Children tablets

The quality of children’s tablets varies enormously, though, so it pays to know what to look for. Although specifications play a part. it’s important to get a device that can withstand rough handling: kids and fragile technology don’t mix well.

Hardware
One disadvantage of most children’s tablets is that they have screens with poor viewing angles, unlike an iPad or ocher tablet with an IPS screen. Some are better than others, though. Again, check reviews before you buy. Also look for a tablet chat comes with a rubber bumper, as it’s bound to be dropped on a regular basis. The nabi 2 and Kuno 7 include these in the box.

Battery life is important. since you don’t want to end up with a tablet that lasts only a couple of hours before needing to be connected to the mains or a new set of batteries. In the latter case, rechargeable batteries are advisable. Cameras are included on most tablets but not all. If you want a tablet to double as a digital camera and camcorder, look for one with a rear-facing camera. Front-facing cameras are good only for self-portraits and video chat.

Finally, check the ports and controls. Tablets that lack hardware volume buttons are frustrating, and look for an HDMI output it you want to be able to hook the device up to a big-screen TV.

Software 

Most children’s tablets are based on Android, but don’t provide access to Google’s Play store Typically. you’ll be restricted to the manufacturer’s own store. which may have a limited selection of apps and games, and they’re usually more expensive than similar apps in Googles store. 

The software that comes preloaded is also important. since it determines how much play time your child will get from the tablet before you have to start spending more money to keep them entertained. Another thing to look for is a web browser that restricts which sites they can visit and includes other parental controls for limiting their usage.

Parental controls
If you opt for a standard tablet for your child, you should be aware that your kids will be able to access pretty much all the content you might have blocked on a desktop PC or laptopAn easy way to restrict internet access and any other communication is to enable flight mode before you give the device to your child. Savvy kids will easily work out how to disable this, however.

iOS tablets
Apple has added to iOS some parental controls, but they will apply to anyone who uses the iPad. To set up an iPad for your kids to use, tap Settings, General, Restrictions. You’ll have to enter a PIN to enable restrictions.

You can disable certain built-In apps such as Safari, but you can restrict other apps only by their age rating (or disallow access entirely). Similarly, you can restrict films by age.TV shows by those rated Caution and music or podcasts with explicit content. You will also probably want to disable location services for social-networking apps. There are lots of other privacy settings that prevent apps from accessing your data, and you can disable multiplayer games and the adding of
new friends in Game Center. It’s sensible to disable in-app purchases, as well as the ability to install apps.

Android tablets
Google’s Android OS doesn’t have much in the way of parental controls, although its Google Play app store does offer content filtering. Launch Google Play, then press the Menu button and choose Settings. Content filtering. You can allow apps rated for low, medium or high maturity.

Consider the free Kid Mode app. This lets kids play their favourite Android games, read stories and paint pictures, but there’s no way to accidentally buy anything. delete your emails or access another app. We also recommend the parental-control apps from Kaspersky, Norton and the popular Funamo. 

LeapPad2 Explorer™

Price: $99.99     Website: http://www.leapfrog.com     

LeapPad2 Explorer™ Learning Tablet

SPECIFICATIONS
Suitable for 3-9 years; 500MHz IF 2000 processor; 4GB storage; 5in (480x272) touchscreen; stylus; 2Mp front- and rear4acing cameras; 4x AA batteries required; up to nine hours claimed battery life; 267x64x292mm;950g

PROS: Educational benefits; relatively stylish, tough design; 300-plus games and apps; front- and rear-facing cameras CONS: Requires four A batteries; expensive games and apps VERDICT: A proper little tablet with apps and games that can capture a child’s imagination

Nabi 2

Price: $199.99     Website: http://www.nabitablet.com/specs/nabi2

Fuhu Nabi 2

SPECIFICATIONS
7in (1024x768, 169ppi) capacitive multitouch screen; Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich; 1.3GHz nVidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor;1GB RAM, 8GB storage; 802.1 lbFg/n; Bluetooth 3.0; GPS; 2Mp, 720p front camera; 2x stereo speakers; 3.5mm headphone jack; microUSB 2.0; microSD (SDHC compatible); mini-HDMI; non-removable battery; 221x154x29mm; 610g
PROS: Very good web browsing and general performance; safe to leave with children unsupervised; tough, non-toxic build  CONS: U S-centric software; poor viewing angles; no access to Google Play  VERDICT: Easily the best kids’ tablet we’ve seen, but it needs Anglicising

