Expansys: The eXpansys Insider Blog

LG Prada arrives in stock!

RWi — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:30:06 GMT

[intro]Good news for designer phone fans - the LG Prada 3.0 was due for release on Valentine's Day, but has arrived in our warehouses early and is available now for £429.99.

The latest creation from the partnership between LG and Prada, the Prada 3.0 is the best yet and the first to feature Android, making it the first in the series to be a fully-fledged smartphone.[/intro]

The Prada 3.0 comes with a 4.3 inch WVGA screen and a 1GHz dual-core processor plus 1GB of RAM, an 8MP camera and 8GB of stoage that can be expanded thanks to the microSD card slot.

More uniquely it comes with a very intruiging and attractive bespoke black and white UI and boasts a stylish design as you'd expect, plus a suitably supermodel-thin 8.5mm waistline. Of course, the biggest selling point might just be that 'Prada' logo embossed above the screen which immediately makes it a phone to be seen with.

And just so you know the beautiful people of the world will love this phone, Ed Norton and model Daria Werbowy launched the Prada 3.0 in Korea earlier today. Whether you take any notice of that or not, the Prada 3.0 looks an interesting and stylish handset with some interesting design differences that help it really stand out in the smartphone crowd.

Samsung Galaxy S Advance lands week of 26th March

RWi — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:02:00 GMT

[intro]More arrival date news from Samsung today, as the Korean tech giant releases another addition to the ever-growing Galaxy series of phones.

The Galaxy S Advance, an update to the Galaxy S, one of 2010's best-selling handsets, will arrive in our warehouses in the week commencing the 26th March and is now available for pre-order.[/intro]

Announced officially by Samsung earlier this week, the Galaxy S Advance (model number i9070) isn't a top-end premium handset, set to blow you away, but does come very well equipped for a mid-level entry into the Android market.

Indeed is comes with a 4 inch Super AMOLED screen (at WVGA 480 x 800 pixel resolution), a dual-core 1GHz processor and a 5MP camera, specs that only a year ago would have been seen as potentially cutting-edge, so this smartphone is all set to be a good Android performer with app loading having 'virtually no lag time' plus 'enhanced web download and browsing performance'.

The body is curved, including the glass, and is designed to fit in your hand and your face 'naturally' according to the press release.

Software wise the Galaxy S Advance will come rocking Android 2.3 Gingerbread with Samsung's lovely TouchWiz interface on top. The pre-order price is £359.99 at time of writing, but this could well be set to change with almost two months to release date. As always though, if you pre-order with Expansys, the price when it arrives in stock is the final price you'll pay.

HTC Flyer (16GB, Wi-Fi) back in stock and only �234.99

RWi — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:37:51 GMT

[intro]We've just got in a large delivery of HTC's Flyer tablet, and the 16GB version with Wi-Fi connectivity is now just £234.99 (at time of writing).

We've been saying for a while now that the era of tablets becoming an everyday object is here. Now those of you who want to dip their toes into the lovely, warm tablet waters but don't want to dilute the experience with a lower-end model can do so with HTC's high-quality beauty.[/intro]

The Flyer comes with HTC's usual premium build quality, made from a solid single piece of aluminium that feels nicely smooth and cold in your hand, whilst still only the weight of a paperback book (at 420g) so it's not too heavy to hold for an extended browsing session.

It comes with a bright and crisp 7 inch capacitive screen that's very responsive and a powerful 1.5GHz processor so the Flyer feels really snappy and that you are in total control. The processor speed also makes the Flyer ideal for superfast web browsing and running multiple tasks in the background at once.

Even better the Flyer has now received an update to make it run Android 3.2 Honeycomb so one of the major flaws on launch, that it ran the phone-centric Gingerbread version of Android, has been fixed. It also might well be getting an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich in Q1 according to reports. We like the Honeycomb upgrade, however it does mean you use on screen buttons and not the lovely tactile keys on the Flyer's bezel, so some might no prefer to update after all...

The Flyer also comes with a stylus which allows you to annotate the screen in many apps. But what it rocks at most in our mind is web browsing, watching video and portable gaming, running the latest games such as Grand Theft Auto III and Minecraft smooth and lag-free.

We've taken a couple of looks at the Flyer, including when it made its entrance and gadget-guru Jason Bradbury was also impressed by his time with HTC's debut tablet; and at this price we like the Flyer even more.

Just as you can get older phones that out-spec new entry-level models for the same price, HTC's Flyer lets you enter the world of tablets with a device that upon release just a year ago was top-end and is now a very reasonable price.

Acer Allegro vs. Samsung Omnia W: Windows Phone 7 Fight!

