Opinion: Enterprise becomes the next tablet frontier as Apple and Microsoft eye productivity
Apple and Microsoft's tablet ambitions have taken on diverging paths. While the iPad is still the reigning tablet leader, Apple revealed sales of its tablets continue to decline in an earnings call late Tuesday. On the other hand, Microsoft touts a growing Surface business in financial numbers released on the same day.
With sales at stake, productivity may be a key feature that Microsoft and Apple will target with their tablet plans. The numbers released are in line with analysts' forecasts for the state of the tablet market, but they also add color ahead of some anticipated and important product announcements.
Microsoft will release a major upgrade to its Windows operating system on July 29, and the company is rumored to unveil its Surface Pro 4 flagship later this year. Apple will follow in the fall with the debut of its iOS 9 operating system. There is also heavy anticipation for an iPad Pro tablet that will appease business users with a larger 12.9-inch display and rumored support for an active digitizing pen.
The earnings
Microsoft revealed that Surface sales increased by 117%. The Microsoft-branded tablet business brought in $888 million for the quarter. If this momentum sustains, Surface represents a $3.5 billion annual business for Microsoft.
Microsoft's Surface line currently consists of the Windows 8.1-powered Surface 3 and Surface Pro 3. Users will be able to upgrade both tablets to Windows 10 for free if they act within the first year of the operating system's release. An LTE version of the Surface 3 will be available this Friday, and Microsoft is also expanding the Surface business to include the new Surface Hub.
On the other hand, Apple's tablet sales shrank by 18%. Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri reported that 10.9 million iPads were sold in the most recently ended quarter. Revenue for the iPad is down 23% compared to the same quarter last year. Conversely, Apple's Mac business is growing, with sales up 9%.
Apple's most current tablet models include the iPad mini 3 and iPad Air 2. The company continues to sell the original iPad Air and older iPad mini 2 at a lower price.
Despite the decline in iPad adoption, CEO Tim Cook said he is still bullish about the tablet market, noting that the experience is "unbelievably great." Cook points out that the iPad will get better with new features this fall, such as simultaneous multitasking capabilities and picture-in-picture video viewing.
Is productivity the killer tablet app?
Productivity may be the biggest battleground for the tablet market in 2015. Apple announced during its WWDC 2015 keynote that iOS 9 will bring more productivity features to the iPad, including better support for Bluetooth keyboards, keyboard shortcuts, a new QuickType keyboard for easy text selection and multitasking windows.Microsoft announced that as a part of Windows 10, tablets, like the Surface 3 and Surface Pro 3, will gain more multitasking options through Snap. A new feature called Continuum allows tablet owners to connect a keyboard, for example, and have the user interface change to a desktop experience. Remove the keyboard, and the UI adapts with bigger icons for finger-friendly touch input.
Apps, which traditionally played a large part in device adoption, may become less significant. Standardized technology like HTML 5, better browsers, more robust internet connectivity and larger screens mean that tablet owners need to rely less on apps.
Take Google Docs and Microsoft Office 365, for example. Even though you can download Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint as apps onto your tablets, you can also easily work within the browser.
On tablets with larger screens, the focus is more similar to the desktop, and users are more concerned about performing tasks simultaneously. This means doing research in the browser while working in a Word document at the same time.
Single-tasking is more important on smartphones, which come with smaller displays. Screen sizes on tablets rival display sizes on notebooks, and users are wondering why they can't have the same level of productivity that they can achieve on a laptop.
Windows versatility
Windows also provides for a more versatile computing environment. Recent numbers released by Canalys show that even though the overall tablet market is in decline, there is still a bright spot as hybrid notebooks continue to grow. These systems allow consumers to have the versatility of a laptop and a tablet in a single device.The Surface Pro 3 is one option. The optional removable Type Cover keyboard case allows the tablet to be used a laptop. Engage the kickstand, snap on the keyboard cover and Windows runs apps and programs as it does on a traditional notebook or desktop. Another type of device in this category are convertible notebooks, like the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro or the HP Spectre x360. These devices are primarily used in laptop mode, but if you need to switch to a tablet, the 360-degree hinge allows the keyboard to fold back behind the display.
Even though users can connect a Bluetooth keyboard to an iPad, iOS doesn't support a Bluetooth mouse yet. For iPad owners who attach a keyboard, the experience isn't as fluid as on the Surface Type Cover, which comes with a keyboard and touchpad.
With Windows, you can run all your legacy desktop programs. For businesses, this could result in large savings as programs can run just as they would on a regular desktop PC without requiring additional coding.
End users save cost, time and weight when traveling with a hybrid Windows system. Rather than having to buy a $1,000 notebook and a separate $500 tablet, you can get a two-in-one device for the price of just the notebook. There are even more affordable two-in-one devices that run on a less powerful Intel Atom processor.
With a single device, you'll save time managing files, data and apps. Instead of having to buy the Microsoft Office suite for both your tablet and your laptop, you'll only need one copy of the software. When it comes to files, you don't have to worry about transferring files between two separate systems.
Finally, for business travelers, students and road warriors, having a two-in-device saves you space in your travel bag. You'll have to carry one device instead of two.
Enterprise adoption
Unlike smartphones that get upgraded every year or two, tablets have a longer life cycle. Consumers may hold onto a tablet for a few years, and upgrade cycles may be closer to that of the traditional PC or notebook.A key area for growth is enterprise adoption. Even though Apple claims that 98% of Fortune 500 and 93% of Global 500 companies have adopted iPad, there's still a lot of room for growth in the enterprise market.
Microsoft's strength in the enterprise segment is that its operating system is used by close to 90% of the PCs globally, and IT managers are familiar with the OS. Additionally, some Windows tablets are designed to survive use in harsh environments, like the Dell Latitude 12 Rugged Tablet and the Panasonic ToughPad. Windows benefits with security features, like Smart Card access, TPM 1.2 and biometric support.
To strengthen its position in enterprise, Apple has added security features like Touch ID, remote wipe and a tracking feature to locate lost tablets. Apple also joined forces with IBM to build more enterprise-focused apps for businesses.
iOS will need to scale up to match Windows's features, and Windows developers will need to simplify the UI and experience of their apps and programs to match the ease of use on iOS.
- Read our guide for the best Windows tablets
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Hackers sabotage Jeep remotely
Having your car stolen is an absolute nightmare, but having it stolen while you're still behind the wheel is considerably worse.
While the benefits of driving a vehicle that's internet-connected and loaded with in-car tech are numerous, a pair of US cybersecurity researchers have demonstrated that all these bells and whistles can leave modern cars vulnerable to attacks that older models never were.
Based in St Louis, Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek have spent the last 12 months developing software that exploits a weakness in the Jeep Cherokee's Fiat Chrysler-developed Uconnect system, enabling them to wirelessly hack it from a distance.
Is this a test?
In a controlled test, the pair demonstrated how the Jeep's radio and other inessential features could be manipulated remotely, before moving on to take control of the car's steering, brakes and engine away from the driver.The cellular connectivity technology attacked by the pair is found in as many as 471,000 vehicles in the US. It uses the Sprint cellular network to connect the car to the internet, enabling owners to use smartphones to activate features such as remote engine start, GPS tracking, and anti-theft measures.
Fiat Chrysler has issued a patch to address the system's vulnerabilities, but Miller and Valasek's demonstration is a sobering reminder of the motoring industry's need to develop secure tech for cars.
Source: Wired
It's not all bad news for car tech. The Tesla Model S just hit Ludicrous Speed.
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Wikipedia's founder is bringing a charity-driven phone carrier to the US
Wikipedia's founder Jimmy Wales is bringing a new MVNO phone carrier called The People's Operator (TPO) to US shores.
Working off of Sprint's network, TPO offers prepaid and post-paid cell phone plans and mobile internet plans. And if you sign up, TPO will give 10% of your bill to a charity of your choice.
"Instead of doing what other companies do and spend more than 10% of your money on expensive TV commercials and billboards, TPO gives 10% to something you care about," the company said on its website.
There are seven prepaid options, starting at $9 per month which gives you 250 minutes for talk and 250 texts, with no data. On the top end, you can get up to 11GB of data with unlimited talk and text for $89 per month.
For post-paid options, you get unlimited calls and text with five different data tiers ranging from $32 per month for 2GB to $86 per month for 13GB of data. TPO also offers two mobile data plans for tablets; $29 per month for 2GB of data or $35 per month for 3GB.
You can also buy a handset through TPO as well, with the lineup including iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy S6 and HTC One M8.
A social network too?
