| Interview: ARM CEO: Mobile of 2014 will have great power without sacrificing battery Apr 26th 2013, 13:50 
Warren East is winding down to retirement later this year from his role of CEO of ARM, but that isn't stopping him waxing lyrical about the impact that the company's big.LITTLE technology will have in 2014. Big.LITTLE pairs a powerful processor with a much smaller one, allowing your device to do intensive processes like gaming using one, but drop down to using the less-power hungry processor when it's doing simpler tasks. Although it made its debut in the much-lauded but little seen octa-core version of the Samsung Galaxy S4, the Korean giant's decision to go with quad core in the major Western markets, including the US and the UK, means that many will have to wait to see its impact. Speaking to us on the day of the company's positive first quarter financial results, TechRadar took the opportunity to ask if he would have liked to have seen the first big.LITTLE offering make it to the UK. "Yes, but we think in due course there will be quite a lot out there," he said. "2013 is just too early to expect to see them in phones. Technology is something that people think of as fast moving and in some ways it is, but it takes a very long time to get products to market. "I'm not surprised that Samsung managed to get a big.LITTLE phone to market this year because they are a very capable, determined outfit and there is a lot of marketing kudos in being first to market. "But the reality is that we have 17 partners with a big.LITTLE licence out there...2014 is going to be a big year." 
East, who has announced that he will retire from ARM this year, believes that the benefits of utilising a low power processor with a more complex one, upping compute power without sacrifices to battery life is critical. "It is important to get that bit of extra performance to make things that much better," he said. "The Samsung demos showed that, without the big processor, some of the applications can be a bit clunky. The demos are designed to show that and emphasise the point, but it's still a point." ARM's first quarter brought positive results, and the big.LITTLE successes were front and centre in the company's announcement. "Big.LITTLE is ONE of the things that has been a growth driver but I wouldn't say that without it you wouldn't be seeing growth from us," added East. "The requirement for compute performance is going to to increase by a factor of 30 in the next decade but battery size capability doesn't increase at anything like that - maybe a factor of two." 
As a company that licenses its IP, ARM has to stay well ahead of the game - and TechRadar enquired as to how the company remains agile in a fast-paced and mercurial market. "It's not really rocket science," he said. "We spend out time not just designing but talking to customers, our customers' customers and people like servic providers about the services they want to offer. "We try lots of tricks and employ some bright people to solve the problems and work around constraints . We can't always make the move all in one go. To go from a to c you sometimes have to go through b. "Take big.LITTLE for instance: we introduced the A9 processor then the A15 and then A7. It's a bit like rock climbing, you don't take all your limbs off the wall at the same time." Since arriving at the company in 1994, East has overseen some big changes at ARM, and he admitted it was a difficult decision to announce his retirement for later this year. "From a personal point of view it was very difficult indeed, I still think this is the best job in the industry, but I have given my reasons for leaving. I've spent 12 years as CEO and as we think about the next stage and the five to eight year journey we're about to set off on, if I was still CEO then I don't think there would be sufficient edginess and energy in the executive team. 
"I think it's the right thing to step back and allow change to happen." Of course, given his passion for the company, it would be easy to fall back into a consulting role and keep an involvement, but East is not looking for an active role. "As a shareholder I'll remain very interested, but I think part of the idea is to step back and allow proper proper change. In 1994 ARM was a startup with great potential and when I became CEO it was a very successful startup with great potential in the mobile space. "We've scaled business way beyond mobile now, with 5 billion non mobile chips shipping this year we've scaled the operation to cope with multiple designs at the same time. "From a business point of view we now have a sustainable long-term and very high-quality business. ARM is growing up and that is great fun." ARM's profile remains a hot topic, and East admits it would be nice to be better known. "It would be very nice to wander down the high street and be able to see all the ARM powered products, and I would be much more satisfied if my mother knew what an ARM product was but it doesn't necessarily help the business," he said. "Seven or eight years ago you would never see ARM's financial reports on the BBC website and now you do." ARM is headquartered in Britain with just under half of the workforce in the UK offices, and it is something that East believes is a huge benefit to the company. "It makes us different from most other technology companies - and that gets us more visibility," he concluded.     |  | Roundup: 10 top iPad and iPhone apps for throwing a kick ass party Apr 26th 2013, 12:00 
Everyone (well, almost) loves a good party, but at some point in the process, planning and putting it together can become drudgery. There are so many different elements to keep track of, depending on the event: a menu, for example. A guest list. Beverages. Music. Party favours. No matter what kind of party you're having, at some point things can start to spin out of control. But that's where your trusty iOS device can step in. Certainly you can use some of the built-in apps such as Calendar and Notes to help keep things straight, but those tools are going to run out of steam. Thank goodness there are hordes of developers who offer great applications to make it easier to ensure your next party is a raging success. Whether it's a pocket bartender that'll help you make the best cocktails or a DJ mixing board to make sure everyone's having a rockin' good time, iOS can help. If logistics are more your thing, we've got that covered in spades too, with everything from meal guides to wedding planners to complete party planning software. Parties vary in all shapes and sizes, depending on your mood and the occasion. You're going to use a very different set of skills to make a cowboy party for your six-year-old compared to a fancy dress soirée with a five-course meal. So come check out our list of the 10 best apps for throwing a kick-ass party, make sure you let the neighbours know and put on your dancing shoes, because these gems could well help kick your next bash up a notch or two, and keep things going until the break of dawn. 1. Pro Party Planner 
