The 82-inch thick frame offers a tray-loading optical drive, along with a USB 2.0 port, Kensington lock slot and 4-in-1 memory card reader,  two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI socket, Ethernet jack, combined headphone / mic port and, a VGA port. The keyboard and trackpad are easy and comfortable to use and is studded with shallow keys.  The keys have a pleasant, slightly textured finish and the keyboard is also backlit.

On-board you’ll find a 1366 x 768 displays, a SuperBright Samsung screen with 300 nits of brightness, 1.6GHz Core i5-2467M CPU, 4GB of RAM, integrated HD 3000 graphics,  and 500GB 5,400RPM drive with 16GB of flash memory. The Series 5 makes use of Intel’s Wireless Display technology, which you can use to mirror your desktop on an HDTV or external monitor. In addition to blowing up your desktop on a bigger screen, you can also stream 1080p movies.

You’ll get about 5 hours of battery life on the Ultrabook. The the laptop sips very little power while asleep, so you could theoretically go days without charging it if you only needed to respond to emails in short bursts.

You’ll find pre-installed apps on-board as well: CyberLink Media Suite, MediaShow, Power2Go, PowerDirector and the YouCam webcam app; Skype 4.2; Norton Online Backup; Microsoft Starter 2010 (natch); and Windows Live Essentials 2011. The machine also comes loaded with a 60-day trial of Norton Internet Security 2012.

If you’re in the market for a mid-sized laptop with great performance you can’t go wrong with the Samsung Series 5 Ultrabook 13-inch or 14 inch.

The Samsung Series 5 13.3 inch Ultrabook costs R9999.95 and the 14 inch Series 5 Ultrabook is R10 995.95.

We’re offering massive discounts on 50 PS3, XBOX360, WII, and Nintendo 3DS games – they’re all available for R99! While stocks last!

Please contact your nearest store for stock availability.

The following games are available on special:

• 3DS MARIO KART 3D
• 3DS FIFA 12
• PC FIFA 12
• PC HARRY POTTER &THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2
• PC SIMS 3 FAST LANE STUFF
• PC SIMS MEDIEVIL
• PC ASSASSIN CREED REVELATIONS
• PC CALL OF DUTY MW3
• PC DRIVER SAN FRANCISCO
• PC DUES EX HUMAN REVOLTION
• PC JONAH LOMU RUGBYRAGE
• PC SAINTS ROW THE THIRD
• PC W40K SPACE MARINE
• PS3 HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2
• PS3 THE SIMS 3 PETS
• PS3 ACE COMBAT ASSAULT HORIZON
• PS3 DRIVER SAN FRANCISCO
• PS3 JUST DANCE KIDS
• PS3 RAYMAN ORIGINS
• PS3 MEDIEVIL MOVES
• PS3 PES 2012
• PS3 PUSS IN BOOTS
• PS3 RAGE
• PS3 RATCHET & CLANK: ALL 4 ONE
• PS3 RESISTANCE 3
• PS3 SINGSTAR AFRIKAANSE TREFFERS
• PS3 START THE PARTY 2
• PS3 W40K SPACE MARINE
• PSP FIFA 12
• WII LEGEND OF ZELDA SKY SWORD
• WII FIFA 12
• XBOX BATTLEFIELD 3
• XBOX FIFA 12
• XBOX HARRY POTTER &THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2
• XBOX NEED FOR SPEED THE RUNBOX THE SIMS 3 PETS
• XBOX ACE COMBAT ASSAULT HORIZON
• XBOX ASSASSINS CREED REVELATIONS
• XBOX DUES EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION
• XBOX F1 2011
• XBOX JONAH LOMU RUGBY CHALLENGE
• XBOX X-MEN: DESTINY
• XBOX PES 2012
• XBOX PUSS IN BOOTS
• XBOX RAGE
• XBOX RED FACTION ARMAGHEDDON
• XBOX SUPERSTARS VS RACING 2
• XBOX W40K SPACE MARINE
• XBOX WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2012

The special runs from the 26th of April 2012 and while stocks last. Please confirm with your nearest Incredible Connection store for stock availability.

