News: What can do Snapdragon 800

Qualcomm Snapdragon 800: Hands-on with the Future of Mobile

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When Qualcomm first announced that its next-generation Snapdragon 800 series processors would run at a maximum clock speed of 2.3-GHz, we were instantly blown away. After all, that would make the chip one of the fastest in the land. But the Snapdragon 800 is more than just a speed demon. This processor also packs a wide array of impressive features that sound too good to be true, including the ability to capture and output 4K photos and videos, run high-quality games, play 7.1 Dolby audio and enable 4G LTE Advanced connectivity. To get a closer look at this processing behemoth, we stopped by Qualcomm’s booth here at Mobile World Congress 2013 to see what the future of mobile tech holds.

4K Video Capture and Playback

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The tech buzzword, er, phrase, of the moment is “4K resolution.” TV manufacturers ranging from LG to Samsung are all working on their own 4K TVs sporting the latest in super sharp, high definition technology. At four times the pixel density of a standard 1080p display, 4K images and videos require serious horsepower to run smoothly. And yet somehow Qualcomm has managed to get its Snapdragon 800 to do just that.

Not only that, but the chip is also capable of capturing video and images in 4K and outputting them to a 4K display via HDMI. During one demo, Qualcomm representatives showed us a clip from the film “Life of Pi” in 4K resolution running off of a Snapdragon 800-powered Android tablet, and at no point did we notice any lag. During a second demonstration, we used a Snapdragon 800-equipped phone to capture 4K pictures of a Qualcomm representative and immediately transfer them to a 4K television.

Carrier Aggregation

Next we checked out the processor’s ability to run a 4G LTE Advanced data connection. Such data speeds, which can reach as high as 145 Mbps, are possible as a result of a technique Qualcomm is using called carrier aggregation, which combines a carrier’s radio channels across non-adjacent bands.

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So what can a 145 Mbps data connection do for you? How about stream 4K resolution video as Qualcomm did during our demo? Qualcomm says it’s not just making changes to its chipset to bring users such high data speeds, the chip-maker is also working with carriers to improve their networks efficiently and bring LTE Advanced to market in the not-too-distant future.

Mobile Gaming Powerhouse

Of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t check out how well the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 can handle mobile gaming. So we stopped by the company’s gaming kiosk where we saw the Snapdragon 800 running three games, including the Android game “Modern Combat.”

What really blew our socks off was the number of polygons the processor was able to handle while running a game demo of a group of dragons attacking a castle. At one point during the demo the lead dragon spits out a stream of fire that, when viewing the game as a collection of wire frames, turned into a seemingly infinite number of polygons.

After spending some time with the Snapdragon 800, it’s clear that Qualcomm’s next-generation chip is destined to be one of the most important pieces of silicon in the coming years. From 4K resolution and 7.1 Dolby sound to incredible network speeds and gaming power, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor is in a category all its own.

NVIDIA Hates The Benchmark Game, But Lifts The Veil On Tegra 4 Performance Anyway

Flash back a month or so to CES — NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang officially pulled back the curtain on the company’s new Tegra 4 chipset, and called it the “world’s fastest mobile processor.” It was a hell of a claim to make, but the company did little to justify it at the time aside from pointing to its array of Cortex A15 CPU cores and its “72 GPU cores.”

Fortunately, NVIDIA is much chattier here at MWC, and was eager to show off some rather impressive synthetic benchmarks for its latest and greatest mobile chipset.

Well, maybe “eager” isn’t exactly the right word — NVIDIA really hates playing the mobile benchmark game. I don’t blame them. In many ways the sorts of numbers that these tests spit out just don’t accurately reflect the experience that users will actually have. During our early testing for instance, the Nexus 4 consistently put up some strangely anemic Quadrant scores — which its cousin the Optimus G handily blew past — despite working like a dream.

All that said, benchmarks are largely are for the most part inescapable, and the Tegra 4 SoC does a rather nice job on them anyway. Quadrant is one of our go-to mobile benchmarking tools, and the Tegra 4 did not disappoint — it scored in the mid-16,000s, topping out at 16,591. To put that in a little perspective, Samsung/Google’s Nexus 10 (which itself is powered by a relatively new dual-core 1.7 GHz Samsung Exynos chipset) usually scores in the mid-to-high 4,000s. Asus’ Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 (powered by a 1.6GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3) fared about the same, if not a hair higher.

The results were much the same when we looked at AnTuTu scores — while tablets like the Nexus 10 and Asus’ TF700 will yield scores in the mid-8000s to low-9000s, the Tegra 4 demo tablet consistently hit scores above 36,000.

Curious about how the Tegra 4 compares in your preferred benchmarking suite? You can see the full gallery of Tegra 4 benchmark results below:

One of NVIDIA’s most prominent competitors these days is Qualcomm, and NVIDIA Product Marketing director Matt Wuebbling was eager to chat about the performance differential when I let slip the Q word. 

When asked about how much NVIDIA knows about Qualcomm’s updated Snapdragon chipsets, he replied simply enough: “we know a lot.” By his count, the Tegra 4 is about two to three times faster than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 (used in devices like the new HTC One). He went on to say that the top-tier Snapdragon 800 is about 25 to 35 percent faster than the 600, with the implication that the Tegra 4 still comes out on top. 

