The first Apple Store opened in 2001. In fact, two of them were opened on the same day in two different locations: Tysons Corner in Virginia and Glendale in California. These first two stores were small, especially compared to today's flagship stores in key locations like Manhattan, Sydney, Tokyo and Regent Street, but they contained the seed of an idea that would later find fruition in 300 stores worldwide, culminating in Apple's latest and greatest: London's new Covent Garden store.
In fact, this article is already out of date. Apple Stores are springing up so quickly that store number 301 was recently opened in Castle Towers Shopping Centre in the northwest suburbs of Sydney.!
The Apple Store was the brainchild of Ron Johnson, Apple's Vice President of Retail. Right from the start, he had a very focused vision of what an Apple retail experience should be: open, airy surroundings, the Genius Bar, the mix of glass windows and wooden desks and the attitude to sales that let the products do the talking.
Johnson joined Apple in 2000 after previously working as Vice President of Merchandising for Target Stores. In typical Apple style, his initial work on a retail store for Apple was kept top secret, in case it tipped off competitors. Even his name was kept quiet within the company and it wasn't until the official announcement of the first Apple Store in Virginia that the majority of people within Apple found out his real name.
Initial press reaction to the concept of an Apple Store was negative. "I don't think we convinced one person at the time," he said during his acceptance speech on behalf of Apple for the Award of Excellence from the Success for Design Conference in 2004 – and yet Apple proved everybody wrong, again. Whatever magic formula makes up Apple's retail experience, it works.
Very quickly the number of Apple Stores in the US ballooned until, nine years later, it reached the staggering 229 stores we have today. Of course, Apple didn't simply stop at the borders to its home nation – Apple Stores can now be found in 10 countries worldwide, and Apple is spreading into more all the time.
Perhaps the key to its success is that an Apple Store is a place where you can not only learn about Apple products, but you can actually try them out, and get help if you're having problems. The Apple kit is presented beautifully on desks throughout the store for you to play with to your heart's content, without getting disapproving looks from the staff.
Sure, you'll likely to be approached by a sales assistant wearing an Apple T-shirt fairly quickly when you enter the store, but they're normally just happy to chat about the products, rather than give you the hard sell.
And, the Apple Store is more than just a shop – you can also get trained in all the latest Apple applications, check into the Genius Bar to get help with any problems you have, or be entertained by celebrities and musicians at a live event. Oh, and we all know Apple Stores have free public Wi-Fi too, so it's a great place to check your email.
Underneath the arches
Whatever country you're in though, you always know you're in an Apple Store – it's just so unmistakably Apple. But long-term Apple watchers are starting to notice a few differences to the usual Store layout of late. All the familiar elements – glass staircase, wooden desks – are there, but things are starting to change in Apple land.
The new Covent Garden Store is a prime example. It's actually one of four stores that Apple has opened around the same time, including two stores in Paris (Louvre and Opéra) and one in Shanghai, China, that are starting to break the mould. These new stores still have that unmistakable Apple feel, but rather than making each store an identikit clone of the last one, Apple is now adding a bit of local flavour to proceedings.
For example, both the Opéra and Covent Garden stores have retained as much of their building's original architecture as possible, seeing them restored back to their original 19th-century splendour.
"Over the last 10 years we've learned a lot," said Johnson, speaking at the opening of the Covent Garden Store in August. "It turns out that our most significant stores, what people would call 'flagship stores', are our best stores. They're our highest profit and highest traffic stores as well, so we love building these significant stores."
You might be surprised to learn that the Regent Street store is Apple's busiest store in the world, with even more visitors than the more visually impressive store on 5th Avenue. It seems that big stores work, and so does making those stores more distinctive and unique, which is good news for everyone.
Going forward, it looks like Apple's focus will be on bigger stores, and making each one special. Covent Garden is one of the premier tourist destinations in the West End, making it the perfect spot for a new Apple Store.
Covent Garden started life as a fruit-and-veg market, around 1654, but by the 18th century it had become a well-known red-light area. An act of parliament was drawn up to control the area, and Charles Fowler's neoclassical building was erected in 1830 to cover the market area (the fortuitously named 'Apple Market' is still there today, but now mainly sells tourist gifts and crafts).
