New MacBook Air problems continue as volume issues are reported

The recently launched new MacBook Air is facing a new round of problems, with a number of users reporting a range of volume fluctuation issues with the Apple branded laptop.

Formally unveiled last month, the launch of the latest MacBook Air refresh was plighted by a number of Wi-Fi connectivity issues, with a fix for the early problems said to have caused a selection of issues with the computer’s volume fluctuation.

An issue that has been reported by a number of early adopters of the new MacBook Air offering, the volume control issues reportedly sees audio levels fluctuate of their own according. The problem is said to be more prevalent when attempting to enjoy video content.

“I have just purchased a new 2013 13-inch MacBook Air, and the volume seems to fluctuate by itself when I play back any videos,” a UK based MacBook Air user wrote on the Apple forums.

With dozens of users also reporting similar issues, one user added: “I too am experiencing audio fluctuations while watching Hulu or iTunes videos. It seems to fluctuate most at the middle audio level, and doesn’t do it at very low levels or high levels. Very annoying.”

While Apple has yet to fully acknowledge the issue, a selection of users have suggested that using third-party volume control and enhancement applications, such as Boom, can help act as a temporary resolve for the irritating glitch.

Suggesting that Apple staff are currently failing to address the issue, new MacBook Air owner ‘forembc’ wrote on the Apple discussion boards: “I too am having this happen. I went to the Apple Store and they have no clue why this is happening. Apple, please figure this out, it is so annoying!”

Far from the first issue to befall the new Apple MacBook Air 2013, at launch, the slimline laptop was found to have problems with its new 802.11ac Wi-Fi connections, with the computer repeatedly dropping networks with no reason or warning.

Read More: iPad mini review

Via: AppleInsider

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Samsung Galaxy S4 catches fire while charging overnight

A Samsung Galaxy S4 has reportedly burst into flames whilst set to charge, an incident that rises potential safety concerns around the Android 4.2.2 handset.

Something of an isolated incident more than a widespread issue, a Samsung Galaxy S4 owner based in Abu Dhabi has claimed that her iPhone 5 and HTC One rivalling handset caught fire without warning whilst plugged in to charge overnight.

“I cannot explain to you my extreme frustration, disappointment and extreme fear when I found my brand new Samsung Galaxy S4 burning at the charger connection to the phone,” phone owner Sarah Shurrub said in a correspondence to Samsung following the incident.

Describing the incident which took place late last month, less than a month after the S4 in question had been purchased, Shurrub added: “The phone was found burning, while charging. It’s only thanks to God that I woke up in the middle of the night and controlled the burning before it could cause damage to my home and family.”

Not quite a case of negligence on the owner’s part, the dangerous S4 had reportedly only been charging for a matter of hours when it combusted. “I woke up in the middle of the night to [attend to] my toddler, and it was about 2am at night. I think it was charging for about 3 hours by then,” the phone’s owner said.

While it is unclear as to the cause of the S4 started fire, Shurrub has suggested that Samsung has looked to amend the issue with the promise of free phones.

“It was agreed that they would replace [my burnt Galaxy S4] with a new phone, the flip cover that got burnt and as compensation, they will give me another brand new Samsung S4, though they don’t have a compensation policy and this is purely as an exception,” she wrote.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is one of the most popular smartphones on the market right now, with more than 20 million units of the 1.9GHz quad-core brimmed device shipping globally during the phones first two months on sale.

It runs a 13-megapixel rear-mounted camera and pairs a raft of premium hardware features with a collection of innovative software additions, including the eye-tracking Smart Pause and Smart Scroll.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom review

Via: Emirates24/7

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Deus Ex: The Fall Game Review

Available on iPad 3, iPad Mini and above, iPhone 4S and above

Before we say anything else, credit where credit’s due. Square-Enix hasn’t done what so many other publishers have done. It hasn’t taken a much-loved franchise and used the title and the style to skin a shooting gallery, a 2D platformer, a pseudo 3D blaster or any other kind of cut-down game. Deus Ex: The Fall, for better or worse, is Deus Ex: a fully 3D FPS with RPG elements, stealth and a story set in the same world as 2011’s Human Revolution, using characters and scenarios from tie-in novel. The Deus Ex: Icarus Effect. It’s a very ambitious thing to try on mobile platforms, and it works better than you might expect, if not quite as well as you might hope.

Deus Ex: The Fall – Another Take on the Human Revolution

The Fall stars Britiah mercenary, Ben Saxon, who with US agent Anna Kelso is hiding out in Costa Rica following the events of Icarus Effect. The pair are in need of Neuropozene, the wonder-drug that stops augmenteds’ bodies rejecting augmentations, and while attempting to find a source in Panama City, Saxon uncovers yet another dark plot: this time centred on drug manufacturers and private military corporations. It’s all a little clichéd by Deux Ex standards, and Saxon has all the charm of a low-rent Jason Statham clone, with a delivery so pedestrian that he makes the real thing sound like Kevin Spacey. Yet, there’s enough here to keep you moving through the story, reading messages, meeting contacts and – inevitably – creeping through handy ventilation ducts.

Deus Ex: The Fall - Graphics

The first big surprise about The Fall is how much of the look and feel of Human Revolution has made it through intact. There’s less detail in the scenery and architecture and some of the supporting cast suffer from a primitive, angular look, but everything comes bathed in that signature amber wash, and this is recognisably the same world that you’ve seen in Deux Ex before. Played on an iPad 4, it really does look pretty good, and frame rates are impressively smooth.

Deus Ex: The Fall – Gameplay

The second big surprise is how far the gameplay goes to replicate Human Revolution. Areas are split into bite-sized chunks, with most tied into a central Panama City hub, but within those constraints the environments are far from linear, and the game always encourages a range of approaches, from the risky go in with all guns blazing, to sneaking, hacking and an improvised mixture of all of the above. There are side-quests to encourage you to explore the locations in more detail, plus secret areas where you might find extra ammunition or those every useful praxis packs. The Fall isn’t a dumbed-down Deus Ex by any means.

Look further and deeper, and you’ll find even more familiar Deus Ex mechanics. Conversations play a big part in the game, and provide a valid route to obtaining key objectives and altering the direction of your game. Experience points are turned into praxis points, which can be used to add and upgrade abilities in the field. If you want to optimise your protagonist for stealth, combat or hacking, there’s plenty of scope to do so. Weapons can also be discovered, purchased and customised, with silencers, ammunition upgrades and boosts for accuracy and damage, and there’s no shortage of choice or depth. If you want the full Deus Ex experience, The Fall goes as far as a mobile game can to make you feel satisfied.

