HTC Sensation Review

The HTC Sensation will be offered by T-Mobile in the U.S. as HTC Sensation 4G, starting June 15.

Introduction:

While reviewing another Android handset, we were in a bar in London having a drink with some friends when a girl commented on our phone saying she liked our HTC. We replied with a polite "It's actually not an HTC, though it does run Android". "Well, if it isn't an HTC, it's an iPhone, isn't it?" she said, to which we pulled a face, she walked off and we never saw her again. This little anecdote sums up how successful HTC has been in making its name synonymous with Android, at least in Europe. Of late however, HTC's handsets and tablets have been consistently good, just, not great. Specifically, their S range offered some refined elements, but lacked wow factor, while the HTC Flyer delivered functionality, but lacked both a dual-core processor and Honeycomb. With arguably better handsets and tablets being offered by other manufacturers, HTC needed something better than good to ward off the competition, they needed something sensational. So here it is, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor with a qHD screen and HTC Sense 3.0 atop Gingerbread – the HTC Sensation

HTC HD7S Review

Introduction:

More than six months in since Microsoft brought its new mobile platform to the scene, we haven’t witnessed anything new in terms of hardware for AT&T’s Windows Phone 7 lineup, but customers can now opt to pick up the HTC HD7S for the golden price of $200 on-contract. Aside from its choice of utilizing a Super LCD display instead, there is absolutely nothing else that separates it from the original version. Still, some might be drawn to the prestigious line that it’s following.

Jabra STONE2 Review

Contents

Introduction:

The Jabra STONE2 claims to be a member of the high-end Bluetooth headset kind - an example of a unique design fused together with a bouquet of useful features. Picking up right where its predecessor, the original Jabra STONE, left off, the STONE2 feels well built, weighs next to nothing, and it is definitely something that you wouldn’t mind being seen wearing in public. The most noticeable improvement that we find in the new model is the inclusion of voice commands that make using the headset a true hands-free experience. Besides that, you can use it to listen to your music and videos thanks to its A2DP support, and the active noise reduction feature should make your conversations sound as clear as they can be. So far, everything about the Jabra STONE2 sounds great, but does the headset really perform well enough to justify its $129 price tag? Let’s check it out and find out for ourselves.

HTC Trophy Review

This is a short review. For an in-depth look, see our HTC 7 Trophy Review.

Introduction:

Last of the major domestic players to get into the game with Windows Phone 7, Verizon Wireless can now offer their customers the new experience in Microsoft’s platform with the HTC Trophy. Although it’s essentially a 6-month-old model at this point, its $149.99 on-contract price point is just a tad below the usual spot we find most high caliber smartphones at nowadays, but it’s also a world phone as well. Considering that this is Verizon's WP7 launch handset, let’s see if it can entice customers!

AMD unveils next gen CPUs at Computex

Computex 2011 has proved a hotbed of activity. Today, AMD announced a myriad of products which included the LIano high performance Advanced Processing Unit (APU), Bulldozer their next generation CPU and Trinity their first Bulldozer based APU. This, a day after arch-rival Intel announced their Ultrabooks.

LIano is not being launched at Computex. That will be in June, according to AMD. LIano will be the company's first high-performance APU using their current K10.5 CPU core alongside one the Northern Island GPUs. It will also be the company's first 32nm product.

The Bulldozer is AMD's next generation CPU design and it will ship in Q3 of 2011. Though the details about this CPU are pretty sketchy, the company was not shy to show off their Trinity APU, which is based on the Bulldozer platform and will be combined with an unseen Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) architecture. The Trinity will be released as a follow-up to the LIano platform in 2012.

Farmville maker launches new social game

Zynga, the creators of 'Farmville' have announced the launch of Empires & Allies. Empires & Allies will be the company's first Strategy Combat game and has been developed by their Los Angeles studio. Zynga describes Empires & Allies as their most social game to-date.

A multi-island game board, Empires & Allies will integrate familiar game play elements from popular Zynga titles. Throughout the game, players will build army units, recruit friends and encounter helpful allies and unique villains as they fight their way across enemy-held territories on the quest to defeat the final villain.

Acer shows-off 'Windows Mango' device at Computex

Just a week after Microsoft announced the first major update to their Windows Phone operating system, an Acer branded Windows Mango device was released at Computex 2011 in Taipei.

