Wednesday 1 August 2012
Thursday 29 March 2012
Tech777 rating
4.5/5
FOR
- Fantastic design
- Better ergonomics
- Good battery life
- iOS 4.3 brings improvements
- Facetime chats
- Smudge-resistant screen
AGAINST
- Where's the innovation?
- No retina screen
- Still no Flash
- Negligable performance boost
iPad 2 review
Apple's new tablet is the best of its kind, but is it really good enough?
PAGE 1 OF 9Overview
Update: Check out our new iPad 3 review
Just under one year ago, Apple shocked the computing world with a 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet that few truly expected.
Some called the original Apple iPad a large-format iPhone. Others berated the name and made jokes that were not remotely funny.
The early reviews were marginal at best – we handed the device a solid four stars. Technical folks decried the lack of Adobe Flash and the missing cameras.
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Now, 60,000 apps later (according to Apple, who counts every conceivable option) and just a few weeks after the first real Android 3.0 tablet contender hit the streets (Motorola Xoom), the iPad 2 has sauntered onto the playing field.
You can check out TechRadar's iPad 2 review video below:
Some expected pure gold: a tablet that runs as fast as a laptop and weighs less than a newspaper
Yet, the reality with the iPad 2 is that Apple has taken an iterative approach. In many ways, the iPad 2 is a crowd pleaser because it does not rock the boat.
At 241mm tall, 186mm wide, and 8.6mm thick, the iPad 2 is just a hair smaller than the original iPad and it's thinner than the iPhone 4. It has a curved edge that makes it look a bit more 'space age' and, surprisingly, easier to grasp because you can curve your fingers more easily around the bezel.
The most dramatic change is the weight. At 680 grams, the iPad 2 is 80g lighter than the first iPad. That is about the same weight as a juicy red apple (curious, eh?). Yet, in using the device, it feels strangely lighter than it really is.
Apple has made a second-gen iPad that feels lighter and more nimble, and its newfound mobility means it has lost the annoying heft of the original model.
Meanwhile, the Motorola Xoom, at 730 grams, now feels like the tank that it is. (More about that later, because we do prefer the speedy processor on the Xoom that handles 3D maps and games.)
One other observation about the design: compared to the iPhone 4, the iPad 2 feels a bit more like a plastic plate (the back is actually metal) as though it really needs a protective case. Part of the reason for this 'cheap plastic' impression is that the device is one-third thinner than the original and 15 per cent lighter.
Overall, the design is a stunner – it's brilliant. The aesthetics are much improved, although not everything about the iPad 2 is so equally impressive.
iPad 2 UK pricing starts at £399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only model, and jumps up to £659 for the 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G edition.
Other models are priced as follows: 32GB Wi-Fi only at £479, 64GB Wi-Fi only at £559, 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G at £499 and 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G at £579.
Features
On paper, the iPad 2 is 'twice as fast' as the original iPad, running the brand-new dual core A5 CPU built by ARM.
In practice, it might not be that obvious that the processor is faster. Many apps, such as the Safari browser and the iPod media app, start about as fast as the original iPad. But as we'll see, apps like iMovie and GarageBand do run much faster.
Also on paper, the iPad 2 has more memory for apps. The original model had 256MB of RAM, but the new version doubles that to 512MB.
The Motorola Xoom has 1GB of RAM, and that provides an extra boost for running more apps and switching between them, and a noticeable speed improvement for 3D mapping.
We tested the 64GB version W-Fi-only iPad 2 (our iPad 2 3G review is on the way!). With the Xoom, there is only one model with Wi-Fi and 3G.
The iPad 2's 64GB of storage is twice that of the Motorola Xoom, although Motorola plans to update the device to support the built-in microSD slot.
Curiously, the iPad 2 screen is the same size and resolution as the original model, running at just 1024 x 768 pixels.
The Motorola Xoom, at 1280 x 800 pixels, is notably superior -- especially for viewing videos, flicking through high-def photos, and using the Android 3.0 interface itself. That's one of the early findings with the iPad 2, that the screen itself is almost indiscernible from that on the iPad.
That said, the iPad 2 's screen still has a better viewing angle than the Xoom or Samsung Galaxy Tab 7-inch.
Most of the power on the iPad 2 comes from the A5 processor, and our early tests show that this dual-core chip does provide some new-found speed, especially in apps like iMovie. (On the original iPad, iMovie tends to stutter a bit.) Interestingly, the iPad 2 starts up much faster than the Motorola Xoom
In fact, we started the iPad and browsed to a few websites before the Xoom even got to its home screen.
In another test, we loaded up the iPod media player on both the iPad and the iPad 2 with the same music and movie files.
Here, we saw another noticeable speed difference – the iPad 2 finishes loading about a second faster. Those speed gains meant clicking on Arcade Fire's latest album to play music just a hair faster.
Several other specs, which we'll cover in their proper section, are also new or improved:
The two cameras, one for photos and one for video chats; the faster graphics engine, which will made games more bearable; the HDMI-out capability at HD resolution that also lets you mirror whatever you see on the screen. Apple now offers a 30-pin to HDMI cable that could make movie night easier.
