We've all got at least one mobile phone each, right? The trouble is, how do you decide which is the best one for you?
Well, this is where we make it easy. Because here we have our continually updated comparison of the top 20 best smartphones you can get in the UK.
The last update saw the HTC One rocket to the top spot, ahead of the ageing Samsung Galaxy S3. But now we've got the Samsung Galaxy S4 to shake things up, trying to claw its way to the top ahead of the likes of the supercheap but powerful Google Nexus 4 by LG? Or you could just sack off the new phones and plump for last year's Samsung Galaxy S3 - it's still good, you know.
If that still doesn't help, well, there's always our extensive mobile phone reviews pages as well - or check out our personally crafted smartphone buyer's guide:
Here are our rankings for the best mobile phones around, currently available in the UK.
20. Huawei Ascend G330
The Ascend G330 is a solid performer. It's smooth in use, has the power to run even the most demanding apps very well, and although not hugely exciting to look at and hold, the display's clear and bright enough to elevate it above some of the tattier budget models.
And it's definitely more capable than the old Ascend G300, with hardly any glitches when downloading/updating apps and navigating the phone at the same time.
It delivers a great smartphone experience for the money with hardly any obvious compromises.
Quick verdict
When deciding on a budget phone, it can be a nightmare trying to decide which one to go for. Is it power? Name? Specs? Or just a low price tag attached to a phone that doesn't go bananas when you prod it?
The latter applies to the Huawei - and it delivers well, especially for the £100 sticker whacked on it.
Thanks to an excellent build, good specs, beefy storage and an open body design, the Ativ S is an excellent WP8 option.
While Windows Phone 8 is definitely wanting in the app department, it's still a rich enough eco-system for many, and the sleek lines of the Ativ S remind us nicely of other high-end Samsung phones.
Samsung has really one-upped the competition by including a removable battery, and more importantly, microSD storage. One of our biggest complaints with the HTC 8X was its paltry 16GB of space and lack of removable storage.
Quick verdict
It's not the ultimate Windows Phone device, and it can be tricky to get hold of in the UK - but if you're not up for Nokia's Lumia range of Microsoft-powered devices, this should definitely be next on your list.
Motorola might not be anywhere near the sharp end of the smartphone market these days (or, indeed, ever) but it still makes a half-decent fist of a mid-range smartphone.
While this phone lacks in some areas (let's be honest: a dual core processor doesn't get anyone's heart racing any more, despite being able to handle most tasks you can throw at it) it still has a clear screen, a simple OS and a really strong battery at its heart.
Many will be taken by the almost stock Android platform it uses, and the fact it's got an additional HDMI port means it's easy to sync your phone up to a big screen.
It doesn't cost the earth, which is a key consideration as well in these financially-addled times - although you can get a Galaxy S3 for the same money.
Quick verdict
With interchangeable covers, you can see enough of the younger market enjoying expressing themselves with this budget option. It's fast, fluid and brings enough of the WP8 experience without costing the earth.
We used to love the Xperia Arc S - but we're a fickle bunch, and now Ericsson has been cast aside, we're all over the new brand like a cat on a fresh set of curtains.
The Xperia S almost has too many positive points to list, with a HD screen, 12MP camera and dual-core processor all combining to make one of the finest smartphones of 2012.
As you will gather from our review, the Sony Xperia S has both a quality screen and a dual-core processor that never slows down - plus that 12MP camera is still more than half-decent.
Sony has also very kindly bundled lots of software with the Xperia S out of the box, which saves you having to dash to Google Play as soon as you turn on to grab vital apps.
Battery life is the only slight wobble (if you don't mind a plastic casing), but it will generally last a day under normal conditions, and that's a solid enough benchmark for us.
Quick verdict
There are still some niggles with the Xperia S but we think it says a lot that when deciding on the pros and cons for the device, we really struggled with the cons section.
It's since been bested twice with the announcement of the Sony Xperia Tand then the Xperia Z with faster innards and a better screen - but that means the Xperia S has become more of a budget winner, so don't worry about the first Sony phone just yet.
A concept video of iOS 7 shows what life might be like with the iPhone
5S, iPhone 6 and iPad 5
A video has turned up online showcasing how Apple could change iOS 7 to
be more intuitive on the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 and
the iPad 5 - it’s packed with interesting features which we’d love to
see become a reality.
One of the great things about smartphone and
tablet fans is a good chunk of them seem to be a creative and talented
lot, because concept renderings are now cropping up practically every
other day.
The latest of these is a video by a chap called Federico Bianco, who
has created footage in Apple’s signature style which, if you didn’t know
better, you might think came directly from the iPhone-maker itself.
Bianco imagines that with the next iPhone (or iPad) you’ll be able to
do a lot more from the lock screen – he shows an icon to the right of
the unlock slider which can be switched out between camera, clock,
dialler, browser and one other function we can’t quite make out.
Changing the icon alters which area of the phone you’ll land on when
you unlock it. The only loophole we can see here is there isn’t any
Homescreen option, so presumably you’re always landing in some kind of
app.
Further to this, Bianco shows a set of quick settings accessible from
the lock screen, neatly you just swipe the clock to the left and can
quickly toggle airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a ‘do not disturb’ mode.
