Android Advisor - Issue 01

LATEST SMARTPHONE, TABLET AND APP REVIEWS
ANDROID
ISSUE
01
ADVISOR
IN 2014
In your car On your face Around your wrist In your pocket In your ofce
ANDROID
PLUS: Why you dont need Android antivirus
Welcome... W
elcome to Android Advisor, a digital magazine devoted to devices running Googles mobile OS and not just phones and tablets. Check out our analysis of Googles plans to standardise in-car technology, our assessment of the safety-, health- and security risks of Google Glass, and our rst impressions of Sonys SmartWatch 2 and Samsungs Galaxy Gear. We also round up the best apps built for the Android operating system, including a look at the state of Android antivirus and the best apps for shopping and photography. If youre new to Android from iOS, well explain how to transfer your iTunes library to Android. Other tutorials include setting up a tablet as your office PC, how to use BBM on Android, how to call premiumrate numbers free from your mobile, and how you can continue enjoying mobile apps on a PC. Android now accounts for 32 percent of the entire PC market. Although smartphone shipments passed one billion units for the rst time last year, 2013 was certainly the year of the budget tablet. Check out our reviews of the ultra-cheap 119 Tesco Hudl, as well as Googles Nexus 7 and the 7in Kindle Fire HDX. This is the rst edition of Android Advisor, and wed love to know what you think drop us a line at marie_brewis@idg.co.uk or at facebook.com/ AndroidAdvisorUK with feedback good and bad. And enjoy this issue of Android Advisor!
2 ANDROID ADVISOR ISSUE 1
Tablets are dominating the PC market

Apple and Samsung lead the charge, with Android now accounting for 32 percent of the entire PC market
esearch rm Canalys predicts thattablets will account for 50 percent of the PC market in 2014. It believes tablets will almost out ship all other PC form-factors combined, including desktops and laptops. The rm said shipments will reach 285 million units in 2014, growing to 396 million in 2017. In the third quarter of 2013 tablets made up 40 percent of PC shipments, only half a million units behind laptops. Despite the decline of PC- and laptop shipments, the worldwide PC market grew 18 percent during the quarter thanks to tablets. Canalys predicts that Android will be the main driver of growth in tablets,
ISSUE 1 ANDROID ADVISOR 3
accounting for 65 percent of the market. Samsung will likely be leading the pack, while Apple will continue to be the main competitor outside the Android race. Apples decline in PC market share is unavoidable considering its business model. Samsung narrowly took the lead in EMEA this quarter, and Apple will lose its position to competitors in more markets in the future, said senior analyst Tim Coulling. However, Apple is one of the few companies making money from the tablet boom. Premium products attract high-value consumers; for Apple, remaining highly protable and driving revenue from its entire ecosystem is of greater importance than market share statistics, said Coulling. But while Samsung and Apple will remain strong in the medium-term, there could be challenges as competition hots up, said Canalys. The rm points to the rise of small-to-micro brand vendors in established and high-growth markets, plus international players such as Acer, Asus, Lenovo and HP. Budget tablets are tempting many consumers and manufacturers with even supermarkets and retailers such as Tesco and Argos offering own-brand devices. With the cost and time-to-market advantages afforded by their Chinese supply chain, these vendors are eating up market share, noted analyst James Wang. Microsoft is forecast to take 5 percent of the tablet market in 2014, up from 2 percent in 2012 with its Surface devices.
After the PC: are phones and tablets a panacea?

With PC sales continuing to decline, we examine the trade-off in widespread adoption of highly portable, but ultimately difficult-to-upgrade, locked-down devices
esktop computer sales have continued their downward trend for the sixth quarter in a row, and the projected future doesnt look any better for PC makers. Reasons for the slump are complex and varied, but analysts believe one of the most signicant causes is that PCs and laptops are now sufficiently powerful that they dont need to be so frequently updated. Plus Windows 8 hasnt been Microsofts most popular OS release, with its preference for touch-enabled hardware potentially causing some people to hold off upgrading from Windows 7.
Online services are also adding value to older PCs, as they expand their capabilities in the cloud. The prolonged nancial recession is a strong factor, as customers try to make their money, and old hardware, stretch further. But the sudden and meteoric rise of tablets, allied to the ever-more powerful smartphones that accompany us at all times, has probably had the most tangible impact of all. In the same period that PCs stumbled to sales of around 80 million units, the smartphone market grew by an impressive 39 percent, selling three times as many devices 258.4 million, according to IDC. Tablet sales also grew to 47.6 million, and this upward trend looks set to continue.
Too many choices?

Perhaps a more obvious sign of how the PC market is in a state of confusion is best represented by the barrage of designs that has emerged since the
introduction of Windows 8. Now there are laptops that transform into large, cumbersome tablets, devices whose screens ip over or detach to transform into a tablet, and desktop machines that can be leaned back at mystifying angles. So far this has been a mixed bag, with the hybrid nature of the Windows 8 interface still proving difficult to fully realise on a single device. And Microsofts entry to the hardware space has ruffled a few feathers: were now seeing companies such as HP, Lenovo, Dell and Acer releasing machines that dont run Windows at all, instead dipping their toes in the waters of Android, ChromeOS and Linux. By its very nature, technology is a constantly evolving medium, but its current path presents some uncomfortable possibilities. With PCs ubiquitous in the workplace, there isnt a tremendous need for many people to have a powerful system at home. If all you want to do is check your email, spend some time browsing online, and keep up to date with your social networks, a tablet makes a lot of sense.
The cloud effect

Traditionally youd also want a decent-capacity hard drive on which you could store your photos and music, but now you might instead use any one of the plethora of cloud services, such as Dropbox or Google+, iTunes Match, Google Music or Spotify. This is all good, as it saves the user from needing to think about how a device works or remembering to plug it into their PC to update the media content.
Ease of upgrades
Up until now computers have been pretty much open to use as we pleased. If you were handy with a screwdriver you could also prolong a machines lifespan by upgrading its hard drive or RAM. Friends and family members will always turn to the resident techie for help. Whereas in the past these requests would generally be met with a successful result (and hopefully the offering of babysitting or a cake in return), the only assistance offered in the
case of a dropped tablet will be take it back to the place you bought it. Its a subtle turn of events, but with the glued-shut, irreparable devices that are beginning to replace our trusty old laptops and desktops, we are faced with an increased reliance on manufacturers. This is also becoming a reality on the software side.
Locked in
Unless you jailbreak your iOS device the only place from which you can get software is Apples App Store, which is tightly regulated. Microsoft has implemented a similar strategy with the RT version of Windows 8, which runs software only from Windows Store. This has the benet of security, but also gives the companies power over the apps you can access. Googles Play store is more open, but concerns about Android becoming an increasing target for malware has seen Google pressured into ramping up its app security.
Amazon has taken Android and turned it into a portal to its online services with the Kindle range, and Samsung recently showed its hand by staging its rst developers conference in San Francisco, focusing on making its devices more interoperable. The Korean giant has also built its own app store into its devices and lled the storage with bespoke versions of its own software, presumably to increase your reliance on its products. All this alludes to the main concern: customer lock-in. The ideal landscape for manufacturers is that you use only their products, buy software only through their stores, and regularly update your hardware. This is evident when you see how some devices work best when paired with other products from the same stable. Want the Samsung Smartwatch? Youll also need the Galaxy Note 3. This makes sense from a technology perspective, as the manufacturer can optimise its hardware, but there are too many instances when you feel this restrictive practice has the shareholders rather than customers best interests at heart. The sad truth as we move into this new era of personal computing is that its becoming more difficult to resist the convenience these offerings present. Once youve paid for the apps you like and grown used to how they work, you wont want to repeat the cycle or investment on a new platform. In a few years from now customers will be even more entrenched, held in place by media purchases or services that work only on a particular platform. Mobile devices have ushered in an age in which you need to choose your platform wisely: youll be dependent on it for a long time to come.
Google to standardise in-car technology

At CES 2014 Google announced plans to standardise in-car tech with Android-based Open Automotive Alliance
ar tech has, until now, been largely proprietary with manufacturers doing their own thing with safety features and infotainment. At CES 2014, Google has announced the Open Automotive Alliance with the aim to bring Android to cars by the end of the year. Audi, Honda, Hyundai, GM and nVidia are all OAA partners and are looking to offer drivers a system that offers openness and customisation. Putting Android in the car will bring drivers apps and services they already know and love,
while enabling automakers to more easily deliver cutting-edge technology to their customers. And it will create new opportunities for developers to extend the variety and depth of the Android app ecosystem, Patrick Brady, director of Android engineering said in a blog post. Kia and Renault already use Android-based infotainment systems, while Parrots Asteroid Smart is essentially an Android tablet that can be installed in any car that has room for a double-DIN headunit.
The benet of a standardised approach, though, is that developers can produce apps for just one platform instead of having to tailor them for Renault, Parrot or any other locked-down system which has its own app store. Other tech companies including Apple and Microsoft are also working hard on bridging the gap between mobile devices and cars. Apples CEO Tim Cook has called such an integration very important, naming it a key focus. At its last World Wide Developer Conference, Apple introducediOS in the Car, an interface for cars that allows owners of the iPhone 5 or newer devices to make calls, access music, get directions and send and receive messages using the cars display and controls. Around 20 car manufacturers have shown interest in the system, according to Apple. Theres also the Siri Eyes Free feature which several companies including Honda are beginning to include in some vehicles. Its similar to iOS in the car, but means drivers can perform tasks by speaking commands instead of using a screen. Microsoft is working with Fiat to develop Blue&Me which is yet another system for pairing a Bluetooth device and allowing drivers to make calls, listen to text messages and play music without taking their hands off the steering wheel. Microsoft also has its
hand in the separate Sync project with Ford, which offers similar features. The OAA is developing new Android platform features that will enable cars to become connected Android devices. Its a step in the right direction, but it needs more manufacturers to sign up for it to truly become a standard. Recent IDC research has shown that 75 percent of respondents would prefer to use their current mobile devices to access in-car services. In fact, they wouldnt leave their smartphones behind even if they could less than 19 percent of respondents would rather services come directly from the vehicle without mobile device integration. Both BMW and Renault offer such systems with a built-in SIM for direct internet access. According to our study, most consumers nd it vital to access the phone in the vehicle but also want to maintain their digital identity by connecting their current device to the vehicle, saidSheila Brennan, program manager for IDC Manufacturing Insights Connected Vehicle Strategies. Therefore, automakers that have a strategy that allows consumers to access their own devices service as well as any unique embedded services that come with the vehicle will gain an advantage in the connected vehicle market. So, 2014 is shaping up to be the year in which Google, Apple and Microsoft compete for the drivers seat in car tech. Whether infotainment and safety systems will merely become an extension of your smartphone or be fully edged systems in their own right remains to be seen.
Spotify Mobile now free on Android devices

Spotify users can now stream ad-supported music on their Android phone or tablet, as well as their PC
potify has made freely available its Android and iOS mobile smartphone- and tablet apps. Now any smartphone or tablet user can stream music on the go via Spotify for free. The service was previously restricted to Premium subscribers only, which costs 9.99 per month. Spotify said: You can now get Spotify on your mobile or tablet, absolutely free. Find the right music and shuffle play it on any iOS or Android device. The Premium service remains available, and paid subscribers will get unlimited ad-free music streaming and higher-quality tracks than are offered by the free app. Although any user can now access Spotify for free on their mobile, the service will be supported by adverts in the same way as are the desktop- and online versions of Spotify. The rm believes that offering the mobile
version for free will tempt more users to upgrade to the Premium service. Spotify said users will be able to listen to their playlists and also hit shuffle play to listen to a particular artists entire back catalogue. The rm has started making available Led Zeppelins back catalogue, releasing two albums per week. The rm is also dropping the 10-hours-per-month limit that it had previously imposed on users of its free service. While Spotify is available on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, there are no apps for Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry.
Google Glass: safety, health & security

Can wearing connected eyewear put you at risk?
oogle Glass is one of the most hotly anticipated new technologies for 2014. Early adopters, known as Glass Explorers, already praise the internet-connected eyewears potential for surgery, reghting, identifying criminals and much more. However, there are some concerns that wearing Google Glass may compromise the safety and health of its users. A Californian womans recent traffic citation for wearing Google Glass while driving reignited debate about the safety of using the device behind the wheel.
Aside from driving, we asked Google Glass explorers, app developers and others all in the US due to the restrictions of Googles Explorer programme to weigh in on the safety and potential health risks of using Google Glass. (Google didnt respond to requests for comments for this article.)
Is it safe while walking or cycling?

Glass Almanac blog editor and Glass Explorer Matt McGee has walked and cycled while using Google Glass. In general, he says he believes its safe. Glass navigation helped me get to some new places while I was walking through Philadelphia and San Francisco this summer. It was great to use the navigation and get where I wanted without having to look down and risk colliding into people or who knows what, McGee says. Cycling is a little trickier, McGee says; youre moving 10- to 15mph and potentially near traffic. So I occasionally have to stop the bike if I need to do something with Glass. But its really fun. On the other hand, Rich Chang, CEO and partner of NewFoundry, a Google Glass app developer, says that walking or cycling while using Google Glass is potentially unsafe. Many people are already not paying attention while crossing the street because of smartphones and MP3 players.
Adding something that provides visual input is a recipe for increased accident risk. As for cyclists, Chang notes that Google Glass affects peripheral vision and reduces concentration overall. Cyclists could cause accidents, too, he adds, if Glass fell off while they were riding and they tried to prevent the device from breaking. Meanwhile, David Berkowitz, CMO for digital- and technology agency MRY and a frequent speaker on wearable technology at events such as South by Southwest (SXSW), describes crossing a New York City street while wearing Google Glass as one of the scariest, riskiest things Ive ever done. He adds: People have to learn to be careful, just like they need to learn to put their mobile phones away while crossing the street. That email or Spotify track can wait. However, Berkowitz says cyclists can benet from wearing Google Glass if they use the device cautiously. A face-mounted display such as Glass can provide helpful, if not vital, information to cyclists, such as maps, traffic- and weather alerts, and your speed, he says. Bike messengers, meanwhile, could use the hands-free, voice-activated mode to learn delivery information and to call customers.
Google Glass Explorer Charles Webster, who has an MSc degree in industrial engineering from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, says he doesnt feel that wearing the headset while walking is inherently unsafe. Webster says he appreciates that Google Glass serves up information about restaurants, shops and historical buildings and sites as he approaches them on foot. Like McGee, Webster often uses Google Glass to capture photos and videos of things he sees along his route.
What are the health risks?