Though his response has based on Qualcomm’s published Snapdragon claims, I’d still advise you to take that comparison with a grain of salt. That’s nothing against Wuebbling, but these sorts of simple comparisons don’t always paint the most accurate picture. I couldn’t reach Qualcomm for response at time of writing, but I’ll update if/when they respond to these claims.

You would think that this sort of horsepower would suck a battery dry in jiffy, but that doesn’t appear to the be the case. Another Tegra 4 demo had a video running at full resolution on a small 1080p display, an exercise that never drew more 1 watt of electricity at the most. Power consumption typically fell within the 900-950 milliwatt range — devices like the Droid DNA for instance tend to draw around 1.2 watts for similar tasks.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 theater demo at MWC 2013

The false alarm of the super powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 already being in a device, and a ZTE one of all places already rang at MWC, but reality is we are still a few months away from seeing retail devices with the most powerful Snapdragon chip so far.

Being at Mobile World Congress, though, we were privileged to get an early peek at a reference tablet design based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and running a 4K Ultra HD video.

All of that happened at the Qualcomm Theater booth where only 9 people are allowed to sit and enjoy the Snapdragon 800 experience. You also get to listen to 7.1 surround sound augmenting the experience. Take a look below.

The CAT B15 is thougher than the average smartphone

Most of us have seen the commercials for jam where they use the line “With a name like Smuckers it has to be good”. The new CAT B15 smartphone, the first smartphone branded by Caterpillar, could come with a similar tag line “With a name like Caterpillar is has to be tough”. A tag line that the CAT B15 lives upto with its aluminum and rubber shells that can withstand much of the punishment that can come from working around heavy equipment.

  

The CAT B15 Specification would love to get to grips with Jelly bean smartphone, just the look of it for a rugged phone turns us on. The iPhone 5 cannot handle the little of knocks and even the though other Jelly Bean smartphones are not that tough such as the Galaxy S3 why not design all phones to look like this. 

Spesification CAT B15:

- dimension: 125 x 69,5 x 14,95 mm
- weight: 170 g
- IP67: Waterproof to a depth of 1 meter for 30 minutes, resistant to dust
- Screen: 4" capacitive multi-touch, Corning Gorilla Glass, wet finger tracking
- network Features: 3g 850/1900 or 900/2100, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, Bluetooth (edr), Wi-Fi
- OS: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
- Media: 5.0 MP rear camera, portrait continues with a tap, VGA front camera, camera and video player, music player, FM radio, handsfree speakerphone
- Ready to operate at temperatures: -20 ° C to 55 ° C
- Drop test: 1,80 meter
- Processor: Dual-core 1 GHz
- Memoriy 4 GB (can upgrade up to 32 GB via micro SD)/RAM 512 MB
- Batery: 2.000 mAh
- Talk time: up to 16,3 hours, standby up to 26 day (one SIM) or up to 19 day (Two SIM)

4 Things That Made PS4 Possible

One thing that the PlayStation 4 announcement last week brought home for me was just how much the world has changed since the last time we were introduced to a new Sony console in 2005. Back then, the iPhone didn't exist, consoles and PC were still the only major players in the video games industry, and a console with Internet connectivity was still a novelty to hundreds of thousands of people. These changes are only accentuated by the length of this console generation, which has exceeded any that went before it. It feels like the PlayStation 4 is launching into a completely different world.

Sitting down with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's president and CEO Jim Ryan the morning after the announcement, I asked him which developments of the past six years or so have made the PlayStation 4 possible. Here are the four most significant.

The PS3 Has Been Successful (source: ign.com)

Most obviously, if the PlayStation 3 hadn't done well over the past five years, the PlayStation 4 would definitely not be happening. "The first thing is that we had a condition of considerable success with the PS3, and had that not happened, we probably would not be sitting here after yesterday’s event," says Ryan. "PS3 was not all that easy in the beginning, but we’re now 70m units in, and certainly in the part of the world I look after, in most European territories you’re in a very dominant market position, and there's good momentum – PS3 will carry on going. That success was definitely a necessary condition… it’s a big thing for any corporation to decide that they’re going to introduce a new platform, and you can best do that from a position of success."

Improved Internet Infrastructure (source: ign.com)

Although the PlayStation 4 does not require an Internet connection to function - something that was rumoured before the announcement, and a prospect that was getting plenty of people worried - connectivity is a huge part of the console's pitch, as evidenced by the Share button and the console's Gaikai cloud-gaming integration, which looks set to become one of its defining features. What has enabled this is the improvement of the global Internet infrastructure; more people than ever are online, and more people than ever have access to broadband, so it is easier to justify making connectivity so integral to the console.

"Our levels of connectedness on the PS3 platform are extremely high – in excess of 90%, even in places like Italy and Spain," says Ryan. "When you have that level of connectedness it makes that sort of innovation much easier to justify. It becomes much easier to do than if you’re running at 10% levels of connectivity; everybody’s online, so the ROI [return on investment] – which unfortuantely people like myself do have to worry about – on those sorts of investment decisions becomes much more straightforward."

Social Media (source: ign.com)

As well as better broadband, social media has totally changed the way we communicate with each other since the PlayStation 3 was announced, pushing us towards sharing more of our lives online. This has made social integration on the PlayStation 4 not only possible, but necessary. The DualShock 4's Share button and the PlayStation Network's increased personalisation show how the console is embracing the more socially-connected Internet that has developed since the PlayStation 3's release, claims Jim.