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Xbox One can be business tool too claims Microsoft

Microsoft is pitching the upcoming Xbox One as a jack of all trades device, suggesting the eagerly awaited games console will also be a viable business tool for many.

Having already strayed somewhat from its core gaming routes, introducing a variety of TV enabled and on-demand multimedia and streaming services, Microsoft has now claimed the Xbox One will be an “enticing business expense” for small business owners.

Not just a way to procrastinate and pass quite hours with a controller in hand, Microsoft has suggested that the Xbox One’s ability to make use of services such as Skype, SkyDrive and all manner of Internet Explorer apps will see it become part of business owners’ future collection of must-have tools.

“What is being positioned as an excellent entertainment device can be just as enticing for you and your small business,” Marques Lyons, Microsoft Xbox MVP and the Director of Consumer Camp said in a recent blog post.

He added: “In fact, it's entirely justifiable to make the Xbox One a business expense. The Xbox One, priced at $499, is an affordable option for small business owners, as there are many features built into the console that could help it rival even the most modest of video conferencing and networking platforms.”

With the likes of Office 365 to be available through the Xbox One from the launch of the PS4 rival, Lyons has suggested that the platform’s app collection could well grow to incorporate all manner of business tools and services, not just entertainment and gaming based features.

He stated: “The app story of Xbox One has yet to be written, therefore it is entirely possible to find apps down the road that could be of benefit for you and your business.

“With the processing power, snap mode, and connection to a large screen, that the Xbox One has, this device is capable of going from the 'break room' to the 'board room'.”

The Xbox One was formally unveiled as a direct replacement to the ageing Xbox 360 in the lead up to this year’s E3 2013 expo. With an Xbox One release date set for this November and an Xbox One price at £429, Microsoft’s next-gen console will hit retailers within a matter of weeks of the PS4 but cost £80 more than its leading rival.

Read More: Xbox One pre-orders

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eBay Exact iPhone app offers customisable 3D-printed gear

A one stop eBay shop for your 3D printing needs

3D printing has been in the news a lot recently, but until the costs of the printers themselves come down, these potentially-revolutionary devices won't be performing wizardry in many UK homes.

Enter eBay, that place where they can get you pretty much anything you want at a moment's notice.

The e-commerce site has launched a new iPhone app it is calling eBay Exact, where you can buy customised 3D goods from those who've already set up shop.

The app brings access to retailers like Sculpteo, MakerBot and HotParty, where you can buy jewellery, figurines, iPhone cases and more, all tuned to your own specifications.

For example, if you've a penchant for dangly earrings, you can choose the colour and the shape (no, not the Foo Fighters album, unfortunately) of your chosen item.

If you wish to buy a ring, you'll choose your size, pattern, materials (wood, metal, plastic etc), height and thickness among other things. You can also get your item engraved.

Just submit your order and the retailer will fire up its 3D printer and take care of the rest.

At the moment, the choice is quite limited and everything on the store appears to be mightily expensive, but we'd assume the selections will widen and the price will come down as more retailers get involved.

Just don't go getting any silly ideas about 3D printed guns, OK?

Via The Verge

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Mates again? Apple and Google are talking, says Schmidt

Have Google and Apple kissed and made up?

Not only are Apple and Google are back on speaking terms, but they're in "constant" discussions about various issues, according to Google chairman Eric Schmidt.

The relationship between the two tech titans has become notoriously strained in recent years, as Android and iOS do battle for the hearts and minds of mobile users around the world.

The frosty relationship saw key Google apps like Maps and YouTube apps cut from the core iOS experience, while legal battles around the world have seen Apple aggressively go after Android manufacturing partners like Samsung its own Motorola company.

However, Schmidt, who was today caught wielding what could be the Moto X phone, says there are currently "lots and lots" of meetings taking place between the two companies.

Reuters quotes Big Eric as saying Apple and Google as in "constant business discussions on a long list of issues," but didn't reveal exactly what those issues might be.

Once close pals, the relationship between Apple and Google began to deteriorate when Google began its Android assault.

Steve Jobs claimed Google has "wholesale ripped off" iOS. A fuming Jobs called Schmidt to register his grievances and things were never quite the same between the pair.

Does this mean two of the biggest companies are likely to be spending Christmas and birthdays together? Probably not, but it may mean you'll be reading less about boring lawsuits in the future.

Via CNET

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Best games to buy in 2013

Well it’s a bit of a big year for gaming isn’t it? The Xbox One and the PS4 are set to land before Christmas as Microsoft and Sony go head-to-head in the battle of the next gen consoles.

The quality of games could be the difference between success and failure. If the likes of Destiny and Watch Dogs are anything to go by though, there’s a veritable feast of stunning-looking PS4 games and Xbox One games to keep you busy well into 2014.

Of course, it’s not all about next gen gaming. There’s still life in that Xbox 360 and PS3 yet. We shouldn’t forget about the PS Vita, Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U games also set to land before the end of the year.

As we hit around the halfway mark of the year, we’ve taken a look back at the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC games that have kept us glued to our consoles, desktops and gaming portables.

From long awaited sequels to a great Nintendo game that doesn’t feature Mario, here’s our pick of the top ten games of 2013 so far. If you haven’t played them, you still have plenty of time before the PS4 and Xbox One turn up…

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Angry Birds Star Wars prequel teased for July 15 launch

Rovio has released a teaser picture for an entirely new Angry Birds Star Wars game, potentially a prequel instalment.

Fans of the mobile and social gaming series can expect an entirely new Angry Birds Star Wars game, and by the looks of the newly release teaser picture it could be a Star Wars Episode 1 remake in the true Angry Birds’ style.

“Attention Angry Birds fans! Stay tuned on Monday, July 15, for big news about a brand new game!", reads a Rovio blog post. "We’re talking the biggest character line-up ever, awesome new powers, and maybe even a few surprises!”

Potentially merging all of the Star Wars prequel into one whopper Angry Birds game, Rovio’s teaser picture strongly resembles the Star Wars Episode 1 film poster. The image shows an Angry Bird Anakin Skywalker representation and his shadow morphing into a slightly porcine-looking Darth Vader silhouette.

“Big new game announcement coming on Monday! #July15” tweeted Rovio from the official Angry Birds twitter account.

