The big Microsoft event came and went and there wasn’t even a word about Windows Phone 7.8. Joe Belfiore and co didn’t even announce a date when the update will be released, but it will probably be a while after WP8 hits the shelves (which is already happening).
Whoever is managing the Windows Phone Italia Facebook page was more talkative, however, and answered a question from a fan, revealing the new features that v7.8 will bring. The response has been deleted since.
The list includes the new homescreen (which we already knew), something called 'Club', which we guess is Rooms, Xbox Music and SmartGlass.
Facebook is hardly a reliable source of info, but the features listed seem quite probable - we already know about the homescreen, Rooms and SmartGlass are available for other OSes too, so it's unlikely they will be excluded from WP7.8 and Xbox Music will bring the existing user base to Microsoft's new music service.
In case you don't know yet, Windows Phone 7.8 will be released for 7 and 7.5 devices, as the old hardware won't get updated to WP8.
The home screen is about all that changes with 7.8
While Windows Phone 8 early adopters eagerly await for the first handsets to arrive in the next few days, current Windows Phone users may have to hold out a bit longer for their OS update.
Chinese tech blog WPDang cited unspecified sources that claim that Windows Phone 7.8 will make its debut pre-installed on a new line of low-end WP7 handsets four to six weeks after the Windows Phone 8 launch.
Only after the new handsets hit the market will carriers start pushing the 7.8 update to subscribers.
Microsoft may not be looking for any news to distract from the new Windows Phone 8 smartphones, so it is difficult to be skeptical about rumors of a delayed 7.8 launch.
Windows Phone 8 stealing the spotlight
While the Windows Phone 7.8 update will miss out on most of the new features for Windows Phone 8, it will bring Wi-Fi tethering to legacy smartphones.
Also look for WP7.8 to include an updated home screen with live tiles that take advantage of the entire screen space.
A Nokia document hinted that the camera software on its WP7 smartphones will also see an upgrade, though other OEMs have not made similar announcements.
WP7 users will still miss out on new Windows Phone 8 features, like true multi-tasking, NFC support, over-the-air updates, multi-core processor support and IE 10.
Research In Motion boss Thorsten Heins has announced that devices running the firm's next-generation OS, BlackBerry 10, are now being tested by carriers around the world, keeping it on course for release early next year. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has said it will continue to use BlackBerry devices in its work.
It’s encouraging. It’s a step in the right direction. It might mean Research In Motion (RIM) really will fulfill its promise of a first-quarter 2013 launch of its next-generation BlackBerry 10 OS and handsets.
RIM CEO Thorsten Heins announced in a statement on Wednesday that handsets running the new OS were now being tested by more than 50 carriers worldwide.
Heins said reaching the testing phase meant the company had “passed a critical milestone” in the development of its new mobile computing platform.
“The hard work will not stop here as we build towards launch,” Heins said in the statement, adding, “Our developer teams are continuing to generate momentum to bring a wealth of applications to BlackBerry 10, our enterprise teams have started to present BlackBerry 10 devices and services to our business customers, and our engineers are fully mobilized to ensure that BlackBerry 10 launches flawlessly in the first quarter of 2013.”
In an interview with the BBC last week, Heins urged consumers not to underestimate “the dynamic [BlackBerry 10] is going to create in the market.”
In other news involving the mobile company, the Pentagon made clear this week that it would carry on supporting “large numbers” of BlackBerry handsets despite going ahead with plans to allow the US military to use other devices such as the iPhone.
“The Defense Information Systems Agency is managing an enterprise email capability that continues to support large numbers of RIM devices,” a spokesman told Reuters this week. A number of government agencies and businesses have said in the last year they would be issuing staff with iOS or Android devices, ending long-standing contracts with BlackBerry. While the Pentagon also appears to be relaxing its association with RIM, things are so serious at the Canadian company that the defense agency’s announcement that it’s not switching entirely to rival devices will actually be perceived as good news by many.
The BlackBerry was once the phone of choice for many agencies and firms thanks largely to its strong security features. However, security on rival handsets such as Apple’s iPhone and a number of Android-powered devices has improved over time, offering an alternative to the BlackBerry.
The launch of RIM’s next-generation OS and handsets is its make-or-break moment. Perhaps the Canadian mobile maker – once the country’s most valuable company – can still turn things around, remain a viable player in the mobile game and consequently help to keep competitors on their toes.
Activision's bid to conquer the mobile gaming market continues as the company announces a new Game Center-style social network called Activate and two new Skylanders titles for mobile devices.
Activision has started its fall blitz. Licensed small fries like 007 Legends and Wipeout 3 are getting back up from giants like the appropriately named sequel Skylanders: Giants and the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Even as Activision goes for broke chasing the console gamer dollar, the company continues to expand its meager mobile gaming operations.
The latest mobile gaming effort from Activision is Activate, the company’s new mobile gaming network. Described as a social platform, Activate is Activision’s answer to Apple’s Game Center, Amazon’s GameCircle, GREE’s OpenFeint, DeNA’s Mobage and even Microsoft’s Xbox Live. Users can login to the Activate network using their Facebook ID and password or create a specific account and then look at features common to these types of services. Friends lists, achievements, cloud saves, etc.
Activision hasn’t announced a start date for Activate, but when it is ready for primetime, the company will have a significant weapon for differentiating itself in the mobile market: Skylanders. Billed as the company’s “next billion dollar franchise,” the announcement of Activate came alongside the reveal of two new mobile Skylanders games, Skylanders: Lost Islands and Skylanders: Battlegrounds. The former is a resource management game, not unlike Farmville, while the later is a way to bulk up Skylanders characters and action figures that can be used in the console game as well. Both games will have social features supported by Activate.
Activision will also bring Activate support to older titles like last year’s iOS game Skylanders: Cloud Patrol. The new mode for that game will be a shooting game called Showdown, and if a player beats the score of anyone on their Activate friends list, the earn more in-game currency.
