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iPhone 4S to be revealed on 7 June? Invites appear to confirm it…
Top five ways Apple iOS can learn from Android
Amazon Android tablets lock down price, processors and release date
Windows Phone Mango update due Autumn: All the details!
Windows Phone: Nokia, Acer, ZTE and Fujitsu join the party this year
Motorola Xoom looks to out-business the BlackBerry PlayBook [video]
Apple AirPlay support unofficially added to Windows Media Center devices
HTC Sensation review: It’s Android, Jim, but not as we know it…
Sony Ericsson worldwide Facebook competition: review one of two unreleased phones!
Win a BlackBerry PlayBook: Tell us why you deserve a free tablet!

iPhone 4S to be revealed on 7 June? Invites appear to confirm it…

Posted: 24 May 2011 11:56 AM PDT

If you believe the rumours currently fizzing down Britain’s broadband pipes, Apple has pretty much put the kibosh on iPhone 5 – at least for 2011.

But if that’s the case, why is Apple’s public relations department - specifically the team dedicated to all things iPhone – reaching out to selected British journalists in an effort to persuade them to attend Apple's WWDC developer jamboree on 6-10 June?

The obvious conclusion would be that Apple are announcing a new iPhone. Or rather, an updated model. The iPhone 4S is slated as a stop-gap before the appearance of a true, ‘&%!*, they've done it again!’ game-changer next year.

While the iPhone 5 is said to have an all-aluminium back and ultra-thin profile, the iPhone 4S is expected to rock minor cosmetic changes, along with better cameras, an A5 dual-core processor and HSPA+ support, enabling faster mobile broadband.

The news earlier this month that Apple is said to have put the brakes on the volume of iPhone’s being produced in preparation for a new model only confirms our suspicions.

Whatever happens, we know that Steve Jobs has announced that he’ll return from sick leave and deliver a keynote on 7 June – and almost certainly show off a new operating system. But given the man’s legendary impatience, we’d say you can expect an updated iPhone, too…

Top five ways Apple iOS can learn from Android

Posted: 24 May 2011 09:00 AM PDT

Fan boys antics and daily device activations aside, both Android and iOS are excellent products. The tremendous growth we've experienced over the past three years in the smartphone industry is unparalleled. While some may argue iOS is the premier platform based on application libraries alone, Google's Android OS brings plenty to the table — and quite frankly, outshines iOS in several categories. Here's five things iOS can learn from Android.

1. App Store
Apps alone do not win our hearts. The Android Market has made tremendous leaps and bounds over the past six months. After launching a web-based store which allows remote app installation, the idea of tethering an iOS device to a computer and launching iTunes seems archaic. Cutting the cord with an online App Store which allows remote app installation should be Apple's first priority.

2. Cloud-based Music
The limited launch of Google Music was subtle, but for those who have taken their music libraries to the cloud know; this is a game changer. We've heard rumblings Apple will launch a cloud-based music service of its own (iCloud), but for now Google holds the crown. Not only does a cloud-based music storage option work, but it takes another step in the right direction in our goal of cutting the cord. With wireless app installations and cloud-based music, syncing with iTunes can finally be laid to rest.

3. App Integration
All too often on iOS you'll receive an email with a link to either FaceBook or Yelp which when clicked, opens the Safari browser. Meanwhile, on Android a similar link opens up the respective application or at the very least, a secondary menu which presents the choice of opening the app or web browser. Additionally, the share button in Android offers far more options including the ability to share directly to Facebook. Bookmarking, printing or sharing a web page by email are nice, but it's time to get social Apple.

4. Notifications
If you've used an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, you'd know iOS notifications can be a distraction, especially in the middle of a long email. If you don't believe us, try loading up an instant messaging client and wait for the assault of pop-up notifications to render your device useless. Sure, you could disable notifications for that particular app, but at the end of the day Android offers a better solution — subtle updates with a status bar. A quick swipe of the finger either up or down hides or reveals all of your notifications in a centralized location. This is the way to handle notifications.

