Google’s success with Android over the last couple of years has been impressive; from humble beginnings Google has amassed a loyal following, but they still aren’t making the money that Apple is.

To this end, according to industry sources, Google is planning a major shake-up of the operating system which should improve the user experience immeasurably and make them a lot more money.

Signs of change

Signs of change has been brewing for a while now; there’s been rumours that Google is planning a Nexus-like tablet, and more recently Google has talked about selling handsets directly to the consumer, eliminating the need to deal with networks and contract commitments.

Now, the final piece of he puzzle is coming into view, a report from the Wall Street Journal suggests that Google will soon be offering a full range of the Nexus Devices, instead of just selecting one manufacturer per year. It’s not quite at the stage where Google will make the handset themselves a la Apple and their walled garden approach, but it’s seems to be pointing in that direction.

Google will reportedly work with up to five different manufacturers in order to offer a wide selection of stock devices — both phones and tablets.

Leaving retailers behind

There’s more: Google will then sell their new range of handsets directly to consumers sim-free via their newly re-launched Google Play Store, offering direct sales to users in the US, Europe and Asia.

Google’s grand plan does sounding enticing, and it looks to address a lot of the annoyances that come with owning an Android handset. The biggest complaint about Android is the lack on consistency across the eco-system and, of course, software fragmentation.

ICS was the first attempt at sorting out the problem, but left handsets across the world on different versions of software and left consumers wondering whether they’d ever get Ice Cream Sandwich.

Android is open source, and therefore its always going to be difficult to control the OS, with users allowed to modify software, but in many case this is one of the reasons why Android it is so popular. But, for all the positives, there’s no denying that this openness has led to unacceptable delays in software upgrade and has led developers to complain there are far too many variations in handsets when it comes to getting all important money making apps running on all handsets.

Choice and diversity is a good thing, but for many they want a purer Android experience, the very experience that Google designed themselves – rather than a handset specific manufacturer skin. The only way Google is going to offer reliable OS upgrades and a uniformity in apps, looks and design – is to rein in the handset makers and create a top tier of Nexus handsets for all tastes.

The end of Android as we know it 

In theory this sounds like a great idea, and after year or two of the Nexus family handsets – were sure they’ll be the only Android handsets you can buy, that offer the full Google experience. It had been thought that Google (when it bought Motorola) might just make the handsets themselves, but this would obviously alienate the rest of the Android manufacturers – with this plan they’re trying to bring them all together, singing from the same digital hymn sheet – to the benefit of the consumer.

It will give users a variety of choice, but with all handsets running the same unmodified, regularly updated Android software – hopefully, leaving, Android fragmentation as a thing of the past. Factor in Google selling the handsets themselves via their own store sim-free and it would eliminate the level of control carriers currently exert over what you can and can’t install on your phone.

The benefits 

Benefits will come from the ability to change carrier at the drop of a hat – if someone offers a better deal, in theory you could jump ship at the flip of a coin – giving consumers the choice and freedom they’ve always wanted.

According to the Journal this new plan is a expected to be unveiled alongside the next version of the Android OS: Jelly Bean, which is expected by Winter 2012.

Google looks to be finally taking control of Android; with this new model everyone can still modify the platform the way they want, but Google will have their own inner circle of premium devices with the purer Android experience they designed. From hardware to software and carrier control Google might actually be able to deliver the full Google experience that they originally planned all those year’s ago.

Of course, this remains a rumour, but from the sounds of it Android could finally be the coming of age. We’ll know more soon.

Google Android: Is Google Planning Something Massive? is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

It’s a big time of year for the big three console makers as E3 is less than a month away, and with all three manufacturers seemingly having one eye on the next generation – it’s hard not to speculate about the impending announcements.

Nintendo & Wii U

Nintendo, and quite rightly so, will have all eyes on them as they’re finally expected to show off the final version of their new HD console the Wii U. It was announced at last year’s E3 – but the unveiling actually left more questions than it answered.

How many tablet controllers will it run? Will the console play DVD’s & Blu-ray? How much hard drive storage will it have? How powerful is it? Hopefully Nintendo’s big-wig Reggie will make sure we get to see the console close up and get a detailed breakdown of what it can and can’t do – we need more substance, and less smoke and mirrors, if Nintendo is to capture the public’s imagination at E3.

We should expect a large list of first and third party software, most of which are likely to be cross platform titles found on current consoles. If Nintendo wants to capture core gamers then they need to have a selection of Nintendo stalwarts as well as triple-A titles like Call of Duty, GTA and Assassins Creed – whether this will happen remains to be seen.

We should expect Nintendo to flesh out their launch plans for the Christmas release, including whether all three territories will get the console on the same day or whether it will be staggered release. One major announcement will be, of course, price. Nintendo will be going up against established consoles with price ranges from £99 to £250 – meaning their price point needs to be thought through carefully – the 3DS was overpriced and sales only begun to pick up when Ninty dropped the price. They can’t afford to make the same mistake again.

Nintendo has already announced some of its online plans which include the ability to buy digital versions of games on the same day as their physical release, which is a great statement of intent. Where Nintendo has work to do is trying to secure media content deals from the likes of Netflix and Lovefilm – these services a have been a massive catalyst in sales for Sony and Microsoft – and are sure to be really important for Nintendo too.