Angry Birds fans could see bird version of characters like Padme Amidala and Jar Jar Binks, the latter a potentially very comedic addition to the series.

On the piggy side of the force, Darth Maul and General Grevious are both bound to make appearances.

Back in June, Rovio launched a teaser trailer for Angry Birds Go!, what looked to be a racing game version of the popular bird catapulting series.

However, we have yet to hear more about the racing title, which could potentially incorporate endless-runner elements such as Temple Run and its sequel Temple Run 2.



Next read our pick of the best mobile phones of 2013.

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New Nexus 7 to launch within weeks?

The latest rumours suggest that the new Nexus 7 tablet could launch within weeks, sometime at the end of July or beginning of August.

Tawainese supply sources that the new Nexus 7, thought to be the official name for the device, will launch within the next month co-developed by Asus and Google.

This latest leak supports the new Nexus 7 release date and specs teased by an Asus rep at the start of the month, which also suggested that the next 7-inch Google tablet would make an official appearance this month.

The second-generation Google Nexus 7 tablet will bring a 7-inch 1980 x 1200p display, boosting the 1280 x 800p resolution of the current slate.

It will include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 CPU, quite a change from the Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor used at present, but retain the same 1.2-megapixel front facing camera.

The new Nexus 7 could introduce a 5-megapixel rear camera to the device, which would be quite interesting seeing as the first generation Google slate lacked any kind of rear camera.

Alongside the latest new Nexus 7 release date leak, the Digitimes sources suggested the Google tablet will retail with an expectedly modest $199 - $229 price tag, equating to around the same prices as the current models, despite the spec bump.

The sources estimate that 8 million new Nexus 7 devices will be sold across the world this year after it launches, but could face competition from other similarly priced tablets from Lenovo, Acer and HP.

When it launched last year, the existing Google Nexus 7 shipped 6 million units because of its attractively low price, but the new Nexus 7 may not have as much success because of the increased rivalry.

The new Nexus 7 appeared online with Android 4.3 in tow last month via an FCC filing, but could easily be one of the first devices to run the eagerly anticipated Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, coupled with the Nexus 5 smartphone.

Next, read our pick of the best tablets of 2013.

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Moto X caught on video

Moto X gets caught on camera

The Moto X has been caught on video in the hands of a top Motorola executive showcasing the smartphone in the flesh for the first time.

The video was posted on Robert Scoble’s Google Plus account and was taken at an exclusive gathering organised by new Motorola employee Guy Kawasaki, previously thought to be the official launch of the Moto X before that rumour was debunked by Motorola.

In his video of the party he filmed using Google Glass, Scoble managed to catch the Moto X in the hands of the Senior Vice President for Product Management at Motorola, Rick Osterloh.

Now, while we only get a brief glimpse of the Moto X the smartphone seen does tally with the Moto X phone images leaked earlier this month that also showed the rear of the device.

It also looks to have the same curved rear back that is showcased in the latest leaked picture of a fully assembled Moto X that emerged today and is included below.

It has quite a large camera sensor, a flash and below that an embossed Motorola M logo. It also seems to have a rubberised matte finish on the rear, complementing the gloss plastic front panel of the device spotted in the Moto X Clear Pixel camera spec leak.

The Moto X is tipped to have a 4.7-inch 1280 x 768p resolution display, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU.

Potentially running a very close to stock version of Android 4.3, the Moto X probably won’t be a powerful Android device but will focus on innovative software features.

Motorola has already confirmed the existence of the Moto X, the company’s upcoming flagship, and has said it will be the “first smartphone that you can design yourself.”

As of yet we’re not quite sure what that means, but could provide users with a basis body smartphone akin to the Google Nexus 4 that they can then customise the case of.

Head to 3.10 in the video on Scoble's Google Plus page to see the Moto X for yourself.

Next read our Nexus 4 tips and tricks.

Via: Android Authority

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Major Windows Phone 8 fixes won’t arrive until 2014

Windows Phone 8 users will not receive the major “Blue” update until early 2014, according to sources close to Microsoft.

Despite Microsoft’s latest Windows Phone 8 update launching imminently, “sources familiar with Microsoft’s Windows Phone plans” say that the significant WP8 changes aren’t due until next year.

Microsoft is so focused on the Windows Phone Blue update that it is only releasing incremental modifications in the Windows Phone 8 updates rather than introducing significant changes.

The latest update due to roll out shortly is called General Distribution Release 2 (GDR2), which doesn’t scream new and exciting updates.

It will bring fixes to Xbox Music metadata, a new Data Sense app for all network providers, the option to set a Lens app as the default camera app and bring back the FM radio feature.

There are a few other minor tweaks, but nothing that is going to jump out as a new feature for the user, which is sad seeing as the WP8 platform has now been out for eight months.

Microsoft could add Blue features to WP8 later this year in a GDR3 update including a rotation lock option, a useful addition to WP8 devices like the Nokia Lumia 920.

Windows Phone Blue update will bring major updates to Windows Phone 8 devices, such as a much anticipated Windows notification centre , improved multitasking functionality, and big changes to pre-installed WP8 apps.

The official word from Microsoft on major Windows Phone updates is mixed. The software giant said it is preparing what it is calling a feature pack update in the first months of 2014, which will contain VPN support and enterprise improvements.

As for other additions, Microsoft is staying mum.

For desktop and tablets, Microsoft has unveiled Windows 8.1, which introduces a host of big changes and features for users, including the return of the Start button.

Next read our Windows Phone 8 tips and tricks.

Via: The Verge

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Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S Laptop Review

What is the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S?

The Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 11S is an ultrabook, first and foremost. It’s a powerful one at that thanks to 8GB RAM and a generous 256GB of solid state storage, but the Yoga part of its name refers to the extra flexibility it offers. Like the larger 13-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13, its screen flips a full 360 degrees to create a tablet – albeit one with a dormant keyboard and touchpad on its backplate.

As such, this is aimed at someone looking for something ultra-portable, who isn’t quite prepared to lose the keyboard completely, but is open to the flexibility a tablet provides. But how does it stack up in the real world?

Want a standard laptop? Read our top 10 best laptop round-up.

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S – Design & Build Quality

Lenovo has a reputation for distinct, stylish design and the IdeaPad Yoga 11S follows this tradition with a tasteful two-tone colour scheme. The outside has a chrome silver finish, while the inside has a very dark grey and black design. The keyboard side feels slightly rubberised, which is actually quite comfortable, but is presumably also designed with practicality in mind when this is the backplate of the device in ‘tablet mode’.

