INDIGEEK

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 review

2012-08-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for a tablet that's smaller, lighter and more portable than the iPad, you're in for some good news. The 7-inch tablet category is going to explode this year, and we've already seen some excellent devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition, and even rumours of an iPad Mini. Now it's time to see the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0.

Samsung has been one of the leaders of the Android tablet pack since its successful Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the whole range is now being refreshed with the Tab 2 moniker. But despite its success, Galaxy Tab sales haven't made an impression on the iPad.

So Samsung tries again, with a cut price, (available from £199 in the UK and $249 in the US for the 8GB Wi-Fi version) 7-inch Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet, which it hopes will differentiate its product from the new iPad, and encourage a new onslaught of sales.

With a new Tab 2, Samsung can compete with the likes of the Amazon Kindle Fire, Nook, and host of similarly priced ICS tablets such as theDisgo 9104 and Scroll Extreme 9.7-inch Tablet PC.

It's been a long time coming, and we first got our hands on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 back at the Samsung Worldwide Conference in February, where it was hurriedly unveiled to the tech media.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is now in stores and the 8GB version can be picked up from £199, while the 16GB model is availabe from £250.

Features

Despite creating an extremely strong mobile brand in Galaxy, Samsung hasn't yet unified the look, feel and design of its smartphone and tablet range.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, for example, has a lovely brushed metal finish, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 mimics the Samsung Galaxy S3, with a plastic shell that borders on feeling cheap.

On the front the curved edges are a homage to its predecessor, and the Samsung logo shines from the bottom, which not only makes it unmistakably Galaxy, but points to the user that the designers would like you to use this in portrait orientation. This is in contrast to the Samsung Galaxy 10.1, which is geared towards landscape use.

We can therefore glean that Samsung sees the Galaxy Tab 2 as a competitor to the ebook-focused Amazon Kindle Fire and Nook.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch is silver and pleasing looking from the back, which is one design trait that it shares with its Tab brothers. There are just three buttons to the top-right for wake/sleep/power, and volume up and down.

It weighs 344g and measures 193.7x122.4x10.5mm, and feels lightweight in the hand. In perspective this is little more than half the weight of the new iPad, but only fractionally lighter than the Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition, which manages to pack in an extra inch of screen real estate.

The smaller size makes it easy to read one handed, which is great for commuters and, we're assured, mothers who want to read while holding a small child.

Buying Guide

What's the best tablet under £300?

Inside the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is a TI OMAP 4430 dual-core processor, clocked at a rather pedestrian 1GHz. We're used to seeing beefier processors now, and many manufacturers are looking to the quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3.

That said, there should be enough speed to power the smaller 7-inch tablet through most tasks.

Backing up the processor is a healthy 1GB of RAM, so there's no scrimping there, and there's an interesting lineup of storage sizes.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 is available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB sizes, making it a truly budget option. You can add to the built-in storage by adding a microSD card up to 64GB in size, so the low cost 8GB version won't cripple media lovers. There's a 3G option as well, with pricing and availability TBC.

The 7-inch screen is a 1024 x 600 TFT affair, which shuns any AMOLED love that once threatened the Galaxy Tab lineup. The panel itself is lacklustre, lifeless and dull, which won't impress movie lovers one bit.

Our go-to movie, should you be interested, is the Full HD version of Kanye West's Runaway, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 even managed to mask the cornucopia of colours and turn blacks to grey.

Temple Run was our next port of call, and having played this more recently on the new iPad and Asus Transformer Pad 300, we were disappointed in the representation of the beautiful golden world. We turned screen brightness up to maximum, but this just drained our battery faster, without providing a feast for our eyes.

That said, the smaller screen size didn't ruin the gaming experience. We were soon posting some of our highest scores on Temple Run, and we were even tempted to have a go on the commute.

Pulling out a large 10-inch iPad is a bit conspicuous, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 felt at home among the Kindles and smartphones, and we were able to enjoy apps, books, games and TV shows without feeling like a fool.

Disappointingly, we found the touchscreen experience to be a little sub-par. The sensitivity of the display was lower than we expected, and we found it hard to register presses on small parts of the browser, such as links, and the close tab button.

While watching embedded video, skipping and scrubbing through the movie was a challenge, due to the lack of response.

There are two cameras on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, a rear one for photography and a front-facing lens for video chatting with friends. Let's just say that photography isn't the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2's strong point, with only 3MP on the back, and VGA quality for the front.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 can shoot 720p video at 30fps, which means you can take a quick video on holiday or while you're out and about, and it can be edited on the supplied app.

New iPad 3 review

2012-08-04T00:32:00.000-07:00

The new iPad, the iPad 3, the new iPad 3… call it what you want, but it's a device that from the outside looks remarkably like the iPad 2 but with an overhaul on the innards.

The question most people ask us when it comes to the new iPad is: what's different from the old one?

Well, in this case it's pretty easy: there's a Retina Display that makes everything looks superbly crisp, an updated A5X processor bringing quad-core graphics and a 5MP camera on the rear with a VGA sensor on the front.

10 best tablet PCs in the world today

Oh, and the iPad 3 is also the device that brings iOS 5.1 to the masses (well, it's also on the likes of the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 as well, but hey, we're not reviewing those today, and you don't really care unless it's a new iPad.)

The design of the new iPad 3 isn't really anything different from the original duo from Apple's tablet range. Actually, while we're thinking about it, it looks almost identical to the iPad 2 – to the point you'd struggle to tell them apart when turned off.

However, in the hand, there's a little bit of a difference, especially when it comes to the weight. The new iPad is nearly 60g heavier than the previous iteration, and while it's not terrible, it does add a little arm strain during a marathon movie session.

Retina Display

Before we get onto all the normal insight over the frame of the new iPad, it's worth talking about the main feature: the Retina Display.

Apple has packed a huge amount more pixels into the 9.7-inch screen - 1536 x 2048 to be exact. However, despite the fact that the Cupertino brand makes a big thing about the 330 PPI density of the iPhone 4, we're looking at a screen that's technically a lot less sharp than its smartphone brethren - around 264PPI.

Apple has got around this fact by stating that the screen is meant to be held at 15 inches from the face, rather than the 10 inches the iPhone is supposed to from your eyes, and as such the sharpness is the same.

Given the fact the term 'Retina Display' really isn't a legally binding term, we don't care. What matters is the effect - and it's one of the most impressive we've seen on a tablet to date. If someone took an iPad, printed out a really hi-res image of an iOS system and stuck it on the front, we'd struggle to tell the difference - it's superb, and even squinting up close you'll be hard pushed to notice any pixelation.

The colour reproduction will also appeal to many, as it's pretty close to reality - it lacks the punch of the Super AMOLED HD screens seen on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note for instance, but it will depend on personal preference as to whether that's a good thing.

We like the vivid colours of Samsung's screens, but we know plenty of people that loathe them too.

The main thing is things like internet browsing; photo viewing and movie sessions are all much, much improved over the iPad 2, and is one of the main reasons to pick up the new iPad.

Check out how the new iPad 3 display got on when it went head-to-head with the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity in our video below.

Design

The new iPad, as we said, is only marginally thicker and a little heavier than the iPad 2, and if you pick it up with no knowledge of the former, you'll likely be mighty impressed.

The rest of the design is premium too - given you can be paying nearly £700 for a top end model, it needs to seem like a worthwhile investment, and it does.

The curved edges, the oleophobic scratch-proof glass and the aluminium chassis are all the kind of thing that some Android tablets have tried to ape and failed. Of course, many will prefer the feather-light frames of some of the Samsung models but, like the screen, it really comes down to personal preference.

The buttonry on the new iPad is pretty sparse though - we're talking four buttons and that's your lot.

The iconic home button is back once again, despite rumours of its demise, and is easy to reach and hit within the thick bezel.

The rest of the buttons are all clustered tightly together in the top left-hand corner of the new iPad, with the rocker/volume key, the mute/orientation switch and power/lock key all within an inch of one another.

As you can see, Apple has been pretty efficient with the button placement, with all of them performing more than one function. And they say the iPad can't multi-task... tsk.The new iPad, the iPad 3, the new iPad 3… call it what you want, but it's a device that from the outside looks remarkably like the iPad 2 but with an overhaul on the innards.

The question most people ask us when it comes to the new iPad is: what's different from the old one?

10 best tablet PCs in the world today

Retina Display

Before we get onto all the normal insight over the frame of the new iPad, it's worth talking about the main feature: the Retina Display.

We like the vivid colours of Samsung's screens, but we know plenty of people that loathe them too.

The main thing is things like internet browsing; photo viewing and movie sessions are all much, much improved over the iPad 2, and is one of the main reasons to pick up the new iPad.

Check out how the new iPad 3 display got on when it went head-to-head with the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity in our video below.

Design

The new iPad, as we said, is only marginally thicker and a little heavier than the iPad 2, and if you pick it up with no knowledge of the former, you'll likely be mighty impressed.

The rest of the design is premium too - given you can be paying nearly £700 for a top end model, it needs to seem like a worthwhile investment, and it does.

The buttonry on the new iPad is pretty sparse though - we're talking four buttons and that's your lot.

The iconic home button is back once again, despite rumours of its demise, and is easy to reach and hit within the thick bezel.

The question most people ask us when it comes to the new iPad is: what's different from the old one?

10 best tablet PCs in the world today

Retina Display

Before we get onto all the normal insight over the frame of the new iPad, it's worth talking about the main feature: the Retina Display.

We like the vivid colours of Samsung's screens, but we know plenty of people that loathe them too.

The main thing is things like internet browsing; photo viewing and movie sessions are all much, much improved over the iPad 2, and is one of the main reasons to pick up the new iPad.

