Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Game Review

What is Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare?

Available on Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

Call of Duty: Advance Warfare release date 4/11/2014

As the first Call of Duty title from developer Sledgehammer Games, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare certainly has the potential to be a stark change from previous entries. If you’ve seen the extended gameplay demo shown off during Microsoft’s E3 2014 press conference, then you’ll know there’s a definite shift to near-futuristic gadgets and frankly intense realism.

Beyond the Induction gameplay demo you’ve no doubt already watched countless times, we were able to see another gameplay preview video entitled Collapse to get a better idea of what the new COD has in store for us.

The game has been in development for over three years and Sledgehammer states it is intended to “represent a new era of Call of Duty”. As with Battlefield: Hardline, there’s a strong focus on storyline, with two and a half years of that development time spent on building the single-player campaign.

To help this, Sledgehammer games has used HD facial capture to create more expressive faces for its characters. Even though this is an early build for the game, it’s clear the detail that has been given to character creation. Skin and eye-shading make the characters look even more realistic than they did in Call of Duty: Ghosts. Pupils actually dilate according to the light conditions and other factors for the first time in a Call of Duty game.

As for the gameplay, Advanced Warfare has taken the Call of Duty series in a new direction, adding new technologies to the standard weaponry. The base of these advancements are the soldiers’ exoskeletons which enhance their natural abilities, enabling them to jump higher, perform better, punch through walls and take more damage than ever before. There will be a variety of different suits available throughout the game as well.

Characters are able to launch themselves into the air, not only to traverse the maps quicker, but also to make it harder for enemies to shoot you when cover is scarce. The Advanced Warfare tagline seems to be “power changes everything” and we’d like to see how else the suit changes gameplay when we actually get some hands-on time with the game.

There was one aspect of the suit that could potentially become an issue. On the right hand side of the weapons’ new HUD is a fuel gauge. Now, we could be wrong here, but potentially it appears suits could run out of juice.

The new LED display on guns displays important information including ammo levels and weapon type, which would usually be presented in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. By integrating this into the actual character presentation itself it really adds to the realism of the game, despite the futuristic elements.

Of course, the enemies also have their own tech too. We spotted drone swarms pulsating in the arm like mechanical locusts which looked particularly formidable to tackle.

One of the standout pieces of new weaponary is the special grenades that pick up the heat signatures of the enemies, outlining them in flickering, slightly pixelated red lines that track them as they move. What’s great about these is that they don't affect your view of the world as it would with thermal imaging goggles in standard FPS shooters.

There are also laser weapons and we also spotted hybrid armoury and a hand-held blowtorch for accessing new areas of the map.

The new Call of Duty also seems to have some form of focus mode, slowing down action in a bullet-time style for precise shot-taking.

As with previous COD games, there's no shortage of cinematic moments even in the two gameplay demos we got to see, but there's a concern that it still feels very linear.

Most people of course aren’t going to be playing Advanced Warfare for the storyline. Unfortunately we didn't get to see how the changes and new tech will influence multiplayer action.

Hopefully, the power of the storyline, helped by the new addition of Kevin Spacey, plus the new range of weapons and exoskeleton mods will switch up the standard COD gameplay in single-player and translate well to multiplayer too.

First Impressions

Visually, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare really impresses and the new technological enhancements certainly add another level to the gameplay. It’s not going to break the COD mould, and there's always room for improvement. Sledgehammer Games is definitely going the right way to at least mix up the usual tried and tested formula.



Read more: E3 2014 News, Games and trailers

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Motorola Moto 360 price tipped as £199

The Motorola Moto 360 may be priced at £199 here in the UK, according to one online retailer.

There have been numerous rumours and leaks surrounding Motorola's forthcoming stylish smartwatch, but it's been difficult to pin down a likely price.

Back towards the end of May it was reported that the Moto 360 might come in below the £150 mark.

However, a new report from UK retailer MobileFun suggests that it'll be a little pricier than that.

"We recently named the Motorola Moto 360 the most anticipated smartwatch in the world, even beating out Apple’s expected iWatch in terms of media attention," reads the initial blog posting. "That’s why we’re happy to announce the first UK price for the Motorola Moto 360: £199."

The fact that this post has since been amended to remove the price might suggest that there's something in this. Or it might just mean that it was speculative nonsense. Who knows?

If true, £199 would make the Moto 360 cheaper than the Samsung Gear 2's launch price.

If reports of the LG G Watch are to be believed, however, it would make the Moto 360 a little more expensive than its fellow Android Wear flagship. It's been suggested that the LG smartwatch will cost less than £170.

We're expecting to see the Motorola Moto 360 making an official appearance some time in July, not long after the LG G Watch takes it s Google I/O bow on June 25.

Read More: Apple iWatch rumours


Via: Android Central forums

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Panasonic TX-47AS740 TV Review

What is the Panasonic TX-47AS740B?

The 47-inch 47AS740B is the first TV we've reviewed from Panasonic’s 2014 range. It’s Panasonic’s second highest spec full HD model equipped with Panasonic’s startling new ‘smart’ system, including: the myStream content-finding interface; TV Anywhere for watching TV, well, anywhere; and most excitingly of all the Freetime catch-up TV platform.

Panasonic TX-47AS740B: Design and Features

We’re a little ambivalent about the 47AS740B’s design. It’s attractive enough in its brushed metal frame sat low on a strikingly minimalistic frame-style desktop stand. Neither its bezel nor its rear are quite as skinny as those around some TVs these days, but that’s not a big deal where we’re concerned. More problematic is the rather flimsy nature of its build quality, which feels overtly lightweight and plasticky.

SEE ALSO: Panasonic TX-L47DT65 review



That said, we’ve already seen one flimsily built TV this year, the Sony 40W605, deliver an excellent picture performance, so we have no intention of prejudging the 47AS740B’s performance just because it’s light enough to carry around under one arm.