5. Maps, Navigation
Without question Google Maps on iOS pales in comparison to Android. Not only does the Maps application put iOS to shame, the addition of free voice-guided turn-by-turn directions via Google Navigation is the knock out punch. iOS needs to match both Android's Maps and Navigation solutions in price (free) and features. If Apple wants to raise the bar in Maps it will need to add offline maps for Navigation and deliver a more refined and versatile interface.

Amazon Android tablets lock down price, processors and release date

Posted: 24 May 2011 08:00 AM PDT

New details have emerged surrounding the upcoming release of Amazon's Android tablets, code named Coyote and Hollywood. The 7-inch Coyote will be priced at $349 (£216) while the 10-inch Hollywood will be $449 (£278), considerably less than the ($499) £399 entry-level iPad 2.

We've speculated for months Amazon would shift its focus away from Kindle and instead concentrate on an Android tablet of its own. With the release of the Amazon Android App Store, a tablet launch seemed all but guaranteed. Earlier this month, BGR revealed the code names for the two slates and Amazon's own, Mr. Jeff Bezos, hinted at the devices' existence.

Today, PCMag has come forward with its own set of source that not only confirm the tablets, but also laid out the aforementioned price points. The $349 (£216) Amazon Coyote and the $449 (£278) Hollywood have been priced to compete; not only at the register, but also in benchmarks. PC Mag's sources have confirmed the 7-inch Coyote will use a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, matching that of the Motorola Xoom. The 10-inch Amazon Hollywood, as we previously reported, will use a quad-core Nvidia Kal-El processor (Tegra 3).

Confirming the processors sheds light on the tablets' release dates. Nvidia expects Tegra 3 to ship in tablets this August, leading Unwired View to believe the Hollywood could launch in September or October at the earlier. The site also speculates the Coyote will launch in conjunction with the Hollywood for a 'big' launch Assuming no additional 7-inch tablets are headed to market, this would place the Amazon Coyote in a four-way battle against the BlackBerry PlayBook, Galaxy Tab 8.9 and HTC Flyer.

Coming Soon | Amazon | £216 – £278

Windows Phone Mango update due Autumn: All the details!

Posted: 24 May 2011 07:11 AM PDT

We’re live at Microsoft’s Windows Phone launch event in London, but lo if Microsoft’s not gone and served up all the details already online. Over at Microsoft’s website, a press release detailing the next big update to Windows Phone, Mango, is up. As expected, Twitter and LinkedIn integration feature prominently, and third party multitasking will finally be enabled.

Perhaps more of a surprise is text to speech, for reading out SMS messages and having them automatically transcribed or skipping your music tracks with a shout, an updated browser (A mobile version of Internet Explorer 9), contact group tiles and conversation threads which connect together your chats between friends across services (MSN and SMS for instance).

Group tiles are one of the most interesting new features: you can set up an individual icon which allows you to group message people you choose, as well as see the albums, updates and conversations of each individual included. Conversations threads meanwhile show chats continuing across platforms, moving from IM to Facebook and SMS in chronological order.

The email inbox now shows conversation threads in a similar way to Gmail, while the calendar now shows Facebook events. Nick Hedderman, a Windows Phone product manager, also demonstrated how a concept version of BA’s Windows Phone 7 app could pop up a calendar reminder triggered by an app, not just an event you’ve put in.

On the Office front, Microsoft has now also integrated its SkyDrive service, so your cloud storage will appear as a drive to browse through files on.

Windows Phone Mango will be a free update for all Windows Phone 7 handsets, coming later this year, while a free beta SDK for developers is due within 24 hours. Stay tuned for more updates.

Windows Phone: Nokia, Acer, ZTE and Fujitsu join the party this year

Posted: 24 May 2011 07:07 AM PDT

UPDATE: Nokia has just announced that its first Windows Phone handset will run Mango.

It’s no secret that a Nokia Windows Phone or twenty is on the way, but Microsoft has just confirmed several other new partners committed to busting out Windows Phone blowers as soon as this year, all running Mango. Among them, Acer (a long rumoured partner), Fujitsu and up and coming Chinese manufacturer ZTE.

The latter is by far the most interesting since it’s recently made a name for itself cranking out incredibly cheap – and surprisingly good – Android smartphones. Microsoft however specifies minimum specs for Windows Phone handsets and is set on avoiding a race to the bottom, so it’ll be interesting to see how ZTE tries to stand out. Stay tuned for more, the press conference is just kicking off.

