'BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner 2 Future Legend of Rhythm Alien' Review - So Much Running

 

Looking back at WiiWare, Nintendo's first attempt at an online marketplace, it's pretty clear that there was not a ton of standout software. However, in the end, there was ultimately an entire franchise that rose to the top, Gaijin Games' "BIT.TRIP" series. The six games that were released under the "BIT.TRIP" moniker (Beat, Core, Void, Runner, Fate, and Flux) set the standard for what great downloadable games on a Nintendo platform could be. Their retro-inspired art style and unforgiving difficulty helped them carve a niche out on WiiWare in a way that no other game, much less franchise, could touch. Now, two years after the last game in the series was released, Gaijin Games have returned with a new adventure for Commander Video, "BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner 2 Future Legend of Rhythm Alien," and this time he's going HD and multiplatform.

In "Runner 2" Commander Video returns for another round of dashing through branching courses, collecting as much gold along the way as possible. This time around, our hero has been transported to a mysterious land where he and some of his unlockable friends, have to run, jump, and slide their way to the end of some of the most challenging platformer levels since the original "Runner."

 

The core concept of the original game (running) has returned in this sequel, but this time around Commander Video has some new obstacles to deal with. In addition to his jumps and kicks the Commander will need to clear larger gaps, grind some rails, and even learn to speed by upside down as he loop-d-loops his way to the finish line. Gaijin Games made use of the additional controller buttons by giving Video more abilities which were mapped to the different directions of both the left and right sticks, and as well as by adding a dance button (for extra points) on the right trigger. In short, the very simple gameplay from the original is built upon, creating a much more complex outing, so much so that it might push the limits for some of the more causal gamers out there.

 

One of the defining features of the first set of "BIT.TRIP" games was the fact that they were so punishingly difficult, and "Runner 2" is no different. With the upgrades to the controls and the gameplay, this time around Commander Video looks more like a parkour runner whizzing through each of the levels. Fortunately, Gaijin have taken mercy on us, and included optional mid-level checkpoints so that you don’t have to reset all the way back to the beginning of the level when you "bonk out" (run into something and suffer from a one-hit kill). In addition to that, each of the levels features different difficulty options, and, aside from not having as many opportunities to score points, there's no real penalty for completing a level on an easier setting, which helps to make the game a bit less frustrating.

In addition to their difficulty, the first six "BIT.TRIP" games had a very unique retro art-style about them that seemed to unify them, and evoked a strange level of nostalgia at the same time. "Runner 2" leaves all of that in the past, and opts for way more bells and whistles this time around. For starters, there are the updated HD graphics, that make this new world pop all around Commander Video. There's also a more fleshed out story that is narrated by the one-and-only Charles Martinet, and is seemingly done in the style of classic "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoons. The result of these updates is a much more polished, entertaining, and less confusing game.

 

Overall, "Runner 2" is a great addition to the BIT.TRIP franchise, and actually improves on what was the best game of the original Saga. This update manages to retain the same essence of what made the original great; the addictive gameplay that keeps you saying "just one more level" before you put down the controller. The game also heavies up on the content, including tons of unlockables (including updated versions of the much-loved retro-inspired bonus levels), and the encouragement to replay each of the levels at different difficulty settings, so there's an abundance of content here that will keep you running for hours and hours. If you're looking for something that's easy to pick up, but will ultimately offer an enduring challenge, "Runner 2 Future Legend of Rhythm Alien" is one of the best games out there to push you to your limits, and then, in turn, offer an overwhelming sense of satisfaction (as long as you can actually beat the level).

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'Kersploosh!' Review - Perfecting The Art Of Rock Tossing

 

The act of throwing a rock down a well is a childhood activity that most people superimpose into their memories, because, really, how many people have ever seen a real, working well? It's such a basic concept - take a rock, throw it down a well, hear a splash. That's really all there is to it. But, what if there was pizza down that well blocking the way? Or maybe there's a big fan slowing your rock down? What if the rock you were throwing wasn’t really a rock at all, and instead it's a Russian nesting doll? Those are the kinds of questions that developers Poi Soft are trying to answer in their newly localized 3DS eShop game "Kersploosh!"

Originally released in Japan as "Hyu-Stone," "Kersploosh!" attempts to tackle an entirely new video game genre - items falling down a well. The concept is extremely simple: use the circle pad to navigate your choice of falling objects (rocks, bouncy balls, watermelons, etc.) safely to the bottom of a well. Along the way there are various obstacles, and obstructions that will deplete your projectile's health, as well as add to your overall time. However, if you're on the look out for balloons and doughnuts you'll be able to replenish your health and get some much needed speed boosts, which will help you achieve your goal of hitting the water at the bottom of the well as quickly as possible.

 

The gameplay is fairly simple and easy to grasp on to, especially since the starter items (a durable rock and a bouncy ball with infinite health) help players to get their bearings in this odd title. As you progress through the game's ten different wells, the difficulty increases as more random obstructions appear in each well. There are also ten different projectiles that can be unlocked, each of which have different attributes for speed, boost, and health, making each run through with a new item a different experience.

Overall, the gameplay itself isn’t that deep, and the options don't vary too much, but for a $2.99 game, you're still going to get your money's worth, especially when you factor in the game's localization. Prior to tossing each item down the wells in the game, a faceless character sets up why they are throwing their stuff down the well. Each mini conversation is brief, but oddly entertaining as you're privy to tales like a shot putter giving up on his dreams of going to the Olympics as he tosses his iron ball down the hole.

 

Outside of the shallow gameplay, which can be overlooked due to the game's price point, there are a couple small flaws with the overall product that are likely to bother some players. For example, there's no way to advance to the next well after completing one - you always have to go back to the stone selection menu, or all the way back to the title screen. It's small, but at this point, advancing to the next level of a game should be a pretty obvious design choice.

"Kersploosh!" clearly isn’t the next big thing, but that doesn't mean that it isn't a unique way to waste some time on your 3DS. When you combine the seemingly random objects found in the wells, with the odd conversations that happen before each level, the game somehow manages to have a bit of a "Katamari Damacy" vibe to it. If you're looking for something new to experiment with, and you don’t want to spend too much money, "Kersploosh!" may well be worth your time, but if you're in the market for a game with a bit more depth, then you should probably search through some of the eShop's other excellent titles.

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'Mass Effect 3: Citadel' DLC Review: A Party At The End Of The Galaxy

There's a broad streak of humor and winking at the audience in "Citadel," the final piece of DLC for "Mass Effect 3," much of it calling attention to the silliness Shepard and his crew's latest adventure amid the high rises and malls of the ancient space station/waypoint. It's the kind of humor that explicitly calls out the ridiculousness of the characters' circumstances which have to do, in part, with an admittedly cleverly-conceived villain who wants to off the Normandy commander and his crew, and while this kind of thing should grate after a while, the main adventure as well as some quality time with the surviving characters in the series effectively hit me in the sweet nostalgia spot for "Mass Effect," making this (along with "From the Ashes") an essential piece of the final game in this trilogy. With the Normandy crew needs some R&R in the middle of the galaxy-spanning battle against the Reapers, Shepard is ordered to dry dock at the Citadel and given ballerish new digs in a swanky high-rise. But before he can settle in to enjoy his new pad, armed mercenaries attack, having hacked all of his communications and drawing Shepard into a series of light stealth solo gun fights with his silenced pistol.It's not long before the Normandy crew is drawn into the gunfight, and the enemy is revealed (their identity I won't spoil here but it works fantastically within seeds set up by "Mass Effect 2"). From there, it's a lot of quipping and chasing as Shepard and the gang hunt down the would-be killer, into a mysterious, archival vault inside of the Citadel, a location worth its own DLC mission and further exploration. If "Mass Effect" as a series has been an occasionally self-serious homage to the VHS-era space operas of the 80's, "Citadel" is a tribute to the quip-heavy buddy comedies of the 90's (everyone's got jokes) in this kind of weird, low-stakes conflict against a villain who even the heroes don't see as having a chance of winning. Sure, by the end of it, you won't want to hear another joke about the restaurant fish tank, but hanging with the other characters in this way is a kind of welcome respite from the doom and pessimism at the back end of this saga. The corniness/sentiment is kicked up a couple of notches once your battle with the baddie is over and Shepard returns to his/her place to... throw a party. An entire 2 hour or more section of the DLC serves to let you explore, the new chunk of the Citadel and meet your crew members (along with one-time crew members) before throwing a bash at your place. This unexpected turn doesn't offer a lot in the way of gameplay, but it's a much more satisfying final encounter with some of these characters than the one provided via the rushed video chats on Earth. Corniness aside (or maybe because of it), "Citadel" offers a perfect send-off to the "Mass Effect" trilogy in a way that honors the characters and the relationships you've spent years establishing with them. View the original article here

