Inspect-a-Gadget

Can businesses stand to gain from free real-time messaging apps?

By Matt Scott on May 24, 2012 10:31 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

The digital marketplace is becoming increasingly flooded with apps in general, making it harder for users and businesses alike to filter and determine the best choice for their needs.

iPhone apps Photo credit: dougbelshaw)

Here, I'm going to do a quick rundown of some of the biggest real-time, "free" - in that they don't consume the SMS allowance, only using data through either 3G or Wi-Fi - messaging apps.

BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) is probably the most well known real-time messaging application but it appears to have been labelled the preferred communication method for youths and "hoodies", with the app even being singled out for criticism during the London riots. The other downside to BBM is that it is only for BlackBerrys, so unless all your workforce or friends own BlackBerrys, this one is out of the picture.

The same can be said for Apple's equivalent, iMessage. The majority of iPhone owners I know aren't as attentive as they could be when it comes to the latest updates so they haven't even experienced iMessage and, even worse news for Tim Cook and co, those that have, have disabled it.

FaceTime, however, has been a lot more successful. Free video calls across Wi-Fi and possibly 3G in the near future were always going to be an attractive proposition for businesses.

Skype Technologies S.A. logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Microsoft-owned Skype has dominated the VoIP landscape for a number of years but despite being one of the first real-time messaging apps to be released for iPhone and Android handsets, it hasn't experience the same level of adoption in terms of smartphone uptake.

WhatsApp, one of the top selling apps in the iTunes store, must be experiencing increased adoption as it has consistently remained one of the top 10 paid apps for over 6 months. I would describe WhatsApp as a blend of all three of the above.

Another reasons for WhatsApp's success is that it is available on Symbian, iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry handsets, allowing for communication across all devices regardless of their operating system.

It offers real-time messaging, photo, video, audio, contact and location sharing.

Once a message is sent the sender is given a tick to let them know everything is okay. Then, they receive a second tick when the recipient reads the message. This and the fact you can see when your recipient is typing mean you don't need to bombard them with emails on deadline day. The ability to remove the ol' "Oh, I didn't see that message" excuse is surely an attractive one.

WhatsApp (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This page details how all sorts of businesses from e-commerce to editorial and customer service are rolling out and utilising WhatsApp as either an email replacement or alternative.

Finally, Telefónica recently unveiled their first foray into the real-time messaging application market in the form of TU Me. Billed as a new VoIP and social communication app it offers free calls, texts, voice messages while storing data in the cloud. TU Me is currently only available for iPhone but an Android app is in development.

Given that WhatsApp is so established, even TU Me's timeline and history won't help it.

Although, should TU Me switch its focus to the business sector, offering document attachments, multiple messaging and a built in appointment builder it could well take off as it seems businesses are increasingly open the possibility of using out-of-house/third party apps to manage communications while lowering costs.

Augmented Reality: Ready to get Real?

By David McClelland on May 3, 2012 12:04 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

Augmented Reality is a technology that has promised much but delivered little. Mixing the physical and virtual worlds by overlaying text, images and video content on top of real life in real time, AR has long been touted as the next big thing, both in the consumer and professional technology arenas.

But despite such augmented expectation, the actual reality is that AR has failed to capture public imagination, suffering from poor platforms, uninspiring apps and lacklustre content.

However, there are some signs that Augmented Reality is finally coming of age. Mobile AR platforms such as Aurasma and Blippar have recently announced significant commercial partnerships, Amazon Flow is narrowing the gap between shopping in the physical and online worlds, and the Google Glass project unveiled last month reveals that AR may be a difficult to ignore strategy for the search giant.

Facing Reality

The smartphone revolution should have been the golden bullet for the AR industry, mobilising the masses with devices that integrate the cameras, colour screens and network access that are key to the technology's execution.

But while the AR platforms have themselves become technically capable, in practice few applications of any substance have gone beyond the gimmick to fully engage with the public, with most use cases being pushed by advertisers and marketers rather than genuinely pulled by the consumer.

AR versus QR

Both the limited content and public awareness have been major barriers to wider AR adoption. The popular but lo-fi QR Code has parallels with AR implementations inasmuch as it relies upon image recognition to identify a 'trigger' (the QR matrix barcode) and then present relevant extended content. The benefit here is that the QR barcode itself is immediately visually distinctive, inviting curiosity and engagement.

The intelligent visual recognition at the heart of AR technologies from the likes of Aurasma means that any object, be it a business card, shopfront or landmark, can potentially become a trigger. Clever technology, but herein may lie its Achilles' Heel as there is often little advertising additional AR content other than an optional small graphic. For example, some red-top daily newspapers in the UK conceal AR content on their front page but with little or no indication to the reader that they do so.

Nevertheless, outside of entertainment and commerce there are professional many applications for AR technology. The Head-Up Display, or HUD, has been successfully deployed by the military in aircraft for decades and similar technology now seeps into consumer vehicles; there are examples of AR being used by field engineers to assist with the installation of hardware; and providers of educational materials in schools are also beginning to flex their creative muscles with the technology.

HP does AR?

Aurasma (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of the main players in the consumer AR market is UK-based Aurasma. Developed and owned by Autonomy, famously bought by HP in a $12 billion deal last year, the Cambridge company has been feverishly building commercial partnerships to promote its platform.

Key to raising awareness of a consumer product are the brand tie-ins, and Aurasma has plenty. Its logo appears on Tottenham Hotspur Football Club's players' shirts, Aurasma 'auras' feature throughout the BBC's Top Gear Magazine and it has been partnering with Universal Pictures in its 100th birthday celebrations this year.

As Aurasma's Head of Partnerships and Innovation, Matt Mills is a man with his finger on the pulse of both the present and future for Augmented Reality. At an event showcasing Aurasma's technology on Sunday I asked Matt about AR and its applications outside of entertainment, how Aurasma fits with Autonomy's strategy, and what innovations we can expect in the coming months:

While gaming would seem to be an integral part of Aurasma's strategy for growing its AR footprint, it may be that user-generated content and experiences could trigger the fastest growth for AR.

AR Mashups

Mashups combine multiple sources of (often publicly available) data to create new understandings and visualisations; a classic mashup example is chicagocrime.org in which maps provided by Google Maps are overlayed with neighbourhood crime statistical data from Chicago's police departement to create a visual heatmap of crime hotspots across the City.

