A New iPad for 2012: Thoughts from around the web

Posted in Handset News about 2 months ago by Nick - Comments (5)

After much anticipation and countless rumours, the third generation of Apple's iPad tablet has just been announced at a special event in San Francisco.

The Apple website currently shows the headline "Resolutionary", which is exactly what this tablet appears to be. Despite sporting a retina display, improved processing power via an A5X chip and a 5MP camera capable of 1080p HD video recording, many were disappointed following the news that the device did not include the haptic touch feedback and Siri integration as rumoured on the wire.

When it's released on March 16th, the new iPad will be available in the usual three sizes; 16GB for £399, 32GB for £479 and 64GB for £559. The iPad 2 will remain on sale for £329 (16GB) or £429 (32GB) in the UK.

New Features

• New processor and graphics capabilities via Apple A5X chip
• New retina display at 2048 x 1536 pixels
• New 5 megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording and face detection
• Dictation in the core OS and third party apps - not Siri
• It's a few mm thicker than the iPad 2

Thoughts from around the web

We at JHL have scoured the tech blogs to find out what the initial thoughts are of the Apple's new flagship tablet:

Tech Radar says

Apple's head honcho Tim Cook revealed the new iPad at an event in San Francisco today. Once again, it's evoluton rather than revolution - but it still includes some stunning improvements.

Engadget says...

There's no doubt that this here tablet feels every bit like a $500 product, oozing quality from edge to edge and being as delightful as ever to use. Is it the second coming of the tablet? Of course not, but if we've learned anything from the iPhone 4S, it doesn't need to be. Apple just put an insane amount of real estate in the hands of crafty developers, and frankly, we can't wait to see what they cook up.

Slashgear says...

It’s Resolutionary” Apple says of the new iPad, and we have to agree. We’ve just grabbed some hands-on time with the new Retina Display iOS 5.1 tablet, and the difference from the iPad 2 – which, remember, stays on sale alongside it – is vast. The pixels in the 2048 x 1536 display are, at regular arm’s length, completely indistinguishable: it’s only when you get up close that you can make them out.

The Verge says...

Physically, the device feels nearly the same in hand as the previous model. Though it does have a slight bump in thickness, the difference is nearly unnoticeable. Since the design hasn't dramatically changed, there's not much to note in the casing department, and though there are improved cameras present, the general seating and size of the sensors seems unchanged.

BlackBerry is Number 1 Smartphone in the UK

Posted in Handset News about 3 months ago by Robert - Comments (1)

Research firm GFK from shows that Blackberry devices are the best-selling smartphones for the second time running in 2011. BlackBerry averaged 27.7 per cent market share in 2011 and also accumulated 8.5 million UK subscribers the latest data shows.

The rise in sales is due to young people using BlackBerry devices as there are many different budget handsets available to them which are affordable. Also Blackberry Messenger is a very key feature to younger people as they can all keep in contact through the secure messenger service. The fact that Blackberry messenger compresses the data so it’s easier to send pictures through BBM as it is also known.

Another big factor is the price of the Playbook being reduced due to the struggle in sales. This would have got more people interested in the Playbook which would have increased sales slightly. UK Blackberry Managing Director Stephen Bates said the company had “learn a lot” from the experience of the PlayBook, in an interview in the Daily Telegraph. He also admitted that “if you don't have a BlackBerry then it's not the tablet for you”. He explained that the PlayBook was about extending the Blackberry experience for customers.  The PlayBook's 2.0 software, which has been announced by RIM is reportedly going to launch in February, in an attempt to resolve any mistakes made from the first PlayBook OS and make it a better experience.

This is positive news for Blackberry who has taken a lot of negative flack in 2011. This welcome boost should take Blackberry into 2012 with more confidence.

Motorola Razr – THINking ahead

Posted in Handset News about 4 months ago by Robert - Comments (4)

You may think you have heard of the Motorola Razr before in the past due to the Motorola model by the name of Krzr in the past. Don’t let the name fool you as the Razr is far superior and packed with power.

It’s powered by a Dual Core processor and shows signs of becoming a potential smartphone top contender. It uses Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) operating system. The 8MP camera and HD recording that the Razr has is also becoming a trend with all Smartphone highflyers.  There is also a very impressive feature called Smart Actions. This allows you to set up your phone so that for example your phone goes onto silent when you get to work, it recognises the address and does this for you, great for any embarrassing moments when your phones should be off. This can be very useful and there are more Smart Actions to be utilized.

MotoCast is a great feature which comes in the form of an App and allows you to stream from your computer or access files on your computer, no matter where you are. You need Wi-Fi or a data bolt on to do this, but still a cool feature.

The Motorola Razr isn’t just an incredible smartphone with all the features competing with the others. It also has something to make it stand out, which is the splash guard that protects the phone in every area. When you spill water or other liquids on the handset then your phone is protected by the splash guard on the handset. This also helps the screen stand up to any scratches or scrapes which may accidently happen. I find this impressive as there aren’t many smartphones that can say they have this feature. Phones in the past with any protective splash guard and screen protection usually struggle due to low specs. It’s not the case for the Razr and this gives you some piece of mind of any accidents that may occur. This is something you always worry about due to the value of smartphones today.

I’ve never been a fan of Motorola, but looking at the specs and the look of their new creation then it’s hard not to be impressed and eager to see how people react to this. It’s another Android/Motorola double team which has produced the best Motorola handset to date. It looks very promising and exciting for Motorola and gives users another option. The protection from Splash guard makes it more appealing that the rest.

Pros

Cons

Nokia Lumia 800 – Could this be the resurrection of Nokia?

Posted in Handset News about 5 months ago by Robert - Comments (3)

This week, Robert Menzies of Client Care takes a look at a promising new handset by Nokia. With the company ditching Symbian in favour of Windows Phone OS, this handset marks the first in a new line of smartphones produced by the company.

The NEW Nokia Lumia 800 signifies that Nokia haven’t given up without a fight. The question is could this be the saviour that Nokia needs to get customers interested in their products again and get them back to the top of the market which they dominated for years? Only time will tell, but it looks promising.

The Lumia 800 brings a new look and processor to the table for Nokia. This is Nokia/Microsoft first attempt together. This handset uses the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango platform. This is a first for Nokia and if successful, it could be the first of many. The tile effect looks great on this style of phone and should make it user friendly. I was surprised to learn that the Lumia 800 uses a Micro SIM as I thought this was just an iPhone 4 trend.

Main Features:

This could be the start of a great partnership between Nokia/Microsoft. If people take a chance with the handset then they may be surprised. This brings a fresh challenge to iPhone, which can only benefit us, the users.

For more information about this handset please visit the Nokia website.

RIM planning to announce next-gen OS, reveals source

Posted in Handset News about 7 months ago by Nick - Comments (2)

Research In Motion are planning to announce their new mobile platform at the BlackBerry Developer Conference later this month. BlackBerry DevCon is where the developer community comes together to learn how to work with the latest innovations and breakthroughs for the BlackBerry platform, such as BlackBerry 7, the new BBM Social Platform, and BlackBerry Tablet OS.

The company has just confirmed that it's working on a major update of their BlackBerry OS to the new QNX based OS currently used by the BlackBerry PlayBook. The co-CEOs have promised attendees will have access to the new QNX phones at the developer conference later this month but haven't made it clear how they'll be marketing the new OS.

The confirmed name for the new operating system is BlackBerry X, or BBX for short.

I'm sure we'll see the few weeks dominated with iPhone news following Apple's event later today, but hopefully this news could be the boost that RIM so desperately needs. If you're a developer and haven't registered yet, it might the time to do so.

So what do you think of BBX? Let us know.