First LG Nexus 4 review appears online

This is the translating to the review, it is not 100% but take it or leave it:

In the yard the midst of autumn, and that means approaching the inevitable – the announcement and the subsequent release of a new smartphone model line Nexus. My very first “smart phone”, Google has created in collaboration with HTC, the Taiwanese developer then it changed to Samsung. It seems that after two years of partnership with the founder of the series Galaxy Internet giant is again thinking about changing partners.
That the new Nexus is manufactured by LG, we have no doubt. According to rumors, this year, Google may go to an entirely new strategy, with the support of not one but several manufacturers. Maybe so, but so far there is only accurate information about one model – LG E960, also known under the code name Mako. If we believe the data leakage from the documentation of foreign stores, selling new product will be known under the name of LG Nexus 4 – and we shall call it. The number “4? in this case points to the generation of smartphones Nexus.
To the Editor Onliner.by got one of the prototype LG Nexus 4. In a preliminary review of the device will consider features of the model and compare it with its predecessor – Galaxy Nexus.
Features of the prototype
The smartphone has been extremely problematic, so some features we have not been able to test (eg, Beam). Moreover, it is likely that the final version of the LG Nexus 4 will be slightly different from what we are facing today. The device is likely to receive a more recent version of the OS and capacious drive (unlikely Google and LG to market a model with 8 GB of internal memory with no slot microSD).

The following are the most serious and common problems of the prototype. Model like from time to time to reboot, sometimes it does not respond to the power button, and then have to resort to a “soft reset.” Smartphone hardly charged when connected to a computer (goes into an endless loop on / off), reset network Wi-Fi, it also can not connect to the computer for lack of a driver.
Not forgetting the pile of issues specific to the LG Nexus 4, let us examine it more closely.
Design
“So it’s a Samsung Galaxy Nexus!» – Says one, looking at the front of the smartphone. In front view LG Nexus 4 is really very similar to last year’s model: the same shape, curvature of the upper and lower ends, the absence of a touch-sensitive buttons below the screen in place, even “firm” invisible when inactive indicator of system events, hidden under the display.

On the left – LG Nexus 4, right – Galaxy Nexus

The differences lie in the details: the LG Nexus four straight, not curved glass slightly differently decorated earpiece, camera for video calls more pressed to the upper right corner.

In size both smartphone also close. According to our measurements, the size of Nexus 4 is 134 × 69,2 × 9,2 mm, weight – 139 g Thus, the device is 1.5 mm shorter than the Galaxy Nexus, but nearly 1.3 mm wider. Model from LG thicker predecessor by 0.3 mm. Here, however, we must remember that the new product is flat cap, while the Galaxy Nexus is the “hump”, under which the thickness of the shell passes away for the 9 mm.

On the left – Galaxy Nexus, right – LG Nexus 4

On the case of Nexus 4 no contacts for connecting accessories, while on the right side Galaxy Nexus had such contacts. But the power button remains in the same place. Volume rocker has not disappeared from the left side, just move a little higher. Here, hidden tray cards microSIM: as in the case of the iPhone, it will open with iSkrepki or improvised as a needle or a pin. 3.5mm audio jack jumped from the lower to the upper edge, which also swept a second microphone. The main microphone along with microUSB connector located at the bottom.

The most interesting thing in the design of LG Nexus 4 – is his backside. To the touch it is completely smooth and glossy. Perhaps the cover is made of scratch-resistant glass. In any case, as we tried, but scratch the metal key and could not.

Despite the smooth uniform surface, visually textured rear panel appears. All the matter in the mosaic image, something resembling a “matrix effect” or some of the “live wallpaper” in Android. Drawing consists of many tiny dots, some of which change color from black to gray at a certain angle. Looks interesting, unusual, and not matter, as might be judged by some pictures. Because of the design features fingerprints on the lid are only visible from certain angles.

In the top left of the back of the eye visible square 8-megapixel camera and LED flash on it. Bottom, right of the logo LG, there is a vertical slit located external speaker.

Metal design elements in the design of LG Nexus 4 no. As mentioned above, the back of a smartphone or a covered glass or durable plastic. Along the perimeter of the apparatus used matte black rubberized plastic. Finally, around the front of the device is a thin strip of glossy plastic “chrome.”

Cover the smartphone is not removed, so change the battery yourself will be difficult. For the prototype at Nexus 4 Average assembly bother unless too wide a gap between the two halves of the unit on the bottom.

In general appearance LG Nexus 4 leaves a good impression. Design itself seems to be a normal, but the back of the smartphone looks fresh. However, the standard bar with rounded corners are not going to go, “wow-effect” model does not.
Display
Unlike its predecessor, Nexus 4 received IPS-display instead of HD Super AMOLED, so of no PenTile, bluish, greenish or yellowish white is out of the question. The screen resolution is still the same 720 × 1280 pixels at a diagonal of 4,7 “.
We can not say for certain whether the touch layer is built right into the display LG Nexus 4. Rather, it is, as the technical features of the model are surprisingly exact match to the characteristics of the flagship Optimus G, which is equipped with just such an innovative touchscreen.
Sensors embedded in the screen or not, but the image on the screen looks amazing. Contrast, sharpness, brightness – all these parameters new Galaxy Nexus has left behind and very close to the iPhone 5. In the latter, except that the brightness of the above, but, subjectively, the contrast is worse, the rest of the display, both are very similar and are among the best on the market.

However, to evaluate all the advantages of the screen, it is better to disable automatic backlight that too strongly underestimates the brightness. The maximum possible viewing angles, natural color reproduction, high contrast – all set in an LG Nexus 4 matrix. Still IPS + gives “a light” AMOLED’am.
Camera
We had not much time for testing PV modules LG Nexus 4. The module, by the way, is one of the few significant differences from the LG Optimus G: in the last set 13-megapixel camera, while the Nexus content with an 8-megapixel. The quality of the photo, you can estimate the test on the following pictures:

In fact, to say something specific about the possibilities of the camera early – there are problems with software enhancement. In automatic mode, photo module prototype does not always work correctly, there are problems with the white balance, focus, often lack saturation and contrast.
Interface
Unfortunately, LG Nexus 4 running Android 4.1.2. “Unfortunately” – because everything (and including us) are waiting on Google for something new. In the end, the corporation that has taught us that with the announcement of the smartphone Nexus is a new version of mobile OS. It is hoped that Google still announced Android 4.2 at the end of the month and show it running on a Nexus 4.