If one of the key challenges for Augmented Reality platforms is to build a comprehensive catalogue of AR triggers and genuinely useful content then developing and opening the platform to enable real-time augmented reality mashups could be an ingenious and compelling move. Of course, the risk for companies such as Aurasma would be a disruption of its partner pay-per-click revenue model.

Future Prospects

With further high-profile partnerships, immersive gaming and (hopefully) genuine value-added experiences on the slate, AR's visibility is building. As Google's Glass/Goggles combination further whets appetites and inspires the imaginations of both content creators and consumers, it finally seems that the momentum behind Augmented Reality has, well, augmented.

The evolution of the Galaxy Note?

By Matt Scott on May 3, 2012 9:56 AM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks

| More

Honestly, I know the last two posts I've done have been about patents and this will be a third in a row, but I'm not obsessed. They're just very newsworthy.

Defensive statement out of the way, on with the news.

I came across this patent from Samsung while browsing the web yesterday.

It is a concept sketch that was included in a patent filed over a year ago, in March 2011. The application was made for an "ornamental design for a mobile phone". Intriguing I hear you say.

As well as echoing the Sony P tablet design, with its dual screens, it also bears a striking resemblance to the Galaxy Note. Although, is the Note an ornamental mobile phone? I've always just though of it as either a miniature tablet or a gigantic phone. Never a tabphone though, no one should ever use that word. Ever.

Like the Note, this concept design comes with (what looks like) a stylus. All of this makes me scratch my head, stare at the ceiling, ponder and then deliberate as to whether this could be a route that the next or third generation incarnation of the Note could go down.

The clamshelled Sony P tablet hasn't really been much of a hit with consumers or businessmen, whereas I have seen the odd Note coming out of a businessman's bag or pocket on the tube. As a side note, I'm sure most suits would have to have their pockets altered by their tailor to allow the gigantic Galaxy hybrid to fit. Am I right?

However, with Ice Cream Sandwich and TouchWiz at their disposal, Samsung have carved out a much sturdier fanbase in the Android marketplace than Sony so consumers and businesses alike could be more inclined to warm to a dual-screened Samsung phone/tablet offering.

Microsoft patents dual-screen smartphone

By Matt Scott on April 23, 2012 4:51 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

Just my luck, a matter of days after I write 5 of the weirdest phone patents, one of the coolest and weirdest mobile patents hits the internet.

I didn't fancy changing the afore mentioned post into "6 of the weirdest phone patents" for two reasons. One, this new patent I'm about to discuss deserves its own post and two, "6" doesn't have the same ring to it as "5". If it was "7" however, that would be a whole different kettle of fish.

So, this is the second Microsoft smartphone patent to catch my eye in recent times, after this of course.

This new patent outlines a dual-screened smartphone, with the rear screen being labelled a chuckle inducing "backside display".

It is unclear as to whether Microsoft plans to go it alone with this hardware or if they plan to offer it out to other manufacturers who utilise Windows phone OS on their handsets.

The paperwork reveals plans for the rear display to act as lower powered, watered down, interactive panel. Sort of like a Kindle display, but most likely with colour.

It would be powered by a secondary, smaller, processor and, as you can see from the patent, would display information such as time, signal, alerts and battery life. Not only that, Microsoft detailed that the display could also be used to display customisable logos.

This raises the question, could it spell the end for those market stalls up and down the country that have been selling substandard and unlicensed tacky phone covers for years?

Jokes aside, the real question it raises, for me at least, is what material will the phone or, more specifically, the rear screen be made out of? Gorilla glass?

It's a shame that on the off chance this patent does actually make it to production, it probably won't be anytime soon.

5 of the weirdest phone patents

By Matt Scott on April 20, 2012 3:23 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

Following the publication of a patent filed by BlackBerry makers RIM back in 2010, I thought it would be fitting to compile a list of 5 of the weirdest phone-related patents filed in recent times.

It's strange to think that right now companies could be working on and filing numerous patents for innovations and advancements that may not enter the market or even production until a couple of years from now. I don't know about you but it certainly leaves me feeling like we're missing out.

I'll kick things off with the RIM patent I used to introduce this post, it concerns a rotating keypad.

Here, the keypad is fixed in one corner meaning it could be used whilst partially covering the screen, completely below the screen in portrait and landscape or, alternatively, entirely behind the screen. Everyone knows RIM killed off its consumer business recently following huge losses and there is 0% chance that this is the innovation that could save it, seems more of a novelty.

Potential usefulness: 4/10

Chance of being rolled out: 5/10

Another recent patent application that received a lot of attention involved Nokia and vibrating tattoos.

The patent for this potential futuristic haptic innovation explained that the "tattoo" would transfer a stimulus to the skin to notify the user of an incoming call or message. The whole proces would work through the use of magnetic field detection. The marketing potential for this product could be huge but I, sadly, just can't see it taking off any time soon.

Potential usefulness: 7/10

Chance of being rolled out: 5/10

I wrote about this third entry late last year, Microsoft's sliding modular bay.

Now that Nokia seem to be the flagship manufacturer for Windows phones I can't see Microsoft utilising this patent. Anyway, it is basically a magnetised storage tray housed in the back of a handset.

The patent listed examples such as an extra battery, gaming controller or keypad. Despite being pretty rudimentary in principal, this patent actually appeals to me. It's a shame that I just can't see Nokia putting this patent to use nor can I see Microsoft going it alone.

Potential usefulness: 8/10

Chance of being rolled out: 4/10

Next up is a mobile airbag from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

This patent, which was personally signed off by Bezos, is entitled "damage avoidance system". The theory behind the patent is that the case is able to detect when it is rapidly falling, using any smartphone accelerometer, and release jets of air before impact, thus reducing any damage.

I hate to admit it, because it looks so stupid, but if it were to work properly this could be the best protective case on the market. That said, the silence that followed the publication of this patent is probably a sign of its chances of hitting the high street.

Potential usefulness: 9/10

Chance of being rolled out: 5/10

Finally, this is only weird depending on what you use it for. Confused? Good. Let me explain, it's a patent for a textured touchscreen by Senseg. Understand how it could be a tad strange now?