Wearing heads-up displays such as Google Glass can contribute to eye fatigue and may cause visual confusion, according to ophthalmologist and entrepreneur Sina Fateh, who has led more than 30 patents related to heads-up displays. The problem is you have two eyes: the brain hates seeing one image in front of one eye and
nothing in front of the other, Fateh told Forbes in March 2013. Heads-up displays can cause such problems as binocular rivalry, visual interference and a latent misalignment of the eyes that results when both eyes dont look at the same object. The head of the Google Glass project, Babak Parviz, told Forbes that his team takes the potential side effects of wearing Google Glass seriously. A professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Eli Peli, has been researching the impact of head-mounted displays for 20 years and has been consulting with the Glass team for two years. Peli told Forbes that Google Glass has a more advanced design for safety and comfort than any of the previous head-mounted displays Ive evaluated. Because Glass has a minimal impact on the wearers eld of vision, theres little chance of putting the user at risk of bumping into objects, Peli said. The advanced design of Google Glass means those who wear it while walking wont be distracted, some experts say.
McGee has yet to experience any pain or discomfort from using Google Glass, but a few other Explorers have told him they can get a headache if they look at the screen for too long. I think the longest straight time Ive ever spent looking at the screen is probably about two minutes, McGee says. It didnt cause me any trouble, but I can see how looking at it for longer might be a problem since its so close.
Does it cause brain cancer?

Some have raised more serious concerns: frequent, long-term Google Glass use might cause an increased risk of brain cancer. The jurys
denitely still out on this one, however. The Federal Communications Commission sets the maximum Specic Absorption Rate (SAR) for mobile phones at 1.6W per kilogram. In documents led with the FCC in February 2013, Google said its headset had a 1.34W per kilogram SAR, within the FCC maximum. On the other hand, its worth noting that Google Glass is designed to be worn on the head, as opposed to smartphones, which are used only near the head during a phone call. Its controversial whether electromagnetic radiation exposure has health risks, such as a higher risk of brain tumours, says Matt Katz, medical director of radiation oncology at Lowell General Hospital. I would think if Glass was within FCC guidelines, it wouldnt be an issue.
Theft, security and privacy

Apple has made iPhones more difficult for thieves to hack via iOS 7 security enhancements and the iPhone 5s biometric ngerprint scanner. Could thieves, always looking for lucrative, easy targets, soon be setting their sights on Google Glass users? (Currently, Google Glass Explorers pay $1,500 for the privilege, although the headset is expected to retail for less.) Although its too early to say whether Google Glass will be the next hot target for opportunists, theres reason not to be unduly concerned. Google was
granted a patent in 2012 for an anti-theft system that disables the headset in the event of unnatural or sudden movements. The movements could relate to Google Glass being snatched off a wearers head, for instance. The system can also determine whether the wearer is the Google Glass owner; if not, the headset can be disabled. The anti-theft system can also sound an alarm and contact the police if its stolen. Once Google Glass is commercially available, it could stir serious security-related public-safety concerns, says Sedgrid Lewis, an Android app developer with more than 15 years of securityand crime experience related to technology. Security experts are wary that Google Glass users will be secretly snapping pictures in public places such as airport terminals or banks, Lewis explains. This could let users obtain images of physical layouts that could help them plan terrorist attacks or robberies. Google Glass could also be rooted, Lewis says, enabling the owner to bypass its security features.
People could then record video footage or audio without the lights icking on the glasses. This could lead to all types of privacy concerns. Like any portable device, Glass presents potential security risks to businesses, given how easy the device is to lose and the sensitive information that can be stored on it, says Nicko van Someren, chief technology officer at Good Technology. Its also difficult to authenticate the legitimate users of Google Glass or other wearable devices due to the limited user interface, says van Someren. This makes devices such as Glass more risky from a security standpoint, since thieves might access information on the devices.
Only as unsafe as its owners

McGee notes that the default mode for Google Glass is off/standby. Plus, if you wear it correctly, it sits above eye level. Its never blocking your vision and its never interrupting you with information when you dont want it, he says. Even if a call or text message comes in, or maybe a tweet, the alert is audioonly and easy to ignore. Glass never turns on and demands attention on its own. There are scenarios in which using Google Glass is unsafe, McGee says, but theyre due to the scenario itself and how Glass is used. He adds: The problem isnt Glass, its the person. Microwaves arent safe if you do dumb things with them. Webster agrees: Google Glass is unsafe to use for the same things for which tablets and smartphones are unsafe. I wouldnt watch a cat video on a tablet or smartphone while driving. The same is true for Glass.
Slower growth will challenge phone makers

Powerful CPUs will allow vendors to turn handsets into gaming consoles, but slower growth will also force them to focus on improving their less-expensive products
n 2013 smartphone shipments were expected to surpass one billion units for the rst time, thanks to impressive 39 percent growth year-on-year, according to IDC. Shipments are expected to continue to grow by almost 20 percent in 2014, so vendors must work harder to get users to upgrade. Here are some of the trends that will shape the market in 2014:
Higher screen resolutions

Larger screens with higher resolutions have been one of the biggest smartphone trends in the past couple years, and that shows few signs of abating. For example, LGs Display unit has developed a 5.5in screen for next-generation smartphones with a 2560x1440-pixel resolution.
That combination equals a density of 538ppi (pixels per inch), which compares to the HTC Ones 468ppi on a 4.7in screen and the Samsungs Galaxy S4s 441ppi on a 5in screen. The higher resolution allows users to see a full view of a desktop web page without any image distortion, said LG. Whether other vendors follow suit remains to be seen, but Samsung is reportedly working on a smaller display with the same resolution.
LTE picks up pace

While LTE is still in its infancy in many parts of the world, operators have started to test a technology called carrier aggregation to offer faster download speeds. It allows networks to devote more resources to some users by treating two channels in the same or different frequency bands as if they were one. EE is testing two times 20MHz to reach 300Mbps, which is the theoretical maximum. Vodafone and Telefnica in Germany, as well as SK Telecom in South Korea, are testing one 10MHz channel plus one 20MHz channel for up to 225Mbps. The South Korean operator was the rst to offer carrier aggregation in June 2013, but only at speeds that can be matched by the fastest regular LTE networks.
EE expects the rst commercial 300Mbps routers will be introduced by the middle of 2014, with smartphones arriving in the second half of the year. New LTE chipsets will also open the door for 4G phones that cost less.
A game console in disguise

Smartphones have had a profound effect on the gaming sector by making portable devices such as the Sony PSP and the Nintendo 3DS less appealing. As smartphones become even more powerful in 2014, vendors such as Samsung and Apple will go after a larger share of the gaming market. Qualcomm recently announced the Snapdragon 805 processor with the Adreno 420 GPU. With up to 40 percent graphics and compute performance improvement over its predecessor, the GPU enables advanced console quality gaming on Ultra HD or
4K displays, which is beyond what most consumers have in their living rooms, according to Qualcomm. The Snapdragon 805 processor, which runs four cores at up to 2.5GHz, is already available in small volumes and is expected to be available in commercial devices in the rst half of 2014. 2014 will also see at least one major vendor emphasise that a new smartphone can be transformed into a PC-like device, CCS Insight expects. The device will come with a second interface when deployed as a computer, which is something on which Canonical has been working with Ubuntu. However, it will enjoy limited success, said CCS Insight.
More focus on low-end devices

Even though higher resolutions and faster network connections and processors will be enough to
persuade some people to buy a new high-end smartphone, that segment of the market has plateaued. The key driver behind smartphone growth in the years ahead will be an expected price decrease, according to IDC. In 2013, the average sales price for a smartphone was $337, down about 13 percent from $387 in 2012. This trend will continue and prices will drop to $265 by 2017, according to the research company. For vendors, this means nding a balance between performance, price and making a prot. But for users, this will result in more bang for their buck, and the difference between high-end and much cheaper phones will shrink. The Motorola Moto G has already set a benchmark for phones that cost under 150 with its quad-core processor and 4.5in HD screen, and puts pressure on vendors such as Samsung and LG to come up with something better. Motorola Mobility, which has been struggling, seems to have a hit with the Moto G. The smartphone has already had a major impact, despite being on sale for only a short time, according to Magnus Ahlqvist, Motorola corporate vice president for Europe, Middle East and Africa. One thing thats missing from the Moto Gs spec sheet is LTE, which is still too expensive for vendors to add to their low-end products. But that is likely to change as competition heats up in the chipset market. MediaTek is getting ready to launch its rst SoCs (system-on-a-chips) with LTE, which is expected to help push the price for a smartphone with LTE below 200 without a contract during 2014.
Curved-screen phones may have a future

We spend some time with a stylish and surprisingly non-ridiculous curved-screen smartphone
he Galaxy Rounds designers have given it a slightly curved screen that clearly set off the Designed by clowns klaxon on Twitter. It was abused and ridiculed in a manner akin to red-tops going after a British Bake Off contestant who said something sensible and nuanced about gender politics in The Guardian. Hyperbole aside, we wanted to know what advantages a curved screen can bring to a smartphone. Not a lot, it turns out. Nevertheless, Samsungs Galaxy Round may be the companys best-looking handset yet. When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Round it claimed it to be the worlds rst smartphone to feature a curved touchscreen. It has a top-end specication and includes software features that leverage the curved design. Most of the world wont see this phone any time soon. Samsung, for now, plans to release the handset only in its home market of South Korea, priced at around 600. However, the rm did make it available for hands-on use at one of its Seoul offices.
In a way, you could describe the Round as a curved version of the Galaxy Note 3. The two handsets share nearly identical features and the same design style. Both have a full-HD 5.7in screen, a fast processor, a 13Mp rear camera and even the same leather-like synthetic bre covering the back. Despite hardware similarities with the Note 3, the Galaxy Round feels and looks different. The phone is slightly lighter (154g vs 168g) and is easier to grip with its curved back. This is one benet of using Samsungs exible displays, which the company says weigh less than traditional displays. At the same time, the phone feels sturdy and its curves are more pleasing to the eye. Users dont have to worry about the phone rolling off a table or even wobbling. The devices display
is not as round as its name suggests. The arch is subtle, and contours more at the edges. When placed on a table the Round remains stationary. But due to its curved backing, Samsung included a few software features that activate when a user tilts the phone on its spine. One of these, called the Roll Effect, automatically turns on the screen and displays the time and date, when the phone tilts toward the user. A similar feature allows the user to cycle through songs played on the device. A tilt toward the right side will forward to the next track, while a tilt toward the left will restart the song. When put into practice the two functions are easily activated, but we found it sometimes took a harder tilt to cycle through music tracks. Both features, however, can activate only if the phone is laid on a table. A third function works when viewing the phones image gallery. A soft touch to the screens centre and a ick of the wrist will display a sidebar showing the other albums stored on the phone.
These so-called tilt functions offer nice shortcuts, but they could also easily be incorporated into any Samsung phone. Perhaps the company will do so in the future, but its likely that most users will look at the features as novelties, much like how the Samsung Galaxy S4 will track facial- and eye movements to help the user scroll through websites. Getting them to work on the Round can also take several tries at rst. When looking at the phones screen the curvature can be easy to miss. When youre directly facing at the display the arch blends in and seems at. It brings to mind how the electronics industry is also moving to televisions with curved screens. These TVs can arguably offer a wider eld of view over traditional atscreens. But in the case of the Galaxy Round, its difficult to notice any difference, given that the phone already has a superb screen with its AMOLED display technology. Save for the Galaxy Rounds screen, nothing else inside the phone is curved. Despite that only the phones aesthetics really set it apart from the Note 3, we like it as its a really stylish piece of product design that subtly stands out from the crowd. And if you dont like its dark luxury brown colouring, a white version will be available in December (in South Korea). Samsung hasnt given any concrete details on the future of its curved displays for smartphones, and we cant necessarily see this becoming widespread but thats kind of the point of a distinctive device such as the Galaxy Round.
What 2013 meant for tablets