InnoTab 2

Price: $69.99     Website: http://www.vtechkids.com

Vtech InnoTab 2

SPECIFICATIONS
51n screen; 2GB storage; 1.3Mp rotating camera; SD slot; 4x AA batteries; 30x60x280mm; 720g 

PROS: Rotating camera; microphone; pull-out stand; great range of software available; expandable storage; educational  CONS: Not as stylish as Leap Pad; toy-like  VERDICT: Destined to be a hit with all kidsunder the age of eight1 and a true rival to the LeapFrog Leap Pad

Kurio 7

Price: $198.94     Website: http://www.kurioworld.com/

Kurio 7

SPECIFICATIONS
7in (800x480) capacitive multitouch screen; Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich; 1.2GHz Allwinner AlO
single-core processor; Mali 400 graphIcs; 1GB RAM; 4GB storage; microSD; 802.11b/!n; 0.3Mp, 2Mp cameras, 720p video; Mini-USB; Mini HDMI; 3.5mm headphone jack; 195x122x11mm; 352g

PROS: Decent parental controls; one of the better tablets to leave unsupervised with a child; tough design; user profiles  CONS: Slow processor; poor battery life  VERDICT: Only the hardware holds back what would otherwise have been a great tablet for all the family

Arnova ChildPad

Price: $169.95     Website: http://www.kurioworld.com/

Arnova ChildPad

SPECIFICATIONS
7in (800x480) capacitive touchscreen; AndroId 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich; 16Hz ARM Cortex AS processor; 4GB storage; microSDHC; 223x142x12.2mm; 380g

PROS: Parental controls; full Android interface; cheap; capacitive screen  CONS: Poor camera and sound quality; naff apps; interface not very child-friendly  VERDICT: It looks the part, but a fiddly interface and substandard games means we can’t recommend the Arnova Child Pad

eos 650d

Canon has ditched the three-year-old DIGIC 4 processor in favour of the DIGIC 5 chip used in recent PowerShot cameras. This raises the continuous speed from 3.7fps to 5fps, and also introduces in-camera chromatic aberration (CA) correction. This eliminates discoloured halos around high-contrast lines) and has been offered by Nikon’s SLRS for many years. These benefits arent available at the same time, though. With CA correction enabled, 5fps shooting lasted for just three frames before slowing to 2.lfps. With it disabled, it lasted for 29 frames and then slowed to 3.6fps.

Automatic high dynamic range (HDR) shooting is now available, and has a dedicated position on the mode dial for quick access. Curiously, the camera slightly crops and then enlarges the image back to 18 megapixels. More worryingly, autofocus problems were quite common in this mode. There’s also a new Handheld Night Scene, which combines three exposures to reduce noise. It made things softer at ISO 3200 but proved its worth at ISO 12800. 

eos 650d

LIVE AID
For us, the 600D’s biggest weakness was its slow autofocus in live view mode. Live view on an SLR bypasses the main phase-detect autofocus system, and the 6OODs backup contrast-detect system was appalling, taking up to four seconds to lock on to subjects. For the 650D, Canon has integrated additional phase-detect autofocus points on to the sensor. This appeared to improve live view autofocus speeds, but only to an extent; it still took between one and two seconds to focus. That’s still likely to be too slow for most people. It’s also significantly slower than the Pentax K-30.

We ran tests using the phase-detect autofocus and then retook the shot using live view’s contrast-detect
autofocus. Most were identical, but in a third of these shots live view gave sharper results. The imperfect
shots were usually good enough to keep) but having to choose between fast or accurate autofocus is frustrating.

This is the first SLR to include a touchscreen, and it’s extremely well implemented. It shows a variety of shooting details, and turns into a control panel when the Q button is pressed. 

touchscreen

The touchscreen is best in Live View and Video modes, where it sets the autofocus point. Its useful to be able to move it while recording video as full.time autofocus is available in video mode, thanks to the on-sensor autofocus points It’s an improvement over the 600D, but it still isn’t brilliant, with frequent focus hunting and long periods that were completely out of focus. However, while video autofocus on the 600D was hopeless, on the 650D it’s OK for casual use.