Check out how the new iPad 3 display got on when it went head-to-head with the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity in our video below.

Design

The new iPad, as we said, is only marginally thicker and a little heavier than the iPad 2, and if you pick it up with no knowledge of the former, you'll likely be mighty impressed.

The rest of the design is premium too - given you can be paying nearly £700 for a top end model, it needs to seem like a worthwhile investment, and it does.

The buttonry on the new iPad is pretty sparse though - we're talking four buttons and that's your lot.

The iconic home button is back once again, despite rumours of its demise, and is easy to reach and hit within the thick bezel.

As you can see, Apple has been pretty efficient with the button placement, with all of them performing more than one function. And they say the iPad can't multi-task... tsk.

Hands on: Microsoft Surface tablet review

2012-08-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

Magnesium chassis, vapour deposition coating, cutaway edges, ClearType HD display; the design credentials and the specs for Microsoft's new Windows RT tablet are impressive and in the flesh this is a delightful piece of hardware that looks good – and is practical too.

It's thin, it's light, it's comfortable to hold, it runs Windows RT as excellently as you'd expect, it makes you want to touch it but it's also designed so you can snap the magnetically attached cover into place – in no way similar to any competitor idea...

However, you won't be able to get the Surface tablet until Windows 8 ships – and we can't get its big brother, the Intel Core i5 Surface for Windows 8 Pro, for another three months after that.

Design

The design of the Surface for Windows RT (and the similar Surface for Windows 8 Pro that we didn't see in as much detail) is understated.

The front is sleek black glass, precision bonded to the magnesium alloy chassis ("we squeezed all the air out," as Microsoft hardware expert Stevie Battiche told TechRadar), with only a Windows logo visible – the word Microsoft doesn't show up on the case anywhere.

Turn it on and the 10.6" screen fills most of the Surface's front display, but the four edges have half an inch of bezel so you can hold it comfortably.

The Windows logo isn't just for show; it's a touch button that gives you the Start screen when you tap on it, plus the whole bezel is touch-aware so you can swipe across it to bring up the App bar or the switching pane (depending on which way round it is).

The Surface is light and comfortable to hold; the edges are sloped to give you a comfortable grip (although the edge with the cover connector isn't quite as ergonomic until you connect the cover).

The magnesium alloy chassis is covered with a soft coating that feels durable and expensive (that's the vapour deposition bit; it's chemically bonded rather than just painted on).

If you don't want to hold it, there's a built-in stand that's like a large hinge running across the entire back of the Surface, with another Windows logo in a slightly matte finish.

The hinge is usually held in place by an array of magnets so it doesn't fall out if you shake the Surface around; on the left there's a little cutout in the edge of the hinge to make it easier to flip out.

If you've seen Apple's SmartCover on the new iPad 3, then this method of connection won't be a surprise – it's another move that shows Microsoft is intending to go toe-to-toe with the Cupertino brand in the tablet arena.

The Surface tablet also balances well on the hinge, which has two long rubber feet to stabilise it.

With the Touch Cover on, we were able to balance the Surface on a lap for typing like a notebook without it falling forward or tipping over backwards; compare this to the Asus Transformer Prime which always wants to fall backwards, and you'll appreciate this weighting.

Microsoft has included the fewest ports it could get away with; the bottom edge is filled with the magnetic keyboard connector, the top has the power button and the sides have two speakers, dual microphones, microSD, one USB 2.0 port (USB 3.0 for the Surface Pro) and Micro HDMI (on the surface Pro that's mini DisplayPort), plus a magnetic power connector.

The magnesium alloy chassis and the precision design give the Surface RT a sturdy feel. Lift it by the corners and twist and there's no flexing at all; we tried the same thing with the frame of a chassis that hadn't been assembled and even without the glass and back it barely moved.

The Microsoft team showing off the tablets weren't cradling them protectively; at one point Battiche tossed a tablet to a colleague. Even without the cover, the Surface should stand up to some punishment.

Arnova 10b G3 review

2012-08-03T23:41:00.000-07:00

The Arnova 10b G3 boasts Google's Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) OS right out of the box and offers a reasonably snappy performance. It will let you handle basic tasks like browsing the web and watching high-definition video. But, in all honesty, there are better tablets around for a similar price.

The Arnova 10b G3 has a 1GHz processor with 1GB of RAM which keeps it ticking along. It loaded up the browser quickly and we were happy to see apps open up quickly without much trouble. However, there's more than a hint of sluggishness when cruising through the operating system or swiping through homescreens.

The Arnova 10b G3 features a 10.1-inch display, with a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1,024 x 600 pixel resolution on a capacitive screen. This means you have to jab it firmly to make a connection and the overall usability really suffers as a result.

The larger problem is that decent tablets are now becoming affordable. The 32GB PlayBook can be had for £199, as can the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, and the forthcoming Google Nexus 7 8GB should launch at £160. All of these are much better products than the Arnova and represent a problem for budget tablet manufacturers.

Plastic build

The black plastic build of the Arnova doesn't help matters; neither does the thick, protruding bezel. At 628g, it's not the lightest tablet by a long way, but, to be fair, it's no brick either. And microSD compatibility does claim back some credibility, allowing you to extend the paltry 4GB of storage up to 32GB.

Any other ports are thin on the ground, there's only a MicroUSB option allowing you to connect to a laptop and swap over files. The Android OS keeps this easy and you can simply drag and drop content onto the tablet.

Annoyingly, the Arnova 10b G3 doesn't charge via USB and you must use the attached power cable to charge it up.

Any slight fondness we had for the Arnova was quickly dispelled by the battery life. We streamed HD video on a constant loop and the Arnova gave up after only 162 minutes. By comparison, the Scroll Extreme 9.7 Tablet PC lasted for 635 minutes.

An affordable alternative to premium tablets, the G3 will let you watch media, access a few choice apps and browse the web without much hassle. However, we can't recommend it highly.

There are too many other options now available that easily out-perform the Arnova 10b G3, and certain issues like the poor screen and lack of access to the Google Play app store let it down considerably.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 new specs leak, ready to ship?

2012-08-03T23:38:00.000-07:00

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 breaks its silence with a double leak providing updated specs and potentially a release date soon.

The first leak comes from an alleged service manual for the tablet from an anonymous source published in SamMobile, and features some slight changes from what was previously announced.

The most notable upgrade comes from the 1.4GHz quad-core processor, which was originally announced as a dual-core processor at the same speed.

The camera also features an upgrade, now listed as a 5 mega pixel camera with auto focus and LED flash compared to the 3 mega pixel lens revealed in February.

However, the service manual leak is brought into question by the sparse information it provides. Specs that one would expect to find in a service manual, such as system RAM and processor model, are missing.

Pre-ordering now

The second leak is more promising, coming from Negri Electronics, whichtweeted an image of an open Galaxy Note 10.1 box.

The tweet accompanied a new pre-order listing with the retailer, advertising a steep $749.50 price (down from a crossed out $798.50 price) and an expected ship date of August 4.

The pre-order page also confirms the updated specs above, specifying that the processor will be the Exynos 4412, the same quad-core processor found in the Galaxy S3 smartphone.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 features Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich and a screen resolution of 1280x800 pixels. It also has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of system memory that is expandable through an SD card slot.

The rear 5-MP camera is capable of 720p video recording, and is paired with a front-facing 2-MP camera.

Of course, the tablet's biggest feature is the included S-Pen stylus, which is used to draw and write with the device and its pre-loaded Photoshop Touch app.

Official word coming soon

With Negri Electronics already taking online pre-orders, we should expect an official announcement from Samsung in the very near future.

A Samsung representative confirmed the company will reveal a new Galaxy Note during a press conference scheduled for August 29.

The Samsung Mobile Unpack event in Berlin is expected to be the unveiling for the Galaxy Note 2, a 5.5-inch upgrade to the existing 5.3-inch Galaxy Note.

However, the timing may be right for a double announcement on August 29, with the Galaxy Note 10.1 making its official debut on the Berlin stage.

HTC One S review

2012-07-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

Update: We've spent a long time with the HTC One S now, so have updated our review to represent the improved software and all round experience. Don't worry... it's still brilliant!

The HTC One S follows swiftly on the heels of the One X in HTC's new premium brand of Android 4.0-enabled handsets, bringing a svelte chassis, 7.8mm depth and a low-price of just £26 a month at launch - and only $149.99 in the US too.

First things first: the HTC One S is a cracking looking device. It's marketed this as the thinnest handset HTC has ever made. And you feel that when you take it out of the box. It's tall at about the same height as last year'sHTC Sensation (with which it will draw a lot of comparisons) but a lot, lot sleeker.

Measurements come in at 130.9 x 65 x 7.8mm and weight wise, it's pretty insignificant at a shade over 119g. And that's even more impressive when you look at what's inside. GPS, HSDPA etc – all elements we'd expect nowadays and all packed in here like sardines.

First thing you notice is that huge black, glossy display on the front. Resolution wise, it keeps the Sensation's 4.3-inch display with a 540 x 960 resolution - qHD to you and me, meaning a pixel density of 256ppi.

It's clearly not as sharp as that found in the daddy of the range, the HTC One X, nor the likes of Apple's iPhone 4S or the Sony Xperia S (and you will be able to discern pixels if you look too closely) but it puts in a very good effort.

Colours are easily as bright and vivid as the now almost year-old Samsung Galaxy S2 even though the Super AMOLED display lacks the 'Plus' bit that the latter handset boasts of - but don't think it's not got superb contrast ratios though.