"We think personalisation is very important in this day and age. You’ll have a home page on the network which is yours, [with] stuff that you’ve bought and that your friends have bought, what your friends are doing... The social aspect is probably most important of all – this deep, very rich social engagement, whether it’s via social networks or by using this rather cool Share button.

"I think the general move to this connected world that we live in now makes the realisation of what we’re going to do with the PS4 possible to an extent that really wasn’t the case 5 or 6 years ago, " he concludes.

The Breakdown of Hardware Barriers (source: ign.com)

In 2006 the idea of being able to use, say, your Samsung phone with your Sony games console was preposterous. Since then, however, smartphones and tablets have become so dominant that console manufacturers have had to acquiesce (and other electronics hardware manufacturers - there are even ovens you can control with your iPhone). This is the impetus behind the Xbox's SmartGlass, and the PlayStation 4 will use apps to let you use tablets and phones as second screens (as well as the Vita, of course). We are no longer limited by hardware compatibility to anywhere near the same extent.

"One of the things that we increasingly see is that the silos that have existed in the past with these vertical platforms are getting broken down little bit by little bit," observes Ryan. (In plain English, platforms are no longer closed - they have to integrate.) "Things are becoming more open and less proprietary, and this can only be good for consumers. It brings certain technical challenges and business model challenges in certain spaces, but I think in this day and age companies like Sony have to meet those challenges head-on."

Review: HP ElitePad 900 G1 Tablet and Video Unboxing

OVERVIEW HP ElitePad 900 G1

The true tablet for business. Go beyond everyday business with the HP ElitePad, our premium thin and light Windows 8 tablet[1]. Its elegant design and touch experience put productivity at your fingertips. Expand your potential by choosing from a complete suite of thoughtfully designed accessories like a full keyboard, docking station, and on HP ElitePad Expansion Jacket that extends battery life. Easy to deploy. Effortless to manage. Simple to secure.

From mobile executives to field technicians, you’ll benefit from an assortment of industry-specific software and hardware options.

Features

• Windows 8 Pro or other operating systems available

Transform your business with a tablet designed for business.

• Slide the HP ElitePad into the HP ElitePad Expansion Jacket with the HP ElitePad Jacket Battery to extend battery life up to 20 hours and work without worrying about recharging.

• Windows 8 and x86 compatibility for legacy apps arm you with the tools you need – and the confidence of a familiar PC experience. All driven by the latest Intel® processors.

• Dock at the office and the HP ElitePad becomes your desktop PC. Add a full keyboard to boost your productivity or an additional screen for multitasking.

• Invest in your business, not batteries. Since the HP Long Life Battery offers up to a three-year life span, you can focus on the task at hand without the hassle of replacing your battery.

• Log into Windows wirelessly with NFC technology.

Sleek. Elegant. Thoughtfully designed.

• Thanks to durable materials like Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2 and machined aluminum, this tablet only feels lightweight. It’s built to last and designed to look great and work dependably everywhere from the boardroom to the warehouse.

• It’s designed to meet military standards 810G testing for vibration, high and low temperature, temperature shock, dust, altitude, drop, shock and humidity.

• Contoured edges, an anti-smudge screen, aluminum buttons, and the HP Executive Tablet Pen make the HP ElitePad look and feel as good as it functions.

• With a 10.1-inch diagonal, 16:10 display, you maximize your viewing space on the move. Spend less time scrolling. More time doing. And, thanks to support for touch, pen, or voice-based input, you can work the way that suits you best.

• Get a 1080p camera in front for video calls. Shoot true-to-life photos and videos with an 8MP camera in back and a built-in flash.

Deploy, manage, and secure like nobody’s business.

• A familiar set up experience, plus available HP Custom Integration Services, make the HP ElitePad simple to deploy in existing IT environments. HP Global Series and Services ensure consistent support for business with international operations.

• You’re protected with HP Client Security. HP BIOS Protection and Microsoft Defender help keep you up and running with enhanced defense against virus attacks and other threats.

• Manage a fleet easily with Active Directory, domain join, and PXE boot support, along with HP Client Management Solutions. It’s one less thing to worry about for IT.

• Keep sensitive data and devices in-house—and save both time and money. With optional do-it-yourself maintenance tools, updates are easy. Plus, protect your investment with an optional three-year limited warranty, so you know you made a wise choice.

Flexible customization options.

• It’s an equation for success. Work on your terms with a tablet that fits your business. A complete suite of accessories gives you the freedom to customize your device your way.

• Whether it’s sales, design, education or healthcare, you’ll benefit from an assortment of industry-specific software and hardware options that have been thoroughly tested for compatibility.

[1] This system is Windows 8 certified and supports the new Windows UI. The integrated display resolution is below the threshold for Snap, a Windows UI feature that allows two Windows Store apps to be viewed simultaneously. This feature may be enabled by attaching an external 1366 x 768 or higher resolution display.

   

Source : Toms Hardware

System features

Operating system

Windows 8 Pro
Windows 8

Processors

• Intel® Atom® Z2760 (1.5 GHz, up to 1.8 GHz using Intel Burst Technology and Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, 1 MB cache, 2 cores)

Processor technology

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology is designed to improve performance of multi-threaded software products and requires a computer system with a processor supporting HT and an HT-enabled chipset, BIOS and OS. Please contact your software provider to determine compatibility. Not all customers or software applications will benefit from the use of HT. See http://www.intel.com/info/hyperthreading for more information.