Microsoft & Xbox 360

Microsoft don’t really have anything massive planned for E3 if we’re lead to believe the rumours. We know this because Microsoft said so. Speaking to Bloomberg, David Dennis, a spokesperson for the company, said the corporation won’t be announcing any details on the upcoming console at the games expo – nor will it be anytime soon (despite reports that the machine has already been made).

Unfortunately Microsoft’s conference has the makings of being rather lacklustre – with no new hardware – there keynote is expected to be software focussed with games like  Call of Duty: Black Ops 2,  Halo 4 and Assasins Creed taking centre stage.

Microsoft focus for this year’s E3 is likely to continue their drive to improve Xbox live with new apps and services. One such rumour suggests that Microsoft is ready to give Xbox live users internet Explore 9 – apparently its already running on some modified Xbox’s at Microsoft’s skunk-works in Redmond. Let just hope it’s implemented properly and not done in the dismal way Sony did with their own web browser, which wasn’t given full flash support and performs fairly poorly.

Sony 

Sony’s plans are little harder to pinpoint, they’ve just announced a loss of 4 billion – so E3 is going to be an important battleground for them to show the company is still  alive and kicking. It’s expected to push Vita’s Christmas lineup  which they will hope to try and drive sales with. Expect heavy coverage of God of War: Ascension as well as a number of PS Vita titles, both announced and unannounced. Sony will likely push its cross-platform play feature, as well as pushing both systems as entertainment hubs over gaming devices.

Sony isn’t expected to announce any new hardware at this year’s E3 and isn’t expected to make the same mistakes as it did last year. Last year Sony made a big song and dance about 3D – even releasing a Playstation 3D TV, but as many had predicted a £400 3DTV with no remote was always destined to fail. Expect Sony to mention 3D as an option, but not push it as a highlighted feature.

Conclusion

With neither Sony or Microsoft willing to jump the gun for their next gen consoles this year – it leaves Nintendo with a perfect opportunity to take E3 by storm. Let’s just hope their plans chime with consumers and the gaming community like it did with the Wii.

E3 starts June 5.

E3 2012: Nintendo, Microsoft & Sony Predictions is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

When former Apple CEO Steve Jobs told his autobiographer that he’d “finally cracked it” when talking about an Apple TV – the entire tech world took notice.

Everyone imagined a TV that would revolutionized the medium for the 21^st century. Like many products before it Apple might not have invented the TV, but from what Jobs said he’d come up with a recipe that would secure the future of the TV in a age where more and more people watch content on their laptops, PC’s and phones.

Since Jobs’ eureka moment, its been our job to try and work out what Apple might have planned. A Stunning design, iOS, Siri voice assistant, iSight cameras – have all been mentioned. And while all the above features seem likely to find their way into the TV’s what else has Apple got planned? And most importantly when will we see the sets?

Foxconn Gearing Up For Production

The latest rumours from Apple’s Asian manufacturing partner Foxconn, is that they have already begun gearing up to start making the TVs. Foxconn’s new Chief Terry Gou said during a recent news conference in Shanghai that his company has been making preparations to start producing Apple TV. He did concede, however, that production and development of the device has not begun.

Not only has Foxconn been given the nod to start laying tentative plans for the sets. Cult of Mac this week claimed to have actually seen a working prototype of the forthcoming TV.

According to Cult of Mac, an unnamed source said the prototype closely resembles the currently flagship Apple display the Cinema Display. According to the source the only difference between the two was the size, and that the prototype had Siri functionality and a built-in iSight camera for video calls.

It might be the case that the set was actually a new Cinema Display and not an Apple TV – but it’s good to hear that Apple has already begun testing what features and sizes will be most suitable when the sets eventually do launch.

According to Cult Of Mac the iSight camera isn’t just your normal snapper; it comes with facial recognition technology and has the ability to zoom in on a user’s face and even follow them around the room a la Kinect. This could mean users will be able to make call from across the room, instead of having to sit directly in front of the TV and would be able to initiate calls via voice using Siri.

Apple To Buy German TV maker Loewes?

Last week German luxury TV maker Loewe’s share price jumped to a 10-month high on Monday as rumours begun to circulate that Apple was a considering making an offer for the TV maker.

The news came from Appleinsider, who quoted the usual source familiar with the matter, stating Apple was willing to pay 87.3 million euros or a 48 per cent on Loewe’s closing price on Friday.

A spokesman from Loewe said that management were not aware of Apple’s proposed bid and, of course, Apple declined to comment. It would make perfect sense for Apple, Loewe have built quite a cult following with their stylish TV’s that often include remotes that can act as a home phone and the TV’s tend to come with space-aged stands that can turn to face the viewer remotely.

What else can we expect

Some of the big Hollywood Studios have created a movie-streaming service called Epix – it’s a joint venture between Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, MGM, and Lions Gate Entertainment. While the service hasn’t actually launched – they are in talks with Apple about future device support, which could include Apple’s TV.

The news comes as the Netflix reported less than stellar profits after its UK launch last week at the same time as Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman said Epix would be available to rival streaming providers. Coincidence? Possibly, but also possibly not.

