Hands-on review: CES 2014: Samsung GamePad

Remember the Samsung GamePad? The thing that was announced all the way back in March 2013 but never materialised? Well, it’s back, it’s changed colour and we’ve run our fingers all over the new version.There are many stark differences with this new polished unit from Samsung – namely, the millions (well, three) joystick / d-pads that adorn the front.Two analogue sticks promise easy use for first person shooters, and the d-pad gives reassurance that you’ll be able to pull off those more complex special moves in fighting games.Samsung has gone all out with the new GamePad, with trigger buttons, a selection of input keys, a ‘play’ button to instantly get to the mobile gaming section and a generally better-packaged offering.How the smartphone is about to beat the console at its own gameThe extendable support for the phone is impressive too, with holding the phone in strongly and not giving that heart-stopping wiggle that makes you anxious to rigidly play games over a pile of pillows.It also allows you to connect to a TV, either through MHL or screen mirroring, theoretically making your powerful little phone into a console to rival the likes of the GameStick.However, this is the point where things come unstuck – it quickly became apparent during testing that using any Android 4.3-enabled device with this controller isn’t going to be a pleasant experience.Any game (I favoured Sonic the Hedgehog 4 because I really impressed the Samsung engineer with my skills last year – real highlight) shows a huge degree of lag; not only that, but it appears the amount of latency between controller and screen will change, so you can’t even feel any consistency.This was present in the first iteration of the […]

By |January 9th, 2014|News, Phone Reviews|0 Comments
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Hands-on review: CES 2014: LG LifeBand Touch and Heart Rate Headphones

News from CES that LG is making a play for the fitness tracker space is nothing new – it did just the same thing last year.But this time around, things have got smarter and more oddly designed, with the new LifeBand Touch offering functionality beyond just wandering around and seeing a number raise up.That’s obviously a large part of the raison d’être for the LifeBand, but there’s loads more functionality that makes it a more compelling (and sometimes cheaper) option for those looking to have something help explore the data in their life.The design of the LifeBand is definitely something that will take getting used to – it was almost repellent the first time I picked it up. Featuring a not insubstantial break in the ring to allow you to put it on, the design oddity is compounded by the fact the screen element is so much heavier.This meant that not only does it not connect all the way around your wrist, it will wobble about thanks to being top-heavy. This problem was relieved to some extent by moving to a smaller version, but the gap does split a little too easily, being flexible as it is to help you get it onto your arm.The screen, a small OLED affair, is monochrome and touchscreen and is the primary way you interact with the LifeBand, apart from the glowing button to the right.The display is fairly low resolution but is more than visible enough – and having it running this way allows for the band to have a five day battery life, which means you won’t need to pointlessly charge it over and over.Although not available on the stand, the LG LifeBand takes its power from […]

By |January 9th, 2014|News, Phone Reviews|0 Comments
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Hands-on review: CES 2014: SteelSeries Sensei Wireless Mouse

SteelSeries, a major purveyor of mechanical keyboards, had a big secret to share with us and it turns out the PC gaming peripheral maker had a new wireless mouse called the Sensei Wireless.The mouse promises to deliver lag-free wireless gaming with a one-millisecond response time from dragging the device to whipping around in FPS games. What’s more the mouse has a maximum sensitivity of 8200 Counts-Per-Inch (SteelSeries’ version of DPI) to recognize every hand flick.We got a quick couple of moment to manhandle SteelSeries new wireless addition based on the older, wired Sensei mouse models to see if it was just as quick as the tailed rodent. Southpaw or notStats aside the ambidextrous mouse feels nice in hand. It’s nowhere nearly as ergonomic as a mouse specifically sculpted for right or left hands, but the top is lined with a soft, rubbery material to keep our palms glued to it.For a gaming mouse, the Sensei Wireless is incredibly light and there aren’t included weight adding options. Similarly the mouse does not have any options to change the its shape, so gamers who want to customize exactly how their hand fits over the mouse down to a thumbrest will want to look towards other options like the Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. 9 or Logitech G9xOn the top of the mouse and along its sides there are eight customizable buttons in the usual set up or right and left click as well as two side buttons on either side. There’s also one additional button in the middle just below the scroll wheel that changes the CPI sensitivity.The mouse also features three sets of lights users can customize between the mouse’s SteelSeries logo, scroll wheel, and CPI switching […]

By |January 9th, 2014|News, Phone Reviews|0 Comments
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Hands-on review: Philips Brilliance 288P Ultra HD 4K 28-inch monitor

