New Androids phones galore, iPads incoming, brand new Chromebooks and more

 

Here we are again: it’s the end of the week and that means it’s time for your round-up of the top stories from the world of tech. We’ve spotted a leak of HTC’s next big phone, Samsung’s unleashed the world’s first bendy blower and Sony’s Xperia Z1 gets downsized. There are also yet more Android gaming gizmos on the way, the iPad 5 event is coming up and there’s a brand new duo of Chromebooks touching down too. We’ve got everything you need, right here in your gadget digest.

Android flagship phone fiesta: HTC, Samsung and Sony

What a week for Android phone fans! We’ve spotted a peek at the hotly rumoured HTC One Max, and it looks like it’s a super-sized Galaxy Note rival that’s set to come packing fingerprint sensing skills, just like the iPhone 5s. The phone looks like a definite reply to Apple’s latest flagship phone and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3, but will it be able to best either of them? Not to be outdone, Samsung meanwhile has trotted out its brand new Galaxy Round, the world’s first phone that comes packing a curved display.

We were impressed by Sony’s current flagship Xperia Z1, and it’s now it’s had the mini-me treatment, just like Samsung’s and HTC’s flagship phones before it. Meet the Xperia Z1 f, a downsized version of Sony’s current top blower, but unlike the HTC One Mini and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, Sony’s smaller version comes packing the same speedy specs as its bigger brother, only in a smaller, more pocket-friendly version: there’s the same quad-core processor and 20.7-megapixel camera on board. It’s currently heading to Japan in December, and while there’s no international launch planned just yet, we hope to be seeing it soon.

Brand new iPads are on the way

We’ve just had the brand new iPhones, and now we’re getting some new iPads too: according to a report by AllThingsD, Apple will be hosting a major event on 22 October, and we expect to see the iPad 5 and a new iPad mini there too! We’ve already spotted a leak of the iPad 5, and there’s been plenty of buzz around a next-gen iPad mini with a Retina display, so in less than two weeks, we’ll be treated to plenty more Apple gizmos. Are you looking forward to them?

Get your Android gaming on!

Have you been itching to play with Mad Catz’s Ouya rival, Project Mojo? You won’t have long to wait, as the super-speedy Android gaming console has now got a date and price: you can get your hands on the Tegra 4-powered Mojo on 10 December – but it will cost an eye-watering £219.99. Phew.

Fancy your Android gaming on the go instead? Archos has got a brand new version of its GamePad on the way, and it’s out this month! The Archos GamePad 2 delivers the same physical controls as its predecessor, but it boasts better specs, an improved screen and a slick new redesign. Will you be grabbing one?

Even more Google Chromebooks are on the way!

Google’s Chrome OS-powered Chromebooks are making a lot of headway thanks to their low prices and lightweight and powerful software, and now there’s a new duo on the way to help make Chromebooks a real force to be reckoned with. HP’s brand new Chromebook 11 offers a stylish little laptop, complete with a low £229 price tag and can even be juiced up by the same charger as your phone.

Acer’s also got a tiny titan on the way, the C720 Chromebook, that features the same 11-inch form factor, but this one’s armed with one of Intel’s low-power chips to give it an impressive battery life of eight and half hours – making it absolutely perfect for your 9-5 away from a plug socket. Windows 8.1, eat your heart out.

www.easyappsbusiness.com

www.tell-me-first.com

Samsung Galaxy S4 unleashed, brand new rivals reviewed, and next-generation PCs:

It’s been another epic week for tech fans, with brand new gadgets to play with, and one monster new flagship phone. We wouldn’t blame you if you struggled to stay on top of it all. Luckily, our Gadget Digest roundup is here to help: read on for everything you missed.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 arrives

The rumours were swirling for months, but at long last, it’s finally here: the Samsung Galaxy S4. Samsung unleashed the new Android super phone at a press event in New York last night, and it didn’t disappoint: it’s specced out to the max, and comes running some clever new software too, with a universal translator on board, as well as a feature that pauses videos for you when you look away from the screen. That’s not all either: the South Korean tech titan also served up a bunch of insane accessories, from a game pad to a wireless weighing scale.