The screen itself moves to a glossy black colour scheme, with a second Windows Home button there too, so you’re never far away from the controls when you’ve parked the keyboard. The bezel is quite thick for a laptop, but looks like what we’ve come to expect from tablets.

Connectivity-wise, the IdeaPad keeps things simple: two USB ports, a headphone jack, an HDMI-out port, an SD card slot and the AC point. On top of that, there are a few extra buttons on the side: a volume control and a rotation-lock button, only available when held in tablet mode.

Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 11S – Screen Quality

As you’d hope with a device that wants to be a tablet as well as a laptop, the screen quality is, for the most part, excellent. The colour temperature, at 6595K is almost spot on (6500K is the ideal), and the contrast of 1059:1 is also pretty impressive. Icons appear sharp on the 11.6-inch screen, and day-to-day usage is a pleasure.

Two areas slightly let it down: firstly, the brightness isn’t very impressive at all; the peak brightness as measured using our Xrite i1 Display Pro is a distinctly average 202 nits, a long way short of the fantastically bright Sony Vaio Pro 13 that managed 372 nits at its brightest. This, combined with the glossy finish, means the Yoga 11S is difficult to use in bright light as the screen is very reflective and the it’s not bright enough to compensate.

The second weakness is that viewing angles are merely okay. The screen is just too reflective for angled viewing. Neither is too serious in a laptop, but in tablet mode when it’s designed for more use out-and-about these aren’t areas you want to be at all disappointed in.

On the bright side, as a touchscreen it works very nicely. It’s a 10 point touch interface, although on an 11.6-inch screen, you’ll struggle to get all 10 fingers on it at a time. As with all Windows 8 touchscreens, we have the usual issues: the big buttons on the start menu work well, but the desktop mode gets a bit fiddly.

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Meet Wauki.tv: the new LoveFilm and Netflix rival

Wauki.tv - could LoveFilm and Netflix have met their match?

There’s a new LoveFilm and Netflix rival on the block and its name is Wauki.tv.

Offering the first hybrid PAYG and subscription streaming service, Wauki.tv is being launched by Rakuten as a new competitor to the successful Netflix and LoveFilm offerings.

Users can either rent or buy moves or TV series episodes they wish to watch, or can subscribe to the Wauki.tv service on a pay monthly basis.

“Streaming services have grown significantly in the UK, and we see a huge gap to offer a hybrid of the traditional subscription and a la carte models,” said Jacinto Roca, Wauki.tv Founder and CEO. “Our Wauki Plus subscription offers a quality service at an attractive monthly rate.”

The Wauki Plus monthly subscription is priced at £5.99 per month normally, but early subscribers can take advantage of the beta-phase’s introductory £2.99 per month subscription for life.

Any customers already signed up to Wauki.tv’s sister site, Play.com, will also get a 50 per cent discount on their first two film rentals.

Movie rentals are priced at £3.49 or £3.99, while TV series can be purchased on a season basis, with prices according to how recent their release date is.

“However, we know many people also want to rent or buy the very latest new releases, which are usually not available on subscription streaming services immediately, and other simply prefer to have on-demand on an a la carte basis. With Wauki users can have both, and pick-and-choose what they want, when they want.”

Already home to thousands of films and TV programmes from Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, Disney, the BBC and Twentieth Century Fox, Wauki.tv certainly looks like it is lining up as a strong contender against the dominant existing streaming services.

Wauki.tv is currently only available on desktop platforms, Wauki.tv will be launching smart TV, tablet and game console apps over the summer months to increase its service.

“We’ve already seen huge success with the hybrid model in Spain, with over 600,000 users and we believe we’ll see similar success in the UK and other European markets. It is a competitive market, but we believe putting the consumer in control through our one-stop-shop solution for video on-demand will give us an edge.”

Next, read our pick of the best TVs of 2013.

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Oculus Rift support for Xbox One and PS4 inbound?

Oculus could make its virtual reality headset, the Oculus Rift compatible with the Xbox One and PS4 , but it is worried about console lifecycles.

Encouraging other companies to create their own VR technology, Oculus isn’t averse to making the Oculus Rift work with the next-generation consoles but worries that the hardware within them will be soon outdated.

“Well, we love consoles. We play them a lot,” said Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe. “There’s no reason it can’t technically work, it’s just getting everybody involved. Right now we’re focused on the PC platform and Android.”

PCs are less restricted by their technical innards than the upcoming consoles, due to the fact they are a platform can be upgraded and modified.

“We’d like to see it eventually become compatible with consoles, but right now we’re mostly focused on the PC side – we’d love them to come up with something.”

Iribe said he is “excited” by the next-generation consoles, and can see Oculus Rift working with both. However, he heartily encourages other companies, including Microsoft and Sony, to make a start on their own VR or AR devices.

“We love what both the console guys are doing. I hope one or both of the console guys make VR headsets, or something similar, like an AR headset. The more that they push into this space, even if it’s a different device, or their own device, a different experience, the more that they’re throwing into AR and VR, the better it is for everybody.”

The fixed hardware on the Xbox One and PS4, combined with long console lifecycles would impose limitations on AR and VR technology that is bound to make huge advancements in quality and useability in a short space of time.

“I think that you will see VR move fast – AR also, but especially VR. You’re going to see rapid innovation, and one of the concerns that we do generally have around consoles is that their life cycles are getting longer all the time – it’s a seven to eight year lifecycle and in eight years, VR is going to be insane. Incredible.”

If Microsoft or Sony made their own devices, at least it wouldn’t force other companies to be restricted by the innards of the consoles.

Next, read: Forget Xbox One and PS4, all I want for Christmas is an Oculus Rift.



Via: OXM

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BlackBerry A10 image leaked

Following recent rumours of the BlackBerry A10's power and size, the first image of the device has leaked onto the internet.

The picture revealed by BGR (see below) shows the BlackBerry A10, also known as the Aristo, in all it's large-screen glory.

It'll be a touch-only device (no trademark BlackBerry keyboard) with a large 5-inch Super AMOLED display - the largest BlackBerry smartphone yet.

It's claimed that this screen won't be particularly sharp with a resolution of 1280 x 720. That's just 720p, when most new 5-inch Android devices are 1080p.

