Totally Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy Ace is a new kind of phone by the company but it is not trying to be the most powerful smartphone available, despite being a brand-new release. Samsung are targeting a group of consumers which are unable to afford the smart phones at the high end of the market and it offers a solution that is capable of dealing with almost all types of applications that are available to smart phones today.

The device is not as powerful as most of the leading phones on the market but it is slightly smaller than most of them in length and width, in thickness it is exactly the same as an iPhone 4. Inside the device you will find that it is basically a scaled-down version of what some of the top smartphones are offering.

You will find a slightly slower processor as well as less memory. It also comes with a lower megapixel camera and a slightly smaller screen. The front of the smart phone is very similar to the iPhone but the back is very different. There is a removable back cover so you can access the battery and this has a good amount of grip so that the phone feels good in the hand.

Interestingly, Samsung have included an alternative back cover but it does not have grip and instead has a cheap rather plastic feel. Despite feeling quite cheap, the device feels heavy but not overly so. It feels good in the hand and there is a cover over the charging port which is very convenient. This covers stops dust coming into the device and keeps everything clean.

Currently the device is operating Android 2.2 but the chances are that when it reaches consumers hands it will be running 2.3.3. This updated system allows better access to Gmail as well as helping with the efficiency of the battery.

The touchscreen is not as good as on some other devices and it feels as if all of the actions are slightly delayed, this is not a major problem unless you are planning on gaming on the device. If you want a perfect touchscreen device then you are going to have to pay far more than the cost of this phone which is clearly targeted at a lower end of the market.

The look of the software on the device is not very glamorous and the various application icons are placed around the home screen in a rather haphazard manner. This makes the whole device look rather bland and the graphics on it are not particularly impressive. What is good about this phone is that it is reliable, the web browser is capable of surfing almost all websites but as with many other smart phones there is still no flash compatibility.

The device does not come with much on-board memory but there is a micro SD card slot for expansion which means you can store whatever you like on it. Those buying the device will be given a two gigabyte card included. The camera on the device has 5MP and captures impressive photos and there are many adjustments that a user can make to the photos on board the device. The LED flash does a good job of lighting up dark scenes you might be photographing.

One of the most anticipated Android smartphones of 2011 is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, given the fact that its outward appearance is not only stunning, but also because it was the first smartphone to hit the market that featured the Ice Cream Sandwich by Android.

Formally known as Android 4.0, most people wanted the mobile phone simply to see how the new upgrade of the Android OS would operate as the actual specs of the Galaxy Nexus were not that stunning when placed on paper besides other.  However, toss in the new OS and a great 4.65” Super-AMOLED display and the balance is a bit better.

Of course, now that it is out, the real jury can actually start to weigh it up as people have now had about a month to use it. First off, in order to sport this much larger display the mobile has grown heavier which some users are responding to and others or not.  It does feel sturdier than the Samsung Galaxy S2, but once again it is up to the individual to decide if they like this or not and those who carry in their pockets may fall on the other side of the debate.

Taking a look at the top of the mobile phone you can see where the five megapixel camera eye is built into the mobile, which is a funny choice given the fact that Samsung usually installs much better cameras for its phones. It is nice that they left the logo out of the design of the phone because after paying a few hundred pounds for a mobile phone and locking yourself into an expensive contract it’s nice to know that you can carry your phone without offering free advertising of the product for the company.

The actual casing of the phone is made out of a thin plastic which is a bit flimsy looking but seems to hold up fine and nicely compliments the curved glass design of the front that was first seen on the Nexus S.  There is not one physical button on the mobile which is different than the previous Android phones which all had their set of basic commands (Menu, Back, Home, and Search).  Likely this was taken out to allow for the larger display and a trend that it would be nice to see continue on Android mobiles.

The top of the mobile does not have any ports or buttons which is nice since it’s always awkward to plug in something from the top, but along the bottom you will find a 3.5mm audio hack and a USB port allowing for full use of the phones capabilities.

Finally, if the Galaxy Nexus has one standout feature outside of the Ice Cream Sandwich it is the Super-AMOLED display which offers top of the line colour saturation and contrast, allowing images to come across the way they should.  The attention to detail is excellent due to the fact that every pixel on the phone emits its own light.

This time last year there were not that many tablet computers on the market, especially if you were looking for one with a bigger screen. Today, you would struggle to believe that only a year has passed with the number of tablet PCs available in stores.

Motorola recently announced the release of the XOOM 2 which it is hoping will be a device that is going to challenge the Apple iPad, and hopefully take its lead in the market. The device is aesthetically pleasing and has rubbery sides which make it easy to grip onto, which already give it an edge over the iPad 2 before you even switch it on.

The corners are angled and this means you can easily tell it apart from the original model that Motorola previously released. The long sides of the device are straight at the top and bottom have a slight curve which are reminiscent of the smart phones that Motorola released previously .

Unusually, the power button of the devices is located on the back which means that you can sometimes accidentally press it when you are holding the device with your fingers, it is also similarly easy to accidentally change the volume when you are holding the device.