The new store takes over from Regent Street as the largest Apple Store in the world. Occupying a Grade II listed building on the Piazza, it's a visual delight for anyone – not just Apple fans – in combining architectural work from the 1870s with Apple's hypermodern approach to design, including the famous glass staircase. In fact, this store has two of them – a spiral staircase at the front and one at the rear enabling access to two more floors.
The most notable architectural feature of the store has to be the arches that run around the outside. Inside the Covent Garden store you'll find more arches – they're all over the place and they help to form the creation of individual rooms for each product line – Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod.
Every original building material amenable to restoration has been given the full treatment, giving the whole space a wonderfully olde worlde feel as you wander beneath beautiful brick arches and between traditional English oak desks.
As you walk through the store's door you enter the world of Mac; and beyond that is an impressive iPad courtyard where natural daylight streams in through a huge glass ceiling. It's at this point that the sheer size of the building really hits you. Apple tells us you could quite easily fit the entire Manhattan Apple Store inside this courtyard area!
Tucked away in the back is the iPod room and up a floor is a new feature – a Setup room, to which you can retire after making your new Apple purchase. Here you can set up your email on your new MacBook, activate your new iPhone or choose your favourite iPad wallpaper, all with a degree of privacy, away from other shoppers.
Also on the second floor you'll find the Community room packed with One to One training desks, and a new Pro Labs area for training in the more professional Apple applications, such as Final Cut.
Around the corner you'll find a huge Genius Bar. Here it's shielded off in its own room, so you don't get distracted by the noise of other shoppers. But we're not done yet – there's an entire floor still to cover.
On the third level is the biggest range of accessories of any Apple Store. Cases, speaker docks, laptop bags – it's all here. "It's in many ways the best thing we've done so far, because it's got all of our thinking in it, from the 299 steps that precede it," said Ron Johnson at its launch.
He's right too. The Covent Garden Apple Store is a beautifully restored building in a great location. Add it to your favourite tourist destinations, because it's well worth a trip to the capital to see all by itself. And you've also got the delights of Covent Garden and its lively atmosphere to entertain you as well.
But what features should you look out for on your visit to the Covent Garden Apple Store? Well, for a start the brickwork. The rough, multi-hewed, ceramic walls are the most obvious component of the store. They're fused with a cool ambience by carefully placed lights illuminating from below.
The best view of them is perhaps from the top of the second glass staircase at the back of the store – looking down you can see all the levels' modern glass and ancient brickwork contrasting beautifully. Prominent air conditioning ducts don't look out of place. Unusually for an Apple Store, they have been kept in plain view, along with the infrastructure's sprinkler piping.
Créme de la créme
And so, to Paris. Here Apple has been busy, opening two stores separated by just a few months. This first store, opened in 2009, is situated in the Louvre, one of the most respected cultural institutions in the world. This was Apple's first ever store in France.
"We build a lot of stores, but we do a few that are really special, and the significant stores tend to have a landmark location and really unique architecture. And you put that together and it kind of becomes magical," said Johnson, speaking at its launch.
As you can see from the picture, it's a beautifully designed location, fully deserving of its premier position inside the Louvre's underground shopping mall. If you looked over your shoulder from where this picture was taken you'd see the famous Pyramide Inversée right behind you.
And looking through the glass inside the store, you would begin to notice that the entire ceiling of the store features diamond-shaped metal panels that reflect the design of the famous Pyramid. It really is a sight to behold.
The Grand Ole Opéra
Apple's other Paris store of note is in the Opéra district, noted for its 'Grands Boulevards' (large avenues) built by Baron Haussmann under Napoleon III, to give the capital city more prestige. As its name implies, at the heart of the Opéra district you'll find the world-famous Opera Garnier, built in 1860 – one of the world's most renowned opera houses.
The Apple Store here (at 12 rue Halévy) is on three floors. The building is an old bank (the Bank of Italy) and Apple's architects have done an amazing job of preserving the old building right down to the door of the safe. The mosaics on the floor and on the wall at the entrance to the room where the safe was located (the basement), which is now the accessories room, have also all been preserved.