After ignoring the booming mobile market for years, licensing out its properties to other developers, Activision seems to have found the perfect blend of services and properties to become a player in the field. It already invested heavily in opening new mobile studios this year, like the UK-based Blast Furnace, whose Pitfall! reboot came out in August. It also partnered with Flurry in June to promote indie mobile games on iOS devices.
How big is Activision’s potential audience for Activate? It’s sold 30 million Skylanders toys alone in the past year. That’s a whole lot of people already spending on small goods beyond the game, so microtransactions in the games on Activate are a sure thing.
The fourth-generation iPad, or iPad 4, appears to be a major upgrade over the third-gen iPad 3, according to new benchmark tests.
Apple executives including CEO Tim Cook took the stage at a special press conference last Tuesday to introduce the new iPad, along with the iPad Mini and other new devices.
"This 4th generation is a powerhouse," Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller told the audience and viewers. "What's inside it? A new chip, the A6X. It doubles the performance of CPU tasks."
That's a big promise, but according to the latest report, Schiller's claim that the iPad 4 has double the power may have even been a little conservative.
The numbers don't lie
In TechRadar's side-by-side comparison of the iPad 4 and iPad 3, we noted that the new Apple tablet, dubbed the "iPad with Retina display" despite the last iPad carrying the same screen, might not be a significant upgrade.
But according to a new report from Slashgear, the iPad 4 has more than twice the processing power of its predecessor.
That may in fact be due to Apple's new A6 chip. The benchmark results indicate that the iPad 4's A6 chip clocks in at 1.4GHz, up from the last iPad's 1GHz A5 processor.
The iPad 4's quad-core graphics likely don't hurt, either, and the device doesn't appear to suffer from having the same 1GB of RAM that the last iPad did.
Apple's new A6 chip is also found in the iPhone 5, where it clocks in at 1.3GHz, and according to the same benchmark report, the latest iPhone more than doubles the iPad 3's power as well.
Is it worth an upgrade?
Apple revealed some interesting figures during the iPad press conference, including that 100 million iPads have been sold, and that iPads make up 91 percent of all tablet web traffic.
Apple's previous iPad, the third-gen model with Retina display, was released in March, so some users might be understandably hesitant to upgrade to the iPad 4.
The fourth-gen Apple tablet is priced starting at $US499/£399/AUD$539 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version, while $US629/£499/AUD$679 is the starting price for the same size iPad 4 with LTE data.
Windows Phone 8 phones are coming out this fall, marking the next phase of Microsoft's grand Windows 8 transformation. The company says that video games will help the mobile platform thrive, but the company's made the same claims before and failed.
This time! This time we will actually stake our claim in the mobile market! That’s Microsoft’s message with Windows Phone 8, the next generation of its mobile operating system and entertainment ecosystem. Past efforts like 2010’s Windows Phone 7 and Microsoft’s subsequent partnership with Nokia, as well as the iPhone 1 contemporary Windows Mobile 6 and its half-step successors 6.1 and 6.5, have barely kept Microsoft alive in the smartphone market dominated by Google’s Android and Apple’s devices. When Windows Phone 8 arrives in November, says Microsoft, it will finally have a worthy platform and you can tell by the games that support it.
On Monday, Microsoft hosted a debut event for its new mobile platform, promising that its digital app market will be every bit as robust as its competitors. While Microsoft’s boast of having 120,000 apps available in the Windows Phone Store may seem wan compared to the iOS App Store’s more than 700,000 apps, the company proudly claims that it will have the most popular titles on its machine. Temple Run, Disney’s Where’s My Water, Rovio earners like Angry Birds Star Wars are just some of the games backed by entertainment apps like Pandora. Zynga is also onboard with its recognizable time consumers like Draw Something and Words With Friends.
Xbox Live support for games sold in the Windows Phone Store, as well as Windows Phone 8’s built-in compatibility with Xbox 360 and Windows 8 PCs will, Microsoft’s thinking goes, make the HTC, Samsung and Nokia handsets carrying the OS attractive to people who want the complete home entertainment experience. The Xbox brand and the Xbox 360 home console are feathers in Microsoft’s cap considering that Google and Apple don’t have products in that space. Development for the platform will also be easy for publishers. Microsoft claims that porting Xbox-branded games between Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and Windows RT is simple.
The truth is, though, that Microsoft has performed this song and dance before. Microsoft held a massive event at the Gamescom conference in 2010 to debut its first wave of Xbox Live-branded games for Windows Phone 7. “Windows Phone 7 is the launch of a major gaming platform for Microsoft,” said the company’s GM of mobile gaming Matt Booty, “Just like we’ve done with Xbox 360, our charter is to push the envelope and deliver definitive games that maximize the platform. We will have an incredible lineup of MGS titles, and that’s just the beginning.”
Microsoft has sold 70 million Xbox 360s over the past seven years, so there’s no denying the company’s power as a gaming platform holder. The Xbox name and Microsoft’s game business savvy didn’t help Windows Phone 7, though. As of August, the platform controls just 3.5 percent of the global smartphone market. If Windows Phone 8 is going to succeed where Windows Phone 7 failed as a gaming machine, it will need more than just the same games everyone else has.
Verizon nabs another exclusive with the Spectrum 2 by LG
Verizon Wireless scored yet another exclusive for its 4G LTE network with the LG Spectrum 2 - but you'll need to get online if you're in the market for one right away.
Taking a break from its usual Thursday new product introductions, Verizon Wireless and LG Electronics USA announced the debut of the Spectrum 2 on Tuesday, a budget-priced Android 4.0 handset perfectly paired with the nation's largest 4G LTE network.
Available online starting today for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year agreement, the Spectrum 2 by LG offers a 4.7-inch IPS True HD screen with Corning Gorilla Glass, Snapdragon S4 Krait 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM and near-field communications (NFC) chip for sharing contacts, maps and websites with others.
If you'd rather head to your nearby Verizon Wireless store, you may have a bit of a wait ahead - the LG Spectrum 2 is only available online for now, with retail availability promised "in the coming weeks."