The autofocus motor spoiled the soundtrack when using the 18-55mm and 18-135mm lenses, but was much quieter with the 40mm STM lens, which is designed to be quiet while recording. Adjusting manual exposure while recording is now silent, with shutter speed, aperture and ISO speed controls available on the touchscreen.

CLIP HIGHLIGHTS
Video clips are no longer constrained by a 4GB limit. The 600D’s videos stopped without warning after about 15 minutes, but the 650D can span videos across multiple files up to a maximum of 30 minutes. You’ll need videoe diting software to stitch the files back together, but there were no glitches to the picture or soundtrack when we did so. 

30 minutes video

Our video quality tests gave similar results to the 600D. Details were sharp, but not as crisp as the Panasonic GH1. The difference is subtle though.

We experienced the same problems with moire interference that we’ve seen from countless other SLRs’ video modes, where dense repeating textures exhibit swirling interference. We shouldn’t dwell on the
negatives, though. Colours in videos were sumptuous, noise at fast ISO speeds was impressively low, and shallow depth-of-field effects gave video footage a beautiful film-like quality.

ISO 1600 and 3200

We struggled to find anything to complain about regarding the 650D’s photos. CA removal not only eliminated halos, but tightened up focus towards the edges of frames as well. Meanwhile, the improved noise reduction maintained slightly crisper details at ISO 1600 and 3200 and exhibited less chroma noise at ISO 6400 and above. Noise in unprocessed Raw files appeared heavier than from the 600D, though. Regardless, the 650D is arguably the best performer at this price for image quality. Automatic exposures were expertly judged and JPEGs displayed gorgeous colours.

COLOUR CHARTS
EOS cameras’ colour output makes our spines tingle that bit more than with rival cameras. The controls are straightforward and elegant, and the increased speed, extra shooting modes, in-camera CA correction and improved live view autofocus mean there are four less reasons to look elsewhere. Slightly iffy autofocus with the 18-55mm and 40mm lenses is our only bugbear, but it’s pretty subtle, and something we could live with until we’d saved up for a better lens.

18-55mm and 40mm lenses

The Panasonic GH2 is available with a 14-42mm lens for about the same price, and the fantastic Nikon D7000 costs just a little more. The GH2 comes top for video and the D7000 wins hands down for photographic control, but the Canon EOS 650D is hot on both their tails, and nudges ahead of the Nikon camera for image quality. (Ben Pitt)

iPhone 5 Review

THERE’S The Easy way to explain an Apple iPhone 5: it’s thinner, lighter plus a little higher than the 4S. While this summary certainly conveys the general look of the phone, it underestimates what’s disappeared in the design for it striking handheld.

Apple has managed to shave 1.4mm from the thickness of its previous phone. If you comparing the two models side by side, it’s quite obvious. The iPhone 4S’s screen and back bulge out from the side, whereas the iPhone 5 has a flush-fitting back, and the screen is barely raised at all.

While the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 are clearly related, there are some aesthetic changes to the new model, which give it a different look and help to keep the weight down. Gone is the all-glass rear, changed with an aluminium panel that covers almost all of the back of the phone, bar two glass panels at the top and bottom. We’ve been told that during manufacturing, the back of the phone is photographed with the aluminium panel in place, so that the best-fitting glass panels can be found. Our review model was certainly well put together, with a flush-fitting rear.

Bigger Screen

Bigger screen

The iPhone 5 features a bigger 4in screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio, as opposed to the 3:2 aspect ratio used on the iPhone 4S. What this means in practice is that both screens are the same width, however the iPhone 5’s is slightly taller, with a resolution of 1,136x640, maintaining the same high 326ppi pixel density, (whereas the iPhone 4S has a resolution of 960x640). This is still a Retina display, which Apple defines as a screen where you can’t see individual pixels.

