Updated PlayStation 4 is headed for a 'Holiday 2013' release date
The PS4 goes on sale later this year, $100 cheaper than the Xbox One
The PlayStation 4 will go on sale later
this year and it'll be cheaper than the Xbox One - $399 in the US, £349
in the UK and €399 - compared to $499 and £429.
These pricing details were revealed along - at long last - with the look of the PS4 console itself, at Sony's E3 2013 press conference.
Sony says the PS4 was designed with an overarching theme of a "frictionless and seamless" gaming experience.
We've
known that the PS4 will track both the controller in a gamer's hand, as
well as their face, since the console's launch in Feb. But during his
GDC talk Norden revealed some interesting ways that this technology will
be implemented in games.
For
example, the old multiplayer standby of split screen, divvying up
television real estate when two or more players go at it, will be aided
by this tracking tech. If a gamer gets up and moves right or left, his
section of the screen will automatically be swapped.
We learned a whole lot more when Sony gave its E3 presentation, so read on for all you need to know about the new PlayStation...
The PS4 itself was shown off for the first time
at E3 and it's black, just like the Xbox One. However, it has an
angular design and appears to be constructed of a similar plastic to the
original PS3 Slim machine.
It looks as though it's slimmer than the Xbox One but we're not totally blown away by the design. What do you think?
PS4 release date
The
official PS4 release date is still only 'later this year'. Sony didn't
reveal any more details on the release date at E3 so we're still in the
dark. However, with Microsoft launching the Xbox One worldwide in
November, it seems likely that Sony will be going live around this time
also.
The PS4 combines shiny and matte finishes
Previously, Sony took out a newspaper ad in the UK, clearly advertising the PS4 release date as '2013'. That tallies with an interview in May with our buddies at CVG,
a source inside Sony said that the company is pulling out all the stops
to launch worldwide in 2013 and ensure that the PS4 is not trumped by
the new Xbox.
Sony also advertised at the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium, London, with 'PS4 - coming 2013' signs.
PS4 price
Sony announced the PS4 price at E3
- it'll cost $399 in the US, £349 in the UK and €399 in Europe when it
goes on sale later this year. That's a whole $100 cheaper than the Xbox
One.
That price, it must be said, does
not include the PS Eye camera, whereas the Xbox One will ship with the
second version of Kinect.
The angular design is reminiscent of Sony's Blu-ray range
PS4 used games/online check-in
Many gamers will be pleased that unlike the Xbox One, the PS4 will offer unrestricted access to pre-owned games.
So when you buy a titles, you are free to then trade it in at retail,
sell it to another person, lend it to a friend or keep it.
There
is also no online check-in requirement, and you'll be able to play
games regardless of whether you're connected to the internet or not. The
Xbox One requires an online check-in once every 24 hours and will lock
you out of your games if this doesn't happen.
PS4 specs
AMD's
technology is coursing through this new system's veins. Sony revealed
the system runs on a single-chip custom processor and utilises eight
x86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU cores, with a next-gen AMD Radeon based graphics
engine powering the way.
So it's very
much a PC-based system then, which is great news for developers who will
find it much easier to code games for the next gen consoles and for
PCs. However, that CPU is hardly next-gen - it may have been modified
for this system but the AMD Jaguar platform is by no means the fastest
of its kind - indeed it's slower than Intel's fastest by orders of
magnitude.
However, with fewer
redundancies than a PC has, the PS4 will certainly be able to make use
of every single Watt of power it draws. And the games we've seen so far
certainly look impressive.
The
"highly enhanced PC GPU" is another AMD part - something along the
lines of a Radeon 7850 card - and packs 18 GCN units. That may sound a
like a lot of techy mumbo jumbo but what it essentially means is that
the GPU packs 18 processing clusters, each packing up to 64 cores. That
provides a lot of parallel processing power, and will thus handle the
majority of the PS4's grunt work. It hits 1.84 TFLOPS of processing
mojo. This is a far more powerful component than the Jaguar CPU and is
may well have the edge on the integrated GPU inside the Xbox One.
The
PS4 will also use GPU compute features to take advantage of the GPU's
raw power - it'll be used for general computation tasks as well as
making games shiny.
Memory
The
PS4 will ship packing 8GB of GDDR5 memory. That's some super-fast stuff
right there and should enable lightning fast performance.