Dimensions and weight

Dimensions (W x D x H)

7 x 10.28 x 0.36 in (178 x 261 x 9.2 mm)

Weight

Starting at 1.38 lb (Starting at 630 g)

Display and graphics

Display

10.1" diagonal WXGA wide-viewing angle (1280 x 800); Ultra- Wide-viewing angle; Capacitive multitouch screen with digitizer; Tough, durable Corning Gorilla Glass 2; Anti-smudge coating; Auto rotate (selectable)

Graphics

• Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator

Expansion Features

Ports

• 1 headphone/microphone combo
• 1 power connector

Expansion slots

• 1 SIM
• 1 microSDHC

Audio

• SRS Audio
• Integrated stereo speakers
• Integrated microphone (dual-microphone array) (noise cancelling and beam forming)

Webcam

Integrated 1080p with LED (front-facing); 8MP (rear facing)

Communications

Wireless

• 802.11a/b/g/n dual band (2x2) and Bluetooth 4.0
• HP hs2350 HSPA+ Mobile Broadband with GPS support
• HP hs3120 HSPA+ Mobile Broadband with GPS support

Power and operating requirements

Battery type

• 2-cell (25 WHr) polymer HP Long Life

Battery life

Up to 10 hours and 15 minutes

Security management

Security management

• HP Client Security: Security Manager
• Credential Manager
• Password Manager
• Device Access Manager with Just In Time Authentication
• Computrace
• SpareKey
• Drive Encryption
• Microsoft Defender
• Intel Platform Trust Technology
• BIOS Protection
• Preboot Security
• TPM 2.0

What's included

Warranty

• 1-year standard parts and labor limited warranty
• 1-year limited warranty on primary battery. Optional HP Care Pack Services are extended service contracts which go beyond your standard warranties.

 

 

HP ElitePad 900 G1 Windows 8 Pro Tablet Unboxing

REVIEW VIDEO: Ubuntu on tablets at MWC

Ubuntu writes, “Tastefully tactile Ubuntu on tablets” which indicates that the company will bring up something extra to the users. The company also says the below words:

With unique multitasking productivity, effortless navigation and defence-ready security, Ubuntu raises the bar on tablet design and sets a new standard for the post-PC era. Bright. Brilliant. Beautiful. And naturally neat. 

Its multitasking brings up a lot interest among the users. Its unique side stage places a phone and a tablet app on the same screen at the same time for amazing tablet productivity.

Ubuntu expresses that you can take calls in Skype while you are working in a document, can make notes while you’re surfing the web, can tweet while watching movie. Or you can use apps collaboratively-you can drag the contents from one document to the other. These features comes from its Multitasking mojo.

ubuntu tablet

12 Best Games on the iPhone

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Angry Birds Star Wars

As brutishly mercenary as a Force-enabled version of Angry Birds might seem, the newest variant of Rovio's mobile juggernaut is actually pretty good. The standard Birds gameplay gets bolted onto iconic sequences from the Star Wars saga and players will be able to deflect lasers with a lightsaber and use Force Push on the franchise's rickety environments.

A Good Match for: Iteration addicts. We've reached the point where each new AB release shows interesting tweaks to a core formula. The smash-it-all gameplay has moved from a see-what-happens model to one where various abilities exist to help you force the outcome you want. The Star Wars-centric skills in ABSW aren't going to replace careful aiming and application of momentum but they make it so you won't need as much luck as in the past.

Not for Those Who Want: Their childhood memories unsullied. If you break out in hives at the mere mention of Episodes I through III, then you should probably act like this game doesn't exist. Your younglings, though, may not give you a choice.

Here's how it looks in action. Purchase from the App Store.

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Bad Hotel

Bad Hotel is a comedy. And a tower-defense game. And the most stylish game about building a hotel that shoots ice at monsters that we've ever seen. It's an unusually well-rounded iPhone game that looks, sounds and plays superbly. You stack rooms upon rooms to build a hotel while enemies attack. Some of your rooms can shoot them, others repair damaged rooms and others collect money from guests. None of this is played straight, as levels are packed with absurd monsters and narrated by the kind of people one might occupy Wall Street to protest against.

Oh, and this is also a music game, because, as you build your hotel, it pulses with music that is shaped to match your tower. Each room you add contorts the soundtrack. Yes, this is for real. The creators of the game explained it all to us.

A Good Match for: Those looking for something more artsy and musically-interesting, as well as those looking for a game with jokes written for
grown-ups.

Not for Those Who Want: The world's most precise controls, though a recent update did improve them a bit.

Here's how it looks in action. Purchase from the App Store.

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Drop 7

AreaCode's numerical puzzle game may be the most perfect short-session game ever created. As falling numbers land on a 7×7 grid, you need to make them disappear by matching the number of vertical or horizontal spaces match the digit. Yes, it sounds tedious but when the rules finally click in your head, it's a lifetime addiction.

A Good Match for: Anyone who spends a lot of time waiting for things or people. Whether it's stuck in traffic or waiting on a queue at the bank, a few quick levels of Drop7 will make any kind of stationary drudgery more bearable.

Not for Those Who Want: Productivity. It take superhuman willpower to resist the siren call of Drop7 and if you want to get anything done after installing it, make sure your iPhone's out of reach.

Here's how it looks in action. Purchase from the App Store.