Next-gen PCs galore

It’s been a big week for desktop computing too. Xi3, the company behind the tiny Piston gaming rig that’s been dubbed the first unofficial Steam Box, thanks to Valve’s involvement in its creation, put the device up for pre-order – though at $1,000, it might not have Sony and Microsoft too worried for their own consoles. Dell meanwhile unleashed its own bizarre desktop all in one PC, which doubles up as a gigantic, foot and a half long Windows tablet. Speaking of Windows, Apple did Mac users a solid and updated OS X to allow for Windows 8 installs – is the MacBook Air now the best Ultrabook?

Up close with the HTC One

It’s not just the Samsung Galaxy S4 we got to grips with this week: we also posted our full review of its new rival, the HTC One. Can the Taiwanese company’s all-metal Android monster phone and its UltraPixel give Samsung and Apple a run for their money? Check out our verdict to find out.

Chrome OS gets super charged

Google too has been hitting the headlines this week. Just days after we reviewed the beautiful Chromebook Pixel laptop, Android boss Andy Rubin stepped down. The search giant revealed that his job would be taken over by the company’s Chrome and Chrome OS boss – which got us wondering. Is Google’s lightweight laptop software about to get an influx of Android apps? Now that really should have Microsoft scared.

www.tell-me-first.com

Games galore, Google’s new laptops, BlackBerry 10 and more:

 

The snow is falling, but not as fast as the gadget news is coming pouring on in. If you’ve not been able to keep up with it all, don’t worry: we’ve got all the biggest stories of the week rounded up for you in one place. Read on for your Gadget Digest.

Chrome OS Invasion

Last week saw a glut of new Windows 8 machines at CES, but this week, Google hit back, with several of its partners announcing new Chrome OS powered machines that cost a fraction of the price of an Ultrabook. Samsung pimped out its Chromebox desktop with newer, faster specs, while Lenovo turned heads with its very first ThinkPad running the web-based operating system. Is this the netbook replacement we’ve been dreaming of?

New games and ways to play

Gaming fans had lots to get their teeth – and fingers – into this week. We set live our full Dmc: Devil May Cry review, while the eagerly awaited Temple Run 2 dashed onto iPhone. And if you can’t wait for Nvidia’s Project Shield handheld gaming console, we took a look at the ways you can stream powerful PC games to your phone or tablet on the go right now.

RIM gears up for BB10 launch

Research In Motion’s planning to make its big smartphone comeback at the end of the month, with its BlackBerry 10 platform launch on the 30th. Ahead of the unveiling, we took a look at the apps RIM desperately needs to stand a chance against iOS, Android and Windows Phone, while we also heard that an old-school, QWERTY BlackBerry will be announced on the day.

Social networks get new skills

It’s been a big week for social networks. Facebook summoned the world’s press to its HQ to announced a brand new search engine that should have Google scared, while it slipped out something almost as important on the down-low: free phone calls for life via its Messenger app. It wasn’t just Facebook with news to share though. Remember MySpace? It came back with a bang, going live to the public with a new design and focus on music. Can it ever get back to its glory days?

www.easyappsbusiness.com

Five things you never knew you could do with your Chromebook

 

Five things you never knew you could do with your Chromebook

With everything stored in the cloud, Google’s Chromebooks offer super fast start-up times and are much lighter than most laptops. And with great devices like the Acer C7 being a bargain at just £199, now could be the time to invest in a Chromebook.

Don’t worry if you think they’re less well-equipped than proper laptops, either. Far from it. With a Chromebook, you can do this little lot, for starters.

1 Stream music

Last week Spotify announced it was launching a version of its streaming service using a browser. You can sign up now through the company’s Facebook page. Or you can use Rdio, and bring millions of tracks to your Chromebook using your browser. Hard drive? Who needs a hard drive?