The extra resolution is useful, as you can now fit five rows of icons on the homescreen, up from four on the iPhone 4S. It also makes sense when you use a lot of the applications: you can view more calendar appointments and emails in a list, for example. Typing with the phone in portrait mode is also easier, as there’s more space above the keyboard for text, making it easier to see what you’re writing and correct any mistakes as necessary. 

Retina Display

It’s not just a bigger screen. The iPhone 5s display embeds the touch components with the actual pixels, removing a layer from the old screen. As well as being thinner, the new screen is brighter with higher colour saturation. Compared side by side with an iPhone 45, we really noticed the difference; the iPhone S’s screen looks a lot more vibrant, with more pleasing colours. The screen is evenly lit and the viewing angles are excellent, with the display easy to see from any angle. A 16:9 display also makes more sense if you’re watching a lot of TV programmes or films on your phone. The screen suits the aspect ratios usually used, leading to a reduction (if not complete removal) of black bars. 

A6 Chip
Along with the new phone comes a new processor: the Apple A6. Apple promises this is twice as fast as the iPhone 4S for the CPU and provides double the graphics performance. It’s also 22 per cent smaller. It’s hard to test a phone’s processor, but this dual-core model certainly proved itself in the tests we performed. The SunSpider JavaScript test completed in 9441ms on the iPhone 5 and took more than twice as long on the iPhone 4S, completing in 1,9173ms. Web browsing in general was very quick, with the BBC News home page rendering in less than four seconds.

The iPhone 5 was a little snappier than the iPhone 4S, opening applications such as Photos just that little bit faster. As you’d expect from Apple, iOS is beautifully smooth throughout, effortlessly rendering all the operating system’s animations. 

A6 chip

The iPhone 5 ships with iOS 6, available for older iPhones and iPads as a free upgrade. In the main, iOS 6 is a tweak to what’s gone before, making the iPhone work better in the cloud and with other Apple devices. Improvements are mostly small, but they are handy; for example, Safari now has iCloud Tabs, which means you can see browser tabs currently open on your other Apple devices. We like the way that you can share Photo Streams with people on iOS 6 devices or, for everyone else, via a public website. As it currently stands, using postcodes is the only sure-fire way of finding the address you want. Apple is working on this problem at the moment, but it’s a little sad that Maps currently represents such a wobbly step back.

 

Map

In its favour, Maps introduces turn-by-turn directions. Youre given a clear choice of three routes, with traffic problems highlighted, making it easy to choose your own journey. Prompts are spoken clearly by Sin, and we like the way that the next turn indicator counts down the distance, so you know exactly when to make the manoeuvre. We also like the 3D Cities view which gives you a 3D model of the place you’re looking at so you can fly over it virtually. The centre of London is covered, but that’s about it for now in the UK, although Apple has plans to expand its content. 

Siri is faster to respond than before, and you can also post Facebook or Twitter updates using it. Again, Siri swings between scarily accurate and annoyingly wrong, but it’s often a quick way to use a feature; we think it’s brilliant for setting reminders, for example.

Passbook, a brand-new app, is a digital wallet for tickets, store cards and coupon codes. Currently, it’s a bit limited in the UK, but we expect more partners to come online in the coming months. When it has full UK support, it could prove really useful. Passbook is location-aware so it can, for example) pop up your airline boarding pass as you reach the airport, so you don’t have to hunt through your bag for the old paper version. 

Siri

SIM PLEASURES
While the iPhone 4 introduced the Micro SIM, the iPhone introduces an even smaller version: the Nano SIM. If you’re buying an unlocked phone, you’ll need to get your operator to switch your old SIM for the new one. Your operator ought to do this free of charge, and you should be able to make the switch in-store, but phone to check.

Apple has revamped its in-ear headset and introduced the EarPods. This is good news for commuters; you will no longer be bombarded with irritating, tinny noise coming from people who haven’t upgraded their bundled headphones.

The slightly strange design of the EarPods sends the audio into your ear rather than letting it leak. It’s a big improvement in sound quality, too, because there’s more range, better balance and a real sense of bass. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that they’re relatively pleasant, although the sound is still slightly muddy, lacking fine detail and the full range that you get from other sets. As such, wed still suggest that you invest in a decent set of headphones, with the EarPods acting as a decent backup pair.
As with the old buds, the EarPods have a built-in microphone and responsive in-line remote with volume control and a multifunction button. Call quality is pretty good, with the microphone clearly picking up our voice.