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Ghost Trick

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective was a triumph on the DS, a super-cool story/puzzle game drowning in great style, cool animation, and a funny, truly touching story. It makes the transition to iOS even better than you'd think, and many of the Rube Goldbergian puzzles work even better with the iPhone or iPad's touch-screen.

A Good Match for: People who like jokes, animation fans, music buffs, pomeranian owners.

Not for Those Who Want: A lot of gameplay, a non-linear story, a game without any pomeranians.

Here's how it looks in action. Purchase from the App Store.

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Hero Academy

The developers at Robot Entertainment must know that friends don't always get along. That might be a reason that they made Hero Academy, a turn-based competitive strategy game that pits two people's virtual squads of fantasy adventurers against each other. The grid-based battlefield tempts you with loot that can power up characters and you'll find yourself . Much of Hero Academy's appeal comes from its asynchronous game design, which gives you time to plot out the perfect turn. And the waiting to see what your opponent sends back? That's almost as good as making your own move.

A Good Match for: Tolkien-loving chess players. Like the classic board-game simulation of war, specific units have different abilities. So, the a Dark Elves can leech energy and other warriors can force enemies back a square. And it all unfolds in a milieu that owes much to the Lord of the Rings mythology, which means you'll shout out "You shall not pass!" a lot.

Not for Those Who Want: No microtransactions. Hero Academy isn't the worst kind of pay-to-win game but the temptation to plunk down some cash for deeper and more varied reserve of troops is strong.

Here's how it looks in action. Purchase from the App Store.

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Horn

An Unreal Engine 3-powered adventure, Horn is the closest thing the iPhone has to a ‘triple A' console title. A young boy awakens to find the land overrun by gigantic stone creatures—creatures that were once human. Discovering the means to forge magical weapons to break the crystal curse, the boy embarks on a quest to restore fleshiness to humanity.

A Good Match for: Action role-players. This is the iPhone's The Legend of Zelda, only without the Zelda.

Not for Those Who Want: Bite-sized game sessions. Though a good portion of Horn is broken up into shorter, easy-to-digest levels, your digestive system would need to be in trouble for you to get much done in the game during a bathroom break at work.

Here's how it looks in action. Purchase from the App Store.

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Infinity Blade

Players who enter Chair Entertainment's medieval epic get embroiled in an endless skein of mano-a-mano duels with giant ogres and demonic knights. The combination of treasure grabbing, loot acquisition and slash-&-dodge combat will keep players glued to their tablet for hours.

A Good Match for: Console game players. Infinity Blade raised the bar on the level of persistent visual detail developers could accomplish on iOS and its swipe-and-tap controls make each swordfight immersive in way that button-pressing on a gamepad can't match.

Not for Those Who Want: Variety. Infinity Blade doesn't over-reach in terms of what it offers. It does what it does well, but you'll get the entire gist of the game in about 15 minutes.

Here's how it looks in action. Purchase from the App Store.

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Letterpress

Most word games feel polite, don't they? Sure, you may gnash your teeth when you lose in Scrabble but you never feel like throttling your opponent. When you play Letterpress, you'll feel like punching the person you're playing against. That's because Letterpress is actually a ground war in word-game form. Each word you spell is a daring grab for letter-filled real estate and every advance can get repulsed by an opponent's clever coinage.

 

A Good Match for: Risk players who love to read. The strategy at work in Letterpress is of a more rapid-fire nature than in other digital word games. You'll need to figure out how to secure and hold territory while figuring out which words you can make form the jumbled-up letters on the board.

Not for Those Who Want: Quick games. Though Letterpress can be fast-paced, some games can see-saw back and forth for a while, even with a clear end in sight. A good fight is its own reward but sometimes you just want the other guy to fall over.

Purchase from the App Store.

Here's how it looks in action.

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Need for Speed Most Wanted

The folks who already make the best racing games for the iPhone get their hands on EA's premier racing franchise and knock it out the park.

A Good Match for: Speed demons. Need for Speed Most Wanted feels fast in a way that you can't pull your eyes away from. The experience is smooth and shiny, putting every other iDevice racing title to shame.

Not for Those Who Want: Customization. The cars you get in Need for Speed pretty much stay the same. It's great that the simulated physics make various classes of cars feel different from each other, but can't do anything visually to make them feel like your own.

Here's how it looks in action. Purchase from the App Store.

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Plants vs. Zombies

The cartoony garden-defense blockbuster soars on iPhone thanks to touch inputs and a port that sacrifices very little from other versions of the game.

A Good Match for: Urban gardeners. PvZ's all about cultivating flora to stave off hordes of the undead, something that anyone trying to grow tomatoes in a windowsill planter can probably relate to. Those would-be farmers probably need a bit of digital payback.

Not for Those Who Want: Top-down tower defense. PvZ doesn't deliver the general's-eye view of the battlefield that you get in games like Fieldrunners, so you may not feel quite as god-like when killing zombies.

Here's how it looks in action. Purchase from the App Store.

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Super Hexagon

Super Hexagon is a game that will kill you in seconds. A pattern of geometric shapes flow towards the center of the screen to the beat of the music, and your task is to dodge them. You won't. You'll die in seconds. If you get really good, you'll die in minutes. And you'll love every minute.

A Good Match for: Eye-hand coordination masters. Seeing the path your little dot needs to be in is one thing. Getting there is another thing entirely.

Not for Those Who Want: Lengthy gameplay sessions.

Here's how it looks in action. Purchase from the App Store.