Connectivity is solid, with highlights of built-in Wi-Fi, three USB ports, an SD card slot (a welcome find we wish more TVs would provide) and three HDMIs. In an ideal world we might have hoped to see a TV of the 47AS740B’s stature carrying four HDMIs, but we guess three will be enough - just - for most households. Especially when the 47AS740B’s inclusion of Freetime technology arguably reduces the need for one of the potential external HDMI-connected boxes a normal TV might need to have added to it.

The TV’s picture spec is fairly formidable. For as well as an edge-lit IPS LED panel claimed to deliver a 178-degree viewing angle (much wider than the realistic viewing angle of rival VA LCD technology) it’s got a ‘1200Hz’-like motion system delivered via a combination of a 100Hz native refresh rate, a scanning backlight and frame interpolation processing, and it delivers 3D using the passive system. Two pairs of 3D glasses are included.

It’s with its Smart TV features - now known as Smart Viera - that the 47AS740B really starts to get interesting, though. The headline feature is integrated Freetime, whereby you can track back a week on the electronic programme guide as well as forwards a week, using catch-up TV streaming services to access programmes you may have missed.

We’ve long been fans of the backwards EPG approach to catch-up TV, so it’s great to see it turning up finally integrated into a TV rather than only being available via a set-top box. Crucially Freetime also solves a long-running weakness of Panasonic’s Smart TVs by introducing compatibility with ALL the main four UK catch-up TV channel providers: The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. Panasonic has only previously been able to offer the BBC iPlayer from these key catch-up platforms, with Samsung the only other platform to offer all four.

We were worried cramming Freetime into a TV might result in horribly sluggish operating system, but actually the 47AS740B whizzes along quite nicely even when loading past EPG listings and booting up catch-up TV apps.

SEE ALSO: Panasonic TX-L47WT65 review

Also new this year is TV Anywhere - a brilliant feature that lets you access your TV’s tuners (or stuff you’ve got recorded on a USB drive attached to the TV) from smart devices anywhere in the world. The genius thing about this is that it means you can watch UK programmes while abroad that would be blocked if you tried to access them via a channel’s internet site.

Panasonic has extended its My Home Screen interface concept nicely too, introducing a new level of personalisation thanks to the implementation of a voice recognition system alongside the face recognition system made possible by the 47AS740B’s inclusion of a built-in camera on its top edge.

Another handy new feature is myStream. Fire this up and you get a scrolling row of tiles showing stills of content culled from the likes of YouTube, the TV tuner, your multimedia sources and your recordings. Over time the content here starts to reflect your own tastes based on analysis of your viewing habits. You can filter the myStream content to show just the type of content you wish, or a mixture of every source.

These new features come on top of the continuation of the My Home Screen system Panasonic introduced to wide acclaim last year, where you and other members of your household can set up a series of personalised home screens featuring different content themes or customised to show just the apps and content sources you personally most use.

We’ll be having an in-depth look at the Smart Viera system in depth in a future review, so we’ll leave it here for now. But to sum up briefly, adding so much extra content and interface innovation has made an already good smart system even better.

Panasonic TX-47AS740B: Set Up

Panasonic tries much harder than most to take the brain strain out of initial installation, with some well-written and comprehensive onscreen instructions and lots of helpful graphics. It’s not quite up there with LG’s Bean Bird in charm offensive terms, but it still does a good job of trying to get everybody using all of the TV’s features.

SEE ALSO: Samsung UE46F6500 review

As usual with relatively high-end Panasonic TVs, you’re provided with a very healthy array of picture adjustments. These include a backlight adjustment (something we’ve been wanting on Panasonic TVs for ages); white balance, colour and gamma management; plus extensive control over all the key elements of Panasonic’s dual-core plus picture processing engine, such as noise reduction, dynamic backlight adjustment, and Panasonic’s Intelligent Frame Creation motion processing system.

An interesting extra tweak this year is a custom contrast control that lets you manually adjust the strength of the set’s adaptive gamma control, black expansion and clear white effect components - though there’s also an Auto mode for this if ‘going manual’ sounds a bit scary.

Getting the best out of the 47AS740B’s pictures chiefly involves trying to work around some contrast issues we’ll get into in the picture quality section. For film viewing we’d recommend the backlight be set as low as 30-35%, with contrast at around 75. Leave the Adaptive Backlight feature on, and basically don’t stick with any of the provided picture presets, as they all fail to acknowledge the contrast shortcomings.

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Sony: PS4 price cut still ‘some way off’

Those of you waiting for the PS4 to come down in price, you are going to be disappointed as Sony tells TrustedReviews that a PS4 price drop is still “some way off.”

Despite Microsoft having introduced an official Xbox One price cut before further lowing the console’s cost by removing the originally boxed Kinect, Sony has remained adamant that its day-one PS4 price still offers enough value to hold its own against its now identically priced rival.

“There are no short term price decisions and nothing to announce here on price,” Fergal Gara Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment UK said speaking with TrustedReviews.

Looking beyond the near future, Gara suggested that although Sony will look to introduce a PS4 price cut at some point moving forward, it has no intention of doing so anytime soon.

“Over time we will always look at when might there be an opportunity to reach a broader market and take the price down as technology matures, but that could be some way off,” Gara stated.

He added: “PS4 is seen as a great machine at a great overall value price point.”

Despite having only been on sale for seven months, Microsoft was forced into making Xbox One price cuts due to slow sales of its next-gen console. With Sony having shifted millions more units than its closest rival, the Japanese giant is not being rushing into making such moves.

Now, although an Xbox One proposition priced identically to PS4 is sure act as cause for concern for Sony, the manufacturer has suggested it will not be forced into wavering from its original plan.