Quick Reply lets you send a reply to a text message without needing to
unlock the handset, or if the handset is already unlocked it brings up a
kind of widget overlay for typing a response without needing to launch
the full-blown messaging app.
The concept handles widgets in an interesting and unique way, Bianco
envisions a double tap input on certain app shortcuts will bring up a
widget overlay.
The music player, for example, will bring up a bar with track
information, plus controls for Play/Pause and both forward and back
playlist controls. A nice touch is that these widgets can even be
brought up inside folders.
Aside from the lock screen quick settings there is also a full-blown
Quick Settings mode when you’re in the phone proper – a hold press on
the Settings shortcut glides over to the right and brings up a menu with
a more comprehensive set of function toggles than the lock screen
equivalent.
Here you have the addition of volume and screen brightness sliders, 3G
data, mobile network signal, Wi-Fi Hotspot,
rotation lock, Siri and location data toggles.
‘Mission Control’ is accessible with a double tap of the home key and
appears to be a multitasking carousel similar to what you’ll find on Android, complete with page
previews and even a neat toggle for seeing multiple tabs in Safari.
Rather than a swipe to close, the pages simply have a cross icon in the
top left corner, but there’s also a ‘close all’ button too.
It’s worth pointing out that the concept does little to re-invent
Apple’s visual design, which is something many consider overdue for an
overhaul. Apple’s design chief Jony Ive has been assigned to this duty,
however.
From a functional perspective at least, we think Bianco’s ideas are
brilliant and we’d love to see these changes make their way into iOS 7
when the next batch of Apple hardware lands this year.
Hats off to him and if there’s any justice Apple should give the guy a
job. Check out the footage below and let us know what you think. www.ninakaayi.blogspot.in
Newest Nokia Concept Phone Lumia 1024 Comes
From Australia
We’ve seen the
Nokia Lumia 1020 just days ago and
already we’ve got a very closely named model: Nokia Lumia 1024. This
one is created by Australian designers at Chimo I-Design Studio and as
you’ll see in the source link below, the project is so advanced that
they made a physical mockup of the handset.
Nokia Lumia 1024 seems to be a playful and youthful phone, one that
runs Windows Phone obviously and seems to have an extra layer of case
around it, so to say. The device’s profile seems really thin and the
design is a bit pyramid-shaped, with a large base and profile getting
thinner and thinner towards the top. That outer layer of plastic makes
this look like a handset for young people and also the phone may be able
to withstand water and shocks, but that’s only my speculation.
We’ve got a camera with flash at the back, most likely an 8 megapixel
unit and maybe with (but probably without) Pureview technology. Nokia
Lumia 1024 is slightly curved at the front and I’m guessing it has at
least a dual core, if not quad core Snapdragon processor inside. Nokia
has a good reputation of making colourful phones and this may end up
being a new model…
Best Windows 8 Laptops, Tablets, Convertibles and PCs
Microsoft Windows 8
has officially launched for X86 devices – don’t forget, the version for
ARM devices is called Windows RT, while the phone version is Windows
Phone 8.
Inevitably, there is a whole lot of new hardware that’s
launching with the latest Microsoft operating system from every major
manufacturer, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba and
more.
Sure,
you can run Windows 8 on your existing laptop, PC or Windows 7 tablet,
but these devices were not designed with the latest Microsoft OS in
mind. Windows 8 pretty much requires touch to get the most out of it, so
touch screens have been added to a selection of ‘traditional’ laptops
and AIO (all-in-one) PCs.
However, there is also a range of
tablets and convertible laptops which were very scant during the age of
Windows 7, and these are where the innovation is happening. Hybrid
devices are arguably the best of both worlds, which is why we said that “Windows 8 would kill the laptop”.
Windows 8 is the latest version of Microsoft Windows. Microsoft’s
tablet computer called Surface Tablet that uses Windows 8 also came to the
market.
Microsoft Surface tablet
Microsoft gives more
importance to touch screen computers and tablet computers for windows 8.
Windows 8 decide the position of Microsoft by Operating system. Special
features are the change in full design and mote speed. Tiles that represent
different programs set on screen could reduce the number of mouse clicks.
Before Windows 8,
Windows 7 is the most sold operating system by Microsoft. 67 crore licensed
customers Windows 7 have. Windows logo and Microsoft’s logo also modified.
Windows 8 is the first operating system that can work on the Computers, Tablets
and Mobile phones in the world.
Windows 8
Windows 8, Windows 8
Pro, Windows 8 enterprises, Windows RT versions are newly established versions.
Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro, Windows 8 enterprises aims at different customers. RT
version aims at computers and tablets having ARM processor.
Surface tablet
Special offer for
upgrade to windows 8 valid will expire on 2013 January 31. Customers
which uses operating system Windows XP,
Windows Vista, Windows 7 can download
for 1999 rupees only,{DVD:3499 Rs}. Special offer for customers who
purchase Windows 7 pc between 2012 June 2 to 2013 January 31 can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro by downloading only for 699
rupees. After 2013 January 31, market price of windows 8 will be 12000
rupees.
Windows 8 in phone
Microsoft Surface Tablet 32 GB
version’s approximate value is 25000
rupees.