While TPO was founded by Andrew Rosenfeld, Mark Epstein and Tom Gutteridge, Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales joined the company in 2014 as chairman and head of digital strategy.TPO has been available in the UK for some time now, with Wales joining on in time to launch the MVNO in the US.
Wales is also responsible for spearheading TPO's new social network as well, which it says is "a community of people that are raising money for causes just by being part of it."
"It's an ad-free social space, that is supported by a one-of-a-kind mobile network."
The TPO social network works as an open platform where people can raise money for any cause, but also share photos, and connect and talk to friends or family, similar to Facebook.
It's currently in beta, and you can sign up without having to be customer of the phone carrier. Charity organizations can also set up their own pages on the social network, too.
Will you be signing up to the carrier or social network?
- T-Mobile knocked down its network borders to Mexico and Canada
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The PS4 is finally getting the piece of hardware it needs
We should all be thanking PDP for sneakily (not) announcing a new remote control for the PS4 so we can carry on binge watching Netflix without using a DualShock controller.
With the meager amount of games on the PlayStation, it seems like the console ends up as machine for streaming, or used as a Blu-ray player anyway.
The Xbox One and the previous consoles already have remotes on hand but for some reason, it's taken the PS4 a little longer.
Thankfully, it looks like Amazon and Gamestop - and likely other retailers later - are making sure we can finally get one in October for $30 (about £19, AU$40), though you can pre-order it now.
The sites also note you can use the remote for up to four devices, there will be dedicated buttons for PS4 Home and there's a minimum six month battery life under normal use (with the requirement of two AAA batteries).
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Microsoft avoids red ring of death with improved Xbox sales
Microsoft's fourth-quarter sales report reads a bit like a Shakespearean play - it's basically a roller coaster of emotions.
The major highlight for gamers, however, is that the Xbox One has finally turned the tide on its blundered launch, posting a 27% increase in revenue year-over-year. This number, a combination of console sales, game sales and Xbox Live transactions, contributed to the $28 billion (about £18 billion, AU$37 billion) in profit the Redmond firm posted in the fourth financial quarter of 2015.
If only the rest of the divisions up in Redmond had similar results.
Windows OEM revenue (think computer components) dropped 22% before the company lost $7.6 billion (about £4.9 billion, AU$10 billion) in the Nokia division's restructuring process, which resulted in a several billion dollar net loss for the company.
To new beginnings
The Xbox One's momentum in the fourth quarter should be a major boon to the company once Windows 10 launches later next week. More consoles means better interconnectivity between PCs and Microsoft's systems, and a better ecosystem is a win-win for everyone.Microsoft still faces a major hurdle with sales of the console with the most recent sales results showing PS4 outselling Xbox One 23 million units to 12 million. But with Halo 5: Guardians and Rise of the Tomb Raider just a few months away, that ratio could shift.
- Here's what Microsoft has in store for the next Xbox!
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iPhone, Apple Watch and Apple Music: The big takeaways
Apple reported on its fiscal Q3 2015 earnings today, following the launch of the Apple Watch and Apple Music just a short time ago.
Apple was happy to report on increased revenues and sales, but with all the numbers being thrown around, we've rounded them up for you.
For what its worth
The Cupertino giant reported to investors that it saw revenues up 33%, raking in US$49.6 billion in revenue for the quarter, with US$10.7 billion in net profit.This compares to a revenue of $37.4 billion and net profit of $7.7 billion during the same quarter last year.
"We had an amazing quarter, with iPhone revenue up 59% over last year, strong sales of Mac, all-time record revenue from services, driven by the App Store, and a great start for Apple Watch," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO.
Apple attributes 64% of the revenue to international sales, as well as an increase to iPhone and Mac sales, while the Apple Watch launch seemingly made an impact as well.
A watchful year
The Apple Watch has only been available for a short while, but Cook revealed there are already 8,500 apps for the wearable available in the App Store.The tech giant didn't reveal any details about how many Apple Watches it has sold to date, but said it's had a great start, with CFO Luca Maestri claiming that Apple Watch has accounted for more than 100% of growth in the "Other Products" category.
Apple said that demand for the Apple Watch exceeded supply even at the pre-order stage (which had been offered in nine countries to begin with), and the company has only just started to catch up with the demand and will expand availability to more countries soon.
It should be noted that Apple lumps the revenue numbers for Apple Watch under "Other Products," which includes sales numbers for iPod, Beats Electronics, Apple TV and Apple-branded and third-party accessories.
Revenue for these products was up by nearly $952 million from the previous previous, to $2.64 billion, and the Apple Watch made an impact with possible Watch sales amounting to around $1 billion.
Cook also added a few more numbers in regards to the Watch, saying there is currently a 97% customer satisfaction rate and 94% customers wear and use the Apple Watch everyday. Cook said customer satisfaction is an indication for long-term success.
The radio star hasn't been killed
Apple Music seems to be having a rather successful start, with Cook noting that "millions and millions" of people are currently trying out Apple Music through the 3-month free trial.Of course, this may or may not translate to those same millions and millions signing up to subscription service after the free trial period is over.
Apple also claimed there are currently over 30,000 artists using Apple Music's Connect feature.
The trio
The iPhone still makes up Apple's largest chunk of total revenue at about 70%, and it saw a massive 59% increase from the same period last year, with 47.5 million units sold.This compares to last year's 35.2 million unit sales for the same period. However, this quarter's sales are notably down from the second quarter, which saw 61.1 million units sold.
Of course, with the iPhone 6S and iOS 9 expected to launch in a few months' time, sales are expected to see a big increase by the end of the year.
This quarter's iPad sales - 10,931 units sold with $4,538 in revenue - also saw a decrease from both the previous quarter (12,623 units) and last year's third quarter (13,276), indicating that Apple's slates may be struggling. Could a new iPad launch later this year see sales swing back?
Macs, on the other hand, had increased sales, though only very slightly. There were 4,796 units sold this quarter for a revenue of $6,030, up from last year's 4,413 unit sales and last quarters 4,563 unit sales.
What's next?
While we have already seen the launch of Apple Watch and Apple Music this year, the Cupertino-based giant still has a lot of things in store in the coming months.We still expect the iPhone 6S to be launched in September, along with iOS 9. The company also has watchOS 2 in the works as well OS X El Capitan for Mac.
And with "millions and millions" of users to see their free trial period for Apple Music come to an end in 3 months' time, it will interesting to see how many actually sign up for the subscription service.
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How to stream games on Twitch
Getting started with livestreaming
Watching other people play games used to be the exclusive realm of the "Let's Play," but live streaming gameplay has offered a new way to view your favorite titles. Improved hardware, faster internet connections, and the immediacy that comes with live broadcasting have all made streaming gameplay possible and popular.
From streamers who have garnered tens of thousands of viewers to the eSports events attracting millions of viewers, Twitch has become the go to place for live games broadcasting. If you want to get noticed, Twitch is the place where the crowds are. Beyond its sheer popularity,, it's also the easiest way to get started with streaming.
Thankfully, jumping into streaming games yourself is a fairly simple process. Right now, Sony's PS4, Microsoft's Xbox One, and the venerable PC can all stream without any extra hardware. All you need is Twitch.
Sign up with Twitch
Of course, the first step to becoming the next Twitch superstar is to sign up for the service. Creating a Twitch account is no different from a thousand other online accounts you've likely set up in the past, but resist the temptation to sign-in with your Facebook or other social media account.
While this method certainly streamlines the signup process, you can avoid headaches and have all your devices live harmoniously under one simple, standalone Twitch username and password.
Once you've signed up with Twitch, the three platforms have different pathways to get you streaming. Basically, the only commonality they share is prompting you for login credentials.
Twitch on PS4
The PS4 had a big advantage out the gate with built-in Twitch streaming, which the Xbox One eventually added post-launch with a patch. Both consoles allow you to record and share games, but the PS4 is arguably the easier of the two to set up and to use.
The Share button on the left side of the controller touchpad brings up the option to broadcast gameplay. Selecting that gives you the choice to stream through Twitch as well as Ustream, another streaming service that isn't as heavily focused on gaming.
Setting your stream in motion
Selecting Twitch on the PS4 will prompt you for your username and password. After you've logged in, you're given a few configuration options. If you have a PlayStation Camera, you can set it to record your lovely face, which will appear picture-in-picture during your livestreams.
There are also options for sound, so viewers can hear you provide commentary (or cursing) as you play. Note: Video and sound require separate hardware depending on the platform. Picture-in-picture video on PS4 requires a PlayStation Camera for video, while the Xbox One requires Kinect, and the PC requires a web camera. Recording and broadcasting your voice also requires a microphone compatible with your platform.
