Hardware

Porsche Design starts as it means to go on, with an oversized box first presenting the P’9981 and its desk-stand in one dense foam layer, before revealing different chargers for near-global use, USB cable and headphones, various documentation and your exclusive technical support card, complete with PIN, to access freephone assistance. It’s not quite Vertu’s Concierge, mind; the team will help you set up your P’9981 and figure out its quirks, but not book you theater tickets.

The smartphone itself is certainly distinctive. RIM basically handed over the key parts of its Bold 9900 flagship, and Porsche Design dressed them up in a Dynasty-era suit, shoulderpads and all. It’s a resolutely aggressive, blunt design, all sharp edges and squared-off corners, with plenty of metal and metal-effect plastic, and it’s heavy too, feeling twice its actual 155g weight in the hand.

Porsche Design itself gets top billing, its name engraved into the brushed stainless-steel bar above the display; RIM’s BlackBerry logo is relegated to just below the earpiece, above the 2.8-inch 640 x 480 touchscreen. The display is bright and crisp, though lacks the color saturation of an AMOLED, while the touch response is good. The metal bar continues around the edge of the P’9981 – though with a polished mirror finish, rather than brushed – though the keyboard itself is plastic.

Porsche Design P’9981 hands-on:

BlackBerry devices are famed for their keyboards, in fact you could construct a reasonable argument that it’s QWERTY text-entry that has kept the company afloat the past few years. Porsche Design does away with the 9900′s ‘board – one, we decided, of the best on the market – and replaces it with a heavily-stylized version with pronounced ridges. It’s not a bad keyboard – the spacing is good, as it spreads across the entire 67mm width of the phone, and the keys are clicky and responsive – but it’s definitely a step back from what the donor BlackBerry offers.

It’s also unevenly illuminated, with the backlighting focused in two patches that leave the center column of letters dimmer than the rest. No great functional issue, and you can still see them in low-light conditions, but it’s a noticeable flaw and one – since the backlighting is often active when the P’9981 is docked in its charger-cradle – you’re presented with all the time.

Sandwiched in-between the keyboard and the touchscreen is the usual row of call, menu and navigation buttons. They’re large and plasticky, and rock somewhat unnervingly under your finger. In their midst is the optical trackpad, which doubles as a select button, and is swiftly responsive. The left edge of the phone offers the 3.5mm headphones socket and a microUSB port, while the right has volume keys flanking a mute button (that doubles as a play/pause button in the media app) and a camera shortcut (that can be reprogrammed). On the top there’s a lock button.

If the front of the P’9981 is Terminator sturdy, the back is oddly unreassuring. An ingot of metal bears the 5-megapixel camera – which supports 720p but uses EDoF fixed-focus rather than auto-focus – and single LED flash, but the rest is a plastic panel that, despite being covered with leather, feels unduly cheap in comparison to the rest of the phone. There’s a little flex around the camera section, and the panel itself doesn’t click reassuringly into place as we might’ve hoped.

Peel it off, and you can see the antenna stuck to the back – connected with two discrete pins just above the Porsche Design branded 1,230 mAh battery – as well as the microSD card slot to augment the 8GB of internal memory. You’ll need to pull out the battery to swap the SIM card. This European unit has dualband 3G/UMTS (for up to 14.4 Mbps downloads and up to 5.76 Mbps uploads, network depending), quadband GSM/EDGE, WiFI a/b/g/n (with 2.4/5GHz support), Bluetooth and NFC, along with GPS, a digital compass, accelerometer and twin microphones for noise cancellation. Like the Bold 9900, the Porsche Design P’9981 runs BlackBerry 7 on a single-core Qualcomm MSM8655 1.2GHz processor, paired with 768MB of RAM.

Software

RIM has hung its long-term hopes on BlackBerry 10, the QNX-based OS for phones and tablets expected to debut by the end of this year. Unfortunately, that leaves the P’9981 running BlackBerry 7, just as on the Bold 9900, and it’s a platform that’s seriously showing its age compared to iOS and Android.

Porsche Design, as the name might predict, makes no modifications to the software itself beyond an ill-advised icon redesign. The paired down iconography is certainly in keeping with the rest of the P’9981, but it also leaves app menus confusing: you have to make a conscious effort to tell the difference between each icon. It’s something you’ll no doubt get more adroit at handling, the longer you live with the handset, or indeed you can change the skin altogether.

Beyond that, our primary frustration with BlackBerry 7 is its general sense of being a patchwork platform: some aspects feel relatively fresh, but other areas feel like they’ve been dragged over from RIM’s OS several years back. The text-based elements of the UI are generally the swiftest but also the points that feel most dated in comparison to rival software; in contrast, BlackBerry App World is sluggish and the BlackBerry Maps app is a lesson in frustration compared to Google Maps or Nokia Maps.

RIM has worked hard on the internet experience in BlackBerry 7, and it’s certainly improved from earlier iterations. You still get a throwback mouse cursor, though we came to appreciate it more after finding how much finger-navigation obscures the touchscreen. Pinch-zooming in the browser works, but that compact display also makes it feel clumsy.

As always, the email experience is the primary reason for using a BlackBerry, though it’s at its best if you’re an enterprise customer with a BlackBerry Exchange Server. If you’re on the Gmail train then you’ll have to use IMAP – Google discontinued its Gmail for BlackBerry app late last year – though there’s the Enhanced Google Mail Plug-in from RIM itself that adds spam and archive support, integrates Gmail inbox searches with BlackBerry 7′s universal search, and imports your contacts. Still, the best Gmail experience continues to be on Android in our opinion, with iOS following behind that.

We’ve covered BlackBerry 7 more in our Bold 9900 review, but the long and short of it is that the OS feels dated and is well overdue a replacement. BlackBerry 10 can’t come soon enough.

Camera

5-megapixels is midrange but acceptable for a smartphone, particularly one with business aspirations like the P’9981, but the fixed-focus is a disappointment. Not a surprising one – the Bold 9900 used EDoF after all – but still another black mark against the Porsche phone.

It means you’re limited in how close you can get with your macro shots, and in general images lack crispness in comparison to auto-focus cameras. Color balance is solid, and there’s a nice amount of detail in shots from the P’9981, but unlike, say, the iPhone 4S or Galaxy S II, you wouldn’t want to rely on the BlackBerry for all of your photography needs.

As for video, 720p is your high-definition maximum but the ensuing clips are good. Colors are accurate, if a little muted, and the digital image stabilization is neither ineffectual nor over-aggressive and helps smooth out a shaky hand. We found the sheer heft of the P’9981 also helped on that front too. Recorded clips can be sent via Bluetooth or WhatsApp, or uploaded to YouTube, though not emailed directly from the camcorder app.

Porsche Design P’9981 720p HD Video Sample:

Phone and Battery

Just behind email performance in the Big BlackBerry Book of Achievements is traditionally voice call quality and battery life: on this, the P’9981 drops one of the balls. Calling quality is great, with a loud earpiece and speaker for hands-free use, crisp – but not overly-processed – background noise reduction, and tenacious grip on a mobile signal. We also like how both your mobile network and current WiFi SSID are shown in the status bar.

Unfortunately, whereas at one time BlackBerry devices could be expected to run for days, the P’9981 follows in the Bold 9900′s metaphorical footsteps and tarnishes the family tradition. The 1,230 mAh battery may be Porsche Design branded but it’s otherwise exactly the same powerpack as the 9900 uses, and it’s simply not up to the challenge of the 1.2GHz processor.

RIM does its best to hide that fact, underclocking the chip most of the time so that you’re running on a fraction of those cycles, but step beyond simple email and you’ll find calls, web browsing, photography and third-party apps all take their toll. Left to its own devices and the P’9981 will run for a couple of days, even with email updating in the background, but actually use it as you might a rival smartphone and you’ll struggle to finish a day. The desk charger cradle does at least make topping up the juice more straightforward.

Wrap-Up

It’s hard to imagine the Porsche Design P’9981 convincing the everyman: its severe styling is too divisive, BlackBerry 7 OS questionable, and general specifications uncompetitive in places. Then again, the everyman isn’t the limited edition BlackBerry’s target audience. Like Vertu and “luxury” editions of other manufacturers’ phones, the appeal of the P’9981 is more about who hasn’t got it than who wants it.

$2,350 is a ridiculous amount of money for a smartphone. A quarter of that gets you an iPhone 4S or a Galaxy Nexus, either of which outclass the P’9981 on functionality, usability and – many would argue – style. However, just as Porsche Design borrowed the Dynasty shoulderpads, the P’9981 is the cellular equivalent of Alexis Carrington: brash and unforgivingly blunt, an unapologetic backhanded slap to the face of anybody who thinks their mainstream handset makes them special.

The rest of us will continue to buy iPhones, and Android phones, perhaps even some Windows Phones, and wait to see whether RIM can relaunch itself in Q4 with BlackBerry 10. The biggest problem with the P’9981 isn’t its love-it-or-hate-it design, or its mediocre camera, or even its insane price tag: it’s the fact that it highlights just how tired BlackBerry 7 is. In the end, even $2,350-worth of metal and leather and Porsche branding can’t hide that.

Those of you looking for protection for the back of your iPhone, you’re certainly going to find it here. This is a plate, meaning its flat and does not wrap around the edges of your device in any way. These plates are not made specifically for protection, nor do they interfere with any other accessory you might have for the device (to a degree – it’s not invisible, after all,) and will not cut down on your reception in any way at all. These plates are made to make your iPhone into a “sculptured work of art” – and they certainly have no trouble doing that.

Have a look at the application video here and see how simple it is to get one of these mothers on to the back of your iPhone. Here we’re using the iPhone 4S from Verizon, but know this: these plates work perfectly fine for all iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 models. The only complaint I’ve had about the plate I have here (it being the Etched Great Wave Steel) is that I get worried that the metal will scratch the OTHER devices I’ve got in my pocket. If you’re not the sort of person who carries around more than one smartphone at a time in one pocket, you’ll be just fine.

At the moment the folks at SkinIt have five different designs for their Etched Metal series: Flourish, Sudden Blush, Millipede, Circles, and Great Wave, and each design has its own set of color options. Each design has Black, Steel, Berry, and Lime color options, while the Wave has Blue instead of Lime, and the metal is actually a different color if you choose steel over any of the other colors. the colors come in behind the metal in a surface that lie between the adhesive and the metal – so you wont be seeing your iPhone’s back color with these plates.

The best part about this whole situation is that all colors and designs are a mere $24.99 each – pick up a batch! These plates are all in stock right this second over at SkinIt’s own online store.

Hardware

The display here is a massive 540 x 960 pixels on 4-inches of space, putting this device at 275 pixels per inch. That’s quite impressive when it comes down to it, it being not quite as rich with pixels as the Galaxy Nexus (at 316 ppi) but certainly ready to contend with the DROID RAZR whose same resolution sits on a slightly larger display, putting it at just 256 ppi. At this close range you wont notice the difference unless you’re holding these devices up next to one another, but the difference is there.

Other than that you’ve got what’s actually a slightly larger device than the DROID 3, this bulk coming from the additional plastic around the edges, seeming to have been added here for stylistic purposes instead of necessity. The device is almost exactly the same height as the previous DROID QWERTY and the keyboard is similar, but quite a bit nicer when you’ve used it for a bit. While the older DROID keyboards did seem excellent when they were first brought forth on the first couple of units, the age started to show harshly on the DROID 3. Here there’s a new amount of space and a sensor-activated light surrounding the keys.

The processor is the same one that’s in the DROID RAZR and several devices that’ve been released in the past few months, that being the Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 dual-core 1.2GHz SoC. This chip will get you where you need to go and will allow you to play essentially any game you’re hankering for on the Android Market without a hitch. Consider these Quadrant Advanced results – Total 2747, CPU: 6957, Memory: 2586, I/O: 3046, 2D: 283, 3D: 862, and note the comparatively powerful results when you consider the rest of the Android devices released with this same OMAP processor very recently – looking quite similar.

Software

Inside you’ve got your regular suite of Motorola, Google, and Verizon apps, no real surprises in the mix, and all of it comes complete with Webtop. Motorola devices released inside the last year have all had their proprietary desktop-like software installed aboard, this working through your HDMI-connected display with the device itself acting as an intermediary. If you’ve got any of the suggested docks you can turn your DROID 4 into a standalone computer with your HDTV as your monitor and a USB-connected mouse and keyboard as your controllers. Alternatively you can use the DROID 4 as a trackpad to control your cursor on the display. Check out a demonstration of how this all works in our review of the Motorola Lapdock 100.

Motorola devices are connected with a series of basic cloud-connected services such as My Music which connects you to your computer at home via the web. This and the rest of the cloud suite on the DROID 4 are connected via MotoCast, a service which connects all of your Motorola devices via an interface you download for your desktop machine at MyMotoCast.com. Also prominent in the apps drawer is an instant link to your MOTOACTV, a device which acts as both a music player and a fitness tracker which you can attach to your arm, your wrist, or wherever else you’d like to carry it.

Camera

Motorola is back to having a decent beast of a camera here with 8 megapixels on the back along with 1080p video capabilities. Though it’s not the most perfect setup we’ve seen with such specifications, it certainly out-does its predecessor. Have a peek at some demonstrations of the DROID 4′s back-facing camera here and behold the loveliness.

Phone and Battery

The battery on this beast is a full 1785 mAh placing it right beside the original DROID RAZR in battery rating and capturing just about as much time in the wild as well. When you’re using this device for streaming video you’ll get a few hours out of it – enough time for about a full movie and a half. If you’re using it heavily throughout the day, you’ll get something like 6-8 hours. If you’re using it lightly, for email and web browsing exclusively that is, you’ll be getting 10 hours or more no problem. One charge a night should be good for most users.

Wrap-Up

The DROID 4 is the bulkiest device on the Verizon network here at its launch, yet at the same time it’s got the nicest keyboard Motorola has ever offered on a smartphone. If you’re so in love with the basic QWERTY DROID line that you’ve sworn off all other smartphones, it’s time to upgrade to this model. If you’re looking for the best Motorola device on Verizon, I’d recommend the RAZR MAXX. It doesn’t have a QWERTY keyboard, but it does have a battery that’ll last you until kingdom come, and you’re working with essentially the same innards as this device otherwise.

This device certainly deserves to have a spot amongst the high-end line of Android devices at its release, but will be forgettable within a few months at the dawn of the quad-core smartphone and the start of the Ice Cream Sandwich having Androids being released in bulk closer to the middle of the year. You’ve got the option of grabbing the Galaxy Nexus from Samsung on Verizon right now as well if you want the newest Android software – DROID 4 is still stuck on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread – but that would require you to leave your beloved Motorola and go Samsung’s way, a very different beast indeed.

Hardware

While the key components of the Web Cube may be the same as your average, pocket-sized mobile hotspot, the device as a whole is much bigger. Almost a 10cm cube (it’s 9.5cm high) it’s a distinctive addition to your desktop, with white base and top plates sandwiching a frosted midsection that reveals a fluted inner pillar. An array of blue LEDs cause the whole thing to glow when a device is connected via WiFi.

Physical controls are limited to a single button on the top, which doubles as a WPS pairing key and, with a longer press, a power button to shut the Web Cube down. Three of the top edges have tiny hatches, one sliding out for the SIM card, another hiding a reset button and external antenna port, and the last a microUSB port used for firmware updates. Unfortunately you can’t plug an external drive into the USB connection and share its data across the network.

Inside the Huawei-made device there’s a HSPA+ radio supporting up to 21.6 Mbit/s downloads and up to 5.76 Mbit/s uploads, network depending, along with a WiFi b/g/n router supporting up to five WiFi connections at any one time. 3G signal strength is shown via blue LEDs on the top panel.

Setup

Three is aiming for plug and play simplicity with the Web Cube, and the most confusing part is probably going to be loading the SIM. The quick-start guide shows where to slot it in, though hopefully in-store sales staff will do that for most users; then it’s just a case of plugging in the mains power lead and watching the Web Cube load up automatically.

Both the SSID and WPA2 encryption key are preconfigured, each printed on the base of the Web Cube as well as on the back of the quick-start guide. We were connected and surfing in sixty seconds from plugging the modem in, in fact.

As with most routers, there’s a browser-based control panel for checking status and accessing more complex settings. The home view shows data connection, upload/download speeds and a data counter, along with icons for signal status and how many WiFi clients are connected; you can also turn off the main body light. There’s also text message support, including incoming and outgoing messages; it’s worth noting that any WiFi user can access this and send SMS billed to your account. While you can’t turn off text messaging or lock it down with a passport, you can put in an incorrect service center number and block the functionality that way.

Log into the admin pages, and the Web Cube’s true router abilities become visible. It may look toylike but there’s most of the advanced settings and options that you’d expect from any wireless hardware: a DHCP server, static routing, MAC filtering and optional WiFi bridging, a firewall (sensibly on by default) and IP filtering, virtual server support and a DMZ. If you want to lock down the Web Cube to only support visiting certain sites, you can do it.

Performance

Mobile broadband download speeds are obviously dependent on carrier coverage, and the Web Cube’s 110cm cable doesn’t give you a huge amount of flexibility to move the modem around. Still, the integrated signal strength meter does make positioning easier, though we’d recommend doing some online speed tests just to see where the best results can be had.

Shifting the Web Cube one meter closer to the window saw download rates double (to 4.06 Mbps) and upload rates more than quintuple (to 1.72 Mbps), for instance, so there are significant benefits to be had in experimenting. At least, unlike most wired home broadband connections, you can take your pick of locations, as long as they’re near enough to a power socket. Moving to the other side of the building saw download rates jump to 5.89 Mbps and upload rates to 2.74 Mbps.

As for WiFi strength, we had no problems keeping a connection even with three walls (one external brick) and solid wooden doors between us and the Web Cube. In fact, our test computer was still showing full signal strength at the time. This could be the Web Cube’s biggest advantage over traditional mobile hotspots, which generally suffer from relatively short range WiFi radios.

Pricing

Three offers two options for Web Cube data packages. If you’re willing to commit, you can get 15GB of data per month on a two year £15.99 agreement, and pay nothing upfront for the modem itself. Those feeling more flighty can opt for a £15 month-to-month package, getting them 10GB of data instead; they’ll also have to pay £59.99 for the Web Cube.