Smart sharing (and more)
Although the LG Spectrum 2 is arriving out of the gate with last year's Ice Cream Sandwich flavor of Android, the smartphone comes packed with a wide range of other features to help level the playing field.
The global and Mobile Hotspot-ready LG Spectrum 2 includes an 8MP rear-facing camera capable of recording full 1080p HD video along with a 1.3MP front-facing camera for video chats over Verizon's fast 4G LTE network.
LG also includes Smart Share for wirelessly viewing photos or watching videos on any DLNA-enabled device, while the Advanced Image Editor and Video Wiz features make short work of sprucing up anything you shoot with it.
Reprogrammable LG Tag+ stickers can be used to create special smartphone modes just by tapping the NFC-equipped Spectrum 2 against them, perfect for customized home, car and office use.
The Spectrum 2 by LG is also capable of wireless charging when using a unique battery cover included in the box, with an optional $24.99 Premium Sleeve with Smart Display also available for keeping up-to-date with your notifications.
Steal it if you want - I've got five more in my bag
Chip designer ARM has announced new products that will bring high end performance to budget handsets.
The firm has unveiled the new Cortex-A53 and Cortex-A57 chip designs, which will allow partners like Samsung (through its chip manufacturing department) to bring out phones that are more power efficient but with far more raw grunt under the hood.
At the high end of things, the new architecture will allow consumers to get their hands on phones which are three times more efficient at using the apps we all mess around with today – leading to massive power savings or allowing more effort to be put into the high-drain tasks like photo and video processing.
But given the smarpthone explosion is continuing apace globally, the notion of having quad core processors in sub £100/$100/AUS$100 handsets thanks to the A53 architecture means app developers will have a much more stable base of handsets to code to - something ARM is keen on, as it told TechRadar in a recent interview.
Note: big.LITTLE is a good name for a sitcom
The other benefits of the A53 and A57 options means the two can be combined using ARM's big.LITTLE mashup, which means ultra low power when nothing is going on with the phone but instantly spring into life and begin recording Full HD video without a pause.
The size savings are also on offer here, which means manufacturers can make ever smaller handsets with increased cost savings for the consumers (or themselves, those evil geniuses) when the new chipsets start landing in phones.
However, this won't be a swift process; like with all chip designs, it takes ages to cycle through to something in consumers' hands, with these designs going through the manufacturers' test rooms in the next 18 months before turning up in a phone or tablet at your local Phones4U in the by 2014… on the plus side, if you start saving now you can buy LOADS of the phones.
Huawei is the latest manufacturer to join in the phablet race and it sets its sights on the Galaxy Note II, Oppo Find 5, Optimus Vu and the Pantech Vega R3. The company just unveiled the Ascend D2 and it's been showcased in China and promised to bring it to the (local) market in early 2013.
The highlights of the Huawei Ascend D2's specs sheet include a 5" screen of an unknown resolution, a quad-core processor with four 1.5 GHz cores (probably the home-backed K3V), a 13 MP snapper on the back and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean installed. There's also a 1.3 MP front-facing camera and 3000 mAh battery.
Windows Phone 8 might be officially out, but the Windows Phone 7.8 update is nowhere to be found. Microsoft even ignored the matter during the press conference yesterday.
Latest online rumor has it, the Windows Phone 7.8 will be released a few weeks after the first WP8 devices hit the shelves. Then we would have to wait for the first wave of cheap WP7.8 devices that will run the release out of the box and later all old-gen Windows Phone handsets will get the update as an OTA or via Zune.
We guess all of the previous Windows Phone owners would have to wait at least a month to get the goodies brought by the 7.8 update. Let's hope the update will be worth the wait.
Our hands-on impressions of the Nokia Lumia 822, one of a few Windows Phone 8 devices that will soon be available on Verizon Wireless. It packs a punch, especially for its $50 price.
If you’re a fan of Windows Phone but a subscriber of Verizon, you’ve lived an unfortunate two years. Only one Windows Phone was released on Verizon, and it wasn’t a particularly great one (the HTC Trophy). However, after a lot of work, Microsoft has finally convinced the big red carrier to get onboard with Windows Phone 8. A number of LTE-enabled Windows Phones are coming to Verizon and the Lumia 822 will be the most budget-friendly of the pack at only $50.
The 822 does not feel as svelte as other Nokia phones, like the Lumia 820 and 920, but it’s heft isn’t uncomfortable either. I found it quite comfortable to hold, and because the back cover can be removed, you can buy extra 1800mAh batteries if you travel a lot. That cover also holds Nokia’s new wireless charging technology, so you can actually charge your phone with any one of a number of wireless base stations that do away with the fuss of Micro USB cables, though you can charge the 822 the old fashioned way, as well.
On the inside, the Lumia 822 packs some decent processing power with a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor (same one as the Samsung Galaxy S3), 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal file storage, an 8-megapixel auto-focus rear camera with dual LED flash, and 4G LTE connectivity. The screen is a lower 800 x 480 pixels — the same resolution as all Windows Phones up until now — but the 4.3-inch OLED display looks fantastic with Windows Phone. OLED screens give off particularly vibrant color and have the deepest blacks (black pixels aren’t backlit at all), which help the Lumia’s screen look good even at a lower resolution. Compared to competing budget Windows Phones, Nokia doesn’t appear to be skimping on much outside of the resolution.
Windows Phone 8 is different looking than iPhone or Android at first, thanks to its unique Start screen full of Live Tiles, but experienced users and beginners should be able to pick it up pretty quick. The OS builds on previous versions of Microsoft’s smartphone operating system in some solid ways. Verizon is the first carrier that will allow the OS’s Data Sense feature, which lets you easily monitor your data usage for the month, and see which apps are hogging your bandwidth. Features like this are becoming essential now that carriers are heavily metering data usage.
The Lumia appears to be a more durable phone than others, which might serve you well if you have kids (or are just accident-prone). Windows Phone has a new feature called Kids Corner that lets you create a special Start screen filled with only the apps, music, videos, and other content that you specifically approve, allowing you to hand your kid the phone without worrying whether he or she will dig into Settings and delete everything, or screw up something else. Read our hands-on with Windows Phone 8 to learn more about these features, and others.