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Temple Run 2

Maybe you were a Temple Run skeptic, someone who thinks that a game as obscenely popular as this one can't be any good. But chances are that once you started swiping through the infinite escape of the runaway hit's , you'd find it hard to stop playing. 

Temple Run 2 keeps the first game's simple control scheme and eminently approachable premise and layers on improved graphics that make idol theft look a lot prettier.

A Good Match for: Travel magazine subscribers. The additions of zipline, minecart and more fantastic locations make Temple Run 2 feel like more of a globe-trotting adventure than its predecessor.

Not for Those Who Want: Huge iterative leaps between sequels. The core experience remains the same in this follow-up, so if you were hoping for fancy new ideas in Temple Run 2, you're out of luck.

Here's how it looks in action.

Purchase from the App Store.

Razer Edge gaming tablet to be available in March

Razer has announced that its gaming tablet, the Razer Edge, will be available for pre-order from March 1, 2013, on Razer’s own store. Those who pre-order the tablet will have it shipped to them in March itself. The company had originally unveiled the tablet and announced that it would be available this year back in January during CES.

“The Razer Edge combines the features of full-functioning PCs, touch-enabled tablets and gaming consoles into one incredible, portable form factor,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. “Furthermore, the Razer Edge’s powerful chipset, unique among all tablet computers, ensures that you can take advantage of the world’s most sophisticated games, programs and apps on these multiple platforms anytime.”

Coming in March

The gaming tablet for PC gamers was also designed by PC gamers, says the company, as a massive crowdsourcing effort put into place by Razer targeted millions of gamers to determine the final specifications for the Edge. Razer let its community (and the PC gaming community as a whole) decide the end-game chipset, weight/thickness, features and even price for the Edge, and hosted the initiative on its social media pages.

The Razer Edge and its Intel i5 processor and 64 GB SSD, and the Razer Edge Pro with an Intel i7 processor and the option of a 128 GB or 256 GB SSD, will begin shipping this March. The gamepad controller, home console dock and extended battery accessories will be made available for pre-order and shipping concurrent with the Edge on March 1. An optional keyboard dock is slated for launch later this year in Q3.

The Razer Edge Pro will additionally be offered in a bundle package with a Gamepad Controller in both the 128GB and 256GB SSD model.

Four dedicated configurations offer versatility for Razer Edge users: Tablet mode, Keyboard Dock mode, Gamepad Controller mode and Docking Station mode.

Tablet mode avails the Razer Edge with multi-touch capabilities for full Windows 8 applications, movies and music playback, in a traditional tablet form factor.

An optional keyboard dock gives the Razer Edge the laptop experience with a traditional keyboard and mouse, supporting a removable 40Wh battery, so gamers can play their favourite keyboard and mouse reliant PC titles.

An optional gamepad controller turns the Razer Edge into a mobile console, offering an immersive, portable gaming experience. A fully programmable dual controller interface with precise analog sticks is unique among all tablets, featuring the ability to play any PC game out of the box along with immersive vibration-feedback, so players can "feel" every in-game explosion and recoil.

An extended battery is able to connect with both the keyboard dock and gamepad controller, and doubles battery life for the Razer Edge.

Finally, the Razer Edge can be docked in the Docking Station as part of home console mode, which serves as a full desktop and charging resource with three USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI 1.4 port, mic-in and stereo-out. Hook-up the Razer Edge to the big screen with multiple gamepad controllers and Razer gear and tag team PC games with your friends for a complete home console experience. It's the most versatile tablet on the planet.

The all-in-one Razer Edge PC gaming solution starts at $999

NEWS ASUS / ASUS TABLETS

Asus launches MeMO Pad in India for $180.00

Asus today launched its MeMO Pad in India for $180.00. Venturing in the US$93.00 to US$185.00 tablet market with the best-in-class features, the 7-inch ASUS MeMO Pad is the company’s first tablet in the segment. The Asus MeMO Pad can be picked in three colors – Sugar White, Titanium Gray and Cherry Pink. The Asus MeMO Pad features Android 4.1 and offers full support for Google Play, allowing users to choose from over 750,000 apps and games, browse the world's largest eBookstore, search millions of songs, watch thousands of the latest and greatest movies and TV shows and even flip through their favourite magazines. The Asus MeMO Pad is powered by a 1GHz VIA WM8950 CPU and a Mali-400 GPU. It features a 10-point multi-touch LED-backlit display, 140-degree wide viewing angles and thanks to its 350-nit brightness, the images remain clear even outdoors. MeMO Pad also features Asus SonicMaster audio and MaxxAudio for high-quality sound. The Asus MeMO Pad has a battery life of 7 hours and is fuelled by a 4270 mAh battery. Asus MeMO Pad was introduced last month to mobile consumers Here's a quick look at the specifications of the MeMO Pad: 7-inch, LED-backlit display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels Wi-Fi capabilities 1MP back-illuminated sensor, f/2.0, with 720p HD video capture at 30fps 8GB or 16GB storage + expandable memory up to 32GB “After offering various mid & high end products in the Indian market with innovative technologies, we believe it’s time to bring the same grandeur to the low end market. We are pleased to announce the launch of the ASUS MeMO Pad that gives you the mobility to stay connected in today’s socially connected environment. With an ultra-light, minimalistic and anti-slip design, the MeMO Pad will not only help you to keep in touch with friends, but will also fulfill all your entertainment requirements- and all this at the irresistible price of $180.00/- only,” affirmed Mr. Peter Chang, Regional Head, South Asia & Country Manager, System Business Group, ASUS India. MeMO stands for "My Mobile. My Moment" and reflects the position of Asus MeMO Pad as a tablet for people on-the-go. The Asus MeMO Pad weighs just 358 g and measures 196.2 x 119.2 x 11.2 mm. The tablet has up to 7 hours of battery life for all-day computing. Its front facing HD camera can take HD videos (720p) with up to 30 frames per second and the ƒ/2.0 aperture captures more light, providing better image quality with more accurate colours and enhanced video calls. Along with the Tablet, Asus has bundled functional Apps like "Asus WebStorage" with 5GB online Lifetime Space and "Asus Webstorage Office" to empower users to view, create, edit and share Microsoft Office documents on the mobile device. Enhancing the Sound experience, the ME172V also has "SonicMaster" Audio Technology with Audio Wizard, which is equipped with award winning Maxx Audio to deliver precise and crystal sound effects. It eases multimedia, creativity and entertainment on the go with Asus Studio [Manage, edit, and tag photos], SuperNote Lite [Read, type, and scribble anytime and anywhere] and MyPainter [Creativity to record exciting moments]. Asus MeMO Pad ME172V offers fun on the run and helps in connecting with friends with social applications including Floating App with Multi-tasking, Browser, Video, Sticky Memo, Stopwatch, Countdown and BuddyBuzz. In addition, the ASUS Cloud Experience is Super Convenient to sync data and edit files online.