There’s no unlimited data option, however, and Three tells us the target audience wouldn’t really want it, though we’re not so sure that’s actually the case.

Wrap-Up

It’s easy to be dismissive of the Web Cube, at least at first glance. Three’s HSPA+ can deliver reasonably speedy burst rates but still lags behind top-tier wired broadband connections, while you also miss out on the battery-powered portability of a traditional mobile hotspot. Unlike the carrier’s own WiFi Hub – which shares a USB modem’s connection over WiFi – you don’t get wired ethernet either, and the Web Cube is even larger.

Where the Web Cube begins to show merit is in its ease of setup and WiFi performance. Ignore the advanced settings – as most users will – and you can be up and running moments after plugging in. It’s portable enough that you can take it on holiday with you, and the data plans, while missing an unlimited option, are probably enough for casual users. The dramatically stronger WiFi range than a battery-powered hotspot singles the Web Cube out for semi-fixed usage too.

Definitely a niche gadget, then, but if you fit the target demographic then there’s plenty of appeal. We can see the Web Cube being ideal for broadband-shy grandparents or catering to a temporary office; it’d make a good backup option if your home broadband goes down. More advanced users will undoubtedly be able to find cheaper ways to share out a 3G connection, but if simplicity is your guiding star then the Web Cube will take some beating.

Hardware

For those of you wondering, this device goes by the code S3-951-6432. You’ll find that the display has a perfectly bright and sharp widescreen view for your gaming, processing, and video viewing needs, but beware the glossiness of the display if you’re planning on using this laptop outdoors. Of course you’re not the type of person to go galavanting around the park with a laptop, so you’ll only be worried about your ability to have a great experience on the run. This notebook is made for your ability to both carry it around all day and provide you the power you need to use it for all of your daily activities be you a student, a journalist, or a graphic designer, all the same.

The keyboard is one made for typing rather than gaming, and you’ll find that using the return key and the arrow keys will be a bit of a learning activity at first as they’re connected in space and not separated by the surrounding base of the notebook. On the back of the device you’ll find two USB 2.0 ports, a full-sized HDMI port, and your power port. On the right you’ll find a full-sized SD card port (that also has the ability to read MultiMediaCard (MMC) units) and on the left you’ll find a headphone jack. On the bottom left and right near the front of the laptop are speakers, each of them part of the Dolby-optimized speaker system which together create a surprisingly nice sounding experience for movie-watching especially.

On the other hand, don’t expect to watch a movie with a group of too many folks to you left or two your right as the viewing angles aren’t too fantastically great here. Watch the hands-on video to see a basic view of how far you’ll be able to see, but note that it’s certainly not more than 60 degrees in any direction from straight on. Straight on though, and inside everywhere 60 degrees looks just as bright and sharp as a Core i7 processor under the hood would suggest. I’ve heard reviewers speaking on how the color accuracy isn’t perfect, and I agree, but the difference between this display and a perfectly tuned display for graphic designers and photography majors is so small that I doubt anyone in the field will have a big issue. Those of you in the photography business should take note though – perfection is needed!

Inside you’ve got Bluetooth 4.0, the multi-gesture touchpad is precise and makes for an easy to control experience all around, and the webcam is alright – good enough for video chat certainly. You’ve got 3.86 GB DDR3 SDRAM at 666MHz controlled by your HD 3000 graphics control unit, and a partridge in a pear tree. And that’s just the hardware. The whole thing looks rather nice too, if you don’t mind the similarities to the rest of the ultra-thin super-powered notebook competition out there. Take a peek at this tower of laptops to see the difference between the units your humble narrator has been using lately – up top you’ve got an 11-inch MacBook Air, next the Acer Aspire S3, a MacBook Pro 15-inch, and a gigantic mother of an Alienware gaming notebook M17xR3 complete with lots o’ lights – each of these units has a different purpose, and the size shows their power here, as it were – note that the MacBook air is from a few years ago so isn’t as pumped up as the line is today, and you can check the Alienware machine in action back at Arkham City.

Software

You’ve got Windows 7 Home Premium right out of the box and Clear.fi for all your personal cloud needs. This machine is set to bring you a personal experience for, again, the student or the everyday average user – with the i7 under the hood you’ve got the ability to play some higher powered software if you wish, but for what the machine comes with – not one whole heck of a lot – you’ll be more than prepared to run the heck out of all of it. Take a peek at this hands-on with the machine and get a glimpse of how quick the machine starts up from being off completely, how the display looks, and the basic software set you’ll get with Windows 7 Home Premium.

Performance

You’re certainly going to see the S3 knocking out the benchmarks as any i7-toting machine should, and as far as the instant-on feature goes: it really truly does make the machine seem much higher class than previous models with a much slower wake-up time. This machine is speedy, hasn’t had a real rough time working with any of the built-in apps or functions it’s got out of the box, and is OK for some random gaming here and there. Again, this machine is by no means built for hardcore gamers, but if you’re just looking to play a racing game here and there, you’ll be set.

Battery

One of the most awesome bits in this machine’s bag of tricks is the Instant-On technology Acer is employing, this allowing you to pop your machine open and have it up and running in 2 seconds. The real magic here is when you close the notebook though, as once you’ve closed the machine it goes to one level of sleep, then after 8 hours it goes into a much deeper sleep which will preserve the battery for a total of 50 days — we’ve not had the machine for quite that long, so I’ll report in on that once the battery dies. Thus far we’ve seen this machine play video for 4 hours straight before dying, and with basic functions like typing and web browsing we’re seeing closer to 6.

Wrap-up

This machine is a great example of what the Ultrabook line is meant to be: relatively light, thin, and powerful enough to knock the netbook name out of the realm of reality. With the price on this particular setup being a bit more than the standard build, you’ll need to think about what you’re planning on using the machine for – if it’s home use for the internet and simple games exclusively, you’ll want the more basic Core i5 build. If you’re attempting to run some more impressive games and maybe a bit of the ol’ video processing, this i7 build is the one you want. Toss it in your backpack and be surprised at how little it ads to your daily weight, break it out at the coffee shop and impress the denizens of the generally Apple-heavy world of public browsing. Acer has come through with a winner here, folks, make no mistake about it.

This case is 11 inches tall, 9 inches wide, and 1 inch deep, it weighing in at 1.25 points on its own, so it’s not exactly the most tiny case in the land. It’s not made for your briefcase, it’s not made to be used with your day to day school backpack (everyone knows that’s already full to the brim with textbooks anyway, right?) Instead you’ll be tossing any sort of 10-inch tablet you’ve got in here, be it your Samsung Galaxy Tab, your Acer Iconia Tab A500, your HP TouchPad, or even your Motorola XOOM, and bringing it mountain climbing.

Have a peek at what this case actually looks like in the hands-on video above, then feel free to check out the most impressive of all the many ultra-amazing drops that this case has gone through below. This video shows the case carrying an iPad and being dropped from 100,000 feet above the earth. Can you guess what happens when it hits the ground?

As with all G-Form products, this case is not a guarantee that you device will go completely unharmed. Instead what’s included in your limited warrantee is a guarantee that the case itself will hold up (this basically implying that the contents will hold up too, but still.) So when you do have this case, it’s probably better not to try to skewer your pad with a spike or anything like that. Have fun, but don’t go completely crazy. As G-Form notes:

Please Note: We’re happy that some of our customers’ electronics have survived their testing of our Extreme products, but we don’t encourage or recommend intentionally dangerous stunts, and although we are confident that G-Form provides the best protection available, we can’t guarantee your electronics from damage from any specific drop or impact in our Extreme products whether accidental or intentional.  The terms of our limited warranty and liability disclaimer can be found here, and as you can see it covers your portfolio but not your personal property/electronics whether inside or outside!

So our final judgement is this: truly this case is a sight to behold, and we’d bet that there’s nothing we could do to destroy the iPad held within. That said, we’re not going to go out and toss it under a semi-truck just to prove G-Form wrong, so the real test is this: is there any real function to this case other than ultra-protection? Sure! You could use this when traveling to ensure your pad doesn’t get damaged in a bag of rocks, or you could, as I mention above, take this case mountain climbing or biking, or you could potentially use it when you’re camping. The outer bits of the case are rather squishy and feel nice when pressed against your face – why not use it as a pillow?

Other than that, the sheer bulk included here takes out the possibility that you’ll be using this on a regular day-to-day basis. If you work as a gladiator, on the other hand, you’ll be golden! You can purchase this case from G-Form right this second in their online shop for $89.95.

Hardware

For a “budget” minded device, the MOTOLUXE actually has some of the most successful industrial design we’ve seen from Motorola for a while now. There’s none of the clamorous title-chasing of the look-how-thin-I-am DROID RAZR, just a soft-touch monoblock which feels sturdy and creak-free. It’s a nice compromise on scale, too – the 4-inch display makes for a phone good for web-browsing and multimedia playback, but not so large as to monopolize your hand, pocket or purse. It’s important to note that this is a pre-final device – hence the preview, rather than a full review.

Motorola MOTOLUXE hands-on:

Motorola’s budget has some obvious consequences, though; the screen is 854 x 480 resolution, rather than qHD or 720p, and the processor is an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7227A paired with just 512MB of RAM and 1GB of ROM. Still, you get an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash, though only a VGA resolution front camera, while the HSDPA radio is limited to 7.2Mbps download rates (network depending) rather than faster HSPA+ speeds.

There’s also WiFi b/g/n, FM radio, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS, though no NFC; a 3.5mm headphone socket and microUSB 2.0 port, through no MHL HDMI output. The most striking element of the 117.7 x 60.5 x 9.85 mm handset is the broad LED indicator strip in the lower left corner of the fascia – with a cutaway strip underneath – that lights up according to charging status, new alerts and when the battery is running low. It looks great, though it can be distracting if you’re the sort of person who charges their phone overnight with it on the nightstand.

Software

Motorola loads the MOTOLUXE with Android 2.3.7 complete with some Moto Switch 2.0 customizations, though since this is a non-final device we won’t be benchmarking it or passing any lasting judgements. We’d obviously prefer to see Ice Cream Sandwich in play, and Motorola’s tweaked iconography is somewhat underwhelming. Perhaps we’re just reluctant to change, but the graphics aren’t as instantly obvious as Android’s native icon set, leading to hunting when you’re chasing down a specific app.

Stand-out elements in Moto Switch 2.0 are the lockscreen shortcuts, which takes a leaf out of HTC Sense’s book and offers quick access to apps from the lockscreen itself. Motorola outplays HTC by offering six shortcuts rather than its rival’s four, though. Meanwhile there are favorite-apps and favorite-contacts cluster widgets on the seven-pane homescreen, which can either display your most  frequently run/contacted software and people automatically, or show those you manually pin to the group. Unfortunately there’s no way to have a halfway house of both, pinning some shortcuts while allowing the others to dynamically change.

Camera

8-megapixels is healthy for a low-cost device, though there’s obviously more to good photography than raw pixel count. The MOTOLUXE does a reasonable job, though it’s very much dependent on getting sufficient natural light. Colors tend to be muted and there’s noticeable noise around indoor shots. Remember, though, that this could change with final software.

Phone and Battery

In-call audio was solid and the MOTOLUXE’s size made it comfortable to hold for extended conversations. Motorola rates the battery life of the smartphone at up to 6.5 hours of 2G talktime (4.5hrs 3G) and 400 hours of 2G standby (450 hours 3G); we found the MOTOLUXE was easily able to last a day of average use.

Wrap-Up

Motorola has a reasonably wide remit for the MOTOLUXE, targeting it at developing markets in addition to low-cost contract and pre-pay customers elsewhere. If you’re buying a phone with an agreement – and thus a subsidy – there’s a solid argument to be made that upfront cost is relatively insignificant: we’d always recommend going for the best device around, even if it’s more expensive, since the difference in what you pay on day one is marginal in the context of the average two-year agreement.

Still, for pre-pay customers or those wanting an affordable SIM-free device, there’s a lot to like about the MOTOLUXE. The screen offers a solid compromise over size and usability, and the build construction – though not a true “rugged” phone – is high enough to make the smartphone feel surprisingly premium. The camera is only passable and Moto Switch 2.0 is underwhelming, but the sticker price reflects that. Compared to other budget options on the market, the MOTOLUXE has plenty in its favor.

Thanks to Clove for the loan of the MOTOLUXE unit. The handset is available to order now, priced at £215 plus tax.

The video you’re about to see shows both the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the ASUS Transformer Prime, each of them running Android 4.x Ice Cream Sandwich, each of them running this first public release of Chrome Beta. You’ll find the experiences to be very similar with slight changes in icons and text locations due to size of display, and the same ability to see other devices as well as pre-fetch data from webpages before they’re needed. Notice though the slight differences – the ability to use the voice recognition engine on the tablet and the same option not appearing on the phone.

You’ll find that the nicest looking (or perhaps just the most visually striking) feature is the tabs browser. As you hit the number next to your URL bar – or “Omnibox” as Google has taken to calling it – you’ll see several cards appear. These cards are you tabs, and they can be accessed by tapping, destroyed by swiping, and pushed apart or together – the coolness of this increased by your ability to turn on Tilt Scrolling. This appears to use gravity but actually uses your accelerometer in your device to make the cards appear to move on their own when you tilt your device.

Link Previewing is a feature that Google speaks about in their trailer for the browser but we’ve not encountered a use for thus far. It’s supposed to have links popping up in balloons, essentially, when they’d otherwise be hard to tap. Using these previews has been so off-and-on for us that we’ll wait to show it off in any real manner. Signing in works far better, it allowing you, again, to access the tabs you’ve been using on other machines with Chrome on the fly. Your Chrome iterations also learn from one another for smart URL completion, but watch out if you’re using your Transformer Prime and expect to be able to select one of these pre-typed selections with your arrow keys – that’s not yet integrated.

Another point of interest when comparing the two different sized versions here: Tilt Scrolling is an option for both, but there’s no card tabs in the tablet-based Chrome like there is in the smartphone-based Chrome. You can still push your tabs back and forth in a similar manner above your browser window, but they don’t slide exactly like the smartphone-based card tabs.

Bookmark syncing works between devices, and the whole experience is appearing already to be a much faster and more pleasing experience than the stock Android browser as it stands today. Check the gallery below for some benchmark results as we grab them, and don’t forget to download the browser for yourself. Chrome Beta is available on the Android Market right this minute for free, [download it instantly] for your Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and above device.

Intoxicase doesn’t just represent itself with a case or two, no way, it’s got a whole app dedicated to it as well! What you’re going to do here is to download the very free app, get it prepared to pop open bottles of what you plan on drinking, and get to unlidding! Of course the app contains sharing capabilities, a counter to see how many brews you downed, and a massive library of beers so you can select the exact brand you love most – or if it isn’t there, enter it in yourself! The app also works as a standalone adventure if you’re just thinking about getting a case – hit the tap and pretend you popped the bottle with your phone: you’ll be converted in no time.

The actual cases are ultra high quality. Both the original and the Plus model have been made to work with your iPhone and not just protect it, having a hole for the camera and its lens, a spot for all of your buttons and ports to show through, and some light decoration so you know you’re not just in it for the beers. The video you’re going to see with the case and the app has the Intoxicase Plus attached to the iPhone 4S – enjoy the loveliness of the whole combo. Then pick up everything you need over at Intoxicase.com, and get to drinking – it’s Thirsty Thursday for crying out loud, and after noon!

BONUS the application itself contains two services you’re going to CERTAINLY take advantage of should you download it: taxi listings and a tap-to-park service so you can find the place you last left your car. Convenient, the both of them!

What we’ve got running here is an iPad 2 and an iPhone 4S to show you the differences between interfaces here in tablet and smartphone. They aren’t many, but they are there, and you can see instantly that this app really works better on the bigger display. That said, it works just as fast to use it on your phone whatever that phone may be. You get access to all of the pages you’d normally get in your newspaper, including advertisements and the funnies, all in this new digital format.

If you’re really feeling like you want to dip into the future, you could refrain from cutting your newspaper up each time you see an article your relation has been named in and simply take a screenshot here instead – save the earth! Trees will be thanking you, thanking you around the earth. The application here itself is free on iOS for iPad and iPhone as well as free on Android for smartphones and tablets – and will work fine in the future for Ice Cream Sandwich without and differentiation between the two.

Once you’re in, you’ll get seven issues of a few popular newspapers for free, and subscriptions will cost you $9.99 a month. You can also pick up individual titles for $0.99 a copy – a deal you cannot possibly pass up – right? Think about that one.

Hardware

Dropcam’s is rightly proud of the HD: its first-gen hardware, the Echo, was designed externally, but the company brought development in-house for this new model. The end result is something that looks far more consumer-friendly than the blocky white Echo. The Dropcam HD itself is a small glossy black puck that slots into a detachable metal stand with a posable base: together, they’re 4.5-inches high and about 3.15-inches across.

The hinged base is stiff enough to stay at whatever angle you set it to, and you can tilt the Dropcam HD itself in the stand to fine-tune things. Power is courtesy of a compact AC brick with a long microUSB cable up to the camera itself; unlike the previous Dropcam models, there’s no ethernet option, only WiFi b/g/n, though that’s no great loss for the consumer market. A rubber foot for the stand has a clip to keep the power cable in place.

Setup requires plugging the Dropcam HD into your computer via USB, creating an account through Dropcam’s site and punching in your WiFi network credentials. After that, it automatically logs on overtime it’s powered up. There’s a 12-LED infrared light array around the lens, for nighttime use, along with a speaker and a microphone.

Service

Part of the easy setup of the Dropcam Echo is the absence of any local software to install: everything is accessed – and stored – in the cloud. The company offer several tiers of service: the free “Basic” package allows you to log in and view live streaming video, either through the regular browser or the iOS app, but no recording functionality. There are also email and mobile (iPhone-only) alerts triggered by the sound and motion sensors. For $9.95 per month and the “Plus” package you get live streaming together with seven days of archive access (and the ability to download select clips or photos to your own computer).

Finally, the “Pro” plan offers 30 days of online recording for $29.95. It’s worth noting that the subscription fees increase per camera you add: $4.95 per extra for the Plus plan or $14.95 per month for the Pro plan. If you have, say, three cameras and want a month’s historic access to the footage each records, you’re looking at almost $60 per month. The Android and iPhone apps themselves are free and work with all tiers of service, though there’s no iPad-specific version. If you have a device with Flash support in the browser, you can log into the Dropcam site and stream video that way instead.

