
By GameSpot, published 12-06-2011
Rockstar readying updated release of PS2 open-world crime game for Android and iOS platforms; $5 price point confirmed. The PlayStation 2's seminal Grand Theft Auto III turned 10 years old in October, and developer Rockstar celebrated the anniversary by confirming it would be bringing the open-world crime game to mobile platforms. Rockstar followed that up today with more specific details, confirming that Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition will be coming to Android and iOS on December 15 for $5. A picture of GTAIII's sociopathic protagonist Claude, appropriately enough on the Android. The mobile port of GTAIII isn't the only Rockstar recognition of the game's anniversary. The company is also peddling a $150 limited-edition Claude action...

By GameInformer, published 12-06-2011
Rockstar Games announced the price and release date for Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition. The game is available for select new generation iOS and Android devices on the App Store and Android Marketplace next week, December 15, for $4.99. Below is a list of supported devices: Apple iOS Devices: iPad 1 & 2, iPhone 4 & 4S, iPod touch 4th Generation Android Phones: HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R, T-Mobile G2x Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba Thrive

By TechRadar, published 12-03-2011
This week's hottest reviews on TechRadarThis week we've looked at Sony's new dual-screened Tablet P - it's a clamshell Android tablet that's seriously different from anything else on the market. Read on for what we made of it. Then we've got our definitive verdict on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, plus the super speedy Intel Core i7 2700K processor and the entry-level Nikon D3100 DSLR. Plus there's plenty more besides - read on to see all of this week's reviews. Sony Tablet P reviewThe Android tablet is diversifying by the day, and here's one that… folds in half. Yep, the Sony Tablet P has dual screens and folds closed into something resembling a large glasses case. The slick lines and thin body of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and even the Sony Tablet S are nowhere to be seen, this is a device a...

By TechRadar, published 12-03-2011
This week's hottest reviews on TechRadarThis week we've looked at Sony's new dual-screened Tablet P - it's a clamshell Android tablet that's seriously different from anything else on the market. Read on for what we made of it. Then we've got our definitive verdict on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, plus the super speedy Intel Core i7 2700K processor and the entry-level Nikon D3100 DSLR. Plus there's plenty more besides - read on to see all of this week's reviews. Sony Tablet P reviewThe Android tablet is diversifying by the day, and here's one that… folds in half. Yep, the Sony Tablet P has dual screens and folds closed into something resembling a large glasses case. The slick lines and thin body of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and even the Sony Tablet S are nowhere to be seen, this is a device a...

By TechRadar, published 12-03-2011
This week's hottest reviews on TechRadarThis week we've looked at Sony's new dual-screened Tablet P - it's a clamshell Android tablet that's seriously different from anything else on the market. Read on for what we made of it. Then we've got our definitive verdict on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, plus the super speedy Intel Core i7 2700K processor and the entry-level Nikon D3100 DSLR. Plus there's plenty more besides - read on to see all of this week's reviews. Sony Tablet P reviewThe Android tablet is diversifying by the day, and here's one that… folds in half. Yep, the Sony Tablet P has dual screens and folds closed into something resembling a large glasses case. The slick lines and thin body of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and even the Sony Tablet S are nowhere to be seen, this is a device a...

By TechRadar, published 12-03-2011
This week's hottest reviews on TechRadarThis week we've looked at Sony's new dual-screened Tablet P - it's a clamshell Android tablet that's seriously different from anything else on the market. Read on for what we made of it. Then we've got our definitive verdict on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, plus the super speedy Intel Core i7 2700K processor and the entry-level Nikon D3100 DSLR. Plus there's plenty more besides - read on to see all of this week's reviews. Sony Tablet P reviewThe Android tablet is diversifying by the day, and here's one that… folds in half. Yep, the Sony Tablet P has dual screens and folds closed into something resembling a large glasses case. The slick lines and thin body of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and even the Sony Tablet S are nowhere to be seen, this is a device a...

By TechRadar, published 26-11-2011
This week we've reviewed Google's new Galaxy Nexus - the first Android 4.0 handset as well as the new, souped up Apple MacBook Pro.We've also checked out a brand new 46-inch LCD from Philips as well as Sony's whacky personal 3D viewer. Read on for all the reviews posted on TechRadar this week. Philips 46PFL9706H reviewThe Philips 46PFL469706H is a milestone in TV design. Picture quality on an LCD TV was simply not possible until now, and it's all made possible by the new 'moth eye' filter. It uses tiny nodules to mimic similar structures found on moth's eyes and is used to eliminate reflections on the screen, resulting in a greatly enhanced perceived contrast range. You have to see it to truly believe it, but it takes this TV from being a great contender to a market leader. There are a few...

By TechRadar, published 26-11-2011
This week we've reviewed Google's new Galaxy Nexus - the first Android 4.0 handset as well as the new, souped up Apple MacBook Pro.We've also checked out a brand new 46-inch LCD from Philips as well as Sony's whacky personal 3D viewer. Read on for all the reviews posted on TechRadar this week. Philips 46PFL9706H reviewThe Philips 46PFL469706H is a milestone in TV design. Picture quality on an LCD TV was simply not possible until now, and it's all made possible by the new 'moth eye' filter. It uses tiny nodules to mimic similar structures found on moth's eyes and is used to eliminate reflections on the screen, resulting in a greatly enhanced perceived contrast range. You have to see it to truly believe it, but it takes this TV from being a great contender to a market leader. There are a few...

By TechRadar, published 26-11-2011
This week we've reviewed Google's new Galaxy Nexus - the first Android 4.0 handset as well as the new, souped up Apple MacBook Pro.We've also checked out a brand new 46-inch LCD from Philips as well as Sony's whacky personal 3D viewer. Read on for all the reviews posted on TechRadar this week. Philips 46PFL9706H reviewThe Philips 46PFL469706H is a milestone in TV design. Picture quality on an LCD TV was simply not possible until now, and it's all made possible by the new 'moth eye' filter. It uses tiny nodules to mimic similar structures found on moth's eyes and is used to eliminate reflections on the screen, resulting in a greatly enhanced perceived contrast range. You have to see it to truly believe it, but it takes this TV from being a great contender to a market leader. There are a few...