2013 was undoubtedly the year of the budget Android tablet. So, whats next?
013 was undoubtedly the year of the budget Android tablet. In fact, the trend started a year earlier when Google launched the Nexus 7 in July 2012. Until then, a budget tablet costing less than 150 tended to be underpowered and underspecied, paling in comparison with premium tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The Nexus 7 was a premium 7in tablet at a budget price, and heralded the start of a wave of top-quality tablets at knock-down prices. These tablets offer high-resolution IPS screens, powerful processors and long battery life qualities which had been absent from cheap tablets up until that point. Amazons Kindle Fire tablets, along with rivals from Barnes & Noble, got in on the action and
offered similarly great hardware while locking you into buying content from their respective stores. These all run a highly customised version of Android. In the same way, Google subsidised the cost of the hardware in the hope that you bought your apps, music, movies, magazines and more from itself rather than anyone else (notably Apple). However, compared with Apples walled garden that is iOS, Googles Android operating system is wide open, giving you freedom to install apps from any Android app store, which is why it was and still is the preferred choice for enthusiasts. Plenty of people still waited excitedly in anticipation of Apples iPad announcement: would it launch an updated iPad mini? Rumours abounded that difficulties manufacturing a Retina screen would delay the launch until 2014, but Apple still went ahead and unveiled a second-generation iPad mini alongside the iPad Air. It also increased the price of the new iPad mini, rather than trying to bridge the gap with budget Android tablets. And what a bumper year 2013 has been for cheap but great Android tablets. Tesco surprised many by announcing an own-brand tablet and the 119 Hudl has been hugely successful. Argos
attempted to do the same with the Bush MyTablet but underestimated demand and sold out within weeks of the 99 tablet going on sale. Amazon launched a new range of tablets, dubbed HDX, at the end of the year with a revamped, easier-to-use operating system and a unique Mayday button. This is in essence an onboard hotline to Amazons tech support, whose advisors can guide users through using features on their Kindle Fire or solving problems by taking remote control of the tablet. Importantly, Amazon also added a feature called FreeTime, which turns a Kindle Fire HD or HDX into a kids tablet, replete with great parental controls. It should worry the makers of other kids tablets, especially as the cheapest Fire costs only 119. A potential trend for tablets in 2014 is likely to be a Netix-style subscription that gives you access to a big library of apps, books, games, movies and TV shows instead of buying them individually. Amazon already offers this to US Kindle Fire owners in the form of FreeTime Unlimited. It costs $5 per month for a single child (the content is all aimed at kids), with a discount for Amazon Prime members. Theres a good chance this service will be offered to UK Kindle Fire owners soon. If that happens, we could well be seeing Google and possibly even Apple offering similar subscription services. Watch this space.
Protect your device: best Android antivirus

We round up a batch of apps that will protect from malware any Android phone or tablet
he idea of installing security software on an Android smartphone might seem like overkill, but there are a handful of reasons to consider doing so. Firstly, anyone fraudsters included can submit apps to the Google Play Store without pre-approval, and apps can also be downloaded and installed from a wide range of other sources. That means Android users face a greater element of risk than those with iPhones or Windows Phone handsets, who can install only apps that have been properly vetted for safety. The more open nature of the Android operating system makes it more susceptible to the kind of malware that weve grown accustomed to dealing with on Windows PCs, even though it isnt a problem on anything like the same scale. The security software test lab AV-Test has no fewer than 1.8 million pieces of Android malware
in its database malware that is typically used to steal your valuable personal data from your phone without your knowledge. You can simply choose to be careful about what apps you install or which websites you visit, rather than installing antivirus, although there are other motives for installing a security suite. Such security apps routinely include anti-theft features, for example. Contrary to the name, these wont prevent the theft of your device, but they may allow you to lock or wipe the data from your stolen handset. Some even include features that allow you take photos or audio recordings of the thieves. If youve merely left the phone lying in a bar or restaurant, the anti-theft features can be used to locate your handset, and display a message on the lost phones screen, providing instructions on how to contact you to return the handset. Another useful feature commonly found in Android security suites is call blocking. If your mobile is constantly plagued by nuisance calls or spam texts, you might be able to block the callers. But this wont work when youre being plagued by pre-recorded calls hawking PPI refunds and the like,
when the caller number is Unknown or Withheld. Some apps include schedulers in their call-blocking facilities, so you can divert all calls from the office to voicemail at evenings and weekends, for example. Some suites also include app managers that allow you to password-protect access to the browser or Google Play invaluable for parents who routinely hand their phone over to children to play games and worry that they might run up horrendous bills. Less useful are the backup facilities found in many of these suites. Some merely back up contacts, which Android already automatically does when you sign in with your Google account, while others only offer a tiny amount of space to store your photos and les. The Google+ app, on the other hand, can be set to automatically back up your photos, and that offers gigabytes of free space. If you do decide you want to install antivirus software on your device, weve tested six of the best.
Avast Mobile Security & Anti-Virus

Free; 2/month or 12/year Premium Avast Mobile Security & Anti-Virus offers an absolute barrage of handy security and backup tools for Android phone and Android tablet, although youll have to stump up for the Premium Tools to access anything much past the basic virus scanning. The anti-theft tools, which are installed as a separate, invisible app that thieves cant remove, are rst-rate. Using a smartly designed web console or text message commands from another phone, you can potentially catch a thief red-handed by surreptitiously taking a photo with the phones
front- or rear-facing camera, or by secretly recording audio, both of which are downloadable to your PC. Alternatively, theres an option to shame a pickpocket by blasting out a siren that also reads aloud the message: This phone has been lost or stolen, which turning down the volume wont silence. The phone can also be remotely located on a map, locked or wiped, although when we unlocked our test phone, Avast had also switched on a handset PIN that wasnt previously activated. The PIN was blank and so easy to override, but it could leave people locked out of their own handset, which isnt good. Other notable features include application locking, which forces a user to enter a PIN to open certain apps: handy for blocking off access to the Play Store or web browser if you routinely hand your phone to the kids to play games, for example. A built-in rewall allows you to bar certain apps from using 3G, Wi-Fi or roaming data, although the
handset needs to be rooted for this feature, which we dont think many people will do. Call blocking allows you to bar calls or text messages from selected callers to a schedule of your choice, which worked perfectly in our tests. However, it would be nice to at least get a notication that a call was blocked. The separate Mobile Backup app free to download for Premium users synchronises copies of your photos, music, video and app les to a Google Drive account, although given that Android and various Google services already offer to backup much of this data, its value is limited. Perhaps the weakest part of Avasts service is, ironically, the antivirus protection. Whilst it blocked 100 percent of the malicious apps thrown at it by AVTest, it allowed us to download and store a test virus that other security apps quarantined immediately; only when we ran a full device scan did it detect and eject the Trojan. Likewise, it didnt bar us from opening websites in any of the genuine phishing emails weve been sent. VERDICT: A comprehensive suite of security and backup tools, with a particularly strong set of antitheft features that could well catch a thief in the act. However, wed like its antivirus protection to be more proactive.
Ikarus Mobile Security

9 per year; 30-day trial available Ikarus isnt one of the better known security brands, but its Android antivirus performance is right up there with that of the Windows household names. In
the AV-Test labs it nullied all of the malicious apps discovered in the past four weeks, which means you can download from the Google Play store with a little more condence. Ikarus quietly gets about its work for Android phone and Android tablet: when you download an app from the Play Store a subtle notication pops up post-download to inform you its being scanned for viruses, and then disappears if it nds nothing amiss. However, its not shy when it discovers something shy. When we downloaded a test virus, it immediately displayed a full-screen message asking us if we wanted to delete the malicious le, which is the kind of unavoidable alert we like to see. The app itself is unshowy and has minimal impact on system resources or battery life, although it has far fewer features than rivals such as Avast. Virus denitions can be updated up to twice a day to make sure youre protected against the latest threats. Setup is quick and fuss-free, too, with only three screens to deal with for setting up text-message blacklists, website scanning and remote security
features. Sadly, the implementation of those remote security features involves a great deal of hassle. You can remotely lock your phone by sending a text message with your password from another device. The phone rings repeatedly when youve remotely locked the device, however, which could leave you with some explaining to do if youve left the phone on your desk at work, for example. Even worse, the rst time we attempted to unlock the phone with our password, the device crashed while continuing to blare out the ring tone, and had to be rebooted before it would accept our password. Meanwhile, the sending device was hit with three identical messages saying the phone was unlocked. The remote wipe function was a lot less painful. It discretely powered down the phone and reset the device to factory settings, clearing off all our photos, apps and other data in the process. And because the whole process is handled via SMS, the phone doesnt need to be within Wi-Fi or even 3G range to be secured from a distance. VERDICT: A lightweight and unobtrusive security app, which has an impressive clear-up rate when it comes to detecting malicious apps. The remote lock feature proved problematic, however.
Kaspersky Internet Security

Free; 9.99/year Premium Kaspersky recently merged its Android phone and Android tablet security products into one, and it certainly looks the part. The big shields that ll up to show you the completion percentage of virus scans and updates are about as user-friendly as these
apps come, although in other respects Kaspersky antivirus can make life a little more difficult for the user than it should. For example, Kaspersky shows a eeting notication to tell you its completed a virus scan after you install a new app, but that notication disappears in the bat of an eyelid, and on our test Motorola Moto G handset, the message ran off the edge of the screen, making it unclear if Kaspersky had found a problem with the app or not. Luckily, with a 100 percent success rate in detecting malware-laden apps in the most recent AV-Test labs, you can be fairly sure its going to root out the known bad apples. By default, malicious apps is all Kaspersky will keep an eye out for. If you want le scanning and browser protection, you have to pay and, oddly, switch on the Extended Protection option in settings. Once switched on, we were pleased to see Kaspersky send out a screeching alert when
we used our browser to download a test virus, and the le was immediately placed in quarantine. Once again, however, the notication swiftly disappeared, and we had to delve deep into the menus to nd evidence of the quarantined le. The anti-theft features are rudimentary compared to those of Avast, but they work well. Remote commands can be sent either via SMS or Kasperskys well-designed web console. The lock and locate feature pinpointed the position of our missing phone over both Wi-Fi and 3G, and the option to insert a custom message on the lock screen is a bonus for those wanting to offer passersby instructions for handing in a lost phone. The option to surreptitiously snap photos using the phones camera also did the job admirably, delivering ve crisp snaps that could well identify whoevers using the phone. The wipe facility offers the option to merely clear off personal data or factory reset the phone, which is a step up from Nortons offering. The only anti-theft disappointment was the alarm, which merely produced a short, rather muted buzzer noise, which certainly wouldnt help you locate a phone that had fallen down the back of the sofa. The call-blocking feature is basic, allowing you to bar messages and texts from selected callers, but with no scheduling or logs of blocked calls. Privacy Protection, meanwhile, allows you to hide certain contacts from the address book, making you enter a PIN to see their details. However, set-up is clunky, and its a feature of limited benet in our opinion. VERDICT: A slickly presented antivirus package that does a decent job of proactive protection.
A few usability aws and a limited set of anti-theft and extras stunt its appeal, but then thats reected in the very reasonable subscription price.
Norton Mobile Security 2014

Free; 29/year Premium Norton is one of the biggest names in the security business, and theres no questioning that it knows what its doing when it comes to detecting apps known to be laden with malware: a score of 100 percent in the AV-Test labs is proof of that. You might wonder if Norton is actually scanning new apps after youve installed the software and theres no notication that its doing so, but you can turn these on in the apps settings. Norton is also scanning your web browser for suspicious activity, although we couldnt do anything to set its alarm bells ringing: downloading a test virus, clicking on links in phishing emails, and clicking on all manner of dubious ads on le-sharing sites didnt once provoke Norton to step in, unlike other packages on test here. Norton doesnt offer as many anti-theft features as Avast and there are some worrying holes in them. The wipe-device setting which like all of Nortons premium anti-theft features, can be activated via SMS or through Nortons web console is woefully ineffective. It doesnt perform a factory reset on the device, but merely clears out contacts, les and other personal data. Yet, it still left our Gmail account
accessible on the device, as well as all our apps and access to the Play Store, potentially allowing thieves to have a eld day. Locking the device is more effective. The lock feature doesnt set off any audio alarms, which we think is a more sensible approach thats less likely to put off a passer-by from picking up a lost handset and handing it in. You can also type a custom message on the lock screen, perhaps offering a reward for the safe return of the phone, which is a nice touch. Location tracking proved a bit wayward in our tests. With Wi-Fi turned on, it gave our next-door neighbours address, which is forgivable, but relying on 3G alone it placed the phone 500m and three streets away, which is of little use. When we tried to use the Sneak Peek feature that takes a snap from the phones camera, we received a warning message that this features wasnt available in our country due to privacy laws, yet when we locked the phone, it automatically took some photos using the phones camera, which is contradictory. Call blocking is also rudimentary compared to Avasts. You can choose to block a particular contacts calls or text messages, or both, but theres no scheduling, so you cant divert work calls to voicemail at weekends, for example. Backup is equally
primitive, backing up only the contacts a service thats already baked into Android. VERDICT: A vast array of security and useful phone management tools, all offered without any charge whatsoever. Wed like its antivirus to be more proactive and the anti-theft tools are relatively weak, but its harder to complain when its free.
Qihoo 360 Mobile Safe

Free 360 Mobile Safe not to be confused with the lesser-featured 360 Mobile Security is the only app in this test that is completely free. Its made by the listed Chinese company, Qihoo. Although free apps from relatively unknown foreign companies raise our suspicion levels, we could nd nothing untoward in the licence agreements. AV-Test found little at fault with its malware detection, either, with Qihoo spotting an almost perfect 99.9% of known malicious apps. There are nice, clear notications when a newly installed app has been scanned, and you can launch the app straight from the notication, which is a thoughtful touch. Its antivirus performance is less convincing: it failed to detect our test virus, even after a full system scan, and allowed us to click on all the phishing links in our spam folder. However, Qihoo offers much more than mere malware scanning. The smartly presented app includes a series of phone optimisation and clean-up tools that shut down unused memory-consuming apps and delete unnecessary system les, helping to keep lowISSUE 1 ANDROID ADVISOR 49
powered handsets ticking more nicely. This clean-up facility can be started by shaking the handset from the home screen, which also opens a basic Breakout-style game while the tidying is taking place. Theres an optional pop-out window, which is activated by tapping on a tiny indicator pinned to the right of the home screen that displays how much of the phones memory is being used. Open it up, and you can press the Boost button to free memory, or activate other phone controls. Other unusual features include a data usage monitor that helps ensure you dont exceed your monthly download cap, and a private call/messaging vault, that allows you to communicate with selected contacts without those messages/calls appearing in the standard Android apps. Instead, theyre hidden behind a password-protected screen, which is much easier to use and set up than Kasperskys version. The call blocking tools are better than most of the others apps on test here, too, with options to blacklist and whitelist callers, bar certain keywords in text messages, and apply lters to a schedule. You can block work calls at weekends, for example. The anti-theft tools include options to locate and lock the handset remotely, as well as sound a blaring alarm or delete personal data from the device note, however, that this isnt the full factory reset that we prefer, which means email and Play Store accounts are still dangerously exposed to thieves. Another downside is that the anti-theft features can
only be activated by SMS from another phone, not via a web console, and the delete data command can only be issued from another trusted number. This will prove the feature useless if you cant get access to that secondary phone in an emergency. VERDICT: A vast array of security and useful phone management tools, all offered without any charge whatsoever. Wed like its antivirus to be more proactive and the anti-theft tools are relatively weak, but its harder to complain when its free.
Trend Micro Mobile Security