In the run up to the release of the, frankly disappointing, new iPad many blogs reported that the latest Apple tablet could feature Senseg's E-touch textured touchscreen technology. Obviously we all know it now doesn't.

Trying to explain this as simply as possible, E-touch works using the Coulomb force, effectively it is the same principle as rubbing a balloon against your hair and getting it to stick to a wall. Two reasonably non-conductive objects can have a charge difference created between them and this then allows for the feeling of differing sensations.

Not only could it allow tablets and smartphones to offer braille for the blind, it would also just make the experience much more fun. As long as it's done properly, I can see widespread adoption of this technology by mid 2013.

Potential usefulness: 8/10

Chance of being rolled out: 8/10

BlackBerry: Why ditching the consumer market is the wrong decision

By Faisal Alani on March 30, 2012 10:41 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

Image representing Research In Motion as depic...

I think RIM have hit the panic button. While I agree that they cannot compete with the likes of Apple, I still think that strategically they have made the wrong decision to pull out of the consumer market and have therefore signed their death warrant / put themselves up for sale.

Here are ten reasons why it was the wrong decision:

There is no business market for smartphones

Oh yeah! RIM, didn't you hear? The whole reason you're struggling is because of something called 'consumerisation'. This is when users want to take their personal phone and use it for work. Sadly their personal phone is usually an iPhone, so to say you're not competing with Apple in the consumer space is worthless because it's just space now not business or consumer.
A large amount of their handset sales come from kids

I don't know how it happened but kids love BlackBerrys. They BBM each other and they do not buy their handsets for anything to do with the enterprise.
The Playbook is finally a good product

Don't get me wrong, when it was first released it was a bit of a joke but since the 2.0 update I think it's the best tablet after the iPad. Not only is the user interface great, it's easy to use, it's the perfect size, has great apps including Android apps now, cheap, rugged and great battery life. RIM should've redesigned it slightly and relaunched while Android stutters.
Times have changed

Whether RIM target the enterprise or consumer, they need to change their ways and respond quicker to trends. the reason they fell behind is because they don't understand what people want anymore.
They should've focused on budget handsets

BlackBerry can't compete with high-end devices, so why try? They could own the low-end of the market with solid BB handsets.
They will be bought on the cheap

Make no mistake, this announcement will send alarm bells throughout the industry and thee will be a few big-hitters that will look to take advantage of RIM's demise. Namely SAP.
Innovation is important

Yes we know that, but while innovation is crucial in the consumer market, it's important in the enterprise too! Apple are encroaching on this market and while BlackBerry lead it they will have to take big strides in order to keep it that way.
The enterprise is slipping away from them

To bank everything on the enterprise is a very risky strategy especially when you look at points 1, 4 and 7. Yes they have a foothold but things change so quickly in this industry that to completely, openly rule out the consumer market could be a shot in the foot.
This announcement works against them

Announcing anything negative is a PR nightmare. It signals your demise which then adds to your demise. Stock prices will go down and suddenly you're unpopular and on a slippery slope to oblivion.
OS 10 might've worked

It has been delayed time and time again but from what we've seen of it, OS 10 actually looks kind of good. It might not have saved them but had they released it earlier, who knows! After spending so much money and time on it they should've at least waited to see.

Do flexible plastic e-paper displays have a place in the market?

By Matt Scott on March 29, 2012 12:48 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

I wrote late last year about Nokia and Samsung developing flexible displays and it now appears that flexible screens are becoming widely accepted as the next step in the evolution of mobile devices/computing.

Question is, do the flexible plastic e-paper displays, like the one LG unveiled today, have a place in the market?

Short answer: I think it will all boil down to the pricing of devices that include these new displays.

Long answer: Kindles and other e-books are successful because they are useful bits of kit that excel in one area (replacing books) and, because it's only one area, the pricing is reasonable and affordable.

Tablets can do a number of jobs, including the one e-paper displays can, but with the added bonus of colour and in a better resolution.

However, if these displays can be utilised in devices that can offer a similar battery life to that of the current Kindle then I think they will have a fan base.

Image from engadget

Formalities over, I am a fan of these fexible displays, they seem to go back to the past to offer a new future..... That made more sense in my head.

What I mean is that they could well be the future of the faltering newspaper industry, being that they are flexible like the pages of a newspaper. Paper boys should be scared, they could be in for a cold winter.

I think people of the older generations that have reluctantly started getting to grips with smartphones, tablets and e-books will feel more comfortable with this but if they are to be widely successful the younger generation will have to get on board too.

Touch sensitive, HD, colour flexible screens will undoubtedly take off in the next generation of hand-held devices but I am eager to see how these plastic e-paper displays are received. Once they have been approved by original design manufacturer, they could hit the European market as early as the start of May.

5 of the world's most expensive mobile phones (part two)

By Matt Scott on March 19, 2012 11:00 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

This entry follows on from last week's part one, where the phones ranged from £827,060 to £51,500, and offers up another five phones for you to dream about owning.

That said, most of these handsets are ridiculously impractical or just down right ugly.

Getting straight into it, number 6 on the list is the Ulysse Nardin's device, The Chairman, costing the princely sum £31,491.

Ulysse Nardin's The Chairman 5 - Male Extravaganza.gif

Image from moderncelebs.blogspot.com

The Chairman is the world's most expensive Android smartphone, a good pub fact for you there. Ulysee Nardin are well known for their luxury watches and despite The Chairman having both a touchscreen and numerical pad, they've found room to make it clear they primarly deal in watches. The volume controls are taken from the side of a watch and the crown inbetween them, along with a kinetic rotator on the rear, can be wound to power the device.

The seventh entry is the most retro, in my opinion. Many of you may already be familiar with the Motorola V220 but this is a special edition that will leave you £28,000 worse off.

Image from xarj.net

So, what exactly is "special" about this device? Well, other than a truckload of diamonds not much. To me, it seems Austrian designer Peter Aloisson's process of studding it with 1,200 diamonds and adding a keyboard inlaid with 18 carat gold was a giant waste of time.

Now we drop down to four figure sums with the recently announced Tag Heuer Racer. This smartphone is not to be sniffed at and will make a £2326 shaped hole in your bank account.