By TechRadar, published 26-11-2011
This week we've reviewed Google's new Galaxy Nexus - the first Android 4.0 handset as well as the new, souped up Apple MacBook Pro.We've also checked out a brand new 46-inch LCD from Philips as well as Sony's whacky personal 3D viewer. Read on for all the reviews posted on TechRadar this week. Philips 46PFL9706H reviewThe Philips 46PFL469706H is a milestone in TV design. Picture quality on an LCD TV was simply not possible until now, and it's all made possible by the new 'moth eye' filter. It uses tiny nodules to mimic similar structures found on moth's eyes and is used to eliminate reflections on the screen, resulting in a greatly enhanced perceived contrast range. You have to see it to truly believe it, but it takes this TV from being a great contender to a market leader. There are a few...

By MaximumPC, published 25-11-2011
This week we've reviewed Google's new Galaxy Nexus - the first Android 4.0 handset as well as the new, souped up Apple MacBook Pro. We've also checked out a brand new 46-inch LCD from Philips as well as Sony's whacky personal 3D viewer. Read on for all the reviews posted on TechRadar this week. Philips 46PFL9706H review The Philips 46PFL469706H is a milestone in TV design. Picture quality on an LCD TV was simply not possible until now, and it's all made possible by the new 'moth eye' filter. It uses tiny nodules to mimic similar structures found on moth's eyes and is used to eliminate reflections on the screen, resulting in a greatly enhanced perceived contrast range. You have to see it to truly believe it, but it takes this TV from being a great contender to a market leader. There are a ...

By TechRadar, published 25-11-2011
OverviewNvidia's new 3D Vision 2 Wireless Glasses are designed to work with its new LightBoost technology and cut out annoying periphery dramas with 20 per cent bigger lenses.Maybe you love 3D, maybe you hate it. Wherever you stand on the begoggled viewing experience, though, chances are you'll have at least a couple of niggles. Stereoscopic 3D is no infant in technology terms, but it is experiencing teething problems as it gradually invades your household media setup. For starters, it's inconvenient and uncomfortable to have to wear special glasses every time you want to play a game or catch a movie; not to mention expensive if you're shelling out for several sets of glasses. Then there's the flickering in your periphery, the headaches and the lack of image depth.Samsung has made good pro...
By TechRadar, published 31-10-2011
Overview, design and feelSome phones are all about power; others affordability. Alcatel's One Touch 990 (or OT-990) falls firmly into the latter category, as you'd expect given the company's reputation as a purveyor of budget phones. So the question we're asking here isn't what exciting tech helps this rival Samsung's Galaxy S2, HTC's Sensation, Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc, or any of the other powerhouses in our 20 best mobile phones list.Rather we're concerned with whether it's money well spent. Especially when the world contains the likes of Orange's budget titan, the San Francisco. If you read our review of it, you'll know we lost our heart to that phone because of its amazing competence given its paltry cost. Other rivals worth bearing in mind are the INQ Cloud Touch, which excels at so...
By TechReport, published 09-12-2011
Eight is Enough AnandTech reports Intel leaks i7-2700K Fudzilla reports Nvidia's roadmap shows two more SoC Tegra chips Engadget reports Acer Iconia Tab A501 with HSPA+ hits AT&T on September 18th: $330 on contact and Sony Tablet S arrives at Best Buy, ready to be touched, pre-ordered WP Sauce: Mango for WP7 coming next week? (rumor) WPCentral shares rumor: Samsung leaving Windows Phone from 2013? LinuxNov's Ubuntu 11.10 Beta 1 Oneiric Ocelot screenshots tour CDProjekt: Witcher 2 "the beginning of much larger events," third-installment possible The NY Times: Rich tax breaks bolster makers of video games Read more...

By TechRadar, published 09-07-2011
Best budget PAYG phonesWith the mobile marketplace teeming with a multitude of smartphones, one might wonder whether cheap pay and go phones still have a place in the mobile infrastructure.With massive innovation in both hardware and operating systems, phones now do a lot more than just let you talk and text, with phones like the Samsung Galaxy S2 and Apple iPhone 5 stealing headlines around the world these days.Sadly all this innovation isn't cheap – and most of it is reserved for high-end contract handsets. So, is there such a thing as the 'best pay as you go phone on a budget'?Omio has provided a list of the top selling cheap phones at the moment, which we've taken to task to bring you the best PAYG phones around at the moment - so if you're looking to pick up a decent handset for not...

By TechRadar, published 23-08-2011
Is Sharp's star on the rise? Hot on the heels of the news that Sharp could be about to get investment from Apple to become the supplier of iPhone and iPad screens, here's another fillip to the inventor of LCD TVs – a cracking 3D TV that's a polished performer with high-end sources, the LC-40LE831D. Hardly a major force in the UK flatscreen TV market, Japanese brand Sharp has a huge LCD business that's largely Asia-focused and has, in recent times, been concentrating on the budget end of the TV and consumer electronics markets elsewhere. That all changed last year when Sharp introduced Quattron – a new colour reproduction technology for flatscreen TVs that was long overdue. TV pictures are made up of individual pixels that mix elements from three sub-pixels – red, green and blue – t...

By TechRadar, published 22-08-2011
Picking where to put your pennies when it comes to pricing up a PC can be a pain. Compromises must be made. But if any component deserves a large chunk of your dosh, it's undoubtedly a monitor. Choosing the best LCD monitor can be a pain, but we're here to help. The screen is quite literally a window into the workings of your PC. It's the one component that influences the user experience every time you sit down and fire up. Put another way, a shader-packed graphics card is great for games. For everything else, it's a billion transistors twiddling their thumbs.A high-end CPU admittedly has a wider repertoire. For most things, most of the time, however, a cheap quad-core chip delivers all the performance you can actually use.What LCD monitor?So, a good PC monitor gives more and it gives it m...