Free; 14/year Premium Trend Micro is a long-established name in the security business, so its disappointing to see its Android app falls short. Lets start with the positives. A 100% detection record for recognised malicious apps in the most recent AV-Test labs is, of course, to be applauded. Trend Micro was also the only app on test here to bar us from visiting sites linked in phishing emails that had accumulated in our Gmail spam folder. It didnt proactively scan and block the test virus we downloaded, but once we ran a full device scan it spotted and quarantined the miscreant. However, it only did that once we had turned on the option to scan les in the settings by default its only set to scan for rogue apps. Trend Micro provides a clear notication every time it scans an installed app or le, which is reassuring, although these alerts clutter
up Androids notications panel after a while. The anti-theft features are poor compared to those of rivals such as Avast, and can only be activated via a web portal there are no SMS controls, like many of the other packages here. There are only four options: locate, lock, scream alarm and wipe. Our device was located to within one house over both Wi-Fi and 3G, and the lock feature worked well without sounding an alarm, which we think is wise. However, when you do want the device to make a noise using the scream feature to track down a mislaid device, it merely lets out a short ringtone. We struggled to hear it from even the next room. Wipe provides the option to clear off only personal data or a full factory reset, the latter being our preferred method, which worked almost instantaneously over a 3G connection. Trend Micro wins points for offering parental controls in its mobile app, but they are laughably easy to circumvent. Merely putting the Chrome browser into Incognito Mode was enough to throw the parental control, giving us unfettered access to pornographic sites, Facebook and all the other sites that would normally be blocked under the strictest parental control setting. They may as well not be there. Calls and texts can be blocked based on both a blacklist or whitelist (where you only let through certain callers), and there are different options on
how to handle unwanted calls, ranging from straight to voicemail to silencing the device, which is good to see. However, calls from blacklisted numbers cause the phone to buzz and light up briey before theyre intercepted, which is irritating, especially if the goal of blocking is to weed out irritating marketing calls. Data backup is handled by a separate app, but with only 50MB of cloud storage to play with, youre better off using Google+ and Androids built-in backup services, which offer much greater capacity. VERDICT: Solid antivirus and rogue app protection, but the extras let Trend Micro down. The anti-theft features are limited and weak, while the parental controls are embarrassingly easy to skirt around.
Conclusion
In terms of their ability to detect todays recognised malware lurking inside Android apps, there is almost nothing to separate our six contenders. Big differences emerge when it comes to the additional features they offer, though, especially the potentially valuable anti-theft features. Here, it was disappointing to see Norton Mobile Security fall behind the pack, especially given its the most expensive package. Ikarus is light on features, but it performs well and is signicantly cheaper. Kaspersky and Trend Micro offer solid packages, but both have weaknesses: Kaspersky has a couple of notable usability aws, while Trend Micros weak anti-theft and parental control features let it down. Our top two are Qihoo 360 Mobile Safe, which packs in an astonishing number of features for a free app, and Avast, which charges a modest fee for a wide breadth of features and the best anti-theft tools.
Five of the best free apps for shopping

We compile the best Android apps for shopping on your smartphone or tablet
ith Christmas out the way, those of you with a few spare pennies to rub together are no doubt making the most of the January sales. But you probably arent much enjoying traipsing out to the local shopping centre in the wind, rain and, soon, snow. Thankfully, its quite easy to save yourself the bother. We think shopping is best done when youre sat at home in the warm, with a nice drink and your feet up. You can buy almost anything you like from your smartphone or tablet, and get it delivered to your home or office. This takes out much of the hassle of nding and buying goods.
eBay
eBay is both a great place to nd a bargain on new- and used products, and a useful marketplace in which to sell off your old stuff and make some extra cash. You can nd almost anything with this app, which has an easy-to-use, stylish interface. Listed items take the form of either xed-price Buy it now or
traditional bidding auctions. You can do all the things you would do on eBays desktop website, including searching for and adding items to your Watch list. Plus, notications on your phone or tablet mean youre less likely to miss the end of an auction, and you can use the devices camera to scan barcodes instore and compare online pricing.
Amazon Mobile
Amazon is the go-to shopping site for many consumers, and the e-tailers mobile app offers an ideal way to browse the gigantic catalogue without switching on your PC. Amazon Mobile lets you access your shopping basket, wishlists, payment and shipping options, order history, 1-Click settings and Prime membership account. The app also lets you purchase items from Amazons Marketplace. Like the eBay app, Amazon Mobile lets you scan barcodes with your camera, allowing you to quickly and easily compare instore and online pricing.
HotUKDeals
HotUKDeals is a great way of nding products at the best prices, and you dont even need to sign up. Users post deals found both online and instore, and others vote to determine whether the deal is hot. You can browse the hottest, newest, most discussed, local and specic-category deals. If youre looking for a particular product you can use the search feature. Plus there are sections for freebies, vouchers and competitions.
Quidco
If you frequently partake in online shopping, you could earn some cashback with an app such as Quidco. The service is free to use and offers cashback at more than 3,500 top retailers. Quidco lets you view nearby instore (if youre going to head out) and online cashback deals, with the ability to browse by category. As well as cashback, which can be as much as 30 percent, it lists voucher codes and offers that can be cashed in from your phone.
Groupon
We all like a good deal, and Groupon is ideal for putting the best offers on your radar. The app delivers daily offers and savings of up to 90 percent on events, getaways, restaurants and more. Groupon works on both phones and tablets, which is ideal for buying and using vouchers on the go. Groupons mobile app lets you browse deals by category, so you can nd a deal suited to your interests or use the map view to nd ones nearby. It also has an Android widget that lets you share a deal with family and friends via social media.
Five of the best apps for photography

We compile the best smartphone- and tablet apps that will help you make the most out of your photos
he cameras on smartphones and tablets are getting better and better. Gone are the days when all you could produce from your phone were grainy, poor quality images. Its got to the point now that the camera on your phone is arguably leaving compact cameras obsolete. After all, your smartphone is always with you and therefore so is your camera. Its compact and allows for almost instant upload to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Instagram
Free Instagram allows you to take photos (which are then cropped into a square) and add one of 19 lters, all of which have a retro feel reminiscent of Lomography cameras. All the lters are bold and theres no control over the strength, which makes Instagram simple to use. The app also has a social-networking element:when youve created an image it is posted to your prole where others can view, like and comment on it.
VSCO Cam
Free Popular among many Instagram users, VSCO Cam can be used in conjunction with the aforementioned app, but allows for much greater freedom in editing. Although this app only provides 10 lters, you are able to choose how strong or subtle you want the effect using a slider. You also have control over aspects such as saturation, sharpness and whether you want a coloured tint. VSCO Cam doesnt include a social-networking aspect, so if you want to share the images youve created with friends you must either send it to Instagram or post it elsewhere.
Cartoon Camera
Free Cartoon Camera lets you make your photos appear as different styles of drawings, such as cartoon and colour drawing. It cant be used to edit existing photos, though. Instead, you get a live view when taking an image, which makes it easier to compose your shot and choose your effect before you take the photo. Theres no way to share images from the app it saves these directly to your device, so you can share the images from the picture gallery.
A Beautiful Mess
69p Loaded with attractive, hand-drawn frames, doodles and other adornments,
A Beautiful Mess is still relatively unknown, but has been growing in popularity. It has various colour pallets including a neon option for colouring additions, and a wide range of phrases or annotations you can add. If you want to share your creations, tap the share button to send it to Instagram or a social-networking site of your choice.
Amazon Cloud Drive Photos

Free Not an app for editing photos, Amazon Cloud Drive Photos gives you 5GB of storage, which means your photos and videos are all backed up by storing them in the cloud. So if your phone is lost, stolen or broken, you wont lose all your photos and videos. If you install Cloud Drive on your computer as well, youll be able to access them easily all in one place. Theres an Auto save option that automatically saves your photos and videos to the cloud, so you have peace of mind knowing that theyre all safe. Its a great app for those with limited internal storage.
PayPals digital wallet could replace cash & cards

PayPals app lets you see local stores that accept mobile payments, and can be used to buy goods and services
ou carry your smartphone everywhere, so wouldnt it be great if you could use it to pay for good and services? Thats the idea behind the new PayPal app, which has been completely redesigned. Like Google Wallet, which isnt yet available in the UK, PayPals app is all you need to buy lunch or pick up some emergency inner tubes at your local bike shop. You use the Local section of the app to nd nearby shops and restaurants that accept PayPal payment. Choose one and you can check in to the store maybe even order food ahead of your arrival. Above the list you may see offers, such as a free dish at a restaurant. The shop will have a device that can see whos checked in and, when it comes time to pay, they scroll through the list and nd you by your photo. They can then charge you and your app informs you that the transaction is complete. Depending on the shop or restaurant you might be able to see a breakdown of the bill or even be able to split it between fellow diners. Aside from the privacy issues, the system is clunky and slower than using your credit card or a contactless debit card. It might be useful if youve
forgotten your wallet, but the number of shops accepting PayPal is limited. The other half of the app allows you to manage your PayPal account, and see your current balance and recent transactions. Tapping on a transaction reveals almost no additional information: you cant see what you bought (or sold), nor the sellers (or buyers) address. You can send money to friends or family, or pay for goods and services outside of eBay. Its now much clearer who has to pay the fees. A Wallet tab shows which bank accounts and cards are linked to your account, and you can choose in the settings which one is the default.
Verdict
The redesigned PayPal app has a host of changes, but the new payment system is clunky at best. Theres clearly still work to do before this digital wallet becomes your preferred payment method.
Sing to search for new tracks with HMV Music

Buy music from His Masters Voice using your own voice, with this free Android app
hen I was a lad, Saturday afternoons werent complete without a visit to Our Price or HMV to peruse the latest records. These Goliaths of the high street may be disappearing in physical form, but just as vinyl gave way to CD, which begat the digital download, the HMV name lives on in the form of an online music store that can be accessed via this app: HMV Music. There are many online music stores, but the HMV app offers something different: like Shazam, you can play music and it will recognise the record and the artist. You can also sing your version of a song. Then you can buy the track. Its a neat idea, but not one entirely borne out in the usage. HMV Music is an app for Android and iOS, but its worth considering only for the former. Thats because Apple wont allow any music store other than iTunes into its walled garden. The audio recognition works okay. On neither iPhone nor Android phone could we fool HMV Music when playing it records from a variety of acts, provided they were in its catalogue, of course. The Beatles Help! was immediately recognised, but we were then offered the chance to buy a cover version of the song by an unknown band. No thanks.
We had some fun with singing our own versions of famous songs, and found that it worked on occasions when there was no ambient noise and we were feeling particularly tuneful. The other way by which you can use HMV Music is to recognise music via album artwork. But we couldnt get the app to recognise any of the album covers we showed it, even when the app had previously recognised the music. Music track pricing is fairly standard at around 99p for individual tracks and 8.99 for albums. All music is DRM-free, too.
Verdict
A neat app that looks good and in parts at least works well. We wouldnt bother with HMV Music for use on the iPhone, but the Android app offers an intuitive way to buy that tune you heard on that advert, at a decent price.
Wuaki.tv takes on Netix, LoveFilm and Blinkbox