As for Android 4.1.2, then no significant improvement compared to 4.1.1 we have not noticed. It’s the same familiar “naked» Jelly Bean, which we have already mentioned. Of course, no brand no shells, the minimum set of applications. In general, expect the official presentation of the smartphone and significantly updated operating system in late October.
Performance
Model LG Nexus 4 is based on a chip Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (APQ8064) with 2 GB of RAM, quad-core Krait and graphics Adreno 320. Exactly the same chip is at the core Optimus G. Computing cores running at up to 1.5 GHz. In theory, the transition from 40-nm to 28-nm process technology had a positive impact on energy consumption smartphone.
Despite the strong base, with a capacity in the prototype is not so clear. Benchmark unit showed a surprisingly low results, and the test Vellamo he was not able to go because of the constant software failures. The explanation here may be only one – neoptimizirovannost tests, coupled with the “raw” firmware. In daily use to find fault with the device’s performance will not work: instant response UI, hassle-free video playback Full HD. “Heavy” games also come with a bang.

For some reason we do not have to disassemble the LG Nexus 4, find a battery in another failed. But we were able to test the smartphone battery life. The test is this: we went to YouTube and launched HD-movies in full screen, and the network was activated Wi-Fi, all other wireless modules were disabled. In this mode, battery life is reduced by 10% every 20 minutes, the battery is fully able to “land” at 3:00 and change.

Our guinea equipped with 8 GB of internal memory, which is very sad. Perhaps this amount of storage is only a prototype, and the commercial version of the model will be 32 or 64 GB of memory. It is possible that the version with 8 GB also appear on the shelves, and will cost significantly less more capacious brethren.
General impressions
It is foolish to describe the pros and cons of the smartphone, which has not even announced and has the status of a prototype. Constant bugs interfere adequately assess the potential device. The same camera, it seems, sometimes suffers from software flaws, but overall gives hope for good shots in commercial samples LG Nexus 4. Definitely as a trump card may be noted one of the best in the segment of mobile display. At the same time, the situation is still unclear, with internal memory and a final version of the operating system.
As for the design smartphone, then, as it turned out, the appearance of the machine turned controversial. I liked the device, including the unusual design of the cover. Views of the entire editorial closely divided: some LG Nexus 4 like almost at first sight, others he called rejection. That in the end we will show Google and LG? According to rumors, the official presentation of the final version of the new Nexus is scheduled for October 29.?

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HTC Desire C review: Welcome aboard

Are you a seasoned Android user looking for ICS on a budget or a learner ready for that big step into smartphones? Is it the journey or the destination? HTC will be pleased to welcome you on board either way. And they're making sure you start on the right foot.
Meet the Desire C. The little one at the feet of giants. The adopted child of the blue-bloods in the One family. The HTC Desire C is about half the size of a One X and has only a fraction of its processing power but the C in the name doesn't only signify compact, it also stands for comfort and capability.


The Taiwanese have a solid record in the entry-level smartphone segment. To be fair, their pricing is not the most competitive but the build, fit and finish of their smartphones are hard to beat. Beauty anyway is in the eye of the beholder, so here are the solid facts about the Desire C.
Light and compactQuad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support14.4 Mbps HSDPA, 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support3.5" 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen of HVGA resolution (320 x 480)600MHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 MSM7227A chipset, Cortex A5 CPU, 512MB RAM, Adreno 200 GPUAndroid 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with HTC Sense 4 UIWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with hotspot functionalityGPS with A-GPS connectivity5 MP camera, geotagging, face detectionVGA video @ 24fpsmicroUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v3.0microSD slot (up to 32GB)Standard 3.5 mm audio jackAccelerometer, proximity sensorPolaris Office doc viewer / editor25GB of free DropboxStereo FM radio with RDSSmart dialingDivX/XviD video supportHTCSense.com integrationAdobe Flash supportSurprisingly good audio outputFeeble CPUModest retail packageFixed-focus cameraNo front-facing camera

Review: HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE for Verizon Wireless

The HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE continues the tradition of awfully long Android device names, and is the latest entry in the Verizon DROID Incredible series of devices. The DROID Incredible line has been very popular for Verizon, and I on several occasions have recommended one of the Incredible devices to friends and co-workers who didn’t have the need for a high-end device with a super-sized screen, or preferred battery life to 4G LTE connectivity. The Incredible line has easily been the must-have alternative to the flagship devices, but will the DROID Incredible 4G LTE continue this tradition? Read on to find out.

When you pick up the Incredible 4G LTE, the first thing you’ll notice is its unique form factor. The Incredible continues the design made popular by its predecessors, from the protruding backside, to the red accents around the camera, speaker grill, and power button. By all accounts, the Incredible 4G LTE is going to be hit or miss with customers; some will like the overall shape and feel of the device, while others will prefer the sleek, thin profiles offered by the likes of the Galaxy S III or HTC One X. Form factor is largely a preferential choice, and I have to admit I don’t particularly enjoy the build of the Incredible 4G LTE.

Okay, yes, I don’t like custom skins. So why on earth did I give the Incredible the point in this category? Of all the custom skins out there, HTC has one of the cleanest interfaces and that makes the Incredible easy to pick up and use by just about anyone. Sense 4.0 really tones down the skinned UI elements, and the ability to completely customize your lock screen to quickly launch your most-used applications is a welcome feature that makes using the device a bit easier. Some of the other tweaks they’ve done, say to the camera application for example, take this level of usability even further, in some ways surpassing their stock Android counterparts. In short, you can certainly do much worse than Sense UI, and in some ways the experience in Sense 4.0 is better than Google’s Android 4.0 stock build.

Let’s Golf!!!

As per Verizon’s MO, there’s a ton of bloatware on the Incredible 4G LTE, and not much of it is useful in the least. For example, the Slingbox application comes preloaded on the Incredible 4G LTE, but I can count on one hand the number of people I know who own a Slingbox (I think I have a review unit boxed up in the garage somewhere). There are no fewer than a dozen Verizon-installed applications, though it’s fairly easy to disable/uninstall the ones you aren’t interested in. There are several useful apps like My Verizon that lets you view your mobile usage on the Verizon network, but several others (Let’s Golf 3 HD – seriously?) have no business being pre-installed on devices.

The Incredible 4G LTE is powered by a 1.2 GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage (expandable by a microSD card slot). Despite not having the latest and greatest internal components, the DROID Incredible 4G LTE felt snappy and was able to handle every task we threw at it with relative ease. Performance was snappy and fluid throughout our time with the device, and we hardly noticed any lag during normal use. When it comes to the performance of the device, the hardware found in the Incredible 4G LTE gets the job done, and is certain to please all but the hardcore enthusiasts who, let’s face it, are probably going to be getting the Galaxy S III anyway.

All of the things we’d expect to see in a device released in 2012 are there as well, with both NFC and LTE support found in the Incredible 4G LTE.

Of course, the Incredible 4G LTE is a phone above all else, and we’re happy to report that the device performs well in this category. Calls were clear both on our end and on the other party’s end when we had good coverage, which was most of the time thanks to Verizon’s large nationwide network. Speakerphone performance was on par with other mobile devices, and obviously varies in quality based on signal strength.

Naturally, you’ll spend most of your time with the Incredible 4G LTE looking at the screen. The Incredible 4G LTE features a 4.0? SLCD display with a qHD (960 x 540) resolution. While not quite as sharp as the amazing screen on the Galaxy S III, the screen will not disappoint and is easy to look at. Colors are sharp, though again not as sharp as Samsung’s world-class displays. Videos, pictures, and other media content looked good on the Incredible 4G LTE, and those of you who decide to purchase the device won’t be let down by the screen.

