Day two of Nokia World 2011, and Nokia loaned us a new Lumia 800 to get to grips with at the show. We couldn’t help but pit the Lumia 800 against two of its key rivals – Apple’s iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy S II – to see how the browser holds up. With many smartphone users spending a huge amount of their mobile time on the web, that’s a key element of the owner experience. Read on for our comparison videos and more.
Android is now three years old, and with v4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Google has given it perhaps the biggest update yet. With elements pulled in from Gingerbread and Honeycomb, ICS also has plenty of new functionality debuting on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. We’ve spent some hands-on time with Android 4.0 on the new Nexus, so check out our first impressions after the cut.
The big takeaway is how consistent Android feels in this 4.0 release. Google has obviously worked hard to not only introduce new features but bring the older functionality up to speed so that everything fits together seamlessly, addressing a common criticism by iOS users that Android can feel piecemeal. The Roboto font looks great on the Galaxy Nexus’ high-res display, and the animations shown in page transitions and when you tap on-screen icons like the new virtual buttons for home, back and menu are eye-catching enough to be interesting but not so involved as to slow the overall experience down.
Samsung and Google unveiled the Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in Hong Kong today, and we grabbed some hands-on time with the new dual-core smartphone. Just 8.94mm thick, with a Contour Curve design, huge high-resolution display and choice of LTE or HSPA+ versions, the Galaxy Nexus is a fitting flagship to continue Google’s Nexus brand. Keep reading for our hands-on first impressions.
Apple iOS 5 is, arguably, the version we’ve always been waiting for. New iOS builds have always introduced new features, but in iOS 5 Apple sets out its digital hub ecosystem, the culmination of a decade of product positioning and service development. It also brings very specific challenges to each of Apple’s key competitors – Siri as the answer to Android’s voice command system, iMessage to take on BlackBerry Messenger – in addition to addressing some of the longer standing complaints iOS users have had. Read on for the full SlashGear review. Be sure to also check out our iPhone 4S review!
Familiar and yet new, the iPhone 4S may not look different from the outside, but inside it’s a very different beast. With its fifth generation smartphone, Apple is keen to show that the devil is truly in the details: the iPhone 4S is wickedly fast, fiendishly well equipped and ruthlessly threatening to its mobile rivals. Can this really be your intelligent personal assistant, your multimedia hub and your window onto the cloud, all in one 9.3mm thick package? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
T-Mobile may not be getting the iPhone 4S, but it isn’t letting that stop it bulk up its smartphone range. Instead its Android coming to the rescue, with the HTC Amaze 4G expected to play a significant part: taking the Sensation XE as its starting point, the Amaze 4G throws in 42Mbps HSPA+ support and a full 1GB of RAM. It’s fresh to the SlashGear testbench today, so check out our first impressions after the cut.
The T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II has hit the SlashGear test bench, and while we’re hardly unfamiliar with the dual-core smartphone it’s still a welcome addition. Offering a bigger, 4.52-inch Super AMOLED Plus WVGA display than on the original Galaxy S II, T-Mobile’s version is the device the carrier hopes will fill an iPhone 4S-shaped gap in its line-up. Check out our first-impressions after the cut.
The Apple iPhone 4S is here, and as soon as Tim Cook’s keynote was over we spent some hands-on time with the new iOS 5 smartphone. Much of the magic is now hidden behind a familiar face, but things like Siri, the boosted camera and a core speed improvement will be enough reason for many to upgrade. Check out our full first-impressions after the cut.
The entry-level Amazon Kindle has price going for it, especially if you don’t mind adverts, with a $79 sticker for the WiFi-only ereader. On the flip side, without the touchscreen of its more expensive Kindle Touch siblings, and missing the QWERTY keyboard of its predecessors, it’s possible Amazon has slimmed things down a little too much. Read on for our first impressions.
Amazon’s shift from keyboards to touch isn’t quite wholescale, but fingers are definitely the way forward for the new Kindle range. We’ve just grabbed some hands-on time with the Amazon Kindle Touch and Touch 3G at the retailer’s launch event today, and there’s a lot to like about how compact the ereaders have become now that they’ve shed the physical ‘boards.
Amazon has made the Kindle Fire official, and we’ve just grabbed some up-close time with the new touchscreen tablet at the retailer’s launch event. Already up for pre-order and shipping November 15, the Kindle Fire is based on Android but hides its roots well, with Amazon more interested in pushing its multimedia credentials, super-fast surfing the with new Silk browser, and ereading of course. Check out more hands-on details after the cut.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 8.9 has landed, the company’s second Android Honeycomb slate, delivering more of what we’ve seen before: easy internet, email and multimedia access in a slimline form-factor. The latest stage of Samsung’s iPad assault, the Tab 8.9 has dropped onto the SlashGear test bench today. Question is, can Samsung make a convincing argument for what’s only a slightly smaller screen?
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