MP — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:12:40 GMT

[intro]It’s about time we had a good fight here at EXPANSYS. We have been trying to figure out which two devices to use to reenact our childhood battlefield fantasies and finally in walked the new Acer Allegro and Samsung Omnia W. Similar price and size, same OS and seemingly similar specs and performance. So who will ultimately be the winner between these reasonably priced WP7 handsets?

Well, let the battle begin![/intro]

Software:

Both the Acer Allegro and the Samsug Omnia W feature the latest version of Windows Phone 7, the Mango update, often called Windows Phone 7.5. We had a good look at the Mango OS when we tested the HTC Radar (one of the first devices to feature the updated OS) and we loved it. As examined then, the Mango update offers lots of changes, which may seem subtle at first for previous WP7 users but in fact render this particular OS update much more efficient and dynamic.

As far as the integration of Windows Phone Mango OS on the Acer Allegro and Samsung Omnia W, there isn’t much difference and if the OS performance is the most important thing when choosing your smartphone, then we suggest you opt for the slightly cheaper Acer Allegro (and you might want to stop reading any further to avoid changing your mind).

The difference between the Allegro and Omnia W is mainly that of build quality and materials used. While somewhat similar in size and shape, the Allegro reminds us much more of the Nokia Lumia 800 with its matte finish back cover and curved edges. The Omnia W has slightly sturdier edges and a slightly plasticky feel somewhat similar to other Samsung devices such as the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note.

Both devices are solidly built and feel comfortable in one’s hand so as far as physical appearances go it becomes a matter of preference. Both feature three keys at the bottom of the screen, the difference being that those of the Allegro are all tactile, while Omnia W has two tactile keys with ‘back’ and ‘search’ functions and a physical ‘home’ key.

The Allegro is also a little heavier, weighing in at 126g compared to the Omnia W’s 114g. Still, both devices feel very light and neither has a bulky appearance so we dismissed this slight difference as fairly insignificant.

So far in terms of OS and physical appearance, the score is even.

Hardware:

It is what’s on the inside that allows the Omnia W to take the lead. Samsung’s WP device features a powerful 1.4 GHz processor, while the Acer Allegro sports a slightly slower core, running at 1 GHz. At first look the difference isn’t as obvious as both devices perform extremely well, however Omnia W does have the advantage of being slightly snappier, especially when it comes to graphics and browsing.

In terms of display, the Acer Allegro sports a slightly smaller 3.6-inch screen to Omnia W’s 3.7-inches. The difference is minimal but shows quite well when it comes to the quality of display and the way it renders color and contrast. Omnia W boasts Samsung’s famous Super AMOLED screen while the Allegro has an 800x400 WVGA TFT display. The colors on the Allegro appear slightly faded and not as crisp as on the Omnia W and depending on what you expect from your phone this could be quite a significant factor in your decision making process.

The Omnia W also features a front VGA quality camera and a rear 5MP camera while the Allegro only sports a rear 5MP camera. Still considering front cameras are mainly (if at all) used for video chatting due to their average quality we don’t think this should be a deal breaker.

When it comes to connectivity and storage both devices are right there rubbing shoulders with 8GB of internal memory and 512 MB of RAM.

Result so far: Omnia W is ahead due to its better screen, faster processor and expandable memory.

Battery:

While the Omnia W sports a slightly better 1500 mAh battery compared to Allegro’s 1300 mAh we found little difference, possibly due to the Omnia W’s more impressive screen taking more juice to power. We got about the same amount of time out of both of them with similar use so ultimately battery life will depend on individual use.

Winner:

Again (and we are not trying to evade picking the winner here) the result depends on individual needs and what it is you are looking for from your phone.

Objectively speaking, the Omnia W is a better device, with better specs, faster processor, great display and generally it has a bit more to offer. On the other hand, both devices are solid with a tasty slice of Mango, whose performance is equally good, while one is priced at £289.99 (the Acer Allegro) and the other at £219.99. And in this case we would have to say the Allegro is the winner. Of course the choice is ultimately yours but to be honest, in our mind you can’t really go wrong with either.

Asus Eee Pad Slider glides into stock

RWi — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:56:23 GMT

[intro]It's been busy few days for Asus products here at Expansys.com. Firstly we got out first hands-on time with the new Transformer Prime, and now their Eee Pad Slider has arrived in stock.

An innovative tablet that comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, the Asus Eee Pad Slider caused quite some excitement when launched officially at the end of last summer. Now it's finally here in metallic brown and can be yours for £479.99.[/intro]

Powered by Nvidia's Tegra 2 dual-core processor the Eee Pad Slider is markedly fast and silky smooth in use, whether surfing online, loading up apps or watching movies in HD.