Image from highsnobiety.com

As it has only just been announced, exact details on the specifiation are hard to come by but it will ship with Android 4.0 and a "high speed processor". The casing is rubber that has been strengthened by titanium and carbon fibre bridges. Sounds fancy.

The penultimate device, the Nokia 8800 Gold Edition, costs £1,459 and seems to be nothing more than a run of the mill Nokia made of 24 carat gold.

Image from itechnews.net

The usual a 0.5 Mega pixel camera, video recording, 64 MB of internal memory, and 180 minutes of talktime are still there, with the main difference being the special edition box and charging dock. A phone of choice for Championship footballers rather than Premiership ones I think.

Finally, we come to number ten. A phone I've written about before, the BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981. Before last week, when I started research for these two entries, I thought the price of £1275 for this handset was horrendous, now it seems reasonable.

blackberry_p9981_281106301993_640x360 (1).jpg

The P'9981 is equipped with an 2.8 inch touch screen as well as a QWERTY keypad, 8 GB of storage, 768MB of RAM and a 1.2GHz processor. Reason for the price? Well it could be the leather backing and the steel chassis because it certainly isn't the BB OS 7. Thinking about it, it is more than likely the fact that it has the name Porsche stamped all over it. Sad but true.

From the ten, if I could have my pick of any, I'd go for the Gresso Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot from part one. Then, if I got bored of that, I'd sell it on and by myself a Ulysse Nardin's Chairman, purely to see how effective the kinetic rotary dial on the back was.

How about you?

New iPad, Old UI: Why Apple Needs to Reboot iOS

By David McClelland on March 19, 2012 3:32 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

Apple's newest iPad took flight last Friday, but as more employers allow employees to bring their own devices into the workplace how long will it be before we look past the Gorilla Glass and retina displays to assess the genuine productivity merits of the tablets everybody is so keen to use?

In 2007 Apple wowed the world with the iPhone, the first genuine 'look mum, no stylus!' multitouch smartphone. It was a breakthrough device for user interface and interactivity design, winning universal plaudits and changing the course of mobile. In 2010 Apple did it again with the iPad, sprinkling its Cupertino magic dust over a previously tried but unfancied format and pulling from its hat another game-changing, ecosystem-initiating device. Innovative stuff all around, from hardware and software all the way to the App Store.

However, as far as user interface innovation goes, 2007 is pretty much where the story ends.

With the iPad Apple simply took an iPhone, planted it in compost and guessed at how big it could grow. Many a so-called cynic may have branded the iPad as little more than a giant iPhone but that's exactly what it is, albeit without the annoying phone bit that iPhone users rarely exercise. While the iPad's larger screen does enable touchscreen typing (for those patient enough to persevere) in user interface terms there really is very little that is new beyond the iPhone's original interface.

If the initial whoops and yelps were along the lines of 'hey, look at everything my iPad can do and how beautifully it can do it', the less-enthusiastic conversations these days are limited to, 'hey look, it's got great graphics'.

Apple's enhancements now focus on the cosmetic rather than improving the way in which we work. HD retina displays may well be an enabler for niche applications appreciated by those with 20:20 vision but it is yet to help me work on more than one email at a time, or to write notes in one app while reviewing content on a webpage or PDF in another - you know, the sort of stuff that we all do when we're actually doing some work.

Instead, when using iOS on my iPad I find myself finding ways to work around the operating system rather than benefiting from how the operating system works around me. It's a frustrating uphill struggle.

Picking up and appreciating devices such as the (unfortunately defunct) HP/Palm Touchpad and now the Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 helps to reinforce just how hamstrung Apple's iOS currently feels on the iPad: for example, the Samsung's split screen feature I played with at MWC on the forthcoming GALAXY Note 10.1 makes perfect use of the tablet's landscape mode to present two independent portrait screens side by side, ideal for reviewing, commenting or copying; the multitasking and inter-device collaboration on the HP Touchpad was (on paper and mostly in practice) leaps ahead of the after-thought multitasking implemented into Apple's OS. The excuses of 'lack of processing power' present at the beginning of the tablet revolution simply don't hold water in today's dual- and quad-core processor landscape where performing multiple activities at once really shouldn't pose a problem.

The message is clear: Apple needs to innovate in the iOS interface and user experience once again, refocusing it around its users, or it will begin to lose out to other tablet manufacturers who persist in producing devices with genuine usability and productivity enhancements. The iPhone was five years ago, the iPad is now in its third year: since the initial wow common to most Apple product-line launches there have been very few enhancements to the core iOS interface. To some this may be an indication of how right Apple got their UI first time around, but for me and many others iOS 5.1 is beginning to show its age and is now in desperate need of a reboot.

5 of the world's most expensive mobile phones

By Matt Scott on March 16, 2012 11:54 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

Have more money than sense? Then this is the perfect list for you.

Despite being able to pick up a pretty capable smartphone, i.e. a HTC Desire, HTC Wildfire S or Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini, for well under £200, consumers are seemingly more than happy to part with £400+ for what they deem a good handset.

Well, there isn't enough money in a monopoly box to buy some of these devices, that's how expensive they are! But there are people out there walking amongst us common, dirty and "cheap" normal folk who see a four figure sum smartphone as a bargain.

First up is the Diamond Crypto Smartphone. This phone costs a whopping £827,060.

Image from etechbee.com

It runs Windows CE and was designed by by diamond encruster Peter Aloisson. It comes covered in 50 diamonds, 10 of which are blue, and powerful encryption technology. That means, according to Russian manufacturers JSC Ancort, it will "provide secure protection of information against kidnapping, technological blackmail, financial racketeers and corrupted state officials." I know the real question you are all dying to ask is, does it have snake? Well, I'm afraid to say that I can't provide an answer to that question.

Next is the equally lavish Gresso Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot, costing £636,200.

The specification isn't that amazing, a measily 2MP camera is about as good as it gets but the build quality is what you're paying top dollar for. A 12mm gold frame weighing 180grams, a smattering of black diamonds, 17 hand-polished and etched sapphires and a rear made from 200-year-old African black-wood are what make this phone so pricey. I can't promise that the black-wood has been treated for woodworm though, that's a gamble I'll leave you to take yourself.

The Vertu Signature Cobra is the third entry and it is a significant drop in price from number two but still mind-bogglingly expensive at £167,567.