Motorola Xoom looks to out-business the BlackBerry PlayBook [video]

Posted: 24 May 2011 07:00 AM PDT

We've had our chance to put the Motorola Xoom through its paces in our review, but now the company is repositioning the device as "the tablet designed for business". A mantra previously limited to our friends at RIM with the launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook, the world's first professional tablet.

After three months of duking it out with the iPad 2 and fellow Android tablets, it appears Motorola is taking the fight to RIM. In the new promo video, Motorola focuses on how the Xoom can increase employee productivity and why it belongs in the office environment. The company argues that Microsoft Exchange synchronization, expanded attachment support, a web cam, voip calling via GTalk and 1GB of RAM for multi-tasking are reason enough to consider the Xoom for business.

Additionally, the Motorola Xoom has native VPN support, data encryption and remote wipe to help meet the needs of your company's IT policy. You've heard and now seen Motorola's argument supporting the claim its Xoom is "the tablet designed for business". Will the tablet make your shortlist of considerations for taking your work on the road?

via YouTube

Apple AirPlay support unofficially added to Windows Media Center devices

Posted: 24 May 2011 06:00 AM PDT

Have you been thinking about taking AirPlay outside the confines of Apple's ecosystem of products? Developer Thomas Pleasance and yesterday, albeit unofficially, released a Windows Media Center add-in which brings AirPlay support to Windows Media Center. Once enabled, your iPhone 4 will be able to output directly to your PC, making for a luscious gaming experience.

Apple's wireless media streaming technology begins and ends with your iOS device and the Apple TV — until today. Simply install the latest version of iTunes on your PC so that Apple's Bonjour is running and then head on over to Thomas Pleasance's website for the free Windows Media Center add-in. The half a megabyte download is still very much in beta so please go easy on the fella.

After you've installed the necessary components, open up Windows Media Center and you're iPhone will show "Windows Media Center" in its list of AirPlay-enabled devices. Let the streaming begin! Be sure to let us know how things are going. In the meantime, here's a video of the streaming in action.

via 9to5Mac

HTC Sensation review: It’s Android, Jim, but not as we know it…

Posted: 24 May 2011 05:57 AM PDT

The HTC Sensation almost has a clear run. With no new iPhone in sight, Motorola’s Atrix stuck on one network and LG shooting itself in the same foot time and again, HTC’s super-phone has the limelight. Its only real competition? The awesome, dual-core Samsung Galaxy S 2 – Electricpig’s favourite gadget of the year so far.

That leaves upgraders with something of a dilemma. We’ve been testing out HTC’s new blower to rescue you from your quandary, so read on and find out what we made of it in our full HTC Sensation review.

Hand the HTC Sensation to a first time smartphone owner and they’ll be hooked. But there are many people now on their second, third or even fourth smartphone, and they won’t be so easy to please: let’s take a look at what it offers…

See the best HTC Sensation deals now

Build quality & design

We’re almost sorry to report that after the rather striking, testosterone-filled HTC Incredible S that the HTC sits back down on its design laurels with the HTC Sensation. It’s a narrower HTC Desire HD, with similar curves on the top to a HTC Desire S, and the same mixture of aluminium and teflon. It certainly feels comfortable to hold, though at 11.3mm deep it couldn’t be called thin whichever way you look at it.

Of course, a sleeker, more aerodynamic HTC Desire HD is no bad thing when it comes to function, and the HTC Sensation functions quite nicely. We had no problems using the four capacitive navigation buttons below the screen, and ports are kept to a bare minimum. You’ll find a micro USB slot on the side and a 3.5mm audio jack on the top next to a slightly lopsided power/lock key, while the LED notification light hides under the speaker grille next to the front facing camera – there’s no camera shutter button.

There are two things worth noting however: firstly, HDMI-out to connect the HTC Sensation to your telly requires an MHL adaptor that plugs into the USB hole, just as with Samsung Galaxy S 2. And you don’t get one in the box. D’oh.

