Tech n reviews

iPad Case Review: Macally Slim Folio Case for the New iPad 3rd Gen

2012-04-15T04:27:00.000-07:00

Slim and stylish, built-in stand and magnetic cover
Macally has released several new cases for the new ipad 3rd generation. The Slim Folio Case is a slim yet protective case that comes with a built-in stand and a magnetic cover. The case comes in three color options including a mono tone black option and two additional two-tone blue/cream and pink/blue combo colors.

Design

The Macally Slim Folio Case for the new iPad is slim and form fitting. The case has a faux leather exterior that's stylishly patterned with brushed finish. The two-tone cases look like they are large notebooks. The case opens like a notebook, and the right side has plastic clips that hold the new iPad 3 in place. The left side cover protects the display and also has a plastic clip that can latch onto the iPad to shut the case securely. The case has a thin layer of soft lining to prevent any scratches to your tablet when you are putting it in or taking it out of the case.

While the plastic clips hold the new iPad 3 perfectly in place, the case covers are a bit larger than the tablet's measure. This provides great shock protection and any potential scratches or damages to the sides of the iPad. Since the tablet sits more inset than we see in some other cases, you will need to stick your finger into the case to use the buttons. The Macally Slim Folio Case has sturdy inserts, though the case has some flexibility, it can easily protect your iPad from any bumps and nicks in a bag or backpack. The slim case weighs 8.8 ounces.

Features

One of the great advantages using the plastic clips to hold the tablet is that the case leaves all ports and buttons open for easy access. You can use any headset, charging cable and all the buttons while the iPad 3 is sitting in the case. And also thanks to the clip design, the case allows the new iPad 3 to swing out, free of the bottom clips, to stand on the front cover in adjustable angles.

The Macally Slim Folio Case for the new iPad 3 has another hidden feature in the cover, and that's a magnetic closure strip. The cover can automatically turn off the screen when you latch it the iPad, and turn on the screen when you open it. The clip takes a light push to snap on and a gentle pull to open, a nice design that prevents the front cover from easily opening and shutting and in turn turning on or off the screen by accident.

Conclusion

The Macally Slim Folio Case for the new iPad 3rd generation really stands out with its very slim yet protective form, the stylish brushed finished faux leather exterior (especially the two-tone options) and the effortless built-in stand. The case is very easy to use, and the magnetic cover is a bonus. All ports and buttons are accessible, though the tablet hides more inside the case than we've seen in others.

Price: £29.99
Web site: amazon.co.uk

PlayStation Vita Review

2012-04-15T04:08:00.000-07:00

Hardware
Display

The first thing you'll notice is the 5-inch OLED touchscreen with 960 × 544 resolution that clocks in at 220 pixels per inch (ppi). On paper, that might seem a fair way behind Apple's Retina Display levels (326 ppi), but make no mistake - this is a big, bright, gorgeous screen - and counting pixels will be the last thing on your mind once you start playing.

Controls
The Vita is the first mainstream handheld to feature dual analog joysticks, a control setup which has been the console standard for over a decade, and was surprisingly absent from every model of the first-generation PlayStation Portable (PSP).

The second joystick is essential for precise control of first- and third-person shooters, and is ultimately responsible for an entire subgenre of arcade games - the "twin-stick shooter" popularized by Geometry Wars (so it's no surprise to see Super Stardust as a launch title).

Both joysticks are a major, welcome departure from the awkwardly-placed, hard plastic "nub" of the PSP. They're placed closer to the middle of the Vita, and tilt like a console stick, albeit with less travel than you'd expect. There's also a much softer feel to surface of the stick which is far more comfortable.

The four face buttons are on the small side, and feature a distinct click, very similar to the PSP Go. They're placed so close to the right joystick that the particularly dextrous might be able to operate them both simultaneously with some practice.

The joysticks are joined by perhaps the best directional pad on a controller yet. Each direction has a tactile click as distinct as the face buttons, while being absolutely effortless to operate. It's beautifully showcased by launch title Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 (I think fans of fighting games in particular will adore it).

... but it's not all good. The shoulder buttons move around a bit, and can fail to give a tactile click depending on where you're pressing them, and the awkwardly-placed start and select buttons make it more difficult to pause a game than it should be, which is unfortunate for a portable device.

Easyness
Surprisingly enough, the Vita is far more comfortable to hold and operate than any PSP model and any DualShock/Sixaxis controller for the PlayStation (even if it is a little on the heavy side). It's no Xbox 360 controller (the high water mark for controller ergonomics) but it's a clear second - and that's a mighty feat for a portable device.

