Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4

 

 

The Easter bank holiday may have made this a short week, but that doesn't mean we've been short on gadgets. There have been loads of great gadgets to feast your eyes on - especially with Gadget Show Live taking place, and we've also seen a couple of titans of the gadget world finally go on sale. So read on as we catch up with all the week's biggest and best news stories, in your Gadget Digest.

A good week for Apple

After months of sitting back and waiting, you can now finally pre-order an Apple Watch, and you could be wearing the year's most desirable bit of tech before the end of the month. Apple is expecting stock shortages though, so if you want one make sure you put your name down as soon as possible.

That wasn't the only news from Apple this week, as it looks like the Retina screen on the latest iMac could be about to get a whole lot better. According to LG, the next-gen iMac could pack in an almost barely believeable 8K screen, up from the already razor sharp 5K iMac that’s out now. We can only imagine how good photos and movies would look at that resolution, although it'll be a while before there are any apps or services that truly take advantage.

The latest phones and phablets

We fell in love with the searingly sharp, bright and colourful Quad HD screen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, but it seems that Samsung isn't content to rest on its laurels, and its replacement - the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 looks set to pack in the sharpest screen we've ever seen. A phablet with a 4K display certainly sounds interesting!

Speaking of phones with pin-sharp screens, the Quad HD-toting LG G3 has a successor is on the way, and the LG G4 looks like it'll also cram in an impressive camera. LG certainly wants us to think so anyway, and its official teaser video shows off a snapper with a fast F1.8 lens.

Gadget Show Live

This week also saw Gadget Show Live kick off, and the show will still be underway at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham over the weekend. We saw some brilliant gadgets there at the beginning of the week, and there are also shows taking place all weekend. Throw in some ridiculous vehicles and what more could you ask for if you're looking to be entertained this weekend?

Wearable wonders

For lots of us, the Moto 360 was one of the most stylish wearables yet, but it wasn't perfect. There was the 'flat tyre' look at the bottom of the round screen for starters, and there's definitely scope for improvement. That's where the second-gen Moto 360 comes in, and it looks like it could get a fully round display. Throw in an even sleeker design, and it could well be the wearable to take the fight to Apple.

If you prefer your wearables to be a little more subtle, how about the Jawbone Up3? The sporty wristband is finally set to hit the shops, although it's currently only shipping to the US - UK fans will be able to get one "later this year". It should be good for fitness fans though, with its bioimpendance sensor claimed to be more accurate than a more traditional optical heart rate monitor.

And in other news

We absolutely loved the Bolt - a tiny electric skateboard that’ll get you from A to B in no time at all, and you'll also be able to film all the aerial action using one of two new DJI Phantom 3 drones. It also looks like electric cars are finally starting to deliver too, with the Tesla Model S 70D promising to get you all the way from London to Leeds on a single charge.

What's your favourite gadget of the week though?

www.tell-me-first.com

www.easyappsbusiness.com

Microsoft HoloLens, Windows 10, Samsung Galaxy S6, HTC One M9, OnePlus One: Gadget Digest

 

With CES now well behind us, we've started to see more and more gadgets being announced or leaked, and it's been a brilliant few days for tech lovers. From augmented reality gaming and Microsoft’s brand new Windows 10, to leaked high-end smartphones like the HTC One M9, there's plenty to catch up on as we head into the weekend. It’s all here for you in your Gadget Digest.

High-end smartphones leaked

Out of all the latest gadgets, high-end smartphones always leave us drooling in anticipation, and it looks like HTC and Samsung could be the next to unleash a couple of blinders. The Samsung Galaxy S6 popped up on our radar yesterday, and although there weren't any pics on offer, the thought of a 5.1-inch QHD smartphone packing a 64-bit octa-core processor and a 20-megapixel snapper into an aluminium chassis certainly left us wanting more.

Samsung will have a tough fight on its hands if it's going to beat HTC's next flagship though, with the HTC One M9 also hitting the headlines. The high-end blower may look near identical to the older HTC One (M8), including a slick metal body and BoomSound speakers, but this time it's claimed to cram in a bleeding-edge Snapdragon 810 chip and an even sharper screen.

Fans of the OnePlus One also got the chance to get their hands on one of last year's best handsets without needing an invite, at least for a couple of hours. Sadly it's back to invite only again now (plus £229 of your money), so you may well end up playing the waiting game if you want one.

Wonderful wearables

Not content to let LG and Motorola enjoy the limelight when it comes to round smartwatches, Samsung has also been working on its own round Apple Watch beater, and it may also be one of Samsung’s first smartwatches to use wireless charging tech as well.

Speaking of Apple's upcoming wearable, the Apple Watch also hit the news today, with a claimed battery life of just 2.5 hours under heavy use, and not a lot longer simply having the watch face turned on constantly. That's desperately disappointing for one of the year's most anticipated gadgets, but evidently the price to pay for power-packed components and a small battery. Fingers crossed it holds up better under mixed use.

Microsoft unleashes some awesome concepts

It was Microsoft's jaw-dropping HoloLens that really caught our eye this week though, with the augmented reality wearable promising to shake up gaming and other industries. We particularly loved the demo showing off Minecraft, and instead of playing the game in your own little world, HoloLens makes it possible to drop blocks on your living room furniture and interact with the world around you. It looks brilliant, and we really can't wait for Microsoft to bring its vision closer to reality.

No doubt the HoloLens will be pricey when it finally does land though, and if you're looking for a cheaper wearable to help keep you warm, the Smart Scarf looks ideal. It's another concept from Microsoft, and biometric sensors help to make it warmer (or indeed cooler) to help keep you at the perfect temperature. Throw in vibrations to alert you of notifications, and it won't matter when your Apple Watch's battery dies a death after a couple of hours either!

In other Microsoft news, the Redmond giant also unleashed a closer look at Windows 10, and it promises to make it a lot easier to switch between Windows phones, PCs, the Xbox One and tablets. It also ushers in a new era for cross-platform gaming, which sounds good to us!

And in other news...

With so many exciting announcements this week, narrowing down our gadget digest to just a few different stories has been incredibly difficult! With that in mind, it's also well worth checking out the 12-inch MacBook Air, the Mission Impossible book that can destroy itself, and HP's HTC-alike Android tablet. Throw in the drone-hunting drone (that's right, a drone that hunts its own!) and an entire PC crammed into a mouse and it really has been a fab week for gadget lovers. Which one’s your favourite though?

www.easyappsbusiness.com