By TechRadar, published 22-08-2011
Picking where to put your pennies when it comes to pricing up a PC can be a pain. Compromises must be made. But if any component deserves a large chunk of your dosh, it's undoubtedly a monitor. Choosing the best LCD monitor can be a pain, but we're here to help. The screen is quite literally a window into the workings of your PC. It's the one component that influences the user experience every time you sit down and fire up. Put another way, a shader-packed graphics card is great for games. For everything else, it's a billion transistors twiddling their thumbs.A high-end CPU admittedly has a wider repertoire. For most things, most of the time, however, a cheap quad-core chip delivers all the performance you can actually use.What LCD monitor?So, a good PC monitor gives more and it gives it m...
By TechRadar, published 19-08-2011
Vodafone is the first European network to offer operator billing for its Android owning, app loving customers, having announced that the roll out will start today. This means that Android owners on Vodafone contracts can charge their App Market purchases to their phone bills rather than paying via credit card as they go. If you're on pre-pay, you can still take advantage of the new service by using your credit to buy apps instead of making calls. Apptacular Vodafone says the service will "initially" be available to customers who bought their handsets through Vodafone online and its high street shops. In a blog post aimed at developers, Vodafone explains, "In addition to facilitating the best possible user experience, Vodafone operator billing extends your reach to the large number of app b...
By TechReport, published 17-08-2011
Eight is Enough DigiTimes: Intel rejects 50% Ultrabook CPU price cut demand from notebook players Fudzilla reports AMD and Nvidia are ready for PC slump C|Net: Is Apple's case against Samsung based on shaky evidence? VR-Zone reports Intel's X79 to have 10 SATA ports after all TC Magazine: Dell offers video presentation of its S2330MX ultra-slim monitor Ars Technica: Apple releases first Lion update to fix system hangs, flaky Wi-Fi 9 to 5 Mac: Apple releases $69 OS X Lion thumb drive, ships in 1-3 business days Arkham City: 3D support and improved PhysX for PC - VG24/7 Read more...

By TechRadar, published 08-12-2011
This article is continually updated with news and information regarding the Sony A77 / A800.The Sony A77 was one of the worst-kept secrets until a release date was finally confirmed in March. We can now expect a Sony A700 replacement by mid-summer, Sony says, and company officials have been divulging the Sony A77 specs at trade shows for some time now. So while we all wait for the official release date, we have created this one-stop shop for everything you want to know about the Sony A77, with spec wishlists from our head of testing, all the latest news and more.Sony A77 release dateUPDATE: On the 14 February 2011, Sony announced a 'mid-year' release date for the new camera as well as released an image showing a prototype of it's long-rumoured Alpha 700 replacement in a translucent skeleto...

By TechRadar, published 22-07-2011
There's no better way to view an early prototype product than in the reflection of another product in a dark photograph taken on the factory floor. So it's lucky, really, that those are the circumstances behind the latest spy shots of what is supposed to be the upcoming HTC Ruby. This supposition is based on the fact that Exif data for the photos lists 'HTC Ruby' as the camera used to take them. Ruby, ruby, ruby, rubyNot a great deal of detail can be gleaned from the photos; there's a back-mounted camera with what looks like a dual flash, and we can see a headphone socket on the top panel of the phone. Its rounded design suggests it could be towards the lower end of the smartphone scale, recalling the cheap, toyish looks of the HTC Tattoo.We're going to guess this is an Android handset, al...

By TechRadar, published 27-06-2011
Californian company eMachines was taken over last decade by Acer, but the brand is still used for entry-level laptops. The eMachines G627-202G25Mi has some strong points, such as an excellent screen, but performance and portability lag far behind the competition.With a massive 17.3-inch screen and a hulking chassis that's 44mm thick, this is a big laptop, thicker than the 17.3-inch Toshiba Satellite C670D. At 2.8kg, it's also heavy, and best left on a desk at home.That said, the eMachines G627-202G25Mi is a decent-looking laptop and solidly built, except for a little flex around the palmrests. The keyboard is a good size, despite not stretching the width of the chassis, and the firm typing action makes it comfortable to work on all day. We expected a larger touchpad, but at least it's resp...

By TechRadar, published 27-06-2011
Acer is one of the most prolific laptop manufacturers and its Aspire range boasts everything from budget portables to the most powerful multimedia monsters. The Aspire 5741Z is the former, a smart and surprisingly powerful entry-level laptop.Budget machines make some tough compromises to cut costs, and one of the first casualties is often performance. However, while the Acer's Pentium P6000 processor has been around a while, it's extremely powerful. We found we could browse the web, play music and run various applications all at once, with only the occasional slowdown.The Acer Aspire 5741Z also scored highly in our graphical benchmark tests. There's no dedicated graphics card, with the processor handling images instead, but we were highly impressed to find we could watch Full HD video and ...
By TechRadar, published 27-06-2011
With tablets taking over the world, the humble netbook has been kicked aside like an unpopular Christmas present. This isn't to say that they're obsolete, as they're still a cheap and portable means of accessing the internet and your Office applications, but the Advent Zuni stumbles at a vital hurdle.The main problem is battery life. We've tested a lot of netbooks in our time, and models such as the Dell Inspiron Mini make us expect them to run for at least five hours between charges – preferably longer. However, the Advent Zuni gave up after just 103 minutes of use. That's worse than most high-powered gaming laptops.It's a real shame, as the slim and light build is easily transportable. The red chassis won't win any design awards, but it's tough enough to take a few knocks. However, we ...