Performance

Where the original Dropcam was limited to QVGA 320 x 240 resolution video, and only offered streaming two-way audio on a more expensive model, the Dropcam HD promises both 720p HD footage and sound as standard.

Unfortunately video quality is only average, suffering particularly in low-light, though it’s reasonably smooth thanks to the 30fps refresh rate. Audio quality is fair, and the microphone is actually quite sensitive, though we noticed a significant amount of crackling both through the desktop UI and the mobile apps. The speaker – used for two-way audio – is small and subsequently suffers very low volume, and there’s no audio output for plugging in a more vocal system. With observed a roughly 2-3 second delay on audio.

Desktop

iPhone 4S

Galaxy Nexus

Motion and audio detection are both very sensitive, and lack controls to adjust exactly what they’ll respond to. Each will mark the online timeline (in the Plus and Pro subscription packages) to indicate when noise or movement was spotted; both packages, plus the Free plan, can optionally send out an alert to let you know something has happened. Their effectiveness is generally down to where the camera is positioned, and if you have pets you can expect plenty of false alarms.

Still, the automatic flagging makes reviewing footage a lot more straightforward than scrubbing through the entire timeline, and you can request a download clip of any section that comes through in MP4 format with audio.

Wrap-Up

Setup, convenience and – if you opt for a subscription – functionality can’t be criticized in the Dropcam HD. The camera is compact, discrete and easy to place, especially if you use only the puck central section, which blends reasonably well into the shadows, and the desktop UI and mobile apps are straightforward to use.

Although the subscription-free option is welcome, we can’t really recommend it for any but the most casual of users. Even with the real-time movement alerts, you’ll probably struggle to access the webcam feed quickly enough to see what has been happening; that’s when the online DVR feature comes in most useful.

That said, the $149 starting price for the Dropcam HD is just that: a starting figure after which you have to take into account subscription fees. Dropcam offers a year’s access to the Plus plan for $99.95 if you pay upfront; still, scale up to a few cameras spread about the house, as many home surveillance enthusiasts would prefer, and you’re looking at a few hundred dollars each year. Contrast that with Logitech’s Alert camera system, which offers local DVR-style storage on your home network (and premium remote access to recordings for $80 per year, per system).

The Dropcam service is certainly easy to use, and there are handy sharing features, which allow you to send clips and images to others – great for showing grandparents what the baby is up to – but it’s an expensive way of doing things. In the end, you pay for the privilege of Dropcam’s simplicity.
-dropcam HD

Hardware

While LG does still have one of my favorite devices ever in the G2X released last year, this device feels a bit large for the average citizen. Certainly consider whether you need all the extra space in this gigantic four and half inch display before you go purchasing it, especially since your thumb wont be able to reach the other end of your screen without assistance of your other hand. When playing games and watching video though, this display is top of class. The camera also has us dazzled and is certainly up there in the top 10 cameras thus produced on a smartphone.

The onboard speaker system is fairly excellent, though still pointing out the back of the device as too many smartphones and tablets these days are, still working perfectly well if you’ve got it up against a wall from whens it can reflect. Plug in some headphones and you’ll have a great time all around. This device has a slightly odd look to it with the three button selection below the display, but therein proves its readiness for Ice Cream Sandwich – that’s not a menu button, it’s a multitasking button.

Software

LG has chosen to continue to use their slightly unintuitive user interface over Android 2.3 Gingerbread here, showing how little it trusts in the original build of Android especially in the apps drawer with row after row of titles for app collections. While it all may appear clunky in comparison to the basic build of Android, it does all move super slick, and even offers a selection of themes at the bottom of the home screen with which you can make profiles for yourself. These aren’t the sort of themes like you get with an HTC device with color changes and backgrounds and all that – instead you can set up which apps you need where for Work, then make another for Home, and etcetera. Functionality here is what’s being pushed, made for people with a need for different environments for their smartphone indeed.

Camera

I can’t say enough about how nice the camera in this device is. Though the interface isn’t my favorite in the world (I’m much preferring the stock Ice Cream Sandwich interface at the moment), this skinned version of the Gingerbread shooter certainly gets the job done right. LG has reminded us why it’s 8 megapixels, not a speedy 5 megapixels, that does it best on Android. Have a peek at some photo and video examples here and in the gallery below to get a good idea of what we’re dealing with.

Phone and Battery

The phone quality is perfectly legitimate, like most smartphones these days running on Verizon’s network coming in and sending out clear voice anywhere I roam inside the Twin Cities here in Minnesota. The battery is surprisingly powerful, lasting at LEAST one day with medium to heavy usage and two days (as you can see here) with light usage. Play some streaming video with your built-in Netflix app and you’ll see considerably degrading excellence at something like 6 hours total.

Wrap-up

This is certainly one of the top five LG smartphones ever to be released, and definitely beats out the LG Revolution released last year with LTE as the best LG device on Verizon right this minute. It’s relatively sleek, light, and has a fabulous camera, all this aside from the fact that if you live in an LTE area, it’s very, very fast data-wise. The decision you must make now is whether you want to sacrifice Ice Cream Sandwich as found on the Galaxy Nexus in exchange for the nicer camera on this device – if that’s not a great tradeoff for you, stick with the former.

There’s one massive list of strange customers that wear the original LP model customized to their liking – Paris Hilton, Gio Conzales, NERVO, and Lindsay Lohan to name a few. And though celebrity names like Kobe Bryant wont do one whole heck of a lot for audiophiles when it comes to actual audio quality, you can bet that this team of manufacturers isnt going anywhere any time soon. And I’m here to tell you right now: if it’s good enough for Paul Oakenfold, it’s good enough for me.

Unboxing

So we’ve got a pair of $199 headphones here in a box that you’ve got to cut a ribbon to get into. The box itself is impressive enough what with cardboard around it that’s thicker than the jacket of a hardcover book, then the top has a button hinge and a snakeskin strap (fake, we hope) that keeps the contents beyond safe in their travels to the specialty shops. Inside you’ll find padding around a monster shell which contains the headphones and the mass of cords and plugs that come with it.

Package Contents

Inside the shell are the headphones themselves, two detachable cables with 24k gold-plated plugs: both of them fabric, 3.5mm jacks, and universally compatible with all headphone jack-having devices. One is is a classic cable with no added features along it, the other has a 3-button remote control able to work with Apple products including iPhone, iPad, and MacBook. Also inside is a converter plug for plugging these same cables into your larger amplifier, and all of these items are held down with a couple of strap-heavy removable panels that you can use (or not use) inside your shell – one also has a belt clip so you can attach your goods to your side when the shell is too big to bring with you on the go.

Military Grade Construction

The shell is a hard exoskeleton carrying case that’s black-on-black printed and ribbed on the outside surrounded by a red and black zipper and embroidered in red with the V-Moda logo at the top. Inside is a lovely bright red padded container custom molded for your V-MODA Limited Edition Crossfade LP2s. Great for tossing in your backpack for long trips on airplanes or short trips to the recording studio. Don’t worry too much about damage, on the other hand, because with these phones you’ve got an Immortal Life Program – this allowing you a 50% off lifetime discount if you’ve accidentally smashed the crap out of your phones and want to pick up a new pair – cheap!

For the phones themselves, you’ve got a business that’s ready and willing to help you get the best fit and feel the most awesome when you’re using your headset on the regular. Get a taste of trueHERTZ to see what I mean. As far as how hardcore the equipment is, Military-Grade durability should keep you sleeping at night:

The Crossfade LP2 is tested under strict MIL-STD-810G military testing and V-MODA’s even tougher VMQA guidelines:

• Kevlar® reinforced detachable cables and 45-degree plug strain relief can each bend over 1 million times, over 100x industry standards
• Survives 70+ drops on concrete from 6 feet, approximately 3x the industry standard
• Headband can bend 10+ times flat, not break and retain its memory and shape
• Virtually inaudible sound variances across the spectrum of less than 2dB from unit to unit versus 10-30dB+ of inferior products
• MIL-STD-810G environmental tests including high and low temperatures, humidity, salt spray and UV exposure

Sound

As for sound – and I know you’ve been waiting for this after all that talk about every other possible aspect of these phones – you’ve got what V-Moda calls Live Play Sound. It’s a patent-pending “biggest-in-class” set of 50mm Dual-Diaphragm Drivers and V-PORT 3D staging. This setup, they say, is able to recreate the sound of multiple drivers at the same time as it sticks to the consistency of a single quality driver. The Crossfade LP2 phones are fine-tuned with a 31-band EQ, this keeping your eardrums in tact whilst delivering a wide range of sounds with high quality power.

Wrap-Up

And indeed that is what they do. If you were looking for assurance from your humble narrator here that these headphones sound fabulous – they certainly attain that level of approval from me. These are without a doubt the finest set of over-ear headphones I’ve tested at this point for the price point they set at, and are currently my day-to-day go-to pair for everyday listening as well as listening out in the wild – read: at coffee shops and at the library.

For DJ situations, again, I’ll trust the tests of the masters listed above working with the model that came before this one, essentially the same in build and quality. What this set offers is a bump above the original LP model, and without a doubt they are worth the cash you toss down on them at $199. You can also grab yourself a pair of custom metal plate replacements if you really want to – go ahead! Treat yourself! These limited editions are available at V-Moda’s online shop while supplies last.

The build you’re seeing here is what you’ll get when you update your ASUS Transformer Prime to ICS, and the first thing you’ll see is that it’s not Vanilla. The way ASUS has worked with Android 4.0 is in a way that makes it NEARLY Vanilla, that is completely unmodified by the manufacturer, but they’ve done some cool changes themselves. They’ve not only done a good job in not taking too much out or adding too much back in in this build, and you’ll see right away that the system is slick as ever.

The icons for the basic built-in applications have been changed to Ice Cream Sandwich loveliness, and interfaces have been changed to several basic Google-built apps. None of the apps are all that different from what you’ve seen in our original Ice Cream Sandwich review save their size except for the camera app which has been modified to work with the tablet’s bigger form factor. Like Honeycomb you’ll see that both the lock when you wake the tablet up and the controls on the camera app are sitting on the far right, complete with circular controls for things like zooming in and out.

You wont find the same shutter speed you saw on the first ICS device out there, the Galaxy Nexus, simply because that’s a feature built into the device, not the software. Similarly you will not find the facial recognition screen unlock – we’re guessing this is because there’ve been so many problems surrounding the lock thus far that ASUS decided to hold off on it for now for their device here. The settings menu is updated to the full ICS experience, complete with “developer” controls – head to the Force GPU Rendering option for a lovely GPU treat.

Have a peek at the images above and below as well as the hands-on video to get a full look at this build, then feel free to ask any additional questions you’ve got about the system in the comments below. Additionally if there are any tests you’d like done on this tablet with this version of Android on it, ask and you shall receive!

Hardware

Nokia has presented the world with a Windows Phone that’s got the backing of a well-known manufacturer mixed now with a relatively new but recognizable brand for smartphones. What Nokia is bringing to the party here is a device with a fabulous feel and a high-quality build that will have purchasers of the more expensive Windows Phone devices on the market saying “wait, why did I pay all this money when that free Nokia phone is just as sweet?” It’s got a pretty excellent camera on the back (just 5 megapixels, but nice nonetheless, read more below), the front has a display that’s the perfect size for accessing it in its entirety with just one hand’s thumb, and the plastic is smooth and high-class feeling to the touch.

One of the reasons Nokia seems so cool to the rest of the world, USA citizens, is that it’s essentially ubiquitous, as the ringtone suggests. What Nokia has done here is to bring that feeling in to the USA with Windows Phone as its passenger, bringing two relatively great names together in hopes that they’ll finally get the recognition they feel they deserve here in the United States. With this type of build, they should have no problem. Now what they’ve got to worry about is pushing it all with the correct advertisements and backing from, for example, celebrities galore.

Software

You’re using Windows Phone Mango here, and with it comes all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect from this version of Windows Phone. We’ve got a full review of this software from back when it was first released, and it’s not all the different now save for a few applications. What you get when you jump in to this device is a few bonuses that come only with a T-Mobile phone. One of these is the T-Mobile TV app, one where you can get all sorts of live television channels and pre-loaded episodes of TV shows for one monthly price: $9.99. It’s certainly a decent value proposition for those of you wanting to watch television on the bus or the train, and I would mention that you should be wary of your connection, but they’ve got a “download now” feature now to keep your shows for later, so it’s pretty neat. That and Netflix should have you drowning in video content until the sun comes up.

From there it’s all personalized tiles, color changes, and moving content galore. Included here as well is a fantastic Maps apps which, if you’ve never seen it before, will blow you away with how nicely it works for viewing your house from outer space and getting turn-by-turn directions. Tell that to the Samsunged people, why don’t you?

Camera

The camera is a surprising perk on this already relatively neat little device. In that it’s just 5 megapixels strong, it’s certainly not the greatest capturer of all time, but it’s quick! Take a peek at the hands-on video above to see how fabulously fast it is able to take photos, then check out these examples below. You’ll find the top-quality video and photos being shown here and in the gallery at the bottom of this post, each with different lighting and at different distances.

Phone and Battery

The battery has also been a surprise star, lasting at least one full day (right around 8 hours) with medium use throughout the day. Like any smartphone, you will want to charge this device up as often as you can, just incase you have some heavy usage in an odd spot. Watching streaming video when you’re in a traffic jam, for example. The phone quality for talk through T-Mobile’s network has been similarly excellent, with no dropped calls happening during our testing and just as clear a voice out as in throughout the week we’ve had the device.

Wrap-up

The T-Mobile carried Nokia Lumia 710 is a fine addition to the Windows Phone family. Nokia has played it safe here with a collection of hardware bits that not only fit the Microsoft set of parameters set out for devices running their mobile OS, but fit right inside what we’ve seen in the past for Nokia’s own line as well. It’s a convergence of minds here, ladies and gentlemen, and if Nokia can stay the course with Windows Phone here for a few more devices, I’d say they’re good to go for quite a few more years in smartphone manufacturing on the whole.

Hardware

Not so long ago, HP was synonymous with cheap, bulky and entirely plastic machines that would crack and warp at the drop of the hat. But with the ENVY, EliteBook and now the Folio lines, they’re bucking the trend and bringing a little pride back to the old Hewlett Packard name. The Folio is neither the thinnest nor the lightest Ultrabook around, but when the difference is measured in millimeters and ounces, that doesn’t necessarily bother me. The screen lid and palmrest use a stylish brushed aluminum that looks good while keeping fingerprints mostly invisible, but the bezel and underside are soft-touch plastic, probably chosen to keep the weight down.

The Folio has a few touches that are nice to see on a notebook starting at just $900, particularly the backlit keyboard – a rare sight even in supposedly upmarket Ultrabooks. Since HP fancies this a business-class machine, that means comparing the keyboard to the best: Lenovo’s ThinkPads. While the short travel and slight flex of the keys don’t quite measure up to those lofty goals, it’s plenty comfortable even for extended typing, and the chicklet style makes it easy to care for. For those who place high importance on such a small detail (like yours truly) the Function key is to the right of the Control key, so you won’t have any trouble with the key combos stored in your muscle memory. The right shift key is also full-sized, unlike some Asus models.

The touchpad on the Folio deserves particular attention, because it’s the first all-in-one design I’ve seen that can hold a candle to the MacBook. While it’s not quite as easy to glide the cursor around due to a plastic construction, it’s still accurate and responsive. And, miracle of miracles, it’s the first PC touchpad with an integrated click that I’ve been able to reliably perform a triple-tap on, which defaults to the extremely useful middle-click command.

Ports on the Folio are a little lacking, but no more so than they are on competing models. On the left you get Ethernet, HDMI, USB 3.0 and an SD card slot, while on the right you get a spare USB 2.0 and a combined headphone/microphone port. Aside from that, the 13-inch 1366×768 screen and commendable Dolby speakers are the extent of the input/output options. Inside the base model features a Core i5 ULV processor, 4GB of DDR3 memory, Intel HD3000 integrated graphics and a 128GB solid state drive.

All of these are perfectly functional, and even pretty good values given the price – except for the screen. Ignoring for a moment that the only resolution option is the rather pedestrian 1366×768, the screen’s contrast is awful. Reading anything but black-on-white text it a chore, and I had to change the default Windows color scheme to something darker just to avoid straining my eyes. Considering the excellent LED screen on the ENVY 15, this is a major dissapointment. If the rest of the Folio’s charms lead you to consider a purchase, make sure and find one in a retail environment before laying down you cash, just to make sure you’re alright with the sub-par screen.

Software

The Folio 13 comes with Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, in line with the “business Ultrabook” moniker. The laptop is surprisingly free of bloatware, choosing instead to display a few easily-deleted links on the desktop. You still get HP’s suite of built-in detritus, including a movie and game store, plus Microsoft’s ubiquitous Bing bar and Office trial. Norton anti-virus and Evernote are some you might actually want to hold on to, but for those who prefer a stock experience, it shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes or so to remove all the unwanted software. This is a much better state of affairs than you’ll find on many equivalent laptops, even in the “premium” space.

Performance

After loading up some of my proffered programs like Chrome, getting around the familiar Windows interface was easy and without issue. Though the screen was a problem, it’s more than mitigated by the Folio’s excellent battery life – more on that later. The little Folio’s specifications are more than enough to handle basic browsing, office and media tasks, and should do just fine with more advanced fare like Photoshop editing in a pinch – just don’t expect it to get 30 frames per second in Skyrim. But then, you’d never play on company time, would you?

Media & Battery

While the Folio lacks the Beats audio found on the ENVY line, the Dolby speakers that run between the hinges are more than loud enough to enjoy a movie comfortably between three or four people. Hi-fi they’re not (even if the rather fetching grille implies as such) but for a laptop, and especially one so small, they’re more than serviceable. With relatively little storage space and no DVD drive, you’ll have to rely on web video for most of your visual entertainment, and I’m sorry to say that the combination of low-bitrate video and a low-contrast screen is not a pleasant one. The reflective plastic finish doesn’t help, but it’s far from the worst that I’ve seen.

