Apple preparing to bring iPhone trade-in to UK

It's being rumoured that Apple is training staff in preparation for bringing its iPhone trade-in initiative to the UK and Europe.

The iPhone Reuse and Recycle program was launched in the US back in August, and enabled American customers to take their old iPhones into an Apple retail store and subtract its resale value from the price of a brand new model.

Apple launched the initiative in a bid to boost iPhone sales within its Apple retail stores, which CEO Tim Cook has noted is a key area for improvement. It also fits in with Apple's whole emphasis on environmental responsibility.

Now, according to 9to5mac, Apple is about to transfer this offer to the UK and Europe. Naming a single reliable source, the report claims that "Apple has begun preparing training material for its United Kingdom retail staff."

In addition, Apple has actually begun training a small number of UK Apple retail stores on the program, but it will take a few more weeks to spread this training to the rest of the country. Apparently, the trade-in initiative will arrive here in the UK some time in the coming months.

It's claimed that Apple also has designs on introducing this recycle scheme to the rest of Europe, but that the UK will be first. It does, after all, have more Apple retail stores than any other country after the US.

When it finally becomes available in this country, the iPhone Reuse and Recycle program will work like this. A customer will be able to take their iPhone into an Apple retail store to get it appraised based on hardware damage, screen quality and water damage. The resulting figure will then be supplied as a gift card in return for the old unit, though this will only be able to be redeemed against a brand new contract iPhone there and then.

This could seriously boost the number of iPhone 6 handsets sold in the UK in around a year's time.

Read More: iPhone 5S review

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Kobo Aura Gadget Review

What is the Kobo Aura?

The Kobo Aura is the smaller brother of the Kobo Aura HD. It's a light-up ebook reader. The Kobo Aura HD has a 6-inch high-resolution front-lit display, but its real selling point is the over-two-month-long battery life, giving it more than enough power to compete with the Kindle Paperwhite.

Kobo Aura – Design & Build Quality

Kobo has worked hard to separate its Aura ebook reader from the competition. It has a recognisable, chiselleled back panel and a textured finish. And comes in black and white shades.

At 174g, the Kobo Aura is one of the lightest front-lit eReaders on the market too, a noticeable 32g lighter than the Kindle Paperwhite. This makes it very comfortable to hold for long periods - an important factor for commuters.

The 6-inch screen has a slim bezel, which should make it more difficult to hold and use. But it actually allows Kobo to cut down the dimensions of the Aura for an easier grip. Kobo hasn’t used a raised bezel on the Aura either, meaning the front surface of the device is completely flat - a nice design feature that keeps the Kobo Aura compact.

Those 150 x 114 x 8.1mm dimensions also mean you can fit it in the back pocket of your jeans or your coat pocket without stretching the fabric. It's smaller than a Kindle Paperwhite.

The Kobo Aura doesn’t creak or flex when put under pressure and its straight edges and squared-off corners only add to its rigidity.

Kobo Aura – Features and Battery Life

One of the defining features of the Kobo Aura is its outstanding battery life. It lasts for over two months with a half hour's use a day, beating the Kindle Paperwhite by more than a fortnight. The Kobo Air makes a great travel buddy - it lasts an age and weighs less than a single hardback.

The Kobo Aura is packed with useful software features, including access to a variety of reading stats that explain how long you have until the end of the chapter, and what percentage of the book or chapter you’ve churned through.

All the features are well presented and easily accessible from the Kobo Aura's home screen. You are immediately presented with your latest reads and how far you're through them, as well as a brief blurb about the author of the text you’re currently reading.

While you're reading, the Beyond the Book button offers definitions and further information about key figures and places in novels. This can be filtered for individual chapters or the book as a whole.

What’s great about Beyond the Book is all its info is available offline, apart from any 'further reading' it suggests you should buy from the Kobo Store.

Within the Store you can also buy Kobo’s Collections, which offer a range of content on a specific topic or author. These are handy and very interesting if you are particularly passionate about a certain writer and want to learn more about them. They are reasonably priced to boot.

Kobo has also added Pocket integration, letting you wirelessly sync any articles you’ve saved for offline reading on other devices. Pocket is available for iOS and Android too, making this pretty handy.

Reading Life is a quirky final feature. It has a selection of reading-related achievements that you can unlock, Xbox 360 style. We can’t imagine any user over the age of 18 actually using this feature, but it could be a way to encourage the younger generations to get actively engaged with reading.