Secondly, although the HTC Sensation looks unibody, the back case actually wraps around every edge of the screen and comes off via a button at the bottom. It’s a bit surreal, and leaves it looking exposed and fragile when you need to switch out the micro SD card or removable battery.

Ultimately, we prefer the face-slappingly thin chassis of Samsung’s top-end rival, but HTC’s not in the business of simply flogging phones with the best specs – and rightly so.

High-def display

The HTC Sensation’s display is superb, producing accurate colours and respectable viewing angles for watching video in landscape mode, but as ever, it simply cannot compete with Samsung’s Super AMOLED smartphone screens, and is almost as difficult to see in direct sunlight. As you can see in the picture below, the Google Nexus S looks as if it’s powered off when displaying blacks (technically it is), where as the Sensation appears to have been coloured in with a cheap black felt tip. We also noticed that the screen only recognises four multitouch points at one time, though we can’t see this ever being a problem in day to day use.

It’s a small price to pay for a wonderfully sharp display however: the 540×960 qHD resolution 4.3-inch screen looks stunningly sharp, and we really struggled to make out individual pixels. That resolution, by the by, is wider than that on most smartphones: 16:9 in fact, and it makes the phone feel smaller and more suited to dainty hands, and movie viewing absolutely marvellous. But more on that shortly.

Check out our best Android phone Top 5 now

HTC Sense 3.0: A clever twist on Android

We’re not going to dwell on Android 2.3.3 itself. In short, it’s a powerful mobile OS with many apps and games you’ll actually want to use, and that number continues increase exponentially.

Best Android apps of all time: Top 100

The reason we won’t linger is because, HTC has stripped out the most visible new features in 2.3 Gingerbread, ditching Google’s fantastic keyboard (available free in the Android Market, FYI) for HTC’s own QWERTY, and replacing the native launcher and homescreen with HTC’s now instantly recognisable Sense overlay.

HTC’s Sense software skin has in fact been given a big bump to version 3.0, but it’s not the radical upgrade you’d expect: the only real additions are a non-plussy 3D effect when scrolling through homescreens, a new lock screen and HTC Watch.

We’ll come to HTC Watch shortly, but the lock screen is worth talking about, since it can only be a matter of time before Google itself nicks the idea: you can set various shortcuts to drag and drop into the central ring, and these will then open once the phone is unlocked. You can also have photos or friends’ updates float on through in the background. It is sadly home to the only major bug we noticed as well: launching the camera from it launches a camera without the ability to take photos, just frame them, making the shortcut useless.

Everything else remains the same meanwhile. As ever, you’ll find recent apps and connection toggles neatly tucked away in the pull down notification menu, and if you’ve bought a HTC Android phone in the last six months, you’ve likely got all the features on the HTC Sensation, including Locations mapping, its Connected Media DLNA streaming app, as well as HTC’s omnipresent Stocks and Weather apps.

See the best HTC phone Top 5 shortlist now

That’s either a plus point or a major no-no: if you’re upgrading from an HTC Android phone, you’ll either be happy as a puppy that you can move all your contact shortcuts and People favourites over in a second, or you’ll be tired and looking for a new experience entirely. Decide which camp you fall into before you buy: having used every HTC phone for the last couple of years, we’re getting a bit bored of it, but we’re confident that newcomers at least will love how HTC seamlessly merges your Google, Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Videos & photos

The HTC Sensation can’t match the Samsung Galaxy S 2 for movie codec and container support: it’ll open your regular MP4 files (and now DivX AVIs) but that’s it. This puts buyers in a bit of a pickle: the Samsung Galaxy S 2 is superior at playing video, but the HTC Sensation makes it easier to acquire said video in the first place.

HTC Watch lets you buy and rent movies and TV shows right there and then on the device (Google Movies will soon provide a similar service on Android phones in the US, but there’s still no word on it coming to the UK). And they’re decent ones too, with everything from Inception and The Town to The Godfather at reasonable rental prices (£3.49 for a movie).

Oh, and Two And A Half Men, but we digress. The point is, files download quickly, look fantastic on the widescreen display, and could prove the perfect solution for boredom on long flights and train journeys – it’s the first real step towards taking on Apple’s iPhone+iTunes ecosystem, and it’s one HTC should be applauded for. Although everything you download is DRM-locked, you can play it on a HDTV through the MHL/HDMI connection: unfortunately we weren’t able to test this.