And now we come to the area where the Folio 13 absolutely shines: the battery. HP has made a point of extolling its 9-hour life in advertising, so I made sure to put the little laptop through its paces. I’m pleased to report that it broke the 8-hour mark in two tests and made it all the way to 9:15 on a third before dying. That’s almost exactly as much as my ThinkPad T420 with an extended 9-cell battery – that’s it dwarfing the Folio in the photo above. While there’s no replaceable battery option, this should be more than enough for anything short of a cross-continental flight. I performed my tests with 60% brightness and medium-to-heavy web browsing, with some Flash video thrown in – if you spend all your time on Netflix or YouTube, expect that figure to dip a bit.

Wrap-up

The Folio 13 is a good showing for HP, combining solid value, admirable build quality and excellent longevity into a package that’s only slightly bigger than other Ultrabooks. If you’re looking for an ultrabook that won’t have you scrambling for a power outlet, this is pretty much your only option at the moment – for an afternoon outing you can even leave the AC power adapter behind. The screen is an unfortunate fly in the ointment, but it’s counter-balanced by the best all-in-one touchpad I’ve ever used on the PC side of things. If you’ve got a budget that won’t stretch beyond a thousand dollars and a desire for all-day computing in a light package, the Folio might be the best in a field of one. That said, with all the Ultrabooks shown at CES 2012 (including HP’s own stunning ENVY 14 Spectre) you might wait a couple of months before making your final decision.

For a look at all the nooks and crannies, have a gander at our hands-on video below:

In-use

The quality you’re getting here is top-notch, and since this isn’t the first version of these little beasts, you know good and well that V-Moda has once again further perfected the art. Your hearing will be protected by the Faders working to filter noise up to 12dB. They do not BLOCK the noise, they filter it – this meaning that your mids and your high-range audio is still there and still very clear, while the damaging low-end noises galore are plugged up. You can adjust the amount you filter by changing the bud size, also.

The versions you’ll get in the store come with a lovely little shell case, while these early versions show just the buds — you’ll know the 2012 versions from the older ones from the slight difference on the box face, the newer ones having a bright ORANGE splash around the “METAL” bit. The newest versions also come with detachable cords. Otherwise they’re the same fabulous sound-blocking masterpieces.

Verdict

These monsters are certainly worth what you pay for them. If you want throwaway plugs, go ahead and pick up a pack of them from your local grocery store. These plugs will stopper up the sound to the degree that you like and will do it in a fashionable way – so very lovely. Pick up the gunmetal versions (like we’ve got here) for ultimate anytime wearability.

These buds will be available SOON, and when they are, they’ll be $15 USD plus shipping unless you can grab them from your local audio-conscious record store. Grab em online sooner from V-Moda!

Hardware

The ENVY 15 shares a lot of design DNA with the rest of the line, and that means lots of metal and secondary utility as a blunt weapon. The typical high-class build quality is present in full force, with a new black-on-grey color scheme that’s accented with some red Beats trim. It would be almost impossible to forget the inspirations from Apple’s Macbook Pro line that defined the early ENVY models, but the latest seems to be finding a bit of its own identity. A depressed keyboard section and an analog audio dial inset into the body make for some unique and functional touches.

The laptop oozes quality and thoughtful touches almost everywhere. Beats-branded speakers above the keyboard and on the front edge are well-placed for music playback with the lid open or closed, and the backlit chicklet keyboard is large and solid enough to replicate desktop typing without any real difficulty. 3 USB ports and an SD card slot should be enough for most, but video out options are limited to HDMI and Display Port. That’s good for hooking up to a TV or brand-new monitors, but if you’ve got an older display you’re out of luck, since there’s no adapters included.

At 1.11 inches all the way through its metal frame, the laptop isn’t the smallest around, but it isn’t really trying to be. That large frame gets you a 2.4Ghz Core i5 processor, 6GB of RAM, a 1GB AMD Radeon 7690m graphics card and a 500GB traditional hard drive. That should be enough computing power to handle just about anything you can throw at it short of marathon HD encoding sessions. You’ll also get a slot-loading DVD drive, an increasingly rare commodity even in medium-sized laptops, and a user-accessible battery bay.

But the real showpiece for the ENVY 15 is the screen, an LED-backlit beauty at 1920×1080, showing a resolution usually reserved for 17-inch laptops into an economic glossy frame. That’s an extra $150 upgrade over the standard 1366×768 panel, and well worth it for anyone who wants a little breathing room fir Windows 7. Using the screen is an excellent experience even at low brightness, and makes text entry, games and video that much better. Colors pop and contrast is great, though those who tire of tiny text may need to fiddle with some settings to make reading more comfortable. The touchpad is decent, though HP still hasn’t got the hang of multi-touch gestures – it’s much easier to use a click-tap and manually drag a scroll bar than its two-finger equivalent.

Software

Our review unit came pre-loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, the better to take advantage of the 6GB of RAM. If you’re considering the ENVY 15, odds are pretty good that you’re familiar with Windows 7, or at least competent enough in Windows Vista, so I won’t bore you with any rehashing. Bloatware is an unfortunate reality on the PC side of the computer divide, but with the ENVY line at least, HP has exercised some restraint. You get the standard trial edition of Office, a handful of hardware managers that basically just skin Windows’ default controls, Microsoft’s Games For Windows Marketplace, HP MovieStore, Norton Internet Security and a Bing plugin for your browser. All in all it could be worse – I’m in the habit of installing Windows fresh with any new machine, and I heartily recommend it to others. But if you’re disinclined to do so (it isn’t easy, since no one includes OS discs these days) it’s easy enough to get the ENVY 15 close to stock.

One thing you won’t want to remove is the Beats audio manager software, accessible by depressing the button built in to the analog dial. It instantly brings up an equalizer and other various settings, making a customized audio experience fast and easy, not to mention enjoyable with the supplied hardware. More on that later. Our review unit came with full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements. At the moment both of these programs are also free with the base model. That’s a great deal if you don’t already have an image and/or photo editor, and even if you don’t want them it’s hard to complain.

In general use, the additional software doesn’t interfere with my daily routine nearly as much as other laptops. The Norton Internet Security is enabled by default, but aside from the on-screen volume and brightness displays, it’s the only thing that’s visibly added to the system. All in all a commendable effort on HP’s part, though I add that any Windows computer should always come with a backup disc, which seems to be omitted here. I had a small issue with a lack of sound playback, which was solved quickly enough by installing the latest driver.

Performance

It’s a good time to be a hardware junkie. Even the cheapest Intel Core machine is leaps and bounds ahead of comparably priced equivalents from two or three years ago, and unless you’re doing massive amounts of compiling or rendering, you’ll never want for horepower on any new laptop. That said, here’s the scores for the ENVY 15.

Regular use, incluing some heavy Flash and Photoshop editing, showed no noticeable slowdown or degradation in performance. I popped in a copy of Batman: Arkham City just to try out the combination of the processor and AMD Radeon GPU. It’s a pretty game that takes advantage of all the latest graphical bells and whistles. When pumped up to full 1080p with all the settings maxed out, the in-game benchmark got around 12-14 frames per second. Dial it batch to 1600×900 with a few of the flashier settings disables, and you can get about 30 FPS. Drop the resolution to 1366×768 (which is all you’d get in similarly priced laptops) and you can get as much as 50 frames per second.

Based on this I’d say you can play just about any recent game comfortably without a problem, so long as you take it easy on the graphical flair. Older favorites like Team Fortress 2 or World of Warcraft should absolutely fly, and look great doing so.

Media & Battery

The ENVY 15 is built for media consumption. Those Beats logos aren’t just for show: the speakers are louder and clearer than any I’ve ever used, including the Macbooks that the ENVY wants to be so much when it grows up. The quick access to a physical volume dial and virtual equalizer combined with an extra headphone-out port make this a perfect laptop for listening to and sharing music. And with that lovely screen and DVD drive (sadly no Blu-ray option is offered) it’s a great movie machine as well.

Just don’t plan on watching the extended version of Lord of the Rings. Though HP claims up to a 9 hour battery life, I was never able to get more than 3 hours and 45 minutes while doing basic WiFi Internet browsing with the screen at about half brightness. The “power saver” mode seems to do a little better, and I dare say with conservative use and a few tricks (like disabling the petty Aero effects in Windows) you might stretch it as high as five. It’s a disappointing statistic in a laptop of this size and weight, and you’ll probably feel the need to stash the large AC adapter in your bag for anything more than coffee shop surfing session.

Wrap Up

Is the ENVY 15 as good as the 15-inch MacBook Pro? No. But considering that for the hardware that we tested you’d have to spend nearly $2000 on an Apple machine, it doesn’t have to be. If you find yourself spending most of your computer time within the reach of an AC outlet, it’s tough to beat for power and media capabilities. I wish it was a little lighter and lasted a little longer, but as a desktop replacement and media consumption/creation specialist, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything with these kinds of specs, fit and finish in this price range.

If you’re looking to replace an older mid-sized laptop with a solid machine that’ll fly through basic tasks and give some great music and video playback, it would be hard to find a better choice at $1250. Just don’t buy the ENVY 15 expecting a featherweight road warrior.

UPDATE: At the behest of some of the commenters, I investigated the switchable graphics with respect to battery life. This necessitated going into the BIOS and setting the graphics to a manual switch, since the option doesn’t appear in any of the ENVY’s standard settings menus. (it might be possible to set this with a newer version of Catalyst Control Center, but it wasn’t accessible from the stock software.) Under the default Dynamic setting, it’s supposed to automatically switch to the Intel integrated graphics when the high-powered Radeon isn’t necessary - apparently the software wasn’t activating correctly. When the Intel integrated graphics were activated manually, I got 5 hours and 14 minutes out of the ENVY 15 running the same test. That’s not a marathon machine by any means, but it opens up a lot more options for extended portable use.

For a better look at the HP ENVY 15′s hardware, check out our unboxing video below:

Hardware

This isn’t your regular router: at 93 x 70 x 25 mm it’s a palm-sized glossy black plastic box sitting on four grippy rubber feet. Bigger than a regular mobile hotspot, but the upshot is connectivity: as well as sharing out your USB modem’s connection with up to five WiFi devices, it has a pair of 10/100 ethernet ports on the back for wired devices too. That’s useful if you’re trying to share your connection in a WiFi-saturated environment, where wireless links can often become unstable.

On top is a rotating USB port for your modem, as well as four indicator LEDs for power, WLAN, PPP and WPS status. The back offers two buttons – WPS for easy connections with Windows-based computers, along with power – the two ethernet ports, each with activity LEDs, and a DC power input.

Unfortunately there’s no internal battery for true portable use, so you’ll have to find space in your bag for the included AC adapter. That’s frustratingly bulkier than the Hub itself; ZTE really needs to learn a lesson from the ultra-compact wall warts supplied with recent handsets from Nokia, HTC and Apple.

Software

Unlike USB modems, which generally require an app be installed on your laptop, it’s possible to use the WiFi Hub without any software bother whatsoever. Once your modem is in place and the connection has stabilized, it’s a simple matter of searching for the preset SSID on your tablet/laptop/phone/console and punching in the PIN, both of which are printed on the bottom of the Hub itself. Wired connections are even easier: just plug in your ethernet cable.

ZTE ships the Hub preconfigured to use WEP security, the weakest option but the one with the broadest compatibility. Most users will want to step up to WPA or, preferably, WPA2, (though a fully open WiFi connection is also possible) and that requires logging into the browser-based settings page. That’s found at 192.168.1.1 and logging in with the default username and password (which can be easily changed).

There’s actually a fair range of options available, if you’re of the tinkering mindset. The basics – SSID and security – can be altered, as well as the APN settings for the USB modem, DHCP settings for automatically assigning IP addresses, MAC and IP filtering, URL filtering to limit which sites can be connected to, and port forwarding. There’s also a firewall, with optional DMZ bypass.

Obviously it’s up to the user how deeply they dig through the settings; it’s possible to treat the WiFi Hub as plug-and-play, or get pretty granular with your control.

Performance

We saw no difference in download speeds from Three’s normal performance when using the WiFi Hub, though being able to position the modem near a window meant we could hunt down the best signal at any one time. WiFi range proved sufficient to cover our (admittedly bijou) London flat, with two solid wood doors in-between, with maximum strength showing in OS X.

Unfortunately, our attempts to get the WiFi Hub working with USB modems from other providers than Three failed, even when the modem was unlocked. The settings page refused to recognize that a modem was plugged in, and no connection was automatically made. Three tells us that other operators’ modems should work, but obviously won’t help you out if – like us – you can’t get the Hub to recognize them. It would also be useful if you could plug a wired WAN connection, such as in a hotel room, into one of the ethernet ports, and share it with the Hub.

Wrap-Up

There’s no denying the Three WiFi Hub works, nor that it’s useful. The wireless connection is solid, and the two ethernet ports are a particular bonus over regular mobile hotspots. Ease of use – with a Three USB modem – is another strength, though we wish ZTE had opted for better security with WPA2 by default.

Unfortunately the absence of a battery – even to just power wireless use – significantly limits the usefulness of the WiFi Hub when on the move. Forget dropping it onto the table at your nearest coffee shop or in an airport lounge and getting online in seconds: you need to make sure there’s a power point nearby. For hotel rooms or spur-of-the-moment meeting room connections that shouldn’t be too great a drawback, however.

That power limitation, compounded by the unnecessarily chunky AC adapter, are our main criticisms of the Three WiFi Hub. Those with modems from other providers should also be wary, as compatibility isn’t assured and you’re on your own to figure out any problems. Still, at £39.99, if you’re a Three data modem user who blanches at hotel and conference wireless fees and has enough bag space for the power adapter, the WiFi Hub makes an inexpensive way to get multiple people online.

Hardware

With an RRP of $269/£190 (street price closer to $213/£156) the TL-SC4171G is certainly not the cheapest IP camera around. Still, you do get a few extras: integrated WiFi b/g for a start, alongside the regular 10/100 ethernet, as well as pan/tilt support for remotely controlling the view. 4.4-inches tall, the lens assembly resembles a glossy white plastic tennis ball; TP-LINK throw a wall mounting kit in the box, or you can simply stand the camera on a window-ledge.

Aside from networking, connectivity includes a 3.5mm input for an external microphone or line-in audio, a 3.5mm output for external audio, and a terminal block for wiring up an optional alarm input and an optional output. The 0.3-megapixel (640 x 480) f2.0 CMOS sensor has a 48-degree horizontal, 36-degree vertical lens and is surrounded by a ring of twelve infrared LEDs that automatically turn on in low-light situations. There’s also an integrated microphone.

As for the pan/tilt base, the TL-SC4171G can rotate 354-degrees and tilt 125-degrees. There’s no optical zoom, but a 10x digital zoom is supported in the browser-based viewer; still, when you’re dealing with 640 x 480 resolution to begin with, blowing that picture up has an obvious loss of detail.

Performance

Setup is straightforward: plug in the AC adapter and the supplied ethernet cable to your router. PowerLine networking would be a neat addition, but WiFi is probably of more use to most. TP-LINK supplies an “Intelligent IP Installer” app on CD to locate the camera on the network, but you can also check what IP address your router has assigned and punch that into a browser instead. The web-based settings page isn’t exactly the height of UI design, but it’s functional: getting WiFi working is a simple matter of scanning for your network and then punching in the access code.

From then on, accessing the webcam from within your home network is straightforward. You can set up user accounts or simply use the main admin account, and your first view in the browser is a live feed from the camera. Unfortunately not all browsers support audio, in fact you’ll likely need Internet Explorer which leaves Mac users in the cold. The bundled Windows IP camera surveillance software can bypass that restriction, however, and supports views from up to 16 cameras.

Motion control is via a cluster of directional buttons; you can also set a default view that’s automatically returned to with a click of the center button. Multiple preset views can also be set, as well as a “patrol” pattern, where the camera sweeps its gaze through a preconfigured route. There are also various warning options, including automatic video recording either on a set schedule or when movement is observed, and can fire off an email to a preset address when that happens.

Setting up remote access proved trickier, requiring some tweaking with our router and the IP and port settings in the camera itself. Once we’d managed that, however, we could log in from our smartphone remotely and stream audio and video across a 3G connection. Smoothness obviously depends on the speed of your connection, but we had no problems. Alternatively there are various third-party IP camera apps available for most big smartphone platforms.

Image quality is limited to VGA because of the sensor, using either MPEG4 30fps or H.264 15fps codecs. Still, reasonable detail if you avoid using the digital zoom. Colors are muted in natural lighting. The IR array can be set to automatically turn on in low-light conditions or triggered manually: TP-LINK say it has a 10m range, though we found the usable range was more like half that. There’s also an audible click as the low-light system turns on, which can be distracting if you’re near the camera.

Wrap-Up

Webcams are cheap, and so it’s easy to dismiss the TP-LINK TL-SC4171G as too expensive. For a wirelessly-enabled, motorized IP camera, however, it’s something of a bargain. The low resolution means this isn’t the webcam you’d choose to stream your next video webcast, but the range of monitoring tools, motion alerts, remote access and other surveillance-centric abilities make it a capable addition to a home or office security setup.

Hardware

Pogoplug used to be known for its bright pink “internet devices”; now the company has matured into a far subtler black box with a discrete blue logo that doubles as an indicator light. It’s considerably smaller than the original design, though you pay for that in connectivity: just one USB 2.0 port instead of five. You still get a gigabit ethernet port, but whereas the AC adapter was integrated previously there’s now a wall-wart plug instead.

What you do get differently is a full-sized SD card slot on the side, meaning digital photographers can instantly get their pictures and videos onto the network. Those who have more external drives can step up to the Pogoplug Series 4, $20 more than the $79.95 Pogoplug Mobile, which adds a pair of USB 3.0 ports and a SATA/USM connection. The original Pogoplug v2 – now known as the Classic – remains on sale at $49.95.

Setup is indecently straightforward: plug in the power, hook the Pogoplug Mobile to your router via the included ethernet cable, and then open up the company’s site to register a free account. That also gets you 5GB of free online storage, which is handy for offsite backups of your most important files. Pogoplug reckon you can do it all in sixty seconds, and as long as you’ve got a spare ethernet port on your router and a spare mains socket nearby, they’re probably not too far off.

