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GameTanium introduces all you can eat Android gaming service, requires non-Market app install
Samsung Galaxy Z pack bags and heads to the UK as Samsung Galaxy R
Samsung unveils Chelsea special edition Galaxy Player 70
Coms brings VoIP calling app to iPad with monthly and pay-as-you-go plans
Acer TravelMate 8481 lands this August, satisfies even the most demanding road warriors
Samsung Galaxy S 2 vs LG Optimus 3D
William Shatner beams back to Google+: 10 other Google+ celebrities to follow
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 due for a refresh, higher resolution display incoming?
Best Android apps of the week
iPhone £200 Pay As You Go model incoming?

GameTanium introduces all you can eat Android gaming service, requires non-Market app install

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 09:53 AM PDT

Ready for a taste of the future of Android gaming? Back in January, rumors of an all you can eat Android gaming service began to circulate. Today, GameTanium Mobile has turned those rumors to reality with the launch of its subscription gaming service which includes a library of over 75 games. Additional titles will be added weekly and over 200 premium titles are expected by year's end.

As tech aficionados we're not in the business of sparing expense on our gadgets, but when it comes to apps we're always looking for deals. GameTanium opens the door to savings with unlimited access to its library of games for $4.99 per month (£3/month). The service is built off of Extent's existing subscription service for online games, the same service powering on-demand gaming platforms for companies such as Verizon, T-Mobile and Qwest.

Currently, the 75 titles are highlighted by Farm Frenzy, Wave Blazer, Speedx 3D, and Majesty Fantasy Kingdom Sim. The hope is that Exent's existing partners such as PopCap and Ubisoft will step up to the plate and include premium titles to the subscription service. Whether or not heavy hitters stand behind GameTanium could make or break the service.

Additional factors to consider are that the games are downloaded to your Android device, taking up precious storage and require a validation process before they are playable. Also, like the Amazon Appstore, removing the GameTanium software renders all previously downloaded game unusable. The final crux is that GameTanium is a non-Market app which means whether or not you can install the app depends on your carrier.

The concept sounds great, but will GameTanium lock in the premium titles it needs to succeed?

Available Now | GameTanium | £3/month

Samsung Galaxy Z pack bags and heads to the UK as Samsung Galaxy R

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 09:21 AM PDT

Not satisfied with the Samsung Galaxy S II or looking for a more affordable, yet highly capable Galaxy smartphone? Fear not, the Samsung Galaxy Z (currently available only in Sweden) will be repackaged and sold as the Galaxy R in the UK. If you're worried the Galaxy R can't compete with the beloved Galaxy S II, let's just say the apple doesn't far fall from the tree.

The Samsung Galaxy R headed to the UK is identical to its Swedish counterpart. This means you can expect the same 4.2-inch S-LCD display, Tegra 2 chipset with dual 1 GHz Cortex-A9 cores, 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording, and 8GB of internal memory with microSD card slot. Size and weight should remain 125.3 x 66.1 x 9.5mm and 135 grams.

As you can see, concessions have been made to warrant the price cut. By using a 4.2-inch S-LCD, 5-megapixel camera and Tegra 2 chipset, Samsung will deliver an affordable Galaxy S II alternative with highly competitive features. Since Samsung has not made the pricing official we ask you — how much would you pay for a contract-free Galaxy R?

Coming Soon | Samsung | TBD

Samsung unveils Chelsea special edition Galaxy Player 70

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 08:37 AM PDT

Much to the delight of owner Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea football club will be honored with its own limited edition Samsung Galaxy Player 70. Only 100 units will be available and each comes bundled with an Chelsea FC home shirt replica. The package is valued at £233, but being one of the select few to own this PMP might be extremely difficult.

There's not much difference between the Galaxy Player 70 and the Chelsea special edition. Both PMPs feature 5-inch displays, 16/32GB capacities, WiFi connectivity and run Android 2.2 Froyo. As far as we can tell, the only difference is cosmetic — the Chelsea special edition comes with the team's logo on the back of the player.

Tracking down one of the limited edition players requires luck or registering for Samsung's "on-site lottery". According to the site, customers who register for the 29th Samsung Mobile Out will be entered into a lottery for the limited edition player. For everyone else, the price is £233 barring availability — we wish you luck.