You can choose the quality of your broadcast, depending on your internet connection. Streaming over a wired connection is definitely recommended for more throughput and because of its reliability. If you want to stream over a wired connection on the PS4, you need to go into the network settings on the console and change the setting from wireless to LAN. The PS4 doesn't do this automatically, so you could be denying your viewers the best experience without realizing it.
Once you've set it up, beginning your streams is as easy as hitting the Share button on the PS4 controller, choosing "Twitch," and going to town on it. The Twitch chat window will live on the side of your screen, and the gameplay window will be sized appropriately to maintain the aspect ratio.
Broadcast Gameplay
Once you're in a game and your Twitch account is in place, streaming is a simple matter of hitting the Share button, selecting "Broadcast Gameplay" and then choosing Twitch as your streaming option.
From there, you can give your broadcast a title and advertise your link on social media. Assuming you've connected your social media accounts on the PS4, there are options to post a link to your stream on Facebook and Twitter. Your Twitch stream also shows up on your profile for your PlayStation Network friends to see on the PS4 home screen.
Twitch on Xbox One
Streaming on the Xbox One isn't quite as easy as it is on PS4, but it's nothing to fear. While the Xbox One lacks the lovely Share button that's built into the PS4 controller, the Xbox One does have Kinect functionality for Twitch.
Assuming you own a Kinect 2.0, starting your Xbox One live-streaming experience is a matter of saying "Xbox, broadcast." Starting up Twitch sans Kinect is a simple matter of opening the Twitch app.
Speaking of which, unlike the PS4, you will need to visit the Xbox Store apps section to download the Twitch app before you can begin, as it isn't included with the Xbox One. Setting it up is essentially the same as setting up Twitch on the PS4.
After logging in with your username and password, you'll need to visit twitch.tv/activate to enter the code displayed on your Xbox screen. After that, your Xbox One will be successfully linked to your Twitch account.
Aren't you glad you got a Kinect?
If you have Kinect, you can set it to pick up your voice as well as record video. Footage from the Kinect will appear as a picture-in-picture for your viewers, so they can watch your expressions, or lack thereof, as you play.
Once the Twitch app is running, you'll find the chat window on one side of the screen, and the gameplay will automatically resize to fit the window. The chat and Twitch interface can be hidden by using the somewhat unintuitive, but easy to use, Xbox Snap feature.
The Twitch app on Xbox One also allows you to watch other people's broadcasts on your television, and you can find content either by searching games or specific channels. The Xbox One lacks the options to notify your friends and fans of your broadcast over Facebook and Twitter. Fortunately, though, Twitch has the option built-in, which we'll get to later.
The Xbox One also encourages fans to join in. Viewers of your stream can send a party request through the Xbox One to join your raid, multiplayer match or what have you.
PC: More options
Of the three gaming platforms with built-in streaming, PC is perhaps the most daunting to set up, but if you're playing on PC, you probably aren't afraid of a few configuration options.
The first thing you need to figure out before streaming your PC games is whether your rig can handle it. Twitch officially recommends the minimum specs of an Intel Core i5-4670 or AMD equivalent, at least 8GB of RAM, and Windows 7 Home Premium or newer.
Choosing the right software
Once you've determined that your computer can handle Twitch streaming, the next step is to decide on broadcasting software. According to Twitch's website, Xsplit Broadcaster is the most popular software currently used to broadcast, but there are many others, like Open Broadcaster Software and FFSplit.
If you have a Nvidia graphics card that supports the GeForce Experience application, you can also use ShadowPlay. The Nvidia application is yet another game recorder and broadcaster that can stream to Twitch.
While each solution has its own set of dials and knobs that can be adjusted, they all operate in essentially the same way. You enter your Twitch login credentials, set a hotkey combination to turn streaming on or off, and you're ready to start streaming.
One minor annoyance that might crop up is needing to keep a browser window open to see the chat window on your stream. If you aren't a fan of cluttered desktops, you can always download the Twitch app to your mobile device and monitor the chat window from there.
Other things you should know about Twitch streaming
You don't need web hosting to broadcast or to save your gameplay sessions. Twitch will archive your streams for up to two weeks with a basic account. You can also export your broadcast archives to YouTube by linking your account in the Twitch's settings under connections.
The Twitch connections page also has your social media options. You can link Facebook and Twitter to your Twitch account so when you start a stream, it automatically sends out a notification to your social media feeds. This is a great tool for helping build an audience as it automates your advertising and let's your friends know exactly when they can tune-in.
Twitch has a paid option known as Twitch Turbo. This $9 USD option removes ads from streams you watch, offers extended chat options like custom colors and emoticons, and provides a badge overlay for your streams to let everyone know you're a Turbo member.
Turbo subscribers also get 60 days archiving for their streams, a huge increase over the 14-day standard archive with a free account.
The really hard part
Setting up the hardware and software is the easy part. Now that you're live and streaming out your games, the hard part is building an audience. While we'll save building a huge audience for another how to, here are some helpful tips to build your fanbase.
If you have something entertaining to offer, people will take notice. It also helps if you play a game that's fun for people to watch, such as Super Meat Boy or Five Nights at Freddy's.
Be entertaining
It's not enough to just be good at a game to build an audience. People want to be entertained. If you really want to gain a following on Twitch, you need to strike a balance between game choice, game skill, and personality.
Of the three, personality is arguably the most important, followed by game skill. If you need some inspiration, the good news is that there are lots of streamers on Twitch right now that you can watch and learn from.
Hearthstone player Amaz is both extremely skilled and fun to watch, TotalBiscuit offers some hilarious and often controversial commentary and Two Angry Gamers didn't earn their name for their calm disposition. If you find a popular Twitch streamer you particularly enjoy, trying to figure out what it is that makes their show work will help you find your own hook.
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Microsoft's phone business is dying, but everything else is booming
We all knew Microsoft was going to report a rough fiscal 2015 after recently laying off 7,500 employees and writing off more than $7.6 billion due to its failed Nokia investment. But that doesn't mean they're sobbing in Redmond, Washington.
In fact, Microsoft announced that its Surface business grew 117% to $888 million in sales during 2015, thanks in large part to the Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3 hybrid laptops. Microsoft's Office 365 business was also booming this year, up 3% as the company introduced an additional 15 million users to the productivity suite.
Even the company's oft-ridiculed search advertising business, Bing, increased revenue 21% during the fiscal year and now has a 20% market share in the US, trailing the obvious likes of Google for possession of first place.
Gearing up for 2016
All of this good news comes a little more than a week away from Microsoft's grand unveiling of the Windows 10 operating system.Windows 10, which has received largely positive reviews, will replace the critically lambasted Windows 8, and should improve Microsoft's hardware and software sales with consumers and businesses.
As will new products like the Hololens and Surface Hub, which should help Microsoft gain an even deeper foothold for entertainment and business users, respectively.
However, Windows Phones fanatics will probably continue to lament their allegiance, even into fiscal 2016. Microsoft announced that phone hardware revenue decreased 38% to $748 million in 2015.
Although Microsoft is expected to launch Windows 10 Mobile in September, it's unlikely the operating system will help dig the company out of such a massive hole in terms of public perception and consumer adoption.
The cloud business
Microsoft's commercial cloud revenue increased 88% to more than $8 billion during the fiscal year. This business includes Office, Dynamics CRM and Azure.This is a huge coup for CEO Satya Nadella whose three main points of focus have been the Internet of Things, Mobility and Cloud, since he took over the company in February of last year.
Even though Microsoft is making a big push for the cloud, it isn't abandoning businesses with on-premise data centers. "We fundamentally think of our servers as the extension of the cloud," Nadella said in a call with analysts. "I even describe it architecturally as the edge of our cloud."
Nadella said that server revenue rose 4%.
The big picture
Overall, Microsoft's revenue decreased 5% this year to $22.08 billion, compared with $23.382 billion in fiscal 2014.
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Google Glass 2 could be an enterprise-only offering
While we reported just a couple of weeks ago that Google Glass 2 with its bigger prism design looks to be a real thing, a new report indicates this latest Glass won't be targeted to consumers at all.
This might be due to the entire design of the "Enterprise Edition," which, according to sources speaking to 9to5Mac again, will be more durable and better suited to factories and even hospitals.
Though it will look similar to what we saw in the Explorer Edition, the report says that the new Glass will be foldable like a normal pair of glasses thanks to a new "robust hinge" on the right side of the frames where the electronics are.