By TechRadar, published 17-06-2011
The BBC has announced that it is to launch a BBC News app for connected televisions, with Samsung being among the first partners for the app.In a conference today, with TechRadar in attendance, the BBC launched the app saying that it will "provide 20 to 25 minutes of footage to get the user up to date, and should provide the same info as watching a bulletin on BBC One."Samsung has been going all out with its app service for televisions, with its Smart Hub available on a variety of Samsung TVs - including the company's flagship model, the D8000 Series.The Samsung Smart Hub already has apps for the BBC iPlayer and LoveFilm and the addition of BBC News is a big win for the company.Samsung also recently launched a 3D VOD service through its Smart Hub. This offers a variety of 3D content, from ...
By TechRadar, published 16-06-2011
Let's take a closer look at some of the more interesting (and realistic) new camera rumours making the rounds. What does 2011 hold in the way of new camera releases? These are our predictions...Canon EOS 6D / Canon EOS 5D Mark III release date rumoursCould a Canon EOS 5D Mark III release date be just around the corner? We think so. Launched in 2008, the Canon 5D Mark II is due a refresh. Essentially just the innards of an Canon 5D inside a slightly spruced-up body shell, plus a 21-million-pixel sensor and a very cool (for 2008) video shooting function, the 5D MKII always looked like something of a compromise. At this point in time, the 5D MK II lacks both the speed and enhanced functionality of the newer APS-C format EOS 7D, and the rugged construction and almost infinite customisation of ...

By TechRadar, published 14-06-2011
Last year saw the debut of 3D TVs from major manufacturers, but one or two of the big brands lagged behind. Sharp, the biggest TV brand in Japan and maker of the LCD panels behind Sony Bravia TVs such as the KDL-40NX703 (to name but one of its customers), had an excuse for lateness; Quattron.Updated to work on its first 3D TV, the Sharp LC-60LE925E, late in 2010, the technology sees its second generation on this 46-inch LE831 series TV. For anyone who missed it, Quattron was a genuinely innovative attempt to take picture quality to the next stage. As the name just about suggests, Quattron is a four-colour system that adds yellow to the normal red, green and blue (RGB) mix in every pixel on a flat screen TV. Four-play over, the Sharp LC-46LE831E has more to tempt in a relatively high-end pa...

By TechRadar, published 06-10-2011
Let's get one thing straight: the HTC ChaCha is not the Facebook phone. It's not manufactured by Facebook. But let's get another thing straight, too: the HTC ChaCha is the Facebook experience. And it's even endorsed to a certain extent by the King of the network, Mark Zuckerberg, who gave a sermon about it at the phone's launch.HTC has taken its already winning Sense interface and remoulded it with a big blue 'F' at the centre - something the notoriously quiet Facebook founder went on record as saying he's "very happy" with and, in a nod to the future, how they "look forward to a lot more to come".Rocking the latest Android iteration, Gingerbread 2.3.3 and fully capable of a dance-off with some other 3G-capable Android devices, it's due to hit stores any day now, with a sim-free price tag ...

By TechRadar, published 06-03-2011
We've been treated to a cornucopia of high quality mobile phones recently, but it's a certain two that have got the tongues wagging: the dual-core majesty of the HTC Sensation and the Samsung Galaxy S2.We've reviewed them both already, but so often we're asked the question of 'which should I buy?'So here's TechRadar's detailed and in-depth look at the differences between the two handsets - and if you still can't decide after reading through our guide, then we can only suggest you toss a coin in your local phone retailer.Build qualityThere's a marked difference between the HTC Sensation and Samsung Galaxy S2 when it comes to the design of the devices – which basically comes down to thickness and weight.The Sensation has a plastic and aluminium chassis combined with a relatively heavy glas...

By TechRadar, published 06-02-2011
There can be no doubt: it's an exciting time to be drooling over camera gear. Photography buffs - whether they're pros or serious amateurs - are falling over themselves to embrace a new but rapidly maturing breed of new equipment: compact system cameras. The internet is so thrown for a loop over this gadget that photographers can't even quite agree on what to call this new offspring of the ever-popular DSLR cameras and the cheeky, high-end breed of clever compacts. Whether you call them MILC (Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera), EVIL (Electronic Viewfinder, Interchangeable lens) or just 'fancy bridge cameras', you could do a lot worse than sticking one of these on your shopping list. It just might completely change the way you take pictures. We've had a look at what's out there and com...

By TechRadar, published 28-05-2011
Samsung has thrown its hat in the Freesat receiver ring with the SMT-S7800 500GB PVR. The new Freesat G2 specification will bring, at some unspecified time, further integration of broadcast and broadband delivered programming. Samsung sees no need for delay here in delivering a twin-tuner PVR with a sprinkling of its Smart TV magic, saying that when G2 boxes become commercially available it will issue a software update. First impressions of the SMT-S7800 are that it looks as attractive as Humax's benchmark-setting Foxsat-HDR. The spec looks an equal match too. Build and connectivity Design-wise, the front panel is heavily populated with 11 touch-operated controls, a 12-character LED display, and a USB. Despite the hive of activity, the fascia exudes an air of confidence and quality. A peek...

By TechRadar, published 14-05-2011
This week's top reviews include the Asus Eee Pad Transformer - one of the best tablets we've seen so far, running Android 3.0 Honeycomb. We've also reviewed the new HTC Wildfire S - a new breed Android handset that's available on budget tariffs. And then there's the simplicity of passive 3D with the LG 42LW550T. Below we've the details on all these top reviews as well as a full listing of all this week's reviews published across these pages. Asus Eee Pad Transformer review Finally, the Android tablet we've all been waiting for has arrived. While Android 3.0 has been knocking around for months now, viable, available-to-buy tablets have been rarer than a rare thing in a place that doesn't exist. The Transformer is an excellent touchscreen tablet that comes with its own battery-packing keyboa...