ZTE and Huawei showcase latest handsets

The ZTE Memo running the company's new 

Android user interface

In a bid to expand business and crack the Western market, ZTE and Huawei are here in Barcelona and have brought with them some fancy new kit. We couldn’t resist the lure of silicon chips in the afternoon, so we went to see what they could bring to a reasonably crowded Smartphone market.

First off,  ZTE’s ‘phablet’ device, the Grand Memo. Resembling the Samsung Galaxy Note in size and name, it’s 5.7 inches and is using the Qualcomm 600 processor (not the 800 they accidentally claimed in the release!) with a 13-megapixel camera, 2GB of ram and 16GB of onboard storage. Predictably running a Jellybean variant of Android, it’s skinned by a specific user interface from ZTE called Mifavor (or ‘My Favourite’ in the UK) laid on top. Whether this will be a useful addition or just an unnecessary bloated addition remains to be seen, here’s hoping it’s the former. ZTE are actually the 4th largest handset manufacturer in the world and are looking to bolster this by a release in their home country of China later this year, followed by a European launch soon after. The future looks bright for the outfit on this evidence.

Not to be outdone, Huawei have brought us the Ascend P2 – slated for release in Q2 this year at a reasonable 400 Euros, its main feature is its LTE chipset. This is touted as the fastest we’ve ever seen in a Smartphone and is capable of up to 150Mbps, should your network be capable of this – and if it is, I’d recommend investing in an unlimited data plan - those speeds could rack up some VERY nasty data charges!

The Huawei Ascend P2 in all its glory

The internals of the 4.7”phone should pose no surprise to anyone up to date with our coverage – quad core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB internal memory, 2420mAH battery. They did state the screen should use 20% less power due to its efficiency technology, although I did note the screen appeared quite reflective, partly due perhaps to the venues lighting. We’ll have to test the display in some real world conditions once it’s released – stay tuned in a few months where hopefully we’ll have a full review for you.

ZTE's entry level handset running the new Firefox operating system

Back over to ZTE for the final phone for this update, ZTE have launched an entry level phone running Mozilla’s Firefox Operating System. Similar to Android having its roots in open source code (hence being called the ZTE Open), the phone’s spec pales in comparison to the above models, for obvious reasons. Launching in countries like Colombia, Mexico, Poland and Brazil, the price will have to be very competitive and hasn’t yet been confirmed. Beneath the 3.5-inch screen you’ll find a 1.5 GHz processor (yes, single core – so 2011!), 256MB of RAM and with only 512MB of internal storage, a MicroSD card would be a sensible accessory purchase. The phone probably won’t set alight any enthusiasts, however for emerging markets, people looking to get into application coding, or perhaps as a backup Smartphone, this could be a big seller.

Sony Xperia ZL to launch in Russia next month

The Sony Xperia ZL would be a top-shelf model that any manufacturer would be proud to offer. But because it is has the bad luck to be coming out at the same time as the Sony Xperia Z, the Xperia ZL is being overshadowed by its stablemate. No, it doesn't offer the water and dustproofing that the Xperia Z does, but the Sony Xperia ZL does have a 5 inch FHD display and the 441ppi pixel density that is the hallmark of the current-generation of top-shelf smartphones. Toss in a quad-core 1.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of native memory and a 13MP rear camera and the device defines high-end model. And while it is smaller than the Sony Xperia Z, this particular phone does have a claim to fame. Where most models have a screen to phone size ratio of between 60% and 68%, the Sony Xperia ZL has a ratio of 75% While Android 4.1 comes with the handset, Sony has promised an update to Android 4.2. 

We know that the Sony Xperia ZL is expected to be launching in April for Canadian carriers Bell, Mobilicity, MTS, Rogers, Videotron and WIND Mobile. That info came from Sony Canada. On Tuesday, Sony Russia said that the model would be available in that country next month at a price of 27,000 RUB ($886 USD). The Sony Z has already been released in more than 60 countries, but now here comes the Xperia ZL. Would you be willing to give up the water and dust proofing on the Xperia Z for the smaller form factor of the Xperia ZL?