After that, it’s simply a case of choosing what storage you’d like to use and plugging it in. Any USB drive should work, with mobile drives being powered from the port as usual, and you can have both a drive and an SD card connected simultaneously.

Software

Pogoplug Mobile is most easily accessed through the browser interface, either across your home network or remotely. You can, however, mount the volumes as drives in OS X and Windows for more straightforward drag/drop use. The internet-based UI offers access to files, as usual, and various multimedia sections, but Pogoplug has also released the Pogoplug Browser app for PC and Mac. That too shows files and folders, as well as gallery, jukebox and cinema sections that automatically pull out all the multimedia files on your storage and present them in a simple manner.

Files to be added to the Pogoplug can be dragged and dropped straight to the Pogoplug Browser app, and there’s sharing support as well to make firing off photos or other content via email or other routes easy. You can also set up an auto-sync folder that automatically copies any files saved to it over to a dedicated folder on the Pogoplug storage.

It’s the mobile apps that the company is really pushing with this new model, however. Versions for iPhone/iPod touch, iPad and Android are available, each a free download, with generally the same remote access options as the desktop software. You can browse through files/folders, stream photos, music and video, or download multimedia directly to the local storage on your handset. Conversely, you can set the apps to automatically upload photos and videos taken by the phone to your Pogoplug Mobile storage, meaning they’re ready and waiting when you get home. It’s a little like Apple’s iCloud, only with cross-platform support for both iOS and Android devices.

Performance

The bottleneck of the Pogoplug Mobile’s data-transferring abilities will inevitably be the USB 2.0 connection; factor in the inherent shortcomings of even 802.11n wireless networks and it’s inevitable that for most users access speeds will be significantly curtailed in comparison to a directly-connected drive. Still, we were able to watch an HD video stored on a USB 2.0 drive and streaming over an 802.11n WiFi connection to our laptop.

On the move, the mobile apps are very much dependent on your connection – both the download speed of your mobile network and the upload speed of the broadband connection the Pogoplug Mobile itself is connected to. Whereas you can generally rely on a commercially-hosted cloud storage service having a fat upload pipe, most domestic upload speeds are a fraction of the download speed.

That’s not so great an issue for accessing the odd file, browsing a photo gallery or even streaming music, but video could be a trickier issue. The mobile apps offer a choice of watching the original format clip – as long as you have a suitable playback app to handle the codec – as well as an “optimized” version that the Pogoplug Mobile converts into a more mobile-friendly format. The downside to that is the time and space required to actually do that transcoding; you can set it to automatically convert all video or do so on demand, the former obviously occupying space on your hard-drive, and the latter generally proving too slow when handling 720p/1080p original files to watch the clips when we actually wanted to.

Wrap-Up

Compared to regular cloud-storage services, the Pogoplug Mobile costs more upfront – the $79.95 unit itself, and then whatever storage you choose to plug in – but, with no subscription fees, less over time. If you’ve already got a USB drive you’re halfway there; alternatively, there are dual-HDD USB drives that you could plug in if you want some hardware redundancy. Since the Pogoplug Mobile itself is fanless, if you opt for an SD card then you’d have a silent, cool-running storage device that’s easily hidden away.

Alternatively, rely on USB drives for regular storage and then SD cards for when you want to quickly review the photos you’ve just taken on a tablet or phone which lacks a full-sized memory card slot (in other words most of them). It’s certainly convenient, as is dumping all your photos, music and video onto a single drive and streaming them around the home, rather than maintaining copies on each computer and gadget.

Those who can put up with a little noise and who aren’t bothered by SD compatibility might choose to grab the Pogoplug Classic, saving money and getting some extra USB ports in the process. For most mainstream users, though, the Pogoplug Mobile ticks most of the important boxes: ease of setup, ease of use and low cost of ownership.

Hardware

Electric toothbrush technology usually falls into one of two camps: either you have actively wiggling, sliding or rotating bristles, or some sort of high-speed vibration. Philips’ Sonicare system falls into the latter category, promising the equivalent of 31,000 brush strokes per minute with its patented diamond-shaped bristles.

It’s worth noting that this is the UK version of the DiamondClean, and the US package may differ slightly. Still, both give you a decent range of accessories, certainly more than we’re used to seeing from a regular toothbrush. The DiamondClean itself is a fairly long, slightly tapering matte white rod, with a single power button and – only revealed when it’s turned on – a column of mode lights and a battery status indicator. It’s easily held and weighted relatively evenly along its length. Philips throws in a pair of brush-heads, which slot on easily, along with a hard-sided carry case with room for the toothbrush and both brush-heads.

The carry case isn’t just for protection, however, it also recharges the DiamondClean. On the outside edge is a mini USB port, and when you place the toothbrush inside and plug in – either via the included USB AC adapter, or into one of your your computer’s USB ports – it charges it up. However, there’s also a second charging option: a water glass. That sits on top of an inductive charger puck – powered by a regular shaver plug – and rejuices the toothbrush when you stand it up inside. It’s certainly a little more convenient than lining up the usual notched base on a typical rechargeable toothbrush, though those looking to pick up a DiamondClean for all the family should note that you can only use the glass with a single toothbrush at a time, and it won’t work with previous Sonicare models.

Philips Sonicare DiamondClean hands-on:

Unlike most brushes, there are five modes to choose from on the DiamondClean. The default is “Clean” with a simple two-minute brush, while “White” adds an extra thirty seconds on top for you to give the front teeth some extra attention. “Polish” is a minute session of intensive front-teeth buffing, while “Gum Care” pairs the “Clean” experience with a further minute of gentler gum massage. Finally, “Sensitive” ramps down the enthusiasm of the Sonicare system for those with sensitive teeth and gums. Pressing the power button cycles through each mode in turn, then shuts the toothbrush off.

Performance

If you’ve not used a sonic-style toothbrush before, the DiamondClean’s high-speed vibrations take a little getting used to. Nonetheless, we soon got into the habit of gently guiding the brush-head around our teeth and gums, relying on the Philips’ useful 30-second interval buzz to remind us to move between the four quadrants of our mouth and stick at it for the dentist-recommended two minutes.

In keeping with other electric toothbrushes, we’d like to see the DiamondClean continue to run beyond the last timer buzz: as it stands, the Philips shuts off straight away, and there were times we were caught short and would’ve liked to have carried on brushing for a little longer. The longer Gum Care mode does factor in some extra time, however. We also quickly learned to switch between modes while the brush-head was in our mouth, otherwise you give the bathroom mirror a good toothpaste spattering. Previous Sonicare models had two buttons – one for choosing mode, one to start – which is a tidier way of handling it.

Compared to an Oral-B electric brush, the Sonicare system did seem to get teeth to that “tingly fresh” stage more consistently. It’s worth noting that the Oral-B we’re used to was a sixth of the price, however. The diamond-shaped bristles proved adept at getting into the gaps between teeth, and tricky to reach back teeth felt cleaner after the DiamondClean than with a rotating-head electric brush.

In comparison to a manual toothbrush, there’s little competition: unless you have a bionic arm you’re unlikely to get a traditional brush moving fast enough to compete with the Philips.

Battery

A full charge of the non-user-accessible battery is good for up to three weeks, Philips suggests, a figure our testing would support. In fact, we were at closer to four weeks before the DiamondClean began protesting. We’d like to have seen a segmented battery icon to give a more granular indication of remaining charge; instead, you have to wait for it to turn orange and then start blinking to know you’re running short.

Having two methods of recharging is neat, though we never envisaged ever having to scold a toothbrush manufacturer for opting for mini USB instead of the more common micro USB standard. There’s also no room in the carry case for the USB cable itself, which seems a missed opportunity.

Price

$300/£250 is a huge amount to spend on a toothbrush. Even with a street price closer to $190/£150, it’s an expensive option. Brush-heads add to that as well, with a pack of two – Philips’ recommend changing every three months – priced at $30/£20 (street price closer to $23/£14). In contrast, other Philips Sonicare brushes can be had for well under $100, though only this particular model uses the newest DiamondClean heads that are said to contribute in no small amount to the overall experience.

Wrap-Up

Philips promises “to brighten your smile in just one week” which is a somewhat tricky thing to judge. Nonetheless, we found our teeth and mouth felt cleaner and fresher after switching to the DiamondClean from our regular electric toothbrush, both immediately after using it and in the hours that followed. Whiteness is a more subjective matter, and after around four weeks of use we’re yet to see noticeable changes. That’s in keeping with other user reports, however, that indicate closer to 2-3 months of frequent use is required before a distinguishable change in whiteness is observed.

On that front, although it’s not as quick as a dentist whitening session, it’s cheaper in the longer term. Making more use of the dedicated whitening mode could accelerate the process as well. For convenience and geek-appeal, the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean certainly has its strengths; we’d advise shopping around for the best price before committing, however.

Hardware

Batteries are seldom aesthetically pleasing, and Duracell has opted for subtle rather than trying to make its portable rechargeable stand out. A black 4.0 x 2.25 x 0.75 inch box, Duracell offers a number of different wall plug adapters (such as UK and European plugs) that snap onto the back but can be removed – and the port covered with a blanking plate – for easier transportation. Of course, if you leave the plug section at home, you can’t then rejuice the charger itself later on.

On the front there’s a battery-shaped button with three green LEDs, showing charge status. Press it, and they briefly show how much power is left. Along the edge are two USB ports, allowing the Duracell to power two devices simultaneously. High-current USB devices – over 1A, Duracell says – should only be used one at a time.

Inside there’s a 1,800 mAh lithium-ion battery good, Duracell reckons, for another five hours of talktime on your smartphone. A full recharge of the portable charger itself took us less than two hours.

Performance

The Duracell’s usefulness depends greatly on what sort of gadgets you want to use it with. We were able to partly recharge a Galaxy Nexus – the HSPA+ model with a 1,750 mAh battery – to 70-80 percent, certainly enough to take us through into the following day if used for the overnight charge.

However, a more demanding device, such as a tablet, presents more of a challenge. We plugged in an iPad and the Duracell managed to get the slate to 11-percent before it ceased recharging. It’s worth noting that the portable charger itself still had some juice left at that point – we topped off the Galaxy Nexus by 12-percent before the Duracell was actually flat – simply not enough to make any difference to the iPad.

Wrap-Up

With a £39.99 including tax RRP ($63) in the UK, the Duracell 5 Hour Portable Charger is a tough sell. Thanks to a street price closer to £25 ($39) it’s a more realistic accessory, and could be a good stocking-filler for the gadget hound in your home or office this holiday season.

Of course, Duracell isn’t the first to offer a portable charger, and it’s worth noting that other manufacturers offer bigger batteries – some as much as 7,000 mAh – for a similar price. The compromise is generally on physical size: the bigger the battery, the bigger the device you’ll have to accommodate.

Smartphone owners frustrated by underwhelming talktime will likely find plenty of affordable appeal in the Duracell. Those with a broader range of gadgets, like power-hungry tablets, should probably opt for a bigger model or simply taking the AC adapter with them.

Hardware

Fingerprint haters, look away: the Fidelio AS851′s glossy black plastic body is an ideal way to keep a record of everybody who grazes it with their fingers. The plastics themselves are solid and flex-free, however, and the metal mesh front is less demanding of your polishing cloth. It’s worth noting that the green Android peering out at our Galaxy Nexus in the photos is just a sticker; you can peel it off if you’re feeling more discrete in your platform choices. Behind the mesh are two 3-inch drivers each with 15W of amp power.

Ports include a 3.5mm aux-in (with a suitable cable in the box), a power port for the AC adapter and a handy USB port for charging a second gadget (or one that doesn’t use microUSB, such as the proprietary ports on Samsung’s Galaxy Tab slates). Up front there’s a power button, a Bluetooth status light and volume up/down buttons. A sturdy little IR remote is included, controlling power, source (Bluetooth or aux-in), mute, play/pause, track skip, volume, and offering shortcuts to the internet radio function of the companion Fidelio app (more on which later), the Songbird app and the Fidelio app’s clock screen.

It’s the FlexiDock system that Philips is so proud of, however, the company’s patent-in-process way of dealing with Android device manufacturers’ refusal to standardize on where microUSB ports are located. While an iPhone dock only has one port to consider, Android phones spread their USB options far and wide: some have a socket on the bottom, like the Galaxy Nexus, while others opt for it on the side, like HTC’s recent line-up.

Philips Fidelio AS851 overview:

As the video above shows, the FlexiDock puts its microUSB plug on a moveable platform that slides left and right to accommodate phones in horizontal orientation. There are two support blocks, the height of which can be independently raised/lowered to suit, and the plug itself can be rotated 180-degrees. In short, it caters for most devices with a microUSB connection, and while it can be a little wobbly until you get the support blocks just right, it certainly works.

However, USB isn’t used for music, only for charging: instead, Bluetooth A2DP comes into play. That means that, while Philips bill the AS851 as an Android speaker dock, in actual fact it will work with any gadget that supports the stereo Bluetooth standard: Windows Phone, iPhone, Mac or PC, all are welcome. Bluetooth use is independent from charging, too, so even if your device won’t fit in the dock physically – the top-mounted, flap-covered port on Nokia’s Lumia 800 comes to mind – you can still stream music from it.

Software

iPhone docks have simplicity in their favor: plug your smartphone in, and music comes out through the speakers. Bluetooth could add a layer of unwanted complexity to the Fidelio AS851, and so Philips offer a free Fidelio app in the Android Market. That can be found by scanning a QR code on a sticker on the dock itself when you first open the box.

Run the app, and it scans and pairs with the AS851; later, whenever you dock your phone to charge, the Fidelio app restores the Bluetooth connection automatically. We had no problems with this with Android 2.x devices, though a Galaxy Nexus running Android 4.0 did periodically pop up the “Connecting Bluetooth” message in the notification bar, even though the phone was already connected and music was playing.

The Fidelio app also offers access to around 7,000 internet radio stations, sorted into genre categories and the like. It also prompts you to install Songbird, a music player app that supports straightforward synchronization with your desktop music collection. However, any app that outputs sound will play through the Fidelio: we had no problems with Spotify or YouTube, though to enjoy videos through the latter on our Galaxy Nexus we had to undock it since there’s no support for device rotation. The remote control’s play/pause and track skip buttons worked with Spotify, though it was frustrating that there was no override to stop the phone’s display from locking after a few moments: if we wanted to see what was playing, we had to unlock the phone again.

Unfortunately, Philips hasn’t outfitted the Fidelio AS851 to handle voice calls. When a call came in, music paused but the audio was routed back to the smartphone’s own speaker. The AS851 lacks a microphone, too, even if Philips updated the firmware to support routing in-call audio through its speakers.

Performance

Loud but not especially refined is the order of the day with the AS851, though we can’t blame the dock’s speakers and amp entirely for that. Bluetooth A2DP is a lossy standard, and while the Fidelio can be cranked up room-fillingly high, that tends to reveal the crunchier bass and not entirely shimmering top-end. Switch to a wired connection via the aux-in and the limits of Bluetooth become clear: the same source sounds that little bit crisper, that little less distorted at higher volumes.

It’s frustrating, though we do recognize that while Philips could have opted for a lossless alternative like Kleer, or a Bluetooth lossless option like apt-X, it would’ve been reliant on smartphones supporting those too. That’s still uncommon, leaving Bluetooth the broadest possible choice.

Generally, quality is decent, and at regular listening levels we had no problems. Bass has a fair thump to it, and vocals pipe through the mix neatly; classical music suffered from more noticeable fuzz than, say, pop, rock or rap. Equalizer settings are handled through the Fidelio app, with various presets and degrees of manual tinkering possible if that’s what makes you happy. It’s certainly useful being able to charge a second device from the rear USB port.

Wrap-Up

Any generic Android speaker dock is going to be a compromise in comparison to Apple’s tightly-controlled ecosystem, but that’s the price you pay for the flexibility in device options Android has enabled. Philips FlexiDock system certainly addresses it in the most reasonable way we’ve seen to-date, and the use of Bluetooth means you’re not actually limited to Android phones or tablets at all.

Bluetooth also brings its own drawbacks, of course, with less than stellar audio quality being our main frustration with the AS851. Paying $200/£200 for a speaker dock when you know there’s a trade-off in quality rankles somewhat; for that reason, Philips’ cheaper, smaller AS351 ($130/£130) and AS111 ($90/£70) models arguably make more sense, since their more conservative audio ambitions perhaps better match those of Bluetooth A2DP.

Still, for casual listening, the Philips Fidelio AS851 packs a hefty punch and looks the part. Philips’ docking system is clever and the flexibility of the Bluetooth/app setup leaves plenty of room for the various media apps proliferating on Android. Audio purists will want to look elsewhere, but if simplicity and versatility are your primary concerns then the Fidelio AS851 is worth considering.

Hardware

The FH009 system consists of three parts, though it’s the bass speaker/amp section that’s particularly new this time around. The two horns iterate on Ferguson’s previous designs, consisting of clear-cast perspex speakers each with an 8 Ohm cone. Meanwhile, the bass unit is a Class A/B amplifier giving 64W to the horns and 64W split between the two 13cm, 8 Ohm bass drivers.

Inputs include two sets of RCA Phone analog sockets, a 3.5mm line-in input and a front-mounted USB port. There’s an RCA Phono output for an external subwoofer (not supplied) and a pair of outputs for the horns. Ferguson includes a compact IR remote, complete with controls for standby, volume, mute, cycling through the input options and adjusting bass levels. There are also play/pause, track skip and stop buttons for controlling music on a USB drive or MP3 player. Physical controls on the amp unit itself are limited to a standby button (with a physical power switch on the back) and there’s a one-line LCD display to show volume, input and – if your MP3 files have ID3 tags – track name.

Design

You can’t call the FH009 system discrete. Ferguson suggests the transparent acrylic cones help the speakers blend into the background, minimizing the traditional bulk of a music system. While that’s partially true, we imagine most people will opt for the FH009 system because the cones are so distinctive; they also catch the light nicely. The solid circular base sections screw into either one or two lengths of metal rod, allowing the cones to be at the right height for either floor or table use; they’re hollow, allowing you to thread the speaker cable discretely down.

As for the amp unit, it’s both large and heavy: Ferguson says it uses more than 4lbs of copper in the design, and we certainly recommend lifting with your knees. Black or white finishes are on offer, with matching bass cones, and each is a real fingerprint magnet; Ferguson even includes a pair of cotton gloves so you can avoid obvious smudges during setup. The LCD display is housed in a disc of aluminum on the fascia.

