Top 5 dual-core smartphones of 2011

 

 

When the curtain closes on a gadget-filled year, 2011 will be remembered as the year that smartphones stepped up and delivered more power, better graphics and more features than inside Mary Poppins’ handbag.

With that in mind, in no particular order, we felt it was time to look back on some of the best dual-core smartphones of 2011. Here are our picks.

Apple iPhone 4S

OK, so it’s not quite the iPhone 5 that many Apple fans were hoping for, but it’s still quicker, and more feature filled than its predecessor. It comes with Apple’s dual-core A5 chip that Apple claims delivers twice the power and up to seven times faster graphics than the iPhone 4. Launching apps, games and browsing the web is noticeably quicker without having a drain on battery life. The addition of voice assistant Siri, a better eight-megapixel camera with 1080p high definition video recording and Apple’s iCloud cloud storage service makes the iPhone 4S a phone to beat.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus is a high-class performer packing a dual-core 1.2GHz processor. That means everything boots up and runs quicker than they would on non-dual-core smartphones, even when running multiple apps. Meanwhile the new Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system makes the Nexus a pleasure to use. A new feature will even let you unlock the Galaxy Nexus by recognising your face. Like the iPhone 4S, it too records 1080p HD video.

Motorola Atrix

Shown-off at the start of the year, the Motorola Atrix may be forgotten by some, but this is one powerful smartphone that claimed to put the power of a PC in users pockets. It could be used with optional docks that enhanced its talents. It features a full Mozilla Firefox browser, Flash, and is adept at creating and editing documents on the go. Other features such as fingerprint recognition, faster web browsing and widgets made it one of the year’s best.

Samsung Galaxy SII

As feature sets go, the Samsung Galaxy S II is one of the smartphones of the year. On top of its dual-core processor, it features 16GB of memory built in, with capacity to upgrade to twice that. An eight-megapixel camera takes some great photos. If you’re not shy, a front-facing camera takes care of video calls. It also records full 1080p high definition, which look fantastic on the Galaxy S II’s 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display.

HTC Sensation XE

The HTC Sensation XE is a bit of an upgrade to the earlier released original Sensation, launched earlier in the year. It packs a punch, and features a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and comes bundled with Beats Audio headphones that deliver some serious bass. Those looking for a top-notch phone perfect for browsing the web, watching videos and listening to music won’t find many better.

The best Apple iPhone 4S apps of 2011

 

 

Apple’s iPhone 4S is the latest Apple iPhone upgrade, bringing with it new features such as its voice assistant Siri, an eight-megapixel camera and 1080i video recording. Download apps and the iPhone 4S becomes even more fun. With that in mind we’ve picked out some of the best iPhone 4S apps of 2011.

Galaxy on Fire 2 HD Galaxy on Fire 2 HD is a souped up version of the iOS space shooter optimised for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2. Galaxy on Fire boasts over 10 explosion-filled hours of gameplay in a 3D universe spanning over 20 star systems. It’s a blast.

Instagram 
One of the good things about the iPhone upgrade is a better camera. With 8 megapixels to play with camera apps such as Instagram are given a new lease of life. Those rose-tinted Instagram photos look positively rosier.

Find My FriendsFind My Friends makes it easy to locate friends and family with your iPhone 4S. All you need to do is send a friend or family member a request to see their location and have them accept. A temporary sharing location can be activated on days visiting friends to let them know if you’ll make it on time, or to let them see that you’ve made it home safely.

iMovie 
iMovie has always been around, but if you own an Apple iPhone 4S, iMovie is even better by the 1080i video recording skills of the latest iPhone. As usual, owners can add sound effects, photos and trim the length of clips in just a few swipes of the finger, before sharing via YouTube.

Real Racing 2Real Racing 2 is one of the best racing games for iPhone 4S, if not the best. It features updated graphics especially for the iPhone 4S and over 10 hours of racing gameplay, 16-player online races and 15 locations to race in.

Modern CombatLike console versions, first-person games done correctly on mobile phones are good fun to play. Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation is one of them. It can be played with more than one player over 13 missions full of memorable scenes of action. Multiplayer mode is played out by 12 players across six exclusive maps. As iPhone 4S games go this is a complete package.

Cards 
This brand new app lets iPhone 4S owners create and send greeting cards with personalised greetings, photos and text to paste to pre-made cards that can be ordered from the app. Cards can be sent to anywhere in the world. Simply place your order and enter your Apple ID password.