Coming Soon | Samsung | £233

Coms brings VoIP calling app to iPad with monthly and pay-as-you-go plans

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 07:52 AM PDT

The Apple iPad just landed a new weapon in its arsenal of apps. VoIP service provider Coms has released an app targeted at business users which allows voice calls over WiFi. To kick start the savings, a £5 free calling credit and UK phone number are available to both monthly and pay-as-you-go subscribers. Plans start at just £5 per month so what are you waiting for?

Roaming tariffs can put a damper on business travels. Coms' new iPad VoIP app offers up to 90 percent in savings against BT on international calls and up to 77 percent on UK calls. Once you factor in the free UK phone number which serves as a landline while traveling, you're looking at a savings of up to £296 against BT.

We're not the only ones keen on Coms' iPad app. Shares in the company advanced 60 percent to 3p after the app was announced today. With over 25 million units sold to date and no pre-installed voice service enabled out of the box, the iPad is a massive VoIP market. If you're a business user looking to cut your expenses on the road, we highly recommend having a look at Coms iPad app.

Out Now | App Store | £8.99

Acer TravelMate 8481 lands this August, satisfies even the most demanding road warriors

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 07:24 AM PDT

Life on the road is demanding for even the finest of notebooks. Acer's latest road-smart companion, the TravelMate 8481, delivers top-notch performance in a slim and light design. The combination of 2nd generation Intel Core processors, Nvidia Optimus discrete graphics and up to nine hours of battery life will help the 8481 rise a cut above the competition when it lands this August.

The Acer TravelMate 8481 comes standard with Intel HD Graphics 3000 or optional Nvidia Optimus discrete graphics. Storage consists of a 320GB hard drive but an optional SSD (up to 64GB) is available as a boot/OS partition. An integrated multi-in-1 card reader and support for up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM round out the basics.

Where the TravelMate 8481 really shines is battery life which is rate at up to nine hours. The notebook features an Acer PowerSmart long cycle battery which ensures up to three times longer battery life cycles (1000 vs. 300 cycles) and maintains 80 percent capacity after 1000 cycle count. Don't let the performance and battery life fool you, the TravelMate 8481 makes no compromises in style or design.

A frameless 14-inch Acer ComfyView LCD LED backlit display is the focal point of the notebook. The HD (1366×768) display has the same footprint as a 13-inch screen, while helping the TravelMate 8481 achieve an overall thickness of just 2.2cm. When using the standard 4-cell battery pack, the laptop tips the scales at 1.5 kg (3.306 lbs).

Other highlights to the TravelMate 8481 include Acer InviLink Nplify 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Acer InstantView, Intel Wireless Display technology (WiDi), Disk Anti-Shock Protection (DASP), an Autolock lid and a Magnesium-Aluminum case.

Coming August 2011 | Acer | £700 and up

Samsung Galaxy S 2 vs LG Optimus 3D

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 07:04 AM PDT

It’s fair to say that Samsung Galaxy S 2 and the LG Optimus 3D don’t get any more cutting edge. But 3D or not 3D, that is the question. The LG Optimus 3D is one of the first phones to make use of an auto-stereoscopic display, which allows users to experience three dimensional imagery without the need for potentially embarrassing goggles.

Could this tip the smartphone race in the Korean manufacturer's favour, or is it nothing more than a cheap party trick in the face of the Samsung Galaxy S 2's gorgeous Super AMOLED Plus screen? Join us as we grab our bucket of grossly-overpriced popcorn and take our front-row seats for the Android battle of the decade.

More reading:

Screen

With the new breed of Android superphones, 4.3-inch screens are practically the norm now. Both the Samsung Galaxy S 2 and the LG Optimus 3D boast displays of this size, and they also share the same resolution of 800×480 pixels – not quite up to the pin-sharp standard of the iPhone 4's retina display, but bloody good regardless.

Both screens are bright and colourful, with Samsung's Super AMOLED Plus only just bettering LG's IPS tech. However, the big difference between these two handsets should be obvious from the names.

The LG Optimus 3D employs the same parallax barrier technology seen in Nintendo's 3DS console, and allows you to experience a 3D image without the need for special glasses. It's undeniably impressive, but the narrow 'sweet spot' required to actually appreciate the effect is annoying, and it drains your battery quicker than Amy Winehouse guzzles a bottle of tequila.