Hold your iHorses


The timeframe is the biggest unknown at the moment. With no-one really knowing when we might see the second coming of the TV. JPMorgan Chase’s Mark Moskowitz thinks we won’t see the sets in shops until 2014 – and he also reckons the selling point won’t be any ”game-changing, content-related deals.” He thinks the hardware and software integration, industrial design, and ease of use will be the real selling points.

On the other hand, NPD DisplaySearch director Paul Gagnon expects Apple’s foray to be introduced later this year, but they won’t ship until 2013, although he concedes that he doesn’t have any specific evidence. Gagnon does point out that Apple’s manufacturing partner Foxconn has invested $1.6 billion in Sharp’s TV business, which can manufacture displays up to 60 inches.

Rumour Mill: Apple TV is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Sony’s apocalyptic fall from grace over the last 5 years has been startling. In the late 90’s and early naughties the Japanese tech giant couldn’t make a wrong move. It went from success story to success story – but more recently they have begun to fall behind their rivals time and time again.

In the 90s they pretty much owned the monopoly on portable music players: the walkman. With some foresight they could have, and probably should have, beaten Apple to the Mp3-punch. But a company with little or no knowledge of portable music players managed to take that crown from them. A massive misstep in hindsight. They then moved into games and with the PS1 and PS2 which was massively successful for the tech giant. But, once again, a competitor (Microsoft & their Xbox) came into the market place and gave them a bloody noise.

Now their only real jewel in their crown is the PS3, but Sony has never really recovered from the colossal price of developing the Cell Chip for the PS3 and this decision seems to be dragging them down even further. The PS3 just isn’t turning a profit in the way the Japanese firm would want, and with the rest of the company hardly setting the world alight – where does this leave Sony? Well, yesterday the Japanese electronics firm reported a record annual loss – as natural disasters, a strong yen and, ultiamately, a lack of innovation has seen them fall on hard times.

Overall, the firm reported a net loss of 456.7bn yen (£3.5bn) for the year to end of March compared to a 259,6bn yen loss last year. The company attributed the losses to a perfect storm of factors; including low demand from developed markets; the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March last year and a strong yen.

Playstation 3 sales saw a slight dip from last year’s results. They sold 13.9 million units during the last 12 months compared to 14.3 million during the same time last year. That makes the total worldwide sales of 63.9 million and was the second best year for the console’s sales. But their market share has been cut with Xbox sales of 67.2 million and Wii sales of 96 million.

More encouraging news came from the software side of the business – sales rose from 147.9 million last year to 156.6 million this year. Surprisingly Sony still sell a fair few million PS2′s, but sales did fall from 6.4 million to 4.1 million and PSP sales tumbled from 8 million to just 6.8 million.

One piece of the financial-jigsaw missing from yesterday’s announcement was sales information for the newly launched PS Vita – despite launching last year in Japan. Weekly sales from Japan don’t make for great reading as last week’s sales came in at a rather disappointing 10,583 units.

Apart from external factors, analysts reckon Sony’s demise is more simple: they’re losing ground to its competitors in key areas including tablets, computers, phones and especially TV’s. Sony’s TV division has been losing money for 8 years and competition from Samsung has seen the Bravia brand fall on hard times too.

So what does Sony have planned to turn around its fortunes. Well, not a lot apart from cuts and austerity. CEO Kazou Hirai, who officially took his new post on Wednesday, is planning a major restructuring of the company. He wants to implement a new vision for the company where they will focus on core electronics that built its legacy and on online platforms that links its various products ranges. Essentially more joined up thinking. Hirai outlined his vision and plans for Sony in a Tokyo press conference last month, a plan that includes a reduction of global head count by 10,000, or about 6 percent of the total workforce. But will this save the ailing company?

Sony said on Thursday that for the current fiscal year through to March 2013 it aims for a net profit of ¥30 billion, while increasing sales 14 percent from the latest result. It said it would look to turn around its struggling TV business with a focus on profits over unit sales, and expected a strong recovery from last year’s earthquakes and Thai floods.

Although the long term prospects for Sony remain in question – its showing at E3 next month will be a critical one – in general this isn’t particularly bad news for Sony. The losses were less than expected (£4 billion in the red was the previous estimate) and the minor drop in PlayStation 3 sales has also been mirrored by the Xbox 360 recently. 

With new boss Kaz Hirai (previously the head of Sony’s American PlayStation division) at the reins Sony is even predicting a sharp swing back into profit next year, of $376.5 million. We’ll believe it when we see it.

Sony Posts Record Losses: What Does The Future Hold For The Tech Giant is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

We’ve already reviewed HTC’s flagship handset the HTC One, and while it’s an amazing phone, it’s probably too big and too powerful for your average smartphone user.

Today we’ve got our hands on their middle-of-the-road handset, which is likely to be HTC’s most popular handset of 2012. Its got a sensible 4.3-inch screen, very capable camera and comes with Beats Audio. While it’s not going to worry any quad-core handsets out there, it will run rings around almost every Android handset from last year and quite a few from this year too. Each of HTC’s new handsets for 2012 has been given a particular focus. The One X is all about power, touting a quad-core processor. The One S is more focused on its camera and sound. By giving each handset a focus it should allow consumers to choose a handset that most suits their needs.