To enter, simply buy an Acer Aspire M3 Ultrabook from Incredible Connection and visit www.incredible.co.za.

You’ve got until the 31st July 2012, or while stocks last, to enter this competition – so if you were ever considering buying a new notebook, now is the time.

To find out more about the Acer Aspire M3 Ultrabook, click here. And remember that until 31st July 2012, you save R1000 on this notebook – it’s selling for  the low, low price of R6999.95.

Download our opening weekend specials here.

Win one Kindle e-reader per day for 4 days!

We are giving away one Amazon Kindle 6” E-Reader 3G & WiFi each day during our Nicolway Mall store opening weekend. Make sure you fill in the entry form and pop it into competition box provided in-store.

Shop U8, Nicolway Mall, Cnr William Nicol & Wedgelink West, Bryanston

Strategic partnership with Incredible Connection marks Epson’s return to retail
Agreement sees Epson consumer and business products available through Incredible Connection Stores

18th April 2012, Johannesburg – As part of Epson South Africa’s retail-focussed strategy for 2012, the company has announced a partnership with leading local technology retailer Incredible Connection in a strategic agreement that will see Epson’s business and consumer inkjet printers available in stores nationwide from the 26th April 2012. The agreement will also mark Incredible Connection as Epson’s principal mass retail partner in South Africa.

“Epson has recently expanded its range of consumer and business printers, which have seen impressive market share gains throughout Europe. We believe it is time to implement the same strategy locally, and make our wide range of Epson products more accessible to South African consumers,” says Kelvin Reynolds, general manager for Epson South Africa.

“As South Africa’s leading technology retailer, Incredible Connection serves a significant market share in the printer retail category in our country. For Epson to quickly gain acceptance and market share, the synergy with Incredible Connection makes perfect sense, taking into account our growing national foot print of 62 stores. Epson’s exciting product offering is also very much aligned with Incredible Connection’s customer profile,” says Stefan Marnewick, acting CEO of Incredible Connection.

The first Epson products to be available in store will be a range of Epson’s compact colour printers, small and home office all-in-one printers and multifunctional business inkjet printers. A full range of consumables and media for these devices will also be available in store. A selection of Epson’s home cinema and business projectors will be made available in due course, as will Epson’s entry level business laser printers.

“One of the products that we are particularly excited to introduce to Incredible Connection customers is the Epson WorkForce Pro printer. This printer is specifically designed to offer cost and energy efficiency, high quality output and durability to enterprise workgroups as well as small and medium-sized businesses,” says Reynolds. “It offers a genuine alternative to a laser printer, and provides a cost saving of up to 50% per page and a massive 80 percent reduction in energy consumption compared to competitive lasers.”

“We have seen our customers becoming more and more aware of the environmental impact of their technology usage. Printing costs are also a big consideration in customer spending and consumption patterns. We believe the Epson printer range will address both these concerns with their lower energy consumption and cost reduction when compared to other alternatives,” adds Marnewick.

In addition, Epson will be sharing the benefits of its global sponsorship of British football team Manchester United with Incredible Connection customers through a series of competitions that will see winners jetting off to the UK with a partner to attend a Manchester United football match at the revered Old Trafford football ground.

“Epson’s sponsorship of this internationally successful team allows us the opportunity to reward Incredible Connection customers for their support of Epson,” Reynolds says. “Any customer purchasing an Epson product, whether it’s a printer, projector, or ink or toner cartridge, is eligible to enter the competitions which we’ll be running over the course of the year.”

Click here to download the specials. Valid from the 19 – 22 April 2012.

Stand a chance to win a notebook per day for 4 days!

During our opening specials at the Middelburg store, you can win 1 Lenovo G570 Celeron B800 Notebook valued at R3500, every day! So make sure you head down to our Middelburg store to enter.