In fact, if you put the phone down on a table and look at it from a couple of feet away, that screen looks even more incredible with hues just jumping out at you and finished off with the polish of the glass.

The display has been pushed even further up towards that protective glass and it really shows. This is a display HTC can be proud to push.

Although the HTC One S ships with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, it's decided to still include three soft keys beneath the screen. They're fully responsive and we had no issues whatsoever with them.

The design is pretty minimalist. The front also houses that VGA front snapper for video calling as well as the earpiece, which actually consists of dozens of holes individually drilled into the chassis to add to the air of class.

Up top is the power/lock button and 3.5mm headset jack, the right holds a volume rocker, the left gives us a micro USB socket and nothing at the bottom other than a tiny microphone hole. The rear has little other than holes for the speaker (again, drilled in), a couple of logos and the camera with LED flash.

Completing the minimalist look, you'll see that at the back, you can only remove a small area, which allows you to add the (micro) SIM and do nothing else.

No accessing the battery here, thank you. It's sealed in. Nor will you be slipping your MicroSD card in there because memory is non-expandable (don't go there – because we plan to later in the Media section!)

The chassis is made from aluminium, which has been given a 'micro-arc oxidisation treatment'...the same as they do with satellites.

It all sounds very swish and space age and sets the HTC One S up to take up a few extra knocks, which is handy since you'll probably have this phone for two years. It fact, it puts us in mind of a Nexus One from back in the day a little bit. In principle, it looks great. In practice, it can cause a couple of problems.

Because this is a tall phone – and because HTC has elected to put the lock button at the top rather than at the side as some other manufacturers do – there is a certain amount of leverage to even unlock the phone.

And that's only the beginning – the HTC One S is so uber stylish, HTC seems to have forgotten about the functionality of it. With anodized metal all over, this is one slippery customer. In the first few days of having it, we wince at recalling how many times we dropped it. Luckily only into our lap, but we can see a lot of people breaking these within the first few weeks.

The HTC One X, meanwhile, doesn't appear to suffer this affliction thanks to the slight curve. And despite being protected with Corning Gorilla Glass, it's not that robust.

We cared for our One S review unit like a newborn baby and still, we were dismayed to see what appears to look like a deep scratch at the bottom of the screen, which we can't explain through normal use.

Indeed, you'll need to wrap this baby up like a child in a case with screen protectors and protection galore. Maybe even take it to a church and get it blessed for extra protection. That does detract from the overall beauty.

Samsung Galaxy S2 review

2012-07-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

Dual-core power, beautiful screen - the Galaxy S II is the kind of sequel we like

The Samsung Galaxy S II is the phone the Korean firm deems the successor to its best smartphone so far. And with a 1.2GHz processor, super-slim chassis and feather-light innards, it's easy to see why.

The dual-core race is set to heat up massively over the next few months, with the LG Optimus 2X already released, and the Motorola Atrix, HTC Sensation and iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S all set to bring the tech to market too.

Coming in at £35 a month and £519.99 SIM-free, the Galaxy S 2 isn't the cheapest phone out there by a long chalk – so let's see if it can match up to that larger price tag.

You can check out our Samsung Galaxy S 2 video:

The Samsung Galaxy S2 is almost impossibly thin when you pick it up – dimensions of 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5mm mean it's one of the thinnest smartphones on the market at the moment, rivalling the likes of the iPhone 4 and Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc for the title.

It's crazy-light too – when we show you what tech is rammed under the hood, you'll be amazed that it all goes in a device that weighs only a shade over 100g (116g, to be precise).

Samsung clearly traded the premium feel an all-metal chassis might have brought to keep the grams off the Galaxy S2 – pop the battery cover off and you'll find you're holding a piece of pretty flimsy plastic.

However, most of the time you won't be removing this and it fits nicely into the contoured chassis – the mesh feel on the rear also helps keep your hand from getting warm during extended holding.

The other thing you'll notice when you first pick up the Galaxy S2 is the screen – at 4.3 inches it's hard to miss, and when you turn it on the Super AMOLED plus technology hits you square in the eyeballs (once it's got through the toughened Gorilla Glass).

We called the Samsung Galaxy S "the best phone on the market for media"when we reviewed it, thanks to its first-gen Super AMOLED screen. Now the Galaxy S2 has definitely improved on that, with a superbly crisp and vibrant screen.

The only problem is a slightly schizophrenic auto-brightness - if you try and save battery by having the sensor monitor ambient light levels, then the screen decides to bounce about with light levels even in same conditions.

UPDATE: Samsung has released a fix to solve this problem already, so forget about it. Un-read what you just read. We could delete it, but that would be lying to you.

In the hand, the Galaxy S2 sits much better than we'd have expected, given the whopping screen on offer, and that's mostly down to its slim depth.

The front of the phone is pretty sparse, with the home key the only piece of furniture on offer. This rectangular button flanks two touch-sensitive buttons – Menu and Back – so there's no room for contextual search here.

The volume keys are located on the left-hand side, and the power/lock key is on the opposite flank; both are easy enough to hit without error, and crucially the travel on the power key is softer so that it's much easier to hit when you're juggling it in the palm – compare that to its predecessor, where you could accidentally drop it trying to shut off the screen.

The 3.5mm headphone jack lives on the top of the phone, bucking the lower placement on other 4.3-inch screen phones, and the microUSB slot (which also doubles as an HDMI out port) lives on the bottom.

The only other element of note is the 8.1MP camera with single LED flash on the rear – it's slightly raised, but not so much that it disrupts the Galaxy S2 when you're placing it on a table, thanks to a rear lip to help you hold the phone.

We actually (foolishly, in hindsight) unboxed the phone while bouncing about on a powerboat on the Thames - and luckily, there was a camera rolling the whole time. (note - we're well aware of the stupid spec mistakes on the boat. Some were down to information given to us by Samsung that has since changed, and some due to sheer confusion at being thrown ten feet in the air and having our spine crushed.)

Analysts drop Nokia credit rating to junk

2012-07-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

Nokia's financial situation isn't looking too bright, as the Finnish company's credit rating is reduced to junk by multiple agencies.

Moody's downgraded Nokia's long-term credit rating to Ba1 status, making it the last of the three major credit rating agencies to drop Nokia from investment grade to junk status.

Fitch, which had already downgraded Nokia's credit rating to junk in April along with Standard & Poor, lost even more confidence in the OEM by downgrading Nokia's debt rating from BB+ down two notches to BB-.

The ratings drops follow Nokia's announcement yesterday that its net loss for the second quarter had more than quadrupled since last year, now resting at $1.73 billion (1.41 billion Euros).

All hopes are on Windows 8

A large portion of Nokia's losses are due to the company still relying on sales of its Symbian-based devices worldwide for 20 percent of its revenue.

Nokia found success by focusing on Windows Phone, with its Lumia 900smartphone driving adoption of the OS, but not enough to offset the company's other losses.

Additionally, even though the Lumia 900 has been well received, analysts are fearful because the devices can't upgrade to Windows Phone 8 when the new OS launches later this year.

"Fitch believes that the company does not have products in its current portfolio that can stem the recent losses." The ratings agency said. "The release of a Windows 8 suite of products now appears crucial.

"The degree of competition in the industry would suggest that it is going to be difficult to re-establish a significant presence in the smartphone market."

Though a Nokia handset roadmap was leaked, Nokia has not officially announced its new handsets for Windows Phone 8 yet.

If smartphone users decide to wait for Windows Phone 8, it may be too little too late for Nokia. The new OS is expected to launch this November, which would leave Nokia with an entire quarter before it can recuperate with a new line of handsets.

Motorola Xoom review

2012-07-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

The Motorola Xoom is the first Android 3.0 tablet to hit the market. That makes it the first Android tablet to ship with an OS that's designed especially for big screens, and that's why it's so exciting.

Every tech gadget must be judged solely on what it provides, its purpose in life, and whether it will help you accomplish tasks and enjoy your media.

With the Motorola Xoom, it's too easy to make constant iPad (and iPad 2) comparisons. Can you purchase movies as easily? Does the screen get as grimy? Does it cost more?

Read: Android 3.0 review

Yet, the Xoom is the first Android 3.0 tablet, the first really powerful tablet with a dual-core processor, and a sleek, 10.1-inch slate that is easy on the eyes.

You can check out our Android Tablet round-up to see how this slate measures up against three of its rivals below:

There's no question the Xoom is a brilliant tablet, one that is incredibly flexible in terms of media you can put on the device.

With a 5-megapixel front camera and a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera, 32GB of local storage (plus a potential for more SD storage after the next software update), 1GB of RAM, 4G support once the LTE roll-out starts and after a software upgrade, and 10-hours of battery life, the Xoom has the hardware specifications to make you sit up and take notice.

Plus, the new Android 3.0 tablet interface lives and breathes in the open source world.

Frankly, the Motorola Xoom blows the Samsung Galaxy Tab out of the water, and that is saying something. We'll keep our iPad comparisons to a minimum (hey, if you wanted one of those you would have bought one by now, right?) and ratchet down our comparisons to the iPad 2 which ships in the UK on 25 March.

The Xoom is the best Android tablet around and a device that is well worth serious consideration.

However, before we go any further, we need to address pricing - the Motorola Xoom is currently available for pre-order for £499. The 3G version is set to cost £100 more at £599.

The next-best Android tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, costs £399.00 without a contract, which is quite a bit lower than the Xoom. And, the Apple iPad 2 will start at £429.00 for the Wi-Fi-only version, so the Xoom is expensive.

Yet, our overall impression testing the device is that it is a notable upgrade from every other Android model, including the Dell Streak series. The heart and soul of this tablet is the new Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) OS, which ran lightning fast in our tests on the Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor.