By SlashGear, published 05-12-2011
Excellent news for Netflix subscribers who love their Android phones! Netflix has just launched an app for Android, something that has been long-awaited by Android device users. The app is free from the Android Market, but is only available “on select phones that currently have the requisite playback support.” So far that means the HTC Incredible, Nexus One, Evo 4G, and G2, plus the Samsung Nexus S. Netflix says it will be quickly adding to the phones that can download the app. Netflix says it is working out the technical kinks and that “many of these technical challenges will be resolved in the coming months and that we will be able to provide a Netflix application that will work on a large majority of Android phones.” Right now, Netflix needs to test the app on...

By TechRadar, published 05-12-2011
Panasonic G3 review: OverviewThough the compact-styled GF1 proved very popular as a 'take-everywhere' camera for enthusiast photographers, its replacement - the GF2, left these users nonplussed. This was largely down to the fact that Panasonic simplified the handling, removed several of the direct control buttons (including the mode dial, drive mode switch, AEL and DOF preview buttons) and introduced touch-screen control. This may have been intended to appeal to novice photographers, but to enthusiasts it felt like dumming down. The modern-day classic reportage camera appeared to have been transformed into a happy-snappers model – albeit a very nicely built one.Panasonic's new Lumix DMC-G3, however, could be the camera that GF1 and G2 users want to upgrade to. It combines the compact cam...

By TechRadar, published 05-11-2011
The HTC Wildfire arrived in mid-2010, when the world was still reeling from the impact of the sensational HTC Desire. And the Wildfire was almost as popular, coupling HTC's fantastic Sense user interface with a smaller, solid and capable little body – it was a lot of people's first, affordable smartphone.But things are a little different in 2011. The dual-core "superphones" have arrived, which means something with a lowly 600MHz processor is going to have to win fans via features and price rather than power. The HTC Wildfire S isn't exactly a cheap phone, either. Currently on sale for around £220 through the SIM-free retailers, there are now plenty of extremely capable Android-powered phones out there for less money – such as the Samsung Galaxy Ace or LG Optimus One. It's going to be ...

By SlashGear, published 05-09-2011
Samsung has bet big on Smart TVs as a way to lure in more customers to buy its wares. I’m not sure how well that bet is paying off right now with sales of TVs slumping this year so far. Samsung has pulled out a new TV with a gigantic screen that would be great for watching your favorite movies and streaming content from the web. The TV is called the Samsung D9500 and it has launched in Korea to start with. The TV has all sorts of cool features like a black diamond panel. The 75″ screen is also 3D capable and would make a very nice 3D TV for your media room on home theater. The Smart TV can surf the web using the QWERTY keyboard packing remote control and the set has a 240Hz refresh rate. Samsung says that the TV is the largest 3D screen in the world for LCD TVs. The screen is...

By SlashGear, published 05-06-2011
T-Mobile USA has announced its Q1 2011 results, and the numbers don’t look great. Net customer losses hit 99,000 while revenue flatlined from Q1 2010 at $4.63bn; however, despite ARPU (average revenue per user) remaining steady at $46, overall income dived from $362m in Q1 2010 to $135m in Q1 2011. That contrasts sharply with Verizon and AT&T, both of whom had relatively strong first quarters. T-Mobile did see data revenue rise 20-percent compared to the same period a year ago, though that’s less than the 22.3- and 23.9-percent rise of Verizon and AT&T respectively. Part of the reason for T-Mobile’s declining income is that the cost of acquiring each customer rose, up $10 year-on-year to $310 per subscriber, which the carrier reckons was predominantly down to in...

By SlashGear, published 05-05-2011
A new Samsung notebook has surfaced that is called the Samsung Series 4, and the model is the 400B2Bs. This little notebook is aimed at the ultra mobile user who needs something compact and easy to take with them on the road, but with enough power to actually run business class apps. As you can see from the photo below the machine has a very simple matte black design with a Lenovo-style tracking nub in the center of the keyboard that controls the mouse cursor. The notebook still has a trackpad and it also has a fingerprint reader for security. The chassis of the machine is aluminum, and it has metal hinges. The screen is a small 12.5-inch unit, but the notebook has a full size keyboard, and the keyboard is spill resistant, which is important if you are the sort who has a lot of working ...

By TechRadar, published 05-04-2011
Our continually updated list of all the best netbooks available todayNetbooks are affordable. It's the reason we love them, and the reason that they took off in the first place. The cheap netbook isn't for everyone, but choose carefully and you'll get the best netbook on the market that will suit your needs.The big idea when getting your head around netbook computers is managing your expectations. If you're looking to write a novel, play games, or do a series stint of work, then you may be better off going for a full notebook or a desktop PC. While all these things are possible on a netbook, they're ideal for taking notes, editing work, watching movies, browsing the web and simply lasting a lengthy journey away from a plug socket. The battery life offered up by netbooks can be amazing, wit...

By SlashGear, published 05-03-2011
Welcome to the re-ramping! Spring is a notoriously slow time for technology, especially in releases of the gadgets we so very much love and adore, but by my watch, the truck is revving its engine and has started back out of the truck stop. We’ve got THREE, count them, THREE contests going on right now, and all of them have prizes so massive, you’re going to pee. First, win an Aire LED Black Monitor – then grab yourself a Qualcomm/BSQUARE Mobile Development Platform aka a bad mother with a Snapdragon MSM8660 1.5GHz asynchronous dual-core CPU and Adreno 220 – finally we’ve got ONE MORE Motorola XOOM to give away – lucky you! Let me next go down a big fat list of reviews we’ve done over the past few days because the collection is impressive: Sony Er...

By MaximumPC, published 30-04-2011
In a season of outages, when internet-based services seem to be having a tough time staying online, the last thing anyone wants to talk about is an upcoming cloud-based operating system. But that is exactly what we are about to do. MPC readers, let us ignore the bone-chilling horrors of the past week that are otherwise likely to linger with many of you for a long time, so that we can concentrate on reports of an upcoming Chrome OS netbook from Samsung called “Alex.” The existence of this netbook came to light through a Chromium bug report. It is clear from the bug report that Alex sports a 1280 x 800 display, and features a 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, Qualcomm Gobi 2000 3G card,Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a Synaptics Touchpad.Alex is not the only Chrome OS device ...