WIRELESS AND 4G (Ultra Fast)
Apple has completely upgraded the wireless technology inside the iPhone 5. First up is the 80211n dual band, which means it’ll connect to 24GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks. The advantage of 5GHz is that there’s less congestion, so you’ll get better throughputs. You’ll need a dual- band router, though.

24GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks

This is the first iPhone with built-in 46, and it will work with the new Everything Everywhere 4G network. From what we’ve seen, 4G provides really fast downloads) making the mobile Internet experience similar to being on a home network. 

AFTER SHOTS
A thinner case has meant that Apple has had to redesign the lens and sensor for the iPhone 5, but it still has the same 8-megapixel resolution as the iPhone 4S. There’s little difference in practice between the two models; like the 4S, the iPhone 5 has one of the best smartphone cameras around.

Shots are bright, vibrant and detailed. For most purposes, you can happily use your phone rather than a compact camera. The iPhone 5 also introduces a panorama mode. Just hold the phone steady and pan up to 2700 to create one massive image.

8-megapixel

Video is shot at 1080p at 3Ofps, and quality is generally excellent. Footage is detailed with punchy colours; it’s easy to see why there’s no longer any need for Flip video cameras or the like. 

Battery life is quoted by Apple as the same as the 4S, which is impressive, considering the iPhone 5 has the larger screen. In our video playback test, the iPhone 5 lasted 12 hours and four minutes, which is pretty much the same as the iPhone 4S in the same test. (David Ludlow)

Sony Vaio Duo 11 Review

WINDOWS 8 Is actually designed to work equally well in tablets as in notebook or desktop Pcs, so it’s perfect for Sony’s new Vaio Duo 11 ultra- portable tablet hybrid. In its closed form, the Duo is just a 21mm-thick tablet. Its sensitive, glossy 11in IPS touchscreen picks fingerprints a little too easily, but it's color reproduction is brilliant and the 1920x1,080 display can easily play video in glorious HD. Move a tab on one side of the tablet and the screen hinges open on a plastic support to reveal a narrow keyboard with small widely spaced keys.

Either it’s in tablet or laptop configuration, the display rotates its details freely, using a combination of accelerometer and gyro sensors to work out the correct orientation for that screen at any point. This sometimes meant the screen switched to portrait mode when we were using it with the keyboard open. Fortunately, Sony has anticipated the problem and includes a small button on the back of the Duo that enables and disables autorotation. You can also turn off rotation manually in the Screen Resolution configurations.

There’s no track pad, however , you can get other options for controlling your pointer. The capacitive touchscreen responds readily to multitouch gestures using your fingers, but Sony has provided a double ended conductive stylus that included buttons. It's better for good control for the small, high-resolution display, making it simpler to complete delicate tasks like selecting and dragging folders within a directory tree.

If you’re not comfortable using touch controls or you’d rather not lift your hands {from the|of your} keyboard while typing, feel free to use the touchstick controller, that's nestled amid the B, G and H keys, along with three rudimentary mouse buttons beneath the space bar. Feel free to use those to right-, left- and middle-click just like you would with a more common input device. On the back of the Duo, behind the keyboard, is a pair of volume control buttons, that rest close to one of the integrated stereo speakers. These sound far richer than you’d have any right to expect off their size, however they’re still a little tinny.

If you need extra through your audio than such speakers can offer, feel free to use a stereo line output to connect earphones or a set of speakers. The Duo isn’t exactly overburdened with ports, but those it has are useful. There’s a memory card slot capable to handle high-capacity SDXC and Memory Stick HG Duo cards, and also a Gigabit Ethernet port. HDMI and VGA video outputs enable it to be simple to connect a projector, Television or a 2nd screen, and there are 2 USB3 ports for high-speed external storage devices.

The rest of the specification will be pretty impressive, as you’d expect at this price. The processor is a dual-core mobile Core i7-3517U that runs at 1.9GHz. It has integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics processing capabilities, this means it can perform most 3D games if you reduce the level of quality settings enough. It handled around 3ofps in Dirt 3 at 720p and High Quality with anti-aliasing disabled, but we could only squeeze 2ofps out of Crysis 2 at high quality.

