Brand new phablets, smartwatches, Windows 8 price slash and more:

 

Another week is drawing to a close: if you’re still working full pelt though and haven’t had a chance to keep up with all the top stories this week, don’t worry. We’ve got a round-up of all the stories that matter for you right here in your weekly Gadget Digest.

Phablets phablets phablets

It’s been a busy seven days in the world of giant phones-slash-slates. We’ve heard whispers about a new look, all-metal Samsung Galaxy Note 3, as well as rumours that Nokia is planning to crash the party with a Windows Phone 8 powered phablet of its own. We doubt either will be able to undercut Archos’ latest effort though: a 5.3-inch Android phone with an epic battery which costs just £200 unlocked.

High tech timepieces

While the noise about Apple and Samsung’s reportedly planned smartwatches has subsided, this week marked the entrant of another player into space: Microsoft. The software giant is said to be prepping its own timepiece with live alerts and information. Can’t wait for the gadget unicorns to come out of the wood? Maybe you can settle for TomTom’s brand new Runner watch instead, a durable smartwatch for runners that actually looks good, and is out this summer.

Low price touchscreen laptops on the way

If you’re after a low-price laptop, a Google-powered Chromebook is a serious option worth considering, but it may have company soon. Intel’s boss predicted this week that with the arrival of its new chip, prices for Windows 8 touchscreen machines would tumble to as low as $200. That sounds like a much better price for a Microsoft Surface, if you ask us.

Twitter Music debuts

Now we know what Twitter was doing with that music.twitter.com web address last week – getting ready to launch Twitter Music! The site is now live, complete with companion iPhone app, and aims to make discovering music from artists you love and might love much easier. We’ve got all the details on it here in our guide

Tech trends: The biggest gadget shake ups of 2012

Time flies, eh? Almost as quickly as the gadget industry moves. As we draw to the end of 2012, we take a look back at the biggest trends of the year, from phablets to touchscreens in the place you’d least expect.

The seven inch tablet comes of age

Seven inch tablets have been around for years, but they didn’t mature until this summer, when Asus unleashed the super fact, super value Nexus 7 on the world. Rivals were quick to follow, with Amazon unleashing the Kindle Fire HD and Barnes & Noble the Nook HD. Even Apple weighed in with its 7.9-inch iPad mini. Make no mistake, this smaller, more portable sized tablet will soon become the standard for slates.

Android finds a size that fits

Apple’s arch rivals figured out something important not too long ago: not everyone likes the iPhone’s small screen size. So why compete? The likes of Samsung and HTC reacted with jumbo phones with screens measuring 4.7 inches across and beyond – and Samsung at least cleaned house with them. We’ve even seen the emergence of a new 5-inch-plus phablet category with the release of Samsung’s hotcake-selling Galaxy Note 2 – expect a slew of imitations to follow from everyone but Apple.

Laptops go touch

Windows 8 arrived in October, and with it a quiet revolution began: soon, you won’t be able to find a single decent new machine that doesn’t sport a touchscreen, from laptop to all-in-one. And why not? It’s just one extra way to interact, and with Windows 8’s huge, finger friendly icons, it’s a useful one too. Even Google is rumoured to be working on a touchscreen Chromebook running Chrome OS. How long before we see the same happen on Mac?

Voice recognition goes mainstream

The Siri voice assistant for iOS got a big update with iOS 6 this summer, bringing it to iPad and iPod touch, and adding some smart new commands. But it wasn’t alone. Google unleashed its new Google Now service in the summer that comes built into every Android 4.1 device: its voice recognition skills are phenomenally accurate and fast (and now also available on iPhone for those who are interested). As we move into 2013, expect voice to become one of the core inputs for tablets and phones.

Filters everywhere

Image sharing network Instagram struck gold this year – literally – when Facebook acquired it in a billion dollar deal in spring. The service, which specialises in providing retro image filters to tart up your camera phone snaps, passed the 100 million user mark, and soon attracted some stuff competition, when Twitter introduced image filters of its own to its mobile apps. Will it be enough? Time will tell.

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Samsung announces Galaxy S3 Mini smartphone

 

 

Samsung has unveiled a smaller version of its Galaxy S3 smartphone, reducing the screen size by 0.8 of an inch to 4 inches, bringing it in line with Apple's iPhone 5.

The handset runs on Jelly Bean, the latest version of Google's Android operating system.

Samsung has not yet shared details of when the device will go on sale.

The announcement comes at a time Apple are expected to launch a 7-inch iPad, although that has yet to be confirmed.

The Galaxy S3 Mini, details of which had been widely leaked prior to Thursday's announcement, comes just six months after the launch of the well-received larger model.

The Mini has a five megapixel camera on its rear, with a lower quality VGA camera on its front.

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Samsung to fix Galaxy S3 search function removal mistake

 

 

Samsung has admitted it made a mistake in releasing a software update that removed a search function from international versions of its flagship smartphone.