Storage
There's no storage on board the Vita, and your growing collection of SD and microSD cards won't help - you'll need to purchase a memory card in Sony's new proprietary format that is designed specifically for the Vita.

The cards are available for USD$20 for 4 GB, $30 for 8 GB, $60 for 16 GB and $100 for 32 GB. While some are complaining about the cost of the memory cards, it could certainly be a lot worse (witness what Apple charges for extra memory in an unexpandable iPhone).

I'd recommend you get at least a 16 GB memory card, and consider the 32 GB if you're a game hoarder. I filled an 8 GB card within a few days, though I already had an couple of digital PSP titles to install and was a little trigger happy on the PlayStation Store.

Battery life
Battery life is admittedly the Achilles' heel of the Vita, but it's not as bad as many are making it out to be. With Bluetooth turned off, I'm getting at least five hours of solid gaming out of a charge.

I wish I could be a bit more scientific about this one, but the Vita won't give a percentage reading from the battery, and it can tell when I've wedged down a button or joystick and eventually puts itself to sleep.

There are first- and third-party battery packs in the pipeline, but any battery packs that support the iPad (like the Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation) should do the trick in the meantime.

Build quality
After four revisions of the PSP (five if you count the PSP Go) you'd expect Sony to be pretty good at making portables - and the Vita doesn't disappoint. There's no creaking plastic or "give" anywhere, and the controls all feel like they're built to last.

Competing with the PS3
One interesting omission from the Vita is the lack of a TV output, which was in the original PSP. When you see the quality of the games running on the Vita you can see why - Sony knows that the Vita would be competing head on with the PS3, which unlike the Vita, can be sold at a profit. Hopefully there's some serious discussion happening at Sony about eventually unifying the PlayStation and the Vita.

Software
The Vita features one of the strongest launch lineups I can think of. You should be able to find at least two games that you enjoy, regardless of your gaming taste. Stay tuned for my list of the essential PS Vita games, which will be published in the next few days.

All "full-length" Vita titles will be available on physical media or as a download from the PlayStation Network, generally weighing between 1 GB and 4 GB. Like the PlayStation 3, there are download-only titles available from the PlayStation Network.

I grabbed two of the downloadable titles, Super Stardust Delta and Motorstorm RC, which are both brilliant - with a no-brainer price ($9.99) and gameplay that's conducive to a quick five or ten minute session. Motorstorm RC will even play on your PS3, which is something I hope we see a lot more of in the future.

If you already own digital versions of PSP games, many of these can be installed on the PS Vita (the number stands at over 275 according to Sony) - and I'm findingGran Turismo far more enjoyable on the Vita than my PSP Slim thanks to the improved controls.

When you take into account the large back catalog of downloadable PSP games and PSP minis, Sony has the start of something that could viably compete with Apple's iOS devices and the App Store. With aggressive discounts of the PSP catalog (like the existing 50 percent off the Grand Theft Auto games), continued courting of popular iOS developers, and an initiative to build a library of downloadable Vita games in the sub-$5 range (including free games supported by ads or in-game purchases), the Vita will become infinitely more appealing to the people outside the core gamer set.

You can use a computer (PC or Mac) or a PS3 as a master library for all your Vita games and other content, so it's easy to just keep what you're actively playing on your Vita's memory card.

Conclusion
I loved this piece of device, and recommend to anyone who plays games to go and have a play with one at a store. Even if you decide to wait for a price drop, a bigger library of games, or a hardware revision, playing the Vita is like a little glimpse of the future that's worth experiencing.

iPhone 4S Price Comparison

2012-03-24T07:22:00.001-07:00

Cheapest iPhone 4S with no upfront cost: Three £33/month

If you want an iPhone 4S 16GB but haven't got the cash to pay for its upfront, you can spread the cost of the handset over a contract (though this isn’t the very cheapest way to get the phone).

The cheapest "no upfront cost" deal is on Thrr.co.uk. It costs £33/month on a 24-month contract, and you can get either a white or black model.

The plan gives you 500 minutes, 5000 texts and a reasonable but not overly-generous 250MB of mobile data per month. If you use data too much this isn`t for you.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the iPhone 5 is rumoured to be released later this year so the price of the iPhone 4S is likely to come down if you wait.

Cheapest iPhone 4S 24-month contract: Vodafone £26/month

Vodafone is one of the expensive store in Uk. The cheapest deals from the vodafone includes the upfront cost of £219. So if you don`t have upfront cost then you can go for free upfront cost but it starts from £41 per month and Was £49 – offer ends 31 March 2012.