The BlackBerry A10 will apparently feature a dual-core CPU backed by 2GB of RAM, as well as a separate GPU. Previous reports claim that BlackBerry will leverage this setup to make the A10 a gaming powerhouse.

The rounded edges and touches of white revealed in this picture appear to partially confirm previous suggestions that the BlackBerry A10 would resemble the Samsung Galaxy S4 more than any previous BlackBerry. Having said that, we can definitely see plenty of the BlackBerry Z10's design language in there.

Apparently the BlackBerry A10's rear will "feature something similar to the BlackBerry Q10," though we're not quite sure what that's supposed to mean at this point.

The report maintains that we'll be seeing the BlackBerry A10 hit the market some time this autumn.



Interested in BlackBerry handsets? Check out our full BlackBerry Q10 review.

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Microsoft rumoured to be cutting Surface RT price

Microsoft is all set to cut the price of its Surface RT tablet by $150, if a recent internet rumour is to be believed.

According to The Verge, which is citing "sources familiar with Microsoft's Surface plans," the current iteration of the Surface RT tablet could be cut to $349 (for the 32GB model) as early as next week.

The 64GB model will be cut to $449.99, whilst you'll be able to add a Touch Cover to either model for $100 extra.

Such a price cut would follow slow sales of the stripped-back Windows 8 RT tablet. Microsoft has even tried to sell the device off to schools in the past for just $199 a piece.

The reports also comes in the wake of news that Microsoft is to launch the next generation of Surface RT and Surface Pro over the coming 12 months. The company outlined its plans to do so at this week's Worldwide Partner Conference.

We previously reported that the next Surface RT would run on a Snapdragon 800 CPU, which would enable the inclusion of 4G connectivity.

Meanwhile the next Surface Pro, which will run a full version of Windows 8.1, will likely sport a new Intel Haswell processor.

It's also rumoured that Microsoft is working on a new battery-equipped keyboard cover for the next generation of its Surface tablets.

Next, find out more about the new features of Windows 8.1.

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Microsoft announces major restructuring, push towards unified ecosystem starts now

Ballmer: Large and in charge

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has today announced the rumoured major reorganisation of the tech giant, which he hopes will transform the company and enable it to cope with the rapidly changing tech landscape.

The new era at Microsoft will see the end of isolated divisions in favour of a "far-reaching realignment" that will encourage greater collaboration between the various software and hardware units across the company.

Beyond all the business-speak, what this means for us is the eventual unification of the Windows 8, Windows Phone and Xbox platforms, offering one app store for all and one development platform to ensure those apps work across the spectrum of devices.

Microsoft has been moving towards the eventuality for a while, but now it's full steam ahead.

In a post entitled 'Transforming our Company' Ballmer promised: "We will strive for a single experience for everything in a person’s life that matters. One experience, one company, one set of learnings, one set of apps, and one personal library of entertainment, photos and information everywhere. One store for everything.

"Microsoft has the clear opportunity to offer consumers a unified experience across all aspects of their life, whether the screen is a small wearable, a phone, a tablet, an 85-inch display or other screens and devices we have not yet even imagined."

Small wearable? Hmmmm, interesting.

The transformation, which also involves a host of executives shifting roles or being shifted out completely, also emphasises Microsoft's renewed focus on devices as well as software.

The mission statement challenges Microsoft to deliver "a definitive family of devices" to envelop the users daily experiences for work and play. Microsoft says no company has yet to achieve that goal.

Ballmer added: "We see tremendous room for innovation in software, services and hardware to bring the consumer this new, more complete and enveloping experience.

"Our family will include a full spectrum of both partner and first-party devices. We believe we need all of these categories to drive innovation, fulfill market desire for diversity of experience, and achieve volume.

"Our family will include phones, tablets, PCs, 2-in-1s, TV-attached devices and other devices to be imagined and developed. No other company has such strength across so many categories today, and yet this strength is essential to being relevant and personal throughout people’s lives."

A separate memo sent to each of the company's 100,000-odd employees, entitled "One Microsoft" uses buzzwords like nimble, communicative, collaborative, decisive and motivated and challenges employees to 'seize the unique opportunity'

The strategy from bold and brave Ballmer looks pretty bold and brave, but is it the big guy's last throw of the dice? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Via CNET

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Nokia boss teases 'major launch' in 2013, following Lumia 1020 reveal

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop followed up the launch of the 41-megapixel Nokia Lumia 1020 handset by promising another big release before the year is out.

As TechRadar reports, the under-fire bossman said the next "major launch" is coming "later this year" during a Q&A session at the New York event on Thursday afternoon.

Elop's comments are sure to spark more speculation that the oft-anticipated Nokia Lumia tablet running Windows 8 or Windows RT might be on the way before we draw a line under 2013.

Earlier this year, Nokia was granted a patent with the US Patent & Trademark Office for a tablet device that looked very similar to the Microsoft surface.

The proposed device had a keyboard cover, just like the Surface devices, that could be used as a kickstand. However the patent was filed back in October 2011, so plans may have moved on since then.

Back in February, we got a brief glimpse of what looked like a Nokia Lumia tablet when it appeared on a screen at a Lumia 620 launch event in Pakistan, of all places.

If Elop wasn't referring to a tablet, it's difficult to know what Nokia could have on the agenda.

The company has launched three flagship handsets in very quick succession with the Lumia 925, Lumia 928 and today's Lumia 1020 sets Nokia up very well for the year.

We'll keep our nose to the ground for more leaks. If the recent past is anything to go by, whatever Nokia has up its sleeve shouldn't be too elusive.

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Nokia Lumia 1020 alone won’t restore Nokia name, says analyst

The Nokia Lumia 1020 alone isn’t enough to revive the Nokia brand, suggests one analyst.

Daniel Gleeson, a mobile analyst at IHS Electronics and Media, suggests that the newly launched Nokia Lumia 1020 won’t be able to change Nokia’s fortunes on its own. It will have to be backed by a strong new range of smartphones later in the year.

“The Lumia 1020 will act as a halo product to boost Nokia’s brand appeal”, said Gleeson. “IHS forecasts that this smartphone will not ship sufficient volumes to turn around the company’s fortune on its own.”

In fact, IHS predicts that Nokia’s market share for 2013 will fall unless Nokia has more smartphone products up its sleeves.