2 Watch movies using Netflix

The original version of Chrome OS wouldn’t stream Netflix, but the movie service will now work like a charm on your Chromebook, giving you a ton of options that’ll more than make up for the lack of DVD drive. Just careful you don’t get popcorn in the keyboard.

3 Make video calls

The bad news is it’s a little tricky getting Skype to work on Chrome OS. Thankfully there’s an app called imo, which’ll let you use Skype as well as Google Talk, ICQ, and more. Of course, you could always start a Google Hangout in Google +, which works seamlessly with Chrome OS. Your contact will need to be on Google +, which admittedly not that many people are, but signing up is a doddle.

4 Turn it into a Windows PC or Mac

You may be feeling a little underpowered with your Chromebook, but did you know you can effectively turn it into a Mac or Windows PC? Just install Chrome Remote Desktop, and you can access another of your computers right on your Chromebook. Add the app to your browser, enable remote connections (both computers will need to be connected to the internet), and you should be able to jump between the two on the same screen.

5 Edit photos and videos online

No hard drive to install programs on might leave you thinking you can’t pull off any photo or video editing. Well you’d be wrong. There are a bunch of programs available online that’ll do the job. Ok, so they might not be able to rival Photoshop and Final Cut Pro for the really polished effects, but for your basic editing they’ll have everything you need. Check out Pixlr Editor, LunaPic, Fotoflexer, and iPiccy for snaps, and the YouTube Video Editor is pretty handy.

Google Chromebook: Touchscreen netbook killer on the way this year!

 

Google’s trio of new Nexus goodies may not be the only gizmos the tech giant has for us before Christmas: according to a new report, the search gurus at Google are working on an own-brand Google Chromebook laptop, complete with a touchscreen. Is Google’s answer to the low price laptop about to get even smarter?

According to China Times, Google is working on its own-brand Chromebook laptop, to rival the likes of Samsung and Acer – and it may start shipping before the end of the year, in time for Christmas. Unusually, it will pack a touchscreen, meaning that you should be able to swipe up and down and select on-screen icons, as you can with many new Windows 8 machines.

Chromebooks run Chrome OS, Google’s operating system that’s fast, free, and little more than a web browser – if you caught our feature last week though, you’ll know that’s much less of a limitation than it used to be, and you can do almost anything with it that you’d want to on a Windows PC or Mac.

We’ll let you know as soon as more information surfaces about a touchscreen Google Chromebook.

www.tell-me-first.com

Acer C7 Chromebook: The £199 killer laptop lands

 

While it cleans up on mobile, Google’s quiet invasion of the laptop market invasion continues. Today sees the launch of the Acer C7 Chromebook, a new 11.6-inch laptop running its Chrome OS operating system for a rock bottom price – read on to find out if this can put the MacBook Air out of business.

For £199, the Acer C7 Chromebook gives you an 11.6-inch HD screen, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and HDMI-out so you can spit your screen out onto a nearby TV: the whole affair is powered by a 1.1GHZ Intel processor. You also get 100GB of free cloud storage on Google Drive for two years.

That price tag is a lot less than most Windows rivals for one reason: the Acer C7 Chromebook runs Chrome OS (which, unlike Windows 8, is free, passing on the savings to you). It’s a lightweight operating system that’s built entirely around the Chrome web browser: that means instant start-up times and easy to get to grips with navigation. But it also means a few downsides: if something doesn’t run in the browser, you can’t use it, which means no Spotify or fancy 3D games for you.

Still, for just £199, that should make it quite the bargain. If you were thinking of an £849 MacBook Air when all you need is a word processor and web browser you can take with you, it could make for a very tempting Christmas pressie indeed. It’s on sale now at Amazon and PC World/Currys – stay tuned for a full review ASAP.

GoNote Android netbook: The £150 laptop killer arrives

www.tell-me-first.com