UK minutes	UK texts	UK data	Monthly cost	Handset cost
100	500	250MB	£26 a month	£219

Cheapest iPhone 4S 12-month contract: Tesco £25/month

A shorter contract gives you the freedom to switch sooner, so you can get a cheaper contract once the contract ends. The best value for money 12-month contract is from Tesco. For £25/month and £335 upfront, you can get the 16GB model with 250 minutes, 5000 texts and 1GB of data a month. This works out to £635 over the year.

Cheapest iPhone 4S monthly contract: O2 £16.50/month

The cheapest monthly tariff is from O2 via Buy Mobile Phones at £229.99 upfront plus £16.50/month on a 24-month contract. This works out as £26.08/month all-in over the two-year contract.

For this you'll get a 50 minutes, 250 texts and 500MB of data each month. Because the allowances are so low, it may be worth going for a slightly more expensive monthly contract, or consider the 12-month deal from Tesco Mobile above.

Summary
There are many reasons why iPhone is the world’s best-selling smartphone. It’s so easy to use, you don’t need a manual. The hardware and software are engineered by Apple to work together perfectly. And iPhone gives you truly long battery life. Some people settle for any smartphone. But iPhone owners love their iPhone.

HTC One S Specs N Reviews

2012-03-24T06:34:00.002-07:00

SPECS

Dimensions (mm): 130.9 x 65 x 7.95

2G standby time (hours): 360

Operating system: Android Icecream Sandwich 4.0

Internal memory: 16 GB

Touchscreen

Screen size (inches): 4.3

Weight (g): 119

2G talk time (hours): 8.8

Processor: 1.5 GHz Dual-core

Memory card type: microSD (up to 32 GB)

Screen type: AMOLED (540 x 960 @ 256 ppi)

Keypad: Virtual QWERTY

Data Support and Connectivity

2G network: GSM 850/900/1800/1900

Network region: Quad-band

Wi-Fi connection: 802.11 b/g/n

GPS

network: HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100

Bluetooth: v3.0
Wireless tethering
SatNav : Google Maps Navigation

Camera / Video

Image resolution (megapixels): 8

Front-facing camera: VGA

Camera auto-focus

Video recording: 1080p HD @ 30 frames/second

Camera zoom: 4x

Camera flash: LED

Camera self-timer

Entertainment

FM radio

Music player

Games: via Android Market

App store: Android Market

PC Synchronisation

Apple Mac

Calendar

Microsoft Outlook

Windows

Contacts

USB mass storage

Calling and messaging

Picture/video messaging

Built-in speaker

Call waiting/hold

Speed dialling

Video calling

Instant messaging

Call divert/transfer

Conference calling

Vibrating alert

Voice-activated dialling

Internet and email

Built-in email: POP3/IMAP Push/Pull

Web browser: Google proprietary

Supports Adobe Flash

Other

Alarm clock

Calendar

Calculator

Stopwatch/Timer

Summary

Overall new HTC One S is a beautiful, slim Smartphone that full fill the needs of your day to day life as a portable device.

HTC One S expected to be released on April

2012-03-24T06:07:00.002-07:00

If you want a slim,

beautiful and intelligent

smartphone that works

as hard as you, then

the new HTC One S is for

you.

Available for pre-order at:

O2, Vodafone and Orange

Take amazing pictures every day with the HTC S

The HTC One S comes with HTC's most advanced camera technology yet. That means you can take fantastic photos in any conditions. Capture shots instantly - and make sure you get the ones you want by taking up to 20 in rapid succession. Snap great quality photos in-poor light - thanks to the state-of-the-art F2.0 lens and auto-adjusting flash. And you can even take photos on your HTC while One S you're shooting HD video.

The HTC One S - ultra-thin, yet powerful

At just 7.8mm thin, the HTC One S is HTC's slimmest-ever phone. But behind its head-turning elegance - created with pioneering design techniques - there's a powerful smartphone designed for everything from apps and entertainment to web browsing and social networking.

Hear music the way it should sound

And not just music - movies too, thanks to the authentic studio sound quality of Beats Audio™ technology. It comes built into your HTC One S. And its audio processor automatically chooses the best profile for what you're listening to. So whether you're playing your favourite game, watching a movie or enjoying some tunes on your HTC One S, you'll experience a full dynamic range - from heart-pounding basslines to sweet, crisp highs.