Image from novosadski.net

No camera, no touchscreen and only 1MB of internal memory. Not a good start. The Signature Cobra was designed by French jeweler Boucheron and only 8 were made. The phone features one pear-cut diamond, one round white diamond, two emerald eyes and 439 rubies, although, if you, like me, aren't particulalry fond of rubies, Vertu also offer a ruby free handset for £62,162.

Number four is another Vertu handset, the Diamond. This luxury phone will set you back around £63,620.

Image from mobilepriceuk.blogspot.com

I'm ashamed to admit that a British based firm are responsible for this one. If you hadn't already guessed, it's made of platinum and diamonds. I can't really tell you much else other than it is avaliable in yellow, red, blue, black, brown and tan, it also has scratch resistant glass. Now if that alone isn't worth pretty much the equivalent of a brand new Land Rover, I don't know what is.

The final handset on the list is yet another Vertu device. The Vertu Signature costs around £51,500.

Image from phonegg.com

If you didn't alredy know, Vertu are a division of Nokia and one of the main (if not only) benefit of a owning a Vertu is a special concierge button which allows the owner to use the concierge service 24 hours a day. This phone is hand crafted and stuffed with diamonds for no reason. Seems to be a contiunal theme emerging here.

Don't worry, if you're only raking in hundreds of thousands a year and not millions, I know things might be a bit tight. So, just for you, I'll be publishing a part two, with five more of the world's most expensive handsets. Oh, and I promise that there are no more Vertu's on the second list.

The New Sony Xperia Sola

By Matt Scott on March 13, 2012 12:00 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

After plonking myself down at my desk this morning, firing up my PC and logging in to my email, I was greeted with an image of the new Sola. My initial reaction was one of confusion, given that Sony only just announced a number of new handsets. I was worried that that Sony were having an identity crisis, turning into Nokia, thinking that quantity triumphs over quality.

However, after delving a little deeper, I discovered the Sola actually offers something new, something different. Something that intrigued me.

That something was Sony's floating touch navigation. Sony describe it as "magic" but since we're grown ups living in reality, not Harry Potter land, I'm going to call it an innovative new mobile web browsing technology.

The new floating touch system allows users to navigate the web simply by hovering a finger above the screen, acting as if it were a moving curser. When you want to move on from a certain page, hovering over a link will highlight it and a simple tap will load the next page.

Sony have added that, "floating touch will evolve with new user functionality and applications through software updates and engagement with developers." Translation = It will get better.

As much as I am excited to see this technology emerge, I'm a little worried that in a few years it could be seen as an arduous task to run your finger across your smartphone to execute a command.

That's enough of the deep thought for now though, back to the handset. What else do you need to know about the Sola?

Well, it has a 1GHz dual-core processor, 3.7 inch 480x854 resolution screen, 5MP camera capable of 720p HD video recording and is powered by Android 2.3, however an update to 4.0 will be released in the summer.

The handsets, which will be available in black, white and red, are also equipped with NFC, allowing them to work with Sony's new SmartTags. I explain how they work here.

The dinky device, which weights only 2.2grams and is only 3.2 mm thick, will be released sometime in the coming months, so not too long to wait then.

No, it isn't the iPad 3, or the iPad HD, it's just the New iPad.

By Matt Scott on March 7, 2012 8:27 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

Tonight Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced us to the latest instalment of the iPad family, simply referring to it as the "New iPad."

So, what exactly is new about it?

Well, it pretty much looks identical to the iPad 2, although it is slightly thicker.

Unlike the iPhone 4s, it doesn't come with Siri. Apple have instead decided to equip it with voice dictation.

Battery life? Nope that is apparently the same too, 10 hours.

Quad Core? Well sort-of. It comes packing a A5X Dual-Core CPU but with Quad-Core graphics processing. This was showcased using a number of graphic heavy games, with a number of Apple employees claiming that this iPad is the one that gamers will enjoy the most.

The only big changes seem to be the introduction of a 2058 x 1536p resolution Retina display, although the screen measures 9.7 inches, and new 5MP rear camera. The snapper now comes with iSight technology, meaning it is capable of 1080p full HD recording.

US users will be treated to 4G connectivity but it is also worth nothing that the New iPad can be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot.

As for new software, iOS 5.1 was announced and all the new tablets will be shipped with it. It will include new apps such as iPhoto. Which allows users to do many fancy things with their improved quality images. A short of scaled down, simpler photoshop.

It feels a little as if Apple are, to quote the Fresh Prince, Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool. Nothing here is shocking or revolutionary. In fact, a good portion of the event was taken up talking about Apple's domination of the market.

After months and months of rumours there is no Senseg, no Siri, no A6 Quad-Core and no new form factor. I'm not saying this won't be an excellent device, in fact will almost certainly the best tablet currently available, but that doesn't change the fact that Apple could have done more.

For me, the best news to come out of the event was the price fall of the iPad 2.

The UK release date for the New iPad is March 16th and while there is no official word on pricing it will roughly fall in line with the iPad 2 after its release.

Expect to part with around £399 for 16GB Wi-Fi only, £479 for 32GB and £559 for a 64GB model. As for Wi-Fi + 3G, £499 for 16GB, £579 for 32GB and £659 for a 64GB device.

The new Sony Xperia range

By Matt Scott on March 5, 2012 9:46 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

I found out last week that you don't have to be in Barcelona at MWC to enjoy the latest mobile news, sangria, paella and mazy runs from Messi.

The important bit here is that I attended a Sony Xperia introduction event, not that afterwards I went home to make sangria and paella while watching some Champions League.

The underlying message I left with was, Sony want to take over your home and/or office. Offering you the ultimate collaborative experience through TV, stereo system, tablet, gaming console or smartphone.

Before I give a brief run down of specification of the three new Xperia handsets, the S, P and the U, I'd like to share with you a few new things that they bring to the table.

Firstly, when plugged into a TV set via HDMI the Xperia range now bring up a separate docking screen. Even more impressingly, the phone can be controlled using a few of the basic controls on the TVs remote.

Next up, the usually hugely troublesome DLNA connection has been tamed by these Xperia handsets. Streaming images or videos to your SMART TV has never been simpler.