“Nokia’s share of the smartphone market will fall to 3 per cent in 2013, down from 5 per cent in 2012 unless Nokia follows this halo hardware launch with a strong new smartphone portfolio across all price points in the autumn. Additionally Nokia must continue to invest in content and services to bolster the range of Windows Phone app choice and quality.”

However, the analysts do believe that the Nokia Lumia 1020’s camera features will be easier to translate to consumers than the UltraPixel technology in the HTC One.

“The 1020’s vast megapixel count is a significant marketing asset because consumers have been well trained that more pixels are better in digital photography. This message is far clearer and simpler than HTC’s ‘UltraPixel’ proposition.

Part of a recent explosion of camera-centric smartphones, the Nokia Lumia 1020 will most likely be compared to the recently launched Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom.

“41-megapixels outguns even Samsung’s camera-smartphone hybrids in pixel count by more than two to one, although Samsung will correctly point to its stronger but bulkier optics as an advantage.”

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom packs a 16-megapixel rear snapper with a 10x optical zoom.



Next, read our Windows Phone 8 tips and tricks.

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Nokia Lumia 1020 officially launched

Nokia has officially launched the Nokia Lumia 1020 at its dedicated “41 millions reasons” event in New York.


After the specs leaked earlier today, Nokia has officially unveiled its latest 41-megapixel camera smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 1020.

“Pictures will mean more to you. You’ll see things with the device that you’ve never seen before. You’ll get closer than you’ve ever been before,” said Nokia at the event. “It’s the next chapter in smartphone photography.”

Nokia Lumia 1020 Camera Features

Nokia claims that its new “sensor innovation and technology we call oversampling” means the Nokia Lumia 1020 will produce the best photos ever produced by a smartphone. The oversampling

The Nokia Lumia 1020 features an all new backside illuminated 41-megapixel sensor that Nokia says will enable users to take better pictures in daylight but also in low-light and night time conditions.

As introduced in the Nokia Lumia 920, the Nokia Lumia 1020 will also have optical image stabilisation. It’ll have 2nd generation OIS that combats any blur or shake in photographs and videos.

Nokia also says it has “reinvented zoom”, in that oversampling allows users to zoom into details on their pictures even after they’ve been taken.

The Lumia 1020 also has 6 lenses within its Carl Zweiss technology to increase the sharpness and the zooming capabilities.

Users can also take a photo and then later go back and edit or frame their images to tell “a different story”. The Finnish smartphone manufacturer says it is its “shoot first, zoom later” focus for the Lumia 1020.

It also has manual exposure settings on it too.

Nokia Pro Camera, an all-new camera app for the Lumia 1020, means Nokia has made it easy for users to make the most of its new 41-megapixel camera technology. It offers photo editing software directly from the Windows Phone 8 smartphone.

It’ll come in yellow, black and white when it launches, all made from special material that means the colours won’t fade with time or use.

Specs-wise, the Nokia Lumia runs Windows Phone 8 on a 4.5-inch AMOLED screen with a 1280 x 768p resolution, protected by Gorilla Glass 3. It has a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory and 7GB SkyDrive cloud storage.

Powered by a 2000mAh battery, users can opt to purchase the snap-on Nokia Camera Grip that offers access to camera features and a screw mount for tripods. It also increases the battery by an additional 1,200mAh.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is coming to the US first as an AT&T exclusive for $299.99 on a two-year contract on July 26. It will arrive in the UK sometime this quarter for an unknown price.

Next, read our review of the Nokia Lumia 925.

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Amazon.com sells out of all Xbox One and PS4 launch stock

PS4 and Xbox One controllers

Amazon.com has announced it has completely sold out of Xbox One and PS4 launch day consoles and won’t be able to take anymore pre-orders at this time.

High demand for both next-generation consoles mean that the Xbox One and PS4 launch day editions have already sold out on Amazon.com.

“After a crazy and exciting month, we’ve sold through our initial allocations of PS4 and Xbox One”, said Amazon.com on Facebook. “We have the Standard Editions for both consoles still available, but we can’t guarantee these at release. Please check back here as we’ll update you first if we receive further release day allocations.”

Anyone wanting to pre-order either of the next-gen consoles with Amazon.com has obviously already missed the boat and will have to seek alternative options to guarantee an Xbox One or PS4 come launch day.

Another US retailer, Best Buy has also stopped taking Xbox One pre-orders for launch day consoles.

TrustedReviews has contacted Amazon.co.uk for an update on its pre-order status for both consoles, and will update this article accordingly.

Both the Xbox One and PS4 prices were announced at E3 2013, alongside Sony finally unveiling the design of its next-generation console.

The PS4 scooped the Xbox One on price, undercutting the Microsoft console’s £429 launch cost by £80. Priced at £349, the PS4 managed to keep its price low by deliberately removing its PlayStation camera from the box, unlike Microsoft has done with its Xbox One and Kinect bundle.

The Xbox One release date has been set for November, while Sony is still sticking to its “holidays 2013” PS4 release date.

Packing similar specs and a host of launch titles, it will be interesting to see which console is the biggest seller come launch.

For where to pre-order your next-gen consoles in the UK head to our PS4 pre-order and Xbox One pre-order pages.

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4G survey reveals a third of UK “can’t see the point”

Is 4G being marketed incorrectly?

One in three UK consumers have admitted they “can’t see the point” of 4G and believe 3G is adequate for their needs.

The latest YouGov SixthSense survey has revealed that a third of UK consumers don’t realise the benefits of 4G mobile broadband, and are very content with their current 3G service.

YouGov’s “4G Tariffs” report, undertaken ahead of more UK network providers launching their own 4G networks, showed that a good proportion of UK consumers aren’t even aware of all the 4G benefits.

The majority of those surveyed, 80 per cent, were aware of 4G, but only a fifth (21 per cent) could identify its features with confidence.

Only 48 per cent admitted they had a “vague understanding” of 4G, but 31 per cent didn’t have a clue what 4G was at all.

“That a lot of consumers can’t see the point of 4G represents a real challenge to operators as more of them roll out 4G to their customers”, said Russell Feldman, Technology & Telecoms Director at YouGov. “The low levels of understanding about what 4G offers indicates that networks need to be savvy when selling it to consumers – showing not just that is exists but also what it does.”

35 per cent of consumers surveyed said none of the 4G features piqued their interest, but for over half (55 per cent), the major concern for making the change is the cost. The report revealed that those already on 4G pay an average £14.70 a month extra on data.

“Take-up is likely to be a slow burn as consumers hold off making decisions until they see it in action.”

