Latest Tech Updates: Best mobile phone 2011

Latest Tech Updates: Best mobile phone 2011: "First look: Samsung Google Nexus SGoogle's third foray into the smartphone market has arrived in the form of the Samsung Google Nexus S. Fin..."

Best mobile phone 2011

First look: Samsung Google Nexus S

Google's third foray into the smartphone market has arrived in the form of the Samsung Google Nexus S. Find out how it handles.

 The Samsung Google Nexus S is a consumer-friendly smartphone that runs on the latest Android operating system 2.3 Gingerbread.

Boasting a 1GHz Cortex A8 application processor, a 5-megapixel camera with inbuilt flash, a 4in Super AMOLED touch screen and a dedicated GPU, the Google Nexus S is suitably well-equipped for today's mobile lifestyle. Other highlights include the ability to turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot, VoIP/SIP support, Google Maps 5.0 with Navigation and a 3-axis gyroscopic sensor that can be used for gaming.

Attractive, lightweight and packed with features, the Samsung Google Nexus S is a hard phone not to like. On the downside, its browser could be a bit speedier, and the lack of expandable memory may see you filling up its 16GB flash drive fast. It’s also tied exclusively to the Vodafone network in Australia, with no official way to buy the phone outright.

Despite these foibles, the Samsung Google Nexus S remains a solid addition to the Android fold. While not quite an ‘iPhone-killer’, it nonetheless gives it a pretty good mauling.

Latest Tech Updates: HTC EVO a 3D innovation

Latest Tech Updates: HTC EVO a 3D innovation: "The HTC EVO 3D is the first phone to accommodate 3D technology, not to mention, 3D without glasses. The HTC EVO 3D features a 4.3' qH..."

HTC EVO a 3D innovation

The HTC EVO 3D is the first phone to accommodate 3D technology, not to mention, 3D without glasses.  The HTC EVO 3D features a 4.3" qHD screen that shows glasses-free 3D imagery and two 5MP cameras to capture stereoscopic stills and video. 3D videos are shot in 720p resolution but 3D stills are limited to 2MP for some reason. 

 The EVO 3D packs the first ever (official) Snapdragon dual-core CPU and also the first ever 1.2GHz Snapdragon. It packs 1GB of RAM, running Android 2.3 Gingerbread with HTC Sense. 

The phone measures 126mm x 65mm x 12.05mm and packs a mammoth 1730mAh battery - it weighs a hefty 170 grams though. The HTC EVO 3D packs MHL (the port that combines USB and HDMI), Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, microSD card slot and other goodies.


Below are some snapshots of the HTC EVO 3D

 

Latest Tech Updates: iPad 2: a heart breaking story

Latest Tech Updates: iPad 2: a heart breaking story: "Have you been thinking of getting the iPad 2 lately? If yes, then here are five reasons why you should wait a bit. No USB, flash or expanda..."

iPad 2: a heart breaking story

Have you been thinking of getting the iPad 2 lately? If yes, then here are five reasons why you should wait a bit.

No USB, flash or expandable memory
When the iPad came out, customers were seriously disappointed at the fact that it didn't have of what we've come to view as very basic features: a USB port, Flash Support and an SD card slot for expandable memory.
These absences were quite roundly criticised on all corners of the globe; Apple could hardly fail to be aware of it. So when the iPad 2 specs were announced, the continued lack of support for Flash, USB and SD was more than a little conspicuous.

Competition
In a few months, the tablet market is going to be flooded; the much-hyped Motorola Xoom, BlackBerry PlayBook, HTC Flyer, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and LG Optimus Tab are expected to hit Aussie shelves. If you don't have a tablet computer yet, a little longer isn't going to kill you to wait and see if the competition measures up.

No retina display
Owners of the new iPhone 4 and iPod touch were delighted by the presence of a retina display and it was much anticipated that the iPad 2 would accommodate the same. Instead the same old 1024x768 resolution, which means that you rather wait for Motorola's Xoom if you want to watch High definition shows.

