Android 4.2 updates, the PlayStation 4, Xbox Surface and much more

 

It’s been another epic week in gadgetry and gaming, and we wouldn’t blame you for struggling to keep up with it all. It’s just as well we’re here to do that for you: read on for our round-up of all the hottest stories of the week, here in the Gadget Digest.

Souped up smartphones

It’s been a busy week in all things Android. Google’s new version of its smartphone operating system, 4.2, is barely a week old, but it appears it’s already heading to the Samsung Galaxy S3 super phone. Not to be outdone, we started seeing the first signs that HTC’s incredible full HD phone, the HTC J Butterfly, is making the leap from Japan to the West.

Next-gen consoles

Microsoft’s got a new Xbox on the way, but it’s not what you think. It’s actually a tablet, according to sources, and it’ll run touchscreen games much like an iPad – but as we revealed in our feature, Microsoft’s no stranger to this form of handheld gaming. Meanwhile, we pulled together our wishlist of must-have features inside the Sony PS4: is there anything else you’d like to see?

Smart TV

Over on the smart TV front meanwhile, Google turned up the heat on Apple TV a little with the addition of movie and TV streaming on Google TV boxes in the UK. Virgin meanwhile took on its arch-rival Sky by releasing its TV Anywhere service for laptops, computers and iPhone and iPad. But as we found out, it has a few catches.

Games galore

While all the big tech for Christmas has already been announced, things are only just getting started on the gaming side of things. On mobile, Angry Birds Star Wars touched down and we checked out the bizarre Curiosity cube, which holds a life-changing prize for someone within. Over in console land, we also took a gander at Need For Speed: Most Wanted, and set loose our full review of Halo 4. Has it been worth the wait?

www.tell-me-first.com

Free mobile apps 'drain battery faster'

 

Free mobile apps which use third-party services to display advertising consume considerably more battery life, a new study suggests.

Researchers used a special tool to monitor energy use by several apps on Android and Windows Mobile handsets. Findings suggested that in one case 75% of an app's energy consumption was spent on powering advertisements. Report author Abhinav Pathak said app makers must take energy optimisation more seriously. Free applications typically have built-in advertisements so developers can make money without having to charge for the initial app download.

Mr Pathak said that developers should perhaps think twice when utilising third-party advertising and analytics services in their app.

 

“Start Quote

It seeps up the energy”

End Quote Chris McClelland App developer

The research, produced by at team at Purdue University in Indiana, USA, looked at popular apps such as Angry Birds and Facebook. Due to restrictions built into Apple's mobile operating system, the team was unable to run tests on the iPhone. In the case of Angry Birds, research suggested that only 20% of the total energy consumption was used to actually play the game itself. Of the rest, 45% is used finding out your location with which it can serve targeted advertising.

'3G tail'

The tests were carried out by running the app over a 3G connection. The results noted that many apps leave connections open for up to 10 seconds after downloading information. In Angry Birds, that brief period - described by researchers as a "3G tail" - accounted for over a quarter of the app's total energy consumption.

Chris McClelland, director of Belfast-based app developer Ecliptic Labs, said he was not surprised by the findings.

"Advertising needs to connect to the server and send information about location," he explained .

"That just takes up so much battery. It seeps up the energy."

He said such practices were largely unavoidable if users wanted to enjoy free, ad-supported games and applications.

However, he said developers should give more consideration to energy consumption when building in new features.

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

Apple overtakes Nokia and Samsung as smartphone maker

Apple has become the world's biggest seller of smartphones, according to industry analysts.

The US firm overtook both previous leader Nokia and Samsung in the second quarter of the year, when total smartphone sales hit a record 110m.

The figures from Strategy Analytics also showed that 361m handsets were shipped, up 13% on the previous year.

Nokia remained the biggest seller of all types of handsets, but the numbers shipped and its market share fell.

It shipped 20% fewer handsets in the second quarter - 88.5 million.

The Finnish firm's market share dipped to 25% - its lowest level since 1999.

Nokia X7

 

The basics

The Nokia X7 is Nokia's latest Symbian ^3 smartphone, following in the footsteps of the N8, C7 and C6-01. Unlike previous handsets, it features the latest update of Symbian ^3 – Symbian Anna – and offers lots of impressive features.

 

The good

The Nokia X7 features a distinctive, angular design. It won't suit everybody, but it certainly helps the X7 to stand out.   There's no doubting the quality of this handset, with strong materials used and a brushed stainless steel backplate to the phone. The big glass screen also gives it a premium feel.
The X7 is one of the largest in the company's smartphone range, boasting a 4-inch screen. Using AMOLED technology, it offers excellent blacks and deep colours.

The Anna version of Symbian ^3 brings a host of changes to the operating system, and helps to bring it more in line with Android and iOS. There's now a portrait QWERTY keypad, for instance, making it easy to type with one hand.  We were also impressed with the battery life of the Nokia X7, with Symbian ^3 proving a power efficient OS.

 

The bad

Symbian ^3 Anna is an improvement over previous iterations, but it still lags behind Android and iOS. It doesn't feel as slick to use, and the Ovi Store is a long way behind in terms of apps and quality.
The Nokia X7 gets an 8-megapixel camera, but as with some of Nokia's other Symbian ^3 handsets it's not everything we were hoping for. It does without the Carl Zeiss optics found on the Nokia N8, and uses the company's EDoF technology. As such, everything in the image is supposed to be in focus, but we found images were poor quality and you'll lose out on a macro mode.

 

The bottom line

The Nokia X7 is a distinctive and affordable handset, offering great quality and an impressive 4-inch screen. It's lacking in stand out features, however, and the poor camera really lets it down.