This store is perhaps Apple's best restoration job – there are so many little details to wonder at, such as the brass grates at the centre of the mosaics in the floor on the downstairs level, the huge marble columns, massive windows, the candle-style chandelier lighting, the brass handrails on the stairs. The list just goes on and on – you really could spend a good hour just exploring the architecture.
The mezzanine level, home to the Genius Bar, feels more like a balcony where you look down upon a performance below, and in the basement there are little twists and turns that you wouldn't expect in a normal retail store. And as with the Covent Garden store, there's also a skylight, to allow natural light to show off Apple's products in their full glory.
Enter the dragon
The final new Apple Store that's definitely worthy of a mention is the Pudong store in Shanghai, which also opened in July.
Like the 5th Avenue store in Manhattan, this is an underground structure with only glass visible above ground. But instead of the famous cube, a 30-foot high cylindrical glass entrance marks the spot. Incidentally, this is the largest single piece of glass ever constructed.
The perimeter of the glass tower is almost completely surrounded by a shallow water fountain, leaving only a gap for entry down into the store via a spiral glass staircase.
The store sits beneath a circular plaza at the International Finance Centre, at the base of two glass skyscrapers nearly 1,000 feet tall in the Lujiazui financial district of the city. One skyscraper contains office space and the other a Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Both were designed by the famous Argentine architect César Pelli.
But what's next for Apple Stores? Well, 2010 should see the first Apple Store opening in Spain, and we'd expect more countries after that, so hold onto your hats – Apple shows no sign of slowing down.
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Tutorial: How to make a USB monitor stand
Ah wood, whatever happened to you? Once everything in our homes was built from this growable, burnable, renewable resource but now we have the far superior plastic made from delicious oil. Who are we to question the motives of 'big oil'? These companies love us, as much as they love the planet. But when it comes to making your own things wood still has the advantage of not requiring a specifically designed injection mould and about a gallon of liquid plastic.
For this project we're going to create our own USB hub, built into what we're going to create, in this case a wooden monitor stand. This isn't going to be any old stand though, it'll be one that mimics our Dell's oddly shaped base.
Into this we're going to put an old, powered USB hub and add a custom made one into the base as well. The result we're hoping for is a sweet-looking monitor stand that happens to have a handy built-in USB hub.
To make this happen we mostly need an old USB hub – preferably a powered one – plus some plywood that we can cut and sand into a polished finished item. We'll also need USB extension cables for each port. We'll keep the box construction to a basic level but we're still going to bevel its edges and glue the sides into place, which will need to set overnight.
Beyond this, the main thing to keep in mind is how much space will be required inside the stand to fit the original hub.
What you will need
Spare USB hub
15mm chipboard
Jig saw
Chisel and hammer
Wood glue/hot glue gun
Wood filler
Sand paper
How to make a hub of wood
1. Before you start, make sure your hub is going to fit inside your new stand either horizontally or vertically.
2. Measure the base and draw a cutting template from it. It'll be worthwhile to make the final stand a good 10mm wider all around, if not 20mm.
3. Use this template to cut out both the top and bottom wood sections from the chipboard.
4. Using a saw and chisel cut out a bevel all round to the width of chipboard that's going to create the sides. This will take a while but you can use the chisel to smooth out this bevel and sand it down for a good finish.
5. Cut the chipboard for the side panels into suitable lengths. Be careful to take into account how it will all fit together.
6. You'll need to cut holes for the USB ports. The full connector side is 17 x 11mm, aim to create a recessed finish 14 x 8mm.
7. Glue the panels together. For wood glue you'll need to leave these clamped overnight.
8. The stand will look a little rough at this point, fill gaps and cracks with wood filler. Use too much then wipe excess off with a damp cloth, let the rest set and sand it back to a smooth finish.
9. The easy way to install the hub is to plug in extension cables to the hub and epoxy the ends into position.
10. We decided to paint ours for the final product, as we used old chipboard that was lying around.
If you use plywood you'll have a far better wood finish that you can varnish or dye.