Even with the faster processor and better graphics engine, the iPad 2 still lasts about ten hours – or roughly the same as the Motorola Xoom. Apple has also added a new gyroscope similar to the one on the iPhone 4.
This chip, in conjunction with the existing accelerometer, will help make the iPad 2 more sensitive to motion, especially in games but also when you change the orientation.
Monday 28 November 2011
iphone 4s
The latest iPhone was treated with a lukewarm reception, primarily due to the fact that it took more than a year to be ...
The latest iPhone was treated with a lukewarm reception, primarily due to the fact that it took more than a year to be announced and that it did not feature an all new design. However, Apple does have a way of launching their products and even though the iPhone 4S did not receive a design upgrade; it has still managed to generate high sales figures across the globe, much more than what was initially expected. Airtel, one of the two official carriers launched the Apple iPhone 4S in India with a midnight launch on the 25th of November, 2011 and we got to play around with the new device for a bit. Here’s a quick hands on preview. Can you tell which is which? Design Seems like Apple is of the opinion - If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So, with this new device, Apple has retained the design of the Apple iPhone 4. Everything from the button placements, dual mics for noise cancellation and dimensions are the same. The weight has gone up a bit, though from 137g to 140g, not enough to complain. The 4S also has an 8 megapixel autofocus/Touchfocus camera strapped onto its rear with an LED flash. Even though Apple has not changed the design, there’s no denying the fact that this is still one of the better looking smartphones available in the market today. Features The most outstanding feature, however, of the iPhone 4S is Siri, the voice recognition assistant that allows one to ask the handset questions and it will reply back with “appropriate” answers. Artificial intelligence that comes into play here and this is the stuff that was found only in movies. Yes, Siri does work in India, however, it doesn’t yet support location-based services such as finding a restaurant, theatre, etc. Everything else works fine. A minor issue we faced with it was that for Siri to work, one has to speak slowly and enunciate each word clearly. Siri is still in its beta phase and the final version is set to come out sometime next year. Siri works here Apple hasn’t stopped there in bumping up the internal specifications and has added an Apple A5 chipset, the same found on the iPad 2, along with a dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU. The 1GHz Dual Core processor adds a little more “oomph” to an already powerful device. With these incorporations into the hardware, one can expect above average performances from the handset. Like the iPhone 4, the iPhone 4S also features a Retina Display, measuring 3.5-inches that sports a resolution of 640 x 960 pixels. The iPhone 4S comes with iOS 5 out of the box, this is the latest major firmware upgrade from Apple. All features of the iOS remain the same across all iOS devices, which does not make the iPhone 4S any better (operating system-wise) than any other iDevice available. Media We had the opportunity to play a couple of high-end games like the new Infinity Blade on the iPhone 4S, and noticed a considerably better performance as compared to an iPhone 4. The graphics, during gameplay, appeared a lot better and while swiping the sword, the sparks appeared sharper and more detailed. Due to the dual-core processor and improved GPU, developers have the liberty of bumping up the eye candy for their games. Mobile gaming just got a little better? Camera Another major improvement of the iPhone 4S over the iPhone 4 is the camera on the former, which has been upped to 8 Megapixels now. We clicked a couple of pictures with the handset and saw a significant difference in image quality as compared with the iPhone 4. Images looked a lot crisper. Apart from this, an advantage the latest phone has over its predecessor is that it can record videos in 1080p @30fps (full HD). Apple has also added Airplay mirroring to this device, so one can view content on a large screen or HDTV. Impressions The iPhone 4S is a great device and it does have tremendous potential performance-wise. The fact that Siri works in India is a definite bonus, but the question of it being able to recognize our multitude of accents and languages is what we’ll need to test. The only thing that actually put us off about the handset is its price - with the base model starting at Rs.44,900. Not that Apple seems concerned about sales at all, but had it been slightly better priced, the figures would have been a whole lot larger. Out of the box Rounding it up, apart from Siri, a faster processor and the 8MP camera, one may not notice any other significant difference between the old and the new iPhone. It may, however, sell to those who are Apple loyalists and it was the last handset unveiled before the death of Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs. On the other hand, with a steep price and the next generation device, the iPhone 5, supposedly set to be unveiled mid next year, it could pose a hindrance. |
Sunday 6 November 2011
'MOTOKEY SOCIAL' SMARTPHONE FROM MOTOROLA FOR SOCIAL NETWORKING
SOCIAL NETWORKING: IT'S WHAT YOU LOVE, SO LET'S MAKE IT EASY
If your Founding Fathers are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Gmail, MOTOKEY is your smartphone. Wi-Fi gets you fast access to your favourite social networking sites.
FACEBOOK KEY: AN UPSWING IN UPDATES AND UPLOADS
The dedicated Facebook key lets you access your account, share your pictures and links, and keep up with your friends with the push of a button ... really ... one actual button.