And we mean fast: finger swipes registered quickly and accurately, and the few games available ran smoothly.

Android 3.0 is a brilliant interface for tablets – much more flexible than iOS in that you can drop widgets all over your homescreens, and more responsive and even better suited for reading books and playing games.

The Xoom even touts this fact in the Google Books app: there's a cool page flipping animation.

The Xoom has a decidedly PC-like UI in that you can press a button to see all open apps (unfortunately, you can't selectively close them from here but you can close apps through a memory manager under the settings screen), click the clock to see notifications and access settings, and move objects around the screen easier.

iPad Mini release date, news and rumours

2012-07-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

The new iPad has been and gone, sporting a chunkier and heavier build than the iPad 2, which left some wondering: what's with all the extra weight?

However, it looks like Apple may be about to aid those conscious of extra grams in their bags, as rumours hot up about a potential iPad Mini (or iPad nano, if you prefer) arriving later this year.

As the Amazon Kindle Fire steals the budget tablet show and with more small, cheap tablets on the horizon, such as the Google Nexus tablet, Apple may well want a bite of the, well, apple.

Top 21 best iPad alternatives

Back in 2010, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that smaller screened tablets were not "sufficient to create great tablet apps" and would be "dead on arrival", so rumours suggesting a new iPad mini is in the works reveals a potentially new direction for the firm in its post-Jobs era.

Believe it or not, there's certainly a lot of chat surrounding the iPad Mini, so we've scooped it all up, mushed it all together and expelled it into a handy round up, allowing you to keep track of every twist and turn.

If you're pressed for time then check out our iPad Mini rumour roundup video below.

Update: A new report has examined the prospects for an iPad Mini - and how it might contribute to the company's bottom line, particularly with gamers and the educational market.

According to analyst Ben A. Reitzes, the iPad Mini would not be a threat to Apple's current domination with the New iPad, and is likely to be a favourite among gamers as well as educational institutes, particularly with the electronic textbooks introduced earlier this year.

iPad Mini release date

There's not even an official sign from Apple that the iPad Mini/iPad nano is even in the works, so a release date for the tablet is even more up in the air.

Although if the rumours turn out to be true, we can expect Apple to start rolling out the iPad Mini very soon after a extraordinarily over-hyped launch event.

According to a Digitimes source the iPad Mini/nano could start production in the third quarter of 2012.

Analyst Shaw Wu says the "exact timing" for an iPad mini release date "is difficult to predict", but said its launch is a "question of when, not if." Pretty confident then, are we, Shaw?

A report straight out of China suggests that key Apple manufactures Foxconn and Pegatron have started to receive orders for the new iPad mini. It goes on to say the factories will have 6 million units ready for a launch in Q3 of 2012.

When Apple announced its annual WWDC event running from June 11-15, which sold out in just two hours, there was some speculation that we could see the Cupertino firm announce the iPad mini there, but no new iPad broke cover at WWDC.

Update: A iMore source claims that the iPad Mini will be ready by October 2012. Hold on to your hats people!

Update: A Taiwanese source has claimed that the mini iPad will be in the hands of consumers before Christmas, with a third quater launch on the cards.

Update:According to Bloomberg an unnamed source said a tablet with a screen size of "7 to 8 inches diagonally" will arrive before 2012 reaches its close.

Update: The Wall Street Journal reports that sources in Apple's Asian supply chain have revealed the iPad Mini will go into production from September.

iPad Mini price

Buying Guide

What's the best tablet under £300?

Apple is known for its extravagant products, launch events and pricing policies, but the iPad Mini may herald a new era for those who long for an Apple device, but simply can't part with an arm and a leg to buy one.

It's thought that Apple's idea behind the iPad nano is to tackle the budget end of the market, where the Amazon Kindle Fire is currently king, and a Digitimes source predicts it could land with a very reasonable sub £200 ($249-$299) price tag.

Update: Could the iPad Mini be a super cheap tablet contender? It can according to one source, who claims it will land with a price tag between $200 and $250 (around £150) - we certainly hope this turns out to be true!

Update: Those famous "various analysts" and "industry sources" havespoken out again, confirming that the iPad Mini should arrive on the market for $249-$299 (around £159-£190).

Update: On 9 July, we covered a report from Japanese blog Macotakara which said that the iPad Mini price would be in the region of $250-$350 (around £160-£230).

Update:The New York Times has spoken to people "with knowledge of the project" - who claim the iPad Mini will be significantly cheaper than the current iPad.

iPad Mini display

As the name suggests, we're looking at an iPad which will be sporting a screen smaller than the stock 9.7-inch display found on the first three Apple tablets.

In February we saw a report from the Wall Street Journal claiming a source from an Apple component supplier had confirmed it was testing a smaller screen for Apple, in the region of 8-inches with a similar resolution to the iPad 2.

In Depth

New iPad 3 review

At the start of March, Digitimes reported that the new iPad Mini would actually come with a 7.85-inch display – a tad bigger than the 7-inch screen found on the Kindle Fire.

April saw Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu reveal that Apple had been testing devices with screens ranging from 4 to 12-inches and highlighted that the 7.85-inch format would be most likely "when, not if" the iPad mini is launched.

Wu also predicted the iPad nano would sport the same resolution as the original iPad and iPad 2, at 1,024 x 768 – meaning developers wouldn't have to tweak their apps.

Update: According to an iMore source, the mini iPad will sport a 7-inch screen with the same retina display as the iPhone 4S and new iPad.

Update: The 7.85-inch screen rumour gets ever stronger as industry sources claim the iPad Mini will sport IGZO display panels, which are capable of delivering a retina-quality display.

Update: According to Bloomberg's sources, the iPad Mini will not arrive packing the Retina Display featured on the new iPad 3.

Update: According to sources "with knowledge of the project", the iPad Miniwill indeed sport a 7.85-inch display.

Other iPad Mini specs

To help keep the cost of the iPad Mini down, one source reckons it will ship with just 8GB of internal storage - the same amount as the Amazon Kindle Fire.

In terms of thickness, Japanese blog Macotakara cites an unknown source, claiming the iPad Mini will be a 7.2mm thick.

Macotakara also wrote that the iPad Mini would come with 3G functionality.

iPad Mini early verdict

Well, we're still unsure whether Apple will go down the iPad Mini route. Steve Jobs made his stance on smaller tablets quite clear and it would be a daring move by the Cupertino-firm to go against its popular former boss.

The budget tablet market is one which is definitely growing, and one which Apple is currently not part of, so it won't be too much of a surprise if the firm does decide to go down this route.

We'd love to see a new iPad Mini come to market, as it would certainly give Amazon and co a run for their money... plus it would be intriguing to see what Apple would do with the smaller format.

Samsung WB850F review

2012-07-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

The 16.2MP Samsung WB850F is part of Samsung's Smart Camera range of compact cameras that have built-in Wi-Fi to enable images to be shared direct from the camera.

With a 21x zoom Schneider-Kreuznach Varioplan lens offering a focal length range equivalent to 23-483mm, the Samsung WB850F is aimed at travellers and those who need a versatile camera that can be slipped into a pocket.

Wandering photographers may also appreciate the Samsung WB850F's built-in GPS technology with Live Landmark tech that enables you to access information about points of interest in front of you.

Buying Guide

Best compact camera 2012

It's also possible to download maps (via a computer connection and copied to the SD card in the camera) and use the camera's on-screen MapView to navigate. There's even a digital compass so you can be sure you're facing in the right direction.

Although it's not entirely new to cameras, the feature that Samsung is most excited about in the WB850F is its Wi-Fi capability. This enables the camera to connect to Wi-Fi networks, even those that are password-protected, and to share images by uploading them to Facebook, Picasa and Photobucket or by emailing them straight from the camera.

Videos can also be uploaded directly to YouTube and files can be wirelessly backed up to the Cloud or your PC.

Since it combines automatic, semi-automatic and manual shooting modes the Samsung WB850F has options to suit most levels of photographic experience and a range of situations.

Given the amount of technology squeezed into the small body, it's perhaps a surprise that the screen isn't touch-sensitive and that all adjustments and password entries have to be made using physical buttons and dials.

In fairness, however, the screen is a 3-inch 614,000-dot AMOLED display, which should ensure a decent view in bright light.

The Samsung WB850F is priced at £329.99 in the UK and $379.99 in the US, putting it in the same price range as the Canon PowerShot D20, Sony HX20V and Olympus TG-1.

Build and handling

It may not be the smallest compact camera available, but the Samsung WB850F is small enough to slip into a jacket pocket or small handbag without any difficulty. It also feels fairly durable and nicely put together.

A pronounced ridge on the front of the camera serves as an effective, while stylish looking grip that provides just enough purchase. However, the smooth surface of much of the Samsung WB850F means it is advisable to attach the supplied wrist strap.

Buying Guide

Best compact system camera 2012

All the basic functions of the Samsung WB850F are easy to get to grips with. The shooting mode, for example, is selected via the mode dial on the top of the camera in conjunction with the navigation controls and on-screen display.

Like many compact cameras, the navigation buttons on the back of the Samsung WB850F also provide shortcuts to a few features. However, Samsung has chosen to assign two of them to the non-photographic features - Live Landmark and the compass.

This means that aspects such as the focus and flash modes must be accessed and adjusted via the function menu, which is accessed by pressing the Fn button. This takes a little more time than using a direct button.

We also found the video activation button a little fiddly to use and it seems to require a press with the thumbnail to get things going.

Although the GPS system works straight from the box (once the battery is charged) the map data needs to be uploaded from a computer before it can be used. This requires installing the Samsung software on a computer from the supplied CD and is straightforward enough using a step-by-step wizard.