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Archos confirms GamePad 2 gaming tablet

Archos has announced it is launching a second iteration of the Android-powered GamePad gaming tablet, with a host of improvements and new features.

The Archos GamePad 2, which runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and is expected to go on sale later this month for around £120, and will arrive with a higher resolution 1280 x 80,0 7-inch display.

There's also an improved 1.6GHz A9 quad-core processor and 2GB RAM, as well as a much larger battery, allowing users to continue consuming games and apps for longer than on the original device.

Hardware has also been boosted with improved thumbsticks, following criticism of their 'stick' implementation within the first-yen version of the gaming tablet. The company said improving the controls was "one of the main focus points" for the device.

The tool allowing users to map touchscreen control buttons to those on the physical tablet has also been improved, Archos says. Naturally, touchscreen-based gaming is also available.

In terms of games, users will again have access to the Google Play store, while two Gameloft titles, racing game Asphalt 8: Airbourne and first person shooter Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour will be bundled in for free. Both games will be optimised for use with the tablet's physical controls.

The device still comes in 8GB or 16GB flavours, while there's also front-facing speakers, a front-facing camera and a HDMI output for playing the games on your home television set. Wireless Display Technology also means the GamePad 2's content can be beamed directly to the TV set over Wi-Fi.

You can check out the official word on Archos' website here.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was supposed to have fingerprint scanner, report claims

Samsung could have beaten Apple to the punch with the launch of a fingerprint sensor-enabled smartphone, but the tech was dropped from the recent Galaxy Note 3 handset, a new report has claimed.

The company had planned to include the security tool within the 5.7-inch phablet, announced in early September, but it did not meet expectations during quality assurance tests, Korean site ETNews (translated) has claimed.

Now the company has decided to delay the inclusion of a fingerprint sensor until the next generation of smartphones, be that within the Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 or Galaxy S5 smartphones, the report said.

The report is somewhat of a surprise, because just recently, Samsung claimed it was not working on a fingerprint sensor and had no plans to incorporate the tech within next year's Galaxy S5 handset.

"We are not yet developing the technology," a Samsung official said when questioned, so it's probably healthy to take today's news with a healthy serving of salt, although it's unlikely Samsung would admit it, even if it were in on the act.

Of course, Samsung's purported temporary absence from the field allowed Apple to get the jump with the launch of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which sites within the revamped Home button on the iPhone 5S handset.

HTC is also thought to be getting in on the act when it eventually launches the larger HTC One Max device, as fingerprint security emerges as arguably the next must-have feature within the smartphone.

Would you like to see a fingerprint sensor make its way into Samsung's next-fen phones? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

For more news and rumours related to the Samsung Galaxy S5 handset, check out our round-up here.

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Sony removed PlayStation Camera from PS4 over price, believes exclusion not an issue

PS4, PlayStation Camera and DualShock 4 controller

Sony has confirmed that it removed the PlayStation Camera from the PS4 box in order to keep costs low, but believes the exclusion isn’t an issue.

There’s a vast £80 difference between the PS4 and Xbox One price and that comes down to the PlayStation Camera, which Sony has decided to take out of the basic PS4 bundle.

Apparently Sony originally intended to include the PlayStation Camera, which offers voice and motion sensing technology similar to the Xbox One Kinect, with the PS4 but was told not to by those high up at Sony Computer Entertainment.

The PS4 camera was removed in order to keep the console below the £350 ($400) asking price and not lose too much money in the process.

Even at £349, Sony is still selling its console at a loss, but the company expects launch day recoup from PlayStation Plus subscriptions and launch title sales.

However, what’s most interesting is that Sony believes the PlayStation Camera exclusion isn’t an issue for the PS4.

“The vast majority of the audience that we speak to tells us that their primary wish is for the full controller interface and there’s not necessarily a huge emphasis being placed on camera interaction”, said Andrew House, SCE President and Group CEO.

House added that Sony may “adjust messaging” on the PlayStation Camera in the future, but cannot see how much demand there would be for the peripheral to be included in the PS4 bundle.

Microsoft is selling the Xbox One prepackaged with its revamped Kinect motion gaming peripheral, albeit for a higher £429 price tag.

With over 24 million of the Xbox 360 Kinect sold so far, the inclusion of Kinect and the company’s strong focus on the “all-in-one” console, it will be interesting to see how motion gaming benefits help initial Xbox One sales.