For a tablet, the Duo isn’t as light, stylish or comfortable to hold as Apple’s iPad, as an example, but it’s much more powerful, features a larger screen and works a good desktop operating system. It’s still reasonably comfortable to hold while you read the paper, watch a movie or pass it around in a meeting, however its tablet features feel secondary to its functions like a notebook. Transforming it from tablet to notebook is awkward and the stand that hinges out to support the screen in its upright position feels a little fragile. The Duo advantages of the new touchscreen applications and features in Windows 8, making it feel far less awkward than previous Windows tablets.Dual-band Wi-fl, a built-in GPS receiver and Bluetooth support complete the portable-friendly side of the specification.

Taken purely on its merits for a powerful ultra-portable laptop, the Vaio Duo 11 matches Asus’s award-winning 131n ZenBook Prime UX31A. However, its ilin screen, awkward unfolding mechanism and slightly bulky feel in tablet mode mean that) although it’s a great piece of equipment for power users on the move) it’s not quite advanced enough to win an award.

BlackBerry Porsche

How do you review a gizmo that you know is unaffordable for 99% of your target audience? How can you compare it to anything if there are no alternatives? How can you justify its price when you can perhaps get a Tata Nano for about the same price? That is the real dilemma we find ourselves in, but putting everything else aside let’s just look at the product itself to try and see what it really can do with a design that is created by the Porsche Design Studio.

Review
The forged stainless steel body encases a beautifully styled QWERTY keyboard, the like of which we’ve never seen on any BB device before. There is also a hand-wrapped leather back cover, which is great because you won’t feel the battery’s heat even with continuous use. The 2.8 TFT capacitive touchscreen may appear small for all modern users hooked on touchscreens, but for the elite who can really afford this — that may be just enough for conducting their business in an efficient manner. It’s a BB device after all, and it sure does support 3G. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth as well as in-built support for NFC (to our great surprise). It is enabled with all the BB 05 7 goodies you expect, including the fluid UI which is a breeze to use and get used to. BB users will feel quite at home using all the BB services like BB Mail and BBM, but new users might need some getting used to. Overall, it’s really not about the 1.2 GHz processor which does a good job overall, nor the 768MB of RAM which is good enough for all business users. The 5MP cam with LED flash is quite good (considering it’s a BB device) we might even go as far as saying its possibly the best cam on any BB device we’ve seen! But the entire purpose of this phone is the look, style and exclusivity factor. There is no doubt in our mind that the top 1% of the wealthy reading this review will surely love to own one of this devices, not just because of the exclusivity factor, but also because the BB Porsche does everything you expect it to — without making much of a fuss.

CAMERA
The 5MP snapper as we mentioned earlier is possibly the best we’ve seen on a BB device. It can also record HD videos and playback is fluid, smooth and quite a good experience.

X-FACTOR
The Porsche P9981 comes with a custom- made Wikitude World Browser with an augmented reality app experience. Also, the PIN for the Porsche phones is exclusive, making it easier to recognise the device from
it. The SNS suite is quite good and the overall browsing and messaging experience is really good.

Verdict
The yacht club have a gadget that will be its object of desire for some time to come. But, the real question is, does it really justify the exorbitant price tag of nearly 1.35 lacs? Well, yes! It’s not just the classy design that impresses, not only the ease with which you get used to the UI and features, but also the feeling when you have it. It’s that feeling which can’t really be described but has to be felt, and BB is hoping that it’s that feeling which will draw the elite to their Porsche P’9981 smartphone. Gift it your loved one if you can afford it, and watch your world change. Go on, then!

Nintendo Wii U

There’s a theory about Nintendo that goes something like this: Nintendo has the best IP in video gaming, the characters with the highest Q score. Mario, Wario, Zelda, Kirby, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Pokémon, you name it. Add up all the Mario-themed games alone and you’ve got the best selling video game franchise of all time. If you have an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, take a look at the controllers. We have Nintendo to thank for popularizing what’s there: the four-way d-pad (the Nintendo Entertainment System), the diamond configuration face buttons (the Super Nintendo), the thumbstick employed to navigate 3D worlds, trigger buttons and force feedback system (the Nintendo 64). For all the talk about missed opportunities — that Nintendo ought to take Mario and Co. multiplatform — you could argue Nintendo wouldn’t be Nintendo without its focus on how we play, as much as what we play.