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Review: Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13"
Lenovo's ThinkPad range is traditionally aimed at corporate users and the ThinkPad Edge 13" is an affordable option designed for small businesses. Its high-quality ultraportable build and excellent screen are offset, however, by limited performance and a couple of notable design quirks.
At 1.8kg, this is a fairly light laptop, and the robust chassis – which is almost as compact as the Samsung Q330 – is highly portable.
The battery juts out beneath the laptop, adding to the overall thickness, but the ThinkPad will comfortably fit in most bags. The 229-minute battery life is reasonable, although beaten by many others here.
The 13.3-inch display has a reflective Super-TFT coating, which is unusual for a business machine. Images are pleasingly vibrant as a result, with photos appearing sharp and lifelike, although the increased reflectivity limits outdoor use.
Along with the Dell Inspiron M101z, this is the only laptop here without an optical drive, so you can't watch DVDs or install applications from a disc without using an external drive. There are three USB ports, but no eSATA port, and the memory card slot only supports SD cards.
Typically for a machine this size, 320GB of storage is in place and will be fine for most users, while networking is speedy and Bluetooth is also included.
The ThinkPad is powered by an AMD 1.6Ghz Turion Neo X2 L625 processor, but we found that performance lagged behind the competition and only the MSI CR630 scored lower in our benchmarking tests. As a result, you're limited to basic use, such as web browsing and word processing.
We also found multimedia performance to be lacking, with an integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200 GPU in place. This laptop scored low in our graphical benchmarking tests and so is only fit for the most basic photo editing.
Excellent keyboard
The isolation-style keyboard is quiet and excellent for touch-typing, with pleasingly firm keys. We didn't like the placement of the Function key in the bottom-left corner, which pushes the Ctrl key inwards, but we found we eventually became used to it.
The touchpad covers a generous area and is both smooth and responsive to use, although we did find ourselves occasionally brushing it when typing, which caused the cursor to skip.
Lenovo's trademark Pointing Stick is present as ever in the centre of the keyboard, as an alternative to the touchpad.
With admirable build quality and a sharp, colourful screen, the ThinkPad Edge 13" is almost an excellent ultraportable laptop for business users and consumers alike. However, the restrictive performance makes it hard to recommend compared to some other laptops.
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Review: Naim UnitiQute
Considering that Naim waited the best part of a decade before producing its first CD player, the speed that the company has adopted hard drive and audio streaming products is impressive. In the last few years, we have been treated to the HDX hard drive server, the 'NaimNet' multiroom system and the Uniti all-in-one system with streaming capability. The Uniti has now morphed into a complete range of products with the Uniti Serv, CD-ripping music server and the product tested here, the all-in-one streamer/player, the UnitiQute. Finally, Naim has just announced the NDX streamer.
Full functionality
The UnitiQute is a half-width version of the full-size Uniti. As well as being able to stream files up to 24-bit/96kHz in size via Ethernet or wireless network, the UnitiQute also has a DAB/FM internal tuner, built-in 45-watt amp, digital inputs, internet radio access and a USB input with the ability to access both stored files on a USB stick or an iPod or iPhone directly.
The one feature that has been removed in the move from full-width Uniti to UnitiQute is the CD drive. The UnitiQute is entirely dependent on music being elsewhere – be it on a network, via a digital input or over the airwaves, or the internet. The Naim can then output any of these sources via the internal 45-watt amplifier, a pre out or via a digital output.
This is also the first Naim product we recall seeing that has no DIN connections on the rear panel. Lack of DIN plugs aside, there is little danger that the UnitiQute will be confused with any other companies' products.
The casework of the unit is every bit as solid as the rest of the Naim range and is non-magnetic and non-resonant. The display is a reassuring green and the illuminated logo is retained as well.
Other Naim trademarks, such as the switchable chassis ground and lack of standby switch are present and correct. Indeed, besides a hard power switch on the rear panel, the UnitiQute has no buttons of any kind. All control is via the supplied remote or via the iPhone app, so be sure to put the remote somewhere safe.