Indeed,
Sony has revealed that you will be able to power down the PS4 mid-game
and then switch it on again in seconds and pick up right where you left
off. That's the sort of loading power that this memory enables.
Other specs
We're
also looking at Blu-ray disk support plus good ol' DVD, plus HDMI
output support as well as Analog-AV out and an optical digital output.
The PS4 Eye will be sold separatelyPlayStation 4 Eye
What's
really grabbing though is the development of the PlayStation 4 Eye, a
newly developed camera system that utilizes two high-sensitivity camera
equipped with wide-angle lenses and 85-degree diagonal angle views.
Sony
said the cameras (amounting to 1280 x 800 pixels) can cut out the image
of a player from the background or differentiate between players in the
background and foreground, enhancing game play handily. There's also
mention of logging in using facial recognition and using voice and body
movements to play games "more intuitively."
So far, you can pro-order your console at ShopTo, GAME and ASDA.
DualShock 4
If you have an eye for details you may have noticed that the PS4's DualShock 4
controller has no Start or Select buttons. Norden confirmed this,
saying that it will have a so-called Option button instead, as well as
the much bandied about Share button on the rear.
The
analogue sticks have been tightened up to be more precise, and the
controller also features a brand new three-axis gyroscopic motion sensor
with three-axis accelerometer which should be great for getting you
immersed in the games. The camera continuously tracks all four
controllers with precise accuracy. Rotational tracking is provided by
the internal components and.
The
controller has a two-point Vita-like touchpad on the front with a
1920x900 resolution, and a tactile clicking sound letting you know
you've pressed it. The light bar on the front will glow different
colours depending on whether you're player 1, 2, 3 or 4 and will be
tracked by the new PS Eye camera. It also has an Xbox-style headset jack
and a mono speaker inside it.
Video-watchers take note
This new PS4 controller won't accidentally fast forward when you set it
down. Norden said this was one of the biggest complaints his team heard
about the PS3's DualShock. The PS4's controller has triggers designed
not to depress when set down. What's more, Norden even said he'd been
dropping controllers without skipping a single frame.
That
touchpad on the DualShock 4 will be capable of two simultaneous inputs.
The light on the controller will glow blue, red, green or pink light,
depending on whether you're player one, two, three or four.
The Share button
The
PS4's ardware encoder always records the last several minutes of game
play without using any additional resources from the game, by pressing
the Share button you can then upload or save your gameplay and show your
friends or keep it just for your own amusement.
You can lay the PS4 flat or use the bundled stand to prop it up
PS4 Streaming
PS4
streaming lets you stream out live gameplay to your friends. This is
all built into the hardware and does not need to be supported by
developers. Users can react to the video by typing comments in real
time. You can do this to friends, or public.
PS4 user interface
The XrossMediaBar (XMB) interface of PlayStations past has been completely ditched in the PS4, with Sony instead choosing to design a new OS that looks a lot more like that of the Xbox 360 than the PS3.
Will the PS4 be 4K capable?
In a chat with Kotaku, Sony has revealed
that the PlayStation 4 will be able to playback 4K/Ultra HD video.
However, it will not upscale to 4K or play games at 4K resolution.
Sony has also confirmed that it will definitely launch a 4K movie service on the PS4 and is looking at ways it can get around the 100GB downloads required.
Backwards compatibility
The PS4 will definitely not offer native support for PS3 games.
However, there will at some point be a service on the Sony
Entertainment Network that offers server-side emulation and streaming of
games from PS One classics right through to PS3 Platinum Editions.
PlayStation Move
Sony
has confirmed that PlayStation Move will play a big part in the PS4
ecosystem. However, it has not yet been revealed whether the PS4 will
launch alongside a new PS Eye camera and new Move controllers or whether
the peripherals are staying the same with all the enhancements made
console-side.
By tracking the light bar
on the DualShock 4 pad and associating it with faces in the image, the
game can identify which player face is connected to which game avatar.
By using facial recognition the game can associate a face with a PSN
profile.
High sensitivity, dual color cameras. Two cameras here.
1280x 800 12 bits/pixel, 60hz
Higher frame rates at lower resolutions
Wide angles – diagonal field of view is 85 degrees
3 axis acceeletromter, tilt sensor
Wide baseline 4 microphone array
Dedicated port, exclusive SCE connector
Game-loop sync can be changed, depending on framerate of game
PS4 Blu-ray drive
Not
only will the PS4's 64-bit x86 architecture and 8GB of GDDR5 memory
blow its predecessor out of the water, its Blu-ray drive will be three
times faster.