By SlashGear, published 29-04-2011
The Chrome OS leaks keep coming, with the Acer ZGB netbook and Seaboard tablet being followed by details of Samsung’s offering with Google’s new platform. The Samsung “Alex” is a 1280 x 800 netbook powered by Intel’s dual-core Atom N550 1.5GHz processor, along with a SanDisk SSD P4 and Qualcomm Gobi 2000 3G WWAN connectivity. Other specs include 2GB of RAM, Bluetooth and WiFi, an integrated webcam and a Synaptics touchpad. That differs a little from Acer’s model, which has a 1366 x 768 display and seemingly uses one of AMD’s Fusion processors instead. Samsung, Acer and ASUS are all among the company’s namechecked to be producing Chrome OS hardware for launch in the second half of 2011. However it seems likely that Google will do some sort...

By SlashGear, published 29-04-2011
Samsung has added US patent infringement lawsuits against Apple to its existing European and Asian cases, citing ten mobile phone patents in the San Jose, California, federal court. The move follows Apple’s initial case against Samsung earlier this month, and is part of what the company describes as its “continuing to respond actively to the legal action taken against us.” According to Samsung, the ten patents “relate to fundamental innovations that increase mobile device reliability, efficiency, and quality, and improve user interface in mobile handsets and other products.” That includes simultaneous voice calls and browsing, ways to boost mobile network capacity, and other performance tweaks. “Apple continues to violate Samsung’s patent rights...

By SlashGear, published 20-04-2011
If you’re into Android and have a taste for GSM frequencies, then T-Mobile USA may be the best place for you today. The T-Mobile G-Slate we reviewed earlier this week is finally on sale, priced at $529.99 with a new, two-year agreement, while the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G is also fresh to the carrier’s shelves, in black or magenta, priced at $99.99. Over at Android Community the intrepid Chris Burns has been putting the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G through its paces. Can the first Android-based Sidekick live up to the Danger legacy, or is this just another QWERTY Samsung with social aspirations? Finally, the G2x is finally headed into T-Mobile retail stores, having been exclusively available online since last week. Our T-Mobile G2x review will be going live very soon, so keep reading Slas...

By SlashGear, published 17-04-2011
Welcome to this week’s edition of the SlashGear Week in Review! It has been another busy week in the tech world with all sorts of cool and new tech and gear turning up so let’s get to it. Monday Adobe Photoshop touch apps for the iPad surfaced that allow the user to interact with content on Photoshop running on a computer using the Apple tablet. It’s really cool and turns the iPad into a heck of a drawing pad. Apple has been going about its business and hiring new employees for key positions inside the company. A couple of the new hires at Apple were former gaming company marketing types leading to the conclusion that Apple might be getting ready to take on Sony and Nintendo in the gaming realm. Some cool parody videos surfaced this week that use characters from Star Wa...

By SlashGear, published 16-04-2011
The T-Mobile G2x may be brand new on virtual shelves yesterday, but we’re not exactly unfamiliar with the Android smartphone. Announced officially back at CTIA 2011 last month, and launched as the LG Optimus 2X a couple of months before that (for the European market), the dual-core handset has already built itself something of a following. The T-Mobile G2x variant has landed on the SlashGear test bench: read on for our first-impressions. It’s not a small device, accommodating a 4-inch touchscreen running at WVGA resolution, and the 8-megapixel camera section at the back bulges out to spoil the lines. A silver strip runs up the battery cover to the lens but, contrary to what you’d expect, doesn’t flip out to act as a stand. Still, the blunt edges leave plenty of ro...

By SlashGear, published 15-04-2011
T-Mobile’s G2x, the carrier’s version of the dual-core LG Optimus 2X, has gone on sale via the T-Mobile webstore. The Tegra 2 smartphone is priced at $199.99, following a $50 mail-in rebate and assuming you’re content signing your life away to a two-year agreement. There’s the usual mandatory voice and data plans as we’re seeing on all smartphones, too. Specs include a 4.3-inch WVGA touchscreen, 8-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front camera and “4G” HSPA+ connectivity, along with WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and a microSD card slot. Since LG has used NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset, the G2x will get access to the NVIDIA Tegra Zone of apps and reviews. In-store availability of the T-Mobile G2x will be on April 20. [via Android Community] Relevant Ent...

By SlashGear, published 14-04-2011
I’d like to go on record saying that one of the only things from Adobe that interests me in the slightest is Flash for my iPad. Get to work on that, thanks. Adobe and Apple still have no agreement for support of Flash content on the iPad, but Adobe is touting its new streaming of Adobe Flash Media Server across multiple devices like the iPad 2, Samsung TVs, the Motorola Xoom and the Atrix smartphone. Adobe announced last year that it was supporting HTTP Dynamic Streaming on the Adobe Flash Platform. Adobe has added support for another format to the offerings. Adobe is now supporting HTTP Live Streaming or HLS. HLS is a MPEG2 transport streaming container that can be used by devices like the iPad 2. With support for HLS within the Flash Media Server Adobe has reduced the complexity ...

By SlashGear, published 13-04-2011
We’re the recipients of a press event invite that no less than tells us what’s going to be inside, both the T-Mobile G2x and the LG G-Slate. These are two devices that are sure to blast forth from the edifice of Android and fall directly into the homes of thousands and millions of homes across America, creating enjoyment for those who receive them. We’ve had looks at both devices in one way or another in the past, and here we’re sure to get yet another. Also inside this event will be a couple of musical groups, one of them called Dev and the Cataracs, the other by the name of DJ Chachi. Without a doubt this event is set to totally relax us in the sun with fine drinks and snacks, right? No way, man! We’re going to be scrambling with super authoritative skill ...