There will also be fewer buttons and ports to make it potentially water resistant, as well as better battery life and heat management thanks to a new Intel Atom processor.
Most interestingly, though, the sources claim that Google will only be offering the Enterprise Edition exclusively to its Glass for Work partners, and it will not be available for sale to consumers.
But while it looks like Google may have given up on a consumer-level Glass, the tech-giant may still surprise us all.
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Apple Watch sales just got a little less mysterious
Apple stuck to its guns in deciding not to reveal Apple Watch sales figures in its fiscal Q3 2015 earnings report and investor call today, citing concerns competitors could use the metrics to their advantage.
Still, the Cupertino company did offer some clues as to how the brand-new wearable is doing.
CEO Tim Cook said the Watch launch got off to "to a great start," but more importantly that Apple Watch sales exceeded internal expectations.
One big insight into how the Watch is faring lays in revenue for "Other Products," where Apple lumps together the Apple Watch with Apple TV, Beats Electronics, iPod, and Apple-branded and third-party accessories. Revenue for these products was up by nearly $952 million from the quarter previous (when the Apple Watch wasn't on sale), to $2.64 billion in Q3.
CFO Luca Maestri said during the investor call that the Apple Watch accounted for more than 100% growth in the category, which includes products like the iPod, a device with shrinking sales. So, Watch sales could have reached around $1 billion in Q3, though there's no way to know just how many units were sold since the device is available at varying price points.
Maestri did tell the New York Times that in the Watch's first nine weeks, its sales beat out the amount of iPhones and iPads sold in during those devices' first nine weeks of availability. According to the AP, Apple sold 1 million iPhones in its first 10-plus weeks, while the iPad sold 2 million units in its first 60 days.
Wishful Watching
It's not likely we'll hear Apple Watch sales specifics anytime soon, something that will no doubt continue to irk journalists, analysts, investors and interested consumers,.Apple seems satisfied with the Watch's start and its decision not to reveal specifics, despite external pressure to do so.
Cook said with over 8,500 third-party Watch apps and Watch OS 2 heading to developers, the Watch experience is only going to continue to improve.
The CEO also said the company expects the Watch to be one of the biggest gifts over the holiday period, and that it plans to expand the channel in preparation.
He also touted high customer satisfaction rate (97%) as a sign the Watch is poised for long-term success.
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Nokia's first VR device could be unveiled next week
Nokia could announce its first VR product at a private event next week in Los Angeles. While no clues as to the device’s appearance or functionality have been shared, sources close to the company claim that Nokia Technologies, the same group behind the attractive Nokia N1 tablet, are spearheading this VR project. So, whatever Nokia’s working on, it could and should look really good.
It only makes sense that Nokia would get into the VR game. Heck, it’d be stupid if it were to sit this one out. HTC is doing VR. So are Microsoft, Samsung and Google. Even Facebook is giving it a go with its purchase of Oculus Rift. The tech world at large has VR squarely focused in its sights.
I’ve seen some awesome VR products that have me excited (and slightly terrified) for the future, but my curiosity is piqued most by Nokia because of its unique position in the market. Microsoft still owns Nokia’s phone division, but Nokia Technologies remains independent and is one of few major companies that isn’t restricted to making a device exclusively for one platform or operating system.
What Nokia will decide to do with that freedom, I’m not sure. But I’m eager to see what the company has been working on next week.
Via Re/code
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New Apple and IBM enterprise iOS apps help streamline business operations
Apple and IBM unveiled 10 enterprise iOS apps for the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch covering various industries and areas of business to improve workflow.
The apps help employees and managers keep track of shift times, manage travel planning and tracking, service mortgage loans and connect with clients, diagnose issues in the field, inspect assets and document unsafe working conditions in factories. IBM and Apple claim these apps will reduce or eliminate paperwork, save data entry time and streamline workflows.
These new apps join the existing 22 enterprise-ready MobileFirst apps designed by the Apple and IBM partnership formed more than a year ago. IBM promised to build a total of 100 new apps as part of this venture.
The MobileFirst collaboration
At the time, the partnership between IBM and Apple was unprecedented. The partners had once competed against each other in the early days of the personal PC market. That battle ended in 2005 when IBM sold off its ThinkPad and PC business to Lenovo, and for the first time ever in May 2015, IBM employees can choose an Apple MacBook Pro or Air as a work issued laptop."Our collaboration combines IBM's industry expertise and unmatched position in enterprise computing, with Apple's legendary user experience and excellence in product design to lift the performance of a new generation of business professionals," said Bridget van Kralingen, Senior Vice President, IBM Global Business Services, in a statement.
For Apple, the partnership helps Apple push its devices into the enterprise space. IBM benefits by being able to promote its cloud offerings, analytics and business services with the deal.
Rivals Samsung and BlackBerry also have formed a partnership to bring the latter's security software to the former's smartphones in a play for the enterprise.
Time tracking
There are two apps for managing shifts and schedules. The Shift Sync app is designed for employees to view schedules, accept deadlines and submit vacation requests. The second Shift Track app is made for managers, providing analytics for scheduling. Managers can use the Shift Track app to approve time off requests and make changes to shifts and hours.The manager-made Shift Track app is an iPad-only app, while employees can view scheduling details on their iPhone or Apple Watch.
Travel
Thanks to Travel Plan and Travel Track, planning and tracking business travel is more manageable. The iPhone Travel Plan app uses analytics to scan calendar events, suggest trips and provide personal travel recommendations.While on your trip, the Travel Track app for iPhone and Apple Watch lets you see your itinerary and connect everyone in your travel group by scanning your party's calendars and reservations.
Loan servicing
Mortgage officers can use the Loan Advise app on their iPads to collect client information. Once loans are in progress, the Loan Track app for iPhone lets mortgage officers view loan statuses. The app can also send out updates to borrowers via email, instant message or text.Inspection and service
The iPhone Asset Inspect app lets field technicians more efficiently diagnose problems. The app uses predictive analytics to show technicians potential problems with machines in the field, and the app can be used to pull up manuals, specifications and work history.The Expert Resolve app works in a similar way to the Asset Inspect app. Designed for field service professionals, the app uses analytics to pinpoint and identify common issues and display historical data. The app is designed for the iPad only.
The Field Inspect iPad app is designed for government inspectors. The app allows inspectors to go completely paperless. After inspection, the report can be submitted digitally to the appropriate government agency.
Safety first
For factory forepersons, the Safe Site app for iPhone helps to document and alert others of unsafe conditions. The app taps into the iPhone's built-in hardware, and forepersons can use the microphone and camera to capture and broadcast unsafe incidents instantly. iBeacon technology is also leveraged to alert forepersons if they're approaching an identified hazard.- Read our report on the future of enterprise mobility
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Someone made a 4K GoPro killer with interchangable lenses
4K cameras aren't in short supply anymore. Sony and Panasonic announcing new compact and mirrorless cameras capable of recording Ultra HD content. Meanwhile, the GoPro's Hero Black line of action cams have been able to shoot 4K camera for years.
Now a new camera company simply called Z has come out with something with a device that takes the best of both worlds. Meet the E1 camera, which it claims to be the smallest 4K camera that also uses interchangeable lenses.
Encased in a magnesium housing, the E1 is just about twice as big and heavy as a GoPro camera. However, the camera is still eminently pocketable and it comes packing a larger Panasonic Micro Four Thirds image sensor.
What's more, photographers can also mount Olympus and Panasonic lenses designed for a Micro Four Thirds system.
What can it shoot?
With an Ambarella A9 image processor onboard, the E1 Camera can capture 4K footage (4,096 x 2,160) at 24 frames per second or UHD video (3,840 x 2,160) at 30 frames per second.For plain old Full HD footage, the camera can record 1,080p video at 60 frames per second. Z Camera is also working on implementing 120 frames per second video for slow motion action likely at a lower resolution.
On the photo side, the E1 Camera takes 16MP RAW and JPG images. Decent low-light performance will also supposedly maintain high image quality up to 6,400 ISO, meanwhile, the E1 has a maximum ISO sensitivity of 102,400.
Users will be able to arrange their composition on the rear LCD. However, with a tiny resolution of 320 x 240, you might be better off using the accompanying smartphone, which pairs with the E1 over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy.
The E1 Camera is expected to start shipping this December and it will retail for $699 (about £449, AU$939). As of this writing, Z Camera is looking for funding on Kickstarter and it has passed its $42,000 (about £26,993, AU$56,447) goal with $191,528 (about £123,093, AU$257,412) in pledges.