Ferguson optionally sell wall-mounting brackets for the speaker horns. Other systems from the company include larger and smaller horns, some as big as 1.65m high.

Performance

Setup and use is straightforward, with screwing the speaker stands together taking longer than wiring up a few sources. Aside from the USB port – which uses its own internal DAC – the FH009 amp is all analog; Ferguson includes a regular stereo phono cable along with a phono-to-3.5mm-plug cable (both on the short side), UK and European power cables, and two lengths of stereo speaker wire. However, if you want to use the 3.5mm line-in input with your laptop or cellphone, you’ll need to supply your own cable.

Sound quality is dramatic from the start. There’s a sense of occasion, certainly, when you sit in front of the speakers, and since they’re quite directional in their sound it’s generally a good idea to give yourself the best seat in the house directly in their sweet-spot.

Vocal music, along with orchestral and acoustic tracks are the FH009′s real forte. After some running-in, the top end opened up and trebles sparkled: singers are distortion-free and smooth, flutes and violins tinkle and thrum with real clarity. Mids have similar depth, guitars getting plenty of space to resonate. Jazz sounds rich and the FH009′s handle complexity reasonably well, though can muddy somewhat as things get busier.

If there’s anything lacking, it’s the solid stamp of bass to round out the package. It’s not that the twin bass speakers lack strength, but that they fall short when it comes to that stab of sound that keeps dance and rap music so punchy. Of course you can plug in a subwoofer to deliver just that.

Ferguson Hill’s previous systems have been music-centric; the FH009 has its sights on your home cinema setup too. It’s a pseudo 2.1-channel system, lacking a specific sub, but it still proved capable of holding up to the TV and movies we threw at it. Sci-fi garnered a wriggling, sinuous bass as intergalactic rivals squared up their star destroyers, while speech in dramas proved clear and piping.

As for the USB port, the FH009 had no problems recognizing 320kbps MP3s stored on a 4GB or 8GB memory stick, though a 16GB stick refused to mount. One frustration using external storage was the minimum volume, which is set higher than we’d like: there’s a considerable step between mute and the lowest audible setting.

Wrap-Up

It’s difficult, when you’re best known for your outlandish, high-end music system, to translate that down to a more affordable price point without diluting what made it special in the first place. Ferguson Hill is off to a good start with its eye-catching perspex horns, but the FH009 follows up with engaging audio skills too.

As is so often the case, the FH009 leans toward certain musical styles, namely vocal, jazz and the lighter, fizzier end of the pop spectrum. That’s not to say it can’t handle other genres, but the absence of a dedicated sub means that all-important punch can be somewhat absent. Happily TV and film performance is also strong, the only blip being the rudimentary USB media support.

At £795/€895 ($,1253) the Ferguson Hill FH009 isn’t cheap, but it’s a solid core system that looks great and is very capable. The style may split opinion, but the transparency of the sound on offer is well worth auditioning.

Hardware

QWERTY candybars have long been RIM’s form-factor of choice, though as touchscreens have gained favor their size limitations have kept them as the niche option. Still, there’s something to be said for the immediacy of punching out a quick email, IM or text message without having to slide out a keyboard, deal with an on-screen ‘board or rely on voice dictation. The Motorola Pro+ is a reasonably compact 119.5 x 62 x 11.65 mm and 113g, with the rear panel a soft-touch plastic hatch that, though somewhat flimsy when removed, feels reasonably sturdy when clipped in place.

The top 60-percent of the fascia is taken up by the Pro+’s 3.1-inch display, running at 640 x 480 VGA resolution. The original Pro had a 3.1-inch panel running at 480 x 320 HVGA resolution, making it slightly narrower and longer. Underneath – with a row of touch-sensitive menu, home, back and search buttons sandwiched in-between – there’s a four row physical keyboard that’s as close as to a BlackBerry ‘board as we imagine Motorola’s lawyers would green-light. That’s a boon to the end-user, of course, with the keys easy to press, tactile and sensibly laid out. Dedicated “@”, period and voice search buttons are on the bottom row, along with a wide spacebar.

Motorola Pro+ Review:

A volume rocker is on the upper right edge, while a small and tricky to press power/lock button is on the top edge. The microUSB port for charging and syncing is on the lower left edge and inside there’s 4GB of integrated storage, with a microSD card slot for boosting that by up to 32GB. On the back is a 5-megapixel camera with a single-LED flash.

Connectivity includes dualband WCDMA (900/2100) with up to 14.4Mbps downloads and 5.76Mbps uploads supported, network depending, along with quadband GSM/EDGE. You also get WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, along with A-GPS, a digital compass, ambient light and proximity sensors, and a 3.5mm headphones jack. Keeping things running is a 1GHz single-core processor with 512MB of RAM.

Software

Living in the compact display is Android 2.3 Gingerbread with some Motorola UI tweaks. It’s not obviously the MOTOBLUR-inspired rehash we’re familiar with from recent consumer-centric handsets – Motorola obviously thinks enterprise users will be too busy juggling deals to bother with Facebook and Twitter, though the social networking features are present, just more discrete – more a new set of icons along with some useful keyboard shortcuts.

Menu + S, for instance, pulls up search, though you can also simply start typing from the homescreen and the Pro+ will automatically offer web searches along with local content and apps. There are also three optional homescreen layouts, easily flipped between, with different arrangements of icons and widgets to suit your business life and your personal life.

Motorola is pushing the various enterprise features in the Pro+, and if you’re a cautious IT admin then there’s certainly plenty to reassure you. As well as encryption for internal and SD card data, remote wipe (both selectively and completely), remote management of apps (installing, uninstalling and push upgrades) and device location tracking, with the right management system you can have Bluetooth and the camera permanently shut off or selectively deactivated based on the Pro+’s physical location. Not exactly functionality frequent texters drawn to the smartphone’s physical keyboard might appreciate, but ideal for Motorola’s true target audience.

The screen size is the biggest limiting factor, with full webpages looking reasonable if requiring plenty of scrolling and zooming. Messaging is far more successful: Android has plenty of IM options, available through the Android Market, and Google Talk is preloaded along with the usual Gmail and other official Google apps. Motorola throws in QuickOffice and GoToMeeting.

One odd limitation was the Pro+’s refusal to allow us to set it up without a SIM card loaded. Whereas most Android devices will let you use them over WiFi only, the Pro+ seemingly demands a SIM as a user-identification measure.

Camera

Motorola has stuck with 5-megapixels for the Pro+, and the camera is solid if not exactly inspiring. The non-standard UI is compact but common settings like flash control and brightness are easily reached without digging through menus. There’s no dedicated camera button, however.

Stills show accurate colors, though lacking the punch that we’ve seen in recent Samsung devices, for instance, while lower-light images suffer from the usual graininess. We had mixed results with the Pro+’s automatic exposure abilities, sometimes coming away impressed at the amount of detail preserved in pictures with both bright and dark content, while other times finding glare had crept in.

Video, meanwhile, is still limited to 720 x 480 resolution and 24fps, short of the 720p 30fps we’re used to seeing on similarly-specified Android handsets. The resulting clips, however, are surprisingly good: there’s a propensity to lens glare, as with stills, but changes in brightness are handled quickly and colors are accurate. One minor frustration is the location of the camera lens, in the extreme corner of the Pro+, which we found easily obscured with a finger as we held the phone during filming.

HDMI is still absent, and we still think that’s a mistake: we can see mobile pros taking advantage of it to hook the Pro+ up to a TV or projector and run presentations directly from the smartphone. Still, you get DLNA support assuming your display of choice supports it too.

Phone and Battery

In-call audio was better than average, and the Pro+ stuck to a signal well. Unlike the original DROID Pro this isn’t a CDMA device (the first Pro was a World Phone with EVDO Rev.A and UMTS for use when outside of Verizon’s network), and Motorola is yet to announce whether a US version will be offered.

The 1,550 mAh battery is rated for up to 480 minutes talktime or 325 hours standby. In practice, the compact display kept power use to a relative minimum, and while the Pro+ won’t last as long as a BlackBerry historically might, we still managed a couple of days before needing to recharge, even with push email turned on.

Wrap-Up

A niche device like the Motorola Pro+ might seem an odd direction for the company to take, but it’s worth remembering that enterprise is still a huge potential market. Business users will appreciate the Pro+’s excellent keyboard, solid construction and – when it’s not remotely disabled – decent camera, while their IT department will be able to sleep soundly with the various security extras baked in.

Everyday users wedded to their messaging could well have their heads turned by the physical QWERTY, though the comparatively small screen and lack of HD video recording undermine the Pro+ as a consumer device. Nonetheless, it polishes the rough edges of the original DROID Pro and makes for a credible option in a form-factor rarely offered by Android phones.

Thanks to Clove for the loan of the Pro+, available for order SIM-free and unlocked at £269+VAT

Hardware

HTC hasn’t had to stretch much to come up with the Sensation XL. Ignore Android for a moment, and you’re basically looking at the HTC Titan only in white rather than black: the XL and the Windows Phone share the same 4.7-inch WVGA touchscreen, the same 1.5GHz single core MSM8255 processor and 8-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording support. There’s more RAM in the Sensation XL – 768MB versus 512MB – but unfortunately the missing memory card slot and miserly 16GB of fixed storage (of which 12.64GB is available to the user) remain: unimpressive when you consider HTC has included Beats Audio functionality and is pushing the handset as a multimedia maven.

Connectivity includes the usual triband HSPA/WCDMA and quadband GSM/EDGE, along with WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0. There’s a microUSB port for charging and syncing, along with GPS, a digital compass, gyroscope, proximity/ambient light sensors and a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera for video calls. DLNA streaming is supported out of the box, but not MHL HDMI for a wired connection to your big-screen TV.

The Beats Audio premise is the same as we’ve seen on other recent HTC phones, like the Rezound and the Sensation XE, offering a custom tuning profile that automatically loads (though can be turned off) when the bundled urbeats in-ear headphones are plugged in. HTC will offer the Sensation XL with a special, folding pair of Beats over-the-ear headphones in some markets, though they weren’t available for us to test. The overall result is certainly better than the usual shoddy earphones thrown in the box with cellphones, for which we give HTC credit, though the tuning itself lends itself to a pretty specific type of music. Heavy on bass and with a broad, punchy soundstage, if you listen to RnB or dance music you’ll likely be pleased but those preferring classical, jazz or primarily vocal tracks may have better results turning the EQ off.

HTC Sensation XL Video Review:

As for the display, it’s tough to get too excited over WVGA resolution, even if the panel itself is large and bright. HTC told us at the Sensation XL’s launch that its display choice was partly down to supply availability and partly down to cost when we voiced our concerns about the number of pixels on offer, then promptly wowed us with the HTC Rezound for the US market, complete with a 720p panel boasting a higher pixel density than the well-esteemed iPhone 4S. In comparison, while the Sensation XL’s Super LCD has vivid colors and solid viewing angles, we couldn’t help but feel short-changed when browsing and reading email and ebooks.

Software

Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread is the order of the day here, though with HTC’s usual UI revamp. HTC Sense 3.5 is carried across from the Rhyme, with its lockscreen shortcuts, colorful widgets that look good on the sizable display, and exclusive apps like HTC Watch along with social networking integration in FriendStream. By now it’s all very familiar, though HTC is careful to buff up the visual gloss every so often.

Performance from the single-core processor is satisfactory, and we experienced no real slow-down during use. The browser is particularly solid, with smooth pinch-zooming and panning. With no HDMI output option, wasting the Sensation XL’s limited internal storage for 720p or higher resolution video didn’t seem sensible, but clips played smoothly nonetheless. YouTube HD footage was judder-free, and all that display space did at least allow the on-screen keyboard plenty of room for even the thick-fingered to use easily.

Camera

The Sensation XL brings an 8-megapixel camera to the table, with an f2.2 lens and backside-illuminated sensor for improved low-light performance. There’s a dual-LED flash but only 720p HD video recording, not 1080p like its Sensation siblings, thanks to the limits of the processor. A 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera does video call duty.

Stills are good if you feed them with plenty of light, and the shutter release – despite the absence of a dedicated camera shortcut – is speedy. Touch-focus is supported (in both stills and video) and there are the usual bevy of effects and exposure/contrast tweaks in the settings. Noise is the inevitable companion of darker shots, with the dual-LED flash proving powerful but also prone to washing out closer subjects.

As for video, the Sensation XL seems particularly dependent on good lighting, with anything less than daylight leading to dim, murky scenes. The touch focus is useful, but exposure seems to adjust in steps rather than smoothly, as the sensor struggles to catch up. We’ve definitely seen better on other devices, including from HTC’s own stable.

Phone and Battery

In-call audio proved good, with the Sensation XL quickly finding and clinging well to a signal. Speakerphone performance also impressed. The Beats Audio headset has an in-line microphone and call buttons (along with music controls) though there’s Bluetooth support if you prefer to go entirely wireless.

With a 1,600 mAh battery and a big display, we weren’t expecting miracles from the Sensation XL when it came to runtimes. If you use the phone as HTC arguably expects you to – plenty of video and music playback, along with browsing – then don’t be surprised if you have to sneak in an extra top-up while the evening is still young. More casual use – with push email turned on and a mixture of WiFi and 3G – saw the Sensation XL stick to the typical nightly-recharge cycle.

Wrap-Up

Once upon a time you got points merely for bringing extra inches to the party. Now the smartphone world has caught on to the fact that it’s not size that matters but what you do with it that really counts. The HTC Sensation XL plays the size card but doesn’t back it up with pixels, and – unless you have particularly poor eyesight – we’re not convinced it warrants such a display.

It’s not the only questionable decision on HTC’s part. Limiting storage in a multimedia handset to under 13GB and then failing to provide a way for owners to expand it is a huge oversight, and one that smacks of designing to a budget rather than to realistic expectations of what users may want to do.

At times it seems like HTC is trying to follow Samsung’s strategy, with a phone for each and every possible price-point. Unfortunately, Samsung has a direct tap on the latest and greatest display, processor and memory hardware, while HTC is dependent on its suppliers. That doesn’t mean it can’t produce brilliant devices – the Rezound is a good example of that – but it does mean that handsets like the Sensation XL can feel like filler in the range. Serviceable yes, but the HTC Sensation XL lacks top-tier appeal.

Backup Basics

Drives fail: it’s a fact of life. Many people upgrade their PC or laptop more frequently than the average HDD/SSD lifespan, but there’s always the possibility of a spontaneous hardware failure to really put a dampener on your day. Then there are accidents – dropping your laptop, spilling coffee into it, having it stolen or simply losing it – and user errors, such as inadvertently deleting files that subsequently turn out to be vital. With many media collections being entirely digital these days, it’s important to have a second copy just in case the worst should happen.

There are several ways to make that second copy, some local and some remote. The “cloud” – or basically somebody else’s servers that you access through the internet – is a fashionable option today, though can grow expensive the more space you take up, and can be slow depending on the speed of your broadband connection.

More common is local backup: some sort of secondary drive that you use to store a copy of your primary data. A few years back you could squeeze most of your important files onto a DVD or a Blu-ray; now, with ever-growing quantities of digital content, optical media is generally insufficient. Instead a second drive (or a number of drives) come into play, the simplest setup being a USB/eSATA/FireWire/Thunderbolt/etc external HDD directly connected to a single computer, or else network-attached storage (NAS) which hooks into your local network and performs backups from one or more computers over ethernet or WiFi.

The benefit of a NAS is that it’s readily shared between several computers: with enough storage, you can replicate the contents of a number of drives with a single unit. They’re also more likely to feature drive redundancy, where two or more HDD/SSDs are used to keep mirrored copies of your data. If a backup drive subsequently fails, the entire backup isn’t lost. That’s where the DS411slim comes in.

Hardware

The DS411slim may be – at 120 x 105 x 142 mm and 660g – smaller and lighter than most of the company’s other NAS, but it doesn’t stint on power. Inside the black plastic chassis there’s a 1.6GHz processor with 256MB of RAM, while in addition to the four 2.5-inch HDD bays you get a pair of USB 2.0 ports (one upfront with a dedicated copy button to instantly backup a USB drive) and an eSATA port to add storage or share USB printers across your network. A single gigabit ethernet port gets the NAS online.

Opting for notebook drives keeps the DS411slim small; Synology is also keen to point out that HDDs intended for laptops are usually quieter and cooler, suffer less vibration, can have increased MTBF (mean time before failure) and are more resilient to bumps than desktop drives. On the flip side, they’re more expensive per gigabyte than 3.5-inch drives and offer a reduced maximum capacity: most models top out at 1TB, versus the 3TB of the physically larger versions.

Of course, since the DS411slim has four bays, that’s a maximum of 4TB supported. Each drive screws into a snap-in plastic tray and slots into the NAS itself. They’re cooled by a 60mm fan that, in general, proved so quiet as to be unobtrusive: even under load, it was only when we got up close to the Synology that we could really hear it.

Software

Like other Synology products we’ve reviewed, the DS411slim runs the company’s DSM 3.2 software, and it’s one of the SlashGear team’s favorites for NAS management. Laid out across a Windows/OS X style desktop, each aspect of DSM’s functionality – and there are plenty – lives in its own draggable, multitasking window. Out of the box there’s support for multiple user accounts (with optional usage limits), site and mail server hosting, DLNA/UPnP media streaming to your PS3, Xbox 360, computer or PMP, standalone downloads (including BitTorrents), printer sharing (for up to two printers) and FTP support.

Optionally, the DS411slim can be turned into a VPN server, a Squeezebox or iTunes media server, various types of enterprise-focused drive, or – with various free iOS and Android apps – offer up its content to your phone or tablet.

DSM 3.2 supports regular RAID – including Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 5+Spare, RAID 6 and RAID 10 – but we opted for Synology’s own Hybrid RAID system. This can create a redundant array across multiple drives of different sizes, and automatically adapts if a new drive is added: that means you can start off with two HDDs and then, as you need more space, add more as necessary, without having to start your RAID array again from scratch.