For $150 – $250 less than a top-of-the-line smartphone, the Lumia 822 packs some decent processing power and memory. It’s not going to win awards for its design or screen resolution, but Windows Phone 8 is a solid operating system that’s worth checking out. If you’re going to renew over the holidays and have a budget, check out the Lumia 822. It will be out on Verizon Wireless for $50 by Thanksgiving weekend.
The Nexus 4's backside is very pretty, but the front is fairly unremarkable Android
After weeks of leaks the LG-made Google Nexus 4 phone was hardly a big surprise, but it's still a big deal: it's Google's latest flagship device, boasting cutting-edge hardware, some really nice design and one rather large omission.
Google's decision to offer it carrier-free is one of several reasons why the Nexus 4 doesn't do 4G LTE mobile broadband. Is the rest of the phone good enough to make up for the lack of 4G?
Google Nexus 4: US price and release date
In the US, the Nexus 4 is $299 for 8GB or $349 for 16GB, with the same 13 November release date, and as with the UK the Google Play models are sold unlocked without contracts. You'll also be able to get a 16GB Nexus 4 for $199 if you take it on a two-year T-Mobile contract.
Google Nexus 4: UK price and release date
The Nexus 4 will cost £239 for the 8GB model and £279 for the 16GB when it goes on sale on the 13th of November. That's unlocked, without a contract: you'll be able to buy it directly from Google and then choose whichever provider and plan you fancy.
The Nexus 4's beauty is on the inside: it's powered by a quad-core Snapdragon S4
Google Nexus 4: design
Photos don't really do justice to the Nexus 4's design: its back is a sheet of toughened glass with a holographic-style effect when you angle it towards the light. The front, however, is unremarkable Android.
Google Nexus 4: processor and RAM
Break open a Nexus 4 and you'll have two things: a broken phone, and a good look at Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4. It's a quad-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz and backed with 2GB of RAM, which means it should easily deliver Google's promise of its "snappiest smartphone yet".
Google Nexus 4: no 4G LTE
For a flagship smartphone, the Nexus 4 appears to be missing a fairly important feature: 4G LTE mobile broadband. Google says that the problem twofold: it would have stopped it selling carrier-free Nexus 4s due to lack of consistency, and it would have been a battery killer: 4G radios suck so much power that battery life would have been horrible.
Google Nexus 4: storage
Bad news for anyone who likes to add more storage to their smartphones: the Nexus 4 doesn't have a microSD card slot for additional memory. You're stuck with the factory-installed 16GB or 32GB storage capacity.
Google Nexus 4: display
The Nexus 4 screen is as good as the iPhone 5's, with 320 pixels per inch and lamination to bring the pixels closer to the surface of the screen. It's a 4.7-inch, 1280 x 768 panel, and the Gorilla Glass 2 is gently curved at the edges for smoother swiping.
Google Nexus 4: camera
The camera on the Nexus 4 is an 8MP, 1080p HD video-capable camera that can take Street View-style 360-degree panoramas, a feature Google calls Photo Sphere. If you have a Google+ account the camera's Instant Upload feature automatically sticks new shots in a private online album, and you can share your panoramas on Google Maps. Google says it's put lots of work into the camera's low-light performance
As you'd expect there's also a front-facing camera for Google Hangouts, with a resolution of 1.3MP and support for 720p video.
Google Nexus 4: operating system
It's Android, of course, and Jelly Bean version 4.2 introduces some key new features including lock screen widgets, Swype-style Gesture Typing, an overhauled Google Now and multiple user profiles. That latter one strikes us as more useful for tablets than for phones.
The Nexus 4 has the latest version of Android
Google Nexus 4: connectivity
Wireless support includes dual band 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4 and NFC for Android Beam, and there's a micro USB connector and SlimPort HDMI. 3G support includes HSPA+ at up to 42Mbps, and there's support for Miracast wireless displays.
Google Nexus 4: battery life and wireless charging
The battery in the Nexus 4 is a 2,100mAh Lithium Polymer battery that delivers a claimed ten hours. On that basis, it's probably for the best that the Nexus 4 doesn't do 4G LTE. What it does have, though, is wireless charging: Google's thrown its considerable weight behind the Qi wireless charging standard, and a wireless charging "orb" will be available as an optional extra.
Google Nexus 4: sensors
The Nexus 4 has a microphone, accelerometer, compass, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, barometer and GPS.
Google Nexus 4: dimensions and weight
The Nexus 4 is 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1mm and weighs 139g.
The new Samsung-made Nexus 10 uses the next-generation Exynos chipset - an Exynos 5 with two Cortex-A15 cores at 1.7GHz and Mali-604 GPU (the same chipset as the new Chromebook).
So, rumors that the next Samsung Galaxy S IV will use an Exynos 5 chipset should come as no surprise, but the rumor is dreaming bigger than we would have thought. It points to the Exynos 5450 - with a quad-core A15 processor, clocked at 2GHz and a beefier Mali-658 GPU.
We already saw early benchmarks of the 604 (which is a quad-core GPU), so the 658 should be wipe the floor with current GPUs (it's an octa-core GPU). We have yet to see Cortex-A15 benchmarks but it should easily top Krait's per-core performance.
Now, there's a bit of a problem - power usage. With four Cortex-A15 cores and eight GPU cores, even a big battery would be drained pretty quickly. The Exynos 5450 will be made on a 28nm process (instead of 32nm as the Exynos 5250) and the CPU will probably be downclocked to at least 1.7GHz, but even then battery might be an issue.
Anyway, we wouldn't be surprised to see an Exynos 5250 inside next year's Galaxy S flagship, but the 5450 - as awesome as it would be - might be be too much to ask so don't get your hopes too high.
Search giant Google has announced that there are now 700,000 applications available to download from its Google Play store.
Google Play, formerly known as Android Market, has been playing catch up to Apple's dominant App Store for years, but according to the big G it's finally caught up to its Cupertino-based rival.
