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.
Saturday, 23 March 2013
Samsung Galaxy S4 unleashed, brand new rivals reviewed, and next-generation PCs:
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
HTC One hands on preview
The HTC One made its first public showing this afternoon, but we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the next-gen Android superphone last week at a secret London location. Read on to find out what we made of it. Is this a Samsung Galaxy S4 slayer?
We’ve already run down the specs of this monstrous new mobile, but what’s it like to actually use? Physically, it’s a beauty, and easily the msot beautiful phone HTC has ever made. The curved metal casing is cool to the touch and just as easy on the eye – we know it looks like an iPhone in press shots, but in the flesh it’s its own style, and we like it.
The full HD
screen meanwhile is stunning, but the navigation buttons at the bottom will take some getting used to. Unusually for an Android phone, there are only two, home and back, and they’re on either side rather than in the middle – it takes a bit of getting used to but it doesn’t limit you in any way.
After Sony’s impressive Xperia Z phone however, all this is the least we’d expect from HTC. The Taiwanese tech giant’s tried to stand out from the crowd with its new software draped across the top of Android 4.1, and it’s here that things get a little different.
Gone is the standard homescreen on the HTC One – you now have to swipe to the right to get to it. Unstead, you get something called Blinkfeed: it’s a rolling, visual stream of social network updates and stories from news sources you choose (though there’s a list of 1,500 to pick from, you sadly can’t add your own as well). It’s a lot like Flipboard or Pulse, but on your homescreen – we can see a lot of people using this in place of something more complicated to set up, like an RSS reader.
The HTC One’s clever “ultrapixel” camera meanwhile is accompanied by a camera app that once again handily lets you shoot video and images at the same time – you just tap while you’re filming.
At a glance, images seem crisp and detailed, but we didn’t get a chance to examine them in-depth on a bigger screen, so you’ll have to stay tuned for a verdict in our full review (coming very soon).
We did have a go with the Zoe Camera app, pulling together montages quickly and easily, but we’ve still to see the website that will go with it – we’re not sure whether this’ll take off, as it’s yet another social network type site that needs critical mass to really prove useful or interesting.
We’re actually more taken with the clever telly integration on the HTC One. We got to test out the app, bossing about a TV in the room and it worked just fine – suddenly, you’ve got a legitimate alternative when your remote is buried down the side of the sofa, and one that tells you what’s coming up on every channel while you’re at it.
All in all, the HTC One looks like it’ll be a strong contender for your next upgrade when it goes on sale on 15 March – but given that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is reportedly being announced on the very same day, it could have some stiff competition.
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