The PS4 release date has been set as November 29 in the UK, with the Xbox One release date occurring on November 22.



Next, read our Xbox One vs PS4 comparison.

Via: Business Spectator

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Apple’s Jony Ive creates bespoke Leica camera for (RED) charity

Leica M for (RED) by Jony Ive

Jony Ive, Senior Vice President of Design at Apple, has designed a bespoke Leica camera for the (RED) charity.

Created in conjunction with Australian designer Marc Newson, Ive’s one of a kind Leica M will be auctioned in November for HIV/AIDS charity, Product (RED).

You can expect the Ive-designed Leica camera to sell for quite a sum, especially as your average Leica model retails for £5,000 already. In fact, it is expected to go for somewhere between $500,000 (£314,000) and $750,000 (£471,000).

The camera will be auctioned off on November 23 at Sotheby’s.

“(RED) is making a difference in the lives of millions of people and we’re humbled to make this contribution to such an important and worthy cause”, said Ive of the project.

There’s only one Jony Ive Leica M camera and his influences on its design are certainly evident, especially when you compare it to various Apple products.

Described as having a “laser machined aluminium body” and “anodised aluminium outer shell”, the finish of the Leica M bares a strong resemblance to that of the Mac Pro.

Ive has also stripped back some of the features of the normal type 240 Leica M in his usual aim for simplicity. There’s no hotshoe on the Leica M for (RED) or port for an external viewfinder for example.

Despite taking 85 days and over 735 hours to manufacture, the Leica M for (RED) simply focuses on the basic functionality of the camera model. It still has a 24-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor and a 50mm f/2 aperture lens.

During the production process, more than 550 models and 1,000 prototype parts were made and tested, just showcasing Ive’s perfectionism and dedication to a product.

The Leica M for (RED) could be a glimpse at what an Apple iCamera could end up looking like, and it certainly has a rather unreal, toy-like appearance to its perfection.

Jony Ive has the mastermind behind the new iOS 7 released at the end of September, which stripped back the original skeuomorphic textures of Apple’s mobile OS in favour of flatter, more streamlined designs.

Next, read our iOS 7 tips and tricks.

Via: SlashGear

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Xbox One lock-ins to bring next-gen console to GAME stores this month

Ahead of the upcoming Xbox One release date, retailer GAME has revealed it has joined forces with Microsoft to offer eager gamers Xbox One lock-ins ahead of launch.

With the Xbox One release date having recently been confirmed for November 22, GAME will let avid gamers get their first play with the PS4 rival well ahead of the console’s arrival, with the Xbox One to tour more than 60 stores up and down the country this month and next.

Kicking off next Monday, October 14, the Xbox One lock-ins will start in Dundee and Derby, hitting two new locations every day before signing off in Coventry and the London Box Park stores on November 20, just days before the console goes on sale.

“We’re all counting down to the launch of Microsoft’s new Xbox One console on November 22nd, but, thanks to our newest Lock In, you may not have to wait that long to play it,” an official GAME spokesperson has stated in announcing the upcoming tour.

Although giving a raft of UK gamers the chance to get some coveted hands-on time with the Xbox One ahead of launch, the daily event will not be open to all, with wannabe attendants needing to register for the 70 daily places.

“We only have 70 places available in each store, so to reserve your place, register at your nearest participating store, either in person or by sending them a tweet,” the GAME representative stated. “Spaces are limited and will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis. The events are strictly for gamers aged 18 or over and ID will be required for entry.”

With the majority of the Xbox One lock-ins to be held during the evening, GAME has confirmed that most of the events will kick off between 7pm and 9pm. A full list of the participating GAME stores and correlating dates can be found here.

Of course with the chance to play the Xbox One comes the opportunity to try out some unreleased Xbox One games, and the GAME lock-ins will have a selection of titles on offer. The retailer has confirmed that Forza 5, Dead Rising 3, RYSE and Killer Instinct will all be available to play.

Earlier today, leading retailer John Lewis told us that it expects the Xbox One will be more popular than the PS4, despite the Microsoft branded console costing £80 more than its rival and having reportedly received lower pre-order interest.

“We are expecting more interest in the Xbox One,” Jonathan Marsh, a Head Technology Buyer at John Lewis said. “We are stocking both the PS4 and the Xbox One but if we were to back one, we are thinking that Xbox One will appeal a bit more to our customers in terms of the experience it creates.”

Read More: Xbox One vs PS4

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