Upgraded features? Not really..
The upgrades from the iPad one to the iPad 2 were disappointingly few. There's a new dual core processor which makes it a bit faster, two cameras one facing front, one rear (now who's going to walk around taking photos with an iPad); a new OS with just tiny tweaks; and a slimmer, lighter body. That's about it, what? Like 5 differences???

iPad 3
Apple likes to update every year, so it's highly likely there will be a new iPad this time next year. Also likely it will be slimmer again, lighter, include that better screen, and faster yet. And who knows, maybe if enough people skip the iPad 2, Apple will open its resolutely closed ears and introduce Flash, USB and SD support... though don't hold your breath.
 

Latest Tech Updates: Nintendo 3DS: review

Latest Tech Updates: Nintendo 3DS: review: "The Nintendo 3DS has finally arrived and with it, the next generation of handheld gaming. With glasses-less 3D and graphics that rival tha..."

Nintendo 3DS: review

The Nintendo 3DS has finally arrived and with it, the next generation of handheld gaming. With glasses-less 3D and graphics that rival that of Nintendo’s own Wii console, the 3DS is certainly going to turn some heads and gain a lot of attention.

 The 3DS is roughly the same size as the Nintendo DSi, but the long-time DSi faithfuls will notice that the 3DS has more bulk. The two screens on the 3D handheld are not the same size, instead the top screen (which utilizes the new 3D technology) is longer and is used to feature a wide screen aspect ratio. One of the biggest differences about the 3DS’ layout is the addition of a (well-needed) joystick. The stick feels loose but is very precise.

 The glasses-less 3D technology is obviously the key selling point of the Nintendo 3DS and for the most part it works pretty well. Once you’ve established a “sweet spot,” the 3D effects really do work quite well.

While the Nintendo 3DS’ 3D is indeed its biggest feature, people won’t be able to enjoy it for elongated amounts of time, not because of the 3D strain on your eyes, but because the 3DS’ battery life lasts only three hours. After the battery dies it takes roughly three hours to completely recharge the unit.

Nintendo has also finally implemented online and a friends list which is a nice addition. The ability to see when your friends are or aren’t online is a much needed feature, but it’s certainly not the best online interface there is. One major downside to the new online setup is the inability to send messages to friends who are online.

 The Nintendo 3DS is truly a step into the next generation of gaming, but that doesn’t mean it’s without any problems. My recommendation to those who are still on the fence about the 3DS is to just hold off a little bit longer. That way they’ll be able to enjoy some of the Triple-A titles that didn’t make it in time for launch, as well as purchase some old-school classics from the GameBoy and GameBoy Color era on the eStore. The system is going to be a must-own in the very near future, but right now it just doesn’t live up to the price it’s been given(300 bucks).

Latest Tech Updates: New PSP, the Next-generation Portable

Latest Tech Updates: New PSP, the Next-generation Portable: "The new PSP codenamed NGP will revolve around five key concepts: Revolutionary User Interface, Social Connectivity, Location-based Entertai..."

New PSP, the Next-generation Portable

The new PSP codenamed NGP will revolve around five key concepts: Revolutionary User Interface, Social Connectivity, Location-based Entertainment, Converging Real and Virtual (augmented) Reality.

Specs include a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 5-inch touchscreen OLED display with 960 x 544 resolution, dual analog sticks (not nubs as on the current generation), 3G, WiFi, GPS, a rear-mounted touchpad, the same accelerometer / gyroscope motion sensing as in the PlayStation Move, an electronic compass, and cameras on both the front and back. Though games will come on "new media", not UMD's.

At Sony's live event some demos of pretty popular games were played; games including: Killzone, Resistance, Little Big Planet, and Uncharted -- with the latter serving as a demo platform to show off how the NGP's rear touchpad can be used to more intuitively climb up some vines.

The new console's UI will be called LiveArea, which has a bunch of vertically navigable home screens and built-in social networking through PlayStation Network. You can jump between games and the LiveArea without losing your progress and comment on your buddies' great feats of mobile gaming.

In closing its presentation, Sony trotted out Hideo Kojima to show off a cutscene from MGS 4 rendered in real time on the NGP. It was pulled directly from the PS3 version of the game and ran at 20fps, which looked very smooth.