Apple announced last year during the iPad mini and new iPad 4 launch event that its App Store packed over 700,000 applications, and now Google is saying the same.
Race is on
The number of apps in the App Store has always been a key boasting point for Apple at its events, and while it will still claim its offering is cleaner, safer and better than Google's all-for-one and one-for-all Play store, it's got a real fight on its hands.
It seems that Google and Apple are going head to head in almost every way imaginable, with law suits, budget tablets, mobile operating systems and next-gen smartphones all thrown in as they battle for supremacy.
Surely the next milestone is who can get 1 million apps in their store first, with Google currently the favourite thanks to the sheer speed of growth - but don't be surprised if Apple launches a fresh onslaught.
The UK's first 4G LTE network goes live today. EE, the network responsible, has at least six months advantage over its competitors and offers a range of tariffs and smartphones to customers eager for a high speed data connection. Provided, that is, they're willing to pay a premium.
The UK’s first 4G LTE network has gone live today, providing 11 cities around the country with a high speed data connection, and a choice of high performance smartphones to match.
It’s courtesy of the EE network, which is a re-branding of Everything Everywhere, the company formed after the merger of Orange and T-Mobile last year. It has also got the jump on its rivals too, as it was allowed to re-farm its 1800MHz spectrum for 4G use, while others must wait for the official spectrum auction to take place early next year before they can compete.
EE will be selling its 4G phones and contracts through a chain of 700 stores, although the only places where eager buyers will get a 4G signal is in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton. A further five cities will go online before the end of the year.
A wide selection of phones are available, including the Apple iPhone 5, the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE, the HTC One XL and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. The new Nokia Lumia 920 with Windows Phone 8 is an EE exclusive too, at least for a short while.
Prices start at £36 per month for unlimited calls and texts, plus 500MB of data, and continue up to £56 per month for 8GB of data. Many have complained about the high prices and the lack of an unlimited data package, forcing the network to defend itself in an interview with PCPro.co.uk, where it was claimed that the structure was based on existing usage statistics.
Early adopters happy to pay the higher charges, and live in the right area, can expect to enjoy being on the only 4G game in town until summer 2013, when Vodafone, O2 and Three expect to be able to offer an alternative.
The UK's first 4G network has officially gone live today as EE cuts the ribbon on its super-fast mobile and fibre broadband service.
While you can pick up an EE 4G contract anywhere in the country, you'll only be able to get those super-speeds in 11 major cities for now, rising to 16 by the end of the year.
If you fancy a bit of 4G action and live in London, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham or Southampton, then be prepared to shell out a significant amount of cash for the privilege.
Belfast, Derby, Hull, Nottingham and Newcastle are the other five cities which will be enjoying 4G before 2012 is over and there's a range of handsets ready to handle the super speedy network.
Two year contracts start at a princely £36 per month and you only get a paltry 500MB of data with that, while if you fancy 8GB, you'll need to fork out a staggering £56 each month.
Don't forget the upfront cost of your shiny new 4G handset as well, and if you're hoping there will be a range of free handsets then you're out of luck, as only the Ascend P1 can be picked up for free, and that's on tariffs starting at £41 per month.
It's great to see 4G finally arriving in the UK and we welcome it with open arms as we consider the possibilities the new network speeds will offer, but at it's current price it's certainly more of a luxury than anything else. We'll be interested to see what initial take-up is like.
We've also taken an in-depth look at the EE 4G tariffs to help you find the best deal for you.
As ever Google is hard at work making Android the best that it can be and the next step in that evolution is Android 4.2. Despite being a new version it's keeping the "Jelly Bean" moniker - perhaps to emphasize the fact that it's more a small update than a massive overhaul. There are still things to get excited about, though.
Photo Sphere
First up is "Photo Sphere." It's an addition to the camera app that's clearly been heavily inspired by the company's own "Street View" service. Essentially, it lets you move around while taking photos - look up and down and pan and it will capture everything in a series of connected images, right up to creating a full 360-degree panorama. Much like how you can look around in street view - just on a smaller scale.
"Photo Sphere" images are saved as JPEGS and you're not limited to viewing them on your Android device. You can view them on computers, email them or post them to Google+ (and presumably other social networks, too) and all the image data remains intact. You can also add the images to Google Maps and let the whole world see them.
Google Now
Google Now is getting a bit of a much-needed overhaul. This is happening in the form of a variety of new cards, adding new functionality to the service. With cards for flight information, hotel and restaurant reservations, shipping details, nearby attractions, movie times at local cinemas, concert information for artists that you like and interesting nearby photo spots, it should be more useful as a virtual assistant.
Android 4.2 also allows for multiple user profiles on a single device. Much like user accounts on a PC, with Android 4.2 you can switch between users from the lock screen, allowing each user to have unique homescreens, apps, bookmarks and email accounts set up. In other words multiple users can customize the device to their liking and maintain their privacy.
Gesture Typing
Another feature of Android 4.2 is "Gesture Typing." This lets you slide your finger across letters to create words, rather than tapping on them, promising faster, simpler text entry. It sounds a lot like "Swype," but in any case with Google's support it could do wonders for speeding up text entry on touch screens. Android 4.2 promises better word prediction and more accurate dictionaries, too.
Other additions
Android 4.2 also supports wireless display, which means that if you've got a "Miracast" compatible HDTV you'll be able to wirelessly stream videos and games to it.
"Daydream" is another Android 4.2 feature and it sounds to us like a customizable screensaver. For example, it displays photo albums or the latest news whenever your device is idle or docked.
Google is also rolling out movie purchases from Google Play to the U.K., Canada, France, Spain and Australia and on November 13 their popular Music service will be available in Europe. This allows you to upload up to 20,000 songs to the cloud for free and access them on any Android device or web browser.
Plus, any song that you purchase from Google Play will automatically be added to your online library without even needing to upload it.