Play.coms streaming service also offers rentals and purchases, but is it any good?
hereas Netix and Lovelm Instant charge a monthly subscription for unlimited streaming of lms and TV programmes, and Blinkbox offers individual rentals and purchases, Wuaki.tv goes one further and brings to the table both options. Its a sort of hybrid streaming service to which you can quickly log in via a Play.com account.
The service
Like Blinkbox and other such services, Wuaki.tv lets you buy content outright. It typically offers rentals for 3.49 (more for a new release), and TV series for 10- to 20 depending on their age. These prices are fairly standard, but its worth installing Wuaki.tv and then shopping around for the best prices. The advantage of using this method in addition to a subscription service is that you can watch new releases much earlier. Wuaki.tv is a good match for Blinkbox and the Google Play store in this regard. You cant download purchased content, but Wuaki.tv says it is working on a feature that will allow you to download content to a PC. This will mean that for the same price, or possibly even less, you can buy the boxset and rip it to your device. Rentals can be watched as many times as you like over the 48-hour period following purchase.
If you prefer the monthly subscription route then Wuaki Selection costs 4.99 per month, which is 1 cheaper than Netix and Lovelm Instant. Dont be fooled into thinking you can just watch anything youve seen in the Wuaki library for rental or purchase, though: it doesnt work like that. As the name suggests, only a selection of content is available to stream. Wuaki Selection might be cheaper than its rivals, but the choice is more limited. Its likely that, if you pay the monthly subscription, youll regularly nd yourself wanting to watch lms and TV shows that are available only to rent or buy.
The apps
Wuaki works ne with an iPad; but while an Android app is available, it might not be supported on your device. The app requires a device running Android 3.2 or later with a 4in-plus screen. Of all the Android phones and tablets weve tested over the past year
or so, Google Play allowed us to install Wuaki.tv on only a handful of them. You can try installing it on other devices, but we cannot guarantee proper operation, warns the rm. Our advice is to thoroughly test the app before parting with any money. If you can get the Android app to work then it offers a perfectly good experience, but the iPad app looks nicer and runs smoother. It displays content in page form, allowing you to ick through the catalogue like you would the pages of the book; the Android app presents a simple list of content. Several lters help you nd something good to watch, for example new releases, recently added, genres and recommended. You can also lter titles
by publisher in Wuaki Selection. However, the regular TV selection on the Android app has no ltering options. Wuaki.tv doesnt support any kind of video output, so your lms and TV shows are restricted to the small screen of your phone or tablet. We like the ability to pin content to a wishlist. Theres also a library section in which you can browse purchased content which youve paid for. Both can be synchronised across multiple devices.
HD or no HD
Wuaki.tv has almost the opposite problem to Blinkbox: despite the HD label on a movies cover art, it can be viewed only in standard denition. HD content is currently reserved for Samsung Smart TVs and the Xbox 360. Only around 25 percent of content is available in HD, so in many cases its standard denition or nothing. This means you can purchase but not watch HD content on the Android app, while on the iPad app you can view only purchased content stored in your library. Weve also noticed in the small print that purchased content will be available for only three years, which is just plain ridiculous.
Verdict
Wuaki.tv offers cheaper subscriptions than its rivals, and it offers pay-per-view content. However, numerous limitations in both the service and apps, plus a lower-quality catalogue, reduce its value. Wuaki.tv is worth having on your device only to check rental prices.
Create a comic strip and avatar with Bitstrips

Youll almost certainly have seen Bitstrips cartoons in your Facebook news feed, so why not join the latest craze?
hat better way to spend a morning hanging around a deserted train station in the aftermath of St. Jude than to create hilarious comics starring yourself and your Facebook friends. This is the service offered byfree Android and iOS app Bitstrips, and by now youll almost certainly have witnessed its popularity through the cartoon adventures plastered all over your Facebook news feed. Bitstrips is a huge download, but it includes a good number of high-quality cartoons, and you can go into some detail when designing your avatar. You must log in via Facebook, although alternative logins are said to be coming soon. You then create your avatar in great detail, including gender, outt, hairstyle, build, eye colour and much more. If you like being the centre of attention, you can feature alone in your cartoons, but Bitstrips really is more fun when you involve your friends. If they already have Bitstrips avatars then you can include them in comic strips without their permission; if they dont, you can create an avatar for them. The apps home page then delivers a scrolling list of the latest comics, and you can add new characters at the top of the page. Tap the Create
icon at the bottom of the screen to create your own greeting card, status- or friend comic, within which you can choose from categories such as Birthdays and Anniversaries or Pranks and Insults. Once youve selected a particular cartoon, you can edit the characters facial expressions and add your own speech bubbles, then click to share it online. Also worth a look is the Archives tab, which displays any comics your friends have created, plus your own cartoons on a separate tab. Its here that youll realise just how popular Bitstrips is and thats something of a problem. Bitstrips servers are struggling to cope with the apps immense popularity, and the Comic servers are overloaded, please try again soon message makes all too frequent an appearance.
Verdict
Bitstrips is more than likely another Facebook fad, but this comic-creating app is loads of fun and itll have your friends in stitches. Its worth a try.
Avoid getting conned on a used car with HPI Check

If youre buying a secondhand vehicle, HPI Check can help ensure you dont end up with an old banger
PI is a company thats best known for its vehicle checks, and HPI Check is its official app. All you need to run a check is a full registration number. The app is extremely simple to use because it doesnt need to be complicated. Once you download and open the app theres just one screen this is where you enter the car reg and request a check. Theres also a menu bar that has a number of options including history and settings. The beauty of this app is that if youre out looking at cars, you can do a quick on the spot check in a matter of seconds as long as you have a data connection, of course. So how much does it cost and what do you get? Although the app is free, an individual vehicle check costs 16.99, which you conrm after being given details such as make, model and year. That might sound like a lot, but if youre going to be spending hundreds or thousands of pounds on a car, then its a small price to pay to make sure that youre not being taken for a ride. Its a few pounds cheaper than doing it on the website, too, although you dont geta valuation for the vehicle and theres no option to buy multiple checks for a lower price.
Once youve purchased a check, the app quickly presents you with information on the car; for example, whether its reported stolen or has had the number plates changed. Theres plenty of other information, too, such as outstanding nance, number of former keepers, and whether the vehicle is marked as scrapped or imported. A particularly handy section tells you the running costs, such as how much road tax will cost and miles per gallon. Its an extremely thorough check if you can afford the cost. You can get checks cheaper elsewhere, such as the Auto Trader app, but the information is much more limited. HPI uses various sources for its reports including the police, the DVLA, insurance companies, nance houses, industry bodies and garages.
Verdict
The HPI Check is a simple and easy to use app for those looking at buying a used car. The information is comprehensive and presented well making sure you avoid getting conned.
Take control of Sky+ from your phone or tablet

The updated Sky+ mobile app offers near-full control of your Sky+ box from Android
kys updated app puts you in control of your Sky+ HD box from the comfort of your sofa or the other side of the world. Most useful is the ability to set your Sky+ box to remote-record TV programmes when youre away from home as long as the box is switched on. Forgotten to set the nal episode of Games of Thrones to record? Still trying to get round Skys bug of recording that second back-to-back episode via series link? The free app sorts all of that out for you from your smartphone or tablet. The app provides customisable seven-day listings for all your Sky TV channels, just as you do with Skys own electronic programme guide (EPG) on the telly. You can search by title, actor, channel, sport and other factors, learning actor and background info on shows, related news and live Twitter feeds. Also useful is the apps ability to let you see what other times a showis airing to help you avoid clashes. When several programmes you want to record are on at the same time, the app offers a solution. Sky remote lost again? Thats not a problem, as you can use your smartphone as a remote control to Play, Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind and change
channels. You can also manage all of the recordings in your Planner, viewing them by genre; add a series link or delete a programme you no longer want without interrupting viewing on the telly. Aslong as youre on the same network as the Sky+ box. The app also works with Skys On Demand service. Using it, you can download programmes to your Sky+HD box. This should save any pauses when downloading shows. Sadly, iPlayer listings are unavailable while Sky negotiates with the BBC, but all the other major players are here, including Sky TV, Sky Sports, 4oD and ITV Player as well as box sets such as the Sopranos, Alan Partridge and Dora the Explorer. You dont need an HD subscription to use the app, but you do need a Sky+ HD box. Youll also need to log into your Sky account.
Verdict
The Sky+ app has been updated to manage On Demand services, record TV shows and series link while away from home. It can also be used as your TV remote control indeed it can replace it.
Angry Birds Go: a free Mario Kart clone

Departing from their usual 2D catapult norm, the Angry Birds are now racing karts in this fun but frustrating game
ngry Birds Go is a fun new free game from Rovio. Its much like Mario Kart and sees old and new characters racing against each otherto earn coins and win gems. There are two main tracks, Seedway and Rocky Road, and each offers ve racing modes: standard race, against the clock, Fruit Splat (hit enough fruit before the nish line), head-to-head (vs) and Champion Chase, where you have tobeat the bird three times tounlock that character. And youll need to unlock them, since each bird gets tired after ve races and has to recover. At which point, you can switch to another bird or pay 10 gems to revive the one thats worn out. This is just one of many ways that Angry Birds Go willmake money, since you can buy bags of gems from 1.99 to 70. Gems can then be used to buy coinswithin the game. Coins are used to buy kart upgrades, and youll need these not simply to remain competitive, but also because races have ever-higher cc requirements: you wont be able to enter certain races unless your kart exceeds the minimum rating. You can purchase some karts, too, with prices again ranging from 1.99 to 35. However, you
can also buy real toy versions of the karts, called Telepods, which are recognised (and unlocked) when placed over your devices camera. Each character has a power-up that can be used once per race, with extra uses costing gems. To start a race, you catapult yourkart when the countdown clocksays Go, thereby adding a bitmore fun and retaining a link back to the traditional Angry Birds games. Youve a choice of tiltor tapto control your racer.
Verdict
Kids and adults alike will enjoy Angry Birds go, but youll denitely want to disable in-app purchases and set a strong password to ensure your kids dont spend 100s buying gems and karts.
Is Googles Nexus 5 the best value phone?

Google has once again partnered with LG to offer a agship handset with a mid-range price
espite a price bump over the 239 Nexus 4, Googles smartphone remains the cheapest and best-value agship phone at just 299. The Nexus 5 has simple and understated style none of the spangled glass rear of the Nexus 4 that divided opinions and made the phone slide off all manner of surfaces. The handset is also thinner and lighter than before; it feels small for a 5in phone. The soft-touch matt rear cover is slightly curved, which helps it to sit nicely in the hand, but this is a separate piece of plastic so youll nd a seam where the two pieces meet. The build quality doesnt entirely match that of rival agship devices and, although wed prefer a unibody, the Nexus 5 still has a desirable design. The Nexus 5in full-HD in-plane switching screen is beautifully rich, clear and responsive, and offers great viewing angles. Performance is up there with the best smartphones, thanks to the
formidable combination of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Storage options have increased from 8- and 16GB to 16- and 32GB, which is one reason for the price increase, but the Google smartphone still lacks a memory card slot. An 8Mp rear camera comes with optical image stabilisation and, although it takes decent photos, its a little way behind its rivals. The video quality in our tests wasnt as good as wed hoped, with less detail than we expect from 1080p footage. With the Nexus 5 comes a new version of Googles mobile operating system, Android 4.4. Otherwise known as KitKat, this platform has a redesigned interface and a plethora of new features. On Googles phone you get a vanilla Android experience, clean, colourful and intuitive. Google Now is at the forefront, only a swipe away from the main home screen. The visuals are better than ever, with transparent bars, full-screen album artwork and an immersive mode that lets apps take over the entire screen. KitKat is currently exclusive to the Nexus range. The Nexus 5 is an average performer in terms of battery life. Unless youre a light user it will need charging every night, but wireless charging is a cool way to top up the non-removable battery.
Verdict
The Nexus 5 is a very desirable phone at a surprisingly low price. Its one of the best-value phones you can buy, but it doesnt offer the best build quality, camera or battery life.
HTCs One Max is a stylish heavyweight

HTC took the excellent HTC One and super-sized it. Here are our rst impressions
TC took the excellent HTC One Android phone and supersized it. The One Max is, like its little brother, a beautiful object. The feel of the materials, and the way they t together, is impeccable. Its mainly aluminium, aside from the glass front and plasticky edge. At 10.3mm and 217g its extremely hefty, mind. The HTC One Max is well constructed and feels as though you could use it to shield yourself from ying bullets. It is a solid workhorse that is also stylish. And you wont need a case. The One Max is the only phone apart from the iPhone 5s to include a ngerprint scanner.You can store up to three ngerprints. The One Max is built around a 5.9in Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen. The displays full-HD resolution results in a sharp pixel density of 373ppi.
Its great for watching videos and viewing content, but not using one-handed. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 dual-core processor running at 1.7GHz, Adreno 320 graphics and 2GB of RAM power the One Max. We found the device perfectly snappy, but perhaps not as impressive as other agship handsets. You can choose 16- or 32GB of storage, with a potentially important microSDXC slot offering expansion up to a further 64GB. Like the HTC One, the Max comes complete with comically named BoomSound front-facing stereo speakers, near-eld communication (NFC) and an infrared transmitter. It also shares the Ones Ultrapixel camera, which has fewer but larger pixels than other smartphones. This is a decent smartphone camera that can quickly capture shots and is well suited to low-light. The HTC One Max runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, but it is heavily customised with HTCs Sense overlay. The interface is clean, stylish and slick, but the BlinkFeed content-ow feature is an element that you will either love or hate. HTC has opted for a huge 12.2Wh battery and, although the rear cover of the phone removable, the battery is not. With average usage the phone will last one or two days before needing a charge.
Verdict
It wont be for everyone, but if you want a big phone (and we mean BIG), you could do a lot worse than the HTC One Max. This is a serious performer that is built to look good and last.
The best Google phone: the LG G2

We love the product of LG and Googles partnership, the Nexus 5, but its own G2 has won our hearts
fter successfully teaming up with Google for the Nexus 4, LG is back with the G2. The front of the device looks similar to the Samsung Galaxy S4, although it has no physical or touch-sensitive buttons below the screen. However, ip it over and the handset has a unique design. We like the breglass-style nish, but more notable is the fact buttons are located on the rear below the camera. Its a strange concept, but something to which we soon became accustomed. KnockOn means a double-tap on the screen will switch it on and off. LG has impressed us by squeezing a large screen into a small chassis. The G2 is smaller than the Xperia Z1, and only marginally larger than the S4, but it has a bigger screen than both at 5.2in. Matching other topAndroid handsets, its got a full-HD 1920x1080 resolution and, although the size means the pixel density is a little lower than some, at 424ppi, thedifference isnt noticeable.
The handset is equipped with Qualcomms latest smartphone chip, the powerful 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800. Accompanied by an Adreno 330 GPU and a healthy 2GB of RAM, the LG boasts exceptional performance. The phone comes with either 16- or 32GB of internal storage, but theres no memory card slot for expansion. The impressive specs continue with the G2s cameras. The 13Mp rear-facing snapper takes high-quality photos and videos, with optical image stabilisation a great addition. The 2Mp front-facing camera also offers great imagery, with up to 1080p video at 30fps. LG has customised the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean interface and installed its own Practical UX interface. This has popping colours, but some areas seem very cluttered particularly the notication bar, into which LG has crammed everything imaginable. Things arent enough of a mess to put us off the phone, however. And we like the Guest Mode that lets you restrict access to certain apps and content for other users, and the Slide Aside multi-tasking feature for keeping your favourite apps close to hand. Its packed with handy features, including NFC, an infrared transmitter and the ability to play 24-bit/192kHz audio.
Verdict
LG has trumped the competition with the G2. It offers a great design, excellent hardware and handy software features at a very low price. All thats missing is a microSD slot.
The best budget Google phone: Motorola Moto G