Setting up the NAS to work with Time Machine on OS X was straightforward. By creating backup-specific user accounts – one for each computer – with individual limits on how much HDD space they could take up, we stopped Time Machine from running amok and consuming the entire array. Incremental backups happen automatically, and even over a WiFi 802.11n connection were not too intrusive to other network use. Windows users, meanwhile, get a copy of Synology Data Replicator 3 on the bundled DVD, allowing PCs to do the same thing.

Performance

We installed two 1TB Toshiba 5,400rpm hard-drives, and let the DS411slim set up a Hybrid RAID array: we ended up with 912.45GB of available space. Should one of the drives fail, our data would still be safe on the other, and after installing a new drive the NAS would automatically rebuild its array. It’s worth noting that the drive bays aren’t hot-swappable, so you need to shut down the DS411slim in order to swap out or add in disks.

Over a gigabit ethernet connection, the DS411slim managed 43.2 MB/s write speeds and 59.6 MB/s read speeds. You’ll get faster speeds if you set the NAS up as a RAID 1 array, but no drive redundancy. It’s worth noting that the bottleneck for most users is unlikely to be the core drive speed itself, but the network: with more and more home users relying on WiFi, sheer network throughput is going to have the biggest impact on things like backup times.

Wrap-Up

There’s a price/performance/convenience balance to be made with the DiskStation DS411slim. The barebones RRP of $319.99/£232.99 compares well to other four-drive NAS, but you’ll spend more on drives and get less maximum capacity too. On the flip side, your backup system will likely be quieter and smaller than most of those rivals.

In the end, while business users and those with a taste for HD video may want to look to a NAS that accommodates 3.5-inch drives, the DS411slim holds plenty of appeal for the regular consumer. Backup support for multiple PCs and Macs, a wealth of media sharing features and DSM’s software flexibility to turn the DiskStation into a mini server, webhost, ‘Torrent station or jukebox add up to a system with broad appeal and flexibility. Factor in the straightforward UI and compact footprint and you can see why the Synology DiskStation DS411slim comes highly recommended.

Hardware

Tiny display and tiny chassis: the WIMM One is certainly compact. The 32 x 36 x 12.5 g case weighs a mere 22g, and is fronted by a 1.8-inch 160 x 160 capacitive touchscreen. The display panel itself is actually a bimodal one: it can operate as a regular LCD, in full color, for indoor use, or as a monochrome transflective panel for low-power and outdoor use, visible even in direct sunlight.

Inside, there’s a 667MHz processor paired with WiFi, Bluetooth, an accelerometer and digital compass, speaker and a vibration alert. The case itself is splashproof, and has only one physical control: a recessed power button on the right side. On the back, there’s an 18-pin proprietary connector, which matches up to a microUSB sled that the WIMM One magnetically latches to for recharging and synching with a computer (where it mounts as an external drive, showing 2GB of onboard storage). We did find the watch could shift around on the charger base and lose contact if we weren’t careful with how we placed it, though there’s an LED to show when it’s actually charging.

WIMM One Hardware Overview:

WIMM also includes a microUSB cable, a USB power supply and a rubberized watch strap. The latter – which has a frame into which the WIMM One slots – is a chunky, oversized thing, bulky on the wrist and hardly shows the smart watch off at its best. WIMM has plans for alternative options, like lanyards, clips and third-party watch straps, but for the moment this is your only option.

Battery life is billed at a whole day’s use, and we found – with a persistent Bluetooth connection to our smartphone – the WIMM One lasted well into a second day. The low-power screen mode helps on that front, switching into transflective mode automatically after a few moments of sitting idle. When left to sync over WiFi, battery life was worse of course, though we still got a day’s casual use out of it.

Software

Setup of the WIMM One is through a web-based interface, shown in your desktop browser and in a browser-based tab of the Android and BlackBerry smartphone apps. WIMM is working on an iOS app, but it’s not ready for release yet. Initial setup requires a WiFi connection and then punching a code shown on the smart watch’s display into WIMM’s site: that pairs the watch with your account.

From there it’s a matter of setting time and date, choosing your home city and setting up sync frequency. Further tabs take you into a selection of different watch faces, which can be hidden and reordered, as well as settings for the Micro Apps. Again, these apps can be shuffled around in the order they show on the app carousel, or hidden altogether if you don’t find yourself using them. Some have further settings, such as choosing cities in the Weather and World Clock apps, or registering your Google Calendar or Exchange Calendar to be shown in the WIMM One’s Calendar app.

Under the hood it’s a modified version of Android keeping things ticking, though you wouldn’t know it to look at the smart watch. WIMM has customized the whole UI to suit the compact display, and in general it works well. The standard control scheme is tapping or swiping up to open an app, swiping down to close it, and using two fingers to pull down the watch face (with its date, time and weather information). A further swipe down shows the battery gage, Bluetooth and WiFi status, and whether the WIMM is in flight mode with all radios shut off.

WIMM One Functionality:

In general, the WIMM One proved responsive. We occasionally experienced issues getting the touchscreen to respond to taps or swipes first time, but there was none of the prolonged lag that leads you to wonder whether or not you’ve actually pressed a control. Apps load quickly and, while 1.8-inches and 160 x 160 is hardly spacious, do a reasonable job of showing sufficient on-screen information while also accounting for normal eyesight.

On its own, the WIMM Android app supports pushing SMS and Caller ID notifications to the smart watch. Receive a text message and it’s shown on the WIMM, complete with sender and the message body. Incoming calls show Caller ID – if you have the name of the person stored in your phone – and an option to divert to voicemail. It’s worth noting that you can’t respond to an SMS or answer a call from the watch; instead you have to pull out your phone in the usual manner.

Apps

Out of the box, there are six native apps loaded on the WIMM One: Weather, Calendar, World Clock, Timer, Alarm and Stopwatch, then the Settings page. Functionality is pretty much self-explanatory. The Weather app shows day by day forecasts for the cities you’ve selected, side-swiping taking you through each location, as with the World Clock. The Calendar pulls in your appointments from a single Exchange or Google Calendar, flagging up notifications on-screen. The Timer, Alarm and Stopwatch let you set count-downs, timed alerts and measure time respectively, including a lap feature on the stopwatch.

WIMM has bold ambitions for its smart watch platform, and key to fulfilling them is getting developers onboard. They’ll be able to release so-called Micro Apps, adding functionality to the WIMM watch that’s either an extension of your smartphone’s abilities, or standalone features that you might want easy access to on your wrist.

Eventually, there’ll be a WIMM Micro App Store – available online and in the companion smartphone app – through which users will be able to browse apps, read reviews and install/uninstall them. At present, it’s a case of downloading a .apk file, transferring it via USB to the WIMM One and then watching as it shows up in the app carousel. Uninstalling is a more tricky procedure right now – you can either use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to remove individual apps manually, or do a Factory Reset to get rid of them all – but that will be changed in the future.

Apps are currently distributed through WIMM’s forums, though there’s relatively slim pickings today. Currently there are five stable titles to try, though given developers are only just being allowed to buy WIMM’s hardware, that’s no great surprise. There’s a Coffee Card for Starbucks app that allows you to register your loyalty card and scan it when you grab your morning latte, and a News Reader app that lets you either choose from a preset list of RSS feeds (including news, tech, politics, sport, etc.) or log into your Google Reader account and see your own feeds. Stories are presented as headlines in a list, and tapping them takes you to the full article; swiping left and right moves through the articles in order. It’s a useful way to catch up on the latest happenings, though there’s no way to flag or share articles for the desktop or other people.

The Simple Calculator app does what it says in the description, giving a straightforward way to make basic calculations, while SportyPal Active is a companion app for the existing SportyPal Android software: you can track your current and past exercise from your wrist. WIMM is also working on a pedometer API to track steps and lifts, which should make fitness apps like these even more useful.

Finally there’s the app we could perhaps spend longest with, Balance Ball Micro, a Labyrinth style balancing game where the WIMM One’s accelerometer is used to navigate a ball through a maze. It’s a good demo of the sensor’s sensitivity. WIMM also has an area of its forums for untested applications, though given the early nature of the platform (and the difficulties in removing apps that potentially don’t work) we stuck to those titles the company thought were ready for primetime.

Unfortunately there are still some obvious apps that are missing in action. We receive far more Gmail, Twitter, Facebook and Google+ notifications than we do calls and text messages these days, but so far there’s no way of seeing those alerts flagged up on the WIMM One. In fact the smart watch doesn’t even ping when they come in, meaning you’ll still have to listen out for your phone beeping whenever there’s an update. Similarly, no IM apps are represented in WIMM’s catalog: it would be great to see Google Talk, Skype and other IM clients flag up incoming messages on the smart watch’s display.

Future

Omissions are understandable, however; this is a product that’s only just hit the market after all. Developers were invited to buy the WIMM One watch kit earlier in the week, priced at $299.99, but even without the hardware itself it’s possible to download the SDK and begin coding for the platform. Porting Android functionality over from app to Micro App is apparently a relatively straightforward process, so that should help reduce lead-time before we see more titles become available.

Meanwhile, WIMM is pushing ahead with its hardware development program, kicking off an HDK (Hardware Developer Kit) alongside its software counterpart that includes the WIMM One module’s precise dimensions and various CAD files, the latching mechanism, tech specs and recommendations on what materials accessory manufacturers might want to use. The hope is that soon WIMM One owners won’t have to use the clunky rubber watch strap bundled with the smart watch face, and will instead have a range of alternative straps, clips, badges and other options.

Beyond that, there’s open peripheral support, using the WIMM One’s fourteen pin connector to develop active accessories that will integrate new sensors and outputs. We’re yet to see the first fruits of third-party developers taking advantage of the HDK, but WIMM has a “preferred supplier” agreement with manufacturing giant Foxconn that certainly suggests the firm means business.

Wrap-Up

Usually at this point in the review we’d give a final opinion: is the WIMM One worth buying, or should you steer clear? In the case of this smart watch, however, it’s far too early for such decisions. WIMM is taking its first steps, and the WIMM One is targeted, today, at developers rather than the mass market.

What we can say is that, of the smart watch projects we’ve seen to-date, WIMM’s is the one that has captured our attention most thoroughly. The combination of a broadly-accepted Android base, open approach to software and hardware standards, and pre-emptive agreements with well-known manufacturing partners adds up to probably the best chance of succeeding in a segment that has seen many launches and many failures. The WIMM One Developer Kit isn’t something we’d recommend everyday users buy, but we’ll certainly be following the WIMM One project with interest.

Hardware

Netgear’s chassis is sober but sturdy, with a blocky metal casing that’s larger than some rivals thanks to its use of regular 3.5-inch desktop hard-drives rather than smaller – generally more expensive and lower capacity – 2.5-inch mobile drives. Up front there’s a USB 2.0 port with a dedicated “backup” button that pulls the content of any removable storage plugged in off and to a preset folder, along with a power button, activity and drive lights.

As the Duo name suggests, this particular ReadyNAS supports a pair of HDDs which are hot-swappable. Storage can be set up as either RAID 0 “striped” for speed without redundancy, or RAID 1 “mirrored” for data redundancy but half the capacity. However, extra capacity can be added using the two USB 3.0 ports on the back of the ReadyNAS, a welcome update over the more typical USB 2.0 connections.

Inside, Netgear has updated the processor to a 1.6GHz Marvell chip paired with 256MB of RAM. The company reckons that makes the Duo v2 twice as fast as its predecessor, with file transfers and higher-bitrate media streaming each said to benefit from the extra performance.

Netgear will offer three versions of the ReadyNAS Duo v2. Cheapest is the empty, barebones shell, intended for those wanting to use their own hard-drives, and priced at $199. Then there are 1TB and 2TB versions – each with a single drive – at $269 and $299 respectively. Our review unit was supplied with two 1TB Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 7K1000.C SATA 3.0Gb/s drives, spinning at 7,200 rpm with 32MB of cache.

Software

Backup isn’t really sexy, and so a home NAS needs to be easy to use if owners are going to stick with it through not only setup but taking advantage of the various value-adds Netgear and others throw in. The ReadyNAS Duo v2 gets a double-whammy: Netgear has updated its RAIDiator 5 setup software to reduce complexity, and throws in a three year warranty too. For the first 90 days users get access to 24/7 customer service to help them set the NAS up; after that, three years of 24/7 support and hardware replacement is $99. If that seems too rich, three years of hardware replacement alone – within seven business days of a fault being diagnosed – is $29.

We didn’t need to call for help, however, and we doubt most reasonably confident home users would need to either. Once the ReadyNAS boots for the first time, a simple browser-based setup wizard walks you through formatting your drives in either RAID 0 or 1, and then drops you in a straightforward GUI.

As well as access to documentation and Netgear’s online support, RAIDiator 5 consists of various panes for setting up user accounts and shared folders, monitoring the “health” of the NAS including temperature and fan-speed, and checking which “Add-ons” have been installed. For most, the latter will consist of ReadyNAS Remote, which allows you to use Netgear’s iOS and Android apps to log in from your smartphone, browse through folders and download content, and ReadyNAS Photos II, for hosting your own Flickr alternative directly from the NAS.

The Remote app works well, though since you’re accessing your files from your own “personal” cloud – i.e. through your home broadband connection – the speed at which they filter through to your smartphone (or indeed the standalone OS X and Windows software) depends on your home upload speed. That’s less of an issue for photos and most documents, but may make accessing video and higher-bitrate music files a struggle. Still, being able to remotely grab a missing file while you’re at the office or in a meeting can be a very useful thing.

ReadyNAS Photos II bills itself as a free, more controllable alternative to Flickr: since the storage is all on your end there are no hosting fees, and it’s entirely private. Only those you share the link with can access them, and there are various options for limiting visibility to those with accounts or opening them to unregistered guests.

Finally there’s native UPnP/DLNA streaming support, meaning the ReadyNAS Duo v2 can send multimedia across your network to an Xbox 360 or PS3, your digital TV set-top box streamer, iTunes, SONOS kit or Logitech’s Squeezbox platform. Netgear has over 100 different Add-ons – some of its own creation, others from third-party developers – to download, allowing owners to enhance the capabilities of their NAS. Power users may prefer the more advanced “desktop” layout of Synology’s DSM software, which allows multiple add-ons and other windows to be seen simultaneously, but home users will likely find the simple panes of the Netgear interface easily navigable.

Performance

We started off testing the ReadyNAS Duo v2 with a single drive installed. Transferring a single 5GB file to and from the system saw 36.5 MB/s write rates and 100 MB/s read rates. Transferring 5GB worth of 20MB files saw write speeds stay the same, at 36.5 MB/s, but read rates dropped to 85.6 MB/s.

We then installed the second drive in a RAID 1 “mirroring” array, which basically provides drive redundancy. With the 5GB single file, write speed rose slightly to 39 MB/s, though read speed dipped to 94.4 MB/s. For the 5GB of 20MB files, writes took place at 36.2 MB/s and reads at 84.8 MB/s.

Finally, we used the two drives as a RAID 0 “striped” array, which bypasses data redundancy in the name of speed. In this setup, the 5GB single file wrote at 41.3 MB/s and read at 90 MB/s, while the 5GB of 20MB files wrote at 40 MB/s and read at 79.4 MB/s.

Given the relative price and capacity of 3.5-inch drives (compared to 2.5-inch drives) we’d recommend most home users opt for RAID 1 with as big a pair of drives as they can afford. That will provide the best balance of data security and speed.

Wrap-Up

Persuading home users to invest in backup can be difficult, and so the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2′s sub-$200 – albeit drive-free – sets the NAS off to a good start. The company’s home user focus extends to the straightforward setup and the reassurance of the helpdesk support, and those looking for more sophisticated functionality, such as remote access, can have that too thanks to the iOS and Android apps.

The only real potential pain-point is the speed, with the ReadyNAS Duo v2 falling behind what we saw from the Synology DiskStation DS211 (With Diskstation V3.x). Still, Synology’s barebones DS211 is around $100 more expensive than the Netgear, and for general backup and media access many home users won’t particularly notice the difference.

Compromises, then, but acceptable ones when you consider the overall package. Small business and more advanced home users may want to look elsewhere where more expensive NAS offer stronger performance, but for its balance of usability and accessibility the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2 hits the consumer spot.

Hardware

LaCie’s design language hasn’t changed much over the years: looks-wise, the Little Big Disk is basically a squatter version of the Ethernet Disk NAS we reviewed back in 2007. That’s no bad thing when you’re talking about sturdy aluminum and a big blue LED, however, and at 5.5 x 3.3 x 1.6 inches it has a reasonably small footprint on your desk (LaCie includes a detachable stand, though it’s capable of standing on its own without it). At 1.4 pounds, however, it’s not light, and the wall-wart PSU is comparatively bulky, so those planning to travel with the Little Big Disk should expect some heft in their bag.

Physical controls are limited to the blue LED “eye” which doubles as a power button: hold it down for a few seconds and the drive shuts down. On the back there are two Thunderbolt ports, a power socket and a Kensington lock hole; we’d like to have seen a legacy connection, like USB, considering how few computers have Thunderbolt so far. That way colleagues still idling in the slow-lane could still grab files in a pinch. There’s also a small fan, which adjusts speed based on temperature, though the whole chassis is intended to function as a hefty heat-sink.

Thunderbolt is the launch name for Intel’s Light Peak, a super-fast next-generation interconnectivity standard that supports – in this first iteration – up to 10 Gb/s independent uplink and downlink of data and video channels. Apple has been the first to adopt the standard, adding Thunderbolt to its MacBook Pro notebooks and Mac mini and iMac desktops. Up to six Thunderbolt peripherals can be daisy-chained off a single port – hence the LaCie sporting a pair of them – and since it’s backward compatible with DisplayLink you can connect a monitor, too.

All that speed needs equally fast drives to make the most of it, and while LaCie already has a Little Big Disk on the market with traditional HDD storage, our review unit is the faster 240GB SSD version. Inside there’s a pair of 120GB Intel 320 Series third-gen (SSDSA2CW120G3) solid-state drives, set up as a RAID 0 “striped” volume. While many associate home RAID setups as a way of protecting data with drive redundancy, RAID 0 is all about speed: the two SSDs combine for 239.38GB of indecently fast storage, though of course if one drive fails then the entire volume is lost. It’s possible to reformat the Little Big Disk for data mirroring instead, though in that case you only get 120GB of capacity.