Specs

Sony sold more PS Vita in US and Europe than in Asia

2012-03-17T11:42:00.003-07:00

On February 26, the PS Vita hit the shelves in America and Europe. One week on, and with the dust settled, Sony has released the very latest sales figures. Quite staggeringly, a whopping 1.2 million units sold worldwide; quite phenomenal given that we already know that just shy of 600,000 Vitas sold throughout Asia after its launch there in December.This means that over 600,000 sold across the US, Europe, and Latin America – impressive numbers for such a short time.

Specs

Specifications for PS Vita

Model Number

PCH-1000 series

CPU

ARM® Cortex™-A9 core (4 core)

GPU

SGX543MP4+

Main memory

512MB

VRAM

128MB

External Dimensions

Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest projection)

Weight

Approx 279g (3G/Wi-Fi model)

Approx 260g (Wi-Fi model)

Screens

Front touchscreen: 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, approx. 16 million colours, OLED multi touch screen, capacitive type.

Rear touch pad

Multi touch pad, capacitive type.

Cameras

- Front camera.

- Rear camera.

- Frame rate: 120fps@320x240(QVGA), 60fps@640x480(VGA).

- Resolution: Up to 640x480(VGA).

Sound

- Built-in stereo speakers.

- Built-in microphone.

Sensors

- Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer).

- Three-axis electronic compass.

Location

- Built-in GPS (3G / Wi-Fi model only).

- Wi-Fi location service support.

Keys / Switches

- PS button.

- Power button.

- Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left).

- Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square).

- Shoulder buttons (Right/Left).

- Right stick, Left stick.

- START button, SELECT button, Volume buttons (+/-).

Wireless communications

- Mobile network connectivity (3G / Wi-Fi model only).

- 3G modem (data communication): HSDPA/HSUPA, GSM/GPRS/EDGE.

- IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1x1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode).

- Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP).

Slots / Ports

- PlayStation Vita card slot.

- Memory card slot.

- SIM card slot (3G / Wi-Fi model only).

- Multi-use port (for USB data communication, DC IN, Audio [Stereo Out / Mono In].

- Headset jack (Stereo mini jack) (for Audio [Stereo Out / Mono In]).

- Accessory port.

Power

- Built-in Lithium-ion Battery: DC3.7V 2210mAh

- AC adaptor: DC 5V

What's New?
Touch screen support
PS Vita is the first PSP to support touch screen feature.

Designed for games
With a stunning screen and dual analog sticks, PS Vita is every gamer's dream come true.

Power and performance
PS Vita uses the latest technology to deliver the best performance and graphics.

Always connected
Take your pick from an always-on 3G Mobile Broadband or a Wi-Fi only model.

Cameras
Built-in cameras and GPS help create augmented reality and location-based experiences

Summary

Overall new PS Vita is very useful and handy for gamers with its new feature i.e, touch screen,cameras both back and rear for social service and 3g support so that you can be online where ever you go unlike previous version.

New Apple ipad full reviews and specs

2012-03-17T11:04:00.001-07:00

Appearance
New IPad 3 looks exactly like the IPad 2. However, when measured, the IPad 3 is little bit thicker and slightly weighs more than ipad 2.The new IPad come in both black and white.

Specs
Height: 9.50 inches (241.2 mm)
Width: 7.31 inches (185.7 mm)
Depth: 0.37 inch (9.4 mm)
Weight: 1.44 pounds (652 g)

Retina display
9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
2048-by-1536-pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi)
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously
Dual-core Apple A5X custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip with quad-core graphics

5-megapixel iSight camera
Autofocus
Tap to focus
Face detection in still images
Video recording, HD (1080p) up to 30 frames per second with audio
Video stabilization
FaceTime camera with VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 frames per second
Photo and video geotagging

Built-in 42.5-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

What's New?

This, of course, is what everyone wants to know. First off, the simple things. The processor is faster. The RAM is bigger. The cameras are better.There is a model that supports Sprint 4G.

Retina Display
The one thing about the new IPad that will freak people out is that it supports retina display, The Retina display is the sharpest, most vibrant, highest-resolution phone screen ever ,every thing on new ipad seems so real and clear to naked eyes.

Software Siri
Siri is an addition to the new IPad ,though its not full software like iphone 4s,still supports a siri dictionary version and which is quite handy for some users.

5 megapixel camera

Apple has made new ipad to support 5 mega pixels still image and 1080 p HD video recording for the back camera.

More than HD

The display of the new ipad is more than HD that supports 2048-by-1536-pixel resolution which is far more clear than what we call HD TV display.

Summary
The new Ipad is exactly same as the Ipad 2 with minor changes to its over all performance.Retina Display is one of its main feature for the sales of new ipad.

