Starting from the cheapest model, the affordable LG Optimus L3 sports a 3.2-inch display and will be running Android Gingerbread (2.3). You’ll also find a 240 x 320 pixel resolution display, along with a 3-megapixel rear camera. Marketed as a mid-range handset, the Optimus L5 and will sport a 4-inch screen. We were also happy to hear that the L5 will ship with Ice Cream Sandwich ready and raring to go, as well as having a screen designed for ‘enhanced readibility.’The higher end device in this series will be the Optimus L7. LG have been very tight-lipped with details so far, but we can tell you it will sport a 4.3-inch display and ship with ICS.

The final device we’ve had the pleasure of hearing about is the LG Optimus VU, and on first glance, it looks remarkably similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note. This 5-inch display ‘phablet’ includes a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU, 32GB of built-in memory and a 8-mega pixel camera with full HD recording. We were a little disappointed that the Vu will ship with Android 2.3, and have a rather odd-sounding 4:3 ratio display.

The fourth installment to the already sterling Zenonia series is an impressive specimen.

From the get go you’ll recognise all the usual role playing game elements; including things such as gaining XP, random quests, and a thorough levelling up system.

You play as Regret who, along with several other party members you meet on your travels, attempts to

rid the world of an ancient evil. As with any great RPG, you’d expect each character to bring something different to your team, and in nearly every case, this works well in Zenonia 4.

The sheer variety of armour, weapons and items allows you to customise your team till your hearts content, and we were surprised with the level of detail the game shows. This can also be said about the levelling system within Zenonia 4, it really is second to none.

You’ll find top-notch animations throughout the whole of your time with Zenonia, with characters, enemies and places all looking unique in their own way. If your device does start to lag at some point, you can lower the graphics quality in the options menu. The lower quality graphics do look a little rough around the edges, but don’t detract from the gameplay, or enjoyment of the game one bit.

After completing the lengthy single player campaign, you may decide to jump online and test your me

tal against other players. In the case of Zenonia 4, this comes in the form of 2-on-2 battles in which you team up with a similar skilled player to kill 2 opponents. There’s also a 1-on-1 mode, but it doesn’t have the same fun factor as the other mode.

If you’re on the lookout for a sprawling RPG with all the elements you would expect in a classic, with characters that are well thought out and offer something different, then Zenonia 4 is an essential game. For a free download, do yourself a favour and get lost in the world of Zenonia.

Ice Cream Sandwich is the focus of attention in issue 8 of Android Magazine. We take a look at when your phone or tablet will be getting the update and what to do when it arrives. We also take a look at which handsets have current unofficial builds of the new OS, and how you can install one today if you can’t wait for the official update to arrive.

Also in this issue we delve headlong into the Android Market to discover the 50 best apps you’ve probably never heard of, but should download today.

Also inside:

Galaxy Nexus vs the rest
The first Android 4 phone takes on the competition

Essential free stuff
The wallet-friendly way to use your smartphone

Plus:

- Android around the world
- Sony Xperia S first look
- Orange San Francisco II
- HTC Explorer
- Archos 101 G9
- Motorola Xoom 2
- Samsung Xcover
- How to unroot your phone
- Cooking apps on test
- Location searching with Google Maps

Android Magazine issue 8 is on sale now from all good newsagents, and you can also buy online.

Or to ensure you never miss a copy of the world’s best Android magazine subscribe today!

The front of the speaker is encompassed by a metallic grille, while the rest of the speaker is coated in a thick plastic.

We were a little disappointed with the plasticky feel of the PLAY:3 system, but the same cannot be said about its bigger brother which pulls off the plastic design well.

Along the back of the PLAY:5 system is a variety of ports. You’ll find the standard headphone jack, analog audio port, 2 ethernet ports and the mains input. On the top of the speaker you’ll also find some handy volume controls, as well as a mute button.

After connecting the speaker to the Sonos: Bridge you’ll be able to start streaming music throughout your home. Connecting it to the bridge is easy enough, but having to pay £49 for the privilege does seem a little steep.

For the price, you’d expect nothing but perfection when it comes to sound quality with the PLAY:5 speaker, and that’s exactly what you get.

Beneath the grille you’ll find 5 digital amplifiers giving you crystal-clear sounds, and the dedicated subwoofer driver provides deep, powerful bass. While streaming music, you can optimise the sound performance of the speaker by altering the bass, treble and balance of it.

If you don’t mind splashing the cash on some audio equipment, then we can’t recommend the PLAY:5 enough. It’s very pleasing on the eye, and its simple design means it’ll fit into the decor of any home. Sound quality is near perfect, and you won’t find any tunes that sound as sweet as they do when streamed through this brilliant piece of kit.

A popular recovery program that is used to create a back up, restore a back up or apply updates to. The team behind ClockworkMod have recently upgraded their ClockworkMod tethering program, allowing Android users to tether their internet connection for free.

Cache

A cache is a component that stores data so that requests for that data can be completed a lot faster. Data stored within a cache might be original data, or duplicates of data that is stored elsewhere.

The techie bit:

Each cache is made up of a variety of different entries. Each one of these entries has a piece of data, called datum, and a tag which specifies  the identity of the entry.

Capacitive touchscreen

Capacitive touchscreens are a type of display that rely on the properties of the human body to detect where the user is touching. Due to this, users can control touchscreens that implement capacitive technology with light touches or a stylus.