The "stability update" disabled the Galaxy S3's ability to search the web, contacts, apps and other on-device material through a single interface.

The move had been thought to be linked to Apple's claim that the innovation infringed one of its US patents.

Samsung said a fix was imminent.

"The most recent software upgrade for the Galaxy S3 in the UK included the inadvertent removal of the universal search function," it said in a statement.

"Samsung will provide the correct software upgrade within the next few days."

Patent dispute

Users who downloaded the update had not been warned that it would remove the advanced search function when the software was installed on GT-i9300 (S3) models available in the UK and other places outside the US.

It appears the firm meant only to prevent some US models from being able to use a Google-powered search tool to show information sourced from within the phone's memory in its results.

Apple has claimed the technology infringed its patent to a unified search interface which it uses in its Siri app to collate results from a range of sources.

The iPhone maker has launched a lawsuit over the matter in the US and had briefly secured a sales ban of another Samsung handset - the Galaxy Nexus - on the basis that the inclusion of the feature threatened "irreparable harm".

A Washington-based court will review the case on 20 August.

Samsung Galaxy S3 set to launch in April?

 

A launch date for the Samsung Galaxy S3 has so far been elusive, but it looks like we won’t have to wait too long for one of 2012’s hottest Android phones. Rumours are pinpointing an April release for the speedy Android 4.0. If any phone can topple the iPhone 4S’ popularity, it’s the Samsung Galaxy S3.

Those reports stem from gadget blog ZDNet Korea. The blog suggests that Samsung will release the Galaxy S3 next month in a campaign geared around the London 2012 olympic games. That means we don’t have too long to wait.

The launch is especially important because like its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is expected to become the number one Android phone on the market, considered by many to be the only real alternative to the Apple iPhone 4S.

Samsung has yet to confirm the specs, but if previous leaks are anything to go by, the Galaxy S3 is an impressive beast. Reports are claiming the latest Android 4.0 operating system, a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, full HD 1080p shooting and a 4.8-inch display.

We had expected to see the Samsung Galaxy S3 at MWC 2012, but it was not to be. Instead Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy Beam – a smartphone with a built-in projector that will be in stores this July.

It sounds amazing, but it’s the Samsung Galaxy that Android will really be looking forward to. We’ll bring you more on this year’s must-have Android phone as we hear it. Roll on April.

Samsung Galaxy S, W, Y, M smartphones unwrapped

 

Samsung has launched four new Android phones and, in the process has let us know its new classification system for handsets in the Galaxy range. The Samsung Galaxy range will consist of four models S, W, Y and M. Read on to find out all about the four new devices.

The high-end phones will be branded ‘S’ (Super) – hence the Galaxy S and SII. ‘Y’ (Young) phones will be aimed at entry-level users, or those in the developing world while ‘R’ (Royal) phones are premium phones with stylish design and powerful innards.

‘W’ (Wonder) phones are high-powered ‘strategic’ models and ‘M’ (Magical) phones offer a combination of performance and low price. Each of these categories is further split into Plus, Pro and LTE vas well as the basic model, offering extras like a QWERTY keypad or enhanced specs.

The S models are already out but yesterday Samsung launched 4 more to try out the new naming scheme.

The Galaxy W has a 1.4 GHz CPU, 3.7 inch LCD and 5 megapixel camera. The Galaxy M Pro has a QWERTY keypad with a 2.66 inch display (480×320) a 1GHz CPU and a the same 5 megapixel camera. It also has a VGA front-facing camera for video calling and comes with support for Cisco Mobile and Webex and Sybase Afaria.

The Galaxy Y is a more modest affair with a 2 megapixel camera, a 3 inch screen and a 832 MHz processor. The fourth phone is also a Y-series – the Galaxy Y Pro. This has basically the same specs as its brother, but with a 2.6 inch screen and a full QWERTY keypad so you can pretend you have a BlackBerry.

All four phones run Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) with Samsung’s custom TouchWiz UI. No sign of that Royal R-series yet – we wait with baited breath for an ermine-trimmed superphone

Cut-priced Samsung Galaxy launched

The Samsung Galaxy S II is already on target to become the most popular Android smartphone ever, but that hasn’t stopped Samsung from releasing other handsets. The company announced the Samsung Galaxy Z last week, providing a cheaper way to get your hands on a large Android smartphone.
With prices starting at around £100 less than the Samsung Galaxy S II, the Samsung Galaxy Z still offers plenty for your money. You’ll find a large 4.2-inch LCD display, boasting a resolution of 800×480 pixels.

As with its big brother, the Samsung Galaxy Z will run Android 2.3, powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor. Other features include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS, with a middle of the road 5-megapixel camera in place. There’s 8GB of storage, with support for up to 32GB via microSD card.

Although it’s not quite as glamorous as the Samsung Galaxy S, offering all the same functionality at a cheaper price it’s bound to be a popular choice for those on a tighter budget. Which would you go for – the Samsung Galaxy S II or the Samsung Galaxy Z?