The overall impression of the UnitiQute is, that despite being rather different in functionality to more classic Naim offerings, it is still very much a Naim product. This extends to the run-in period, which whilst brief by Naim standards, is rather longer than might normally be expected of an all-in-one system.
Net-works
As the Naim is very dependent on networks and the web to show what it can do, it is good news to report that set up proved straightforward and is reasonably well explained in the manual.
For review, the UnitiQute was asked to find material stored on a network attached storage (NAS) drive that was connected via Ethernet to a router. Later on, a laptop was set up as a UPnP server, much like the NAS and the UnitiQute was instructed to find content on it. In both cases, it was able to locate music content quickly and effectively.
Naim recommends using the Ethernet connection on the rear panel for improved performance and stability and, if you have the wherewithal to do so, such a network should prove very resilient, in practice. We also used the wireless connection extensively and provided that the router being used is relatively robust and the network itself is not being asked to do several very complicated tasks at once, the results are broadly indistinguishable from the Ethernet socket.
The functionality, build and ease of set up make the UnitiQute a strong proposition at the asking price, although as a relatively new type of product, it will prove a little confusing to some.
The digital inputs, internal tuner and iPod support strengthen the appeal and make the unit capable of performing as the hub of a relatively complex system. Considerable effort seems to have gone into making the UnitiQute a straightforward device to operate.
The menus for set up and track selection are logical and easy to follow and the remote is easy to understand and intuitive. The green display can become slightly hard to read at a distance when the smallest size text is being displayed, while the default time the display stays visible for is a little short, although easily adjusted.
Rock box
After a period running in, we installed the UnitiQute on a wired network and connected it to a pair of Mordaunt Short Mezzo 1's. The initial and indeed lasting impression is the UnitiQute is still every inch a Naim product.
It is possessed of a very assured presentational style with superb timing and the characteristic Naim bass 'grip' that has marked most of their products out for years. The overall presentation is fractionally forward of neutral, but this makes itself felt in a sense of excitement rather than any real harshness or stridency.
The internal amplification has enough power to drive most pairs of speakers that one would expect to see used with this sort of system. Pushed very hard, the sound will start to harden up, but not until you have reached levels that are on the high side for domestic purposes.
Given a lossless FLAC or WAV file or even better, a (regrettably rare) 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution file, the UnitiQute has excellent tonality and timbre. Voices are tangibly real and have a welcome sense of air and space around them. Instruments are well-placed in relation to one another and whilst the presentation is still fairly 'left/right' in the Naim tradition, there is a believable sense of three dimensionality to proceedings.
Switch to compressed files and the UnitiQute retains much of this positive behaviour, although by the time bitrates drop much below 192kbps, the presentation will have become rather flatter and thinner than with lossless files, but this is not the fault of the UnitiQute and generally thoughtfully compressed files remain extremely listenable.
The same behaviour is applicable to the digital inputs which did a fine job with the varying quality and material available from our Sky HD box, which is typical of the equipment likely to be connected to a device like this.
The internal tuner proved virtually noise-free and easy to tune. It is, however, overshadowed by the excellent internet radio implementation, which is one of the best we have seen. The UnitiQute has an extensive database of stations which can be searched by genre and country of origin.
Connection proves fast and reliable, but more importantly, stations with a bitrate of 192kpbs or above – particularly AAC codec – based ones – are comfortably superior to DAB. Further stations can be requested via the website and the overall experience transforms internet radio from something of a novelty to a genuinely worthwhile listening experience for all.
The big issue
The UnitiQute is very well thought out, well specified and, most importantly, capable of a strong sonic performance. To anyone with an existing network and their music already stored on a NAS drive or similar, there is very little that can match its performance and features, let alone the form factor at a similar price.
The biggest issue that the UnitiQute currently has is not performance-related, but more down to the fact that currently the only real way of buying music that does the UnitiQute justice is via CD. This means that most would-be owners will have to purchase a format that the UnitiQute cannot play directly.
This is not to say that there is no high-quality music out there to download (Naim itself has a better selection than most), but the UnitiQute is essentially waiting for the music retail market to catch it up.