“The last year or so has been a great success for us by focussing on our own agenda and doing things the way we think is right,” Gara said.

He added: “Gamers have rewarded us with their custom for doing things that way. We will always keep an eye on the competition but will keep pushing our own agenda which has been unwavering to date, since the initial announce of the PS4 back in February of last year.

“We will keep an eye on the competition but will continue to push our own agenda which is working pretty well.”

Read More: Xbox One vs PS4

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Aaron Paul ad is turning on Xbox Ones

Microsoft's latest Xbox One TV advert is inadvertently turning on people's Xbox One consoles, it's been revealed.

In what amounts to a pretty fundamental oversight, the advert features Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul demonstrating the Kinect system's voice recognition function by saying "Xbox on" to power on his console.

Of course, the nature of the Kinect system is that it's always listening for your vocal commands. When someone says "Xbox on," it's likely to turn on, whether it originates from you sitting in front of your TV or Jesse Pinkman talking from your TV.

As the BBC notes, the ad has sparked a number of bemused complaints on Twitter and Reddit from Xbox One owners.

The issue has been observed with previous Xbox adverts that demonstrate the whole "Xbox..." command prompts. The only solution appears to be to turn off the Kinect system's voice command facility in the Xbox One settings menu.

Of course, a more mischievous observer might suggest that Microsoft has solved the issue itself by effectively killing the Kinect system. In the last month, the company has divorced the voice and motion-tracking system from its latest console, making it a separate peripheral rather than an integral part of the Xbox One system.

The intention was to drop the price of the Xbox One console in order to better compete with Sony's cheaper PS4. While that might well have been wise in the short term, many have speculated that this will effectively end Kinect's long-term future, as well as killing off much of what made the Xbox One distinctive.

Read More: Xbox One vs PS4

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Apple recalls European iPhone chargers

Apple has issued a recall of a certain type of official iPhone charger issued throughout the European region in recent years.

This follows the discovery that the Apple 5W European USB power adapter can overheat in rare cases.

The charger would have been issued with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S handsets between October 2009 and September 2012.

It would also have been sold as a stand-alone accessory, which many UK users may have picked up on their European travels rather than relying on a dodgy plug adapter to juice up their £500 smartphone.

As part of the recall, Apple has offered to replace every affected power adapter free of charge. All customers have to do is take their charger into an Apple Retail Store or an authorised Apple service provider.

You'll also need to bring along your iPhone, as they will need to verify your serial number.

Check out the above picture to help identify the problematic charger. Look at the charger prong-on and make a note of the Model text on the top right, as well as the large 'CE' text in between the two prongs.

If your charger has solid CE writing and a model number of A1300, you have one of the potentially faulty units on your hands.

There is a similarly shaped A1400 adaptor out there that doesn't suffer from the same issue.

It's a bit of an embarrassment for Apple, especially after it ran an initiative to help customers exchange their third party chargers for official ones last year. This followed a case where a third-party charger had electrocuted a young Chinese woman.

Read More: iPhone 6 release date, new, rumours and price

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Facebook Messenger adds Snapchat-like video sharing

Facebook has added the ability to quickly share video messages to the Facebook Messenger app.

Just days after the social network giant launched and swiftly pulled its much rumoured Snapchat rival, Slingshot, the company's core messaging app has received a familiar overhaul.

Facebook Messenger for iOS and Android now includes "Instant Video Sending," allowing you to "shoot and play 15-second video messages from the camera right in the app."

This follows swiftly on from an update in April with added the ability to quickly share photos and videos with your contacts.

The new video recording option has been slickly implemented. Just tap the camera icon and hold the Send button, and you'll find that you can instantly record and send video messages to your friends.

Swiping your finger off the Send button will cancel the recording, which could help avoid a number of those regrettable 'record-before-you-think' scenarios. You can also prevent the video from sending if you quickly tap the X that appears in the chat window after releasing Send.

The latest Facebook Messenger update also adds the ability to send "Big Likes" - larger thumbs up signs for when you really like something.

There appears to be some degree of feature clash with Facebook's forthcoming Slingshot app, which features as its core a similar level of quick video and photo sharing. Slingshot appears set to actively encourage engagement, however, with the requirement that a receiver replies before being able to view sent video content.

Version 6.0 of Facebook Messenger should be rolling out to iOS and Android devices right now. The app itself is free to download.

Read More: Best Android apps

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Android 5.0 name confirmed in official Google Now screenshots?

Google might have let the cat out of the bag that the next Android OS update will be called Android 5.0 and not Android 4.5

With Google I/O just a few weeks away, we could have our biggest clue to date as to what the newest version of Android will be called thanks to a tweet from an official Google Twitter page.

Posting a photo of Google Now to introduce a new feature where users can view World Cup scores and schedules via the intelligent personal assistant, each of the phones in the image have the time set to 5.00.

Historically, Android updates have used the same clock time to reflect the version of the software leading all the way back to Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

If you head to the Google Play page and check out the Nexus 5 or the Nexus 7, you’ll notice that all of the clocks in the top right hand corner show 4.40 as the time to indicate that they run on Android 4.4 KitKat.

Google Play product page shows clocks are set to 4.40 to indicate Android 4.4 KitKat

Whether it’s Android 5.0 or 4.5, there isn't no real indication of the dessert-based name that will follow it. Having surprised everyone with its decision to go for Android 4.4 KitKat, speculation suggests Google will revert back to its generic naming convention by calling the next instalment Android Lollipop.

The next version of Android is tipped to introduce a new interface and support for 64-bit processors to coincide with the arrival of Snapdragon’s new processors unveiled earlier this year.

Google is also strongly rumoured to announce new hardware at Google I/O with the Nexus 8 tablet, the elusive Nexus 6 and even a new Android Silver phone range among the top candidates to be shown off at the developers conference which kicks off on June 25th.