The Moto G costs a tiny 135, yet it has a great specication. Its almost too good to be true
otorola is now a Google-owned company and the Moto G comes at an extremely attractive price: just 135. For this you get a smartphone that eclipses every other budget handset. Its not going to trouble agship smartphones, but it does have a higher specication than youd expect from a phone that costs this little. For a start, theres a nicely sized 4.5in display with a 720p resolution. The pixel density of 326ppi is the same as that of the iPhone 5s, and is nice and sharp. A quad-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM makes the Moto Gspeedy, so theres hardly any waiting around for web pages or appsto loadand virtually no lag when scrolling or zooming. Storage is one area where corners have been cut. Like other budget handsets, it
has just 8GB of internal storage, of which 5GB is available. Theres a 16GB model for 159 a better choice for most people since theres no microSD card slot. You do, however, get 50GB of free Google Drive cloud storage. Add that to the 15GB Google gives you as standard and you have 65GB in which to store photos, music and documents. The Moto G has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and a Micro-USB port for charging and synching. You dont get NFC, infrared or 4G LTE. If youre not planning to pay extra for a 4G data plan, being limited to 3G wont matter. Pick up the Moto G and it feels reassuringly weighty. The removable back cover lets you accessorise the phone with a different colour Moto Shell or ip cover. Silver power- and volume buttons sit on the side and the two ports headphone and Micro-USB are located at either end of the handset. A large, central lens on the back covers a 5Mp camera, and theres a 1.3Mp cam at the front. It doesnt come with the latest version of Android, 4.4 KitKat, but the Moto G will be upgraded this month, according to Motorola. Motorola touts all day battery life for the Moto G and this proved to be the case in our testing. If you tend to use your smartphone lightly, then youll probably get a couple of days use out of it.
Verdict
Punching well above its weight, the Moto G is a real smartphone bargain. If you can live with only 5GBof onboard storage buy the cheapest version; otherwise spend an extra 24 on the 16GB model.
Samsungs Galaxy Note 3 is a speedy phablet

This 6in smartphone-tablet hybrid is both stylish and slim, despite its large size
he Galaxy Note 3 is one of the biggest smartphones around and can be classed as a phablet. Somewhat surprisingly, then, its respectably thin at 8.3mm. The thin plastic back that provides access to the battery has a textured leather-look nish, and theres a grooved metal rim around the edge that makes it feel well put together and sturdy. 168g is light for a device this big. The Note 3 has staggering specs and performance to match. It pairs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 3GB RAM. And it shows in benchmarks and from a user perspective. Games and video worked well, with no lag. If you like playing games and watching video then the huge 5.7in full-HD screen will suit you well. Vibrant colour and deep hue are standout
characteristics. The touchscreen is snappy and sensitive, too, although prone to ngerprints. Storage-wise the options are 32- and 64GB, and theres an SDXC card expansion slot for up to another 64GB of storage. The S Pen stylus is included for freehand writing, drawing and a range of other tasks. The Galaxy Note 3 is the rst device weve seen with Micro-USB 3.0 for faster data transfers. The Galaxy Note 3 has two cameras, a frontfacing 2Mp camera for seles and video calling, and a 13Mp rear-facing snapper for more serious photography and video capture. The latter is a serious pieceof compact-camera kit, offering such features as image stabilisation, Ultra HD video and slow-motion capture. Taking advantage of the larger chassis used to house a large display, Samsung has included a huge removable battery. In our tests of the Note 3 wed say battery life is a strong point. We could easily get through 24 hours and beyond on a single charge. The Galaxy Note 3 comes with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean installed, as well as Samsungs own TouchWiz interface. Its feature-rich, but sometimes overwhelming from a user perspective. Theres access toall the media and apps that Google Play can offer, plus Samsungs own app store.
Verdict
The Galaxy Note 3 is a high-quality portable, albeit enormous, device that could serve as a smartphone and tablet in one. It offers excellent performance, a stunning screen and reasonable build quality.
Sonys Xperia Z1 gets tuned but puts on weight

Not so long ago the Xperia Z was our pick of the Android phones, so how does its successor stack up?
hen the Sony Xperia Z launched it knocked the iPhone 5 off the top of our smartphones chart. The Z1 is the successor to that phone and, although it looks very much like its predecessor, there are some noteworthy changes. The phone is still glass-cladon the front and rear, and both dustand waterproof. The rim is now aluminium rather than the Xperia Zs rubbery plastic, though. Sony has also made the edges more rounded, making the smartphone more ergonomic in the hand. Were not sure why the Z1 is larger than the original. Its 8.7mm thick compared to 7.9mm, and its both a few millimetres taller and wider, yet it has the same size screen. The phone is heavier, too; a gain of 25g to 170g means it weighs more than the Galaxy Note 3. The Z1 has the same 2GB of RAM as the original, but Sony has specied the impressive
Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor found in the LG G2 and Galaxy Note 3. Its one of the best mobile chips around and ensures excellent performance. The full-HD 5in screen has a resolution of 1920x1080 with a pixel density of 441ppi, which is up there with the best smartphones. Storage remains at 16GB and theres a microSDXC card slot, which allows expansion of up to an extra 64GB. Sony prides itself on its photography, and the Xperia Z1 hashad an upgrade here. The camera resolution has jumped from 13Mp on the Z to 20.7Mp on the Z1, making it the highest resolution on an Android smartphone. Theresults are as good as you would expect. The resolution of the front camera has dropped slightly to2Mp, but it can still capture excellent-quality 1080p video. Sony has done some spring cleaning with its Android user interface. The overlay looks similar, but is cleaner and more stylish in parts. At the time of review, the Z1 was running Android 4.2.2. Sony includes some good-looking and handy widgets. There are also small apps that oat around the screen, including notes, calculator and a timer. We were worried that the improved spec might affect battery life, but the Xperia Z1 comfortably lasted a day of regular use.
Verdict
Sony has upgraded its fantastic Xperia Z. The Z1 is easily one of thebest Android handsets around, but the bulky design and high price mean there are better phones out there.
ZTEs Blade V superbudget Android phone

ZTE has refreshed its Blade line-up, and this Android smartphone costs just 77
f you havent got much money to spend on asmartphone then the Blade V might be just what youre looking for. It cost just 72 on a payas-you-go basis from Virgin Media thats cheap, especially for whats on offer here.
Design and build quality

For the price, the Blade V is an attractive little smartphone. Its chunky at 10.3mm but fairly light at 130g. Its a nice size for one-handed use and the curved rear cover allows it to sit well. The buttons are laid out in a typical fashion and although the Micro-USB port is on the side, this is no real bother. What we found more of a problem is the power button which is too small and doesnt have enough travel to it. The Blade V looks plain from the front with fairly fat bezels and a large camera lens above the screen. However, on the back it looks quite stylish with a brushed aluminium effect in a nice blue colour and a silver bezel around the camera. Although the handset feels strong and quite robust, it does also feel plastic and tacky something fairly common with budget devices. The rear cover is removable giving access to the SIMcard slot, removable battery and microSD card slot.
Hardware and performance

For todays standard, the Blade Vs screen is pretty small at 4in. But unlike most Android smartphones, the navigation buttons are below the screen rather than on it meaning more of the real estate is utilised. It has a typically low resolution of 480 x 800 which means a pixel density of 233ppi. This matches most budget handsets like the Nokia Lumia 520 and Huawei Ascend G330, but Motorola has thrown a spanner into the works with theMoto G, which has a 720p resolution for a much crisper experience. It also outperforms in many other areas.
Test photo >
The Blade V is one of the cheapest phones around with a quad-core processor. In this case, its a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon which is accompanied by 1GB of RAM. For a budget smartphone the performance is good, above average. However, its not without problems. The interface does lag fairly often when switching between apps, for example. Storage is a real issue with the Blade V. Its got only 4GB of internal storage and only a quarter of this is available to the user. Luckily there is a microSD card slot which can accept up to 32GB so this will be a must. A 5Mp camera at the rear of the Blade V has an LED ash. There are three lters you can apply and a panorama mode with which to experiment. We dont rate the snapper highly. It produces low levels of detail in good lighting and struggles to focus. Video footage can only be captured at 480p which doesnt look good and the camera continually refocuses. The front facing camera is a lowly VGA resolution but produces a better image than we expected.
Software
The Blade V is somewhat behind the times when it comes to software, running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. Theres full access to the Google Play store for apps, games and media content but newer features like Google Now and lockscreen widgets are missing. Despite being fairly vanilla, ZTE has customised some of the software interface on the Blade V. A very different looking lockscreen gives a green button which has petal-like sections to access apps. A long press unlocks the phone rather than the traditional swipe. We like the quick settings available in the notications bar. The rm also pre-loads a number of apps onto the phone including Kingsoft Office, World Time, Torch, Accuweather, Amazon Kindle, Twitter and Facebook. Unfortunately, they cant be uninstalled.
Battery life
With a 6.6Wh battery inside the Blade V, we didnt expect anything special in terms of battery life, and we were justied in our ndings. Users are most likely to get a day out of the handset before needing to recharge it. Lighter users may nd themselves getting two days.
Verdict
With its extremely low price, the ZTE Blade V is a good budget smartphone. It has a respectable screen and design, but it falls down on the quality of its cameras and on the software front. If you can afford the extra cash for a Motorola Moto G (see page 82) then youll get a much better all-round experience.
Sony Xperia Z Ultra: a 6.4in Android phablet

Sony has joined the growing phablet market with its 6.4in Z Ultra. We see how it fares
f you thought the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, HTC One Max and Nokia Lumia 1520 were big phones (and youd be right), Sony has just outdone the lot with the Xperia Z Ultra. The phablet has a whopping 6.4in display, so its closer to the size of a Nexus 7 than a Nexus 5. The Xperia Z Ultra looks much like the regular Xperia Z1 but super-sized. It still has the power and volume buttons on the right-hand-side and stylish brushed aluminium edging and a glass rear cover. Sony has ensured the device is also dust- and waterproof like its brothers so, to this end, the ports are covered up with aps. The only one that isnt is the headphone jack, which doesnt require one. Its oddly positioned on the side of thesmartphone though, which proves awkward. Theres also a pair of metal contacts for use with a charging station. The Xperia Z Ultra is astonishingly thin at 6.5mm (the Xperia Z1 is 8.5mm), which helps to keep down the weight, but it still tips the scales at 212g.
Hardware and performance

You get plenty of real-estate with the Ultra and the full-HD display looks great, just like the original despite the drop in pixel density. This is all great if you want to watch a lm or browse the web.
However, the handset cant be used effectively with one hand and you look like a bit odd holding it up to your face to have a phone call. Unless you have huge hands, youre going to have issues trying to use this phone with one hand. Its almost impossible to reach anything in the top half or opposite side of the screen. The phablet is also very precarious when held in one hand. An advantage to this screen is its rather neat ability to be used with a regular pencil. It works very well avoiding dirtying the screen with ngerprint marks. You can use a pencil just like a stylus and
when you are, two options appear in the notication menu to take notes or create a sketch. Its not a awless experience with a bit of lag when drawing or using the handwriting recognition but nevertheless, its a great feature. Insanely large screen aside, the Xperia Z Ultra has some decent internal specications. Keeping up with other top-end handsets, its got a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Internal storage is a fairly regular 16GB and theres a microSD card slot which can take up to 64GB cards. Also under the bonnet is an NFC chip, 11ac dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and support for 4G LTE networks. An optional NFC-enabled SBH52 Bluetooth Handset lets you leave the Ultra in a bag or pocket but still make calls, view text messages and listen to music stored on the main unit; Its even a standalone FM radio. A much more wieldy way of using the device but adds 59 to the total cost.
Cameras
The main camera has been downgraded to 8Mp compared to the Xperia Z1s 20Mp shooter and even the older Xperia Zs 13Mp. Considering the high price of this handset, we expected it to at least stay the same. Unfortunately photos and videos from the Z Ultra are lower quality than other 8Mp smartphones such as the iPhone 5C. Sonys Superior Auto mode will do all the work for you but is strangely limited to 7Mp images. Youll have to switch to Normal to gain access to all 8Mp and select Video camera to be able to change what resolution you shoot video at. There are a number of other modes for features like burst, panorama and scene select. Its a shame that with a phone this big, Sony hasnt included a dedicated camera shutter button and for some strange reason theres no LED ash. We cant help but feel the photography performance of the Z Ultra is a bit lacking, compared to older Xperia devices and competitors. Heres a sample photo and video both captured with the Superior Auto mode.
Software
The Xperia Z Ultra is running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with Sonys usual skin on top including the Walkman app, battery saving Stamina mode and Sonys Entertainment Network. Sonys wallpapers and widgets are particularly good and the notication bar gives access to settings such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and screen brightness. Its a stylish interface which is intuitive to use, striking a nice balance between providing additional
features and overwhelming the user. Our main complaint is the pre-loaded apps like McAfee and OfficeSuite which you might not want. However, you can simply uninstall these so its not totally forced. Android 4.2 is a little out of date now but Sony has conrmed that version 4.3 will be rolled out to devices including the Xperia Z Ultra in December and Android 4.4 KitKat will arrive sometime after this but no timeframe has been given.
Battery life
A phone this big means plenty of space for a large battery pack and therefore battery life. The Nokia
Lumia 1520 is tted with a huge 12.9Wh battery but despite being larger, the Xperia Z Ultra has an 11.3Wh capacity. Thats not much bigger than the much smaller LG G2. Using the Xperia Z Ultra for general tasks means youll comfortably get through a day, if not a second. However, hit the net, catch an episode of a TV show, spend some time gaming or connect with your friends on social networks and the battery level quickly disappears. Luckily Sony includes power management software, the main feature of which is a Stamina mode which minimises battery use by disabling functions like Wi-Fi and mobile data when the screen is off.
Verdict
The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is a nicely made device but doesnt represent good value for money. The phablet is extremely unwieldy and doesnt have a great camera. Sony would have been better off making this a 7in tablet rather than a 6.4in phone.
Googles Nexus 7 is the best 7in Android tablet