HTC has improved cellular picture quality drastically with their HTC ImageChip found in the One series of devices. Sadly, though the Incredible 4G LTE just came out a few days ago, it is not a One device and therefore lacks the HTC ImageChip. As a result, the Incredible’s rear 8 megapixel camera continues to perform well in direct sunlight, with colors popping and awesome pictures as a result. It’s quite the different story in low-light situations, where we found a bit of graininess and noise, even at times when using the flash. One saving grace is the amount of time between pictures; while the Incredible 4G LTE does not support the rapid burst photos of the One series, the time between pictures is nearly instantaneous so you’ll always be ready to capture the next shot. Also, Ice Cream Sandwich added the ability to take still pictures while shooting video, which slightly makes up for the lack of burst mode. Overall, pictures from the Incredible 4G LTE came out pretty good.

The video camera worked fairly well, though we noticed some jerkiness even when the stabilization mode was enabled. Still, videos were easy to capture, and came out good enough for YouTube and Facebook, which is where 99+% of mobile phone videos end up anyway. Sure, it may not produce the best quality videos out there, but they’re certainly good enough for regular use.

Of course, no phone review is complete without rating the network on which the device runs. As we’ve said on numerous occasions previously, Verizon’s 4G LTE network is speedy, even with several of Verizon’s smartphones now fighting for bandwidth on the network. Speeds routinely were between 8 and 12 mbps down, with 3-5 mbps uplink speeds as well. These speeds translate to incredible (forgive the pun) real-world performance; videos streamed flawlessly, as did internet radio and anything else that required a connection. Uploads were fast and always went off without a hitch as well, even high-definition videos shot from the device uploaded to YouTube very quickly. There’s a reason everyone applauds Verizon’s 4G LTE network, it’s the most widespread LTE network out there and it’s damn snappy.

What good is any phone if it can’t make it through an entire day? The problem with LTE devices thus far has been their notoriously bad battery life, though the latest Android devices have seemingly solved the battery life problem. The Galaxy S III and Droid RAZR MAXX easily make it through most of the day, with the latter lasting even longer than a day thanks to its 3,300 mAh battery. So how does the DROID Incredible 4G LTE stack up to the competition?

Well, those of you hoping to make it through an entire day without scrambling to find a charger will be sorely disappointed. In normal usage, the 1,700 mAh battery on the Incredible 4G LTE lasted about 7-10 hours on a single charge, on par with the HTC One X (AT&T), but well below that offered by the Galaxy S III and Droid RAZR MAXX. At best, I was able to eek out about 12.5 hours on the Incredible 4G LTE.

If you do purchase the Incredible 4G LTE and don’t have routine access to a charger, you may want to opt for an extended battery or second battery to help you get through the day.

Here’s the kicker for me; the DROID Incredible 4G LTE is a decent device, though it screams mid-range as opposed to the more high-end phones offered by Verizon. The DROID Incredible 4G LTE will set you back $199.99 in store, though it comes with a $50 mail-in rebate debit card. That’s the same in-store price as the 16GB Galaxy S III, and anyone in their right mind would opt to spend the extra $50 for the added benefits brought by Samsung’s flagship device. We would have liked to see the Incredible 4G LTE come with a $100 (or less) price tag, and we expect it’ll drop to that point in the not-too distant future. At $149 after MIR, it’s difficult for me to recommend the Incredible 4G LTE to anyone when there are more powerful devices available for the same upfront cost.

HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE7 / 10

The HTC One Series impressed me with its build quality and high-quality internal components that rival those offered by Samsung’s latest flagship. Sadly, the DROID Incredible 4G LTE is not a One device. As a result, the Incredible 4G LTE lacks some of the key features that make the One series great, and it shows in the end product. There’s still a lot to like about the device, the display is good, the hardware results in a smooth and lag-free performance, and Android 4.0 with Sense 4.0 is one of the better UI skins we’ve used in a while. But you can’t help but feel that the Incredible 4G LTE could have been better, that a few design choices could have been made the device much better. As it stands, the Incredible 4G LTE is a decent mid-range device for those not looking for a flagship, though we’d like to see it at a much lower price point if its to really take off on the Verizon network.

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Sony Xperia ion for AT&T review: US Xperiance

Sony was the talk of town during CES 2012 back in January and the Xperia ion for AT&T was among the main reasons why. Launched alongside the Xperia S, the Sony Xperia ion took the great honor of being the company's first LTE smartphone. To make the matters even more epic, the smartphone marked Sony Mobile's grand return to the most lucrative segment of the US smartphone market - that of the high-end, tricked out handsets with spec sheets as long as a daily newspaper. In a nutshell, the Sony Xperia ion was a big deal anyway you looked at it.

Sony Xperia ion official photo

Arriving to the market six months after its announcement, the Sony Xperia ion has a different smartphone landscape to face. Samsung and HTC have already released their heavy hitters in the United States, packing better internals, and offering more up-to-date software experience. To put it mildly - arriving late to the party, the Sony Xperia ion now finds itself outgunned by the competition.

What makes this occurrence particularly frustrating is the fact that this wasn't the case at the smartphone's announcement six months ago. Back in January, the Xperia ion for AT&T could go have a go at any top-of-the-line Android smartphone on the market and emerge victorious.

To offset the massive delay, the Sony Xperia ion is priced quite aggressively. AT&T asks only $99.99 for the smartphone. Should you choose to pick one up directly from Sony though, you will only have to shell out $49.99 with a two-year contract. Cutting edge it might be not, but the Sony Xperia ion still offers you a lot of smartphone for the money. Here goes the list of its full talents.

Quad-band GSM /GPRS/EDGE supportTri-band 3G with 21Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPACategory 3 LTE network connectivity4.6" 16M-color capacitive LED-backlit LCD touchscreen of 720p resolution (720 x 1280 pixels) with Sony Mobile BRAVIA engine; Scratch-resistant glassDual-core 1.5 GHz Scorpion CPU, 1 GB RAM, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 chipset12 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geo-tagging, Multi Angle shot1080p video recording @ 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo sound1.3 MP front-facing camera, 720p video recordingWi-Fi b/g/n and DLNAGPS with A-GPS16GB built-in storage; microSD card slotmicroHDMI port, dedicated TV launchermicroUSB port (charging); stereo Bluetooth v2.1Standard 3.5 mm audio jackStereo FM radio with RDSVoice dialingAdobe Flash 11 supportDeep Facebook integrationPlayStation CertifiedAccelerometer and proximity sensorAndroid 2.3.7 Gingerbread out of the box doesn't cut it for a high-end device this far into 2012Display has sub-par side viewing anglesUnderwhelming front touch buttons and side camera keyNon-user replaceable battery

As you have probably noticed above, the Sony Xperia ion for AT&T is rather closely related to the Xperia S, which came to be quite popular. In order to be more appealing to the US users however, the handset has seen its screen stretch up a bit. The microSD card slot is also a nice addition to the spec sheet - after all, the handset is made for consuming multimedia and playing videogames.

The biggest letdown about the Sony Xperia ion for AT&T is undoubtedly the lack of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. Sony's customization of Android 2.3 Gingerbread is quite polished but still - it simply does not befit a mid-2012 high-end device. The battery life could have also been much better, given the handset's knack for multimedia.

Sony Xperia ion live photos

As always, we are going to kick things off with an unboxing of the Sony Xperia ion for AT&T, followed by a design and build quality inspection.

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LG Optimus Vu review: Vu from the top

LG may have given up on tablets, but not on the Optimus Vu - it's halfway between a phone and a tablet, a hybrid of form factors that we like to call "phoneblets". The Samsung Note was one of the first, but that doesn't mean it can have the market all for itself. The LG Vu pairs the big screen with a handy stylus to enhance tasks like note taking, something that can be a chore on a normal thumb-operated handset.