An all-in-one planning tool to help you make your next bash a huge success Price: £2.99 / $4.99 USD
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad It's no wonder party planning is a full-time profession for some - from planning a guest list to making a menu and buying decorations, party favour bags and planning activities… it can be an exhausting morass of details that can all too easily get the better of even the most organised of hosts. If you don't have the budget for a personal party planner you could always hire (or rather, download) Pro Party Planner from Zysco. Pro Party Planner is essentially a dedicated database for the anal-retentive party host who wants to keep their eye on every element of their next big happening. This impressive tool does practically everything: input guest's names, email and phone numbers, and you can check them off as they RSVP. Plan a menu, drinks, entertainment, decorations and party favours, and then assign individual tasks to the people helping you put your party together. You can even keep track of your budget, see a timeline to make sure you're all on schedule, and connect to Pinterest to get ideas and inspiration for how to make your next bash a success. You can connect with your Contacts database and back up and export data to Google. If you want to share your Pro Party Planner information with another user - if, say, two of you are organising the party together, you'll need to activate a subscription as an In-App Purchase that runs for 12 months for another £1.99. Download from iTunes 2. Karaoke Anywhere 
A karaoke machine to get everyone at the party singing their hearts out Price: Free
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad Once the drinks start flowing and inhibitions become a bit lowered, karaoke can be a hilarious way to get the party moving. Buying or renting a full-blown karaoke machine isn't necessary these days thanks to JoltSoft's Karaoke Anywhere, available in a regular version for iPhone and iPod touch and an 'HD' version for iPad (and happily, both are free to download). Karaoke Anywhere gives you access to a library of officially licensed karaoke songs. If you've ever done karaoke at a bar, the presentation is pretty similar: you hear a cover of the popular song you remember along with a screen of lyrics that slowly change colour to keep you on track of the tempo. If reading lyrics off an iPad (or iPhone) doesn't sound like fun, the app features TV and video output capabilities. It can also record the songs if you want to embarrass the participants later! Built-in effects can help you tweak the vocals a bit - handy when things get a bit sloppy late into the evening. Karaoke Anywhere is a free download that includes 200 well-known tracks - everything from Aerosmith to Wilson Pickett. If you want more - and you will - you can either subscribe to its unlimited streaming service (£6.99 per year) or you can pay per track. Download from iTunes 3. djay 
A sophisticated music player that helps you spin the perfect party mix Price: £2.99 / $4.99 USD
Works with: iPad Nothing sets the mood and tempo of a party like a music mix, and nothing brings down the vibe faster than hearing… nothing. That's where algoriddim's djay comes into play. This is a one-stop shop to making music on your iPad, using an interface that looks just like a twin-turntable DJ deck. (A separate version has just been launched for the iPhone too (69p), but it's obviously easier to scratch away on the iPad's larger screen. You load music from your iPad's music library and then crossfade, mix, scratch and add effects as you want. Automatic beat-matching will adjust each track for a smooth flow, and you can manage levels and a wide variety of effects like echo, flange, phaser, bit crusher and gate, to give your mix that club feel. You can also loop and adjust equalisation. Live mixing is only part of what djay can do, though: if you'd rather talk with your guests at the party and hang out instead of spin discs, you can record a mix ahead of time and then play it back for your guests once they are there. Hey, if you've gone to all the trouble of organising the party, you should get to enjoy the beats, too! Download from iTunes 4. Mixologist 
Like having a bartender in your pocket, but you don't have to tip Price: 69p / 99¢
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch Unless you're a professional bartender, you might only know how to make a handful of cocktails. Digital Outcrop's Mixologist (also available in more limited free form as 'Mixology') fixes that by providing a searchable list of hundreds of cocktail and party beverage recipes ranging from Shirley Temples to Long Island Iced Tea jelly shots. But cocktail recipes and a good search tool are only two of many items on Mixologist's impressive résumé. The app also lets you narrow your search depending on what you have in your liquor cabinet (whiskies are differentiated, so you can find recipes for scotch drinks separately from bourbon, as are flavoured and unflavoured vodkas) and what kind of mixers you have on hand (cordials, juices, mixes, sodas and other items are all included). For the well-stocked boozehound, a 'random' feature lets you come up with a unique concoction you might have never tried (and might never try again, if it isn't nice…). Download from iTunes 5. WeddingHappy 
Get ready for the big day with organisational tools and social networking Price: Free