By SlashGear, published 04-12-2011
The HTC Sensation is official, and it’s a beast of a smartphone. Freshly announced at HTC’s London event today, the Sensation slots in at the top of the company’s range complete with a high-resolution qHD display and speedy 1.2GHz dual-core processor. Check out our hands-on report after the cut. Updated with video after the cut There’s a lot to like about the HTC Sensation. While it has the same screen size as the HTC Desire HD, it’s narrower and thinner and, thanks to more distinctly curved edges, feels far more slender in the hand. The bright, clear S-LCD screen also packs in more pixels: 540 x 960 rather than the by-now traditional 480 x 800 of WVGA. It adds up to crisper graphics and smoother text, and makes a significant difference to webpages in full-s...

By TechRadar, published 04-02-2011
This week's reviews include one of the hottest phones from this year's Mobile World Congress, the HTC Desire S. It's the follow-up to the best-selling HTC Desire, but can it top the highs of the handset it replaces? We've also fully reviewed Android 3.0, the tablet OS that hopes to conquer the supremacy of iOS as well as the incredibly quick six-core Intel Core i7 990X Extreme Edition. Top five reviews on TechRadarHTC Desire S review The Desire S is a great phone, but it feels like it doesn't live up to its grand name. We loved the original Desire so much. It was offering an experience comparable to the iPhone 4 three months before Apple's device was even announced.Android 3.0 reviewAndroid 3.0 is powerful and fast. It looks closer to what you'd expect in the modern computing age and not a...

By SlashGear, published 04-01-2011
A premium video-on-demand service backed by major Hollywood studios is set to launch imminently, with Home Premiere offering $30 rentals just two months after they show at theaters. According to Variety, Warner Bros., Sony, Universal and 20th Century Fox new Home Premiere service will arrive on DirecTV in April 2011, while cable providers – including Comcast – are planning limited trials. However, theater owners are unimpressed with the proposal, concerned that premium VOD will eat away at attendance figures. “These plans fundamentally alter the economic relationship between exhibitors, filmmakers and producers, and the studios taking part in this misguided venture” the National Association of Theater Owners argues, though the studios behind Home Premiere have ...

By HotHardware, published 04-01-2011
As far as displays go, this is about as cutting-edge as we've seen in recent memory. Display wars have transitioned from slimness to far more subtle things; things like screen resolution, pixel density, and transparency are coming into play. There are even flexible displays, so that curved surfaces could one day be used as televisions within...

By SlashGear, published 28-03-2011
We had several new smartphone and tablet announcements from CTIA Wireless that took place this week in Orlando Florida. There has also been some interesting developments having to do with Android with the launch of Amazon’s Appstore and RIM’s big announcement that their BlackBerry Playbook tablets will support Android apps. Read on for the full top ten list. 10. iPad 2 international launch on March 25th. Check out our iPad 2 review. (iPad 2 lines images from Huffington Post). iPad 2 international sales open with long shipping estimates UK iPad 2 online delays mean queues the only hope for early-adopters iPad 2 Review 9. ASUS makes official announcement for their ASUS Eee Pad Transformer. ASUS Eee Pad Transformer official: 16hr battery in Honeycomb iPad 2 r...

By SlashGear, published 25-03-2011
MSI has announced that starting today it will ship its first PCs powered by the AMD Dual Core Processor E-350 in North America. The 15.6-inch CR650 notebook and the Wind Top AE2050 All-in-One PC will be the first wave of North American products from MSI using the new AMD accelerated processor. The CR650 notebook is a multimedia powerhouse with a 16:9 widescreen display and has AMD Radeon HD 6310 Discrete-Class graphics chip. It comes with Windows 7 Home Premium, supports DirectX 11, and MSI’s Cinema Pro technology to maximize graphics performance. Watch 720p HD videos or record your own with the built-in 720p HD webcam. The webcam can be used with Easy Face Logon for quick and easy logins. It also comes with an HDMI out to let you connect your laptop to TVs. The All-in-One Wind Top AE...

By SlashGear, published 20-03-2011
This week’s tech news is topped by our HTC Thunderbolt review along with product announcements from Samsung, new pricing and availability for the Motorola XOOM WiFi-only version, subscription service changes with the New York Times and The Daily, a new live TV streaming Time Warner Cable iPad app, BlackBerry 6 security problem, rumored G2X and G-Slate dates, review of the Infinity Blade iPad 2 game, and unboxing of the HTC Arrive. 10. Sprint’s first Windows Phone 7 device, the HTC Arrive, hands-on and unboxing. 9. The Motorola XOOM WiFi-only version arriving March 27 and priced at $599. 8. Samsung product announcements: – Galaxy Players 4 and 5 – Series 2, 4, and 6 notebooks – Series 9 ultraportable – Samsung 3D HDTV ...

By SlashGear, published 14-03-2011
To help with the relief efforts after the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunamis, all the major carriers are jumping in to help. Following the announcements by AT&T and Verizon of free calls and texts to Japan, Sprint and T-Mobile have both confirmed their own program to help. Both carriers are offering the same SMS short code mobile donations program where customers can text short codes of a particular charity to donate $10 to them. Those short codes are: * Text “REDCROSS to “90999″ to donate $10 on behalf of the American Red Cross * Text “TSUNAMI to “50555″ to donate $10 on behalf of Convoy of Hope, Inc. * Text “WAVE” to “50555″ to donate $10 on behalf of the World Relief Corp. of National Association of Evangelical...
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By TechRadar, published 18-02-2011
Samsung's concentration on aesthetics and high-end features goes down very well in the mass market, but the 7 Series screen won't appeal to everyone. Design-wise, it's part stunning, part gaudy; a black frame with silver highlights is bookended by a mirrored strip along the bottom of the TV. There's also an unusual spider stand that's very reflective, though a screen this slim is surely destined for a wall.A mere 26.5mm deep around the sides and only 29mm deep in the middle, the UE46C7000 – while not as slim as Samsung's 8mm-deep 9 Series – is impressively tiny. An edge LED backlight helps create this slimness, but there's a lot more to the UE46C7000, including 3D, a Freeview HD tuner and Samsung's expanding Internet@TV service. Elsewhere in the 7 Series are the 40-inch UE40C7000 and 5...