Specs

The HTC One S may well be a middle of the range handset for HTC, but that doesn’t mean it’s a slouch in the tech specs department. It comes with a snappy dual-core processor, 16GB of on-board memory (although, can’t be supplemented with SD cards for more memory), 8-megapixel camera, capable of shooting 1080p video (the same camera you’ll find in the One X) and a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen, with a resolution of 540×960 (256 pixel density). The only real difference between the One S and X is size, obviously, and the quality of the screen and the processor.

Looks and build quality

The most striking thing about the new line of HTC’s is that they are all now uni-body designs. What this means is the battery can’t be removed, this means that build quality is far better than previous HTC’s – but there are some drawbacks; you can’t replace or remove the battery – for some this will be unforgivable. The other downside is with this new design is HTC have decided to do away with SD-card support – again – for many this will be unforgivable. It’s not much of a problem for the One X as it comes in a three storage sizes, unfortunately the One S only comes with the option of 16Gb of storage. So, if you carry a load of music on your handset and like the odd app or two, the One S might just be too small for your needs.

Looks-wise the One S is a continuation from the styling of the Sensation. It is the thinnest handset HTC has ever made, measuring just 7.8mm, and when you hold it in your hand you get the feeling it’s the toughest, most rigid handset HTC has produced. Style-wise the handset it finished in the rather bleak, matte black plastic. The only splash of colour comes from the red ring around the camera, but other than that’s it’s a bit disappointing. It might feel like plastic, but the body of the handset is made from aluminium with a micro oxidation finish to give it ceramic feel rather than a metal one – but in the end it looks and feels like plastic.  The back panel is non-removeable, aside from a small section at the top for the micro SIM, so it’s less creaky than most Android handsets – which is something we’ve been wanting for a while now, take note Samsung.

Features

The One S is one of the first handsets from HTC to be designed for Android 4.0 from the ground up, and from early impressions nothing has really changed from last year’s handsets. It’s still the same Sense UI you’ll be accustomed too, but its been simplified in many areas after HTC conceded that Sense had become a bit too complicated over recent years.

There are a multitude of customisable home screens, which can be populated with apps, widgets and wallpapers. Any ideas that Ice Cream Sandwich was going to revolutionise Android has been misplaced. It’s almost as if Google is intent on doing the complete opposite to Apple. Apple is a famed for simple, intuitive ease of use. Android is all about customisation, customisation, customisation. It’s not a bad plan, but when you make the jump from iOS to Android, you need to be aware you’re making the move from a simple life to a slightly annoying and convoluted one.

Screen

The screen on the One S is an impressive one, it measures 4.3-inches and uses the same AMOLED screen tech that you’ll find on the Samsung S2. It’s bright, but when compared to the iPhone 4S the whites just aren’t clean or as bright. From our trained eye you can see the honeycomb texture of the screen when it’s on and it just doesn’t come close to its Apple or Samsung counterparts. The resolution is on the lower end of the spectrum, especially for the price. It has resolution of 540 x 960 gives it a pixel density of 256ppi. It’s not class-leading by any means – the Sony Xperia S has 342ppi, the iPhone 4S 326ppi and the HTC One X 312ppi – but it’s reasonably impressive all the same.

Performance

The HTC One S comes with an admirable dual-core processor that pushes the handset along at a fair old lick, it’s obviously not as snappy as the One X, but you’d be hard pressed to actually notice the speed difference, both handsets run Android ICS like a dream. Its dual-core CPU, dedicated graphics processing and 1GB RAM mean you can skip between apps without any annoying lag, and apps run butter smooth.

When compared to any Android handsets from 2011, the One S beats them all hands down on our benchmarking tests – beating the likes of the Galaxy Nexus, S2 and even Galaxy Note. The camera is its finest glory, mainly because it’s the same snapper you’ll find in its top of the range handset the One X. Shutter lag is almost none existent and the when the photos and, especially, videos are outputted to a decent TV – you’ll definitely see the benefits. As with all camera phones it doesn’t perform all that well in low-light conditions – but ultimately it’s a triumph, especially considering how thin the handset is.  The One S features a sealed battery, so you won’t be able to change it yourself, but thankfully it’s a decent 1650mAh power plant that’ll last at least a working day with heavy use.

Verdict

The HTC One S is a great phone. For the money you’re getting a powerful, yet incredibly thin, handset that comes with Ice Cream Sandwich out the box (ahem, take note Sony) – throw in a very good camera, very solid build quality and music-enhancing Beats Audio technology  and you’ve got a recipe for a great handset. It’s not without its faults, though. But if you can live with the storage and inaccessible battery you can’t go wrong with One S for you’re next Android handset.

http://store.three.co.uk/

HTC One S Review is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Samsung is top dog in the mobile world at the moment, and this, in part, is down to the success of the last couple of the Galaxy handsets, most notably the S2.

Well, today we get to see the fruits of their labour as they have finally unveiled the third iteration. Has Samsung tried to out-do the competition in the specs-race? Or have they re-invented the wheel? Neither.

At 4.8-inches it’s a whopper (that’s the technical term) while it’s substantially bigger than its previous iteration. It has a screen that’s 22% bigger than the last, but Samsung has managed to keep the overall size only 16% bigger – that’s what we call progress.