The bright IPS screen is in a 16:10 aspect ratio, the same widescreen format as most movies, and is covered in the usual Corning Gorilla Glass to keep it safe form scratches. Of course the main feature is the slide out keyboard, which feels great to use and will have you banging out emails, tweets, status updates, or even some work, in record time making the Slider one of the most practical slates available.

Much more comfortable and responsive than any on screen keyboard, the QWERTY keys let you be productive any time, any place and as they slide out there's now hauling round a seperate dock. There's even Polaris Office 3.0 pre-installed so there's no excuse not to get down to work! The Eee Pad Slider also comes with a good selection of ports including a microSD card slot fro expanding the memory, a USB socket to plug in all kinds of peripherals and a mini HDMI output to plug your Slider directly into a TV.

The Slider comes running Android Honeycombe (3.2) and will be upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich in the future. A versatile and powerful tablet, the Slider is another interesting and quality product from Asus.

Sony Xperia S arrives 1st week of March, available for pre-order now

RWi — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:13:35 GMT

[intro]The Xperia S was annouced at CES 2012 in Las Vegas earlier this month and immediately became one of our favourite new pieces of tech from the show.

And now we have a confirmed date for the HD-toting beauty - the Sony Xperia S will be arriving in the first week of March (around the 5th), and can be pre-ordered now for the launch price of £449.99.[/intro]

The first smartphone under the singular 'Sony' name, the Xperia S is also the first phone in the 'Xperia NXT' series, Sony's next generation of phones. Created with thier new 'Iconic Identity' design the Xperia S features a transparent bar near the base that apparently also houses the antenna as well helping aesthetically.

Inside the Xperia S has some impressive specs, boasting a 4.3 inchReality Display LCD HD screen with Mobile Bravia technology, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, and a mighty 12MP camera with Sony's excellent Exmor R sensor. The full HD (1280 x 720 pixels) screen really utilises the Bravia tech to provide a crisp and bright display, and the whole phone is designed around experiencing everything in HD, from taking HD photos and video and PlayStation Certified gaming to sharing it all on your HD TV.

The Xperia S comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but will get an update to Ice Cream Sandwich in Q2 2012.

You can find out more on our Xperia S page or on Sony's press release. For those that want some more images of the Xperia S take a look a this intro video from Sony on their latest handset:

Pink Galaxy S II arrives week starting 13th February - just in time for Valentines

RWi — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:51:01 GMT

[intro]Originally announced in November last year but available only in South Korea at the time, the pink version of Samsung's incredibly popular Galaxy S II arrives here in the UK, just in time for Valentines celebrations.

We've had it confirmed by Samsung that we will be receiving stock of the more feminine-shaded smartphone in the week commencing the 13th of February, with a price of around £439.99.[/intro]

This pink variant is officially called 'rose' in colour, but we've rarely seen a rose quite as vibrantly pink as pictures indicate the new Galaxy S II to be. Nethertheless we're sure this new addition to the S II range will prove as hugely popular as the white and original black models.

Nothing inside has changed; you still get the same boatload of premium specs, including the glorious 4.27 inch Super AMOLED Plus screen, a 1.2GHz dual-core flavoured processor, an 8MP camera, 16GB of internal storage plus microSD card slot, and the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) software. All of which helped make the Galaxy S II our biggest selling phone of 2011. So the change is only cosmetic, but may be enough to tempt you if you want your mobile companion to be a little less butch in tone. Or if you're stuck for a Valentine's present for the tech mad lady in your life.

ZTE Tania arriving in stock mid-February - available for pre-order

RWi — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:55:13 GMT

[intro]ZTE officially launched their latest smatphone yesterday; the ZTE Tania is a budget-friendly Windows Phone 7.5 handset and is the Chinese manufacturer's first Windows Phone 7 handset for the UK.

Available to pre-order now, we're expecting stock to arrive with us the week commencing the 20th of February, and the launch price to be around £249.99.[/intro]

With a 4.3 inch LCD screen (at Windows standard 800 x 480px resolution), 1GHz Snapdragon SoC (MSM8255) processor, 4GB of internal storage, 512MB of RAM, a 5-megapixel snapper with autofocus on the back plus the latest and greatest version of Windows Phone (Mango) running the show the Tania offers great value-for-money. Even better, it comes in both rather fetching white and black options!

Update: There's some reports that ZTE have said the white version is not coming to Europe, we will be speaking to ZTE and updating when we have a confirmation either way.

We had a play with the Tania at a ZTE event last month (a white version) and came away pretty impressed overall - it has a solid build quality, runs the Windows Phone 7 OS with gusto and at only 10.7mm thick easily slips into your pocket. Aiming for a slice of the budget-friendly smartphone market, the Tania is perhaps the most affordable Windows Phone with a 4.3 inch screen and feels good for the money.