By TechRadar, published 17-02-2011
This was a very interesting Mobile World Congress. And not actually in terms of devices; although we saw some special stuff, there was nothing to top the hardware inside Motorola's dual-core Tegra 2 Xoom and Atrix announcements at CES last month.But the show was certainly rather more interesting in terms of the strategy and positioning of the various mobile chip and operating system players.In terms of hardware, the LG Optimus 3D was of great interest, the Samsung Galaxy S2, Galaxy Tab 10.1 and LG Optimus Pad superb, while HTC's hardware disappointed with no dual-core (although it surely won't be long) and the specs of the HTC Flyer were a letdown – unless it can hit a stupidly low, iPad-bashing price point, of course. If you'd any doubt about it before, Android 3.0 is huge. Honeycomb is...

By SlashGear, published 02-11-2011
Hitachi has developed a new high-definition LCD display for smartphones that has a pixel density slightly higher than that of Apple’s much touted Retina Display. The screen’s resolution will be so close to what is perceptible to the human eye that you will not be able to distinguish individual pixels. The 4.5-inch IPS display will boast a 720 x 1280 (16:9) display that can fit 329 pixels per inch and a contrast ratio 0f 1,100:1. Compare that to Apple’s much touted “Retina Display” which can do 326 ppi, 800:1 contrast ratio, and a 960×640 resolution on a smaller 3.5 inch screen. Hitachi’s display is going to look very good. Mass production on the new displays won’t begin until October of this year so don’t expect to get your hands on these anytime soon. Most likel...

By SlashGear, published 02-09-2011
Just in case the IDC study showing that smartphones now outsell PCs wasn’t enough of a rush for you, ComScore has a new study out today. It reveals a major upset in the US smartphone market: Android has beat iOS. In Q4, Android made up 28.7% of the US market. iOS had only 25%, while RIM still lead with 31.6%. The BlackBerry-maker dropped 5.7 percent from Q3 to Q4, a troubling sign of times to come if QNX phones don’t get here soon. Windows Phone 7 was down 1.5% to 8.4%, while Palm tumbled a little to 3.7%. The fourth quarter saw a 60% growth, year-over-year, in smartphone ownership. 63.2 million Americans now own smartphones. The holiday season was especially kind to Samsung, who pulled in 24.8% of customers in Q4. Samsung was the only (non-Apple) manufacturer who saw the...

By TechRadar, published 02-08-2011
Since the advent of flat TVs, manufacturers have been coming up with audio solutions that fit the new 'hang on the wall' ethos. But few, if any, have done so as comprehensively as this system. The centrepiece is essentially a long black bar, into which Panasonic has crammed two stereo speakers, a Blu-ray player capable of playing back the latest 3D discs, an FM tuner and even an iPod/iPhone dock. Also included is a chunky but nicely finished subwoofer you'll need to stow away.Happily, this connects via Wi-Fi to the main system. The bar can also join your home's Wi-Fi network to access both BD-Live functions and Panasonic's online portal. The design of the 'bar is extremely cool, especially the way a central 'door' slides right to reveal the iPod dock and left to reveal the BD tray. It only...

By SlashGear, published 02-07-2011
T-Mo has just announced one of the crazier deals in their long, storied history of crazy deals. As a Valentines Day celebration, the carrier will offer all of their smartphones for free. This deal will only be good on Feb 11 and 12. Customers will be able to take advantage of the craziness both online and in retail outlets. Supplies of the better T-Mobile phones- like the Vibrant and the G2, are likely to be rather constricted. If you plan to hit up a store, you’d better get there early. Nothing gets people to commit to expensive, multi-year contracts like a shiny free phone. That’s what T-Mo’s betting on, anyway. The imminent Verizon iPhone has them quaking in their magenta boots. This is a (slightly desperate) attempt to reduce the potential pool of Big Red iPhone ...

By TechRadar, published 02-07-2011
Panasonic has spent the last two and a half years pushing its Micro Four Thirds series as a credible alternative to the DSLR, and its models seem to have won over novices and hardened enthusiasts alike. Now, in its second generation of mirrorless cameras, the company claims to have improved on its original concept, with the benefit of user feedback from its debut offerings.The latest GH2 picks up where its GH1 predecessor left off. The GH1 was a significant model in that it was the first in the G-series to offer video recording, and it went beyond simply including the function as an aside to stills functionality. With full-HD resolution, a sound-dampened kit lens, continuous autofocusing and stereo recording as standard, it was clear that Panasonic's intentions were on the GH1 being as muc...

By SlashGear, published 26-01-2011
T-Mo News has leaked an image showing the release dates for four major T-Mobile products including the LG G-Slate, Dell Streak 7, and Samsung Galaxy S 4G. The Motorola Cliq2 was included in the image, although it was released back on January 19th. T-Mo asserts that those dates are now confirmed with the Dell Streak 7 Tablet coming up first on February 2nd for $299.99 after rebate and following with the Samsung Galaxy S 4G on February 23rd and the LG G-Slate rounding it out on March 23rd. [Via T-Mo News] Relevant Entries on SlashGearAmazon list Dell Streak (as a Samsung); pricing & release still MIADell Streak available unlocked in UKT-Mobile sneaks Dell Streak 7 mention onto siteDell: no more Streak Android 2.1 OTA as we focus on FroyoDell Streak 7- and 10-inch tablets leak; AT...