HTC One S

HTC’s One series may be dominated by the quad-core One X, but another handset-the One S-became available at the same time. The One S may be smaller and lack the One X’s leading-edge processor, but that doesn't mean it without merit. Far from it, in fact. The HTC One S is available for £420 SIM free and also on higher rate deals on contract. Its price marks it out as towards the higher end of the market, and so do many of specifications.

The processor, for example, is a Qualcom 1.56Hz dual-core offering, which certainly is not to be sniffed at, and it is helped out by 1GB of RAM. There’s an eight-megapixel camera with flash included too which can capture a still while you are shooting a video-a rather neat trick.

Samsung Galaxy Note II

The Galaxy Note II is pegged as a smartphone, but it’s easy to mistake this huge 5.5in-screen handset for a tablet. A smartphone this broad and tall falls more naturally into two-handed operation. We like the user’s introduction to the handset: upon thumbing the power switch on the upper right, the lock screen shows an elegant white feather quill on a sky-blue background, evoking images of a creative writing device. And that’s the major attraction in this powerful slice of hands-held computing.

Asus ET2411INTI - AIO PC

With a glossy black bezel framing its equally glossy 23.6-inch full HD LED-backlit touchscreen display, the ASUS ET2411INTl has a simple yet elegant design. It is also really slim too, just 6cm thick at its bulkiest point. The only gripe we have about its design is that its aluminum stand adjusts only for tilt and not for height. 

Toshiba Satellite Pro L850-11U

Toshiba’s Satellite Pro L850-11U is an low-priced business laptop with useful performance and a certain amount of style. The Satellite Pro’s casing is chunky, but it is sober and minimised color scheme, and nicely curved casing and polished lid, put it a cut above the typical budget laptop. The rough-hewn two-button Synaptics trackpad is big, but it is neither comfy to use nor responsive.

Lenovo Ideacentre A720

Launched in April shortly after Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors, the IdeaCentre A720 has the largest display of the trio, with its massive 27-inch full HD LED-back lit touchscreen. Aesthetically, the IdeaCentre A720 is modern and chic. Like the Acer and ASUS AIOs, the IdeaCentre A720 is simple and elegant design-wise. However, unlike the two who have their components integrated into and behind the display, Lenovo has decided to build the components into the stand’s base, thus leaving the display as thin as possible. The stand is also the most flexible of the trio. It adjusts for both height and tilt, while allowing the IdeaCentre A720 to be folded completely flat for quick transport to group activities such as LAN parties.

Samsung Series 9

The entire concept of an Ultrabook is centered on portability. To the average consumer, that pretty much means thin and light. Previously, thin and light also meant compromise in one way or another. What Samsung had in mind with their Series 9 laptop was something else altogether.

It doesn’t get any thinner and sexier than the 12.9mm Samsung Series 9, for now at least. Interestingly, Samsung isn’t marketing the Series 9 as an Ultrabook, as that space is occupied by their Series 5. However, the Series 9 has all the hallmarks of an excellent, high-end

Sony Vaio T

When the Ultrabook concept was revealed at CES last year, most major PC manufacturers introduced their take on what was supposed to be thin, sexy and affordable. Sony went out of their way to produce the Vaio Z, which then symbolized what an ultrabook could be like. The Vaio Z had a Full HD display, super thin and light body at just 1.17kg, super fast pair of SSDs running in RAID 0, and even a media dock that sported a discrete GPU which enabled super-fast graphics on an ultraportable (when docked), thanks to the power of a custom Thunderbolt-based interface. On the other hand, the Vaio Z targeted the ultra-premium consumer.

HP Envy Spectre XT

The Envy Spectre XT was revealed in Shanghai this year, along with several other Sleekbooks (a HP-coined term for AMD-powered ultraportable laptops). Prior to the introduction of the Spectre XT, HP experimented with the Folio 13 and the iconic Envy Spectre. The Folio 13 was a business laptop with a strict utilitarian design, while the Spectre was much flashier, with a shiny Gorilla Glass lid and palmrest.