The HTC Sensation is also an adept camcorder, scoffing impressively smooth 1080p HD video. You can then trim it down on either end – it’s not a comprehensive solution as iMovie on iPhone is, but it is fast and non-destructive, saving your new clip quickly as a copy.

Things aren’t so swell when it comes to photos: 8-megapixel shots came out ill-defined, with poor macro shots and a complete inability to recognise the colour red. Our two favourite cameraphones, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Nokia N8 have nothing to fear from HTC.

Performance: second to one

The HTC Sensation uses a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor paired with 768MB of RAM to keep things flowing smoothly, and it certainly does the job. While HTC Android phones were once famed for getting bogged down by homescreen widgets, the HTC Sensation doesn’t falter, running game smoothly and zooming in and out of webpages rapidly, and hovering around the 2,000 mark on the Quadrant Standard benchmark. In other words, only the Samsung Galaxy S 2 is faster, and even then, the speed differences at this point are almost superfluous: all you need to know is that the HTC Sensation won’t let you down in day to day use.

Continuing the somewhat counterintuitive trend of dual-core phones, the HTC Sensation’s battery life seems more than a match for slower single-core rivals. With brightness cranked to maximum, account syncing on and connections whirring, its sips power in standby noticeably slower than our Google Nexus S, and we’re confident you’ll be able to clear a day of normal use with it – something we certainly can’t say about the Desire HD.

Sound quality on the other hand is a tad disappointing from such a beefy phone. Regular calls are nothing out of the ordinary, but the speaker is raspy rather than loud. If crystal audio quality is what you’re after, we’ll point you in the direction of Motorola, but it’s worth remembering that with a portable computer of this power, you likely won’t be spending more time making calls on it than using its screen – in fact, if that is the case, you should consider a cheaper phone that puts the dialler front and foremost still.

Our verdict

The HTC Sensation is a superb handset, and certainly the best phone this year for iPhone converts who want simplicity rather than raw power. Impressively, HTC’s slight screen ratio tweak makes a 4.3-inch screen feel much more manageable no matter how small your hands are, and the power underneath isn’t in doubt.

It all comes down to whether you find HTC’s friendly software tweaks are either welcome (because they are sensible), or boring (because HTC has used the same basic layout since 2009). Both statements are true.

We’d stick with the stick-thin, stupidly-fast Samsung Galaxy S 2: it may not have a movie download service but its screen, sheer power and same basic OS help keep its crown.

HTC Sensation review unit supplied by Vodafone

Sony Ericsson worldwide Facebook competition: review one of two unreleased phones!

Posted: 24 May 2011 05:23 AM PDT

If you are not one of the more than 4.5 million Facebook users who has 'Liked' Sony Ericsson's fan page, today is the day. The company has announced a worldwide Facebook competition to find the best reviewer of one of its two new unreleased feature phones. All you need to do is answer a simple question and explain why they should give you a chance to be the first to review to get started.

Sony Ericsson will select 12 lucky fans to receive one of two unreleased feature phones. If selected, you'll need to put together a modest 45 second video review. The four best reviews will be features on the company's Facebook page where fans will vote for their favourite. The review with the most 'likes' will receive the grand prize — a set of 10 more phones.

Now for the important tidbits: the dates. Head on over to the Facebook page before May 31st and guess the name of the two phones (seen above) and explain why you would be a great reviewer in 50 words or less. On May 31st Sony Ericsson will list its selection of 12 finalists and begin shipping the phones. June 7th the top four reviews will be posted to the company's FaceBook page and fans will have a chance to vote until a winner is crowned on June 13th.

Now | Sony Ericsson | Free

Win a BlackBerry PlayBook: Tell us why you deserve a free tablet!

Posted: 24 May 2011 05:23 AM PDT

The BlackBerry PlayBook goes on sale next month in the UK, but for one lucky reader, that launch date will soon mean nothing: we’re going to put one in the hands of our competition winner well before then. All you need to do is tell us why you deserve RIM’s enterprise-worthy slate: hit the link below to enter. Good luck!