GSMA anounced 2013 mobile awards winners: see who won for best smartphone and tablet here

The Mobile World Congress is the largest mobile show in the world and that’s why the awards given away by its organizers from the GSM Association have more value and weight to them than others. The GSMA has just announced the winners for this year, and Samsung is clearly the big winner.

Other manufacturers also grabbed some of the awards, though, so it wasn’t just about the South Korean company. Take a look at the 2013 GSMA award winners right below.

1. Best Smartphone - Samsung Galaxy S III

 

 

2. Best Mobile Tablet - Nexus 7

 

 3. Device Manufacturer of the Year - Samsung

4. Best Feature phone or entry level phone - Nokia Asha 305

 

5. Best Mobile App for Consumers - Facebook

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Best Mobile App for Enterprise - Evernote

 

 

 

 7. Best Mobile Enabled Consumer Electronics Device - Samsung Galaxy Camera

All-time best Android games in 2012

We break down the all-time best Android games

For years, Android's gaming library was subpar. Fragmentation, app size limits, and fears of piracy kept many of the best titles out. Though it still has room for improvement, today's Android has grown into a legit gaming platform. Read on, as we break down some of the all-time best Android games.

Max Payne Mobile, Grand Theft Auto III

During the last year, Rockstar ported these two gritty crime classics to Android. They don't disappoint, with touched-up graphics and solid virtual controls.

Play Store: Max Payne Mobile ($2.99), Grand Theft Auto III (US$4.99)

Chaos Rings, Chaos Rings Ω

The Chaos Rings franchise is Square Enix's answer to the mobile RPG. The first two entries aren't perfect and can get repetitive, but they're much deeper than Android's other options in the genre.

Play Store: Chaos Rings ($12.99), Chaos Rings Ω ($12.99)

Dead Space

EA's Dead Space is one of Android's most console-like games. Though it too can get repetitive, the impressive visuals and terrific audio create an immersive – and spooky – experience.

Play Store: Dead Space ($6.99)

Shadowgun

Shadowgun is a Gears of War inspired third-person shooter. The formula is simple: enter room, take cover, kill bad guys. The wow factor comes from some of the best visuals in the Play Store.
Play Store: Shadowgun ($4.99)

Great Big War Game

Touch screens are well-suited to real-time strategy games, but few stand out. Great Big War Game wows with smartly-crafted gameplay, cartoon graphics, and campy fun.
Play Store: Great Big War Game ($2.99)

Avengers Initiative

Android doesn't have Infinity Blade, but it does have a solid Infinity Blade knockoff. Avengers Initiative delivers countless one-on-one, slash-and-dodge battles featuring Marvel's superhero alliance.

Play Store: Avengers Initiative ($4.99)

Plants vs. Zombies

Popcap's quirky take on the tower defense genre is an all-time classic. Plant groovy sunflowers, rapid-firing pea shooters, and squashing squash to fend off waves of (equally bizarre) undead.

Play Store: Plants vs. Zombies ($2.99)

World of Goo

One of the best puzzlers from the last few years, World of Goo is perfectly suited to touch screens. Collect and manipulate blobs of goo to reach various goals. It's more fun than it sounds.

Play Store: World of Goo ($4.99)

Rayman Jungle Run

Rayman Jungle Run is a delightful running platformer, and the cousin of Ubisoft's terrific Rayman console games. Its soundtrack, cartoon visuals, and lush environments enhance the tight gameplay.

Play Store: Rayman Jungle Run ($2.99)

Cut the Rope

ZeptoLab's Cut the Rope is as good as casual gaming gets. Puzzles start simple, but grow increasingly difficult. Though adults can enjoy it too, it may be one of the best apps for keeping a child occupied.

Play Store: Cut the Rope ($0.99)

Fruit Ninja

Fruit Ninja is an example of a game perfectly suited to the touch screen. Swipe your finger to slice fruit, while avoiding bombs. It's addictive arcade insanity.

Play Store: Fruit Ninja ($1.22)

Angry Birds

Rovio has milked the Angry Birds franchise for all it's worth, but the core gameplay is still golden. Physics-based bird-flinging is fun for all ages, and you can now do it in any of five full games.

Play Store: Angry Birds (free)

N.O.V.A. 3, Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour

Gameloft's formula is simple. Copy popular console franchise, release for mobile devices, cash in. Though story, dialogue, and voice acting suffer, Gameloft dazzles with its graphics and core gameplay. These latest clones of H.A.L.O. and Call of Duty epitomize that blueprint, and are the two best first-person shooters on Android.

Play Store: N.O.V.A. 3 ($6.99), Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour ($6.99)

Tiny Tower

Tiny Tower is an addictive building simulator. Build your tower floor-by-floor, balancing "bitizens" with commercial properties. The secret sauce is the Tamagotchi effect: the tower lives on even when you aren't playing.

Play Store: Tiny Tower (free)

Jetpack Joyride

Jetpack Joyride is retro arcade fun. The simple gameplay could have been pulled from an Atari game, but HalfBrick injects enough humor and rebellious spirit to keep us coming back for more.

Play Store: Jetpack Joyride (free)
This is our (admittedly subjective) list of the best games going around on the Android platform. If there are any not on our list that are on yours, let us know in the comments.