Via: Ubergizmo

Read More: Why Google Now is the key to Android Wear smartwatches’ appeal

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Google building health tracking platform Google Fit

Google is working on its own fitness tracking platform to rival Apple’s HealthKit.

Like its main rival’s effort, Google Fit will collect data from popular fitness and health-related apps and devices.

That’s the claim made by Forbes, which has spoken to "multiple sources with knowledge of the company’s plans."

Google Fit will operate through open APIs, which will enable third-party fitness trackers and apps to share relevant information. One source in particular mentioned that Google Fit would allow a wearable device to interface with Google’s cloud services and "become part of the Google Fit ecosystem."

Apparently, Google will launch its Google Fit health platform at Google I/O, which is taking place on June 25 and 26. It’s known already that wearables will form a large part of the show, with the LG G Watch and Google’s own Android Wear smartwatch OS expected to take centre stage.

Evidently Google’s new Android Wear smartwatch platform will operate closely with Google Fit to help you track your fitness on a range of new wearable devices.

It’s not yet clear whether Google Fit will take the form of a stand-alone downloadable app or a service built into the next version of Android, however.

Of course, it’s not just Apple that Google is competing with on the mobile health service front. Last month, Google’s long-time hardware partner Samsung unveiled Sami, a service that’s similarly concerned with gathering health and fitness data from multiple sources.

Read more: Samsung Gear 2 review

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Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to offer curved and flat versions

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will come in two form factors - a standard flat phablet and a curved design.

That’s according to a new Korea Times report, which claims that the new Note 4 (or should that be Note 4s?) will be unveiled at the next IFA event in Berlin, which kicks off on September 5.

According to an executive at one of Samsung’s local supply partners, "The Note 4 will have two versions ― one with a curved OLED display for niche markets and the other a flat OLED display for mass marketing."

Earlier reports had pointed to a curved screen design for the follow-up to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, but now it seems that it will simply be a quirky alternative available in limited markets.

This won’t be the first time that Samsung has experimented with curved screen devices, either. The Samsung Galaxy Round launched towards the end of last year with a 5.7-inch 1080p display that curved inwards along its portrait alignment.

Whether straight or curved, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 should be a potent phablet. Reports suggest that it could come with a 5.7-inch display, which would be the first time that a Note has kept the same sized screen as its predecessor.

However, the resolution will receive a massive bump to a 2560 x 1440 QHD level.

It’s also claimed that the Note 4 will be powered by a Snapdragon 805 CPU, though there’s always the possibility of Samsung’s own custom Exynos chip working its way in for some territories.

It seems likely that Samsung will stick with the IP67 certification it went for with the Samsung Galaxy S5, which would make the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 dust and water resistant.



Read more: Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Samsung Galaxy S4

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Tablet Review

Could this be the best Android tablet on the market?

People like small tablets. The Nexus 7 started the trend; the iPad mini proved it wasn’t just an Android thing; and the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 could be the very best ‘small tablet’ around.

Like the iPad mini with Retina display, it favours a slightly larger 8-inch screen (8.4-inch to be precise) to the seven inches of the Nexus 7. And as the LG G Pad 8.3 reminded us, it’s a size that works perfectly for a small tablet. Unlike any of the above, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has a truly stunning Super AMOLED screen.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4: Screen

Like its larger sibling, the Galaxy Tab S 10.5, the Tab S 8.4 has a Super AMOLED screen with a super-sharp 2,560 x 1,600 resolution. Of course, on this smaller display it’s even sharper with 359 pixels per inch of screen space. It doesn’t look quite as sharp as the iPad mini’s LCD screen due to the PenTile sub-pixel arrangement, but this is a minor issue.

Another minor issue is the slight tendency to oversaturate colours. This is a common trait among AMOLED screens and the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 isn’t immune. But, like the Galaxy S5, it’s far less dramatic than on OLED screens of old, and the benefits of AMOLED far outweigh this weakness.

The benefit is the hugely impressive black level. Put even a good LCD next to this AMOLED screen and the quality and purity of blacks is immediately obvious. Samsung claims a contrast ratio of 100,000:1 (100x more than typical LCDs) and I don’t doubt this figure.

The result is photos and video that really impress with their richness, depth and quality. Web pages benefit, too. It’s an outstanding screen.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4: Design

Samsung has upped its game in the design department, too. That’s mainly thanks to the metal, curved edges, which make the Tab S 8.4 look and feel far classier than any Samsung tablet or phone I’ve seen to date.

This difference apart, the Galaxy Tab S is really a very large Galaxy S5. It has the same ‘dimple’ effect rear, and this dovetails very nicely with the new metal trim – the latter is a huge improvement on the nasty plastic accents on the S5.

This means you also get the S5’s fingerprint scanner, though it's a mixed blessing given how unreliable it proved on that phone – I didn’t have the opportunity to see if it’s any better here.

Size and weight are the Galaxy Tab S 8.4’s true strengths, though. It measures just 6.6mm and weighs just 294g. You can hold it very comfortably in one hand, making it perfect for reading and web browsing on the move.

The two case/cover options are nice, too. The Simple cover covers just the screen, while the Book Cover protects the rear too and offers three different viewing angles. I’m not mad about the ‘clicker’ mechanism for fastening them – it’s basically like a popper on a jacket – as it’s fiddly, but this shouldn’t prove too bothersome unless you feel the need to remove the case often.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4: Specs

This is top-spec tablet. There’s a Snapdragon 800 processor (or a Samsung Exynos 5 in some regions), 3GB of RAM, 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, microSD card support up 128GB and plenty more. That includes an 8.1-megapixel camera with LED flash, a 2.1MP front-facing camera, and there will be an LTE version in addition to Wi-Fi only ones.

The fact none of this sounds hugely impressive is merely a mark of how much we take for granted now – the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has every conceivable feature it needs and it has more than enough processing power on tap to get things done quickly.