The bootloader is a tool that not only loads the system software when you turn on your device, it also determines the priorities and apps that will run in the ‘boot up’ process. The code makes sure that upon loading your device up, everything will run smoothly.

Did you know?

HTC recently released a utility allowing its users to unlock the bootloader on all their new HTC devices. This process does alter the warranty on these devices, but ultimately opens them up for developers to start hacking and rooting them.

Bloatware

Software that requires a considerable amount of disk space and RAM. Pre-loaded software and apps that can’t be removed from the device are common sources of bloatware. However, there are apps now available which can help detect bloatware on your device.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a common feature in Android devices, allowing its users to exchange data over short distances over its open wireless technology. Bluetooth uses radio-based technology to chop up data being sent into manageable chunks, allowing a quick transfer process.

The techie bit

The radio technology behind Bluetooth is called Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS). This particular method of transmitting radio signals is done by continuously switching between various frequency channels, using a psuedorandom sequence (a process that appears random, but actually isn’t).

The term AMOLED is used to describe a certain display technology commonly found in mobile devices. Less affectionately known as Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Display, AMOLED screens tend to be extremely thin and use less power than other screens that we see on Android devices.

Each pixel that makes up an AMOLED screen creates its own light, meaning that phones that utilise the technology don’t require a backlight.

Variants of the AMOLED technology are starting to appear in the mobile market, with Samsung using their Super AMOLED, Super AMOLED Plus and HD Super AMOLED in Galaxy S2, Droid Charge and Galaxy Note devices.

The technical bit

An AMOLED display consists of an active matrix of, primarily, OLED pixels that omit light upon electrical activation. Thin film transistors (TFT) are placed behind this layer of pixels, with roughly two TFT’s controlling a pixel. Having the right amount of TFT’s controlling the pixels keeps the electrical current flowing to each pixel working.

APK

The .apk file format is used to distribute and install apps on to your Android device. Compiling an .apk file consists of packaging your app and all its related certificates and resources into one file.

Android Market

The Android Market is home to the thousands upon thousands of apps we download everyday. The growth of the market has been remarkable, and we celebrated the 10 billionth download only 2 months ago.

Over 190 countries have been busy downloading from the Android Market, and recent stats show that South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan are the most app-crazed countries.

Pocket Casts

Podcasts are an excellent source of entertainment and education, and running them on the right app is crucial. Pocket Casts lets you stream or download podcasts and will automatically retrieve new episodes as soon as they are available. It looks great and works exactly as it should.

MyBackup Pro

Backing up your Android data is crucial to ensuring continued productivity and MyBackup Pro lets you backup ‘all’ of your data to an online server or an expansion card. Backups can be scheduled and the entire process is invisible once you have set it up.

Anti-Virus Pro

The threat of viruses to mobile devices is increasing all of the time and it should be common sense to take some precautions. Anti-Virus Pro will protect your phone or tablet and not intrude on your daily tasks. It can even undertake full backups of your data.

SPB Shell 3D

There are many apps that will change the way an Android smartphone looks and works, but few go to the extremes that SPB Shell 3D does. It looks incredibly polished and adds much functionality that will help you use your device more efficiently.

SlideIT Keyboard

The standard Android keyboard doesn’t work well for everyone and this is why SlideIT Keyboard is a great alternative. You never need to take your finger from the screen and with practice, you can be achieving quicker data input speeds than ever before.

Quickoffice Pro

There are often not enough minutes in the day and any tool that can make you more productive is worth considering. Quickoffice Pro brings desktop-level functionality to the mobile world and supports all of the latest Office document file formats.

Imagine Publishing has launched a new digital-only, Multi-Touch ebook, iCloud For Beginners, specifically designed for Apple’s iBooks 2. Featuring slideshows, interactive images and more, it is one of the first ebooks of its type in the world.

Using iBooks Author’s revolutionary Multi-Touch technology, iCloud For Beginners teaches everything users need to know about iCloud, the free new back-up and sync service. From how to set-up your free iCloud account to sharing your information across your Apple devices, the ebook uses cutting-edge technology to deliver enhanced, easy-to-use tutorials.

“At Imagine, we’re always excited by cool new ways to deliver our world-leading content.” said Editor In Chief Aaron Asadi “iBooks Author is another great opportunity for us to create more products we love for a whole new type of audience. It’s this sort of game-changing innovation that makes us do what we do. ”

“With the speed that the publishing industry is changing, there’s nothing more exhilarating than grabbing hold of new technologies and seeing how we can get the most out of them to serve-up the content we’re so passionate about” added Ross Andrews, Head of Design “What could be better than going from saying ‘we should try that’ to a fully published product in just a few days? It’s hard to think of a more exciting time for the industry.”

iCloud For Beginners is available now on iTunes and iBookstore worldwide for just £0.99 in the UK and $1.99 in the US.

Imagine Publishing is one of the UK’s fastest-growing multimedia content producers. Formed in May 2005, Imagine now publishes 20 regular print magazines, 30 digital apps, 25 websites and thousands of articles every month in the technology, videogames, photography and knowledge/science markets. An Imagine magazine is purchased every ten seconds.

T-Mobile has unveiled a new phone plan it is calling ‘The Full Monty’ – the UK’s first truly unlimited plan.

The plan launches on 1st February with four different price points, promising users an all you can eat service with no faiar use policy.

The two-year plan starts at £36 per month, for which you’ll get your choice of phone, including a free Samsung Galaxy S II or a 16GB iPhone 4S for £99. The top price of £61 per month includes a free 32GB iPhone 4S.