LG Optimus Vu official photos

The dedicated Notebook app lets you create elaborate, multiple-page notes with images and text, or you can just hit the QuickMemo key, which snaps a screenshot and lets you scribble on it - you can screenshot a website, a part of an email, a document, an image, and just about anything else.

This makes the Optimus Vu a handy tool for putting down reminders or helping you communicate with others - it's much easier to explain what you need when you can take a screenshot and sketch your idea over it. Once you're done, sending the image via email, Dropbox, a social network or another channel is just a tap away.

The phoneblet sure has a lot going for it, but it's not all sunshine and roses - you can go ahead and copy our notes on where it scores and where it misses.

Dual-band CDMA, 1x EV-DO, HSDPA and LTE connectivity5" 16M-color capacitive HD-IPS LCD touchscreen of XGA resolution (768 x 1024 pixels)LG Rubberdium stylus and QuickMemo buttonAndroid OS v2.3 GingerbreadDual-core 1.5GHz ARM Scorpion processor, 1GB of RAM, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8660 Snapdragon chipset32GB of inbuilt storage8 MP autofocus camera, face detection and geotagging1080p @ 30fps video recordingFront facing 1.3MP camera, video callingWi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspotNFC connectivityGPS with A-GPSmicroUSB port (charging)Stereo Bluetooth v3.0MHL TV-outPolaris Office document editorSmart dialing, voice dialingAccelerometer and proximity sensorDivX/XviD video supportStandard 3.5 mm audio jackDolby Mobile and SRS sound enhancementStereo FM radio with RDST-DMB TV tunermicroSIM cards onlyRuns older Android 2.3 GingerbreadWide form factor needs getting used to4:3 aspect ratio not a good fit for video watchingNo microSD card slot

With a rich app package, the Optimus Vu has solid business credentials. It features the Polaris Office document editor and an app that can automate backups (with an option to encrypt them).

You also get an NFC app, with which you can easily share your contact details, web site, memos, scheduling info and more. You can share it directly with another NFC-enabled device or write the info to NFC tags that you can hand out to people.

The extensive connectivity options go on - you get fast data connections over LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi Direct, then there's the fun stuff like DLNA and a T-DMB TV tuner (ok, that's a Korea-only feature).

LG Optimus Vu at ours

We're not counting on the LG Optimus Vu being very pocketable, but we'll be putting the screen under a microscope (even literally) to find out if it's worth the tradeoff. We'll also look at the rest of the hardware and rummage through the retail box - all that's coming up.

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ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity Review

In the battle to steal Android tablet market and mind share from Samsung, it would be hard to argue against ASUS as the most formidable combatant.

Their solid build quality, powerful hardware and typically light skinning of Android has endeared them to Android fans (the newly announced Nexus 7 confirms that Google feels the same way). The Transformer line is perhaps the best personification of this as, much like the original Motorola Droid, it seems to position itself as the anti-iPad. It tops the iPad specs in nearly every category and is typically depicted with its signature keyboard attached, something which is likely anathema to Apple.

The Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 (Infinity) is the new king of the hill for ASUS with a full HD screen added to the familiar form factor of the Transformer line and I’ve had several days to put it through its paces. ASUS has undeniably delivered the specs with this latest installment, but how does it stack up as a total package?

As advertised in the lead-in the Infinity really blows the doors off the current competition in the specs department with the iPad’s screen being the lone possible exception:

1.7GHz (single-core in use) 1.6GHz (2-4 cores in use) NVIDIA Tegra 3 T33 processor1GB of DDR3 RAM32 or 64 GB of internal storage with microSD expansion10-inch Super IPS+ 1920×1200 display with up to 600 nits of brightnessCorning Gorilla Glass 28MP F2.2 rear camera2MP front-facing cameraBluetooth 3.025Wh battery7.11/10.35/0.33? at 1.31 lbs.

It’s a nice place to start, but as always the specs are only part of the story and how they come together is the real key.

The Infinity is available in two colors, Amethyst Gray (as tested here) and Champagne Gold. I can only speak to the Amethyst Gray and it’s a nice understated option.

The front of the device is unremarkable (save for the display which we’ll get to later). ASUS has gone with the same black bezel favored by most tablets these days. It’s broken up only by a small white ASUS logo, the ambient light sensor and camera.

The back is a little more visually appealing with the silver ASUS logo at the center of the tablet and the probably now familiar concentric circles radiating out from it. To the side you’ll find the speaker grille, and near the top the section with the camera, flash and microphone, which is done in plastic to alleviate the connectivity issues experience by the Transformer Prime.

Taking a walk around the rest of the tablet there is a power button, charging LED and volume rocker across the top as viewed in landscape. Along the left is a headphone jack, micro-HDMI port and microSD card slot. Finally the bottom features the ASUS proprietary connector and two additional holes that lock the tablet into the optional dock.

The Infinity feels rock solid in your hands. The screen is of course a giant piece of glass so I wouldn’t want to drop it, but it’ll handle the typical abuse that could happen in your bag. The weighting of the tablet is also excellent, regardless of the orientation the weight feels evenly distributed. The buttons are solidly constructed, without the wiggle or mushiness I’ve had in some.

 

The display on the Infinity is perhaps its defining feature as most of its other specs, while impressive, were shared by either the Transformer Prime or Transformer Pad 300.

The Infinity breaks through the full HD barrier for the Transformer line with a resolution of 1900×1200. The Infinity also offers a Super IPS+ display, one area that the TF300 cut corners on, and this makes for a far better outdoor experience than most tablets when that mode is enabled.

 

I’m not the biggest pixel peeper out there, but the screen on the Infinity looks amazing. The bump up in resolution is quite noticeable when compared to the standard 1280×800 tablets and leaves everything looking far more smooth and crisp. The color representation and contrast appear to have been improved as well and stack up favorably with anything else out there.

I had only two complaints with the Infinity screen. The first is that there is a bit of light bleed in a couple spots, although after noticing it during boot I didn’t find it to be that discernible in normal use. The second is that with anything short of the Super IPS+ mode the glossy screen is highly reflective.

The screen is the single most important feature on any tablet and the Infinity delivers one of the best I’ve seen on an Android tablet to date and by far the best of the 10-inch devices.

ASUS has once again done what so many manufacturers seem to have a hard time doing and that is leaving Android alone. The Infinity has a virtually stock build of Android 4.0.3 and what has been added doesn’t impinge on the basic stock experience. With Jelly Bean potentially knocking on the door this week, this becomes all the more important as the less ASUS has to tweak for the update the better.

The majority of what ASUS has tacked on are apps and widgets. Not so many that your tablet feels flooded out of the box though. The notification area is one of the only notable visual changes with a number of convenient shortcuts having been added.

The apps are a mix of gaming and productivity. Tegra Zone brings the Tegra 3 optimized games front and center for you. The ASUS application suite adds Polaris Office, SuperNote, App Backup, App Locker, ASUS Sync, MyNet and ASUS Webstorage. I have other apps that I already use for many of these functions, but it’s not excessive to me. For a new user, having a solid base of apps out of the box is convenient.

ASUS also packages some of their own widgets. Again it’s only about half a dozen and they are for the most part useful, so no complaints there.

 

The display may take top billing with the Infinity, but NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 processor is sure to get a best supporting nod come Oscar time. Launching apps, swiping between home screens and scrolling through web pages was consistently smooth and touch responsiveness is the best I’ve experienced.

With the Tegra Zone NVIDIA has made no bones about gaming being a central focus for their mobile processors and the Infinity tore through every title I installed. For the most part the Tegra Zone titles are just graphically super charged versions of games you may have already played like Shadowgun or Riptide GP.