The Xperia S and P also come with NFC technology, allowing for instant payment/data transfer but, more importantly, Sony have developed a new use for this technology. They're called SmartTags. Unfortunately, they don't look smart. They look like name tags you'd find on a dog's collar. I turned one over, expecting to find it engraved with "Rex 0777 666 555 44".

The SmartTags are programmed to contain a number of commands. So, for example, you could have one SmartTag that switched your phone profile from "work" to "home", turning your out of office email on, turning off your bluetooth, putting your phone on silent. You could then have another SmartTag on your car keyring which, when brushed against the back of the handset (which must be unlocked), would sync up with your bluetooth headset as well as activating the Sat Nav and voice activated texting.

Some handsets will ship with SmartTags or a pack of 4 can be purchased for around £9.99.

Next up, a smart dock for the Xperia P, which was my favourite of the three, will be released shortly after the handset. The smart dock is equipped with two USB slots, meaning a wireless keyboard and mouse can be plugged in. This effectively turnsyour TV, when the P is connected via HDMI, into a giant computer monitor.

Now for a quick run-down of the spec:

Xperia S - The premium handset.

The S offers a "full HD" experience with its 4.3 inch screen, 12MP rear snapper and 1.3MP 720p front facing camera. Despite weighing only Weighing only 144g, It packs a 1.5GHz dual-core with 32GB of on board memory and 1GB of RAM.

All of these handsets ship with Android 2.3 but a Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 update is in the pipeline. The build quality of the S is really what you are paying the premium for, Its scratch resistant glass and seamless casing look sublime.

Xperia P - The everyday handset

Despite having a smaller (4 inch) screen and lower resolution, the P is still impressive because Sony have fitted it with its "white magic" technology. Adding white into each pixel along with the normal red, green and blue combo. This improved the back lighting ten fold.

The P is fitted with a 1GHz dual-core CPU and has 16GB of memory with 1GB RAM. The front facing camera here is the standard VGA effort with the rear offering up 8MP and HD video recording. The combination of the moulded aluminium rear casing and transparent strip, which houses the standard Android buttons, are something that Sony hope will become iconic.

Xperia U - The budget handset

The Xperia U is Sony's budget handset but that doesn't mean it will have a budget price. It still packs some pretty impressive specs. The runt of the Xperia litter is still fitted with a 1GHz dual-core processor but only has 4GB of storage and 512MB of RAM to power the device. It has a respectable 5MP rear camera and even a front facing camera.

The budget term becomes a little more apparent when you look at the build quality. The interchancable casing at the bottom of the handset may be appealing to young girls but not to serious smartphone users. Also, the transparent strip which cleverly detects and replicates the dominant colour of any media you are viewing, will, I imagine, begin to make you feel as if you are stood next to one of those tacky spinning disco lights that wedding "DJs" have.

Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 - Hands-On Video Preview

By David McClelland on March 5, 2012 12:57 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

Parrot has let fly with its AR.Drone 2.0, the successor to its CES 2010 award-winning iPhone controlled quadricopter, featuring easier flight modes, enhanced optics and a connected new FreeFlight app.

We were among the first in the UK to get hands-on with surely the summer's hottest gadget at an exclusive launch event last week. Here's some video from the event of the AR.Drone 2.0 in action, including my chat with Julien Galou, the AR.Drone's Marketing Manager:

Having filmed a video review of the original AR.Drone not long after its launch in 2010, I found the flying experience of the 2012 model to be superior, helped in no small measure by its new 'absolute control' flying mode (although the original mode is still available for die-hard pilots).

At 720p the quality of the HD camera is, as is evident in the video, pretty useful and it's a smart move by Parrot to integrate into the core FreeFlight app the ability to record, geo-tag and upload flight footage to the usual social media sides.

The Parrot AR.Drone will be available online and in-store from June 2012 costing £279.99.

MWC 2012: Day two - Huawei, Samsung and Panasonic ramp up the show

By Faisal Alani on February 29, 2012 10:08 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

Day two at MWC and while the first day was dominated by the big-hitters the second day has allowed some of the less experienced smartphone manufacturers the chance to shine.

First up is Huawei showing off a 1.5GHz quad-core called the Huawei Ascend D Quad (yes a Huawei quad-core) running Android 4.0 Ice cream Sandwich (ICS) with a 4.5 inch screen.

The processor is Huawei's own K3, which is a quad-core A9 that has 16 GPU cores built-in. According to Huawei, it benchmarks faster than Nvidia's Tegra 3, runs cooler, and offers up to a 50-percent reduction in power consumption.

Following on from Huawei was Panasonic with the Panasonic Eluga, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor with Android 4.0 (ICS), a five inch 1280x720 HD screen, 1800mAh battery and NFC capabilities. Incredibly it's also waterproof!

Panasonic have steered clear of the smartphone up until now but have looked to go in at the deep end with the Eluga challenging some of the best Android phones out there especially with what looks like a gorgeous screen.

Samsung are holding back at MWC as they will announce the Samsung Galaxy S3 in a separate event because "we're important too".

Despite their hesitancy, they have announced the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 in a seven and 10.1 inch scren size.

The Tab 2 runs Android 4.0 ICS on a 1GHz dual core processor, 1GB of RAM, up to 32GB of storage, three megapixel camera, VGA front-facing camera and a seven inch 1024x600 pixel screen. It will be available in both Wi-Fi and 3G.

There isn't much excitement around the Tab 2 as it's not more powerful than a lot of the Android tablets that are already on the market. The only feature that will intrigue buyers is the seven inch screen version. Personally I think this is the best size for a tablet but is that too close to Samsung's Galaxy Note phone which is at five inches?

Samsung also announced their latest projector smartphone the Samsung Galaxy Beam.

The Beam, although being quite a standard Android handset, has been getting rave reviews due to it's slimness and quality projector which is good at 50 inches.

The phone has a four inch screen, 1GHz dual core processor, 8GB expandable storage, 5MP camera and an incredible 2000mAh battery.

The usefulness of having a projector in your pocket doesn't just mean watching a movie on the fly but also gives you the ability to whip out a Powerpoint presentation whenever it's needed.

MWC 2012: Day one round-up - HTC One X, Nokia 808, Asus Padfone and more

By Faisal Alani on February 28, 2012 10:47 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

So the first day of Mobile World Congress (MWC) is over, and wow what a day it was certainly living up to the hype.