- Need a new camera this summer? We have a few suggestions for the best shooter
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Updated: Apple fixed the services, including App Store, that went down for some users
Update 10.45am: All of Apple's disrupted services looks to be working again following problems that began earlier today.
Unfortunately, Apple has not indicated why some users were having problems with "all store services", but it looks to have fixed the problems about 3 hours after the issues began.
Apple's service update page only lists the issues as "Users experienced a problem with multiple iCloud services."
Original story below...
Several Apple services, including the App Store, Apple Music, the iTunes store and Apple TV are currently down for some users.
Apple has confirmed the outage on its service status page. It comes just as Beats1 radio DJs were announcing this year's nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards - a ceremony Apple has bagged as an exclusive. Did everything buckle under the traffic?
Read More ...
You can buy a Surface 3 with LTE for no extra cost*
While we knew an LTE version of Microsoft's Surface 3 was headed our way, AT&T has today announced that it will be the first to have the speedier model available starting this Friday, July 24.
The new model is identical to the Surface 3, touting the same Intel Atom processor, 10.8-inch 1920x1280 pixel display and a full-size 3.0 USB port - except, of course, it'll have faster LTE 4G internet data connectivity
However, while the Surface 3 comes in both 64GB and 128GB storage configurations, the new LTE model will only be available with 64GB of internal storage.
AT&T's deal
The Surface 3 with LTE will be priced at $599.99 outright through AT&T, which will be the first to have the LTE model starting this Friday.AT&T is also giving you the LTE model for $499.99, which at about the same price you can pick you the Surface 3 without LTE, which is priced at $499 - the caveat is that you'll need to sign up for a two-year contract.
The carrier also has a special promotion right now as well, offering the new Surface 3 model for $399.99 if you purchase any Lumia smartphone through AT&T's Next program.
The Surface 3 with LTE will come with Windows 8.1 preinstalled, but you'll be able to upgrade to Windows 10 next week, once it's available on July 29.
- Here's what we think of the Microsoft Surface 3
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Review: Fuji S9900W
Fuji's new S9900W and S9800 are broadly the same cameras as last year's S9400W and S9200 (which remain in Fuji's lineup for now), with a few modest improvements; as with the S9400W and S9200, the only distinction between the S9900W and S9800 is that the 'W' denotes Wi-Fi connectivity, and for the most part we'll stick to talking about the S9900W in this review.
Outwardly the new cameras are identical to their predecessors, but one notable upgrade is a boost in the resolution of the electronic viewfinder (EVF) from 201,000 dots to 920,000 dots, which produces a much smoother and sharper image.
Another improvement is in the Wi-Fi functionality of the S9900W. With the S9400W you could only transfer photos from the camera to a smartphone or tablet over Wi-Fi, but the S9900W adds the facility to control the camera remotely, using the Fujifilm Camera Remote app.
Other key specs are the same between the new pair of cameras and the old. The 50x optical zoom gives you an equivalent range of 24-1200mm in 35mm terms, and the maximum aperture ranges from f/2.9 to f/6.5. There's a three-inch, 460,000-dot LCD screen, and the cameras can record full 1080p HD video. Fuji says that the AA batteries which power the S9900W yield around 400 shots.
Build and Handling
The S9900W is a fairly large camera – you could mistake it for a DSLR at first glance. A textured coating encases the grip, which, along with an indent in the grip for your finger, helps it sit comfortably in the hand. Along with the customary zoom switch around the shutter release button there's a second zoom switch on the lens itself, which is handily within reach when you're using your left hand to steady the camera.The EVF is fairly small, and you need to press a button to turn it on, and the main screen off. You need to press the button again if you want to view the image you've just taken on the rear screen, which makes for a bit of an awkward transition – so much so that you may find you only use the EVF when very bright sunlight makes it difficult to use the screen.
Most of the S9900W's key settings can be adjusted via a group of buttons on the right of the rear panel, all of which are within easy reach of your thumb. The 'up' segment of the four-way keypad is customisable – it accesses the ISO (sensitivity) setting by default, but you can assign it to one of ten other functions if you find yourself often wanting to change a particular setting.
As well as a range of automatic modes, there are also manual and semi-automatic modes, which are selected via the mode dial on the top of the camera. Unfortunately there's only a choice of two or three aperture settings (depending on the focal length you're using), which is a little restrictive.
Performance
Unlike some bridge cameras on the market there's no option to shoot raw images, so you only have JPEG images to play with. However, in good light the S9900W performs well, producing images that contain plenty of detail.
If you examine shots at 100% it's possible to see some image smoothing throughout the sensitivity range, but it's not uncommon for sensors of this type and it doesn't impact on images at normal printing or web viewing sizes.
When it comes to low light shooting and higher ISOs, however, the S9900W is rather less impressive. Both image smoothing and noise are visible from around ISO 800 when images are viewed at A4 print size, while it's advisable to keep to ISO 3200 or below for small print and web sizes. The highest setting available is ISO 12800, which is best avoided unless you really have to get the shot.
Our lab tests indicate that detail resolution isn't quite on a par with cameras such as the Nikon P610 throughout the sensitivity range.
Most of the time, the S9900W's automatic metering works well to produce accurate exposures, requiring just a touch of exposure compensation in very high-contrast situations. The camera's auto white balance works well in a range of conditions to render colours accurately – even artificial lighting doesn't confuse it too much.
Detail is maintained well throughout the zoom range – there's a little loss of detail at the longest settings, but it's not too noticeable – and the S9900W's image stabilisation system helps to minimise blur caused by camera shake when shooting at long focal lengths.
Autofocus speeds are quick in good light, but darker conditions prove to be the S9900W's nemesis, with the AF taking two or three seconds to achieve focus in lower light. Operational speeds are a little lacklustre when the camera is called on to perform heavy processing too – if you've fired off a burst of shots, for example, it can be several seconds before the camera is ready to shoot again.
Verdict
In the crowded bridge camera marketplace there's nothing that really makes the S9900W, or the Wi-Fi-less S9800, stand out. While they're capable of capturing good-looking pictures, this is very much dependent on the light being good.The zoom range is generous, but 24-1200mm is fairly standard these days, and what were once enticing extras, such as Wi-Fi, are now pretty bog-standard offerings – although the S9900W's remote shooting feature adds a touch of Wi-Fi assisted novelty.
The camera is easy to use, and for day-trippers the fact that it uses AA batteries means that as long as you carry spares you won't have to worry about having access to a power source. But it would be nice to have the option of shooting in raw format, while a sensor would obviate the need to press a button to switch the electronic viewfinder on and off.
Read More ...
Updated: Best tablet 2015: Our top 10 ranking
Best tablets: From 10 to 6
What's the best tablet for 2015? Today's latest tablets compared and rated - constantly updatedThe tablet is now a thing - from the days when nobody thought a laptop without a keyboard to a good thing to today, where a slate full of more power than some games consoles is nestled in bags across the world.
And with that popularity comes the dreaded notion of choice. Do you eschew Apple's high prices, join the Android brigade and find the best iPad alternative? Or jump on board Cupertino's lovetrain, and use one of the most popular tablets on the planet?
We've made it easy for you and pulled together the top 10 tablets of the moment available in the UK.
It's a difficult process divining which place each of these excellent tablets should occupy in our list, so we take into account multiple elements including performance, battery life, screen quality and more.
Price plays a part, as does age: a tablet that's been replaced by a sequel will tumble down the rankings as you can get all the great features on a better slate.
If none of the top 10 tablets here take your fancy then head on over to our tablet reviews pages, where you'll find in-depth reviews for many more models.
Let us know your thoughts on the top 10 (and whether you think we've got the order wrong) in the comment box below.
10. Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2
Samsung throws everything into the fledgling maxi-tablet category
Weight: 753g | Dimensions: 295.6 x 204 x 8mm | OS: Android 4.4 | Screen size: 12.2-inch | Resolution: 2560 x 1600 | CPU: Quad-core 2.3 GHz | RAM: 3GB | Storage: 32/64GB | Battery: 9500mAh | Rear camera: 8MP | Front camera: 2MP
Large, bright screen
Improved Samsung UI
Creaky build quality
Unwieldy form factor
Thankfully
the 12.2-inch display is not all this slate has going for it, as the
Note Pro 12.2's 3GB of RAM and quad-core processor give it superior
performance, while the S Pen becomes truly useful in combination with
the slate's large, bright screen.It's an obvious choice for digital artists or anyone else who wants a device they can be productive on, but the bigger screen makes it great just for web browsing and watching videos too.