Currently the only UK 4G provider, EE has said that despite the service it is extremely happy with the take-up of its 4GEE tariffs across the UK.

“Superfast 4GEE is proving very popular with over half a million of our customers already signed up,” said an official EE spokesperson to TrustedReviews. “In fact we’re ahead of our target to reach one million 4G customers by the end of the year. That’s why we’re confident in our approach and remain firmly committed to helping customers access 4G in a variety of ways and in a way that suits them best.”



Next, read our review of the 4G LTE compatible Samsung Galaxy S4.

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All your PS4 games will be accessible from any PS4 console

Sony has confirmed that all the PS4 games owned by the user will be available to play on any PS4 console via the digital games library.

Players will be able to access their digital games library via any PS4 console, simply by logging into their PlayStation Network (PSN) account.

Neil Brown, a senior engineer at Sony, has confirmed that the PS4 will allow quick access to their digital libraries on whatever console they happen to be playing on.

Not too dissimilar to the current gen functionality that allows access to digitally purchased games via users’ PSN and Xbox Live accounts, but it is the PS4’s “Play As You Download” feature that makes it a much easier experience.

“You can visit your friends’ house you can log into your account and play any game from your digital library, which is good,” explained Brown. “But how useful is that if it takes half a day to download the game you want to play?”

“With Play As You Download you get much quicker access to at least the first section of the game so you can start playing quicker. So this makes a digital library a practical option in the real world.”

This means that there will be no annoying waits while the game downloads before you can actually play it. Instead, as soon as the game starts to download you can get access to the first chunk of the game while the rest downloads in the background.

Gamers will never have to wait for a game to install on the PS4, even when playing a disc-based game. Due to vastly improved background processes, PS4 gamers will benefit from faster loading and streaming from the harddrive.

“A similar system also works on Blu-ray. Chunks are automatically copied to the hard drive in the background. This means that after the first few minutes your game can rely on having faster read speeds from the hard drive, which provides a better experience for players, and this is a completely background process for the player.”

“They don’t have to wait for anything to install before playing the game. The game will launch as soon as the disk has been put in the drive.”



Next, read our PS4 vs Xbox One comparison.

Via: OPM

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Samsung UE40F6400 TV Review

What is the Samsung UE40F6400?

The mid-range Samsung UE40F6400 is the most affordable TV we’ve seen from Samsung’s 2013 TV series to date. Despite this, though, it’s still well featured, including such ‘big hitters’ like Samsung’s latest Smart TV interface, active 3D, built-in Wi-Fi, expansive multimedia playback support, and a ‘200 Clear Motion Rate’ engine.

Not what you're looking for? See our top 10 best TVs of 2013 round-up

Samsung UE40F6400: Design & Connections

It’s attractively designed, too, for a 40-inch TV we’ve found selling just £616 - it's around £650 from larger outlets. Its black bezel is attractively finished and pretty slim at under 1.5cm across. We also like Samsung’s trademark transparent outer trim, and the silver cross-style stand the set sits on if you’re not wall mounting it.

If you do want to pop it on the wall, though, you shouldn’t find it too difficult, thanks to the way Samsung has positioned the majority of the set’s connections for side access, so you don’t have to worry about cables sticking straight out of the TV’s rear. The only important exceptions to this are one of the four HDMIs and the LAN input. But where the latter is concerned there’s a pretty handy workaround in the shape of built-in Wi-Fi.

Other connections of note include three USBs capable of playing back a wide range of photo, music and video multimedia file types. You can also access similar files from networked DLNA PCs.

Samsung UE40F6400: Smart TV

Samsung has committed to delivering its latest Smart TV functionality across pretty much the whole of its TV range this year, so the now-familiar array of five separate content hubs greets you when you’ve installed the Samsung UE40F6400.

Also present and correct are all the video streaming platforms that have helped make Samsung’s online TV offering this year such a rip-roaring success, including, uniquely, all four of the main UK broadcaster catch-up TV services.

Plus you get Samsung’s S-Recommendations system that learns your viewing preferences and makes suggestions accordingly, and the TV ships with a second remote featuring a touchpad and a built-in mic for accessing Samsung’s latest, ever-improving voice recognition system.

The Smart menus remain a little inscrutable in places, and Samsung’s Android and iOS app situation remains frustratingly ‘fractured’ into multiple apps and varying functionality between devices. Overall, though, the UE40F6400’s Smart system is commendable for its sophistication.

For a more in-depth analysis of Samsung’s Smart platform this year, read our Samsung Smart TV review from earlier in the year.

Bear in mind, however, that Samsung has issued a series of firmware updates since that report was written that has notably improved some aspects of the system, especially the voice and gesture control elements.

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Nokia Lumia 1020 specs leak ahead of official unveiling

The Nokia Lumia 1020 specs have leaked ahead of tonight’s official unveiling by Nokia in New York, July 11.


A full specs sheet for the 41-megapixel camera smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 1020, has leaked online prior to Nokia’s official launch.

The camera-centric smartphone will have a 4.5-inch AMOLED HD Plus display with a 1280 x 768p resolution. That screen will be protected by Gorilla Glass 3.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 has a 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. As it is a Windows Phone 8 device, there’ll be 7GB of SkyDrive space available to the user as well.

All those 41-megapixel camera rumours were true, as the Nokia Lumia 1020 will come with the aforementioned rear snapper, Xenon flash and Full 1080p HD video recording capabilities.

The leak also says the rear camera will come with 3x Hi-Res Zoom, six lens optics, and optical image stabilisation.

Nokia’s latest smartphone can also be purchased with an optional grip that not only provides a dedicated camera shutter button, but also an added 1020mAh battery capacity.

The grip also includes a screw mount for attaching the 41-megapixel camera smartphone onto a tripod.

Connectivity-wise, the Nokia Lumia 1020 is compatible with Bluetooth, NFC, 4G LTE, HSPA plus and ships with Nokia Here maps and Here drive pre-installed.

The spiritual upgrade to the Symbian-running Nokia PureView 808, the Nokia Lumia 1020 will be a Windows Phone 8 device that has the same focus on smartphone photography capabilities.

The smartphone will ship in white, black and yellow come launch, with the grips matching the Nokia Lumia 1020’s colour palette.

Nokia’s New York-based “41 million reasons” event is due to start at 4pm BST today, July 11. It will be interesting to see if these leaked specs line-up with the real Nokia Lumia 1020 when it arrives later today.