Now the 4th largest phone manufacturer in the world, expect the Tania to be just the first of a whole range of new handsets from ZTE this year.

Cheap Android phones vs high-end ones: What's the difference?

JL — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:50:06 GMT

Editor's note: The next in our series of articles exploring the world of Android, Jonathan Legget of uSwitch.com and Android expert explains for us the difference between entry-level and top-end Android phones - and shows what extras you get for your money.

[intro]You don't need to be a mobile maven to know that Android phones differ massively in price. Right now, HTC’s ChaCha, for instance, is up for grabs from as little as £7.99 per month. Choose the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, though, and you’re looking at an outlay of up to four times that.

But what explains such a vast discrepancy in asking prices? Is a cheaper Android kit often just as good as a more costly model? And just what do you miss out on when you shun the top-of-the-range kits? Read on to find out…[/intro]

HTC's premium Sensation XL with it's huge 4.7 inch screen and their more entry level Explorer - what more do you get for your money with the bigger handset?

1: Lower-res, smaller screens

Lavish, super high-density screens are one of the most expensive elements of a modern-day smartphone. And for that reason, they’re one of the first things to make way when Android handset makers are trying to bring a smartphone in at a more affordable price.

So whilst the billboard blower that was the Samsung Galaxy S2 rocks a vast, blade-sharp 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen that easily goes toe-to-toe with the iPhone 4’s best-in-class retina display, the mid-range Galaxy Ace isn’t anything like as well equipped. Although at 3.5-inches it's the same size as the iPhone 4 and 4S, with 165 pixels per inch compared with Apple’s kit’s 330ppi, it’s got exactly half the pixel density.

Advantages of larger screens include the fact that they make potentially fiddly applications such as playing games and browsing the web, much, much easier. And they’re better for enjoying movies on the go too.

But that’s not say that large screen-toting Android phones hold all the trump cards. Less expansive screens still let you use multi-touch gestures and usually respond crisply to your prompts too. And more importantly because cheaper phones feature smaller screens, they’re also a lot more compact and offer much longer battery life too.

2: Less processing power

The very best, top-end Android phones are powered by mighty 1 or 1.2GHz dual-core processors. That means not only do they run at lightning fast speeds. They’re also significantly better equipped for multi-tasking.

Less costly phones aren’t anything like as brawny. With single core processors featuring exclusively, you’re unlikely to get the same feeling of ‘snap’ as an all-the-bells-and-whistles model.

3: Lower priority for updates

Cheaper Android phones’ aforementioned lack of power under the hood will mean they are less likely to support up-to-the-minute updates of Google’s operating system.

As a result, you’re likely to miss out on the new, exciting features that regular, free-to-download refreshes of the OS bring to Android phones. The kind of additional functions that sometimes make it feel as though you’ve got a brand new phone for no extra outlay.

Also limiting the chance of new platform iterations hitting cheaper phones is that it costs phone-makers a lot of money to ensure the new software works with their handsets. As a consequence, cheaper phones, which are less profitable for the manufacturer from the outset, are regarded as a lower priority for updates months down the line.

The question you need to ask yourself is whether the kudos of having the most cutting-edge Android functions is really that important to you.

Jonathan Legget is the News Editor at uSwitch.com, a great resource for the latest news, rumours and features on phones.

Nokia Lumia 710 arrives 1st week of February - available for pre-order

RWi — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:01:22 GMT

[intro]Having had it's official UK release date announced as the 1st of February by Nokia last week, we can confirm that the Lumia 710 is due to arrive in our warehouse in the first week of February and has a release price of £299.99.

Available for pre-order now, the first version we will have in stock is the black model with a cyan blue interchangable back cover. The 710 is Nokia's more entry-level model compared to the Lumia 800, and looks a fantastic value for money introduction to Windows Phone 7, and smartphones in general.[/intro]

With a 1.4GHz processor and 512MB of RAM the Lumia 710 almost matches the hugely popular Lumia 800 in performance and definitely betters what might be considered 'budget' smartphone specs. As well as the strong processor our favourite feature of the Lumia 710 is its 3.7 inch screen that has WVGA (800 x 480) resolution and Nokia's lovely ClearBlack tech that's found in many of their premium phones and gives it great depth of colour.

Of course the Lumia 710 comes with the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango operating system and all it's advantages, including the Metro UI (which we love), Microsoft Office software, XBox Live gaming, excellent email services and deep social integration whether you prefer Facebook or Twitter. You can find a full llist of specifications on Nokia's site. The Lumia 710 is also fully compatible with Nokia's Purity headphones that we looked at recently. We'll also have more colour variations available soon.