"If you're coming from
the PS3 you're probably quite used to the headache of having to split
memory arhchitecture, you can't quite use all of it, the speeds are
really wacky on some of it - we don't have that with PS4," said Norden.
He added that this would offer developers "crazy high bandwidth".
Synergy with PlayStation Vita
Sony
has revealed that the PS4 will launch with the ability to stream games
directly to your PS Vita. In exactly the same way as the Wii U allows
you to switch off your TV and continue playing on the tablet controller,
the PS4 will wirelessly send your games to the Vita.
There will be similar synergy between "all Sony devices" which means Xperia handsets and tablets, Bravia TVs and BD players.
Sony
hinted that there will be more announcements in this area, too. We
think the obvious next reveal in this area is the ability to play PS4
games on your Vita from any location using a wireless connection.
PS4 Instant On
The
PS4 will be one nippy device if Sony is to be believed. It will have an
instant on/off feature allowing your to shut down during a game and
then boot up from scratch in seconds and resume where you left off. The
days of waiting 60 seconds as your console loads up are about to end.
What's
more, Chris Norden has stressed that Sony has three tenets of PS4
design: simple, social and immediate. Gamers will be able to start
playing titles before they've even finished downloading.
And with one button sharing, Norden says the goal is to make it so simple users will "do it without thinking about it."
PS4 launch titles
A number of games have been revealed for the PS4. They Are: Deep Down (Capcom), Destiny (Bungie), Diablo III (Blizzard), Driveclub (Evolution Studios), Final Fantasy (Square Enix), Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch), Killzone: Shadow Fall (Guerilla Games), Knack (Sony), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt RED), Watch Dogs (Ubisoft).
US talkshow host Jimmy Fallon was the first to get near Killzone 4...
Canon's superzoom bridge packs a whopping 50x zoom
Recommended award
The bridge area of the compact camera market is one part of the
market that is still doing well in what is otherwise a declining
segment.
Manufacturers are packing larger and larger zooms onto
these cameras which, for many, act as an alternative to a DSLR, or a
step up from a standard compact camera.
Two key features distinguish the 12.1 million pixel Canon PowerShot SX50 HS from the 12.1MP Canon PowerShot SX40 HS that it replaces at the top of Canon's bridge camera or superzoom lineup.
The Canon PowerShot SX50, announced at Photokina 2012 alongside the Canon PowerShot G15 and Canon EOS 6D, has a 50x optical zoom that covers the equivalent of 24-1200mm, whereas the zoom range on the Canon SX40 is 35x, or 24-840mm.
This
is a phenomenal zoom range that most DSLR users can only dream of, or
perhaps look to achieve at huge expense. The Canon PowerShot SX50 HS is
much more affordable, with a price of £448 (about AU$700) in the UK and
US$479 in the US.
The 24mm point is ideal for capturing landscapes
and indoor scenes, while the longest telephoto point is perfect for
photographing distant wildlife or picking out details.
For those
who feel that a 50x zoom still isn't enough, the camera boasts a digital
zoom that expands it to 100x. Canon calls this 100x Zoom Plus. Another
important improvement that the Canon SX50 HS makes over the Canon SX40
is that it can record raw format images as well as JPEG files. For
enthusiast photographers, this makes the camera a much more attractive
proposition, since it means that the files can be processed manually if
you desire.
Probably the biggest competitor to the Canon SX50 HS in the bridge camera market is the also recently announced Panasonic FZ200.
Although that camera only features a 24x optical zoom, it does boast an
f/2.8 constant aperture throughout the range. By contrast, the Canon
can only manage f/3.4 at the widest point, rising up to f/6.5 at the
telephoto end.
Other features of the Canon SX50 include a Digic 5
processor, which is the same as those found in Canon's top-end DSLRs
such as the Canon 5D Mark III. This should mean that noise is controlled well at high sensitivity settings, and it also facilitates Full HD video recording.
Nokia has done what we asked: released a Windows Phone handset in metal. Except it's not all metal. And it's very similar to the Nokia Lumia 920. And it's in the high-end price bracket... but does a stunning camera warrant the extra cost?