Next, read our review of the Nokia Lumia 925 .

Via: mynokiablog

Pics: The Verge

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Microsoft teases Surface Pro and Surface RT tablet refresh

Microsoft has confirmed that it will be refreshing its Surface Windows 8 tablet range over the coming 12 months.

The company has been outlining its plans for 2013 and beyond at its Worldwide Partner Conference this week, and the company's tablet plans have been briefly touched upon.

Microsoft's chief operating office Kevin Turner revealed a slide that acted as a loose update roadmap for the coming year. Among the various Skypes and Bings, there were four entries for Surface.

One of these Surface entries promised an "Update to Surface RT," while another mentioned an "Update to Surface Pro." The other two Surface entry concerned "New accessories" and "New accessory colours."

This would seem to confirm that there will be new versions of Microsoft's two Windows 8 tablets over the coming months. The Surface Pro only launched in February of this year, but the Surface RT launched in October 2012, so we could see a new version hitting shops in just a couple of months.

Just last month it was rumoured that Microsoft would be refreshing the Surface RT with Snapdragon 800 CPUs, pointing to the first 4G-capable Microsoft tablet.

On the Surface Pro front, Microsoft could well incorporate Intel's new power-efficient Haswell processor, which has been appearing in recent Ultrabooks.

Both tablets will feature Microsoft's new Windows 8.1 OS, which will reinstate the famous Start button and boast a bunch of new usability tweaks and fresh native applications.

Next, find out more about the new features of Windows 8.1.

Via: The Verge

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BlackBerry A10 to be game-focused and shaped like a Samsung Galaxy S4

The BlackBerry A10 could be the most media-friendly BlackBerry yet

Fresh reports are claiming that the forthcoming BlackBerry A10 will come with an unexpected focus on gaming, and that it'll resemble a Samsung Galaxy S4.

Echoing what an industry insider informed TrustedReviews last month, multiple trusted sources of BGR's have claimed that the forthcoming BlackBerry A10 smartphone is going to be the most capable, powerful BlackBerry yet with a media-friendly 5-inch Super AMOLED display.

More interestingly, the BlackBerry A10 will come with "a huge focus on gaming."

Despite being geared towards "power and gaming," the A10 will only come with a dual-core processor. Apparently, BlackBerry has been unable to make the jump to a quad-core architecture - either due to concerns over battery life or because of difficulties optimising BlackBerry 10 for a quad-core setup.

Still, this dual-core CPU will reportedly be backed by a healthy 2GB of RAM, and the BlackBerry A10 will apparently adopt the same silicon as the iPhone, with separate CPU and GPU processors. In the iPhone's case, this has certainly resulted in a string of highly capable gaming smartphones.

The report also has something to say about the BlackBerry A10's design. It'll apparently closely resemble the Samsung Galaxy S4, though if anything it'll be larger. It's also described as being "more rounded and less aggressive-looking" than the BlackBerry Z10.

It's claimed that we can expect to see the BlackBerry A10 launching some time this autumn.



Interested in BlackBerry handsets? Check out our full BlackBerry Q10 review.

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TomTom GO 500 Sat Nav Review

What is the TomTom GO 500?

The TomTom GO 500 is a fully featured 5-inch widescreen sat nav with lifetime traffic and map updates. The last time TomTom made a major upgrade to its range was the introduction of the GO 1000 LIVE around 18 months ago. But the GO 500 is potentially an even larger leap. Not only does the GO 500's body mark a change in physical design, but it also has a completely redesigned menu system and reappraisal of interactive features.

TomTom GO 500 - New Menu System

TomTom's menus have evolved over the years, and although the GO 1000 LIVE included some significant – and welcome – improvements, the overall look and feel was familiar after previous models. With the GO 500, however, the menu is almost unrecognisable, and works in a rather different way.

No longer can you call up the menu by simply pressing the map. Instead, a circle containing four dots on the bottom left-hand side of the screen is used. The menu itself is completely different from previous TomTom generations, with the traditional division between addresses and Points of Interest erased.

Instead, a single Search option leads to a two-paned results screen with addresses on the left and POIs on the right. You can enter an address or POI by keyword, without needing to know which town either is in, although you can also enter a full seven-digit UK postcode.

You will even see results from other countries, so you don't need to switch between them, and these appear dynamically as you type in letters. Navman's Spirit interface has used a system like this for some years, and once you get used to it we consider a unified keyword search the most friendly way of finding a destination, so we're pleased to see it on the GO 500.

Overall, the menu system is very easy to use. There's a My Places option where you can navigate to a Home location, favourite or recent destination. There are also menu entries to find Parking and Petrol Stations in the area, although we couldn't find other categories of POI.

The menu feels sparse, but the interface is uncluttered. There are icons where previously you would have found text, but once you figure out what the icons do, all the necessary functions are available. The new menu system is an audacious step, and in our opinion a genuinely clever progressive step in user-focused design.

TomTom GO 500 - Features

Aside from the completely redesigned menu, the other surprising change is that the GO 500 is a live-enabled device, despite not having a model name with LIVE in it. This means you get live traffic updates and traffic updates, but not the more advanced features of LIVE TomToms. TomTom has adjusted its policy, in part presumably because other manufacturers are offering live-enabled services at this price, for example the Garmin nuvi 2598 LMT-D.

For the TomTom GO 500, LIVE services are delivered via your smartphone's data link through a Bluetooth connection. It uses the Personal Hotspot function on iOS or Bluetooth Tethering on Android. TomTom specifies iOS 6, Android 4.0 or Blackberry 10 as a minimum, but we had no trouble connecting to services via an iPhone running iOS 5.1.3.

Once you have hooked up to a smartphone, the two LIVE services available are traffic and speed cameras. The traffic service is for the lifetime of the device, but speed camera updates require a paid-for subscription, although the first three months are free.

These are the services most travellers will want to use. TomTom doesn't call its traffic service HD Traffic anymore, but the TomTom Traffic service is the same thing. Our experience is that this is still the most detailed and frequently updated traffic service available, and we found the GO 500 was just as good through a smartphone.

However, it's worth noting that although TomTom claims the data consumption is minimal – just 7MB per month for an hour's usage a day during peak traffic times – you will need to ensure your smartphone has enough power to maintain the connection for your entire journey, or you will lose the service. The LIVE services also don't include extras like local search, weather or travel digests.

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