Operating System

The Samsung Galaxy S 2 is running Android 2.3, also known as Gingerbread. This is the latest mobile edition of Google's world-beating OS and comes with all kinds of neat tricks, the most notable being support for NFC, which allows seamless wireless data transfer for contactless payments and the like.

Bizarrely, LG has opted for Android 2.2 – AKA Froyo – for the LG Optimus 3D. While Froyo is by no means a slouch in terms of features, it's arguably last year's software, and we're puzzled as to why the company decided to ship what is arguably its flagship phone without Gingerbread. An update is of course promised, but the fact of the matter is that right now the Galaxy S 2 is running a more advanced OS than LG's challenger. It may not matter right now, but a few months down the line it may well do.

Under the hood

With a dual-core 1GHz CPU, the LG Optimus 3D is more than up to the demands of modern smartphone games and apps. It also comes with an impressive 8GB of internal storage, which offers a large amount of room for downloads, photos and music. You can also boost this figure with MicroSD cards.

However, the Samsung Galaxy S 2 manages to comprehensively trump its rival in pretty much every regard. It's also sporting a dual-core CPU, but this one runs at 1.2GHz. Internal storage is offered as well, but in more muscular 16 or 32GB flavours. Should this prove to be insufficient for your data storage needs, you can also chuck a MicroSD card into the phone for even more space.

Camera

While the five megapixel sensors (two of them!) on the Optimus 3D do impress, they’re still no match for the Samsung Galaxy S 2′s 8MP shooter when it comes to stills. They’re a much more even match when it comes to sucking down full HD video however: the Galaxy S 2 sets the bar here, but the Optimus 3D still wows. That’s the power of dual-core processors for ya.

Samsung Galaxy S 2:

LG Optimus 3D:

Verdict

We'll admit to being reasonably impressed with the LG Optimus 3D's fancy new display, and the twin cameras allow you to take proper 3D photos, too. However, it doesn't take long for the novelty to wear off. When it does, you're left with a rather portly smartphone running Android 2.2. In practically every other regard the Samsung Galaxy S 2 out-guns its 3D rival, and when you place the phones side-by-side it's clear which one you'd rather take to the prom. Samsung's phone is desirable and cool, while the LG Optimus 3D’s girth will likely only appeal to those with big, beefy paws.

William Shatner beams back to Google+: 10 other Google+ celebrities to follow

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 06:40 AM PDT

William Shatner’s Google+ account was suspended on Monday for reasons Google has declined to revealed. Luckily, the Star Trek star has since rematerialised on the site again after speculating on Twitter that it was his habit of saying “hello” to every new follower that got his page vaporised. He posted a Google+ update saying: “I am back plusers. I still do not know what happened but I will refrain from saying hello again for a while just in case. My best, Bill.”

If the comings and goings of Captain Kirk don’t interest you, we’ve tracked down 10 other celebrity Google+ users to follow. Since some have suggested it was doubts around Shatner’s identity that got him shoved off the social network, we’ve applied our ultra-scientific authenticity meter to each one…

1 Ashton Kutcher

The actor and tech investor is one of the most prominent celebrity Google+ users. His circles include Digg founder Kevin Rose and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz. He’s been sharing different updates, photos and videos than on his hugely followed Twitter account but hasn’t posted anything on Google+ since 14 July.

Authenticity meter: 100%
Kutcher is a well-known earlier adopter but it looks like he may already be getting bored with Google+.

2 Kevin Smith

Another prolific Twitter user who appears to have taken the plunge and joined Google+, the Clerks director has only posted one status update so far. The message says Will Wilkins, who presents a podcast on the director’s work, invited him to join the social network.

Authenticity meter: 90%
While he hasn’t made much use of the site yet, the tone of Smith’s profile and the selection of photos in his gallery suggest the profile is legit.

3 Alyssa Milano

The actress and activist is already a prolific Google+ user sharing news stories and links and even confessing that she’s teaching her mother how to use the service. Her shared content ranges from promoting her brother’s music career to being baffled by the phone hacking scandal.

Authenticity meter: 100%
Milano has promoted her Google+ profile via her Twitter account and linked to articles about celebrity users of the service so we’re certain it’s her.

4 Trent Reznor

The Nine Inch Nails man and Oscar-winning soundtrack composer for The Social Network hasn’t done much with his Google+ profile yet besides announcing his presence and encouraging visitors to mock his apperance brandishing his Academy Award on a magazine cover.