According to reports by Chinese website Tech.sina.com the device will be called the Acer W4 and will boast of a 3.5" capacitive touch screen display with a resolution of 480x800. The 1Ghz QUALCOMM Snapdragon MSN8255 processor will power the device. The device will also have a 5-megapixel camera with auto focus.

More interestingly, the Acer W4 continues to use a single core processor while Android competition is moving towards dual-core processors. The device is also missing a NFC (Near Field Communication) chip, which is quite interesting as Android devices like the Nexus S and the Galaxy S II are quickly adopting NFC.

Steve Jobs to announce iCloud in San Francisco

Apple CEO Steve Jobs will deliver the keynote at Apple's annual World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 6. The company has announced that they will unveil their next generation software solutions, which will include the Mac OSX Lion, iOS 5, and iCloud.

The iCloud service is Apple's much awaited cloud based music solution. Not many details on iCloud were shared during this announcement. Apple has reportedly tied-up with some music labels for iCloud. The service could allow users to buy and save music on Apple's iCloud and stream it directly to their devices. This comes in response to Google's Music Beta and Amazon's Cloud Player.

Apple iWork now available for iPhone and iPod Touch

Apple has announced that the iWork apps, Keynote, Pages and Numbers, are now available for iPhone and iPod touch, as well as iPad.

Created for the Mac and then redesigned for iOS and Apple's Multi-Touch interface, Keynote, Pages and Numbers let you create and share presentations, documents and spreadsheets on the go. iWork apps are available on the App Store for $9.99 each but if you've already downloaded the earlier iteration, you can update it to the current version for free. Keynote, Pages and Numbers will run on the iPad and iPad 2, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, and iPod touch (3rd & 4th generation). Keynote Remote is sold separately via the App Store for 99cents.

Pentagon: All options on table in cyber-attack

The Pentagon said that it would consider all options if the United States were hit by a cyber-attack as it develops the first military guidelines for the age of Internet warfare.

President Barack Obama's administration has been formalizing rules on cyberspace amid growing concern about the reach of hackers. Defense contractor Lockheed Martin said it repelled a major cyber-assault a week ago.

Nokia share price plummets as it lowers outlook

The world's top mobile phone maker Nokia on Tuesday downgraded its second quarter outlook, saying sales would be far lower than expected and that it could no longer give a full-year forecast.

"Nokia now expects Devices and Services net sales to be substantially below its previously expected range of 6.1 billion to 6.6 billion euros ($8.6-9.5 billion dollars) for the second quarter 2011," the company said in a statement, citing lower than expected selling prices and volumes.

PBS decries "chilling" cyber attack

The US non-profit Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) denounced hacker strikes on its news websites as "chilling and irresponsible" attacks on journalism.

PBS was targeted by hackers in retaliation for an in-depth look at whistle blower website WikiLeaks in a "Frontline: Wiki Secrets" film broadcast last week, according to spokeswoman Anne Bentley.

Cyber attackers marred PBS web pages with graffiti, exposed account information of member stations, and posted a fake story about late rap musician Tupac Shakur being alive in New Zealand.

Twitter broadens reach with "Follow" buttons

Twitter broadened its reach by letting websites add "Follow" buttons that visitors can click to begin tracking posts at the globally popular microblogging service.

Twitter billed the button as "a new way to follow Twitter accounts directly from the websites you visit every day."

The feature was rolled out the same day Web advertising company AdGrok announced it has been bought by San Francisco-based Twitter.

Computer games can help kids fight obesity

While parents usually worry over the negative influences of computer games on their children, scientists in New Zealand have found such games are actually beneficial for children.

In a two-year study of 300 children, conducted by the University of Auckland, scientists have been looking at how sustained use of games, which have an active element like dance mats or motion sensors, can be good for overweight children.

The study's results have shown a positive effect on the body mass index of the active gamers aged between 10 and 14, compared to the control group of children who were not regularly playing the games, TVNZ reported Tuesday.

Wii 2 to have Blu-Ray support?

The most exciting and anticipated announcement at E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2011 has to be Nintendo's next generation console. A few weeks ago, Nintendo put all speculation to rest by officially announcing that they would showcase their new console, codenamed "Project Cafe".

The announcement has led to much conjecture about the hardware capabilities of the device. We've combined the rumours with a wish list of our own and here's what we expect from Nintendo's next gen gaming device.