Like most compact cameras, the Samsung WB850F doesn't have a viewfinder and images are composed on the 3-inch 614,000-dot AMOLED screen. We found that this provides a clear, contrasty view in most lighting conditions, and even in direct sunlight it remains usable. Reflections are an issue, but it is still possible to see an image.

Dare to be different with the Nokia Lumia 900

2012-07-12T01:25:00.000-07:00

Today's smartphones are all the same, it seems. Big, black, faceless slabs of metal that offer an endless sea of icons.

Nokia's Lumia 900 goes beyond the glossy smartphone and takes you into a realm that lets you live and do more than you could possibly imagine with your pocket companion.

Whether it's browsing the web at blistering speeds or uploading photos to Facebook faster than the competition, the Lumia 900 offers the best of the smartphone world with a beautifully designed chassis that's sturdy enough to withstand the rigours of modern life.

Beautifully different

Using a one-piece polycarbonate body (available in black, cyan and white) the Nokia Lumia 900 exudes style at every turn. And thanks to an innovative manufacturing process, the chassis won't scratch and degrade over time – plus Gorilla Glass protects the screen from drops and bumps too.

The beautiful design doesn't end with the body of the Nokia Lumia 900 – switch on the stunning 4.3-inch AMOLED screen (with ClearBlack technology to make it easy to see your phone outdoors) and you can pin your favourite people and groups to the Start screen thanks to Live Tiles.

Forget about apps that wait for you to tap. With the Nokia Lumia there's less clicking in and out – the information comes to you. Pin apps to your Start screen and they're alive with animations and updates, bringing you the news headlines, the latest eBay bids or train times – whatever you need to know.

You'll see your friends' latest messages and news right there through the People Hub, with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all built in. Choose the person to contact, all from one central place. So you needn't worry about how you'll get in touch. Simple.

And with its suite of over 100,000 apps, the Windows Phone Marketplace can offer you most of the apps you're already using and more. Be it goal highlights from ESPN, battling zombies in BB App-ocalypse or giving your photos a creative edge, there's a wealth of content to choose from.

And you can download them in super-quick time too, with the super-fast HSDPA connection giving you access to some of the fastest speeds the networks have to offer.

Snap happy

To savour the moment, the 8MP camera with dual LED flash fitted snugly to the rear of the Lumia 900 will capture it perfectly no matter what the setting. And if you want to get chatting and see who's talking, the 1MP front-facing camera will always show your best side.

Take a photo in a touch and immediately tag the photo before you share to Facebook or Windows Live, thanks to our new face tagging feature. From pocket to picture to your social network in seconds.

The Nokia Lumia 900 is the phone for media too. Watching a movie on the 4.3" clear and large display offers a sparkling experience that won't have you squinting at a tiny screen to catch your daily dose of video action.

The pre-loaded Nokia Music app provides the perfect media mate for all your audio needs – want to listen to a selection of the latest tunes in your favourite genre? Nokia Mix Radio lets you pause and skip tracks as well as save them for offline listening – all for free and coupled with a well-stocked music store for access to new tracks.

Or perhaps you're more of a fan of live music? Nokia's got that covered with the dedicated Gig Finder –tell the Lumia 900 your favourite band and it will alert you when they tour near you, meaning you'll never miss that one-off gig in the tiny pub ever again.

Look around you

Don't worry about being lost with the Lumia 900 in your pocket – with Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive, which come free and fully-loaded, you'll be able to find the best club in any town, navigate your way with fantastically well-stocked maps and turn-by-turn directions or seek out the speediest way home on train, bus or tube with Nokia's new Transport app as well.

Or perhaps you've found your way but want a cheeky game on the go – with Xbox integration you can seek out those extra achievement points and update your avatar the way you want, and all from the comfort of your smartphone.

You can do all this and more without having to worry about constantly looking for a power point every few hours either: the high-capacity battery will keep you going all day long, despite the fact you'll be constantly using the vibrant screen, a cornucopia of creative apps and a gaming experience that's second to none.

Don't believe us? Check out what the people of Britain think of the new Nokia Lumia range when shown the power of Windows Phone – there's no challenge it can't face!

So there you have it: if you want to live more, do more and be beautifully different, the Nokia Lumia 900 is the phone for you.

Its fantastic screen, superb suite of apps and top-end gaming capabilities – coupled with the only OS that runs with Word, Excel and PowerPoint for working on the go– making it the phone that should be at the top of your list when thinking about your next handset.

BlackBerry PlayBook review

2012-07-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

With a name that sounds like something you'd use at a sporting event, the BlackBerry PlayBook is the latest – and most unique – Apple iPad 2challenger.

Running a new OS called QNX, with quirky features like bridging to a BlackBerry phone for secure email and an oddly confusing initial setup, the PlayBook is a stark departure from the more iPad-like Motorola Xoom. Business-minded features such as built-in viewers for spreadsheets and word processing files are welcome, and the PlayBook gets extra credit for being fast and nimble on a dual-core 1GHz processor.

Throw in a 3MP front-facing camera, a 5MP rear-facing one, a bright and crisp 1200x600 resolution screen, a light 425g body and all the typical gyro, accelerometer and GPS sensors and you have the makings for a powerful 7-inch tablet.

As we discovered in our first hands on test, the PlayBook is sorely lacking third-party apps, but does show promise.

The powerful multi-tasking, where you can run a video in one window and play a game in another with both apps running concurrently, is a first of its kind for a mainstream tab.

File storage capabilities, support for an HDMI connection for playing 1080p video and a slick interface make the PlayBook an interesting anomaly. Unfortunately, the overall experience can't compete with either the iPad 2 or the Xoom, and even falters compared to the original Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Yet, we're still hopeful that Research in Motion (RIM) will keep working with developers (it gave them free PlayBooks if they created an app) and boost the device out of niche territory.

At $500 (£300) for the 16GB model we tested (there are also 32GB and 64GB versions available), the PlayBook is the same price as the entry-level 16GB Apple iPad 2.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 review

2012-07-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the top spot, Samsung.

The outstanding Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Honeycomb tablet is lighter and a hair thinner than the Apple iPad 2, and has a smaller footprint than either the Motorola Xoom or the Acer Iconia Tab A500, which are heavier and bulkier than most tablets.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a major contender.

We reviewed the short-lived Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1V already, but that thicker and heavier device has since been discontinued (It looked as if Vodafone might pick up the 10.1V tab but it is now waiting to release the newer 10.1 model).The only other important players in the tablet market, are the brilliant 10.1-inch Asus Eee Pad Transformer as well as theBlackBerry PlayBook and the HTC Flyer, which are both so-so 7-inch models.

Oh, and keep your eye on the HP TouchPad which goes on sale in the UKnext month.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is currently slated to go on sale in the UK at the end of July/beginning of August.

And if you want to take a closer look at the slate, you can check out our Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 video review.

So what sets the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 apart? For starters, this is one light and thin tablet. At just 8.6mm, it is 0.2mm thinner than the iPad 2. And you know what? At 565g it's also 36g lighter.

It's as though someone at Samsung sat down and demanded that the 10.1 have world-beating raw system specs.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a marvel of engineering, given its size. Holding one in your hand, you might mistake it for a truncated version of a Samsung LED HDTV, which are also market leaders. There's a slight edge around the screen that is not touch enabled, a silver edge, and an all-white back.

The device just feels right. Unlike the Acer Iconia A500 and the MotorolaXoom, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 finds that ideal balance between a pick-up-and go e-book reader such as the Amazon Kindle 3 and a 10-inch tablet that's perfect for watching movies on a long car trip.

By including Android Honeycomb (version 3.1 to be exact) Samsung has also one-upped the competition (though 3.1 has also already landed on the Transformer). The point release includes a few new additions. You can resize widgets and scroll through open apps in the pop-up thumbnails for the "recent apps" list.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn't have a USB port, so it doesn't take advantage of the new Android 3.1 feature to support USB-connected peripherals which is a shame, but that's not the direction Samsung is going with this tablet. This is all about pick-up-and-go functionality and portability.

Samsung actually downgraded the built-in camera on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 compared to the Galaxy Tab 10.1V, which had an 8MP rear camera. Still, the new model has a 3MP rear camera, which is three times higher than the Apple iPad 2's camera. There's also a front-facing 2MP camera.

There are quite a few interesting perks and additions on this tablet. Some may seem underwhelming at first, but as a whole they give Apple a good run for the prize.

One subtle change is that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a 7000mAh battery for all-day tablet use. In our tests, it lasted about nine hours for everyday tasks. The Apple iPad 2 battery is 6600mAh.

The 10.1 also has a four-way accelerometer and gyro (the Apple iPad 2uses a three-way accelerometer and gyro - starting to see a pattern here?). That may seem like a minor upgrade, but most of the games we tested on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 responded faster to quick turns and screen rotations, and generally worked better for controlling games. It also has great side speakers for playing music and movie audio, and plays smooth 1080p video.

And of course, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 matches the features of other Android tabs: built-in GPS, support for Adobe Flash in the browser (you still have to download it on your own), 1290 x 800 screen resolution, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor and Android tablet app.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a smart buy for anyone who wants a light and portable Android tablet. Google still has a ways to go on apps for Android – there are only a few dozen that are seriously worth downloading, compared to thousands of worthy iOS apps.

The ecosystem for media is a bit underdeveloped on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 as well. Sure, you can watch movies stream on the web, but for downloads you're mostly on your own.

Update:

August 5 2011: Samsung has now released a software update for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (the kernel says 2.6.36.3 but the Android OS version is still 3.1).