Blacks don't get better than OLED blacks

First Impressions

Samsung has produced a very promising tablet in the Galaxy Tab S 8.4. The size is right, the design is right and screen is a stunner. Provided the price is reasonable, this is an Android tablet that can really take the fight to the iPad mini 2.

The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 goes on sale in July. Its price is still to be confirmed.


Next, read our best tablets round-up

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and 10.5 announced – Super AMOLED tablets

Samsung has unveiled two new flagship Android tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and Galaxy Tab S 10.5, both of which use stunning high-res Super AMOLED screens.

The two tablets use Super AMOLED screens similar to that found in the Galaxy S5, but with a retina-standard 2,560 x 1,600 resolution.

This resolution puts the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and Tab S 10.5 in direct competition with the iPad mini with Retina display and iPad Air. But Samsung believes the AMOLED screens give them a serious edge thanks to the famously brilliant contrast and black level of AMOLED screens

It claims the two tablets manage an incredible 100,000:1 native contrast ratio, as opposed to the 1,000:1 or so of even the best LCD screens, and that they cover more than 100 per cent of the Adobe RGB colour space.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S specs

Inside, the Galaxy Tab S specs include: a Samsung Exynos 5 Octa core processor comprised of four 1.9Hz CPU cores and four 1.3GHz CPU cores; a plentiful 3GB of RAM; inbuilt 802.11ac Wi-Fi and the option for 16GB or 32GB of inbuilt storage. If that’s not enough, the microSD card slot supports cards up to 128GB.

Both tablets measure just 6.6mm thick and they’re not heavy, either. The Tab S 8.4 weighs just 294g, the 10.5 just 465g.

Similar, again, to the Galaxy S5, they both have ‘dimple’ effect rears, and include the (somewhat hit and miss) fingerprint scanner from the Galaxy S5.

They run Android 4.4 and include SideSync 3.0, an updated software system that uses Wi-Fi Direct to allow you to take calls from a supported Samsung phone on your tablet.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S accessories

Samsung also unveiled a set of accessories designed specifically for the Galaxy Tab S range. They include the Simple Cover, a simply screen protector flip cover; the Book Cover, a version that also protects the rear; and a Bluetooth keyboard designed specifically for the Galaxy Tab 10.5.

The Book Cover case has three levels of elevation, a tall angle for watching video, a middle angle for touch and a flat angle for typing using the screen.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S release date and price

We haven’t received specific dates, but Samsung tells us the Samsung Galaxy Tab S will go on sale through June and July. We’re still waiting on precise UK pricing, but we expect the Galaxy Tab S price to slot in at a similar level to their rival iPads.



Next, read our Android 4.4 tips and tricks

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 Tablet Review

A Samsung tablet you’ll probably want to own

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 is one of two new tablets from Samsung, the other being the Galaxy Tab S 8.4. The key feature of both is a stunning Super AMOLED screen with a Retina-standard resolution, a combination that arguably makes the screens on these tablets the best of any tablet on the market.

That screen, combined with improved design and an excellent overall spec, makes the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 a very promising tablet that will be worth serious consideration when it goes on sale in July.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5: Screen

The Galaxy Tab S 10.5’s screen is its obvious standout feature. While the traditional tendency for Super AMOLED screens to oversaturate colours is still evident, I was immensely impressed by the screen on the Galaxy Tab S 10.5.

The key is Super AMOLED’s vastly superior black level and contrast. Samsung says the screen as a 100,000:1 contrast ratio, which is 100x that of typical LCD displays. And this difference is clear to see even to an untrained eye. Blacks are visibly, definably and unequivocally black.

This isn’t the only benefit, of course. While colours look a little overcooked in places, the overall effect is generally positive. Photos, videos and photos look rich and detailed, and colours really pop from the screen.

This shot shows the LCD of the Tab 2 10.1 and AMOLED Tab S side-by-side. If anything the Galaxy Tab S overemphasises yellows in this shot, but the general impact of the screen is impressive.

This is also an incredibly sharp screen. Its 2,560 x 1,600 resolution gives the Galaxy Tab 10.5 287 pixels per inch (ppi), which is as high as it really needs to be on a tablet. The small caveat here is this is a PenTile display, a process that makes AMOLED screens appear slightly less sharp than equivalent LCD screens due to the pattern and arrangement of pixels. You can see the slightly coarse pattern this creates if you like very closely, but it’s not really a problem.

Another feature of the screen is what Samsung calls Adaptive Display, which monitors ambient light and adjusts the white balance to compensate. This feels a bit superfluous, though, as do the Cinema and Photo screen modes—the Super AMOLED screen is good enough on its own not to need such ‘enhancements’.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5: Design

Samsung has made some good design choices with the Galaxy Tab S 10.5. It has the same soft-touch ‘dimple’ rear of the Galaxy S5, which works really nicely on a tablet and makes the Tab S 10.5 very pleasant to handle. But it has also added metal. Not fake metal, not faux-leather stitching, honest-to-god real metal.

The curved, metal edges instantly lend the Galaxy Tab 10.5 a classier look and a comfier feel in the hands than older Samsung tablets. As we’ve come to expect from Samsung, it’s a very thin and light tablet, too, weighing in at just 495g and 6.6mm thick. You can comfortably hold the Galaxy Tab 10.5 in one hand.

I’ve seen quite a few Samsung tablets over the years, and this is the first one with a design I really like. This is progress.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5: Specs and Software

After the great screen and impressive design, the specs merely confirm this is a tablet worth serious consideration. Depending on your region, you’ll get either a Samsung Exynos 5 octo-core processor or a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. There’s 3GB of RAM, a microSD card slot that supports up to 128GB capacity cards, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and options for 16GB and 32GB of built-in storage.