Release date
Android 4.2 will launch on the Nexus 10, Nexus 4 and 32GB version of the Nexus 7, all of which will be available on November 13. Current Nexus 7 users can expect an update to Android 4.2 at around the same time. Other devices might have to wait a while longer, but as soon as we find out the rollout dates we'll be sure to let you know.
Below are the rumours and news that we reported on prior to the Android 4.2 announcement.
The new version of Google's OS will launch soon under the guise of Android 4.2 – but it will still be called Jelly Bean.
This means the change will be more of a refining evolution of the platform, rather than bringing multiple new features – we'll have to wait for Android 5.0 (Key Lime Pie) before we get anything ground breaking.
But until that fateful day, we'll at least get a few more Android features to play with as Google brings another iteration to its OS – read on to find out more over what we can expect from the launch:
Android 4.2 name
Well, we'll be honest: we already covered this in the strapline here. It's going to be called Jelly Bean, so those that were waiting for information on Android Key Lime Pie will be sorely disappointed.
However, that does mean that some new cool features are on the way in the new update, and let's be honest, if you're disappointed that a name hasn't changed for a version of Android you should probably take a step back, look at life's priorities and go work for a charity for a bit.
Android 4.2 features
From what we can discern from the font of vague knowledge (the internet rumour spewer) Android 4.2 is going to have a new button in the notification bar to allow access to quick settings.
This was previously a second drop down from the notification area, but it seems this has evolved to just be a single button that leads to a zone where you can perform quick functions like turning on and off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Flight mode.
If we're honest, it's not overly exciting as all the Android skins around have this feature already embedded, with the likes of Samsung's TouchWiz giving you access right from the notification bar itself.
As we said this feature is evolving all over the place, so don't be surprised if it changes again before the Monday launch – or gets dropped altogether.
The other relatively large change looks set to be to the Gallery app, which will see the UI become a bit more open and surrounded by white frames, in a bid to make Android look that little bit more professional once more. It could be that fewer photos are displayed on the screen at once though, in a manner similar to Google+, which may not please those that love more information on the screen at once.
And a more recent placeholder from UK retailer The Carphone Warehouse outed another new feature: a 360 degree camera app, which will presumably lead to loads of blocky and confusing pictures from friends on Facebook, with the odd one with astonishing clarity thrown in by a professional.
According to Android Police, which got a chance to tear down an early build of Android 4.2, there were also big changes to the Gallery and Camera icons, replaced by something that looks a lot more like Instagram, but these were proved to be placeholders.
However, this does strongly hint that Android 4.2 is also going to come with revamped icons for these apps, which will excite approximately 32.6% of Android users, we predict.
Another change in Android 4.2 will be more minor and will let you dismiss your data counter when you get warned you're heading close to the limit you pre-set… usually this remains and you're forced to change the limit to remove it, but now you can accept the warning like an adult (ie forget about it until it's too late, and blame someone else).
Android 4.2: multiple user accounts
Something that appeared on the Sony Xperia Tablet S that got tongues wagging was the ability to set multiple user accounts in the same way as Windows allows now.
This means users can set the apps they want for their own accounts, handy in the case of a family tablet. Android Police again was the detective here, noting that some apps required permissions for different users on the same device, so this will be a key area in the tablet area especially.
And on that subject, parental controls will be built right into the system as well, meaning you can change the level of interaction each person has on the tablet - for instance, stopping downloads from the Play Store or working out which apps should be restricted for each person.
Android 4.2 release date
Here's the main problem with Android in our eyes: users can't generally get their hands on it for bloody ages after announcement. Just look at the amount of phones still rocking Gingerbread (Android 2.3), which was released years ago, and you can see we're not optimistic that the newest version of Android will be available any time soon.
However, that said at least there will be flagship devices available sporting the new software sooner rather than later, with 31 October already being mooted as the shipping date of the new version of the Nexus 7 which you'd think would have Android 4.2 on board.
At the very least the new Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 will both be rocking the new software and have been strongly tipped to launch in early November to catch the Christmas rush. And with Android 4.1's launch Google promised that it was working with manufacturers to get the software to them ahead of time for easier deployment... could we see such a thing happen already?
Android 4.2 launch
The Android 4.2 launch has been set for 29 October, with Google promising a fancy event to live stream the launch of the three new devices set to support the new OS in multiple locations across the globe.
We're pretty sure there will be devices rocking the fancy new version of the software at these events, so we'll be able to bring you our early thoughts on whether it's something you should bug your network for as soon as our toned, lithe fingers can bash out the letters.
Android 4.2 review
And then, of course, we've got the main event: our Android 4.2 review. We'll be working as fast as possible to bring you our preview, as we mentioned above, and then as soon as we get a full review unit we'll update you with our multi-page full review, taking the new OS apart and seeing what treats is has on offer.
Huawei has announced the Android-based Honor 2, which comes with some major hardware improvements over its predecessor.
The Honor 2 has a 4.5-inch, 1280 x 720 resolution display with a pixel density of 326ppi. Inside, there is Huawei's K3V2 1.4GHz quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM. The Honor 2 also has 8GB internal memory with a microSD card slot. On the back is an 8 megapixel camera with 1080p video recording.
The Huawei Honor 2 will be releasing in China later this week for 1,888 yuan ($302).
With the announcement of the Windows Phone 8 prices, you'll be pleased to know you won't need to wait long to get your hands on one.
But with a plethora of phones on offer, and a number of networks promising to thrust them into your hands, how much will you need to fork out and how many days will your have to count down?
The HTC Windows Phone 8X UK release date has been set for 2 November, but the rest of the phones will be available on multiple networks and retailers later in the month it seems.
HTC Windows Phone 8X
The first Windows Phone 8 handset we've subjected to our intensive testing (see the HTC 8X review to get an idea what's going on) but is a slightly more expensive option thanks to the Beats Audio power and improved design.
If you want to get your hands on the phone, pre-orders are now open for the HTC 8X, with a release date of 2 November being touted from the likes of Phones 4U, Three and Carphone Warehouse.