The 10.1 now comes with Samsung's TouchWiz software overlay which is designed to add some more features to Android by building on the foundations that Google laid down.

There is now a small arrow in the middle of the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. You press that, and can open the new Task Manager (to close and open apps), a Calendar (which uses Google Cal), a World Clock, a Pen Memo widget (for adding notes and drawing), a Calculator, and a Music Player. Each of these works reliably and adds to the value of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 beyond the usual Android 3.1 release on other tabs. Widgets stay up on the screen at all times, even when you open other apps.

Samsung also (finally) released the Music Hub, Media Hub, and Social Hub apps. There is also a new app called eBook which lets you read books you have downloaded from other book stores like Kobo, or that you have obtained by other means – such as download a free ePub file. As you might guess, the eBook app is not tied into the Kindle store, and so that means a separate app. You can add stores which are just links that take you to those Web sites to buy more books.

In the box Samsung includes a charger, USB cable and earbuds, but no case or docking stand.

Price

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been price-matched with the Apple iPad 2, which means that devices with the same amount of memory costs the same. So the starting price will be about £399.

Hands on: Microsoft Surface tablet review

2012-07-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

Hands on: Windows 8 review

However, you won't be able to get the Surface tablet until Windows 8 ships – and we can't get its big brother, the Intel Core i5 Surface for Windows 8 Pro, for another three months after that.

Design

The design of the Surface for Windows RT (and the similar Surface for Windows 8 Pro that we didn't see in as much detail) is understated.

Turn it on and the 10.6" screen fills most of the Surface's front display, but the four edges have half an inch of bezel so you can hold it comfortably.

The magnesium alloy chassis is covered with a soft coating that feels durable and expensive (that's the vapour deposition bit; it's chemically bonded rather than just painted on).

If you don't want to hold it, there's a built-in stand that's like a large hinge running across the entire back of the Surface, with another Windows logo in a slightly matte finish.

The Surface tablet also balances well on the hinge, which has two long rubber feet to stabilise it.

The Microsoft team showing off the tablets weren't cradling them protectively; at one point Battiche tossed a tablet to a colleague. Even without the cover, the Surface should stand up to some punishment.

Google Nexus 7 review

2012-07-11T04:11:00.000-07:00

Undoubtedly tired of watching OEMs make little headway in their uphill struggle against Apple's iPad, Google executives took the stage at this year's Google IO developer conference to announce a branded seven-inch tablet of their own, which the search giant is offering direct through its Play store.

Like other Nexus-branded devices, the Nexus 7 tablet isn't actually hardware manufactured by Google.

As Mountain View has done with Samsung, HTC and Motorola in the past, the company paired with Asus to design and manufacture its slender tablet.

It's a smart move: Among Android tablets, Asus makes some of the best around, but matching the rock-bottom $199 (£130) price of Amazon'sKindle Fire while exceeding its meager specs would be a challenge for any manufacturer. And make no mistake: The Nexus 7 is more of an effort to stomp out Amazon's unwelcome (and forked) version of Android more than it's attempt to dethrone Apple's reigning champ.

The good news is that very little has been sacrificed along the way, unlike with Amazon's initial offering. According to Android boss Andy Rubin, Google's profit margin bears the brunt of any sacrifices made, both from selling hardware at cost but also from tossing in generous perks such as a $25 (£15) Google Play credit for every Nexus 7 owner.

But enough about why and how Google has released the Nexus 7: Is it worth even $199 (£130) of your hard-earned cash?

Hardware

On paper, the specs for the Nexus 7 are quite impressive. Powered by a quad-core Tegra 3 processor with 1GB RAM and either 8GB ($199/£130) or 16GB ($249/£160) of onboard storage, this tablet runs circles around the Kindle Fire, rivaling many competing Android tablets at twice the price (or more).

The seven-inch 1200 x 800 HD backlit IPS display packs a respectable 216 pixels per inch onto the screen. Sure, it's not quite as impressive as a third-generation Retina Display iPad at 264ppi, but given the price, users will have little to complain about from the display.

The front of the Nexus 7 is devoid of hardware-based buttons, but a 1.2MP front-facing camera rests at the top of the tablet front, which is covered entirely by Corning glass (we're assuming Gorilla Glass, but Google isn't confirming).

Curiously, Google seems to buck the landscape trend made popular with most Android tablets. While the Nexus 7 will indeed rotate for landscape use with apps, the home screen itself is fixed into portrait mode, as if Google wants to encourage users to hold it this way when not watching content designed for landscape, such as movies or TV shows. (Portrait mode even works when viewed with polarized sunglasses, while landscape mode goes black.)

Unlike the Kindle Fire with its one lone button, Google has wisely opted for three basic hardware controls. On the right side is a power/sleep button with a two-stage volume rocker just below; the rest is done using Android's on-screen software buttons for back, home and recent navigation, including rotation lock, which can be accessed via the notifications menu.

At the bottom of the unit is a micro-USB port and 3.5mm headphone jack, while a thin speaker port is the only feature of note on the otherwise rubberized back aside from Nexus and Asus branding. The top of the unit is devoid of ports entirely, although a small pinhole can be found here for the included microphone.

While the Nexus 7 is primarily plastic and glass, it certainly doesn't feel cheap. However, certain models have demonstrated a certain creakiness and movement in the join between the bezel and that really does detract from the overall feel of the device - although it should be noted this wasn't present on all models we saw.

Inside, the Nexus 7 packs the usual assortment of features, including an accelerometer, magnetometer and yes, even a gyroscope and GPS chip, nicely timed to take advantage of Google Maps' new offline mode for navigating when Wi-Fi isn't available.

It's almost hard to comprehend how small the Nexus 7 is until you hold its diminutive box in your hand. At a mere 198.5 x 120 x 10.45mm and weighing 340 grams, once out of the box, you can almost stack two Nexus 7 tablets side-by-side on one iPad, which is just one millimeter thinner.

Despite being so petite, Google and Asus managed to find space for a nice bezel around the screen itself (roughly 20mm top and bottom, 14mm on each side), making it plenty comfortable to hold without your fingers or thumbs getting in the way.

The pockmarked back recalls the same vibe as slipping on a pair of premium driving gloves, and this look and feel makes it quite nice to hold. While our review unit arrived with a white back (similar to the ones gifted to developers at Google IO this year), Google is only offering the black model to consumers.

Speaking of which, the Nexus 7 is available direct from the Google Play store with preorders shipping in mid-July, but the company has ambitions to roll the tablet out at retail as well.

Boot up: Windows 8, Tech City's retort, Han gets bought, iPad's cool factor and more

2012-07-11T03:38:00.000-07:00

January 2007:

Both [Jeff] Han and [Steve] Jobs were showing off "multitouch" screens. But what makes those two demonstrations, 11 months apart, so remarkable is that they use two different technologies, on two screens of such different sizes, to identically dramatic effect. The upshot: this could be the start of a revolution in how we interact with computers.

Five years later...

Microsoft acquires multitouch company Perceptive Pixel >> The Verge

Steve Ballmer has just announced Microsoft's acquisition of Perceptive Pixel, a company focused on research, development, and production of multitouch interfaces. The company is perhaps best known for the 82-inch multitouch display that Microsoft demoed at MWC. Jeff Han, Perceptive Pixel founder and new Microsoft employee, says the display is the "world's largest true multitouch and stylus display," capable of supporting "hundreds of touch inputs simultaneously."
Ballmer calls Perceptive Pixel's portfolio "fairly revolutionary," but acknowledges there's a "lot of work to be done to bring the price down."

Jeff Han, who showed off his amazing touchscreen table (not tablet) at TED in 2006.

Windows 7 hits 630m licenses sold, now running on 50% of enterprise desktops >> The Verge

As Microsoft looks to Windows 8 for its tablet plans, CEO Steve Ballmer revealed that the upgrade will cap an "epic year" for Microsoft. "Windows 8 is the biggest deal for our company in at least 17 years," he said during a keynote appearance today.

In other words, the biggest since Windows 95. Why didn't he just say that?

HTC shares drop to two-year low after weak Q2 results >> CNA ENGLISH NEWS

Credit Suisse said HTC's launch of the flagship model One series failed to help it regain market share.
The rating company estimated HTC to have a 6.4% global smartphone market share in the second quarter of this year, compared with a 6.6% global market share in the fourth quarter of 2011 and an 11.4% share when the company was at its height.

Andr... Samsung is winning!

Samsung v Apple in UK high court: full ruling >> Bailii

The "iPad is cooler than Galaxy" ruling (sweets and smacks for everyone) in full. To begin:

Samsung contends that its tablets do not infringe. It submits that when the registered design is understood in its proper context, bearing in mind the existing design corpus and the degree of freedom of the designer, the overall impression the Apple design produces on the informed user is a different one from that produced by any of the three Samsung tablets.
Apple does not agree. It agrees that the registered design must be understood properly bearing in mind the existing design corpus and the degree of freedom of the designer but contends that when that exercise is carried out, the result is that the overall impression produced on the informed user by each Samsung tablet is not a different one from that produced by the registered design.

Set some time aside for this one, but the punch is at the end.

Chutzpam >> Talking Points Memo Editors Blog

Josh Marshal:

if you run a website there's the dreaded scourge of 'comment spam'. You've seen it. People who go into comments and post totally off-topic comments with links to this or that commercial site. "So, hey, you're talking about health care reform and mandates, but check out the great Refi i just got at scamrefi.com!!!"
Clearly, the folks who do this for a living are shameless and awful. But this morning I learned they're striving for even greater levels of shamelessness and actually achieving it.

Today's helping of karma with a side order of belly laughs.