Last
year's Lumia 920 was a decent handset. It married striking looks to a
quality screen and an even better camera. However, while it was
undeniably good there was still some room for improvement, as being a
flagship phone many hoped for better specs, less weight and a more
premium build.
Now the Finnish phone-smiths are back with the
Nokia Lumia 925. It's only seen a small number boost in its name, and if
you assumed that meant that not much had changed, well, you'd be right.
While
Nokia has equipped the Lumia 925 with a similarly brilliant camera and
gone some way to addressing the build of its flagship, it hasn't really
improved the specs, leaving the Nokia Lumia 925 in the curious position
of feeling more like a tweaked handset than an all new one.
This could be a problem, since it's priced at a wallet-bothering
£500 (around US$785/AU$820) SIM free, while the Nokia Lumia 920 can be
had for around £150 less.
With a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and
just 1GB of RAM the Nokia Lumia 925 matches the Lumia 920 for horsepower
and trails some way behind the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 or Sony Xperia Z - both of which have double the RAM and quad-core processors.
Arguably
Nokia didn't need to go all out, since it doesn't have a huge amount of
competition in the Windows Phone space - only the HTC Windows Phone 8X
really poses much of a threat. But it seems like a missed opportunity
to compete on a level playing field against the wider phone world.
At
first sight you might almost not recognise the Lumia 925 as a Nokia
handset. It has the same sharply rectangular shape that the Nokia Lumia
920 has, but where that was all brightly coloured plastic, the Nokia
Lumia 925 has a shiny aluminium band running around the sides. It gives
it a premium edge that is sorely lacking from other Nokia handsets, and
it looks good for it. Unfortunately Nokia hasn't gone the whole hog and made a completely metal handset like the HTC One,
and instead made the back from polycarbonate. It still looks decent and
the fairly conservative colour options (black, white or silver) mean
that it looks a lot classier and more grown up than the Nokia Lumia 920,
but it doesn't come close to the premium look or feel of the HTC One.
Despite
incorporating metal into its design, the Nokia Lumia 925 is actually
lighter than the Nokia Lumia 920, coming in at 139g (4.9oz) compared to
the 185g (6.5oz) Lumia 920. The weight was one of our key qualms with
the Nokia Lumia 920, so it's good to see that it's been addressed.
At
a sleek 8.5mm (0.33 inches), the Nokia Lumia 925 is quite a bit thinner
than its 10.7mm (0.42-inch) predecessor too, while the length and width
remain almost identical at 129 x 70.6mm (5.08 x 2.78 inches).
It
feels nice in the hand and it's generally quite comfortable to hold,
though there are a couple of caveats to that. Firstly the position of
the camera lens on the back makes it very easy to accidentally put your
fingers over it, which is uncomfortable and could leave marks on the
lens. And
secondly, the corners aren't very curved, which means they can dig into
your hand if you hold the phone in a certain way. On the plus side, the
polycarbonate back feels soft and warm against your palm, which is a
comforting sensation.
The front of the Nokia Lumia 925 is
dominated by the 4.5 inch 768 x 1280 AMOLED screen. It's not quite edge
to edge but it's not far off at the sides - although there's reams of
plastic above and below, which seems a trifle unnecessary. It's a good
size too in our opinion, big enough to use easily without becoming
unwieldy.
At
332 pixels per inch it also has a pretty good pixel density, though not
one that will bother the HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S4. And in fact it's
exactly the same size and resolution as the previous model, which is a
little disappointing. However it does use the same impressive PureMotion
HD+ ClearBlack technology as the Nokia Lumia 920.
Above the
screen there's Nokia's logo, the earpiece and the 1.3 MP front-facing
camera, while below the screen there are three soft touch buttons with
icons for Start, Back and Search. Flip
the Nokia Lumia 925 over and you'll find another Nokia logo stamped
across the middle of the polycarbonate back, while above that there's an
8.7MP Carl Zeiss camera lens and flash, and near the bottom of the
handset there's a speaker.
The plastic around the lens is raised,
leaving the lens itself slightly indented. That gives it a little
protection when putting the phone down, but it also makes the phone less
comfortable to hold as your fingers will often stray over the raised
area.
The
left edge of the phone consists of a strip of metal with no real
features on it, while the right edge has the power button in the middle,
a volume rocker just above it and the camera button near the bottom.