Authenticity meter: 60%
The profile appears genuine but Reznor has made no reference to it elsewhere online. It uses the same profile picture as his Twitter account.

5 Mark Hoppus

The Blink 182 musician has dived right in to Google+ sharing old pictures of the band and a flurry of status updates. He’s also using his profile to post SoundCloud clips and take advantage of the Spotify US launch to share playlists.

Authenticity meter: 100%
He’s promoted his Google+ profile via his verified Twitter account and added pictures that weren’t previously publically available online.

6 Lady Gaga

Unsurprisingly numerous Lady Gaga profiles have popped up on Google+. This one seems to be the most official. So far it’s been reposting items from the singer’s official Facebook page and messages from her Twitter account.

Authenticity meter: 50%
While the account is only posting information also found at the singer’s other online outposts it’s still not clear whether the Haus of Gaga is running the Google+ page.

7 Pete Wentz

The second pop punk on our list, the Fall Out Boy bassist unsurpisingly includes touring buddy Mark Hoppus in his Google+ circles. He’s also been using his profile to hand out Spotify US invites and share snaps.

Authenticity meter: 80%
Posting private photos and drawing comments from none other than Myspace founder Tom Anderson, we’re pretty certain this Pete Wentz Google+ profile is the real deal.

8 Lance Armstrong

The seven time Tour De France winner has only briefly experimented with Google+. He joined up on 7 July and posted one other update on July 10 promoting a bike ride in Scotland which he also flagged up on Twitter.

Authenticity meter: 85%
Using a webcam snap as his profile picture, Armstrong also mentioned Google+ on Twitter around the time he appears to have joined the site so while he hasn’t done much with it, we’re fairly sure this is the cyclist’s official Google-branded home.

9 50 Cent

Another celebrity who seems to have toyed with Google+ before being distracted by other things, 50 Cent’s profile heavily promotes his own headphones line and includes the requisite photos of attractive women and piles of cash.

Authenticity meter: 60%
Though the profile features a lot less content than the rapper’s frequently updated Twitter and Facebook accounts, it certainly reads like them. The only people in 50 Cent’s circles are the new media director of his record company and fellow G-Unit member Lloyd Banks.

10 Mark Zuckerberg

The arrival of the Facebook CEO, a bona fide tech celebrity, to scope out the social network’s new rival caused a massive stir. He has yet to post anything despite becoming the most followed person on the site.

Authenticity meter: 100%
Zuckerberg confirmed he was behind the profile in a text to tech personality, Robert Scoble. Don’t expect him to actually use it any time soon though.

Have you spotted any other celebrities lurking on Google+? Let us know in the comments.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 due for a refresh, higher resolution display incoming?

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 06:23 AM PDT

The first mainstream seven-inch Android tablet is due for an update. Though not an official tablet by Google's standards since it lacks Honeycomb, recording one million units sold in its first two months of availability was no small feat. This year's seven-inch Galaxy Tab refresh is rumored to include a higher resolution display, faster processor and more RAM. Are you ready for the Galaxy Tab 7 version 2.0?

At the heart of the Galaxy Tab 7 refresh is a high resolution 1280 x 800 resolution display. The improved display will be a considerable bump from the WSVGA 600 x 1024 resolution of the original. The Cortex A8 1 GHz processor will be retired in favor of Samsung's dual-core 1.2 GHz chip, the same chip found in its the Galaxy S II smartphone. The last confirmed upgrade is the memory which will be increased from 592MB to 1GB RAM.

Not mentioned in today's leak is whether the Galaxy Tab 7 version 2.0 will ship with Android Honeycomb or whether it'll remain a Froyo-powered affair like its predecessor. If Samsung hopes to attract prospective buyers of the HTC Flyer, we certainly hope the updated Galaxy Tab 7 ships with the latest build of Android Honeycomb.

Coming Soon | Samsung | TBD

Best Android apps of the week

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 06:02 AM PDT

School's out, and here's this week's best Android apps! Well technically, the end of the school year depends largely on what part of the country you're in, but you can surely forgive our youthful exuberance. If you happen to still be in full time education and you're all done for another term, then our list of the very best Android downloads is obviously the best way to kick off your holiday in style.