Infinity Blade 2The most highly-rated game on the iPhone finally gets a sequel. And guess what? It’s even better, with new environments, three new combat styles and the fun gameplay fans remember. A must-have game for the iPhone 4S.

Shazam 
Shazam isn’t a new app by any means by it’s still one of the most handy to have around. It’s a music discovery app that tells you the name of any piece of music playing in the vicinity, the artist and album.

My Xbox LIVE
The My Xbox LIVE app has finally reached iOS devices. If you own an Xbox 360 and regularly play games over Xbox LIVE, you need this app. It lets you view and customise your avatar, check your Xbox Achievements and those of your friends. You’ll can even send messages to those on your Xbox LIVE friend list.

Top 5 Apple accessories every Apple fan would love by

 

Whether you own an Apple iPhone 4S, an iPad 2 or a MacBook Pro there are plenty of accessories you can buy for each. What’s more, with Christmas just around the corner, you’ve just enough time to get them on your list for Santa. Check out the Top 5 Apple accessories every Apple fan would love!

From keyboard docks to earphones, we’ve selected five accessories for Apple gadgets any Apple fan would love to receive. Read on for our top five Apple accessory picks and potential stocking filler ideas for the Apple fan.

Apple iPad keyboard dock

If you’ve got an Apple iPad you’ll find typing on its screen takes some getting used to. Thankfully you can buy a keyboard attachment that docks onto the bottom of the iPad – keeping it upright while allowing you to type away. The official keyboard docks are very compact, are made from aluminium, and have low profile keys. It’s also small enough to pop in your bag with your iPad 2.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air

OK, so we’re using the term ‘accessory’ loosely here, but if you already own an iPhone or iPod Touch, the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air is one of the best pieces of kit for getting the most from your iTunes music collection. It looks and sounds fantastic. The latest model features AirPlay, letting you stream music from any Apple computer to the Zeppelin Air to fill up the room with sound. 



SoundMagic E10

Apple’s portable range of gadgets are well made, have some great features and are capable of delivering top-notch sound. But only if you’ve got a decent pair of earphones. The standard Apple earphones that come bundled do a job, but aren’t of the best quality. For fantastic-sounding earphones without the high cost check out the SoundMagic’s E10 earphones are the best in its class. They cost just £35 but to do the job of earphones up to three times the cost.

iPad Smart Cover

Got an Apple iPad 2? If so, these iPad Smart Covers are very good for protecting your tablet without the unnecessary bulk that usually comes with covers. A clever design neatly folds against the iPad 2 to protect its screen. The Smart cover even doubles up as a keyboard stand that folds into an upright position for comfortable typing.

Apple Magic Mouse

For Apple MacBooks and and the iMac Apple’s Magic Mouse is a wonderful accessory that uses the same multi-touch technology you’ll find in the iPhone. Apple’s Magic Mouse introduced the first range of multi-touch mouse that you don’t need to move to scroll through pages. It combines the same functionality of a two-button mouse without the buttons.

Got a favourite Apple accessory you’ve added to your Christmas list? Let us know about it in the Comments below.

Apple OS X Lion on sale, new MacBook Air and more Appletastic news!

We’ve been waiting for a few weeks for the latest announcements from Apple, and OS X Lion has finally hit the shops today. Available to download from the Mac App store, Apple claims that there are over 250 new features on offer. Apple has also updated its MacBook Air range – as expected – along with a refreshed Mac Mini and a new Thunderbolt display.

Out of all of Apple’s announcements this afternoon, OS X Lion is the big one – the latest operating system for Apple devices. It’s available as an upgrade over OS X Snow Leopard for £20.99, and will be available to buy in August on a USB memory stick for £55.

OS X Lion has been available as a beta version, so there are no real surprises in the announcement, but the new features include refreshed multi-touch gesture support, Apple’s new Mission Control feature for viewing all your running apps, and the integration of the Mac App Store. We’ll be getting our hands on OS X Lion in the near future, so stay tuned for a full review.

The refresh for the Apple MacBook Air line also went as planned, with the latest 13-inch and 11-inch models getting cutting-edge Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors. Apple has included backlit keyboards, offering similar usability to its MacBook Pro range, and the laptops now get Thunderbolt ports.