The buttons are all quite raised and responsive, making them easy to
press and easy to find by touch alone. They're also spaced out enough
that there's no confusion over which is which.
The top of the
Nokia Lumia 925 houses the micro SIM card slot at the left, the micro
USB port and 3.5mm headphone port near the centre and the microphone to
the right. The bottom edge is left unadorned, with just the metal band running along it.
You
can't remove the back cover so there's no getting to the Nokia Lumia
920-matching 2000mAh battery and there's also no microSD card slot, so
unlike some lower-end Nokia handsets (such as the Nokia Lumia 520),
the storage isn't expandable. This leaves the Nokia Lumia 925 with just
16GB of memory, which is half what the Nokia Lumia 920 offers -
although 32GB options are apparently going to be available.
The
Nokia Lumia 925 is slimmer and lighter than the Nokia Lumia 920. It also
has a more premium build and a slightly improved camera (more on that
later) but with the same core specs, less storage space and a much
higher price tag it's got an uphill struggle on its hands.
Has Samsung gone mad with so many different sized tablets and phones?
With the Galaxy Note 8.0, which bridges the space between the Note 2 and Tab 2 10.1,
it's clear that Samsung is continuing its approach of throwing out as
many devices as it can in an effort to catch as many consumers as it
can. The question is, do the customers care about all this subtle
differentiation, or is Samsung just creating confusion in an
oversaturated market?
At
the time of writing, there's only one place in the UK (Samsung's store
in Westfield, East London) to buy the Galaxy Note 8.0 and it's slowing
creeping out in the US, Australia and others countries. Considering this
is a device trying that's said to be taking on the iPad Mini (and is playing catch-up by a good five months), it's an odd strategy.
Especially
with the fact that it's about £70/$70 (around AU$70) dearer than the
equivalent Apple offering with the 16GB Wi-Fi option setting you back
£340/$399 (around AU$385), we think the South Korean brand has gone
slightly barmy here. It will be available through other channels in due
course, but it's not clear exactly when.
TechRadar rating
For
Intuitive and fluid OS
Good keyboard
Great for watching media
Lightning fast browser
Against
No flash player
Browser zoom and reflow needs work
IR Blaster range poor
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 review
Has Samsung gone mad with so many different sized tablets and phones?
With the Galaxy Note 8.0, which bridges the space between the Note 2 and Tab 2 10.1,
it's clear that Samsung is continuing its approach of throwing out as
many devices as it can in an effort to catch as many consumers as it
can. The question is, do the customers care about all this subtle
differentiation, or is Samsung just creating confusion in an
oversaturated market?
At
the time of writing, there's only one place in the UK (Samsung's store
in Westfield, East London) to buy the Galaxy Note 8.0 and it's slowing
creeping out in the US, Australia and others countries. Considering this
is a device trying that's said to be taking on the iPad Mini (and is playing catch-up by a good five months), it's an odd strategy.
Especially
with the fact that it's about £70/$70 (around AU$70) dearer than the
equivalent Apple offering with the 16GB Wi-Fi option setting you back
£340/$399 (around AU$385), we think the South Korean brand has gone
slightly barmy here. It will be available through other channels in due
course, but it's not clear exactly when.
While
we don't want to rain on Samsung's proverbial parade by making constant
comparisons to the iPad Mini, the fact is that Apple's 7.9-incher is
the Galaxy Note 8.0's main competition.
Other devices like the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD
will be taken into account by those consumers who are clued up enough
to realise Apple isn't the sole maker of tablets. But with even the
Cupertino option coming in cheaper - something almost totally unheard of
- this is going to be one tough fight.
Although
we're not privy to the boardroom discussions at Samsung HQ, we can't
help getting the feeling this is a product that is more reactive than
proactive. Samsung seems to have seen the demand for smaller tablets
offered by competitors and wants in, rather than being the one setting
the agenda as it did with the original Note.
To look at it, the Galaxy Note 8.0 looks very similar to the other Galaxy lines - the Note 2 and the Galaxy S3
clearly have an influence here. The rounded rectangular shape, the
chrome edging, the single home button with accompanying menu and the
soft keys are all accounted for.
Sadly, one of the new design pluses of the Galaxy line - the almost non-existent bezel of the Galaxy S4
- is not here. So you end up with a lot space around the screen, which
admittedly does make it harder to accidentally tap. However, there feels
like there's too much expanse.