There are real achievements at Silicon Roundabout | Monty's Outlook

Dan Crow, CTO of Songkick:

I left the UK in 1996, despairing of finding technologists and business people interested in building world-beating companies.
After 13 years in the US, I returned to find that there are real, meaningful companies building great technology right here in London. Perhaps [Telegraph head of blogs Damian] Thompson [who said Tech City is full of handout-seeking inconsequential flops] should look come see what's really happening in Silicon Roundabout? I think he will be surprised.
Thompson claims nothing of worth has been produced by Silicon Roundabout, and compares the area unfavorably with Cambridge and the M4 corridor. Of course there are great success stories that have come out of those areas.
ARM Holdings, founded in 1990, makes the chip designs at the heart of many mobile devices; Autonomy, founded in 1996, was recently sold to HP for $10bn.
Perhaps it is a little unrealistic to expect similar levels of success from a group of companies many of which are less than three years old. But even so, there have been notable successes.

An effortless putdown.

Orange mobile database flaw affects 26 million in France - ComputerworldUK.com

France Télécom's French mobile network, Orange, crashed last Friday afternoon, leaving many of its 26 million subscribers unable to make and receive calls until early Saturday morning local time. The company has promised to compensate customers with free calls, text messages or data for a day, and a ticket to the movies.

Le ouch. Also a reminder that you do want to have some sort of backup connectivity at times. The fault was due to databases getting out of sync.

such of Mozilla's leadership -- including that of the Thunderbird team -- has come to the conclusion that on-going stability is the most important thing, and that continued innovation in Thunderbird is not a priority for Mozilla's product efforts.

6 Tablets to Consider for Windows 8′s October Launch

2012-07-11T00:40:00.000-07:00

The release timing for Windows 8 has been somewhat of an open secret, but now it’s official.

Microsoft says the final version of Windows 8 will be available by the end of October, along with the first PCs running Windows 8 and Windows RT. The company will release Windows 8 to hardware makers (RTM, as they say) in the first week of August, and will let app developers start charging for their wares at the same time.

In the past, new versions of Windows meant new laptops and desktops. But to go along with Windows 8′s touch-friendly interface, PC makers will be launching tablets, touchscreen laptops and hybrid devices as well. Here’s a rundown of the most interesting Windows 8 PCs we’ve heard about so far:

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft stunned the tech world last month with plans to build its own Windows 8 tablets, collectively known as “Surface.” We’re still waiting on all the details, but the design looks promising, with a built-in stand and a slim screen cover that doubles as a keyboard (as pictured above). The Windows RT version, which runs on the same type of processor as the iPad and other tablets, will launch around the same time as Windows 8 (so, presumably in October). A thicker and heavier version running Windows 8 Pro, with support for legacy Windows software, is coming 90 days later. No word on pricing yet.

ACER

Acer Iconia W510

Acer’s Iconia W510 is a Windows 8 tablet that connects to a rather interesting laptop dock. When the dock’s keyboard and trackpad are facing up, the W510 acts like a laptop, but flip it over, and the tablet swivels around into a presentation stand, with the screen facing out from the front. The W510 has a 10.1-inch, 1920-by-1080 resolution display, and will run an Intel processor with support for legacy Windows software. Acer hasn’t announced a price or release date yet.

Asus Transformer AiO

If today’s tablets are too small for you, consider the Asus Transformer AiO, an all-in-one PC with a detachable 18.4-inch touch screen. When separated from the base, the gigantic tablet runs a standalone version of Android, but it can also use a remote desktop connection to access Windows 8 over a local network. Asus isn’t talking price or release date now, but my guess is “quite a lot” and “not for a while,” respectively.

HP “Slate 8″

HP has been quiet about its Windows 8 tablet plans so far, but a report by Neowin suggests a slick first effort. While most Intel-based Windows 8 tablets will be a bit chunky, the so-called Slate 8 will measure just 0.36 inches thick–a hair thinner than Apple’s new iPad–and weigh about 1.5 pounds, according to a leaked product rendering. And despite the slim figure, the Slate 8 will reportedly get between 8 and 10 hours of battery life. Now all we need is an official announcement to make this thing real.

ASUS

Asus Tablet 600

One of the few Windows RT computers announced so far, the Asus Tablet 600 is essentially a Windows version of the company’s popular Transformer Android tablet series. The tablet has a 10.1-inch, 1366-by-768 resolution display and an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor; it turns into a laptop with a keyboard and trackpad dock, an extra USB port and an extended battery. You know the drill: No price or release date just yet. (Asus is also working on Intel-based versions of the same concept. The Tablet 810 will have an Atom processor and an 11.6-inch display, and the Transformer Book will have Intel Core processors, discrete graphics and screen sizes of 11.6 inches, 13 inches and 14 inches.)

Nokia Mystery Tablet

Okay, so Nokia hasn’t announced a Windows 8 tablet, but there have been rumors, and former chairman Jorma Ollila has promised that the company is planning to launch a range of tablets. Nokia’s Lumia 800 is one of the best-looking Windows Phones yet, and I’m interested to see the company carry those design chops over to larger touch screens.

Verizon's Cable Deal Would Widen Digital Divide, Lawmakers Say

2012-07-11T00:23:00.000-07:00

A proposed deal between Verizon and four major cable companies could lead to consumers paying higher prices and having less access to high-speed Internet, a group of lawmakers said on Monday.

In December, Comcast, Cox, Time Warner and Bright House Networks agreed to sell Verizon a $3.6 billion portion of the wireless spectrum. The cable companies and Verizon, the nation’s top wireless carrier, also agreed to market and sell one another’s products and services.

Verizon and Comcast executives testified earlier this year that the deal would help Verizon handle an expected shortage of wireless spectrum triggered by more consumers' streaming of audio and video on smartphones and tablets.

But in a letter sent Monday to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski and Attorney General Eric Holder, more than 30 House members warned the agreement would have “far-reaching implications on the competitive landscape across the nation" and would give Verizon and the cable companies involved an "enormous advantage over their competitors."

The deal appears to limit competition in voice, video, Internet and wireless markets, they said. "This could lead to reduced investment in infrastructure, job loss, fewer choices, and ultimately higher prices for consumers," the lawmakers warned.

The agreements require approval by the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department’s antitrust division.

The agreement would also eliminate competition between Verizon and the cable companies and reduce Verizon's incentive to expand its high-speed Internet and video service, known as FiOS, the lawmakers also claimed. "This would leave many of the communities we represent on the wrong side of the digital divide," they said.

In March, community groups in Boston, Baltimore, Syracuse, Albany and Buffaloasked the FCC to block Verizon's deal with the cable providers, claiming it would ensure that they would never receive Verizon's FiOS service in their towns.

Last fall, Verizon said it planned to offer high-speed wireless in homes in Verizon's territory that do not currently have FiOS.

The lawmakers also claimed the deal would “eliminate thousands of good, middle-class jobs needed to build competing broadband networks."

Monday's letter was the latest plea for the deal between Verizon and the cable companies to protect the public interest.

In February, Sen. Al Franken urged the FCC and the Justice Department to investigate the deal, saying that “these joint-marketing agreements will turn these rival companies into partners, rather than competitors.”

Responding to those charges on Tuesday, Verizon spokesman Ed McFadden said in a statement, "Over the past six months we have addressed these issues, made a persuasive case that bringing unused spectrum to the marketplace to serve millions of consumers is strongly in the public interest, and we believe we are on track for approval later this summer."

Last year, regulators blocked AT&T's purchase of T-Mobile, which would have created the country's largest wireless company, saying it would leave consumers with higher prices and fewer choices for wireless service.

Google, FTC Near Privacy Settlement Of Record Size: WSJ

2012-07-11T00:15:00.000-07:00

Google Inc is close to paying $22.5 million to settle charges that it bypassed the privacy settings of customers using Apple's Safari browser, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials briefed on the settlement terms.

The fine would be the largest penalty ever levied on a single company by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the Journal said late Monday.

The charges involve Google's use of special computer code, or "cookies," to trick Apple's Safari browser so Google could monitor users that had blocked such tracking, the newspaper said.

Google disabled the code after being contacted by the Journal. According to Google, tracking of Apple users was inadvertent and did not cause any harm to consumers, the newspaper reported.

"The FTC is focused on a 2009 help center page. We have now changed that page and taken steps to remove the ad cookies," Google told the Journal.

Google also faces potential sanctions from other governments. It is being investigated by the European Union to determine if the company complies with Europe's stricter privacy laws, the Journal reported.

An FTC spokeswoman declined to comment to the Journal.

Google and FTC could not be reached for comment by Reuters outside regular U.S. business hours.

30 Best Apps for Apple’s New iPad

2012-07-11T00:07:00.000-07:00

The new iPad's just a paperweight without apps. Here are 30 of our favorites, from cheapest to priciest.

Part of the fun of getting an iPad is cruising through the App Store for great finds. Still, allow us to help out with some suggestions — 30, in fact. Some of these iPad apps are oldies but goodies, while others are solid apps that take advantage of the new iPad’s Retina display. Click the arrow buttons above to navigate, or use the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Wanted: Hypersonic Aircraft That Can Reach Anywhere on Earth in an Hour

2012-07-10T23:45:00.000-07:00

Fly anywhere on Earth in an hour. That’s the goal for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), according to Nextgov.com. DARPA is the Department of Defense’s secretive research arm known mostly for commissioning freaky robots.

How fast do you have to travel to reach any point on the globe in 60 minutes? Mach 20, or 20 times the speed of sound, in something called extreme hypersonic flight. To put that in context, Lockheed’s SR-71 Blackbird, the world’s fastest air-breathing piloted aircraft, maxes out at about Mach 3.2.