The biggest announcement was HTC's One range of phones and particularly the HTC One X quad-core super phone.

HTC One X white.jpg

The One X comes equipped with the Tegra 3 quad-core 1.5GHz processor backed up by 1GB of RAM, this is quite a statement by HTC as this phone is 'best in class' in almost every department.

HTC also unveiled the One S and the One V. The One S is a mid-range phone packing a dual-core processor, 4.3 inch screen, eight-megapixel camera, 1080p video recording and 32GB of non-expandable on board storage.

The HTC One V is the cheapest option of the three. It runs on a single-core processor with a 3.7-inch screen, five-megapixel camera with 720p video recording and 4GB of expandable on-board storage.

Nokia unveiled their 808 Pureview Symbian smart phone, which while being thick and not running Windows Phone 7 is still a big deal as it houses a 41-megapixel camera. Yes, that's right f-o-u-r-t-y o-n-e megapixel camera. While that sounds amazing, I have my reservations. How good is the lense? Can the screen handle so many pixels? Do you need so many?

ZTE also showed their hand unveiling the ZTE O

rbit, a budget Windows Phone 7 (WP7) handset. It's the minimum specification that is needed for a WP7 but it's still very good. It has a 1GHz single core processor, 512 RAM and a 5MP camera. The best feature is that it has an NFC chip making it the first WP7 phone to have NFC capabilities.

ZTE also unveiled the ZTE Era, another quad-core processor phone. This is a change of strategy for ZTE as they have always aimed at the budget market but the Era is anything but budget.

The ZTE Era runs on the latest version of Android, 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and is powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 3 chip, featuring a powerful 1.3GHz quad-core processor. The phones other features include 1GB of RAM 4.3-inch qHD display and 8-megapixel camera with 1080p video.

Asus have tried something innovative by unveiling the Asus Padfone. It sounds awful but it's basically a smartphone that can slot into a tablet to power it.

This another Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich device with a 4.3in Super AMOLED qHD screen powered by a Qualcomm 1.5GHz dual-core processor and has 1GB of RAM. The tablet has a 10.1 inch screen and it's own battery. You can also get another keyboard accessory making it an Android laptop.

And finally, away from all the new handsets, Google pitched in with some incredible stats about Android.

As of yesterday, there are over 450,000 apps available in Android market with one billion apps downloaded a month.

Google also unveiled that there are 850,000 Android devices activated a DAY, making the total number of Android devices 300 million worldwide. Incredible.

HTC ONE X: Quad-core monster phone

By Faisal Alani on February 27, 2012 1:22 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

HTC have unveiled the HTC One X, alongside the HTC One S and V. The One X is the first quad-core phone to be announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) and looks to be the most powerful smartphone on the planet.

HTC One X.jpg

Running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense
Quad-core 1.5GHz Tegra 3 processor
1GB of RAM
4.7" 720p Super LCD2
8MP f2.0 camera with its own image processor
1.3MP front-facing camera (capable of HD video chat)
32GB internal storage
25GB of free Dropbox storage
NFC capabilities
1800mAh battery
4G compatible

The phone is one of the slimmest the world has seen measuring at 7.9mm, compared to the iPhone 4s's 9.3mm, and comes in a machined polycarbonate shell which makes it light but strong.

As well as Dropbox, the One X will also come with Beats by Dr Dre audio built in. Unlike previous HTC handsets, Beats is built into any audio that your phone puts out including video, Spotify or YouTube.

As I said before, this is the best phone available. Something HTC will hope to still be the case when Samsung finally unveils the Galaxy S3 in the coming weeks.

Top 10: Smartphone do's and don'ts of the office

By Matt Scott on February 27, 2012 11:09 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

In 2011 there was as a distinct rise in bring your own device (BYOD) schemes and this is set to continue in 2012. Many companies are wary of the potential security risks that using a variety of different devices and platforms pose, however, employees also have risks they need to consider too.

Here, to help you avoid awkward faux pas, is my guide on office do's and don'ts when it comes to using your own smartphone for work.

Don't have any adult content on your phone. Three Indian BJP ministers had to learn this lesson the hard way, no pun intended. The risk of a potential sexual harassment case coming your way after "Wendy", the bubbly receptionist, accidentally stumbles across an x-rated image on your phone while she browses your holiday snaps, doesn't bear thinking about.

Don't download too many addictive apps. Your stock will fall faster than Cristiano Ronaldo in the penalty area if your boss catches you sneaking off to play Angry Birds. I imagine they would also be equally unimpressed if they were to find you by the water cooler playing Temple Run 15 minutes after you went to wet your whistle.

Don't have an offensive ringtone. In this era of uber political correctness people can quite easily get upset at something you find hilarious. Want my advice? Play it safe with a meowing cat, people love cats, well at least I assume they do judging by the inane amount of videos of them on YouTube.

Don't have your push notifications turned on. No one needs to know (or cares) when your latest crop of corn is ready to be harvested in FarmVille. Not only will your colleagues think you're trying to get cheap thrills by having your phone vibrate every two minutes, it will quickly get on their nerves.

Don't save sensitive data. Your boss won't shed too many tears if you lose your phone and your Doodle Jump highscore with it. They will however make you cry, most likely by firing you, if you had confidential work-related documents on your handset when it was lost/misplaced/stolen/smashed. Delete as appropriate.

Don't be a flash harry, constantly showing off your latest handset and "must-have" apps. This will win you no friends. In fact, I guarantee you it will almost certainly make you one of the most hated people in the office. If you want attention find it another way, start a fashion trend or something.

It's not all bad news though, there are still some are positives for the employee.

Do take advantage of collaborative apps. Office suite, Quickoffice, syncing your Outlook and accessing a mobile VPN, these are now all things you can fit in your pocket. Meaning, if you do forget something, no need to panic, the likelihood is that you can restore normality using your smartphone.

Do make use of the flexible working that the portable communication allows. Once upon a time, being out of the office really did mean you were cut off. Now you can take your BlackBerry or other device to lunch meetings and fire back important responses (i.e 'OK', 'Yes', 'No', 'How', 'Why', 'OMG' and 'That's disgusting'). Just remember not to "forget" it on your way out. We all know a few people who seem to have a mind like a sieve when it comes to remembering to carry your phone at all times.