KEYBOARDS: TEXT MESSAGING WITH A TOUCH OF QWERTY
A capacitive touchscreen (which means it's sensitive to your touch) plus full QWERTY keyboard give you two ways to type as fast as you think. Maybe faster. Be careful with that.
Tuesday 18 October 2011
- Bookmark
- Posted: 04 Oct 2011 Announced: 04 Oct 2011
- Market Status: Released
- Release date: 14 Oct 2011
Do you ...?
Want it107Have it11Had it6- US carrier availability:Sprint - Available (Since 14 Oct 2011) AT&T - Available (Since 14 Oct 2011) Verizon - Available (Since 14 Oct 2011)
- Sprint phones
The iPhone 4S is a gradual step over the iPhone 4 improving the internals, but keeping the look and feel. At the same time, though, it brings a reworked iOS 5 and introduces Siri, a personal voice assistant allowing you to vocally communicate with the iPhone. It comes with a 3.5" screen with a resolution of 640 x 960 pixels, but on the inside there's a twice more powerful dual-core A5 processor. It also improves connectivity a notch, bringing 14.4Mbps HSPA download speeds. The back is where an 8-megapixel camera resides and it's capable of recording 1080p videos.
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Apple iPhone 4S specifications
General info
- Device type:
- Smart phone
- Network technology:
- CDMA:
- 800, 1900
- GSM:
- 850, 900, 1800, 1900
- UMTS:
- 850, 900, 1900, 2100
- CDMA:
- Data:
- EDGE
- UMTS:
- Yes
- HSPA:
- Yes (HSDPA 14.4 Mbit/s)
- HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s
- CDMA Data:
- 1xEV-DO rev.A
Design
- Design:
- Form Factor:
- Candybar
- Dimensions:
- 4.54 x 2.31 x 0.37 (115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm)
- Weight:
- 4.94 oz (140 g)
the average is 4.3 oz (123 g)
- 4.94 oz (140 g)
- Colors:
- Black, White
- Form Factor:
Display
- Display:
- Technology:
- LCD
- Resolution:
- 640 x 960 pixels
- Physical Size:
- 3.50 inches
- Colors:
- 16 777 216
- Touch Screen:
- Yes (Capacitive)
- Multi-touch:
- Yes
- Light sensor:
- Yes
- Proximity Sensor:
- Yes
- Technology:
Battery
- Talk time:
- 14.00 hours
the average is 8 h (460 min)
- 14.00 hours
- Stand-by time:
- 200 hours
the average is 396 h (17 days)
- 200 hours
- Talk time (3G):
- 8.00 hours
Software
- Smart Phone:
- Yes
- OS:
- iOS (5)
- Processor:
- Dual core, A5, 1000 MHz
- Memory:
- 512 MB RAM
- 3D Graphics hardware accelerator:
- Yes (Dual core)
Camera
- Camera:
- Yes
- Resolution:
- 8 megapixels
- Flash:
- Yes (LED)
- Features:
- Auto focus, Touch to focus, Image stabilizer, Video stabilizer, Face detection, Geo tagging
- Video capture:
- Yes
- Resolution:
- 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)
- Resolution:
- Additional camera:
- Yes (0.3 megapixels VGA)
- Video Calling:
- Yes
Multimedia
- Music Player:
- Yes
- Supports:
- MP3, AAC, eAAC, WAV, M4A (Apple lossless)
- Video Playback:
- Yes
- Supports:
- MPEG4, H.264, Motion JPG, MOV
- YouTube player:
- Yes
Internet browsing
- Internet Browsing:
- Yes
- Supports:
- HTML, HTML5
- Built-in online services support:
- YouTube (upload)
Location Based Services
- Location Based Services:
- Yes
- Type:
- A-GPS
- Navigation:
- Yes
- Location Based Services:
Phonebook
- Support:
- Yes
- Capacity:
- Capacity depends on system memory
- Features:
- Caller groups, Multiple numbers per contact, Search by both first and last name, Picture ID, Ring ID
Organizer
- Calendar:
- Yes
- Alarms:
- Yes
- Document Viewer:
- Yes
- Supported formats:
- Office 2007, Office 2003, PDF
- Other:
- Calculator
Messaging
- SMS:
- Yes
- Threaded messaging:
- Yes
- E-mail:
- Yes (IMAP, POP3, SMTP, Microsoft Exchange)
Memory
- Built-in:
- 65536 MB
Connectivity
- Bluetooth:
- Yes
- Version:
- 4.0
- Wi-Fi:
- Yes (802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n)
- USB:
- Yes
- Type:
- Proprietary
- Version:
- USB 2.0
- Features:
- USB charging
- Headphones connector:
- 3.5mm
- TV-Out:
- Yes
Other features
- Additional microphone:
- Yes
- Used for:
- Noise cancellation
- Sensors:
- Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass
Availability
- Officially announced:
- Yes (04 Oct 2011)
Warranty
- Accessories:
- Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic, Dock Connector to USB Cable, USB Power Adapter, Documentation
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