Ultra HD 4K screens are in healthy supply at CES 2014 but super high-resolution monitors, however, are comparatively few and far between. Luckily, picking up the slack, there was Philips’ Brilliance 288P Ultra HD 4K monitor.We met up with Philips to check out its latest 28-inch 4K addition that offers PC gamers and users a 3840 x 2160 resolution. Philips also boasted that the Ultra HD set features 10-bit color panel, 2-bits more than most other screens.Fixing the TN panelWe were a bit shocked when a Philips PR rep told us the monitor was a TN panel. Classically these fast response time monitors are tuned for lag free gaming, sacrificing good color and viewing angles. The Philips Brilliance 288P isn’t hindered by either of these issues. Colors are deep and rich, it’s still not the most vibrant color gamut we’ve ever seen on a 4K display, but it’s definitely a step up from the washed out hues usually seen on TN panels.However, we can’t say much about the blacks because the onscreen demo never showed any blacks on the frame.The 4K display played video unhindered by any stuttering or tearing. What’s more details look just superb on this monitor. Philips demoded the unit with a looping video of duck being cut and not only could we see the grain of the fowl, but also the texture of its flowing juices.It’s all in the detailsPeaking our heads around the edges of the screen, we also found the Ultra HD display had some impressive viewing angles for a TN panel and even most IPS displays – monitors that deliver rich colors and deep shadows.Viewing the monitor from the sides only created distorted images once we started looking […]

By |January 9th, 2014|News, Phone Reviews|0 Comments
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Hands-on review: CES 2014: Acer C720P-2600 Chromebook

Acer divvied up a couple of new Android tablet devices earlier this week but also footnoted its announcements with a curiously familiar laptop called the Acer C720P-2600.Those that missed out Acer’s first budget and touchscreen Chromebook, the C720P, should expect practically the same 1,366×768 touchscreen equipped laptop except in a new coat of white. Otherwise the 11.6-inch laptop comes equipped with the same Intel Celeron 2955U processor plus 32GB SSD storage and 2GB of RAM.Touchy touchyThe touchscreen on the Acer C720P-2600 is one of its most important features and it is there to let you poke at things on your screen. But, that’s really just about all it can do. There are not any special gestures other than pinch to zoom or a touchscreen GUI to make the experience any different than using a mouse to click on icons.On one hand it’s a relief that the laptop does not come with any additional bloatware to slow down the quick launching Chromebook users have become accustomed to. At the same time, though, it’s a bit pointless without any special features.What the touchscreen does offer is lag-less tap functionality. Touching anything on the screen seamlessly opened link in the web browser and was perfect for starting web apps web apps from the Chrome desktop.For now, touchscreen control seems like an extra little touch that would be even better with a Chrome OS powered tablet sans the keyboard and laptop body. Fast as the webNavigating through the web was seamless. Even with the menagerie of broadband signals at CES 2014 we easily loaded our Google Drive documents and the TechRadar homepage.Although the hardware is exactly the same as the previous C720P model, its still more than enough to […]

By |January 9th, 2014|News, Phone Reviews|0 Comments
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Hands-on review: CES 2014: Nikon D3300

Overview, build and handlingWhenever I’m asked to recommend an entry-level SLR the Nikon D3100 and Nikon D3200 are always at the forefront of my mind. They have the great Guide Mode to help novices get to grips with their new hobby, and their image quality is very good. On the basis of what we know about the new Nikon D3300, it looks set to be another good choice for novices. It offers the same 24.2-million pixel count as 2012’s D3200, but lacks the optical low-pass filter over the sensor and should therefore capture sharper, more detailed images.Nikon has also improved on the D3200’s Guide Mode for the D3300, offering greater functionality and making it a little cleaner in appearance.Like the Nikon D5300, the D3300 has the manufacturer’s latest generation processing engine: EXPEED 4. This allows the new camera to shoot continuously at a maximum rate of 5fps for up to 100 Fine quality JPEGs. In addition, the native sensitivity range runs from ISO 100 to 12,800 and there’s an expansion setting that takes it to the equivalent of ISO 25,600. Provided that noise is controlled to Nikon’s usual standard, this should mean that the D3300 performs better in low light than its predecessor, making it more versatile.The EXPEED 4 processing engine is also responsible for allowing the D3300 to record Full HD movie footage at framerates up to 50p/60p and with continuous autofocus. Helpfully, there’s a microphone port as well as a built-in stereo mic for better sound recording during movie shooting. Like the D3200, the D3300 has a Special Effects mode that allows a collection of styles to be applied to JPEG images and videos. Nikon has boosted the list of effects to 13 […]

By |January 9th, 2014|News, Phone Reviews|0 Comments
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Should we fear the growth of Chinese telecoms company Huawei?

BBC News
4th December 2013

When I first went to see Huawei, about 10 years ago, I had very little idea of who the company was, or what it did.

Ten minutes in the impressive corporate display hall in the booming city of Shenzhen illuminated me. It was full of elaborate and expensive machines.

Huawei was designing and selling the switch and network machinery that makes modern telecommunications and the internet possible. This was indeed a hi-tech business. […]

By |September 7th, 2013|News|0 Comments
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