For some, this will mean the UnitiQute loses out to products still capable of playing CDs. Others, however, will be ready to make the jump.
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Catch up: this week's most popular posts
Android phone owners were delighted to learn that Angry Birds was free for them this week, and in related news, more details of Android 3.0 surfaced.Apple announced iLife 11, new MacBook Airs and previewed OS X 10.7, and Microsoft explained why Windows Phone 7 doesn't have Flash.
Read on for this week's most popular stories on TechRadar…
Top five news stories
Angry Birds Android app - full version now available for free
Angry Birds has finally lost its Android beta tag and is now available as a full game from app store GetJar.
GetJar seems to be on a bit of a mission at the moment to make all mobile phone games free.
It recently teamed up with Glu Mobile (who makes DJ Hero amongst others) to make one free Glu game available every week and now it has nabbed the exclusive of the full version of Angry Birds for Android.
Android 3.0: more Gingerbread details emerge
Various details of Google Android 3.0 are emerging, with the new mobile OS set to be a "cleaner, more uniformed" operating system.
Phandroid, which believe it or not is a website for all Android fans, has managed to bag itself exclusive details on Gingerbread and believes that the OS has gone through a graphical change, with Google embracing green as Android's colour of choice.
It has also made carrier branding "more prominent".
Samsung Galaxy S Android 2.2 update begins rollout
Samsung's Android 2.2 update to the Galaxy S looks set to land soon as rollout has begun in Scandinavian countries.
Norway, Sweden and Denmark have reported to have received the upgrade, although it's only accessible using the Samsung Kies PC software rather than an over the air upgrade.
The new Android 2.2 brings a faster, more stable browser apparently, with better battery life and other improved features.
Sky: YouView will be a niche product
Sky's director of broadband and telephony has told TechRadar that she believes the BBC-backed IPTV project YouView will stay a niche product for "quite some time".
Speaking to TechRadar as the company released a major survey into internet usage, Delia Bushel said that the likely impact of YouView was being overstated.
She believes that the premium nature of YouView will mean that it does not become the type of hit that Freeview has.
Apple press conference: what's been announced
Apple has announced its new products – an Apple netbook (almost), OS X 10.7, iLife 11 and FaceTime on Mac.
The first new product to be announced was iLife 11, with "Facebook enhancements" in iPhoto 11 and new full screen modes.
Obviously, Apple is calling it "the best version yet". iPhoto also brings "amazing new slideshow themes", an iPad-like album view, and you can pull in photos from Flickr.
Broadband crunch IS coming, says research
The UK's network infrastructure is fast arriving at "capacity crunch" point, according to research fom the University of Southampton.
The argument over whether the UK's old communications network can cope with the rise and rise of broadband has become a fierce one, with the likes of Virgin Media telling TechRadar back in June that a broadband crisis was looming, and both BT and Sky insisting that this was incorrect.
However, research from David Richardson at the University of Southampton which has been outlined in Science has underlined the obvious – that without radical investment, the current infrastructure (including fibre) will be overwhelmed.
Top five in-depth articles
20 best mobile phones in the world today
Whether you're after the best budget music phone or a the best smartphone, the top ones are all here. And we've got in-depth reviews of all of them.
Here are our rankings for the best mobile phones around, currently available in the UK.
Why Windows Phone 7 doesn't have Flash
Ask Microsoft why certain features aren't in Windows Phone 7 and the usual answer is that when you develop a new operating system in 18 months flat you have to make some hard choices about what you can get done in time and what's most important to the experience.
That's the reason behind no copy and paste until 2011 and no tethering as a modem.
But that's only one of the reasons why Windows Phone 7 doesn't come with Flash, according to Microsoft's Andy Lees, now president of the mobile communications division.
10 mind-boggling iPhone and iPad apps
For every jaw-dropping, must-have app for iPad and iPhone there are dozens more that are mad, bad or just plain wrong.
We've rounded up just 10 of our favourites. We're sure you can find many more.