The main camera has an 8.1MP sensor with an LED flash, and there’s a 2.1MP front-facing camera. The battery has a 7,900mAh capacity that's good for an impressive 11 hours of video according to Samsung, and you get Bluetooth 4.0 and an IR-blaster – two features common to pretty much all Samsung tablets.

There are one or two interesting software features, too. Like most previous Samsung tablets you have the ability to use two apps at once in split-screen, but SideSync 3.0 add the ability to take calls from your phone on your tablet using Wi-Fi Direct. There are places where Samsung’s software feels a little intrusive and cluttered in comparison to pure Android, but most of these can be removed or simply ignored.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5: Bluetooth Keyboard

In addition to two different case covers, Samsung has also produced an optional Bluetooth keyboard for the Galaxy Tab S 10.5. It’s not the most accomplished tablet keyboard, though. It’s a nice idea and the keyboard looks nice, but this isn’t a serious typing tool.

The two covers meanwhile, the Simple Case (screen only) and Book Cover (front and rear), are quite nice, but the mechanism for attaching them is very fiddly. Instead of magnets, Samsung employs two ‘clicker’ points (like a popper on a jacket) to fix them on. They clip on strongly, but getting them on is fussy, so once the cover is on you’re unlikely to ever take it off again.

First Impressions

One or two small niggles aside, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 is a very promising tablet. The screen looks great and the refined design feels like a meaningful and long overdue step forward for Samsung. I could live without some of the fussier software features, but overall this is an Android tablet worth waiting for.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 goes on sale in July. The price is still to be confirmed.

Next, read our best tablets round-up

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FIFA 15 Game Review

What is FIFA 15?

If you thought FIFA 14 looked good, FIFA 15 is looking like it'll be the football game to own for next gen consoles once again. The latest instalment of the much loved footballing sim brings an added level of realism and a sense of environment not seen in any of its predecessors.

Every year EA leaves us thinking there is no room for improvement, no new features to introduce and no new ways of bringing FIFA closer to a real-world kick about. Every year EA surprises us, and this year is as big a surprise and improvement as any.

A living pitch, new physics systems and a mass of additional tackle and ball control options mean that FIFA 15 acts as a refinement more than a reinvention of the FIFA franchise.

It also brings the game more to life. Playing FIFA 15 at E3 2014, it is instantly noticeable how much work EA has put in, not only to the players, but the pitch, stadiums, crowds and even the advertising hoardings. This might sound like a list of negligible improvements that will have little effect on gameplay, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Right, green fingers at the ready, it’s time to talk about the pitch. Now, before you start yawning, trust us, this is a major improvement in FIFA 15 and one which has a notable effect from the very first play on just how realistic the game is.

Unlike past games, FIFA 15 sees the pitch evolve with play. Not in a pre-set, repetitive fashion either, but in a dynamic manner based on the action of each individual match. The footfalls of all 22 players are mapped throughout the game and cause the pitch to deteriorate in a natural fashion.

So, for instance, in a very one-sided match, the 18-yard box of the defending team deteriorates far quicker than that of the attacking team. It’s not just based on steps, either, but the intensity of the action. Sliding into tackles the pitch gets cut up, a tarnish to the surface which remains and further evolves throughout the 90 minutes. Rain also has an effect on how quickly the pitch becomes scared with marks.

The pitch’s surroundings have been improved too. Advertising hoarding now look like real LED displays and crowds have added emotions and animations all of which take FIFA 15 closer to watching football on the TV than playing it in a game. The goal frame even rattles when hit the bar – although we were too busy hitting the back of the net to witness this first hand.

Back to the action and new physics have been applied to both player and ball. Having played a couple of matches during our early hands-on time, the improvements were instantly noticeable. Shoulder barges have been added to force attackers off the ball and stutter steps – a personal highlight of our early play – create a more natural, flowing football experience.

Players have also been handed a mass of new animations, introducing improved individuality as opposed to a team of identically playing drones.

Playing as Liverpool we noticed Raheem Sterling stood out from his teammates for his dribbling style. Favouring his right foot, the digital version of the young winger accurately replicated the running style of his real-world counterpart, predominantly using the top of his boot to push the ball along, keeping it close despite being a rapid runner.

New ball physics also introduce spin which is adaptive to every touch, every bounce or deflection. We found this to have a bigger impact on replays and highlight clips more than the actual gameplay, but it is still a welcome addition.

EA has also been keen to stress how the players are now emotional – not weepy and hard to console but reactive to how a full game is panning out rather than just individual actions. Although we struggled to see the benefit of this at first, playing the game it all makes sense. Players now respond in different ways to being in either a winning or losing position as the clock ticks towards the final whistle. Time wasting and urgency come into play, as does a more attacking or defensive mind-set.

First Impressions

FIFA is back, better than ever and yet again EA has surprised us. FIFA 15 doesn’t reinvent the football game genre, it doesn’t need to, but it does bring it more to life. The new FIFA is filled with emotion, intensity and reality. The more authentic pitches makes a huge difference to the feel of the game and the action is more engaging and addictive than ever.

We’re yet to see what new story modes and gameplay types the publisher has in store but if these elements have been improved as much as the on-the-pitch action, we can’t wait to have a kick about with the full game.

MORE: Best football apps to download for the World Cup

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Nokia Here heading for predictive mapping with new acquisition

Nokia’s Here mapping subsidiary has announced plans to acquire Medio Systems, a company that specialises in real-time predictive analytics.

A statement over on the Nokia company website claims that the imminent acquisition of Seattle-based Medio Systems "strengthens Here location intelligence capabilities."

Apparently, Medio’s expertise will enable Here to provide contextual maps that change according to the situation. It means that Nokia’s mapping experience will be a more personalised experience, and that it will even be able to predict the kind of navigation assistance you might be likely to require.