There is also a long lag after you have pressed the power button and before the screen will switch on and this means you can be pressing the button continuously before you realise you’ve got a response. This device could learn a lot from Apple when you consider the placement of the volume and power buttons and how quickly they respond to touch.

This new device is lighter than its predecessor by a significant 130 grams. It is also lighter than the iPad 2 but is around the same thickness. As for an operating system, it uses Android version 3.2 but Motorola has added its own touch to the operating system. The device is also advertised as being splashproof as it did well in testing against this.

The streaming service that comes with the device has been greatly improved and it is possible to stream video, photos and music by using the MotoCast. You can even easily connect the device to your computer so that you can share files between the two. Intelligently, the software required for the computer is included in the tablet device so you can plug it into your laptop in order to install the sharing program.

The screen is 10.1 inches and is excellent for viewing media, especially media that is being streamed from MotoCast. Pictures don’t need to buffer most of the time and video only requires a short amount of time to start working. File sharing security is also excellent because your files are not uploaded to another server, they are directly accessed from your PC on your tablet.

The disadvantage of this is that your computer has to be on in order for you to access the documents. This system also has the advantage that you will not just be able to access the files from the tablet but at any computer that has an internet connection.

The processor in this new device is fast and it runs the new operating system very well. The only disadvantage that could be seen with the device is the placement of the power button but other than that it is a good contender to the iPad.

When you first glance at the Galaxy Tab 10.1 from Samsung it is easy to see why Apple called in their legal eagles. They look like twins that were separated at birth and if it wasn’t for the fact that it has Samsung on it, you would put money on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 actually being an iPad.

The German courts agreed with Apple and have banned the sale of it for infringement of patent. Similar skirmishes in the courts of Australia, South Korea and Japan are currently in progress and the outlook seems bleak after the German ruling,

It’s such a shame that it has come to this as it could so easily have been avoided. The current design team at Samsung seems to consist of one guy with a photocopier, which is a sharp contrast to the days when the Korean company where praised for the chic and elegant hardware they produced.

The ironic part of all this is that the Tab 10.1 is the best tablet by far that Samsung have so far produced, it has beautiful proportions and is also fast and very light. Do not confuse this however with the Tab 10.1V, which looks like the iPad’s incestuous cousin, but the one who ate all the pies.

This new and much improved Galaxy Tab 10.1 is slimmed down to the point that it is actually lighter than an iPad, but a tad wider. Herein lies the dilemma for the tablet buyer. If you can buy the iPad’s doppelganger for the same price that lacks the vast array of software available for your iPad, why would you bother not buying the real thing?

Apple currently command over 75% of the tablet market, and sell more iPad’s than all the other tablets put together, and unless Android suddenly makes a massive technological breakthrough that nobody saw coming, their dominance will continue. Sure, Android give you the old faithfuls on the tablets; Twitter, Facebook, Angry Birds etc, but the list isn’t very long compared the tens of thousands you can get from the Apple app store.

2011 has been one of the financially worst years for Sony however the company has managed to end the year on a high point with the launch of its latest handheld console in Japan. The latest console from PlayStation is called the Vita and it went on sale this Saturday at 7 AM in Tokyo. Media attention was focused on a store in central Tokyo where the first customer was presented their Vita by Andrew House, who is the president and chief executive of Sony computer entertainment.

The device has been well received by those in Japan and one of the first customers to buy it has commented, “I think the screen is one of the most impressive things about the device, also the fact that is as 3G connectivity so it is possible to play online games wherever you are.”

Many customers were queueing in central Tokyo despite freezing temperatures in order to be one of the first people to get their hands on the brand-new device. Many people in the industry are seeing this latest console by PlayStation as a way of testing out how the mobile gaming industry is going to behave in the near future. Many people are saying that the increased use of gaming on mobile phones is eating away at the market for dedicated gaming consoles and many suggest that the new offering from PlayStation is going to suffer because of this.

Mr House has said, “The Vita offers an unrivalled gaming experience and brings something to consumers but has never been seen before. There are a variety of features and interfaces that mean that this device is going to change portable gaming.”

In order to compete with mobile phones the device has many applications that can be used, including those commonly seen on mobile phones such as Skype and Facebook. Mr House mentioned how the device is going to be open to developers as games designed for Android also going to be up able to be played on the device.

He continued, “There are plenty of portable gamers in the market and we are happy to provide them with this device which gives them a greater gaming experience. The device is being launched with over 20 games which mean that it will avoid the pitfall with portable gaming consoles that there aren’t enough games to appeal to users initially.”

Sony has seen several major setbacks this year and analysts are impressed that they have managed to get the device out on time despite these. First the company was tr oubled by the earthquake in Japan and then there major warehouse in London was burned to the ground during rioting.

The device is going to become available in the United Kingdom in late February and will retail for over £200. Sony is clearly quite concerned about how mobile phones are going to eat into the gaming market and this is evidenced by their purchase of the Ericsson mobile phone company which it is now the sole owner of.