Samsung hasn’t put anything in the S3 that’s going to surprise you, but it’s good to see that they have realised specs will only get you so far in the super competitive mobile market. So don’t expect to see a 49 megapixel camera or a screen that’s on par with 4D. This phone is more of a gentle evolution rather than a man-on-the-moon moment.

Instead, Samsung seems to have honed the recipe over the last 12 months and clearly has spent a lot time with its new bed-mate: Android 4.0, as it comes with some much-needed features and tweaks that sets it apart from the general Android riff-raff.

The specs race

Let’s get the hardware stuff out the way first. The S3 comes with a goliath of a screen: 4.8-inches. The screen is packing Sammy’s favourite screen tech AMOLED, the resolution is what many had expected: 1280×720. That works out as 306ppi, naysayers will testify that’s not as good as the iPhone’s, but what you’re getting is a screen on par, but is far bigger, so that’s a win for Samsung in our book.

On the front of the phone, apart from the screen, is a camera that boasts a rather paltry 1.9 megapixels. But those of you who know their sensors from their megapixels will know that’s half the story.  The rear camera comes in at a impressive 8 megapixels and is capable of shooting video in 1080p. We’ll call this round a draw.

The brains behind the looks come in the form of a new 1.4Ghz Exynos 4 Cortex-A9 quad-core processor – capable of sending several men to the moon several times over. The phone comes in a variety of storage flavours: 16, 32, or 64GB of storage and (take note HTC) you can supplement this with SD-card storage up to 64GB.

For those of you who live in the future (or US, Japan and Korea) the S3 will come with LTE 4G compatibility. They’ve made room for a host of technologies including accelerometers, RGB light, digital compass, proximity sensors, gyroscope, NFC and a barometer.

All of this tech-goodness has been crammed into a handset that weighs 133 grams, measures 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm, and houses a 2100mAh battery; Samsung’s first smartphone with a battery that size.

There are two colours option on offer, the first has been dubbed “marble white” and other is “pebble blue”.

Android tweaks

Where Samsung have spent a lot time is fiddling with the software. You can expect an Android 4.0 experience like no other. Some of the notable ones are Smart Stay; this uses the forward-facing camera to determine if you’re looking at the phone, if you are the screens brightness will remain the same, if it determines you’re not it will dim the screen. It might not sound like much but we think that it will save you plenty on battery life, which is a godsend.

Direct Call is another clever piece of software that will auto-dial a contact if you are on a contact message or contact details when you move the phone to your ear. Another clever touch comes in the form of Smart Alert, this will make the phone vibrate in your hand and flash an LED when you pick up the phone after you have missed a call.

S Voice is a Samsung‘s attempt to improve up Apple’s mild-mannered voice assistant Siri. While Sammy’s efforts haven’t been given a proper name, you’ll be able to enquire about the weather; take a photo or a myriad of other functions via voice that you can configured with your own commands.

PopUp Play, will literally pop a video out of its player, rendering it in a small thumbnail so you can continue watching while surfing the web or doing other functions on the phone. The thumbnail is movable around the display, even if it’s pretty small.

Camera

From our early impressions the camera on the S3 is going to be best-in-class. There’s virtually no lag between when you press the button and the shot being taken. They’ve added a new function called Burst Shot/Best Photo, it takes 20 shots in quick succession and then recommends the best photo. It will suggest the photo where everyone’s eyes are open or the one with the best lighting. If you disagree you can of course override its decision.

Face Zoom recognises individual faces in view, allowing you to tap the face and zoom in, taking a photo of single person. Like the HTC you can select photos from videos you’ve shot, which is hardly a revelation in our book.

Conclusion

If there are any criticisms of the new s3, it will be that it still relies too heavily on cheap plastics, it still doesn’t have that premium feel of say, the new HTC’s or iPhone.

While we wait for a proper review unit we can only speculate on what this phone is going to be like in our hands. It’s heavier that the S2, so should mean it has a more solid feel to it. But we can’t help but think if this is the best phone on the market why is it predominantly made of plastic, and cheap plastics at that. Surely for the price you’re likely to pay you’d want it made out of kryptonite or, at least, metal.

The S3 will be hitting shelves in Europe by the end of May and will be rolled out worldwide over the summer. Your move Apple.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Unveiled: Specs, Camera and First Impressions is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

If you’ve been keeping tabs on the tech world over the last 12 months you’ll have likely come across a new piece of tech jargon: Cloud Storage. While it has nothing to do with those fluffy things in the sky, it is the future of storage for all your important files – keep reading our guide and we’ll give you the low-down on all things ‘Cloud’.

What is cloud storage?

Cloud storage isn’t anything to be scared of; if you own a computer you’ll have hard drives that keeps all your files safe. Cloud storage is the same principle, but the hard drives aren’t in your computer, but in a room thousands of miles away. You upload files through the internet and then download them at your leisure when you need to access them.

The benefits?

Well there are plenty. If your important files are uploaded to a cloud service then wherever you are in the world (as long as you’ve got the internet) you can access your files. Furthermore, if your hard drive fails the likelihood is your files will be gone forever, this obviously doesn’t happen with cloud storage, as companies like Microsoft and Google have massive amounts of space and multiple data centres meaning it’s the safest place to store your files.