As an example, Nokia claims that Here would be able to provide restaurant recommendations when it picks up that the user is ready for lunch. It could also mean that driving routes will change according to the user’s driving style or current conditions.

"We are entering the age of what I call cognitive mapping, in which maps will understand their environment and anticipate people's intent in order to deliver interactive and smart location experiences," reckons Michael Halbherr, CEO of HERE. "We plan to extend Medio's talent and technology that analyzes millions of connected devices and billions of interactions on the go to strengthen our ability to deliver highly personalized maps and location services for whatever people face throughout their day."

Medio has nearly 60 employees working on a cloud-based analytics engine that can crunch the data from connected devices and make predictions in real-time.

The deal for Nokia Here to purchase Medio hasn’t close yet, but is expect to do so by the end of July.

Watch out Google Maps.



Read More: Nokia Lumia 1520 review

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HP OfficeJet Pro 8620 Printer Review

What is the HP OfficeJet Pro 8620?

Lots of printer suppliers are pushing inkjet print for business use, at the moment. HP has several of its Officejet Pro machines geared towards the small office and the 8620 is just the latest. It has several appealing features and comes in at a price of just over £200.

SEE ALSO: Brother MFC-J6520DW review

HP OfficeJet Pro 8620 - Design and Features

Although a substantial machine, the HP OfficeJet 8620 has clean lines and it’s dark grey and gloss black case keeps it discreet. The numerous, individual pieces of protective film from all the gloss panels are a bit of a nuisance when unpacking, though.

The 50-sheet Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) is well integrated into the machine’s lines and is fully duplex, so you can produce double-sided copies in a single job.

The 68mm LCD touch panel, with dedicated touch buttons either side has an easy, positive response and works well with both control of the printer and for display of photos and downloadable apps from HP Connected. It’s also useful in sending and receiving faxes and displays a touch number pad.

SEE ALSO: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M125nw

HP OfficeJet Pro 8620 - Installation and Connections

The 250-sheet paper tray at the bottom is a little difficult to extract, as the slot for your fingers is slightly too small for the adult male hand to get a good grip. A second, 250-sheet tray is available as an option. To the left of the tray is a single USB socket, where you can plug a USB drive for uploading photos or downloading scans.

The four ink cartridges plug in behind the front panel, though they have to go quite a way inside the case and there’s no positive click to indicate when they’re in place.

HP hasn’t quite sorted out the transition from its ePrint Centre to HP Connected Web support services. Its own Print Assistant takes you to the ePrint Centre, even when you already have an HP Connected account, meaning a messy double log-in.

Printing from the ePrint Android app wasn’t that smooth, either. Although our Samsung Galaxy SIII recognised the Officejet Pro 8620 after a quick tap on its NFC-enabled front panel, it wouldn’t displace the previous HP printer we’d used it with. In the end, we printed with the old printer selected, which worked fine, and then replaced the selection.

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Sony ‘very pleased’ to have avoided Microsoft’s Kinect woes

With Microsoft having been forced to backtrack on its decision to bundle Kinect as a mandatory Xbox One peripheral, Sony has stated it is ‘very pleased’ to have avoided a similar pitfall.

Despite the Xbox One having originally hit retailers with a boxed Kinect in tow, a high price point and low sales figures saw the American manufacturer rethink its standpoint. Having cut the motion-tracking peripheral from the equation, the Xbox One has been brought in line with the PS4’s £349 price tag.

Now, speaking with TrustedReviews, Sony has reiterated its relief at having taken the correct gamble in whether or not to bundle its PS4 with a PlayStation camera.

“We are pleased that the PlayStation Camera is a significant part of the mix without having to over force it in any way,” Fergal Gara, Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment UK told us out at E3 2104.

Questioned on his views on Microsoft's change of heart he added: "We are very pleased with the decision we made, going back some time now, to make it an optional accessory. For the player that was a gamer focused decision.”

Although not bundling the PlayStation Camera, Sony highlighted the success of the optional add-on during its E3 press conference earlier this week, an achievement reiterated by the company’s UK head.

“I am not terribly surprised [with how well the PlayStation Camera] has performed. It is just a healthy, additional peripheral sale,” Gara told us.

Although Sony will not discuss exact PlayStation Camera sales, the reality is that the company is struggling to meet demand for the accessory.

“It is performing roughly in line with my expectations and little ahead of global expectations and hence we have a little bit of lag on supply and a bit of catch up to do,” Gara said.

He added: “It does add some value for the gamer but not everyone needs it. Well, nobody needs it but it does add some value and there are new examples coming down the line that will add even more value.”

Despite currently limited user cases, moving forward a PlayStation Camera will be required in order to make use of Sony’s upcoming Virtual Reality headset, Project Mophius.

Gara stated: “As Andy [Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO, Andrew House] covered quite well, you do require it for Project Mophius and that is a product that is in the pipeline and very exciting.

“It [PlayStation Camera] already has a foothold which makes it easier to introduce a product like Mophius.”

Read More: PS4 vs Xbox One

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EE fibre broadband now open to everyone

EE has opened out its fibre broadband service to everyone in the UK, not just EE customers.

Previously, only EE mobile customers could take advantage of this home broadband service, which offers 17Mbps broadband speeds from just £2.50 per month for the first year.

From today, anyone can sign up.

There are more advanced packages on offer too. If you’re willing to pay £5 a month for the first three months, and then £19.95 thereafter, you can get access to EE’s fibre broadband service and speeds of up to 38Mbps.

The full extent of that fibre service is available when you pay £20 for the first three months and £34.95 thereafter. This will give you speeds of up to 76Mbps, as well as unlimited landline calls, 1,000 mobile minutes, and international calls.

If your line is up to the task (there’s a checker over on the EE website), you can expect to be able to download HD movies in around eight minutes.