Had the
Galaxy S4 and iPad Mini not whetted our appetites, we wouldn't be so
hungry. But we are now - and the Note 8.0 doesn't taste as good.
You can see how the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 stakes up against the iPad mini in our handy video below.
TechRadar rating
4/5
For
Intuitive and fluid OS
Good keyboard
Great for watching media
Lightning fast browser
Against
No flash player
Browser zoom and reflow needs work
IR Blaster range poor
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 review
Has Samsung gone mad with so many different sized tablets and phones?
With the Galaxy Note 8.0, which bridges the space between the Note 2 and Tab 2 10.1,
it's clear that Samsung is continuing its approach of throwing out as
many devices as it can in an effort to catch as many consumers as it
can. The question is, do the customers care about all this subtle
differentiation, or is Samsung just creating confusion in an
oversaturated market?
At
the time of writing, there's only one place in the UK (Samsung's store
in Westfield, East London) to buy the Galaxy Note 8.0 and it's slowing
creeping out in the US, Australia and others countries. Considering this
is a device trying that's said to be taking on the iPad Mini (and is playing catch-up by a good five months), it's an odd strategy.
Especially
with the fact that it's about £70/$70 (around AU$70) dearer than the
equivalent Apple offering with the 16GB Wi-Fi option setting you back
£340/$399 (around AU$385), we think the South Korean brand has gone
slightly barmy here. It will be available through other channels in due
course, but it's not clear exactly when.
While
we don't want to rain on Samsung's proverbial parade by making constant
comparisons to the iPad Mini, the fact is that Apple's 7.9-incher is
the Galaxy Note 8.0's main competition.
Other devices like the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD
will be taken into account by those consumers who are clued up enough
to realise Apple isn't the sole maker of tablets. But with even the
Cupertino option coming in cheaper - something almost totally unheard of
- this is going to be one tough fight.
Although
we're not privy to the boardroom discussions at Samsung HQ, we can't
help getting the feeling this is a product that is more reactive than
proactive. Samsung seems to have seen the demand for smaller tablets
offered by competitors and wants in, rather than being the one setting
the agenda as it did with the original Note.
To look at it, the Galaxy Note 8.0 looks very similar to the other Galaxy lines - the Note 2 and the Galaxy S3
clearly have an influence here. The rounded rectangular shape, the
chrome edging, the single home button with accompanying menu and the
soft keys are all accounted for.
Sadly, one of the new design pluses of the Galaxy line - the almost non-existent bezel of the Galaxy S4
- is not here. So you end up with a lot space around the screen, which
admittedly does make it harder to accidentally tap. However, there feels
like there's too much expanse.
Had the
Galaxy S4 and iPad Mini not whetted our appetites, we wouldn't be so
hungry. But we are now - and the Note 8.0 doesn't taste as good.
You can see how the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 stakes up against the iPad mini in our handy video below.
Even so, the Galaxy Note 8.0
has some great things going for it. For example, it is light. Very
light. So while it's a bit big to hold in one hand with your fingers
wrapped around the sides (you end up holding it like a book instead,
gripping the front with your thumb, the back resting on your fingers,
and trying to stop the device sliding out of your mitts), it's a
pleasure to not have to keep swapping paws like with some other devices.
At
338g, it's two grams lighter than the Nexus 7 and about 30 heavier than
the iPad Mini. Size-wise, it measures 210.8 x 135.9 x 8mm.
Then
there's the display. You get a TFT offering with 800 x 1,280 pixels
spread over 8 inches, which works out at a density of 189 ppi. That's
higher than the (some would say pretty rubbish) 163 ppi given by the
iPad mini over a fractionally smaller screen.
This
makes it pretty good for looking at most things - especially because
Samsung devices often offer vivid colour representation. However, it
pales into insignificance compared to the 216 ppi we get on Google's
Nexus 7.
At
least it offers good viewing angles - so, if you like to look at your
Galaxy Note 8.0 from the seat next door as someone else uses it, you'll
be fine. But try using it outdoors in the sunlight and there may be
tears.
The fact of the matter is this:
it's a good display. Pictures look bright, text looks clear. But you
will be able to see pixels if you go a-hunting close up. And as we've
become more and more spoilt in this field in recent years, sadly, that's
one of the first things many of us do.