Google has recently updated its excellent-value Nexus 7, making it an even better buy
he Nexus 7 was the best-value tablet of 2012, a decent device at an absurdly low 159. This years model is again built by Asus for Google and starts at 199, so our expectations were high. It looks very much like the old model, but slimmer and lighter; just 8.7mm and 290g. Its marginally taller, but more millimetres have been trimmed from its waist, making it far easier to hold. Taller proportions means its not much bigger than a Samsung Galaxy S4. Without its silver band its an all-black affair now. Buttons and ports are placed as before, but the rear casing has a completely smooth surface that feels soft to the touch. Two welcome changes are stereo speakers, now at either end and improving sound; and a notication LED below the screen. The highlight is an amazing screen a 7in IPS display with a 1920x1200 resolution. Its simply stunning and without a doubt the best of any 7in tablet around at the moment. Google has dropped nVidia for Qualcomm, opting for a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core Krait processor with 2GB RAM. This, combined with the latest version of Android, meant the Nexus 7 felt super-slick and responsive during our tests.
Dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE and NFC are onboard. A model with 3G/4G mobile data is priced at 299. The Nexus 7 has two cameras. The front remains an acceptable 1.2Mp, while the rear camera is 5Mp with autofocus but no ash. Photos from the rear are better than we expected with generally crisp shots. Video can be shot up to 1080p and looks good if you hold the Nexus 7 steady, but panning while lming introduced a lot of jerkiness to footage. You can take still images while lming, too. The battery is smaller, yet Google touts an extra hour of active use, to a maximum of nine hours. It has also added Qi wireless charging.
Verdict
The Nexus 7 is now more expensive and with shorter battery life, but it gains an exceptional screen and rear camera.
Tescos 119 Hudl undercuts Nexus 7

The 7in Hudl is the latest super-budget 7in tablet. Its cheaper than the Nexus 7, but is it as good?
esco has launched the Hudl, which is aimed at anyone who doesnt yet own a tablet. Thats one of the reasons its priced at 119, undercutting Googles Nexus 7 (page 98) by 80. Clubcard Boost allows Tesco Clubcardvouchers to be used for double value, so you can get the tablet even cheaper than its alreadybudget price tag. The Hudl feels nice in the hand and its soft touch plastic casing comes in four colours: black, blue, red and purple. Its a little chunkier and heavier than the Nexus 7 at 9.9mm and 370g, but isnt unwieldy. Its also well built for a cheap tablet, with a solid construction. Despite the budget price, the Hudl has a reasonable specication. The 7in screen matches that of the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire, but has been designed to be used in landscape mode you can still use portrait if you wish. The resolution is also decent for a low-cost tablet, and at 1440x900 is higher than the original iPad mini. Viewing angles are good, too. The
display is, however, occasionally unresponsive and in general we needed to set brightness to the maximum setting. The Hudl comes with 16GB RAM, however, a microSD card lets you add up to 32GB more, which is another plus point when compared to Googles and Amazons devices. The 1.5GHz quad-core A9 processor copes well with its job. Navigation around the operating system is nippy if not lightning fast, while web browsing and gaming is reasonable but nothing more. The Hudl scores 1583 in Geekbench 2, which is a little more than the original Nexus 7. Its only one frame off the considerably more expensive Galaxy Note 8.0 (page 107) in GLBenchmark 2.5 it managed 17fps. In SunSpider 1.0, the Hudl scores a middling 1397ms. Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean is almost vanilla, but Tesco has added a few of its own applications. Preloaded widgets give rst time users a helping
hand and other things such as Clubcard status at a glance. These can, of course be removed if they are of no use to you. Alongside the regular navigation buttons, theres a T button, which is a shortcut to Tesco services including Blinkbox and Clubcard TV. They are both streaming services, but Blinkbox offers up-to-date content to buy or rent, while Clubcard TV allows free but fewer and oldercontent. To go with these is a Micro HDMI port to get those lms and TV shows on to your TV. Importantly, theres full access to Google Play store, so the Hudl has one up on Amazons Kindle Fire range. With Jelly Bean onboard, users can create multiple accounts, meaning the Hudl will suit families who want to share the tablet. Tesco says the Hudl can provide up to nine hours of video playback, depending on the settings. During testing, we set the brightness to maximum and streamed a 30-minute iPlayer programme over Wi-Fi. This used just under 10 percent of the battery, so it will last around ve hours if you only watch video. General battery life will depend on how often you use the device. If you pick it up occasionally to check your Facebook account, then it will give you a few days worth of use. Wed like some kind of power management, though, so that Wi-Fi could be automatically switched off with the screen.
Verdict
The Tesco Hudl is a budget tablet with a nice design and good build quality. Key specications are better than the price suggests, and the microSD card slot and Micro HDMI port are welcome additions.
Amazons 7in Kindle Fire HDX is a speedy 7in tablet

We took Amazons new Kindle Fire HDX and its innovative Mayday feature for a spin. Here are our results
mazons Kindle Fire range is constantly expanding, and the new HDX models are the latest additions. The 7in option has exactly the same design as the Fire HD), with angular chamfers at the back. The ush-mounted buttons are much easier to nd and use than on old Fires, too. Build quality is excellent and we love the soft-feel back. The sharp edges mean its not comfortable tohold in one hand, though. There are just two ports: a headphone socket on the right (when in landscape mode) and Micro-USB on the left. Unlike the camera-less Fire HD, the HDX has awebcam that can capture 720p video and be used for Skype calls. At the top on the back is a glossy strip that houses stereo speakers. These are surprisingly good for watching videos or catch-up TV fromiPlayer, and even listening tomusic. Theyre loud, too. The HDX moniker refers to the new
Kindles screen. It has a higher 1920x1200 resolution than the HD (1280x800) and, importantly, is able to reproduce 100 percent of the sRGB gamut. Photos look almost hyper-real, with vibrant butrealistic colour. Its very bright, and has great viewing angles. However, theres a problem. In order to get that sRGB coverage andnot compromise battery life, Amazon has used blue, rather thanwhite, LEDs. For the most part,you wont notice, but any screen with a white or light-coloured background at the edges has prominent blue strips. This blue lightleaking through from the LEDs, and it cant be avoided. Storage-wise, theres a choice of 16-, 32- and 64GB models. Youve also the option of those capacities in a Wi-Fi + 4G model, with the top 64GB version costing 329. Bluetooth is standard on all models, but only 4G versions have built-in GPS for accurate location services. Equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor running at 2.2GHz, the Fire HDX is an outstanding performer. We saw nohesitation or stuttering at any point during testing, and the dual-antenna Wi-Fi also appeared tobe paying dividends, with snappyapp downloads and quick web page loading times.
Amazon says you can expect 11 hours of mixed use from the non-removable battery, or 17 hours when reading books. Running our video-looping test, the HDX lasted for six hours, 38 minutes. Thats at full brightness, half volume and with Wi-Fi enabled: a tough test. Still, other tablets, such as the Google Nexus 7 (page 98), have lasted longer. The updated Fire OS software is a triumph. A lot of niggles that tainted the older versions have been addressed and its easier to use. Pretty much everything can be stored in the cloud, which is why there are buttons at the top of each section marked Cloud and On device. By default, you see theCloud view, and tapping on anitem downloads it immediately. Good as these improvements are, the Fire HDX is exactly like all other Fire tablets: it locks you into
Amazons world. Its no hardship being limited to buying e-books and audiobooks from the wellstocked libraries, but the choice of apps in Amazons Appstore lags behind plainAndroid devices. BBC iPlayer is still the only UK-specic catchup app, and you cant watch shows through other providers websites because theres no Flash support in the Silk web browser. You wont nd Google apps,either. There are third-party paid-for apps that let you access Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube, but its a shame the free, official apps arent there. With the choice ofLoveFilm Instant or Netix, weveno gripes about streaming TVshows and movies, though. A feature thats exclusive to HDX tablets is the Mayday button. If you need help with your Kindle, swipe down from the top of the screen to see the menu, then tap Mayday. Tapping the Connect button will put you in a queue to speak to one of Amazons Tech Advisors. We tried out the service and were impressed that our call was answered in under 10 seconds. Youll see a small video window of your helper, though, they cant see you. Given that this is a free service available any time of the day or night, it clearly adds value especially if this is your rst tablet.
Verdict
The Fire HDX is a great choice for undemanding users who will benet from the closed, safe, easy-to-use ecosystem and the tech support via the Mayday button.
Samsungs Galaxy Note 8.0 is a pricey 8in tablet

The new Galaxy Note 8.0 is a touch expensive, but it includes some interesting features
he Galaxy Note 8.0 is recognisable as a Samsung device, looking like a super-sized Galaxy S4 smartphone. In the hand, it feels like a nice tablet, although its a strange size neither small and pocketable, nor large enough to give easy tablet-size screen viewing. Hidden away in one corner is Samsungs S Pen stylus, which is responsive and easy to use. At 339, we expected the Galaxy Note to come with some impressive specs. The 1.6GHz Exynos 4412 quad-core processor and 2GB of memory combined are a good start if speed is your thing. However, while it performs well across the board, the screens 1280x800 resolution isnt breaking any new ground. It matches the Nexus 7 (above), but since the display is larger, it has a slightly lower pixel density of 189ppi.
We had an issue with the lack of available storage on the S4 smartphone, and its a similar story here. The Note 8.0 includes 16GB of ash storage, but only 9GB is available for your use. As is customary with Samsung devices, a microSDXC card slot will accept up to 64GB capacity cards. The Note 8.0 offers the kind of photography youd expect from a mid-range smartphone: 5Mp at the rear with no ash and 0.3Mp at the front. Images arent very good and video is limited to 1280x720, which is a letdown considering the price. It comes with Samsungs TouchWiz interface over Google Android Jelly Bean. Its relatively goodlooking, but some will nd it too busy. Luckily, the customisation options let youcan tone it down. Many Samsung apps are pre-loaded, but unless youre a Samsung devotee youll end up using Googles own apps for the same tasks. The most useful apps are associated with the S Pen. Without them the stylus would be little more than an alternative to your nger. When in standby, the Note 8.0s huge 17Wh non-removable battery holds its charge well. However, when you use the device, its not so good. Watching 30 minutes of a TV show on iPlayer used 10 percent of the battery. At that rate, the Galaxy Note would last only ve hours on one charge.
Verdict
The Galaxy Note 8.0 is one of Samsungs better tablets, but its hampered by an extravagant price tag. Unless you want the S Pen stylus there are better and cheaper alternatives.
Sony SmartWatch 2: the best smartwatch to date

Smartwatches may seem like a new product category, but Sony is already on its second version
ony has honed the design of its SmartWatch for this second version. Its slimmer than before, looks more stylish and doesnt need clipping on to the strap. An issue we had with the original SmartWatch was its bulkiness. Its successor was 9mm, compared to this models 12.8mm. Its still occasionally difficult to get some items of clothing over it, but the situation is much better. The SmartWatch 2 has a similar design but looks more modern with its square shape and silver bevelled edge. Although its thinner than the original, the device itself is larger because the screen size has been increased. Unfortunately, Sony has stuck with the same silicon rubber wrist strap (available in various colours), which is prone to getting grubby and clammy. Luckily there are leather and metal options, and you can use any 24mm strap you like. The SmartWatch 2 is water resistant (IP57) so no need to worry about it if you get caught in a rain shower. A welcome design change is that it now charges via a regular MicroISSUE 1 ANDROID ADVISOR 109
USB port which sits on the side under a ap. Its a vast improvement on the proprietary connector which was unreliable. Not only is the connection better, the battery life is too. The original SmartWatch lasted only a day when used heavily. Weve found the SmartWatch 2 comfortably chugs on for four- or ve days if you switch it off overnight. Sony says it will last a whole week with low usage. Bear in mind that connecting a device like this to your smartphone over Bluetooth will also affect its battery life. There are a few smart watches on the market now and although made by Sony, the SmartWatch 2 isnt limited to the rms own smartphones. You can use it with any running Android 4.0 or later. Not only is it versatile in this way, its also cheaper than rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy Gear 149 vs 299. The SmartWatch 2 is super-simple to setup. Its got an NFC chip built-in, so as long as your smartphone has one too, simple tapping them together with pair them up and away you go. Sony has increased the size of the screen to 1.6- from 1.3in. It doesnt sound like much but you can see a lot more on the screen. There are also familiar back, home and menu buttons below the screen so navigation is no longer solely gestures. The LCD display has a resolution of 220x176 which is a little way behind the Galaxy Gears 320x320. It doesnt look as crisp and clear as Samsungs rival but it
doesnt look too bad either a little old-school looking perhaps. Were pleased to report that unlike the original, the SmartWatch 2 shows the time constantly. The original didnt to save power so you couldnt just glance at the time, whereas this model shows the customisable clock face dimly. A press of the power button cranks up the brightness briey and a second press will launch the full interface. The full interface will be familiar to Android users with sets of 3x2 icons and a status bar at the top showing battery level, which page of apps youre on, the Bluetooth connection status, and the current time. Theres even a drop down notication bar. Pre-loaded apps include am alarm, timer and ashlight which simply turns the entire screen white. But dont worry, thats just the beginning of what the gadget can do.
Its very difficult to miss a notication when wearing the SmartWatch 2, although wed like the ability to adjust the vibration level. Anyone who misses calls, texts or emails because their phone is in a pocket or bag then this is exactly what the SmartWatch 2 is for. You can go beyond basic notications too, by installing apps for social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, for example. The more you add, the more the watch will go off so youll need to strike a balance. The device lets you read text messages and emails but you can only reply to the former with an emoticon or pre-set message. The screen is too small to type on. You can also instruct the connected phone to make a call handy if youre wearing a hands-free headset. You can install all kind of apps from Sony and third-party developers from the Google Play store. For example, you can use the SmartWatch 2 as a remote control for your phones camera or music playback, use it as a tness gadget with the free Runtastic app, or even play games on it. There are lot of apps so youll nd something for your lifestyle.
Verdict
At 149 the Sony SmartWatch 2 is a good value for money smart watch. It improves on the original version in key areas such as design, battery life and showing the time. With plenty of apps to download and use, theres lots of functionality, too.
First look: Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch

Samsung has jumped aboard the wearable tech bandwagon with its Galaxy Gear smartwatch
e think the Galaxy Gear smartwatch looks pretty sleek and sexy apart from the boil-like lump on the strap for the camera. It comes in a range of colours so youre likely to nd one that suits you. If you cant wait to get this gadget strapped to your wrist, hold on a minute. Unlike Sonys smartwatches, the Galaxy Gear only works with Samsungs Galaxy smartphones, and only a handful of them, so check compatibility before you buy. The Galaxy Gear looks great with its stainless steel body and were surprised by, but love, the lack of a big Samsung logo. The strap is a bit plasticky
and stiff, however, so well have to see if it gets uncomfortable when we wear it properly. The Galaxy Gear can do a number of things when paired to a smartphone over Bluetooth. You get notications of incoming calls and can have a conversation via the built-in speaker and mic, although this works well only in reasonably quiet environments. S Voice means you can control the Galaxy Gear and media playback on the paired smartphone by voice. Auto Lock will secure the companion device if it goes further than 1.5m away from the Galaxy Gear, while Find My Device will help you locate one device from the other. Theres tness apps and a built-in camera for when you just cant get your smartphone out quick enough. It will take 1.9Mp photos and 720p video, and our test footage looked pretty good. Storage is limited to 4GB, and apps and camera footage are likely to ll this rather quickly. The 1.6in screen looks nice. It has a 320x320 resolution (higher than the Sony SmartWatch 2, page 109). Theres an 800MHz processor inside with 512MB of RAM which, unfortunately, doesnt run the Galaxy Gear as smoothly as wed like. There is a noticeable lag when navigating around the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS and opening apps, which is more than a shame for a device as
expensive as this. Apart from the single power button, everything is done using touch gestures; we managed to nd our way around relatively easily. The Galaxy Gear has a 315mAh battery and uses low-energy Bluetooth 4.0; were looking forward to testing its battery life. Samsung touts a days usage, so its likely that the Galaxy Gear will be another charge-every-night gadget.
Verdict
The Galaxy Gear is a mixed bag. We love the stylish design and nice screen. Its packed with handy features, but performance and potentially poor battery life are concerns. You can use it with only a handful of Galaxy smartphones, and its pricey.
How to use your tablet as your office computer

iPads are often used by office workers, so why not Android tablets? We show you how to get started
T
ablets are all the rage these days. These popular devices power up in a split second and are perfect for reading, keeping up with social media and surng the internet. Yet bringing along to the office a tablet as well as a laptop adds noticeably to your travelling burden and negates the sheer portability of the tablet in the rst place. Assuming you dont do computer-aided design or other intensive media-processing work, why not just leave the laptop at home and use a tablet? In this article we discuss what considerations you should
take into account if youre looking to deploy an Android tablet for more productive work. But rst, here are a few reasons why the company IT department should consider Android over iOS: There are countless device congurations and price points all of them less expensive than an iPad with comparable storage and radio While the iPad once held the throne in terms of display quality, thanks to its Retina displays, many Android tablets today offer Retina-like or even higher resolutions Unlike iOS, the Android le system mirrors a traditional computing environment. As such, computer-literate users will have no problems managing onboard les either with an Android le manager or from a connected PC Finally, many Android tablets come with integrated microSD card readers for cheap storage expansion. Meanwhile, support for USB On-the-Go lets users plug USB ash drives directly into an Android device. Some new tablets come with Micro-USB ports, but vendors such as ADATA are starting to sell USB Flash drives that plug into Micro-USB ports
Set up your Android tablet for work

The rst step to setting up your tablet for work it to get your email, calendar and contacts properly synchronised. Fortunately, you need to do this only once, and its a relatively straightforward process. This typically entails setting up accounts in the form
of a Gmail account, LDAP or Exchange ActiveSync (EAS), as well as more traditional email systems such as POP and IMAP servers. The situation for productivity documents is slightly more complex, mainly because there are so many options available. You can manually load work documents over a USB connection or, if the tablet is equipped with an SD card slot, copy them onto a SD memory card. Cloud storage services such as Dropbox or SugarSync can keep work documents synchronised as well. Allocate time to congure individual apps properly. For example, many cloud-centric apps such as Evernote and Simplenote will need to be individually congured. Others, such as OneNote for Android, can function in standalone mode but offer greater convenience when paired to a
SharePoint or SkyDrive storage location. Finally, web browsers (Chrome or Firefox) should be set to sync with their desktop cousins. Finally, theres one important security matter that most overlook when repurposing BYOD gadgets for work: Setting up a password lock should be nonnegotiable, given the sheer amount of personal and work information stored on a typical tablet. It may also be a good idea to encrypt the contents of both the Android tablet and its external SD card. Ultimately, its necessary to embrace cloud services in order to realise the full benet of using a tablet. As such, using a tablet for work may not be suitable for users with strong concerns about data privacy or those restricted by compliance rules.
Develop new habits

Using an Android tablet in the office requires changes in how you work. Part of the reason is the absence of intuitive multitasking capabilities, as well as the smaller display. Signicantly, the Android user interface assumes the use of one app at a time. For its part, Samsung has attempted to emulate the PC experience by engineering the capability for apps to run side by side on selected smartphones and tablets. The Dual Screen View feature is generally of limited utility,
though, as the UI elements occupy a large portion of the screens real estate. Not all changes are necessarily negative. For one, be prepared for the joy of using a computing device that powers up instantaneously and launches most apps in a split-second. Just like you have your favorite apps on the desktop, youll soon nd and easily launch your favorite Android tablet apps. As it is, though, dont expect to hit the ground running the day after making the switch to an Android tablet. Getting used to the interface will take some time.
Accessorise your tablet

Like it or not, serious content creation requires a physical keyboard. Peripheral makers realise it, too which explains why there are no shortage of tablet-optimised portable keyboards. While any keyboard with Bluetooth should work ne, one inadvertent disadvantage of the variety of Android tablets out there is that there are fewer keyboards designed specically for a particular tablet. Still, some vendors have made custom cases, such as the ZAGGkeys Folio keyboard designed for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. To cater to users who may own multiple gadgets, the Logitech
Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard K810 offers shortcut keys to toggle between three paired devices within seconds. The Android platform offers good support for external keyboards, as keyboard navigation such as Alt-Tab works. Regular mouse usage with Android works, too, and should go a long way toward eliminating Gorilla-arm syndrome caused by constantly lifting your arm to navigate the touchscreen. Luckily, many accessories designed for iPads works great for Android tablets, too. This includes the Compass Mobile Stand and BookArc for iPad from Twelve South, and the Griffin PowerDock 5.
Leave the office behind

The versatility of the tablet means that its usefulness doesnt end when you leave the desktop. Its sheer portability and built-in capacitance touch display also give it capabilities that traditional laptops lack. Apps such as SignEasy and DocuSign, for example, make it possible to annotate or sign digital documents while riding the subway or waiting in line. Obviously, it will be easier if your Android tablet of choice comes with a built-in digitiser and stylus, though theres no reason why a generic stylus designed for tablets, or your nger, shouldnt work.
Like your smartphone, your tablet can function as a GPS navigation device when on the road. The TomTom Navigation app for Android app effectively transforms a tablet into a large-screen GPS capable of offline navigation, which is quite useful when travelling out of town. Many rely on the navigation feature in Google Maps, too, though an internet connection is required. (Offline access is possible with Google Maps, but be prepared to download the relevant maps ahead of time). Finally, tablets built-in cameras lend themselves for use to capture snapshots of important documents for immediate ling. Apps such as Google Drive offer the feature built in, while others such as CamCard are designed to quickly capture the information on business cards for automatic data entry.
How to transfer your iTunes library to Android

If youve switched from iOS to Android you neednt lose your music collection. Heres how to transfer audio les
o youve got a new Android smartphone or tablet and want to listen to your music collection on it, but how on earth do you get your iTunes library from your computer to your Android device? Luckily, the process is fairly simple, since Android devices appear on computers as storage volumes. Youll need a Micro-USB-to-USB cable for this, which will typically be supplied your device.
Plug your Android phone (or tablet) into your PC. You may need to tell the phone to operate in MTP mode for transferring les.
Open a new File Explorer window and navigate to your devices music folder. In this case the location is: This PC > Chris G2 > Internal Storage >
Music. Leave this window open ready to move your music collection.
Open a new File Explorer window (right click on This PC and select open in a new window) and nd your iTunes music library. By default this is found in: This PC > Music > iTunes > iTunes Media > Music.
With the two windows open next to each other on your desktop simply drag and drop the music you want to transfer to your Android device. You can select particular folders or just move everything.
How to get BBM on Android

The popular and free BlackBerry Messenger service is now available on Android. Heres how to get it
B
1
BM (BlackBerry Messenger) has launched on Android. Heres how to download and start using BBM on your smartphone. (Note that BBM supports smartphones running Android 4.0 ICS and later that have a screen size of 7in or less.) Download the app from Google Play store. Open the Play store on your device or in a web browser and search for BBM. The official BlackBerry BBM app is likely to be the top hit. Hit the Install button, then Accept to download and install BBM. Alternatively, go to bbm.com from your built-in browser.
2 3
Open the app. Once BBM is installed, open it by tapping the icon on your home screen or app menu. If youre still in the Play Store, just click Open. Log in to BBM. If you already have a BlackBerry ID then you should sign in with this; if not, create a new login. You can now share your BBM PIN with friends and family, and add their own PINs to the app to start chatting.
Call premium-rate numbers free

Avoid incurring expensive call charges with our guide to dialling premium-rate numbers from your Android phone
ou might have a smartphone call plan with unlimited minutes, but thats unlikely to include premium-rate numbers. And if you think the charges for calling these numbers from your landline are bad enough, dont try a mobile. Mobile networks tend to charge excessive amounts for calling these numbers, although Giffgaff (giffgaff.com) at least allows you to call 0800, 0808 and 0500 number for free. That typically costs 30p per minute, so a half-hour call to Ikeas customer service will set you back 9. Fortunately, there is a way to call otherwise chargeable numbers without it costing you a penny. Heres how it works.
Head to Google Play and search for WeQ4U. This ad-supported app is free to download. WeQ4U can offer you free calls to 0870, 0800, 0808 and 0500 numbers by routing the call through an 03 number, which is covered by the free minutes in your tariff. Other 08 numbers, including 0845, are redialled using an alternative number sourced from a database such as that found at saynoto0870.com.
When you dial a number beginning 08 an Android phone will automatically pre-dial an 03 access number. This means you dont even have to open the WeQ4U app.
The app will start the call and youll hear a message from WeQ4U about queuing. Your phones dialling screen will be visible, so you can still key in responses to automated systems. If you do nd youre stuck waiting in a queue to talk to someone, simply tap 9* and the app will notify you when an operator has picked up your call.
How to run Android apps on your Windows PC

Use Genymotion to continue enjoying your mobile apps on a desktop PC or laptop
here are various methods of running Android apps on a PC, but these can be tricky to set up and vary greatly in the levels of performance and compatibility provided. Genymotion is relatively simple to install and provides pre-packaged Android installations which you can download and run on your PC or Mac. Best of all, its fast and supports accelerated graphics quick enough even to run some 3D Android games. For developers, it also supports battery and GPS widgets so you can emulate different charging and power scenarios and test out how apps work in different World locations. To download Genymotion, you will need to sign up at genymotion.com. Once youve validated your email address and signed in, you can elect to download a version for Windows with VirtualBox included, or a version for Windows, Mac OS X, Ubuntu or Debian, which will require you to have VirtualBox already installed. Once youve installed the software, sign in with your Genymotion credentials and you can select
from a list of virtual Android devices with varying hardware congurations and versions of the Android operating system. We would recommend downloading any of the latest available versions, which will t comfortably on the screen and come bundled with Google apps. Your virtual Android device will then be automatically downloaded. All that remains for you to do is click the Play button and start it up. You can then sign into your new device with your Google account and download and run any apps you wish.

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