Performance

We tested the Little Big Disk with an early 2011 MacBook Pro, running Snow Leopard with the latest patches and fitted with 4GB of RAM, a 2GHz Core i7 processor and an aftermarket 240GB OCX Vertex2 SSD. Installation was straightforward: plug in the LaCie and it’s automatically mounted as an external drive.

Benchmarking kicked off with a basic speed test, using OS X app Blackmagic. The Little Big Disk managed 487.9 MB/s read rates and 257.7 MB/s write rates, a frankly eye-watering pace that even slightly exceeds LaCie’s own estimates. That’s still well short on what Thunderbolt can carry, mind.

We then turned to some file transfer tests, to see whether real-world performance lived up too. First, we copied a range of files from the Mac to the LaCie: a 1GB file took 5.34 seconds to transfer, while a 5GB file took 19.01 seconds. A folder amounting to 5GB of separate files took 26.65 seconds. In the opposite direction, a 1GB file copied from the Little Big Disk to the Mac took 13.25 second, while a 5GB single file took 21.53 seconds. It was clear that the bottleneck for Little Big Disk performance was our own test Mac, with the OCZ SSD unable to keep up with the RAID 0 array’s potential.

One of Apple and LaCie’s boasts is the flexibility for multitasking inherent in Thunderbolt: you can do multiple things across the same connection simultaneously. We started up iMovie, encoding a Full HD video straight to the Little Big Disk using 1080p source files stored on the drive itself, and then tried transferring a separate 5GB file across to the LaCie too. That file took just 19.86 seconds to copy. LaCie says you’ll get even faster performance if you daisy-chain multiple units together – four will just about reach Thunderbolt’s potential, the company reckons – though we couldn’t test that out.

The Little Big Disk never got more than mildly warm during heavy use – another benefit of the solid-state storage – but LaCie’s tiny fan did its best to make itself heard. It’s not so much loud as it is shrill, at full speed, though the combination of SSDs and heat-sink styling meant the enclosure quickly reached a point where the fan could slow down again.

Pricing

No shortage of performance, then, but none of that comes cheap. The SSD-based Little Big Disk will launch at $899/€849/£749, working out to a hefty $3.75 per gigabyte. In contrast, LaCie offers a 1TB version of the Little Big Disk using 7,200 rpm traditional hard-drives for $399.95, though with “only” up to 190 MB/s transfer rates. Somewhat galling is the fact that you still have to pay $49 for Apple’s Thunderbolt cable.

Wrap-Up

Most on the SlashGear team agree that swapping from HDD to SSD has the biggest everyday impact on computing smoothness, compared to RAM or even processor. Until now, though, external storage – even external SSDs – has been hampered by connectivity.

What makes the LaCie Little Big Disk SSD so special is that, for high-bitrate multimedia editing, it’s just as fast for apps to use as internal storage, if not faster. No lag while iMovie accesses your removable drive, just 240GB of extra space which you can treat just as you do your regular disk. Sure, you could use it for backup if you wanted (it’s natively Time Machine compatible) or to store your MP3 collection, but that would be hugely wasteful of its talents.

For most, the huge sticker price will be a turn-off; capacity-junkies will sniff at the relatively paltry 240GB. Those who take their music and video editing seriously, though, and who want more storage without a speed compromise, need to have the LaCie Little Big Disk on their desk.

Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy S II looked vast when we first saw it; the Galaxy Note knocks its smaller cellular sibling into the proverbial cocked hat. At 146.85 x 82.95 x 9.65 mm and 178g it’s certainly a handful, though the sub-centimeter thickness does mean it’s still relatively straightforward to slip into the front pocket of your jeans, assuming they’re not hipster-tight. It’s also faintly ridiculous to hold to your head during voice calls, like you’re resting your face against a broad Swedish cracker-bread, only smoother.

Still, you can’t argue with why Samsung opted for such outré dimensions: the Galaxy Note offers a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED HD display running, as the name suggests, at an eye-searing 1280 x 800 resolution. Like all of Samsung’s Super AMOLED panels before it, viewing angles are so broad that, from the side, the display looks painted on. Colors are vibrant, blacks as dark as a distant nebula.

Samsung had arguably been resting on its AMOLED laurels with recent GSII-variants, making do with WVGA resolution and counting on image quality to offset a shortage of pixels, but the Note quickly brings things bang up to date. The only criticism we can level – on paper at least – is Samsung’s use of a PenTile display, which lacks sub-pixels and can leave screens with a color tinge. In practice, it’s not something we noticed in our time with the phone.

Samsung Galaxy Note: Overview

Other specs are familiar from the Galaxy S II line, along with the design. The plastic chassis is sturdy, though the battery cover – as always – feels flimsy and delicate when you prise it off. A physical home button below the display is flanked by touch-sensitive menu and back buttons, while a 2-megapixel front-facing camera sits above the display. On the back is an 8-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and support for 1080p 30fps video recording. A microUSB port on the bottom handles charging/syncing, while the power/lock button is on the upper right edge – slightly too high and tricky to locate on first stab, in our experience – while the volume rocker is on the left edge – also slightly too high and slightly too short for entirely comfortable use.

Inside, Samsung has opted for a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, paired with 1GB of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage. A microSD card – under the battery cover, next to the capacious 2,500 mAh Li-Ion battery pack – can extend that by up to 32GB. Wireless connectivity includes quadband WCDMA/UMTS with support for up to 21Mbps HSPA+, quadband GSM/EDGE, WiFI a/b/g/n on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and Bluetooth 3.0+HS. No dedicated HDMI port, but the microUSB 2.0 port supports MHL HDMI with the correct – and not included – adapter. There’s obviously GPS, a digital compass, accelerometer, gyroscope and the proximity/light sensors, together with an FM radio with RDS that uses your wired headphones as an antenna.

In short, it’s a device that’s at the top of its game when it comes to hardware, though Samsung hasn’t left its screen to wow on merely proportions and pixels. Instead, the Koreans turned to Wacom and a clever digital stylus, to prove that there’s still a place in mobile for the pen.

S-Pen Stylus

It didn’t take Steve Jobs’ comments on the stylus – “If you see a stylus they blew it” – to sour opinions on the mobile matchstick, but they certainly did pen-toting tablets and smartphones no favors. There’s more than one way to implement a digital pen, however, and Samsung’s system deserves more than a second glance.

Rather than relying on a resistive touchscreen, or an inaccurate capacitive stylus, the Galaxy Note uses a Wacom active digitizer system. Wacom is best known for its artists’ tablets, but the company also has a history of supplying Tablet PC manufacturers with digitizers for their pen-enabled Windows slates. Microsoft’s platform may not be so hot with a pen, but that’s not Wacom’s fault: the company offers a digital inking experience that’s silky-smooth, free flowing and accurate, not to mention pressure-sensitive.

Samsung Galaxy Note: S-Pen:

Samsung isn’t the first mainstream mobile company to offer a digital stylus this year – HTC already released the Flyer which can be used with a special pen – but its implementation is the best we’ve tried so far. Unlike HTC’s restrictive system, where the pen could only be used in certain places of the OS, Samsung allows you to pick either your finger, the stylus or both when you negotiate through Android. When you take into account how readable webpages are, even fully zoomed out, on the HD-capable screen, the fine nib of the pen is mighty handy to tap on a smaller link.

In addition to the pressure-sensitive nib, there’s a side-mounted button that triggers secondary functions. Hold it down and double-tap, for instance, and one of Samsung’s “Post-It” style notelets pops up. Hold it down and tap-hold, meanwhile, and you can take a screenshot. Press and swipe up opens the context menu, while pressing and swiping left goes back. The frustration is how small and tricky to press the button is – we often had to do some stylus-twiddling with our fingers before we could locate it with a fingertip, something which could’ve been addressed with some simply texturing – and on one occasion we tried to pull the pen from its silo on the bottom of the Galaxy Note and instead pulled off the top section. Some judicious twisting reattached both parts, but then seemed to block the side-button’s movement; a little more twisting fixed that too.

Of course, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, as runs on the Galaxy Note, isn’t set up for pen use, and Samsung has followed HTC in developing its own S-Pen APIs and custom apps to make the most of its extra input option. Those APIs will be opened up to developers with an S-Pen SDK in December, with Samsung already working with some art and enterprise developers to deliver pen-aware apps through its own app store on the Note.

What’s unclear at this stage is how Samsung’s SDK will sit with the native pen support added to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Galaxy Note looks likely to get an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich early in 2012, but so far it’s not certain how much overlap there is between Samsung and Google’s approaches to the stylus, or indeed where HTC’s fits in. That could leave three different strands for developers to deal with – the official Google way and two ways where manufacturers have jumped the gun – and might leave them wary of producing apps specifically for the Galaxy Note.

Software

Samsung hasn’t been shy when it comes to throwing colorful widgets at the Android 2.3 Gingerbread homescreen, and out of the box there are lashings of eye-catching tickers, calendar reminders, news alerts, weather panes, note shortcuts and more. In fact there’s comparatively little room left on the first five of the seven homescreen panes for actual app shortcuts; TouchWiz offers five persistent icons running along the bottom of the display – the rightmost being a dedicated Applications key but the others user-customizable – but we had to ditch some of Samsung’s chunkier widgets to squeeze our most-used apps within reach.

Obviously there are the normal array of Android titles, like Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps and the Android Market, but Samsung has thrown some of its own in too. The three Hubs – Social, Music and Readers – are brought over from the Galaxy S II, offering Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn aggregation, MP3 downloads and ebooks/magazines/newspapers respectively, as has the AllShare DLNA media streaming app, for funneling across photos, music and video to a DLNA-compliant TV or other system.

Samsung Galaxy Note: Apps

Photo Editor and Video Maker have been upgraded to suit the Galaxy Note’s boosted multimedia appeal, each becoming capable little editing apps in their own right. Photo Editor supports advanced selection, morphing, warping, special effects and other enhancements, while Video Maker allows you to not only combine video clips, music and photos into a trimmed down timeline, but jot handwritten notes on top of the results. Rendering then takes a short while, after which point you can upload directly to YouTube for sharing.

Kies Air, as we’ve seen before, allows you to wirelessly connect to the Galaxy Note from the browser of a computer on the same WiFi network, and access multimedia, contacts, read/send SMS messages and more. It’s sluggish if you’re trying to transfer the Full HD video the Note is capable of capturing, but otherwise can be a useful tool. Alternatively, you can plug the Note in via USB and mount it as an external drive.

Polaris Office and Mini Diary round out the apps with which we’re familiar, offering respectively a way to open and work on Office files – something surprisingly useful on the Note’s big screen – and a rather gimmicky journalling tool that, unfortunately, hasn’t been updated to handle ink input. Instead you can use the huge onscreen keyboard (which has auto-correction/prediction turned off by default, but is a lot more usable with it switched on) or the handwriting recognition. The latter handles printed letters reasonably, but struggles with cursive, and we quickly gave up on it.

The other preloaded apps are more specific to the Galaxy Note, having some interaction with the pen. Crayon Physics is a 2D physics puzzle, with cutesy graphics hiding some increasingly tricky challenges, potentially too difficult to use as a way to occupy your kids; instead, head into the Samsung Apps store – there’s a S Choice app too, which at the moment redirects to the regular apps store – and you’ll find some more child-friendly drawing options like Hello Color Pencil and Hello Crayon (the majority of which are free).

That’s not to say that the Note only holds up as a kid’s art tool. We downloaded OmniSketch, announced as one of Samsung’s launch partners with the Galaxy Note last week, and it’s a surprisingly capable art app. Multiple brush types, color manipulation options, pressure sensitivity and some interesting custom brush-heads were enough to keep our entirely-unartistic fingers occupied, and we’ve seen impressive examples of what proper artists can actually do with nothing more than the Note and its stylus.

Those more interested in business than pleasure get S Planner and S Memo. S Planner turns the Galaxy Note into a Filofax alternative, thankfully without the faux-wood that Samsung added to its custom calendar app on the original Galaxy Tab. Year, Month, Week, 3 Days, Day, Agenda and Task views are supported, flicked between by auto-hiding tabs along the right edge of the display. The Galaxy Note’s huge screen comes in useful here again, making the Month view surprisingly usable – in portrait orientation you get the full month with enough space to make out individual appointment details on the agenda, together with a list of today’s meetings underneath – in comparison to most smartphone calendars. Unfortunately you can’t actually scribble a new meeting in using the pen, though you can attach (or create) a handwritten memo to each appointment.

That’s done with S Memo, probably the example of pen integration that general users will encounter the most. At its most basic it’s a Post-It replacement – you can either do the stylus double-tap shortcut to call up a small notelet, or open the app itself and get a full-screen note supporting different color inks, types of pen (including highlighters) and the ability to mix together hand-drawn diagrams, pasted photos and even attach audio recordings.

What makes it usable is the accuracy of the digital stylus. The HTC Flyer struggled as a note-taking tool because its pen simply couldn’t ink finely enough: that meant you could only fit a few words to a page. In contrast, the Galaxy Note is capable of very fine lines, and even though its display is smaller than the 7-inch Flyer, we were able to fit more text per line and per screen at any one time. Samsung has also integrated a two-finger panning system to move around larger notes. On the downside, HTC’s useful Evernote integration isn’t present, which means there’s no ability to search through handwritten notes, nor easily access them from other devices.

Camera and Multimedia

Samsung’s smartphone cameras have proved impressive recently, and the Galaxy Note is no different. Although its size means it’s bordering on the somewhat ridiculous feeling you get holding up a tablet to take photos and video, it just about escapes that fate; brave the occasional second glance, and you’re rewarded with colorful photos with plenty of detail to them. A rare sunny London day offered a chance for the Note to balance bright elements with more contrast-rich shade, though on a couple of occasions there was some odd focus hunting where the camera seemed reluctant to even try fixing on a subject.

Video, meanwhile, showed more of that jittery focus, struggling at times to handle the slow moving traffic in our sample clip below. Brighter parts of the scene suffer over-exposure, too, though when the frame is stable things are far more palatable. Audio is sensitive, perhaps too much so, but still within the bounds of acceptability. Once you’ve filmed clips, of course, you can slot them into your own mini-movies in the Galaxy Note’s video editing app.

Video playback benefits from Samsung’s usually broad range of supported codecs. The Note will handle 3GPP, H.263, H.264, MPEG4 and WMV (as well as 3GP, AAC, AAC+, AMR, AMR-NB, eAAC+, H.263, MP3 and MPEG4 audio) and then there’s the Android Market with its various third-party media player apps if that’s insufficient for you. 720p HD video in H.264, MPEG4 and WMV played back with no jerks or issues on the Note, and audio through the headphones jack was similarly strong. On resolution and scale, it’s hard to imagine a better way to consume video on your smartphone than the Note.

Phone and Battery

We’ve already mentioned that the Note’s outlandish dimensions left us feeling self-conscious using it for voice calls. We also struggled with earpiece positioning: the speaker is nudged right to the very top edge of the fascia, and we found ourselves shuffling the phone against our face during calls to find the sweetspot for audio. When we managed that, incoming and outgoing audio were both fair, while the speaker – on the back of the Note – is loud if subject to the usual distortion at higher volume levels. Of course you can also use a Bluetooth or wired handsfree kit, which leaves you free to stab at the Note’s display mid-call.

Given the processor, the size of the display and the active digitizer, we had low expectations of the Galaxy Note’s battery life. Daily charging has become de rigeur for modern smartphones, and we had visions of making it to mid-afternoon and then being forced to rejuice the Note with a sneaky top-up. Even Samsung’s predictions of up to 810 minutes of 3G talktime or 820 hours of 3G standby left us sceptical.

Imagine our surprise, then, to find that the Note bulldozered through our expectations. With a combination of web browsing on WiFi and 3G, some photography, push email turned on (and Twitter and Google+ updating in the background), use of the stylus and note/art apps, a little Google Maps navigation, a few text messages and a couple of short calls, the 2,500 mAh battery got us not just through a full day but well into the next.

We’re guessing that, as on the original Galaxy S II, Samsung is using some stringent processor throttling to achieve that, but while there were some occasional moments of lag common to all Android handsets, there was no real point where we felt we were waiting for the Note to catch up. Most importantly, apps where you need a reaction straight away – like calling up a new S Note to quickly jot something down – were on-screen without hesitation.

Wrap-Up

Bigger isn’t necessarily better. The Galaxy Note will automatically be out of contention for many, simply because of its size. For the mainstream, 5.3-inches – even with 1280 x 800 resolution – is simply too much to pocket. Sure, a tablet-resolution matching display is great for watching video, or browsing the web, or replacing your standalone PND with Google Maps Navigation, but it’s a little less appealing when you factor in portability.

There were times, in public with the Note, when we felt a little too self-conscious to be entirely happy pulling it out of our pocket. This isn’t a discrete smartphone you can cradle in your hand as you check directions or thumb out a quick text message: it’s big and obvious. All those extra pixels are nice, but the Galaxy Nexus – with its 1280 x 720 display measuring a comparatively compact 4.65-inches – will deliver much of the same in a form-factor that’s a lot more user-friendly.

Still, the Galaxy Nexus – even with Ice Cream Sandwich – doesn’t give you the clever S Pen, and that’s the Note’s real charm. Bundling a stylus isn’t sufficient in and of itself to make a mobile device special, but when it works well – accurate, precise, easy to use – then it undoubtedly adds something to the user experience. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to ditch your paper day-planner but don’t want to bundle a small tablet with your phone, then the Galaxy Note happily steps in to replace both.

Niche? Certainly, but Samsung hasn’t allowed fears of that to stop it from targeting pretty much every segment of the mobile audience. Niche needn’t mean unimpressive, either: what the Galaxy Note does, it does exceptionally well. Right now, if you want the precision an active digitizer gives you, plus more than all-day battery life, top-tier multimedia credentials and the range of apps the Android platform is blessed with, it’s your only choice. If you want a compact tablet that you can actually carry out of the house without needing a bag, it’s your best option. And if you want a smartphone that allows you to work and play and replace your paper notebook, it’s hugely compelling in many senses of the word “huge.”

Not for everyone, then, but that’s part of the Android charm: a huge array of devices catering to those for whom the “one size fits all” approach doesn’t fit. The Galaxy Note may not prove to be Samsung’s best-seller of the quarter, but those who succumb to its sizable charms will have a smartphone/hybrid that’s attention-grabbing in every sense.