As always, those lovely QR Codes are present and correct, so you use the brilliant Barcode Scanner app to quickly and effortlessly load them onto your handset. Should you want to get a little more hands-on, you can alternatively use the handy URL links that are contained in the title of each application.

Zinio

Free

Everywhere you turn people are screaming that print is dead, and when you look at slick apps like Zinio, it's not too hard to see why that is slowly becoming the case. Zinio allows you to download and read magazines from the comfort of your Android phone or tablet, and features publications such as Maxim, PC Gamer, New Scientist and Esquire. It's free to download, easy to use, works on all Android 2.2+ devices and offers a range of gratis magazines to get you started. The ideal way to kick off our Best Android apps rundown, then.

Diversion

Free

If you're old enough to recall the original 2D Sonic and Super Mario titles then you'll probably cry tears of rose-tinted joy when you load up Diversion for the first time. This slick platform adventure is easy to pick up, but incredibly challenging. You must negotiate 100 different levels avoiding obstacles, enemies and even end-of-level bosses. Along the way you need to collect various items to boost your score, which is tallied up at the conclusion of each stage. To add even more longevity, you've got a staggering 150 different avatars to unlock, as well as multiple routes through each course. You'll need a pretty powerful phone to make the most of Diversion's crisp 3D visuals, though.

Historypin

Free

Google's Street View is incredibly helpful when you're attempting to plan a long trip or trying to locate a specific landmark, but Historypin takes the concept in an entirely new direction. This app allows you to view historic photos of the location you're currently in, and pulls together thousands upon thousands of vintage images from all over the world. It's a truly staggering experience to stand on a familiar street and view what it looked like fifty or even a hundred years previously. If you've got a stack of old images in your own personal collection you can digitise them using your phone's camera and add them to the Historypin database for others to appreciate and enjoy. If you're keen to get a better and deeper understanding of the history of the world around you, then this is a must.

AR Blitz

Free

No doubt you've already seen the brilliance of the Nintendo 3DS's augmented reality mini-games – to be honest, aside from the excellent Zelda 3D they're one of the most valid reasons for owning the handheld. However, you don't need to splash out another £200+ in order to enjoy this sort of zany camera-based gameplay – your humble Android phone is perfectly capable of replicating the experience. AR Blitz is a pretty simple proposition, requiring you to print out a paper target which is rendered as a wooden board on your phone's display. You then have to shoot various shapes using the on-screen cross-hair. While it's not likely to set the world alight in terms of gameplay, it's nevertheless an interesting indication of where the genre could go on mobile phones. And it's free – aside from the paper and ink you'll need to expend in order to print out the aforementioned target, of course.

Virgin Media Guide (Update)

Free

If you're one of the lucky people who has a Virgin Media TiVo box then you'll want to get this cunning little app on your Android phone, pronto. On the surface it's a fairly straightforward TV guide which displays a schedule of all of the week's programmes, but if you dig a little deeper you'll realise it allows you to remotely record shows on your TiVo box without even being in the house. Just imagine – you'd need never miss an episode of Loose Women thanks to a mid-morning business meeting ever again. Isn't technology great?

iPhone £200 Pay As You Go model incoming?

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 05:24 AM PDT

With the iPhone 4 still selling like hotcakes at the top end of the smartphone line-up, Apple’s not exactly been rushing to invade the bargain bins and mid-range tiers, where margins are often lower. But that could be about to change: a new report claims an iPhone costing as little as £200 will go on sale this year.

According to BGR founder Jonathan Geller, who has quite the track record with inside scoops, as well as the odd epic misfire, Apple will this year be launching an iPhone that will cost no more than $350 (£270) on Pay As You Go. Given how aggressively networks subsidise phones on Pay As You Go in the UK, it coulc be that this low price iPhone will cost even less.

We’re salivating at the propect of a Retina Display for next to nothing, but as Geller goes on to suggest this is far more likely to be the iPhone 3GS, a now two-year old phone.

Of course, that could still prove a tremendous bargain: it has most of the software features of the iPhone 4 still, and currently still costs a whopping £428 unlocked on Apple’s UK online store, and new models aren;t going for much less on eBay UK either. But would you buy one? Even with Apple’s focus on top notch software, rather than hardware alone, would you still want to invest in a phone that’s seen the moon turn more than 24 times already?

Let us know in the comments. Would you prefer the ZTE Skate instead?

(Via BGR)