On the flip side the increased size makes it a little unwieldy and the build quality is a touch creaky thanks to the larger chassis, but is offset by the sheer expanse of screen to play with.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2
9. Lenovo Yoga 10 HD+
A Lenovo tablet that can do a little bit of yoga
Weight: 615g | Dimensions: 261 x 180 x 8.1mm | OS: Android 4.3 | Screen size: 10.1-inch | Resolution: 1200 x 1920 | CPU: Quad-core 1.6 GHz | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 16/32GB | Battery: 9000mAh | Rear camera: 8MP | Front camera: 1.6MP
Excellent battery life
Good quality screen
Battery cylinder gets in way
Heavy and bulky
The
cylindrical spine of the Yoga 10 HD+ serves as an easy way to grip in
portrait or as a stand for watching media in a lonely hotel room and the
1920 x 1200 pixel screen resolution is rather nice.While its sharpness won't compare to an iPad Air 2 or a Samsung Galaxy Tab S, it is still very nice to use and has plenty of brightness, a major upgrade on the old model.
Read the full review: Lenovo Yoga 10 HD+
8. Nvidia Shield Tablet
The perfect tablet for gaming on the go
Weight: 390g | Dimensions: 221 x 126 x 9.2 mm | OS: Android 5.0 | Screen size: 8-inch | Resolution: 1920 x 1200 | CPU: quad-core 2.2GHz | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 16GB | Battery: 19.75 Wh | Rear camera: 5MP | Front camera: 5MP
Great specs
Decently priced
Not as portable as the first
Contoller is beefy
If you're looking for a new tablet and top notch gaming performance the Shield Tablet is easily the top contender today.If may not have the looks of the iPad, or the buffet of features of the Samsungs and Sonys, but the Shield focuses on its gaming core very well.
The controller is an optional extra, which is slightly annoying, but considering the price of the tablet has now dropped to it's less of an issue.
- Shortlisted: for "Best Value Tablet" in the 2015 TechRadar Phone Awards
7. Nexus 9
Google's Nexus tablet is bigger in size and price
Weight: 425g | Dimensions: 228.2 x 153.7 x 8mm | OS: Android 5.0 | Screen size: 8.9-inch | Resolution: 1536 x 2048 | CPU: Dual-core 2.3 GHz | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 16/32GB | Battery: 6700 mAh | Rear camera: 8MP | Front camera: 1.6MP
Ideal 4:3 aspect ratio
Android 5.0 Lollipop
Pricier than before
Subpar display quality
The
Nexus 9 is a bit of a weird one - it's both the replacement for the
Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10, without really being a sequel to either thanks
to the all-new 8.9-inch screen.It's mimicking the iPad range by going for a 4:3 screen ratio (which means wider viewing for web browsing, but annoying black bars above and below when watching movies) so you've got a wider device that's not quite able to be gripped in one hand.
But that doesn't mean it's not a great tablet, helped by the fact it's made by HTC. The brand has brought over its Boomsound speakers for greater front facing audio, and the screen is certainly high resolution too.
- Shortlisted: for "Best Tablet" in the 2015 TechRadar Phone Awards
6. Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet
Lighter, faster, waterproof… this is a real iPad Air 2 rival
Weight: 389g | Dimensions: 254 x 167 x 6.1 mm | OS: Android 5.0 | Screen size: 10.1-inch | Resolution: 2560 x 1600 | CPU: octa-core | RAM: 3GB of RAM | Storage: 32GB | Battery: 6000mAh | Rear camera: 8.1MP | Front camera: 5.1MP
Gorgeous display
New improved design
Problematic UI
High price tag
Sony's
Xperia Z4 Tablet is one of the best Android tablets available on the
market and it's one of the few capable of putting up a fight against the
iPad Air 2.It's got a lovely screen, lightweight design, all the Sony elements you'd look for and the right power combination to keep it on the front foot.
The waterproof design makes it a more attractive proposition over the less robust slates on the market, although the UI isn't the slickest and the price tag is one of the highest.
- Shortlisted: for "Best Tablet" in the 2015 TechRadar Phone Awards
Number 5: iPad Mini 2
5. iPad Mini 2
A great tablet that still costs a little too much
Weight: 331g | Dimensions: 200 x 134.7 x 7.5mm | OS: iOS 7 | Screen size: 7.9-inch | Resolution: 1536 x 2048 | CPU: Dual-core 1.3GHz | RAM: 1GB | Storage: 16/32/64/128GB | Battery: 6470mAh | Rear camera: 5MP | Front camera: 1.2MP
Amazing screen
Brilliant design
Similar-spec rivals are much cheaper
16GB too low storage
Hey, it's the iPad Mini
2... right next to the Mini 3? There's a reason for this: they're
pretty much identical, apart from last year's model not having TouchID
and now only coming in 16GB and 32GB flavours.It's also has a substantial price drop, which is why it's hanging around so high in the list - in fact, we'd advise most people go for this older model if they're hankering for a smaller iPad, as it's got all the same power and display specs as the current model, for less cash.
Plus it has access to all those lovely apps and Apple's brilliant-for-tablets iOS 8 - not a bad choice at all.
Read the full review: iPad Mini 2
Number 4: Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
4. Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
Small but perfectly formed
Weight: 439g | Dimensions: 266 x 172 x 6.4mm | OS: Android OS, v4.4.2 | Screen size: 10.1-inch | Resolution: 1200 x 1920 | CPU: Quad-core 2.3GHz | RAM: 3GB | Storage: 16GB | Battery: 6000mAh | Rear camera: 8.1MP | Front camera: 2.2MP
Great battery life
Very thin and light
Screen sharpness beaten by others
Not incredible value
Sony's
gone a bit crackers in the naming department, but the Z3 Tablet Compact
is still a pretty decent device despite the obvious attempts to
shoehorn the word 'tablet' into the title to align it with the
smartphone.Let's get the main issue out of the way first: the screen isn't as high res as the competition, with Sony essentially sticking a stretched out smartphone display on the front. And the price isn't as palatable as some of the other options here.
But that looks past the fact Sony is pretty darn good at making these here tablets. Using its Bravia technology it makes the screen still look sharp and colourful, and the thin design makes the Z3 Tablet Compact easier to hold than you'd expect.
It's also waterproof, which is useful given its ebook-like dimensions, so you can happily use it next to the pool.
- Shortlisted: for "Best Tablet" in the 2015 TechRadar Phone Awards
Number 3: iPad Mini 3
3. iPad Mini 3
A small upgrade over the iPad Mini 2
Weight: 331g | Dimensions: 200 x 134.7 x 7.5mm | OS: iOS 8.1 | Screen size: 7.9-inch| Resolution: 1536 x 2048 | CPU: Dual-core 1.3GHz | RAM: 1GB | Storage: 16/64/128GB | Battery: 6470mAh | Rear camera: 5MP | Front camera: 1.2MP
Still well-designed
Slick OS
Too much like the mini 2
Overpriced compared to last year
The
iPad mini range is still a brilliant proposition, offering the best of
the iPad but squishing it down into a smaller package.Well, that's what happened last year - this year Apple has basically rebooted the Mini 2, put TouchID on the front, made it gold and called it a new tablet.
It's only ahead of the older version (a cheaper option while offering the same specs minus the biometrics) due to this being a list of the best tablets, and this is the best mini tablet from Apple, but it's not offering a lot more than last year's model.
What it does bring is good though: iOS 8 works very well on the mini 3, and the overall speed and compact size is still a very good combo, even at the higher price.
Read the full review: iPad Mini 3
Number 2: Samsung Galaxy Tab S
2. Samsung Galaxy Tab S
If you're after a tablet with an impossibly great screen...this is it
Weight: 467g | Dimensions: 247.3 x 177.3 x 6.6mm | OS: Android 4.4.2 | Screen size: 10.5-inch | Resolution: 2560 x 1600 | CPU: Quad-core 2.3 GHz | RAM: 3GB | Storage: 16/32GB | Battery: 7900mAh | Rear camera: 8MP | Front camera: 2.1MP
Excellent screen
Plenty of power
Still behind on design
Small on-board storage
Samsung
has been pouring a lot of effort into making a really decent iPad
rival, and that strategy has seen some hare-brained decisions (such as
launching the Tab Pro in January 2014, and then replacing it a few
months later with the Galaxy Tab S).But, apart from annoying anyone that's already bought into the Tab Pro range, this strategy has finally yielded a brilliant tablet in the shape of this Super AMOLED-shod Tab S duo. Available in both 8.4- and 10.5-inch screen sizes, Samsung has taken the best of its OS and technology ability, fused them with the best display on a tablet and created something pretty special.