Other benefits include the fact that cloud is basically infinite unlike your own hard drive. A hard drive in your computer has a limited amount of space, use all that space up and you’ve got decision to make: delete some files and make some space, or upload some files to a cloud storage solution or a portable hard drive.

Also, as the data is stored on a network it’s always there in case any of your devices get lost or broken. This means if your phone goes missing and you have to replace it, simply connect to the cloud and download all your data right onto your new handset

So where does all my stuff go?

All the data you upload to these services are stored in data centres which are liberally dotted around the globe. Naysayers might have you believe that cloud storage isn’t as safe as you might think. Afterall you’re giving all you most prized digital files to a third party to keep them safe. But companies like Apple and Google want you to trust them with your important files. The only issue we can forsee is if you are using these services to host pirated material. But if you just want to keep you prized family photos and videos safe then there’s no better way to keep them under virtual lock and key.

Where can I get cloud storage from?

Over the last 12 months almost all smartphone manufacturers are offering some form of free cloud storage alongside their handsets. You may find that each has different restrictions on how much storage space you’re allocated, or a time limit on how long you can keep it for, but most services offer an option to purchase more space or extend your contract.

Apple – iCloud

Apple were one of the first mobile manufacturers to offer a full storage solution. Called iCloud it’s pre-installed on all new iPhones, iPads and Mac laptops. iCloud allows you to synch your mobile phone, tablet or Macbook with Apple’s servers meaning if you take a photo on you phone it’s automatically uploaded to your iPad or laptop. The service works for email, contacts, calendar, bookmarks, notes, to-do lists and photo streams, music downloaded from iTunes and even movies downloaded from iTunes.

Extra benefits of having an iCloud account include the Find My Phone function, which allows you to lock or wipe your phone remotely if its been lost or stolen. Any person who buys an Apple device will get 5GB free iCloud storage as standard, but you can buy more right from your mobile if you need it.

HTC And Dropbox

 Dropbox is the world’s leading independent cloud storage provider, and was chosen by HTC to partner its new line of smartphones. As standard you get a paltry 2GB of free space. But if you buy one of the new HTC’s you’ll bag yourself an impressive 25GB, which is ideal as HTC has begun to drop SD card expansion on their handsets. The only downside is after 2 years you will need to pay for your account to keep your files. The other handy thing about Dropbox is that it keeps a one-month history of your data, so changes can be undone, and anything you’ve deleted can be restored.

Sony/LG And  Box

Sony has gone a similar way as HTC, by choosing a third party company to service it’s 7 million users worldwide. Called Box, it’s a similar story to DropBox. You can store all your files online and share them with whoever you like. If you own a Xperia you can get 50GB of storage for free. The Box comes with some nifty features: you can arrange your files into folders just like you would on your desktop.  There’s a  clever online collaboration feature allows you to create online work spaces so people can view, edit and upload files to one, easily identifiable place.

LG also uses Box for their Cloud Storage service, you can snag the same 50GB if you have one of LG’s handsets, which is available until the end of 2012.

Nokia – SkyDrive

With Nokia and Microsoft in partnership, it’s no surprise that Nokia handsets use Microsoft’s cloud storage solution SkyDrive. You can get a free 25GB of storage and all you need to access the file is a Windows Live account.

Gaj-it Guide To Cloud Storage is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Apple surprised investors with its latest quarterly results as they revealed that profits had jumped a whopping 94% compared to the same time last year.

The Cupertino company’s shares rose sharply in after hours trading as the quarterly results were way above what analysts had predicted.

The above record-breaking earnings were attributed to the successful launch of the new iPhone 4S and iPad, with the main driver of growth was the iPhone as they shifted an eye-watering 35.1 million units, which is up 88% from last year’s results.

“International iPhone sales were on fire,” Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer told Reuters in an interview, adding that sales of the smartphone in the Greater China region jumped five-fold from the previous year.

Though the new iPad has only been out a month, sales of the tablet device were very strong; as they sold 11.8 million units in the last quarter.

Though today’s results don’t reflect the sales of the new iPad – it has been revealed that Apple sold 3 million units in the product’s first weekend on sale.

The new Retina Display-enhanced model which launched last month, has since rolled out across the world far more rapidly than previous models.

“We’re thrilled with sales of over 35 million iPhones and almost 12 million iPads in the March quarter,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

“The new iPad is off to a great start, and across the year you’re going to see a lot more of the kind of innovation that only Apple can deliver.”

“Our record March quarter results drove $14 billion in cash flow from operations,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO.

“Looking ahead to the third fiscal quarter, we expect revenue of about $34 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $8.68.”

Sales of their Macintost line of computers were less than stellar, Apple managed to 7% in growth compared to last year’s results, which is leading many to believe that a new refresh is finally just around the corner.

It wasn’t all positive news for Apple, sales for their iPod media player continued to tumble and resulted in a 15% decline with sales of 7.7 million units.

Of all its overseas markets, the company said revenue from the Asia-Pacific region grew the most, more than doubling to $10.15 billion. Sales in the region now account for more than a quarter of total Apple revenue, compared with 19% a year ago.

Apple set out last month what it plans to do with its colossal cash reserves; 10 billion has been set aside for a share repurchase and Tim Cook announced that the company would also pay out a divided to investors, something it has never done before.

WWDC Announced: What Can We Expect?