As
with Samsung's phones (and those of most manufacturers these days),
there's a built in ambient light sensor, which does a great job of
adjusting the brightness depending on your environment.
Another
element worth pointing out is the addition of Smart Stay - Samsung's
proprietary technology that allows the front facing camera to watch your
eyes and track if you're looking at the screen or not. The idea is that
the screen will stay on when you're looking at it, and go off when
you're not.
We
found it to work functionally but not excellently, in a similar vein to
the Galaxy S3. In dimmer lighting conditions, it was very prompt at
popping up with a warning to let us know it couldn't see our eyeballs
but when we tried looking away to see if it went off, it didn't.
The
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is unique among its rivals in that it offers
the S-Pen functionality. This has been the big selling point of the Note
line, allowing annotations, drawing, formula calculations and so forth
on a screen. Here, the number of pressure variations has been increased -
meaning it's even better. We'll go into that more later.
The
Galaxy Note 8.0 is a solidly built device. Throughout our reviewing
process, there were no unwelcome creakings of the kind that led to
criticism with the likes of the Nexus 7.
Indeed,
the only button adorning the front felt solid enough, as did the
power/standby key on the side and even the Micro SD card slot (which of
course, means you can expand the memory by another 64GB, which is sure
to please some quarters - especially because Google is trying to
encourage users to move away from relying on external memory
reservoirs).
Our
main concern in using it was that it didn't feel premium enough. Maybe
we've just been overindulged design-wise - but while the controversial
'make-it-all-out-of-plastic' approach may work with smaller phones, for a
larger device, it felt like it cheapened the experience.
Inside,
the Galaxy Note 8.0 offers you an Exynos Quad-Core 1.6GHz processor.
This thing is fast. We tried throwing several tasks at it and couldn't
manage to slow it down.
It
multitasks incredibly well, running on 2GB of RAM. Added to that, the
fact that you get Android 4.1.2 out of the box - and therefore, Project
Butter - means there is really no way you can bring the Note 8.0 to a
halt.
For the uninitiated, Project Butter is a feature of Android Jelly Bean
that makes the whole experience run a lot quicker and smoother.
TouchWiz - Samsung's custom overlay - is on board too. It's not one of
those that manages to confuse or detract and for the majority of
punters, we think it'll be more of a help than a hindrance.
Charging is done via a micro USB - which is great news. We can remember our disappointment at playing with the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
last year and realising that when we carried it about, we also had to
lug around a charger because Samsung opted for a proprietary power
source. At least here, if you lose it, there's likely to be somebody
else nearby who can offer you a bit of electrical help.
One
other thing to note is the IR blaster which allows you to use the Note
8.0 as a remote control for your TV and home entertainment system.
Infrared seems to be enjoying a renaissance at the moment - having been
out of the loop for years, now it's back on the HTC One and Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S4 to boot.
The
difference here is that it now acts properly whereas the old IR
receivers just allowed for the crude transfer of data and connections.
We'll be going into how it works later in the review - but must make the
point that the IR blaster here is on the right if you're holding the Galaxy Note 8.0 in portrait mode.
That
essentially means you will have to use the Note 8.0 in landscape mode
when using the IR blaster to point it directly at your TV (or sit
sideways, whatever takes your fancy).
Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.
For us, the future
comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to
play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage
with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of
advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play
and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier
roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe
in the benefits of a connected, digital future.
Since unveiling our
plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you,
read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take
the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to
reshape the future of Xbox One.
You told us how much
you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc.
The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is
of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom
to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.
So, today I am
announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play,
share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360.
Here is what that means:
An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games –
After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any
disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24
hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you
want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.
Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.
In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download
games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your
games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today.
Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console -- there will be
no regional restrictions.
These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously
announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today,
you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or
resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require
that the disc be in the tray.
We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the
assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that
the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for
both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both
physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud
and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.
Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed
to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you
later this year.
The New Samsung Galaxy S4: Everything You Need To Know
In a stunning, broadway-inspired presentation, complete with a
huge stage, curtains and three wide-screen cinematic-range screens, the
much-awaited Samsung Galaxy S4 made an entrance.
S4 is touted the Life Companion with plenty of user-friendly features that connects people through richer photos, breaking language barriers, offering better security and compartmentalization between fun and work while keeping track of your health.