Making the jump to Mach 20 won’t be easy. According to DARPA, flying that fast would create temperatures of 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than a blast furnace capable of melting steel. Not to mention compensating for things like wind gusts is difficult when you’re traveling at around 13,000 miles per hour.

A hypersonic aircraft would be used for “missions ranging from space access to survivable, time-critical transport to conventional prompt global strike.” In case you were wondering, “prompt global strike” is military-speak for being able to blow something up anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice.

To reach its goal of launching a successful test flight by 2016, DARPA is hosting a “Proposers’ Day” on August 14 to reveal exactly what it’s looking for from companies that want to compete for about $40 million in initial prize money and $30 million in renewal contracts.

Facebook and Yahoo settle patent and form ad alliance

2012-07-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

Yahoo had sued the social network in March claiming 10 of its intellectual properties had been infringed.

Facebook subsequently bought 750 patents from IBM and counter-sued. It later bought hundreds more patents from Microsoft to strengthen its defence.

The firms said they would now cross-license innovations from each other and collaborate on future projects.

Yahoo's u-turn

The AllThingsD blog - which broke the news ahead of the official announcement - reported that Yahoo's interim chief executive Ross Levinsohn had begun moves to resolve the dispute immediately after taking over from his ousted predecessor.

It added that Facebook's chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg soon became involved in the resulting negotiations.

A press release quoted Mr Levinsohn as saying: "We are excited to develop a deeper partnership with Facebook, and I'm grateful to Sheryl and her team for working hard together with our team to develop this dynamic agreement... Combining the premium content and reach of Yahoo as the world's leading digital media company with Facebook provides branded advertisers with unmatched opportunity."

Ms Sandberg added: "Yahoo's new leaders are driven by a renewed focus on innovation and providing great products to users. Together, we can provide users with engaging social experiences while creating value for marketers."

The move may help secure Yahoo's top job for Mr Levinsohn. He had been competing for the role against Hulu's boss Jason Kilar.

But, the video streaming service announced Mr Kilar had "graciously declined" to be considered for the role shortly after news of the patent agreement leaked.

Although no money appears to have exchanged hands, the row has still proven to be expensive.

Facebook had paid Microsoft $550m (£355m) to buy 650 patents and license a further 275. It has not disclosed the cost of its deal with IBM, although the tech site Cnet has suggested the sum was $83m.

Galaxy Nexus back on sale in US after Apple's ban is halted

2012-07-09T08:17:00.000-07:00

Samsung has convinced a US court to lift temporarily a sales ban on its Galaxy Nexus smartphones.

The restriction came into force last week after Apple secured a preliminary ruling that the South Korean firm had infringed one of its search patents.

The appeals court did not explain the reason for the U-turn. Apple now has until Thursday to file a response.

The case has implications for other Android-powered devices and may lead to Google having to limit some functions.

Florian Mueller, a patent consultant who is following the case, said that if Apple managed to get the ban reinstated it could be months before Samsung got another chance to overturn it.

He added that the case was not due to come to full trial until March 2014.

Search limits

The disputed patent was filed by Apple in 2004. It involves the use of asingle search interface to retrieve and display information gathered from a range of systems using a number of techniques.

Apple has used the innovation for Siri - its voice-activated search function that gathers information from Google, Yelp, Wolfram Alpha, Yahoo and Wikipedia.

The Nexus - and some other Android devices - offer a quick-search option on their homescreens and a voice-activated feature which also retrieve information from a range of sources.

Apple had claimed that since it had not licensed its innovation to Samsung, the Nexus should be removed from sale.

"Samsung can now sell its Nexus phones again, but may find that the ban is reintroduced within days, effectively killing most of its market potential in the US," Mr Mueller told the BBC.

"But the bigger issue here is that other handsets - including Samsung's flagship Galaxy S3 - also offer the same disputed feature and Apple may aggressively enforce this patent against these devices as well, depending on the court's upcoming decision.

"Google may release an updated version of Android that removes the unified search technology but that would be a depredation of the user-experience meaning that the search results it gives are less useful."

Mr Mueller does work for Microsoft - a smartphone system competitor to both Apple and Google.

A statement from Apple said: "This kind of blatant copying is wrong and, as we've said many times before, we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas."

Neither Google nor Samsung were able to provide comment.

AOL’s Longest-Running Employee on the History of AOL Chat Rooms

2012-07-09T01:37:00.000-07:00

Amid the hoopla of the launch — attended, for some reason, by Jimmy Fallon and Snoop Dogg — Parker told an anecdote about meeting his business partner, Shawn Fanning, 15 years ago in a chat room, saying, “There’s something exciting about bringing spontaneity to the Internet. All of your interactions online are constrained by the people you already know.”

So far, Airtime hasn’t exactly been a hit. Apparently people don’t feel constrained by interacting with the people they know — they feel comforted by it. But what, exactly, did happen to the chat rooms Parker so fondly remembers?

I talked with Joe Schober, the longest-running employee at AOL and its current chief architect.

His relationship with the company started in 1988, before it was America Online. Back then it was called AppleLink, a project commissioned by Apple Computer and a company called Quantum Computer Services to connect Apple II and Macintosh computers.

The beta test was dubbed “Samuel” and for Schober, a teenage fan of BBSes (bulletin board systems), it was an intriguing opportunity. He recalls a “little frontier town” where you could initially recognize almost every screen name you came across. When the main chat room filled to capacity, necessitating the creation of Lobby 2, the community celebrated.

It only took 23 people to fill a chat room.

“I know for myself, personally, I found it fascinating,” says Schober. “The BBS world, it tended to be a one-line experience — you were the sole user of the service, you could send email, you could leave messages, but it wasn’t interactive in real-time in the same way. So the experience of going into a chat room and getting a response a couple of seconds later from someone who was in the same chat room was just really cool.”

Slowly, the service grew, expanding to support DOS and eventually Windows. The chat product, called People Connection, had a variety of rooms for people interested in such topics as genealogy and strategy games. Schober remembers a ticker dubbed “Network News,” a kind of virtual community newsletter that would let people know when certain chat rooms had a special guest or were discussing certain topics.

Schober moved from beta tester to full-time employee in 1992, when the service — now officially called America Online — went public. The company was positioned perfectly for the onset of the Internet Age. Windows 3.1 was released, making personal computers both more affordable and easier to use. And, despite our memories of the slow-dialing modems of the ’90s, connecting to the World Wide Web was faster than ever at the time.

“In the ‘80s, if you had a 2400 baud modem you were pretty hot stuff,” says Schober. “2400 baud is painful. People talk about their cellphones being slow now; a slow cellphone might be 256k or 512k, so if you think about something being 100 times slower than that, it’s ridiculous. So you started getting to the 9600 and 14,400 baud modems that made the speeds a little more comfortable.”

Participation in chat rooms started to snowball; as more people used them, the variety of chat rooms increased, attracting even more people. Then, in 1996, America Online opened the floodgates by introducing a monthly flat rate instead of charging by the hour. For $19.95 a month, users could now linger in chat rooms for as long as they wanted.

The late ’90s, according to Schober, was when chat rooms hit their peak. Just how powerful was America Online during this time? Reggie Fairchild, product manager for AOL 4.0, shared this little story on Quora:

When we launched AOL 4.0 in 1998, AOL used ALL of the world-wide CD production for several weeks. Think of that. Not a single music CD or Microsoft CD was produced during those weeks.

It worked. People signed up in droves.

AOL’s subscriber base grew to 17 million in 1999. This is the era that many people, myself included, remember most vividly. As a gawky kid entering high school, chat rooms were a haven from the awkwardness of real human interaction. I’d use them to discuss punk bands like Operation Ivy with other teenagers, to play the chat room-equivalent ofDungeons & Dragons, and talk to what I very much hoped were actual girls.

Around 2000, however, I found myself drawn more to AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) than I did to AOL’s chat rooms. Launched in 1997, AIM became widespread once it was made available to non-subscribers in 1998.

(MORE: AOL’s Thoroughly Modern AIM)

Then in the 2000s, the rise of DSL and cable modems made paying AOL a monthly fee for Internet access seem increasingly unnecessary. Friendster launched in 2002, Myspace in 2003 and Facebook in 2004. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) like World of Warcraft made gaming in chat rooms seem antiquated.

There were, in short, a lot more options for people who wanted to interact online. AOL’s walled garden was officially dismantled in 2006. Chat rooms were available to AIM users until 2010, when AOL announced, “Since usage of AIM Chat has declined significantly in recent months, our focus has moved to other products.”

Today, chat services such as Facebook Messenger and Google Talk (a.k.a. Gchat) are popular, but chat rooms as they existed in the 1990s are mostly a relic.

So, is the chat room dead? Schober doesn’t think so.

“I don’t think people have necessarily stopped using them — there are just different ways of expressing the same concept now,” says Schober. “Now people on Facebook will start a thread on someone’s Timeline and really start interacting with one another. It’s a different visual format, it’s organized differently, but its really the same concept we had around the chat room.”

Yes, that’s true, but to me the experience just feels different. That’s what Parker was getting at when he talked about the “spontaneity to the Internet” during the Airtime launch. In the ’90s, I constantly interacted with people known to me only by their screen names; today, I only interact that way in comments sections and on Twitter, and only occasionally.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’m nostalgic for AOL chat rooms, but would I use them if the company brought them back? No. But that doesn’t mean some entrepreneur out there isn’t working on something that captures the same spirit, albeit without the same hegemony AOL enjoyed. In the meantime, I’ll have to settle for talking with strangers on Twitter. Anybody want to talk about punk bands from the late ’80s and early ’90s?