If you’re a benchmark person we’ve got you covered too. On the left you’ll find the numbers for the Infinity, and on the right you’ll find the numbers for the Transformer Pad 300.

Smartbench 2012 Productivity – 3890 / 3340
Smartbench 2012 Gaming Index – 1909 / 2275
Antutu total – 11886 / 12443
Antutu Floating Point CPU – 3313 / 2363
Antutu 3D Graphics – 1015 / 1175
GL Benchmark 2.1.4 – Egypt Offscreen – 72/ 62
GL Benchmark 2.1.4 – Pro Offscreen – 97 / 81
Quadrant – 4845 / 3722
Browsermark – 122770 / 112870
Sunspider 0.9.1 (lower is better) – 1443.0 / 1784.2
Moonbat on Chrome (With web worker set to 1) – 1389.3 / 1757.6
Moonbat on Chrome (With web worker set to 4) – 2588.3 / 3155.4

I think this was the first time I was impressed by the cameras on a tablet. They don’t hold up to the cameras on the top smartphones, but I don’t see that as a realistic standard for a tablet anyway.

In daylight, or under reasonably bright interior lighting, the 8MP rear camera is capable of capturing very respectable images with little noise. Like many smartphones the Infinity particularly shines on macro images.

Shots from the 2MP front-facing camera are obviously far less impressive, although if you are using that for pictures it’s probably for photobooth style shots and typically high quality isn’t the priority there.

The rear camera captures up to 1080p footage and it looks excellent on the tablet or output to a TV. The front-facing camera does 720p for video calls, hangouts, or conferencing and the quality matched what I’ve seen on many higher-end laptops.

 ASUS claims the Infinity will last around eight and a half to nine and a half hours streaming video on WiFi and that matches up well with what I experienced running Netflix on a loop. I had similar results during a more normal day of testing with Twitter, email, gaming and general browsing. I was also occasionally making use of the Super IPS+ mode and juicing the brightness as high as possible.

Battery life testing is always hard as everyone’s version of a “normal day” is quite different, but I have a hard time imagining any remotely typical usage pattern for this device that wouldn’t allow its battery to see it through a day of use.

I’ll cover the dock in the next section, but it warrants mentioning here as it adds four and a half to five additional hours of battery life to the Infinity. One interesting note on the battery life and the dock is that the tablet waits until it has drained to 70% before pulling from the dock and it continues to repeat that pattern until the dock’s battery dies.

 

You can’t review a Transformer branded tablet without touching on the optional keyboard dock. ASUS didn’t invent this form factor, but they are certainly doing more with it than any company has previously.

The Infinity uses the exact same keyboard dock that the Prime used so nothing new to see here, but that’s hardly a criticism. Whereas most companies are using a keyboard dock to add only that tactile typing functionality, ASUS is giving users an SD card slot, a full USB port, a trackpad and of course a 19.5WHr battery.

The keyboard itself is very useable. I can’t say I would opt for it over my laptop or desktop keyboards, but I would take it over any virtual keyboard in a heartbeat. It took me a couple days to adjust to the size and some of the specialized shortcuts, but once I did I found it really sped up my workflow on the tablet and not just when typing.

At $149 the keyboard dock for the Infinity is a bit pricey, but for all of the added functionality that it brings with it I think it is worth the price of admission.

 

Particularly if you factor in the dock the Infinity has nearly every bit of wired and wireless connectivity that you could hope for. And while I myself actually prefer a WiFi-only tablet to avoid yet another data contract and also to keep the cost of the tablet itself down I have to concede that the lack of a 4G option for the Infinity is a problem for some.

Regardless, that certainly isn’t enough to bring it below an average ranking in this category. Bluetooth 3.0, micro-HDMI, WiFi b/g/n and a microSD slot on the Infinity itself put it ahead of most of the competition and again once you add the dock with its SD slot and full USB 2.0 port it feels like you’ve got more options than some ultraportable laptops.

The pricing for the Infinity itself is fantastic. This tablet packs in higher-end specs than almost any other Android tablet out there and isn’t charging a premium for that with the 32GB base version coming in at $499. The 64GB model clocks in at $599, and while that would be overkill for me, I know some people like the security blanket of having every video, song and file with them at all times.

The only reason I fall shy of giving the Infinity full marks on price is that I wish the keyboard dock was just $99 rather than $149. Maybe I’m being unfair to the Infinity as the dock is of course optional, but I just feel like it is such an integral part of the experience with this tablet that it would be wrong not to have it and if the full base package were $599 I think it would be a much easier sell.

ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF7009 / 10

 

The ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 is easily the best Android tablet that I have used to date.

Every other tablet (Android or not) that I have tried has been a device that I would browse the web, play games and consume media on. And to be clear even if that is all you are looking for the Infinity is more than capable of serving that purpose for you. But with the integration of the keyboard dock you can also get actual work done for hours longer than any other device you own.

I’ve been looking for a tablet that could successfully straddle those lines since I had to give up my HP TC1100, which looks every bit the part of a Transformer ancestor, and I’m thrilled to see ASUS execute on that concept so effectively with Android.

The Infinity will be available in the U.S. the week of July 16th, so you’ve got a bit of waiting to do, but if you have any questions about the device that I missed in the review just let me know in comments and I’ll do my best to get them answered.

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Nokia Lumia 900 review: Europass

It took the Nokia Lumia 900 just a few days to top the US sales charts and see delighted handshakes quickly turn into group hugs, as Nokia, Microsoft and AT&T, which carries it exclusively stateside, were busy celebrating the flagship's performance in recent months.

The Lumia 900 has finally made the trip across the pond but it's not the return home it must've dreamed of. Not quite the triumphant welcome from thousands flocking to retail outlets and carriers. Yes, there's a big question mark hanging over the global version of the Nokia Lumia 900. The news that Windows Phone 8 is out of reach has taken the shine off its appeal. But its character is intact - and the Lumia 900 has enough of that to spare.

Nokia Lumia 900 official photos

A big, quality screen, fluid and stylish OS and premium build are all sprinkled with Nokia's magic in a package that's made to impress. We've been there already - and we don't mean the review we have of the Lumia 900 for AT&T. After all, it's a Lumia 800 all over again, only the screen got bigger. And yet, we are delighted to meet this smartphone again - and we'll give it that, it looks stunning in white.

You'll also be happy to know that this time around we're putting the Lumia 900 to all our usual tests. AT&T's Lumia 900 was reviewed away from the office but this one will not simply walk in and out of our labs without getting a taste of our torture routine.

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE supportQuad-band 3G with 42 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support4.3" 16M-color AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of 480 x 800 pixel resolutionScratch resistant Gorilla glass display with anti-glare polarizer8 megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash, 720p@27fps video recording and fast f/2.2 lens1MP front camera Windows Phone 7.5 OS (Mango), upgradeable to WP 7.81.4GHz Scorpion CPU, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8255 chipset, 512MB of RAMWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/nNon-painted polycarbonate unibodyGPS receiver with A-GPS support and free lifetime voice-guided navigationDigital compass16GB of on-board storageActive noise cancellation with a dedicated micBuilt-in accelerometer and proximity sensorStandard 3.5 mm audio jack; FM Radio with RDSmicroUSB portBluetooth v2.1 with A2DP and EDRImpressively deep and coherent SNS integration throughout the interfaceWon't get WP 8No USB mass storage (Zune only file management and sync)No native video callsNon-user-replaceable batteryNo memory card slot (and no 64GB version like the N9)microSIM card slotNo native DivX/XviD support, videos have to be transcoded by Zune

The newly announced Windows Phone 8 has given us plenty to look forward to, but a WP8 upgrade is not on the cards for the Nokia Lumia 900. WP 7.8 is coming later this year to all compatible single-core devices and it will be the last update they are about to get. Both Nokia and Microsoft promise to continue the support though they will most likely be focusing their efforts on multiple-core WP8 smartphones.