Acer Aspire Z5

The design of the Acer Aspire Z5 is a little odd, because unlike most AIOs which seem to look like displays attached onto a stand, Acer has instead decided to merge both display and stand into one single form. Not to say the Aspire Z5 looks weird, but somehow, it doesn’t look as attractive and polished when compared to the ASUS and Lenovo AIOs. What this also means is that instead of a proper stand, the Aspire Z5 relies on a primitive rear kickstand to prop itself up. The use of a kickstand also means that the Aspire Z5 adjusts only for tilt and not for height.

HTC One X+

The impressive HTC One X has had its kinks and knots Ironed out returning with added grunt. speed and stamina. So is it now special enough to replace the Samsung Galaxy S III as top Android?

The One X+ keeps the curvy good looks of the original then wraps them up in a matte black, soft rubber-like finish which makes it easier to grip. More importantly, it’s still 8.9mm thin and only 5g heavier despite a bigger battery. Sith Lord-friendly red accents add to the premium vibe.

Lenovo IdeaPad U310

Lenovo’s IdeaPad U310 does have the premium quality that you would expect in an Ultrabook. It looks sturdy, yet light-dazzles yet with a subtlety. On the outside, the Ultrabook means all business-the grey colour top and bottom stating the intent clearly. The interior of the notebook uses matte eggshell white plastic that extends around the sides of the notebook. Its cool and distinct. A lone chrome power button sits in the top left corner just above the black matte keyboard. Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors continue to impress, powering the Lenovo IdeaPad U310 to solid scores.

Motorola DEFY Plus JCB edition

The DefyPlus JCB edtion is essentially the same model as the standard Defy Plus, a rugged but surprisingly sleek phone, but features a two-year warranty and comes supplied with a JCB hard case.

Without the case, all the standard micro USB and headphone ports are covered with a plastic sleeve and the back cover contains a partition to protect the battery. While we discovered a few droplets in the back cover after submerging the phone in water (while simultaneously playing a music track), the phone was still in perfect working order. 

Samsung Wave Y

Samsung Wave series already has three sturdy, good looking and performing hendset. S5380 aka Y is the latest addition to this series. What is significant is it’s low price. Wave Y looks pretty good with rounded corners and sturdy body. Measuring 110 x 58.2 x 12.3mm it weighs only 104gm. The front is occupied by a 3.2in capacitive touchscreen with a resoltion of 480x320 pixels.

Like its predecessors Bada 2.0 OS does duty on Wave Y. A 832MHz processor with 150 MB of internal memory is good enough for a phone at this price. Bada is quite similar to android in operation yet seems more responsive and neat.The display is decent and displays photos, videos and Internet sites adequately. Accelerometer and proximity sensors aid in game play and are accurate.

Wave Y has a 2.0 megapixel camera, capable of clicking images at l600x l200 pixels, it is good enough for sharing picture on social networks. The camera shoots video at 640x480 at 30 frame per second, the quality is smooth for this high frame rate. It also has a front facing VGA camera but unfortunately BADA app store does not have an app for video chat as yet.

Specs Tech
832MHz Processor
External Memory: Support microSDHC™ card (up to 32GB)
Camera: 2.0 MP
Resolution: 480 x 320 pixel
Size: 3.2"
57.9 x 12.3 x 110.1 (WDH)

The battery lit is very good, we got a talk time of three hours, four hours of video and around live hours of audio on one charge. It also had long standby time.

All in all. Wave Y is a decent and stable phone with good performance and a decent battery life. If you’re confused among Wave Y and Galaxy Y our choice is Wave Y for its bigger screen, better resolution support and decent performance. Go for it unless you are smitten with the vast Android Market.

Motorola Xoom review

The original Motorola Xoom was the first of the Android tablets, and had to bear the huge expectations of a fledgling industry. Alas, when it finally arrived, it just couldn’t live up to the hype. If anything, the rush to be first was its undoing, as several more-polished Android tablets bettered it only weeks later. So Motorola has taken its time to follow up the Xoom with a thinner, lighter sequel, and that patience looks to have paid dividends.