Apple’s continued growth doesn’t look like it will be stopping anytime soon, especially as the Cupertino company announced the dates for their WWDC (world wide developer conference) which will take place from June 11-15.

No one really has an idea what Apple’s agenda might be for this year’s event, but obviously top of many people’s list is iOS6, as the event is usually software-centric.

There may also be some new Mac software, although it would be very hot on the heels of Mountain Lion. Mac OS Thundercat, anyone?

Apple may well unveil a redesigned App Store as part of it, possibly including revamped recommendation technology from its acquisition of startup Chomp in February 2012.

iPhone 5 Unlikely To Be Unveiled At WWDC, But MacBook Refresh Looks Likely

Any chance of seeing a new iPhone is incredibly slim, Apple has moved the iPhone away from WWDC over the last year, and from the impressive sales of the current iPhone, Apple isn’t likely to release another so soon after the 4S.

Despite rumours to the contrary it’s very unlikely Apple will release the iPhone 5 this summer, especially not at WWDC. With this week’s quarterly results showing astronomical growth in iPhone sales, we’d be very surprised if they were to release the new handset within the next three months.

Apple will more than likely ride out the strong sales as long as they can, waiting for the natural cycle of sales to run their course – especially as Apple will look bring the iPhone to new markets, especially China.

But the MacBook Air and Pro lines are up for a refresh fairly soon, so they could be making a debut at the event too.

In the last WWDC, Steve Jobs presented OS X Lion, iOS 5 and iCloud. The three were very important updates. Lion started to morph into iOS. iOS got new important features. And more importantly, iCloud tied together both the Mac and the iOS devices over the Internet, a fundamental shift in Apple’s thinking.

Apple Posts Record-Breaking Quarterly Profits, Announces WWDC Dates is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Microsoft were actually one of the first companies to try and perfect tablet computing over 10 years ago – for many reasons it failed – but this doesn’t mean they have given up. With the imminent release of Windows 8 it looks as if the technology and software are finally in place for Microsoft to finally crack this lucrative emerging market.

Unless you’ve been under a rock, you’ll know that Microsoft has now released the Consumer Preview of Windows 8, so you can check it out for yourself.

Microsoft’s plans for Windows 8 seem pretty much set in stone. By allowing users to use apps from their desktop on their tablets or vice a versa it means that their tablets will offer something no one has really offered before.

It’s a high-risk strategy throwing out a UI that’s been with us for over 10 years –  many are already calling for Microsoft to include the old Window interface as well, so not to alienate their current users base – but would Apple do the same? No. It would force its users to embrace the new UI and this is what Microsoft will do as well.

This sort of joined up thinking has been missing at Microsoft for a while. But with Windows 8 they really seem to have thought of everything, making the Windows eco-system of devices including desktop PCs, tablets, phones and laptops all running off the same OS and UI will make a eco-system that works across all devices to the benefit of its users.

ARM is the future.

As well as more traditional AMD and Intel architecture, Windows 8 has been built from the ground up to work with ARM. For those of you who don’t know ARM, they’re the company behind the Android and iPad’s architecture. This means that in the future you’ll be able to have a dual-boot for your tablet, running both Android and Windows.

Metro The UI of the future

Microsoft is planning to bring all their Windows devices together within the same user interface: Metro. Those of you who have an Xbox or Windows phone will already be pretty comfortable with the UI. For those who haven’t experienced it Microsoft’s head of Windows Experience Julie Larson-Green said about the UI: ”Fast, fluid and dynamic, the experience has been transformed while keeping the power, flexibility and connectivity of Windows intact.

“Although the new user interface is designed and optimised for touch, it works equally well with a mouse and keyboard. Our approach means no compromises – you get to use whatever kind of device you prefer, with peripherals you choose, to run the apps you love. This is sure to inspire a new generation of hardware and software development, improving the experience for PC users around the world.”

Say goodbye to Start Button

The only device the hasn’t seen Metro, is of course, Windows for PC. Microsoft want their whole eco-system singing from the same hymn sheet – this means ditching the old Windows layout and replacing it with Metro. Big M is facing a bit of a backlash as Windows 8 will lose the Start button. But if progress mean ditching the Start button, were all for it.

Manufacturers seem keen

A Samsung Windows 8 tablet was shown off at Microsoft’s Build conference on 13 September 2011, while it was only a test device it’s clear that manufacturers are excited about the imminent arrival of a tablet-friendly Windows. Former tablet maker HP has also said it will consider making a Windows 8 Tablet.

UK PC maker, Dell, has said that it’s excited by the possibilities of Windows 8 and that it will be launching tablets featuring the OS toward the end of 2012. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, CEO Michael Dell said: ”We’re very encouraged by the touch capability we are seeing in the beta versions of Windows 8.

“We have a roadmap for tablets that we haven’t announced yet. You’ll see some announcements.. for the back half of the year,” he said. “We don’t think that this market is closed off in any way.”

Despite its current financial woes, Nokia might be planning a tablet too.  Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said that the company was looking at the tablet market and is considering just how to take on the might of the iPad.