The battery life is great, the screen has to be seen to be believed (and is excellent for media and internet viewing, which is really the point of a tablet) and the price is on a par with the rest of the industry. Well done, Samsung.
- Shortlisted: for "Best Tablet" in the 2015 TechRadar Phone Awards
Number 1: iPad Air 2
1. iPad Air 2
Apple has taken the perfect tablet and somehow made it even better
Weight: 437g | Dimensions: 240 x 169.5 x 6.1mm | OS: iOS 8.1 | Screen size: 9.7-inch | Resolution: 1536 x 2048 | CPU: Triple-core 1.5 GHz | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 16/64/128GB | Battery: 7340mAh | Rear camera: 8MP | Front camera: 1.2MP
Sleek
Superbly powerful
Volume silencer gone
16GB is too little storage
The iPad Air was an incredible achievement and yet somehow, remarkably, Apple has topped it with the iPad Air 2.It's even thinner and lighter than last time around and to a noticeable extent. The screen is better, with more vibrant colours, it's more powerful thanks to its A8X processor and the battery life holds up just as well. It even benefits from Touch ID and Apple Pay and while these features aren't as exciting here as they are on phones they're still nice to have.
In short the iPad Air 2 really is the complete package and while you can always find things to niggle about there are no significant flaws.
In the time since the original iPad Air launched everything else is still struggling to match it and yet Apple has managed to raise the benchmark higher still. Everyone else really has their work cut out if the iPad Air 2 is going to be unseated from the number one spot.
- Shortlisted: for "Best Tablet" in the 2015 TechRadar Phone Awards
Tablet apps
As with today's best smartphones, applications play a big role on tablets – once you've decided which of these tablets if right for you, check out our top app lists so you can get your fill of Temple Run, update your friends on Facebook and read the latest news, all on a bigger screen.Also consider
If the tablets on this list aren't enough for you then a) you're very hard to please, but b) we think we can still help out a little.We've covered the best above, but if you're after something a little cheaper or just haven't quite seen the slate for you then one of these might do the trick.
Google Nexus 7
A supercharged tablet
Weight: 290g | Dimensions: 200 x 114 x 8.7mm | OS: Android 4.3 | Screen size: 7-inch |Resolution: 1200 x 1920 pixels | CPU: Quad-core 1.5GHz | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 16/32GB | Battery: 3950mAh | Rear camera: 5MP | Front camera: 1.2MP
Great screen
Affordable
A lot of storage already occupied
Colors are slightly inaccurate
The
new Nexus 7 took over from the original 7-inch effort from Google in
2012, packing a 1.5Ghz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and comes with
either 16GB or 32GB of storageOffered up at just 290g, it's the perfect tablet for slinging in a bag and hurtling down to the local supermarket, or is equally adept at being a long-haul saviour, with reams of apps, a decent slug of battery life and that all-new high-res 7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 display with 323 ppi.
Read the full review: Google Nexus 7
Tesco Hudl 2
It's really cheap, but it's really rather nice
Weight: 410g | Dimensions: 224 x 128 x 9.14mm | OS: Android 4.4.2 | Screen size: 8.3-inch | Resolution: 1920 x 1200 | CPU: Quad-core 1.83GHz | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 16GB | Battery: 5710mAh | Rear camera: 5MP | Front camera: 1.2MP
Great value for money
Decent HD screen
Poor battery life
Tesco launcher sluggish
The
first Hudl was good - but this is a much better option. The Intel Atom
processor, the quad core speeds, the Full HD screen and the general
interface is really something to behold.The price tag is the best thing though: the Hudl 2 will cost no more than £129, and if you're a Tesco Clubcard holder it can be much, much cheaper.
Read the full review: Tesco Hudl 2
Microsoft Surface Pro 3
Is Redmond's latest tablet the laptop killer?
Weight: 790g | Dimensions: 292.10 x 201.42 x 9.14mm | OS: Windows 8.1 Pro | Screen size: 12-inch | Resolution: 2160 x 1440 | CPU: Quad-core 1.70 GHz | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 64/128/256/512GB | Battery: 5676mAh | Rear camera: 1080p | Front camera: 5MP
Sharp display and design
Huge Type Cover upgrade
OK battery life
Runs hot at times
With
a whole lot of power, an impressive display and a useful Type Cover for
when you need to get some serious work done the Microsoft Surface Pro 3
has got the muscle to compete with Ultrabooks and the portability and
ease of use to be an iPad alternative.It's not perfect. The battery life is seriously weak by tablet standards and it's a pricey bit of kit, but if you really want one device to fill both roles then this is the best option out there.
Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Pro 3
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Keitai: Keitai Special Volume 2: the best retro phone videos
Keitai Special Volume 2
Welcome back! After the unprecedented success* of Volume 1, we're back with the second instalment of our Keitai celebration and this time we're looking at some of the best retro phone videos.Get ready to view some questionable fashion statements, stellar moustaches and take in the stench of desperation as manufacturers try valiantly to make early phones sound fun.
Issue 1 - May 16
You know how people are always trying to put a phone into a watch? They're not trying hard enough. The Zihotch Watch (Hey, that rhymes!) asks you to poke the numbers 117 in the rotary dial, and a Japanese voice will tell the time.
Dial the wrong number and you'll be told the number you've tried is not in service (apparently… I don't speak Japanese).
If my 'time it takes stuff to come from Japan to the rest of the world' algorithm is correct, this 2007 invention is about to hit out shelves any day now.
Mint.
Issue 2 - May 22
Nothing says "buy some cell phones from us, please!" like a badly stitched fox puppet that looks like it's going to die and a bemused and embarrassed presenter (stand up comedian Lucy Porter, fact fans) who probably still gets Vietnam-like flashbacks to this awful time.
Cringe at Lucy comparing herself to a Siemens C35i in a positive way! Watch her dance awkwardly to the Motorola V2288's built-in FM radio! Enjoy the mangy fox puppet's ecstasy at the thought of getting an Ericsson T10 which comes with vibrating alerts! Imagine that - a phone that vibrates to let you know you've got a notification!
If he didn't have a hand up his puppet hole, who knows how excited he'd have got.
Issue 3 - May 29
"The affordable, transportable cellular phone is here!" exclaims this General Electric ad from 1989.
Among its headlining features is 30 number speed dialling, last number redial, electronic lock, light up keypad and... wait for it... adjustable volume control. Plus, there's an optional battery for true portable use (otherwise you'll be porting it from car to car).
Yours for just $397 (approximately £4 million in today's money).
Issue 4 - June 5
Pay attention kids, here's a life lesson in basic body language.
The suited gentleman in this 1996 Ericsson mobile phone advert, let's call him Frank, thinks he's just got himself a date by merely entering a restaurant and sitting at a table.
There's a lady on the table across from him – she looks like a Mallory – and judging by her hand placement she's either on the phone, or has a chronic headache. Either way, the mere fact that Mallory's not even looking at Frank should set alarm bells ringing in his head.
Unfortunately for Frank, he has not received this important life lesson and proceeds to embarrass himself by getting mistaken for a waiter. A waiter! You can't get lower than that.
Issue 5 - June 12
Imagine being privy to the meeting where this genius advert was thought up. It must have been something akin to a scene from Mad Men.
Two men are sat on a bench, one in a lovely light suit holding flowers ready for his date's arrival, the other a naughty businessman dressed in dark hues, being boring and reading his old newspaper.
The other guy gives up on his girl and storms off, resulting in free flowers for the evil man. The Evil Man then calls his girlfriend so they can meet and he can give her the free flowers…and what is he using? It's only a ruddy Nokia phone!
It's not clear why Nokia wanted to be associated with this guy, but he's going to get his comeuppance. He sets off to give his flowers to her…but only the audience know they have the other girl's name on them. Oh, how we laughed.
Issue 6 - June 19
We've had the Dancing Pony, Singing Kitty and even a boyband Muppet - but five years ago Three UK was already making annoyingly catchy adverts which had little relevance to anything, let alone phones.
Just as you start feeling sorry for the leading lady in this advert and the blatant bullying she's having to endure, the plot twists and she becomes a cold-blooded killer.
Catchy song, though.
Issue 7 - June 26
There's nothing people love more than comedy ringtones, especially when they're in a confined space and said tone is mimicking fart noises.
That is, if all those people are six years old. However, as full grown adults, anyone who laughs at this needs to be locked up.