Every EE broadband package offers unlimited intenet usage, too.

Naturally, there’s line rental on top of these charges, which amounts to £15.75 per month. There’s also a £50 up from fibre activation charge, though that will be waived if you sign up before July 31.

Of course, many of you will be tied into an existing broadband contract, but EE will help with this by offering to contribute up to £100 towards a buyout.

Read more: Best routers 2014

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S leaks in full

Leaked Samsung Galaxy Tab S image

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S has leaked in full ahead of its official unveiling later on this evening.

We’re all gearing up for Samsung’s 'Tab into colour' event, which is being held in New York at midnight UK time. But it seems as if there will be few surprises reserved for the show - at least on the hardware front.

Dependable internet tipster @evleaks has just posted a complete splurge of details for the high-end Samsung Tab S tablet, which tonight's event is dedicated to.

Much of it we already knew, or at least suspected. But here’s what the leak contains, anyway.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S will come in both 10.5-inch and 8.4-inch guises, both with a 2560 x 1600 WQXGA resolution. Interestingly, there’s no information on the type of screen we’ll be receiving, so we’ll still be watching eagerly to see if Samsung really has managed to lay on a whopping great super-sharp AMOLED display.

They’ll be powered along by either Samsung’s latest custom Exynos processor (quad-core, 1.9GHz) or a Qualcomm Snapdragon equivalent (quad-core, 2.3GHz), the distribution of which we presume will depend on the market, as with previous Samsung devices.

This will be backed by 3GB of RAM in both cases, and internal storage will come in either 16GB or 32GB specs. A microSD slot will allow that to be expanded by up to 128GB.

Samsung is known for fitting its top-end tablets with decent cameras, and the Galaxy Tab S range will be no different. We’re expecting an 8-megapixel rear snapper and a 2.1-megapixel front one.

The 10.5-inch Tab S will contain a 7900mAh battery, while the 8.4-inch model will have a smaller 4900mAh equivalent.

As we’ve mentioned in the past, perhaps the Samsung Galaxy Tab S range’s defining feature will be its thinness. Both versions will be just 6.6mm thick, which will make the 7.5mm iPad mini 2 Retina seem like a bit of a fatty.

Meanwhile, at 465g, the Wi-Fi-only 10-inch model will be ever so slightly lighter than the iPad Air. The 294g 8.4-inch model will be quite a bit lighter than the 331g iPad mini 2. There’ll also be 4G LTE versions that add a few grams to each model.

Android 4.4 KitKat will be preinstalled on both, naturally, and both will come in dark or light colour schemes (which presumably means black or white).

So there you have it. The almost-full specs of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S range. We’ll be on hand at tonight's live event to see if they all hold true, as well as to report on any extra delights that Samsung might have up its sleeve.



Read More: Best Android tablets 2014

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OnePlus One orders shipping soon as software issues are solved

OnePlus has confirmed that the software issues with the OnePlus One have been solved, and that the first devices will be shipping shortly.

While the phones themselves were reportedly ready, OnePlus was holding back dispatch of the OnePlus One in order to fix an SSL bug that could present a security risk. But that problem has now been fixed.

According to a statement released by OnePlus, the first wave of retail phones is now about to ship.

“We did choose to delay the shipment of the first phones in order to make sure the software was secure and provided the best possible user experience. The CyanogenMod team worked very quickly and efficiently and the Open SSL issues have already been fixed. The first OnePlus Ones ship to early users with invites as early as tomorrow,” reads the statement released by the company.

Part of the delay is down to OnePlus not being the company ‘in charge’ of the software in the phone. Rather than using a standard version of Android or a custom version made by themselves, the OnePlus One runs CyanogenMod, an open source ‘community’ project that is similar to stock Android, but gives users more control over the system.

The OnePlus One received a lot of initial interest because of its high spec-per-pound quotient. It has a 5.5-inch 1080p screen, a Snapdragon 801 CPU and 3GB of RAM, meaning is ranks alongside phones like the Samsung Galaxy S5.

Where bigger name rivals ask for £500 or more for a phone like this, the OnePlus One starts at just £229 in the UK. There’s also a 64GB version of the phone available for £269.

OnePlus Ones will be shipping soon, but they are still hard to get hold of. The company uses an invite-based system to allow punters to buy their new phone. Looking for one? Your best bet is over at the OnePlus forums.

Next read our look at the main OnePlus One problems

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Amazon Prime Music streaming service launches

Amazon has launched its own streaming music service, Amazon Prime Music, which is free to US Prime members.

It had been rumoured that the online retail giant was preparing its own Spotify rival for some time now, and the company has finally unveiled its plans.

If you’ve paid for an Amazon Prime subscription and are living in the US, you’ll be granted instant and unlimited access to more than a million music tracks, ad-free. If not, there is a 30 day free trial offer available.

After that, you will automatically sign up to a $99 per year Prime subscription, unless you cancel the agreement.

Of course, one million tracks doesn’t compare too favourably to the likes of Spotify and its 20 million-strong library. Indeed, Amazon appears to be pushing prospective listeners towards curated playlists rather than as a straight up music library.

Meanwhile, it seems as if the Amazon Prime Music service will omit most new releases for the first six months of availability. It also won’t feature anything from the roster of the world’s largest music company, Universal Music - at least initially.

Of course, unlike dedicated streaming services, Amazon’s new effort service comes as part of the wider Prime package. In addition to music, it also offers free ebooks, TV and video content, and two day shipping on Amazon products.

As you might expect from such a music subscription offering, mobile is key. Amazon will be adding free Prime Music apps to iOS, Android, and of course Kindle Fire, with each supporting offline playback.

There’s no news on a wider rollout for the Amazon Prime Music service as yet, but we’ll keep you posted.

Read More: iTunes Radio vs Spotify

Via: Reuters

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