Windows 8 App Store

A Windows 8 app store is already in place and Microsoft believes that “app development will move the web” over the next couple of years.  Windows 8 will come with a number of pre-installed Metro apps, which looks set to include things like a camera, messaging, mail, calendar, SkyDrive, people, photos, video and music. The apps will be in the Windows Phone Metro style and some, like messaging may incorporate mobile aspects like SMS support. Whether we’ll be seeing apps made for Window Phone on the store isn’t clear just yet – but from what we’ve been told and seen that’s the ultimate plan.

Price is everything

Windows 8 tablets are obviously going up against well-established competition including Apple’s iPad, Google’s Android and even Google OS notebooks, so price is a major factor to its success. The key here is that Windows 8 will work with ARM, which means manufacturers will be able to release Android tablets on the new OS without have to cater for any special requirements or hardware – this should mean that the tablets will be the same price as what you’d pay for an Android tablet, which is great news.

Windows 8 Tablets: Everything You Need To Know is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Amazon’s Kindle Fire has been a massive success story in America with its sales out-pacing those of traditional Android tablets – new rumours are beginning to surface about its successor, including a UK release date, price and specs – we’ll roundup everything you need to know about this media-focused tablet.

As you may well know the Kindle Fire hasn’t actually been released in the UK – it’s not because Amazon don’t want to – it’s more down to the fact that they haven’t secured the necessary media deals to be able to release the device outside of the US.

It’s thought that Amazon won’t bother releasing the current version in the UK – but will release a new and improved version for European markets.

The Kindle Fire 2 will be the second foray into the tablet market for the online retailer – with the latest rumours coinciding with rumours that Apple will look to strike back and release an iPad mini in 2012 to try and stave off any competition from Amazon.

Amazon Kindle Fire 2: UK release date and Screen Size

It’s is thought that Amazon wants to release the Kindle Fire 2 in spring 2012 in the US – that date comes from the Asian IT site Digitimes – it’s thought that the UK date isn’t set in stone just yet, and the new tablet will launch in the UK shortly after the US release.

The site has also reported in March that Taiwan-based Quanta Computers, which is one the world’s leading notebook manufacturers, has already been given orders from Amazon to begin working on the new tablet.

But this rumour seems to have been kicked into touch more recently as it has since emerged that the Kindle Fire 2 will be made by Foxconn, the same company that handles Apple production.

It’s thought that if Amazon does get the device manufactured by Foxconn this will give the retailer a far greater capacity to work with, especially if they want to release the tablet in Europe.

UK broadsheet, The Telegraph, amongst others, predicts the new Kindle Fire 2 will go into production in the first quarter of 2012 and will come with a 8-9-inch touch screen.

At the moment there’s no real evidence of what screen size Amazon will go with, as we’ve had rumours of 9.7-inches, 10.1-inches and even 8.9-inches.

An analyst writing in February 2012 predicted a 9-inch Amazon Kindle Fire tablet, as well as a refreshed 7-inch model by the middle of 2012.

Chad Bartley of Pacific Crest believes the new Kindle will be so successful that he has already increase the sales estimate from an impressive 12 million unites to and eye-watering 14.9 million units.

“We are raising our 2012 sales forecasts to 14.9 million from 12.7 million,” he wrote in a note to investors.

“But we believe there is an upward bias, particularly from the new 7 and 9-inch models, which we expect to launch in mid-2012.”

Amazon Kindle Fire 2: Processor to be a quad-core Tegra?

Now this seems highly unlikely to us, as the Kindle was sold at a loss and therefore Amazon didn’t give the original Fire a killer specs list. But Boy Genius Report predicted back in May that Amazon was “planning on releasing at least two before the end of the year… the big boy? That’s codenamed ‘Hollywood’ and will be based on the Nvidia Tegra 3 which will bring a screaming quad-core processor with a 500% performance increase”.

This would make the Kindle Fire incredibly fast and would be good news for consumers as we’ve heard that the current Fire is a bit of a slouch – but if it does turn out to be true it certainly wouldn’t be retailing at $200. The first Kindle was sold at a loss – but with the quad-core power plant under the hood Amazon would surely lose even more money.

Amazon Kindle Fire 2: The Kindle Fire Amazon really wanted to make

A “source” close to the company spoke to Gdgt and has claimed that the Kindle Fire 2 is the tablet that Amazon actually wanted to make, but couldn’t as they couldn’t get it out to market in time for the Christmas rush.

Amazon Kindle Fire 2: Operating system is Android

You may not know this but the original Fire was running a stripped out version of Android – they’ve taken out anything to suggest it is Google-owned and added a new simple user interface (are you listening Google?).

The use of Android was a stroke of genius by Amazon and created an interesting situation where the Kindle is the most successful Android tablet in the US – even though it’s the tablet with the weakest specs sheet and has no real association with Google. Expect the Fire 2 to have the same solid integration with the Amazon app store and media services, rather than Android market and Google books.

Amazon Kindle Fire 2: To rival the iPad or not?

One of Amazon’s best decisions was not to try and take on the competion with a direct copy (ahem Samsung) so the Fire did not come with a camera, a microphone or GPS – will Amazon do the same again? We’re not sure the Kindle Fire 2 needs them: if it wants to be an iPad rival then yes, such things are important, but they’re not necessarily deal-breakers for sofa surfing that Kindle Fire struck a chord with.

Amazon Kindle Fire 2 Roundup: Release Date, Size and Specs is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com