Some networks are charging for the phone up front, but here's our guide to how much you'll need to pay and the cost each month:
Phones 4U: (No cost up front) £31 per month
Carphone Warehouse: No price as yet
EE: (£29) £36 per month
O2: (£29) £36
Vodafone: No price as yet
Three: (£30) £29
HTC Windows Phone 8S
The little brother to the flagship Windows Phone 8 handset is proving a hit with the networks, with most choosing to range the new device.
With it's amp-less innards and lower spec, it's certainly one of the cheaper choices on offer – but just how much will it cost you?
This is the phone that most people are excited about – and for good reason, given the huge plethora of technology on offer inside. Be it wireless charging, the ability to text with gloves on or the Puremotion HD+ screen, it's got a lot going for it.
However, here's the rub: it will be an exclusive to EE (thanks to being the only 4G Windows Phone 8 handset) and will therefore cost a boatload to own. Sad times.
The little brother to the Finns' big hitter, the Lumia 820 offers some similar features but skimps on a few specs to keep the cost down.
You'll be able to chuck on a range of cases (including the ability to wirelessly charge) and a more-than-half-decent camera to boot – great for those on a budget, although it's not the cheapest on offer by far.
The 'under the radar' member of the Windows Phone 8 clan (thanks to only just being shown off in any kind of shape to the prying eyes of us journalists) it's been dubbed the Windows Phone 8 Galaxy S3… and that's a pretty good mantle to have.
It's thin, light and comes with a whopping Super AMOLED screen… this could be the underground hit for Microsoft if ever there was one, despite the fact not many networks are stocking it (read: O2).
Apple has announced some major changes in the company's management, starting with the exit of senior vice-president of iOS software Scott Forstall from the company. Forstall will leave Apple in 2013 and till then will act as an advisor to CEO Tim Cook.
In the wake of him leaving the company, his responsibilities will be shared by four of Apple's current executives. Jony Ive, who is in charge of the Industrial Design department at Apple will now head the Human Interface department as well. This means Ive will now be in charge of the hardware as well as the software designs at Apple.
Meanwhile, Eddy Cue will take on responsibilities of Siri and Maps, Craig Federighi will lead both iOS and OS X and Bob Mansfield will lead a new group called Technologies that covers all the wireless teams at Apple.
It is said the Forstall was liked by few people within the company, least of all by Jony Ive, who apparently wouldn't even sit in the same meeting room as Forstall. According to John Gruber of Daring Fireball, Forstall's "design taste, engineering management and abrasive style, and the whole iOS 6 Maps thing" were key factors in Forstall leaving the company, or to put it bluntly, him being made to leave the company.
According to The Verge, Forstall's biggest mistake was him refusing to sign his name on the apology letter that Apple issued regarding the customer dissatisfaction with the new iOS 6 Maps software. He thought the complaints over the data quality were over-blown, so instead Tim Cook signed his name on the letter.
With Craig Federighi leading iOS and Jony Ive handling the design department, we are really looking forward to some new design innovations in iOS in the future versions. Jony Ive's minimalist design taste with the hardware is almost universally loved and we would love to see more of that in the software, with less leather and linen backgrounds. Still, we would like to give credit where it's due and would like to thank Scott Forstall for giving us one of the best mobile operating systems of all time, which was nothing short of groundbreaking at the time it came out.
In other news, Apple's head of Retail John Browett is also leaving Apple. Browett joined the company in January this year and was apparently not one of the best employee choices made by Apple.
Update: We had more hands-on time and got to dive into the OS at the Windows Phone 8 event in San Francisco – here are some further thoughts from U.S. Associate Reviews Editor Alex Roth.
HTC has doubled down on Windows Phone 8, creating two colorful handsets, the compact HTC Windows Phone 8S and the more powerful HTC Windows Phone 8X. Both devices are available in four colors that help them stand out from the smartphone pack, although consumers might confuse them with the also splashy Nokia Lumia 920.
We've already reviewed the HTC Windows Phone 8X and found it to be a slightly mixed bag that's more good than not. Now, at the Windows Phone 8 launch event in San Francisco, we took a hands-on look at the 8S, just weeks ahead of its rumored November release date.
Showing its colors
Other than perhaps those distinctive Windows 8 Live Tiles, the first thing you'll notice about the HTC Windows Phone 8S are those bold colors it's available in. Gray, black, red and blue are the four primary colors on offer.
Unlike the 8X, which comes in a single solid color, the 8S has a two-tone look. The bottom of the phone's face and the rear cover each sport a lighter hue. Red is met by orange and blue by a lighter blue. Black has a white stripe, giving it an Oreo cookie look, and gray with lime green, which comes of a bit like a crossing guard's vest.
Premium plastic
Holding the 8S, we were struck by its feel in more ways than one. Its polycarbonate construction has a distinctly rubbery feel. It's grippy and honestly fun to hold. There's an unmistakably plastic feel, but not the flimsiness you'd find with a budget phone.
That rubbery quality is a nice touch, but did have us worrying that it might pick up lint in our pocket and make the 8S lose some of its trademark luster.
The phone's Gorilla Glass face, rounded backside and highly tapered edges give it a sleek appearance. This makes the feel of its easy-to-hold rubberized body all the more surprising.
On the inside
The Windows Phone 8S by HTC has good specs for what will likely be a moderately priced device. While we don't have a firm word on costs yet, it will undoubtedly go for less than the 8X, which is $560 as a full priced, no contract device.
In the processor department it has a very standard 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor. The display is a rather sharp 4-inch, 720p screen. For memory there's 1GB of RAM and 4GB of onboard storage, with room for an additional 32GB via microSD expansion. That actually puts it above the 8X, which is stuck at 16GB of space thanks to its lack of expandable memory support.
All the right buttons
As with the 8X, the Windows Phone 8S's lock button is found on top of the phone. Depending on what sort of device you've grown accustom to, this placement may take some getting used to.
There's a volume rocker on the right side with the standard issue Windows Phone 8 dedicated camera button below it.