Hands on: Sky Anytime+ review
Sky's Anytime+ service is nearing roll-out, with the service now in final testing by staff and a selected few others – including TechRadar.
Although the software is up and running and working well, there are, we are reliably told, a few tweaks still being made, so rather than do a complete review just yet we're going to stick to an extensive hands on of the service at its current stage.
Hands on: New Apple MacBook Air review
After last night's Apple launch in California, TechRadar was invited to Apple's UK offices today to see the two new incarnations of its ultra-thin MacBook Air laptop.
The smaller MacBook Air is now just 0.3cm thick at its thinnest edge and there's an 11.6-inch model arriving to sit alongside the re-engineered 13.3-inch baby.
We took one of the 13.3-inch versions with us and here are our first impressions of the diminutive lappy.
Top five reviews
Nokia N8 review
Nokia's reputation as a leader in the smartphone market has been under increasing pressure in recent years, as a string of 'high end'
handsets have failed to capture the minds and wallets of the phone-buying public. So to fix that, Nokia's gone back to the drawing board to bring out the Nokia N8, featuring a new OS and a huge amount of high end tech packed under the hood.
Samsung Omnia 7 review
Samsung's take on Windows Phone 7 was always going to be tech-heavy – and that's proved to be the case. Featuring a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen and a cool industrial design, the Samsung Omnia 7 is a slightly different take from the LG and HTC crowd.
It hasn't gone big on the camera side of things like the HTC 7 Mozart, packing only a 5-megapixel camera and a single LED flash. But it's that screen that really makes things pop on this phone – it's almost like the feeling you get when you first see a Blu-ray on a proper HD telly: everything looks more real than reality itself.
New Apple iPod touch 4G (2010) review
The iPod touch has been the world's premium MP3 player for some time now, and with the launch of the new iPod touch 4G model, that doesn't look like changing. Despite the new iPod touch being even thinner than last year's model, Apple has managed to squeeze into it a super-sharp Retina display, two cameras and the A4 processor that powers the iPhone 4 and iPad.
Apple TV review
Apple TV has dumped its 40GB of storage, three-quarters of its footprint and halved its UK price. And yet Steve Jobs continues to refer to it as a "hobby". Perhaps it's because Apple TV remains somewhat of an enigma.
It doesn't fit into Apple's main product groups – on apple.com it's filed under 'iPod' in the category tree. On one hand Apple seems to want to shove it under the carpet, on the other it keeps re-inventing the device.
We'll be positive though – Apple TV is a darn good media box to use with your Mac and with iTunes more specifically, and its price has reduced significantly – even if you would pay a shade over £60 for this box in the US – and that's a big saving and a big shame.
HTC HD7 review
The HTC HD7 is by far the biggest of them, with a Desire HD- and HD2-matching 4.3-inch screen atop the near-identical hardware specs of its other WP7 brethren. In the hand it feels a bit gargantuan – smaller hands might struggle to contain its heft, but luckily it feels thin enough to not give the impression of a small netbook in your pocket.
Also reviewed this week...
Audio systems
Onkyo HTS-3305 review
AV Receivers
Yamaha RX-V567 review
Samsung HW-C500 review
Hard disk drives
Adata S596 Turbo SSD review
Laptops
Acer Aspire 5551-P32G32Mn review
HP 620 review
Samsung R730 review
Asus K72F-TY011V review
Fujitsu LifeBook AH530 review
HP Pavilion dv6-3040sa review
Media Streaming
Apple TV review
Mobile phones
Samsung Galaxy Europa i5500 review
Orange San Francisco review
Sony Ericsson Spiro review
Samsung Omnia 7 review
Operating systems
Microsoft Windows Phone 7 review
Printers
Canon PIXMA MP495 review
Canon PIXMA MG5150 review
Epson BX305FW review
HP Photosmart Plus eAll-in-One review
Processors
AMD Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition review
Speakers
PSB Imagine Series review
Paradigm Seismic 110 review
XTZ 99 W12.18 ICE review
TVs
Sony KDL-40EX43BKDL-40EX43B review
Panasonic TX-P50V20B review
Toshiba 37RV753 review
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