Do maintain your improved posture. Now that you no longer have to constantly lug around your 3 tonne laptop just to pick up emails, your back should begin to return to normal. No more looking like Quasimodo.

Do use your smartphone as a Wi-Fi hotspot. If your office is stuck in the 90's with dial-up-esque wired broadband speeds then this is a saviour. More people should use this feature as it's very easy to set-up and extremely useful.

And, as a bonus: Do use the maps and location services on your phone to make sure you never get lost on your way to a meeting. No more looking like a tourist with a huge map but, even better, no more stopping people, who often seem unproportionally angry that you have disturbed their stride to ask for directions (how dare you!). Everyone is a winner.

If you think I've missed any blindingly obvious ones please do leave a comment and let me know.

What objects can you use to operate your touchscreen?

By Matt Scott on February 6, 2012 10:28 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

Image via Wikipedia

Following on from Faisal's "How do touchscreens work", we've started experimenting with different objects to see which of them work best, or at all, with touchscreen smartphones.

I mean, who wants to spend their time making a homemade stylus when you could have something just as good right in front of you?

As outlined in the previous post, most phones are now equipped with capacitative touchscreens, so, for purely scientific purposes, we will be using my personal iPhone 4 for these tests.

Before we begin I would like to put you at ease. I got a B in biology, a C in chemistry and, unbelievably, a C in physics at GCSE, rest assured I'm practically a proper scientist.

First up, the apple. Will a humble, healthy piece of fruit be able to control it's electronic counterpart?

Yes, yes it can. Not extremely practical for trying to open apps or play games but it deals with the sliding unlock just fine. To be clear, we didn't bite the apple to match Apple's logo. That would be tasteless.

Banana

Next up, the banana.

Surprisingly this curvy yellow delight can operate the touchscreen peeled or unpeeled. However, unpeeled is best. That said, it does leave a certain amount of residue but it's cheaper than a stylus annnnnnnnnd its edible so swings and roundabouts.

Battery

Don't worry, the third thing we tried wasn't fruit, it was a battery.

Obviously batteries can conduct electricity but the interesting thing about the battery is that only the negative side works on the touchscreen. There is obviously a reason for this, I just don't know it.

Coin

Fourth, a coin.

A penny to be specific. Pennies used to be pretty much all copper, which is the second most conductive metal, behind silver. Unfortunately, nowadays only 0.6g of the penny, which weights 2.5g in total, is copper. So this didn't work.

Crisp packet

The fifth thing we sampled, a crisp packet.

Another thing that works. In fact, any aluminium based packaging should. It was a cheese and onion packet I used although I am almost 100% certain prawn cocktail would work just as well.......

Leaf

The penultimate object we tried was a leaf.

Tricky to hold steady and cover enough surface area but it did work and that's the important thing here. Note to self and others: Don't use nettles. They sting.

Satsuma

Finally, a satsuma segment.

Apologies to all those vegetables out there, we do like you as well but the satsuma segment was just the right size. We were even able to type out a whole text quickly, and with no mistakes.

Well, I say the satsuma was the last thing we tried, it wasn't. We also used specially designed gloves that have metal fibres in the tips of the thumb and index finger but they weren't as fun. Nonetheless, they are clever and we highly recommend purchasing a pair but for those of you who, as of yet, don't have these gloves you now have a number of options to choose from if you get bored of your finger.

Check out this video for a few short clips of some of the objects listed above in action:

We didn't include nose and tongue on this list because most people know they work and if you didn't I'd bet my house (if I owned one) on the fact that you've just tried it.

Thorough, I think you'll agree. And most definitely not just things we found in the office....

If there is anything you would like us to try, feel free to leave a comment. Rude suggestions will most likely be deleted.

How do touchscreens work?

By Faisal Alani on February 3, 2012 11:52 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

| More

Image via Wikipedia

It's been freezing lately. I mean painfully cold. I'm layering up so much that at times I'm unrecogniseable. I go to football matches in my pyjamas.

All this I can handle. The main problem is that using my gloves I cannot use my phone. I end up uncovering my index finger and thumb which then lets the cold in or fingerless gloves resulting in the same pain.

But then I discovered gloves that let you use touchscreen devices. Amazed and intrigued I wanted to find out how this is possible. My friend Steve Bush, Technology Editor of Electronics Weekly, explains.

"Capacitive touchscreens do not actually detect touch, but instead detect the presence of an electrically conductive object - your finger - close to multiple transparent electrodes deposited on the back of the screen.

Many times a second, a circuit measures the capacitance between each of the electrodes, which changes as a finger approaches.

What has made them viable in the last few years has been better algorithms to interpret the changes in capacitance, and improved electrode patterns that project the detection field out of the screen to increase sensitivity."

So technically the term 'touchscreen' is wrong as any object that conducts electricity will work. My gloves must have a metallic substance that passes electricity through it from my fingers to the device.

So if that's the case then there must be other things I could use, right?

Following on from this post, my colleague Matt has conducted a number of experiments to see what objects can be used as an alternative to your finger.

Inspect-a-Gadget

Latest news on gadgets and hi-tech toys for business

Can businesses stand to gain from free real-time messaging apps?

Augmented Reality: Ready to get Real?

The evolution of the Galaxy Note?

Microsoft patents dual-screen smartphone

5 of the weirdest phone patents

BlackBerry: Why ditching the consumer market is the wrong decision

Do flexible plastic e-paper displays have a place in the market?

5 of the world's most expensive mobile phones (part two)

New iPad, Old UI: Why Apple Needs to Reboot iOS

5 of the world's most expensive mobile phones

The New Sony Xperia Sola

No, it isn't the iPad 3, or the iPad HD, it's just the New iPad.

The new Sony Xperia range

Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 - Hands-On Video Preview

MWC 2012: Day two - Huawei, Samsung and Panasonic ramp up the show

MWC 2012: Day one round-up - HTC One X, Nokia 808, Asus Padfone and more

HTC ONE X: Quad-core monster phone

Top 10: Smartphone do's and don'ts of the office

What objects can you use to operate your touchscreen?

How do touchscreens work?

Search

Subscribe to blog feed

Recent Comments

Recent Entries

CW blogs