Pop-off panel
That two-tone space on the rear is actually a pop-off panel, allowing you access to a microSD slot. Again, the 8X lacks such a feature, and the 8S is only a tiny bit thicker for having a more open design. It's 0.41-inches (10.3-mm) thick, as opposed to 0.40-inches (10.1-mm).
This small, removable panel is easy to slide off thanks to the phone's rubberized build. While the lack of removable battery will disappoint some consumers (the cell is only 1700 mAh, after all), the miniature hatch design is yet another distinct design decision for the Windows Phone 8S.
The HTC touch
In addition to what Windows Phone 8 offers, HTC has contributed some software of its own. Its Live Tile behaves like an Android widget, displaying a forecast, temperature and the time at a glance.
Jumping into the app gives further information on those subjects as well as stocks.
In settings you'll find Attentive Phone, which has a selection of intuitive ringer options. The Windows Phone 8S can be set to ring louder when tucked away in a pocket or purse, automatically quiet down or shut up altogether when you pick it up or turn it over.
Taking pics
Like all devices running Windows Phone 8, HTC's 8S has a dedicated camera button. Pushing it opens up the 5-megapixel camera, which can also shoot 720p video.
If you feel like slapping some Instagram-style post-production on your snaps, HTC has included its own Photo Enhancer app. It has a number of filters to choose from, including the all-popular vintage style.
Alas, this is not a phone for video chat fans as it lacks a front-facing camera.
Beats by Dre
The Windows Phone 8S has surprisingly good external speakers. We were able to crank pre-loaded tracks to a high a volume without getting distorted, crunchy sound. While any music aficionado would surely use headphones, a representative reminded us that these speakers benefit the speakerphone function as well.
As the familiar "B" logo suggests, there's Beats by Dre branding here, which likely plays into the strong audio output. However, the 8S does not boast the volume-boosting amplifiers of its big brother the 8X.
Early Verdict
If we had a to pick a favorite aspect of the Windows Phone 8S by HTC, it would have to been its overall look. Between the iPhone 5, Galaxy S3 and Droid Razr M, we live in a sea of polished aluminum. In the past, we've claimed to prefer its feel, but HTC's 8X and 8S have proven that a little aesthetic variety is indeed nice.
It's a compact phone that's still got reputable specs, and the option for microSD expansion is an unexpected plus, given the 8X's completely sealed design.
We do wonder what its battery life will be like with a 1700 mAh cell, and the lack of front-facing camera is rather strange. A special version of Skype has been one of Mictosoft's major bragging points with Windows Phone 8, and seems the 8S won't be able to enjoy all the benefits. This could be corner that was cut to make a highly affordable device, making us all the more eager to get firm pricing numbers, and equally eager to give the 8S a full-blown review.
Below is our original and early hands-on look at the Windows Phone 8S by HTC.
TechRadar got early access to the Windows Phone 8S by HTC, and while we admired it's aesthetic merits, it wasn't running a finished version of the OS – we will be updating this review soon as we get hands on with the finished product at HTC's event in New York.
The Windows Phone 8S by HTC, which is its proper title don't ya know, launched alongside the HTC 8X at a special HTC event in New York, where the Taiwanese firm unveiled its first Windows Phone 8 handsets.
Both, we're told, will go on sale in early November and the Windows Phone 8S will be available in a range of two-tone colour options; California Blue, Graphite Black, Flame Red and Limelight Yellow – the latter being the one we've laid our hands on.
The HTC Windows Phone 8S price is currently un-known, but as this is clearly a mid-range handset we expect it to rival the likes of the HTC One V and Sony Xperia U.
Design wise the 8S can be compared to the One V and Xperia U, with a separate chunk below the screen – although it stays flush with the device instead of curving forwards as on the V.
Like the Windows Phone 8X, the HTC 8S isn't the slimmest handset at 10.3mm, but the taped edges provide the illusion that it is thinner than it is, and the tidy 120.5 x 63mm frame gives a sleek finish to decent looking device.
The Windows Phone 8S sits comfortably in the hand and at 113g it's nicely weighted without feeling like a cheap toy.
The 4-inch, WVGA (800 x 480) display dominates the majority of a relatively minimalist front, which also features the Windows, back and search soft keys on the colour bar below and the matching earpiece above.
There's a power/lock key and 3.5mm headphone jack sitting on top of the 8S, while a volume rocker switch and camera button reside on the right hand side of the handset.
The buttons are easy to hit, and thanks to the small stature of the HTC 8S you don't need to stretch your fingers to far to reach any part of the handset.
A microUSB port is found on the base of the Windows Phone 8S, and you can slide the rear of the coloured section off to reveal a microSIM slot and a microSD slot – allowing you to build on the 4GB of internal memory.
There's no access to the 1,700mAh battery though, which may annoy some of you who like to stick bigger power packs in your phones, but it should keep you going for a whole day with a decent level of usage.
We'd expect the 1GHz dual-core S4 processor and 512MB RAM to run Windows Phone 8 without too much of a fuss, however as we were only able to access the lock and home screens on the HTC 8S, you'll have to wait for our updated hands on review to find out how it gets on.
That said, the display was still clear, and although not as pin-sharp or vibrant as on its bigger brother the Windows Phone 8X, it's still a perfectible acceptable for what we expect to be an affordable smartphone.
Round the back there's a 5MP camera, with single LED flash and 720p video recording, and HTC has ensured it comes with a f/2.8 aperture and 35mm lens for improved picture quality.
It's good to see the dedicated physical shutter button on the side of the 8S, allowing you to launch the camera app and snap photos easily – something we find easier than trying to tap the onscreen alternative.
As we mentioned at the start, we'll update this review later today with our findings from the fully working version of the Windows Phone 8S by HTC, after we've spent some time with it at the event.
Early verdict
It's obviously difficult to give a proper early verdict at this point, but once we've had a play with the final device today, we'll update this with a more informed outlook.
Design wise we reckon the Taiwanese firm is on to a winner with the HTC Windows Phone 8S, but we'll reserve proper judgement until we've spent some time with the fully working device in New York.