New Ipad sales begin in 10 countries

2012-03-16T16:07:00.001-07:00

Apart from the US, the iPad launched in Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and Britain.

On March 23, the new iPad is set to launch in 25 more markets, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macao, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Thousand of apple fans queue outside Apple Store as new iPad goes on sale

2012-03-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

Apple Store staff were outnumber by apple fans as new iPad goes on sale on Friday 16 of march.Many unlucky fans were turned away empty-handed as store run out of ipad.

Zohaib Ali, 21 - from uxbridge was the first in queue to own the first new ipad in london apple store.

Zohaib Ali was first in the queue for the new iPad in London, getting in position four days early

Ipad 3 first day sales approx 1 million

2012-03-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

On the first day sales of new ipad more than a million eager pairs of hands will be gripping the third version of the iPad on its launch day friday 16th of march. In 2010 some 300,000 models of the first iPad were sold on its first day sales, and while Apple didn't release launch-day figures for the iPad 2,they might be willing to figure out their new ipad sales this year.

Quad-core-powered entertainer HTC ONE X

2012-03-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

The Quad-core-powered entertainer HTC ONE X is due to be release on april 5 in UK and it will be available both on white and black.The device comes with Beats by Dr. Dre audio and headphones.

Extraordinary quad-core power gives you lightning-fast web browsing, remarkable picture quality and hyper-realistic gaming effects --all on a giant, 4.7-inch HD screen. Then there's the amazing camera that captures every moment with crisp, vivid, beautiful photos.

HTC One X SPECS

Your quad-core powered entertainer.

Size: 134.36 x 69.9 x 8.9 mm
Weight: 130 grams with battery
Display: HD 720p touch
Screen: 4.7-inch (1280 x 720 resolution)

CPU Speed

1.5 GHz, quad core

Platform

Android™ 4.0 with HTC Sense™ 4

Memory1

Total storage : 32 GB
RAM:1 GB

Network2
HSPA/WCDMA:
Europe/Asia: 850/900/1900//2100 MHz
GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
850/900/1800/1900 MHz

Sensors
Gyro sensor
G-Sensor
Digital compass
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor

Connectivity
3.5 mm stereo audio jack
NFC3
Bluetooth with aptX™ enabled (Bluetooth® 4.0)
Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n
DLNA® for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to a compatible TV or computer
micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) port with mobile high-definition video link (MHL) for USB or HDMI connection (Special cable required for HDMI connection.)

Camera with HTC ImageSense
8 megapixel camera with auto focus, smart LED flash, and BSI sensor (for better low-light captures)
F2.0 aperture and 28mm lens
1080p HD video recording
1.3 megapixel front camera (720p for video chat)
Dedicated imaging chip
Capture a photo in the midst of recording HD video
Continuous shooting mode captures multiple snapshots
Auto flash smartly determined by distance from your subject
Video stabilization feature removes annoying, shaky motion
High quality slow motion video capture and playback

Sound enhancement
Beats Audio

Multimedia
Audio supported formats:
Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 9)
Recording: .amr
Video supported formats:
Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 9), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3)
Recording: .mp4

Battery
Capacity :1800 mAh

IPad 3 in UK

2012-03-10T07:44:00.001-08:00

Apple makes 'iPad 3' available in Britain from 16 March at £399 to £659-The new iPad device will be available in the UK from 16th March at £399 to £659 ($499-$829 in the U.S.) after Apple last night priced the so-called 'iPad 3' at the same range as it launched the iPad 2 a year ago.

Apple has also reduced the price of ipad 2 from £399 to £329 for a 16GB, Wi-Fi only version -making it more affordable and cheaper than any previous model.

Apple CEO Tim Cook also left the door open for 'a lot more' innovation in the next year - possibly a reference to the new iPhone 5 widely expected to launch later in October this year.

Apple launching Ipad 3 on 16 march

2012-03-10T06:33:00.000-08:00

Apple announced they are launching there new ipad on 16 of march- the third generation of its category, defining mobile device, featuring :
a stunning new Retina display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics, and a 5-megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing incredible photos and 1080p HD video. iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G connects to fast networks worldwide, including AT&T’s and Verizon’s 4G LTE networks, and still delivers the same all-day 10-hour battery life while remaining amazingly thin and light. The new iPad will be available in black or white through the Apple Online Store and in Apple Retail stores on Friday, March 16, beginning at $499 (US). Customers can begin pre-ordering their new iPad today on the Apple Online Store. Also beginning today, iPad 2 will be offered at an even more affordable price, starting at just $399 (US).