Nokia Lumia 900 live pictures

But don't close the page on the Lumia 900 just yet. The Windows Phone experience is impressive even on single-core chipsets and the OS is beautifully simple and charmingly social. The proprietary apps are a major lift too - Nokia Reading was recently added to the familiar Drive, Maps and Music.

It will be a while before the new WP8 devices start hitting the market, so the Nokia Lumia 900 will be the Windows Phone flagship for a good few months. With a shadow always looming over it, the Lumia 900 will stand tall or fall short. But it won't go unnoticed.

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Huawei Ascend P1 review: Up and comer

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Nokia 808 PureView review: Photo Finnish

The Nokia 808 PureView is the best cameraphone ever made. End of story. Now, how do you proceed from there? And why is this particular phone so hard to write about? How about because a picture is worth a thousand words and we just had a truckload of them in the mother of all shootouts? Or is it because 41 megapixels is more than five, eight, twelve, or the sum thereof, and there's no two ways about it?

Close, but no cigar. What could've easily been an ode to Finnish awesomeness may be no more than a flash in the dark for struggling Nokia and the still-standing-against-all-odds Symbian. That's what makes it hard and we've been there with the Nokia N9.

 
Nokia 808 PureView official photos

At different points in its history, Nokia has had the best-selling phone, the best business phone, the best gaming phone, the best cameraphone and the best smartphone. At one particular time, they even had all of the above in one go. Honest to god, if there ever was anything like the best are-you-kidding-me phone and the best gimme-a-break phone, they would've been runners-up at least. Yeah, they were that good.

And yes, the Nokia 808 PureView camera is that good. They wanted something to maybe, just maybe, match the most basic of compact digicams. And they did so well that it scared the living daylights (and the low light) out of a Micro Four Thirds.

There goes the Nokia 808 PureView.

38 megapixel autofocus camera with xenon flash and 1080p@30fps video recordingTwo capture modes: 38MP/34MP full-res and 3MP/5MP/8MP PureViewCamera features: giant 1/1.2" camera sensor, mechanical shutter, ND filter, geotagging, face detection, up to 4x lossless digital zoomQuad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE supportPenta-band 3G with 14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support4" 16M-color AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of 640 x 360 pixel resolutionNokia Belle OS with Feature Pack 1Single-core 1.3 GHz ARM 11 CPU and 512 MB RAMWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with DLNA and UPnPmicroHDMI port for HD TV-out functionalityGPS receiver with A-GPS support and free voice-guided navigationDigital compass16GB on-board storage, expandable up to 32GB through the microSD card slotActive noise cancellation with a dedicated micDivX and XviD video supportBuilt-in accelerometer and proximity sensorStandard 3.5 mm audio jackStereo FM Radio with RDS, FM transmittermicroUSB port with USB On-the-go supportStereo Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DPNFC supportSmart and voice dialingScratch resistant Gorilla glass displaySymbian ecosystem lags behind Android and iOSnHD resolution wears thin on the 4" screenThe phone is quite bulky and heavyRelatively limited 3rd party software availabilitymicroSIM support

The 808 PureView has no business with cameraphones as we know them. It can look down at any of the smartphone flagships of the competition and make fun of their so-called advanced camera tricks. But guess what - it doesn't. It's so much better than that.

And of course the flipside is that the smartphone is not of the same order as the cameraphone. The Symbian-powered Nokia 808 PureView knows darn well it cannot match the quad-cores, HD screens and the app stores of the competition.

 
Nokia 808 PureView in our office

So, what's it then? Sort of the fat kid, and not too bright? It may as well be - but hang on. You may have a use for a sharpshooter in your team. Stuff movies are made of. Grabs you by the heart.

The Nokia 808 PureView has a whole review ahead and we don't think it's going to try and impress anyone, or make them change their mind. But you'd do well to pay attention. This is a phone that knows what it's doing and does it well.

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Samsung Galaxy S III US edition review: Blockbuster

In a fashion, dramatically different that the one from last year, the US version of the Samsung Galaxy S III has arrived on the market. There is no waiting, measured in months like in the case of the smartphone's predecessor. This time, Samsung made sure that its flagship will arrive to the most lucrative market in a timely manner.

 
The Samsung Galaxy S III is available for all major US carriers, but all versions look the same

The above event however is hardly the most important thing about the newly launched smartphone. It's the handset's design and, to be more specific, the lack of any changes to it, compared to the I9300 which impresses the most. For the first time ever, Samsung's Android flagship has arrived to the Land of the Free sans any cosmetic changes for all US carriers - a big deal any way you look at it.

The visuals of the US Galaxy S III might have remained unchanged, but the smartphone's internals have gone through a serious makeover. Gone is the Exynos chipset with quad-core CPU and Mali 400 GPU. In order to play nice with the 4G networks stateside, the Samsung Galaxy S III has received Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 silicon with two Krait CPU cores, clocked at 1.5GHz. In order to ease up the pain over the lost duo of CPU cores, the Yankee Galaxy S III has twice as much RAM, compared to its global sibling.

Here goes the full list of the US bound Samsung Galaxy S III features:

Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G support (carrier dependent)HSDPA and HSUPA support; LTE connectivity (carrier dependent)4.8" 16M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of HD (720 x 1280 pixel) resolution; Corning Gorilla Glass 2Android OS v4.0.4 with TouchWiz launcher1.5 GHz dual-core Krait CPU, Adreno 225 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon chipset, 2GB of RAM8 MP wide-angle lens autofocus camera with LED flash, face, smile and blink detection1080p HD video recording at 30fpsDual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, nGPS with A-GPS connectivity; GLONASS support, Digital compass16/32GB internal storage, microSD slotAccelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensorStandard 3.5 mm audio jackmicroUSB port with USB host and TV-out (1080p) support, MHL, chargingStereo Bluetooth v4.0FM radio with RDSGreat audio qualitySuper slim at only 8.6mm2MP secondary video-call cameraFull Flash for the web browserNFC supportDocument editorFile manager comes preinstalledExtremely rich video and audio codec supportImpressively large 2100 mAh batteryA body with dubious aestheticsNo dedicated camera keyS Voice is hardly as functional as ads might make you believe

As you can see above, the US Galaxy S III ticks every box an Android power user can imagine. The smartphone is simply loaded with talents - both in terms of hardware and software.

For those of you, who are in a hurry to bash the dual-core CPU of the handset, we suggest you wait until after we walk you through its benchmark scores. Chances are that your fears are unfounded. We have already put Qualcomm's latest silicon through its paces, and found it to be quite zippy. Besides, 2 gigs of RAM and LTE or 42Mbps HSDPA connectivity are not exactly a bad tradeoff.

Design is entirely a matter a personal taste. We can attest however, that the smartphone will easily grow on you over a serously short period of time.

 
Samsung Galaxy S III US version live photos

As you have probably guessed by now, the hype surrounding the US bound Samsung Galaxy S III is huge. So are the expectations. Continue reading to find out if the handset lives up to both. As always, we'll begin with an unboxing, followed by a design and build quality inspection.

Editorial: The Samsung Galaxy S III is available in a number of carrier versions in the US. There's one for AT&T (SGH-I747), one for T-Mobile (SGH-T999), one for Sprint (SPH-L710), another one for Verizon (SCH-I535) and another one for U.S. Cellular (SCH-R530). We had the AT&T and the Sprint versions for testing. You should rest assured that hardware- and software-wise all the carrier versions are the same so the findings in this product review apply to them all.