*Stifles giggle*.
Issue 8 - July 3
This ad uses a strange tactic. Point out the fact using a smartphone will mean you disconnect with those around you… but then try and sell you one of those phones.
By the end of it no-one wants to go out and buy a phone even if it is "designed to get you in, and out, and back to life."
Issue 9 - July 10
The words "humour" and "Microsoft" go together as well as "cheese" and "petrol", but bless the Redmond company if it doesn't try! Here's an ageing Lumia 920 advert that shows the 'hilarious' consequences of inviting Apple and Android fanboys to a wedding that Game of Thrones fans would describe as "quite peaceful really".
Ignoring the fact that the advert seems to imply that there's no one passionate about Windows Phones, marvel as Microsoft makes fun of Apple users relying on voice-activated virtual assistant Siri (of course, Microsoft's voice-activated virtual assistant Cortana is completely different), or as it pokes fun at Samsung owners using over-sized devices (as Microsoft would never release a phablet...*cough* Nokia Lumia 1320 *cough*).
Perhaps the best part of the advert is when someone shouts "Is there an app for that?" after throwing a punch, because the lack of apps on Windows Phone is definitely a selling point.
- This article is part of Phone Week, celebrating the best bits about brilliant smartphones as part of the lead up to the TechRadar Phone Awards. To find out what the iPhone 7 could look like, how a phone could survive in space or just learning how to buy the perfect smartphone for you, bookmark TechRadar's Phone Week hub and check out all the great new content coming throughout the week!
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Updated: Project Cars cancelled on Wii U because the console can't handle it
The Wii U version of Project Cars has been cancelled, Slightly Mad Studios has confirmed.
We recently reported that the studio was struggling to get the game running smoothly on Nintendo's console, hitting around 23fps at the time (60fps on other platforms). The team were hoping that Nintendo might announce some new hardware at E3, but, as those of you who haven't been living under a rock for the last month will know, there was nothing.
Andy Tudor, Creative Director of Slightly Mad Studios, told us in a statement: "Despite much perseverance on the Wii U version of Project CARS we will no longer be actively pursuing development on it as the quality does not meet our own high standards nor our intended vision for the title on this platform."
'Simply too much'
"We eagerly look forward to any announcement of further hardware from Nintendo but right now Project CARS is simply too much for Wii U despite our very best efforts. Apologies to our Nintendo fans out there that have been waiting for further news on this but have no desire to release a product that isn't at the very least comparable with our highest-rated versions on other platforms. We optimistically look forward therefore to what the future may hold."Studio head Ian Bell originally broke the news to Nintendo Life in a statement quite similar to Tudor's. "As of now pCARS is simply too much for the Wii U," he said.
The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions were also cancelled during development, but we were holding out hope that Slightly Mad would find a way of getting the game working on Wii U. Alas, it was not to be.
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Phone Week: LG G5: The TechRadar concept
LG G5 - this is what we need to see next year
The LG G4 got a lot right, but with a couple of significant missteps and a few other minor niggles it didn't quite reach the heights of greatness we'd hoped.That's okay though, because 2016 is another year and the LG G5 is another chance for LG to deliver the handset we all know it's capable of.
We've taken it upon ourselves to put together a concept of how it should definitely look - we're thinking all metal, with a curved screen above and below (rather from side to side) and that fingerprint scanner in LG's magic power button on the back.
News and rumors
We've only really heard one LG G5 rumor so far, but it's a big one, as the phone could supposedly have an iris scanner, allowing it to recognise you by your eyes.We're bound to start seeing iris scanners in smartphones sooner or later and LG hasn't been afraid to innovate or be the first to do things in the past, so it's possible that the LG G5 will pack this tech, but we're a little sceptical.
Even if it does there's the worry that the first generation of this technology in phones will be clunky and little more than a gimmick. Still, if LG gets it right then it could be a major selling point.
1. An all-metal build
LG moved away from plastic towards a more premium design with the LG G4. It…didn't go well. The unusual choice of leather was certainly novel, but it felt cheap, looked odd and wasn't anywhere near as visually pleasing as the metal HTC One M9 or iPhone 6.
So hopefully the LG G5 will have a more conventional all-metal design. It's hard to go wrong with metal and it should make the phone even more premium and less divisive.
2. A fingerprint scanner
While many smartphones are now incorporating fingerprint scanners LG has so far resisted, and it's a shame as the prominent power button on the back of its devices is crying out for one.Turning the button into a single touch biometric scanner seems like an obvious decision and it would give the LG G5 one more useful feature.
The company is rumoured to be going a step further and working on an iris scanner and while we wouldn't say no to that a fingerprint scanner is probably a safer choice.
3. More innovative edges
We're bored of flat phones and if the LG G Flex 2 is anything to go by so is LG. But companies are yet to crack curves and we want to see LG try something new with the G4, so how about taking a note from the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, but rather than having curved sides have the screen spill over the top and bottom edge.That would give it an eye-catching look, but it wouldn't just be for show, the curves could also display extra notifications depending on which way the phone is held.
4. A 4K screen
The LG G4 already has a QHD screen and it's glorious, but even the LG G3 was offering QHD so it's time for LG to move things along and give the LG G5 a 4K display.
Assuming it stays at 5.5 inches a 4K (3840 x 2160) screen would have a pixel density of 801 pixels per inch, making it the sharpest display around. Why? VR of course! Making this the perfect phone to strap to your head needs a really pin sharp display.
We only want this to happen if LG can avoid giving the battery life a hit in the process, but LG had a reputation for being ahead of the game on screen resolution and that's something it should try and hold onto.
5. Better battery life
The LG G2 had great battery life but in the last couple of years LG has struggled in this area. Perhaps it's the move to a QHD screen or perhaps it just needs to use bigger juice packs or a more efficient processor, but whatever the reason the LG G4 barely makes it through a day and that's just not good enough.
So we really want to see better battery life on the LG G5. Phones should be pushing at least two days of life as far as we're concerned, not struggling to manage one. We'd rather this than a high res screen, to be honest.
6. Slicker performance
Despite being a flagship phone the LG G4 isn't always that fast. We've mentioned that the camera can be slow to launch but flipping between running apps can take a second too and the interface sometimes occasionally even needs to rebuild itself after jumping between apps.This could be down to the Snapdragon 808 processor powering the G4, but we'd think that coupled with 3GB of RAM it should be more than enough to deliver slick performance. So whether through a power injection or better optimised software we hope the LG G5 is a smooth operator.
7. A faster camera
The LG G4 has a hugely impressive camera, but it's not always the fastest to launch. Tapping the camera icon should see it boot up in just 0.6 seconds, but if using a double tap of the volume button to launch it when the phone is asleep it takes more like 2 seconds.
That's still not slow but it can be long enough to miss the perfect time to get a snap, so hopefully LG will speed the process up on the G5.
8. Knock Code improvements
Being able to double tap the screen to wake it up is great and generally works well, but with Knock Code LG went one further and allowed you to unlock the phone with a series of taps too.Sadly this doesn't work quite so well or consistently and it's enough of a problem to render it less useful than more conventional unlock options like a PIN or pattern, so hopefully LG will tighten this up for the G5. Then again if it includes a fingerprint or iris scanner it could probably just ditch Knock Code altogether.
9. A more compact design
We don't necessarily want LG to put a smaller screen on the G5, especially if it's going to keep pushing the pixels to this extent, but there's no denying that it can be a little more unwieldy than a smaller phone, so one solution would be to trim down the bezels.
There's still quite a lot of empty space, especially above and below the display, so if that goes on the LG G5 then we could see a 5.5-inch phone that doesn't require hand gymnastics to use.
10. Less bloat
LG clearly puts a lot of work into its interface and the version found on the G4 is fairly clean and colourful. It even has a few genuinely useful features, such as Smart Notice, which is hugely improved since its debut in 2014.But there are a number of less useful features, apps and widgets which we'd just as soon see the back of. From Q Slide to LG Health there are a lot of things here that feel like they're just ticking boxes or exist purely to help the phone stand out without really having been thought through.
There are more than enough apps on Google Play already, so hopefully LG will cut out a lot of the bloat for the G5 and let buyers decide for themselves what apps they want on the phone.
- This article is part of Phone Week, celebrating the best bits about brilliant smartphones and tablets as part of the lead up to the TechRadar Phone Awards. To find out what the iPhone 7 could look like, how a phone could survive in space or how to buy the perfect smartphone for you, bookmark TechRadar's Phone Week hub and check out all the great new features coming throughout the week!
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