Here’s what you can expect in the new Samsung Galaxy S4.Click here to look at the comparison chart, pitting Galaxy S4 with a few of the hottest smartphones in the market today.
A new Photo-taking Experience
The usual problem users face these days is that if you are an avid
photo-taker, you are rarely in the photos. With the new Samsung S4, you
can now be in the shot, via the Dual Camera feature. If that is not enough, the S4 also has templates that you can apply on the front camera view.
You can even caption your pictures with a short voice clip with the Sound & Shot feature.
The audio clip can be made before or after the shot is taken. It’s a
great way to make memories even more special as you add details to the
event.
More Amazing Features
Drama Shot allows you to take 100 shots in 4 seconds
then lets you combine several shots in the same frame like in a
collage. Not only does it let you add to the experience, you can even
erase background stuff you don’t want (photobombers, be gone) in the
pictures.
With the Eraser feature, you can take composites of a
photo, then put all of that together, to get the background without the
extras you don’t.
The phone to travel With
S Translator is going to be a great tool for your
travels as you get instant translations; text-to-speech or
speech-to-text. This handy tool can translate 9 languages (including
Chinese, French, German, Italian, Latin American, Brazilian, Portuguese)
with offline support for about 3000 built-in phrases.
This also works with menus and books, apps and emails written in a foreign language.
Optimum Viewing Experience
Adapt Display automatically tweak display settings
that is comfortable to your eyes based on what you’re watching or doing,
made possible with the Super AMOLED Full HD display. The screen
automatically adjust brightness, saturation and contrast depending on
what is being view (videos, pictures or games), giving you an optimum
viewing experience that is comfortable to your eyes.
Organizing Photos Easy As Pie
Through the Story Album feature, finding photos and
turning them into album is easy. Whenever you take a photo on the same
environment (location) and same date, you get a message on the status
bar saying to create a story album.
You can create a ton of story albums with tags of the weather,
location, who is in the album etc. There is also the feature to print it
out into an actual photo album.
Always connected
If you are the photo-sharing type, HomeSync will be a great service
you’ll love. It lets you share photos with friends and family at home,
straight into their TV or mobile devices, immediately after you take
them. How’s that for real-time photo sharing?
It boasts a 1 TB storage so your photos have a home, and this doesn’t
just work with the S4. You can connect up to 8 different devices to it.
And yes, it’s like a hub to organize everyone’s photos in the same place.
S Voice Drive
To ease your driving experience S Voice Drive was developed as your personal assistant when driving. Pair it with the car bluetooth and you will automatically activate the S Voice Drive.
This new assistant will read out your text messages and emails, and
you can then reply or call the sender with voice commands. It also
includes features such as answering calls, grabbing weather info, and
finding a restaurant all while navigating as well.
Other awesome features:
Samsung Smart Switch
Making the switch is now easy with this program which lets you
transfer all your things from your old phone to the S4 making a
transition seamless. All you need to do is install the Samsung Smart
Switch program on PC where it will backup your old device and transfer
it to the S4.
Samsung Knox
Security gets a boost in this feature where you can separate work
from pleasure and keep data in both areas safe. Perfect for the
privacy-sensitive person in you.
Group Play
Music sharing is now possible across 8 devices, simultaneously. It
also supports multiplayer games and the ability to share photos between
devices.
ChatOn
This allows video calling for up to 3 people, and you can use dual
camera while chatting as well. Use the dual camera to show the people
you are talking to you, your current view as well.
Air Gesture
Navigate without touching the screen. Move your hands around to flip
from page to the next, scroll webpages, or even accept calls.
Samsung Smart Scroll/Pause
If you’re watching a video and something catches your eye, looking
away will cause the video to be paused automatically pauses the video.
The video will resume when you look back at the screen. When reading you can just tilt the phone slightly to scroll up or down.
S Health
For exercise fans, the S4 is the best companion for you. Since you
take your smartphone with you everywhere, pairing it up with the S Band
(fitness wristband), Body Scale, Heart Rate monitor and other similar
accessories, makes the S4 the best pedometer, calorie-counter,
habit-tracking device you can have, all in one
All your data can also be displayed in an easy-to-read report.
S View Cover
Covers getting in the way of your phone? Get the S View Cover. it
gives you quick access to information and even lets you answer the phone
without removing the cover. And when the cover closes, GS4 sleeps.