You also might notice that this review doesn't include all of our proprietary tests. The reason is it has been prepared and written in the States, far away from our office and test lab. Still, we think we've captured the essence of the phone in the same precise, informative and detailed way that's become our trademark. Enjoy the good read!

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Nokia Lumia 610 review: Basement window

According to recent estimates Nokia's smartphone sales could really use a boost. The Finns are putting most of their hopes on the WP flagship Lumia 900 and the Symbian 808 PureView cameraphone, but the one we're about to review might come in quite handy too.

 
Nokia Lumia 610 official pictures

The Nokia Lumia 610 is a simple phone with a simple goal: make the Windows Phone experience even more accessible. This basic smartphone is priced to not gather dust on the shelves and you can guess the features aren't exactly top notch. But this is where the Lumia 610 is perhaps more fortunate than its expensive siblings. It must be harder for the likes of the Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 to get away with some of the platform's limitations.

The Lumia 610 looks a lot like the 710 on the outside, but has less-capable hardware inside. Now, that means even tighter limits on what the phone can do but it's an entry-level smartphone after all. Focusing on what you get rather than on what's missing is the right attitude in this price range. And that's exactly what we're going to do in the following lists.
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE supportQuad-band 3G with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support3.7" 65K-color LCD capacitive touchscreen of WVGA resolution5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, VGA video @30fps Windows Phone 7.5 OS (Refresh)800MHz ARM Cortex-A5 CPU, Adreno 200 GPU, 256MB of RAM, Qualcomm MSM7227A chipsetWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/nGPS receiver with A-GPS support and free lifetime voice-guided navigationDigital compass8GB on-board storageActive noise cancellation with a dedicated micBuilt-in accelerometer and proximity sensorStandard 3.5 mm audio jack; FM Radio with RDSmicroUSB portBluetooth v2.1 with A2DP and EDRDeep and coherent SNS integration throughout the interfaceSome apps are incompatible due to low RAM No Flash or Silverlight support in browserNo USB mass storage (Zune-only file management and sync)No video calls and no front-facing camera No memory card slotmicroSIM card slotNo native DivX/XviD support, videos have to be Zune-transcodedNo HD recording or playback, due to hardware limitationsWill probably be stuck on this Windows Phone version for good
The long list of cons might ring a lot of bells and, if you are familiar with the Windows Phone OS you already know most of them are platform-wide limitations. On the other hand, familiarity with the OS most probably takes you off the list of potential Lumia 610 targets. It's rather a beginner's smartphone, one that will introduce you to WP7 if you're ready to move on from feature phones.

Users with no smartphone experience are less likely to be concerned about the amount of RAM. In fact, people with some experience with older Symbian will see nothing wrong with 256MB. What it actually means is there's no HD video recording and playback. Some apps, like Skype and Angry Birds will not run due to insufficient memory, but you should be getting the same solid set of features for the most part.

Sony Xperia U review: Fun united

The Xperia S has all the spotlight to itself in the NXT series, but history has taught us that Sony (and previously Sony Ericsson) can do wonders in the compact class. In two generations of minis and the Xperia ray, the Japanese have delivered packages that no one in the same price range can beat.

Sony Xperia U official photos

We are not saying those smartphones were perfect - it's all about cutting the right corners in this class and Sony's engineers have proven time and time again that they are pretty good at that. The Xperia U is seemingly no exception, judging by a quick glance at the list of pros and cons.

Quad-band GSM /GPRS/EDGE support3.5" 16M-color capacitive touchscreen of Full WVGA resolution (854 x 480 pixels) with Sony Mobile BRAVIA engineAndroid OS v2.3.7 Gingerbread, planned Android 4.0 ICS updateDual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, 512 MB RAM, NovaThor U8500 chipset5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geotagging, Multi Angle shot720p video recording @ 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo soundWi-Fi b/g/n and DLNAGPS with A-GPS8 GB built-in storage (6 GB user-accessible)microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1Standard 3.5 mm audio jackStereo FM radio with RDSVoice dialingAdobe Flash 11 supportDeep Facebook integrationAccelerometer and proximity sensorTransparent stripe changes color depending on screen contentReplaceable cap at the bottom allows easy customizationLimited storage with no expansion optionsNo Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of boxSome competitors are slimmer

The Sony Xperia U specs sheet reads like a high-end device for the most part and the design of the smartphone easily manages to keep pace. Sure it's not the slim sweetness of the Xpera ray, but the Xperia U is still nicely compact and the transparent strip, which changes its color to match the screen contents, is a cool accent.

Sony Xperia U at ours

The obvious catch is the very limited internal storage - 4GB for your documents and media files and 2GB for apps is what you get out of the box and, if that's a deal breaker, you should probably start looking for other options as there's no way around it.

If you think this kind of storage (with some help from the cloud perhaps) will suffice, join us on the next page for the hardware inspection of what might turn out to be one of the hottest devices of the season.

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LG Optimus 3D Max P720 review: Remastered

It's been almost a year since the release of the original Optimus 3D from LG, and in that time we've been watching 3D technology continue to evolve. Undoubtedly you've seen the changes in your local cinema, and even your living room, if you happen to have a 3DTV. While it still hasn't permeated every aspect of our reality as in Total Recall or the likes, it's at a stage of budding infancy. Since the Optimus 3D, LG have been the only big-name manufacturer to stick to their guns in the 3D smartphone market. There's been nothing official about a potential EVO 3D sequel by HTC and it's a safe bet to say that the cutting-edge of mobile 3D technology can be found in the Optimus 3D Max.

LG Optimus 3D Max official photos

It's hard to look at the 3D Max apart from its 3D viewing and recording capabilities - after all, it has 3D in the title. But beyond that, the phone can present some solid credentials, even by today's standards. There's the dual-core processor, dual-lens 5MP stereoscopic camera, as well as full HD capabilities. It's not as loaded as some of the latest flagships, but it's got enough power to run whatever you throw at it without a hitch.

With the 3D Max, LG has improved on the original we saw last year while choosing to keep most of the internals the same.

Quad-band GSM and 3G support21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA4.3" 16M-color capacitive LCD stereoscopic touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)Android OS v2.3 Gingerbread with LG 3D UIDual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, TI OMAP4430 chipset1 GB RAM8GB internal storageDual 5 MP autofocus cameras, LED flash; stereoscopic 3 MP pictures, face detection and geotagging1080p@30fps video recording, stereoscopic 720p@30fps videosGorilla Glass 2Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNAGPS with A-GPSStereo FM radio with RDSmicroSD slot up to 32GBAccelerometer, proximity sensor and an auto-brightness sensorFront facing camera with video callsStandard 3.5 mm audio jackmicroUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v3.0, MHL TV-outSmart dialing, voice dialingDivX/XviD video supportPolaris Office document editorInnovative gesture controlsDolby Mobile and SRS sound enhancementRuns GingerbreadLess than impressive camera performanceStill limited third-party 3D apps marketQuestionable outdoor performanceNot the best dual-core performance, Got rid of the microHDMI port, MHL instead

With such similar specifications, you're not going to see much difference from a hardware standpoint. That said, the Optimus 3D Max is 2mm thinner and 20g lighter than its predecessor, and when held in hand, it feels noticeably less bulky than the original. The 3D Max now looks more like an "ordinary" smartphone. The camera bump of the original Oprimus 3D is gone and, with a pleasantly textured back panel, the Max has a much more streamlined design. Considering the minor upgrades, LG has done well to make it a standard-looking package with an extra bonus, rather than a huge device that looks like it must do something special.

LG Optimus 3D Max live pictures

Enough spoilers - join us after the jump for the actual hardware tour.

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