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch WeddingHappy is like having a hyper-organised wedding planner in your pocket. Give it the planned date for your nuptials and the app will do the rest, building a customised to-do list with suggested due dates that you can change to your liking. The secret to its success is in its complete coverage of everything that brides and grooms (and their families and friends) need to keep track of before the big day - such as: who's catering the event? DJ or band? Which dress shop and florist to opt for? Mercifully, you can keep on top of all these tasks and, along with that, you can use WeddingHappy to see where you are along the way: how many tasks have been completed and how many are yet to do, when they should be done, and who's involved. 'Achievements' even help you keep track of major milestones, such as finalising a wedding date or delegating a task to someone else by email. It's free, but paying £1.99 will let you track as many tasks as you want. Download from iTunes 6. Phoster 
Make and post beautiful looking digital posters to advertise your party Price: £1.49 / $1.99 USD
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad Planning your party and getting all the goods together are important, but you also have to get the word out. Bucket Labs' Phoster helps you do exactly that using exquisite typography and lots of customisation options. First, you select one of 87 free templates; there's a handful of holiday-specific templates for Christmas, Valentine's Day, New Year's and Halloween, along with a wedding template. But most of the options are flexible enough to be used for almost any occasion that might arise. You can add images from your photo library and adjust brightness, contrast and saturation, and input your own text into fields and customise it with colours and font sizes. You can also add filters or add some custom patterning. It's even possible to output it to other apps if you'd like to make additional changes. Phoster includes the ability to print (if you have AirPrint-compatible devices on your network) or you can email or use Facebook, Flickr, Twitter or Instagram to share your images with the world. Download from iTunes 7. Holiday Recipes & Party Planning Guide 
An ebook app with plenty of recipe ideas for your next gathering Price: £2.99 / $4.99 USD
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad Coming up with recipes that truly impress your guests can be tricky, and there's only so much to be gleaned from the average cooking show on television. Food52's Holiday Recipes & Party Planning Guide offers suggestions for how to really dress up your next dinner party with 127 exquisite recipes, from snacks and starters to desserts, with drinks, breads, soups and everything in between. A dedicated section offers suggestions if holiday planning's on your mind: everything from making a romantic Valentine's Day meal for two to celebrating Easter with the entire family (the guide offers a somewhat US-centric holiday list - including Thanksgiving and Independence Day, for example - and all measurements are in standard units). The recipes themselves are accompanied by lush photography and video. Download from iTunes 8. Kara's Party Ideas Family and kids' party ideas galore from a party-planning queen Price: £1.49 / $1.99 USD
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad If you're a busy parent, it can be exhausting to try to put together a fun party for your little ones. Finding the right time around other busy schedules is bad enough, but what happens if you can't come up with an imaginative theme? This app is based on (and linked to) a popular website by Kara Allen, who's also published a book on the topic to share her party ideas to the masses. The app is full of great ideas to dress up any party, though the focus here is mainly on family parties, especially ones for younger kids. The app breaks down parties by category - boy, girl, western, princesses and so on. There are a few 'grown up' categories as well - sports, beach and teen bridal shower, to name a few. Each entry provides photos and descriptions of ideas, and will often include links to Etsy sites and other places you can buy custom decorations and printable patterns. Download from iTunes 9. Conversation Cards Small talk running on empty? No need with this handy tool Price: £1.49 / $1.99 USD
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad All party hosts and guests dread the awkward moment of silence that can occur when polite conversation has run its course. That's where Conversation Cards comes in handy - it's a fun and easy way to start or continue a conversation. The app offers a number of interesting questions you can ask others at the party, ranging from 'What is the happiest moment of your life?' to 'Would you rather be a ninja or a pirate?' Just tap the screen to flip over a new topic. Clear typography make the cards easy to read, which means you can unobtrusively load the app up on your iPhone if you don't want to make a show of it. There isn't a way to mark cards as 'read', so you might come across repetition, but the questions steer clear of theology, politics, and the Great Pumpkin, so you don't have to worry about breaking Peanuts' Linus Van Pelt's cardinal rule. Download from iTunes 10. Reverse Charades A fun twist on the classic party game with customisation options Price: Free
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad Generations of party-goers have played Charades, the game where one person stands up and the rest of the team tries to figure out what they're pantomiming. Reverse Charades takes the concept and turns it on its head: Now the entire team acts out the words, and it's up to one person to guess the clue. Suitable for two to four teams of potentially any size, it takes place in timed 30-, 60- or 90-second rounds. A small number of sample cards have been included, but to really unlock the game's full potential you'll need to buy booster packs through IAP. The packs cost 69p each and feature content for kids, '80s trivia buffs, a 'Girl's Night' and more (six in all). The original pack sports 500 cards; other add-ons range from 163 to 724 cards. Options let you select which card deck or decks you'll use, how long each round will be, how many rounds there are and how many seconds per turn. Download from iTunes     | | Low-end Samsung Galaxy Core looks like Galaxy S4 knock off Apr 26th 2013, 10:55 
You know what Samsung needs? Yep that's right, another phone and if one Russian site is to be believed that's exactly what's happening in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Core. According to HiTech the Galaxy Core is currently in production over in Korea and is set to be an entry-level version of the Samsung Galaxy S4. We've heard rumours that a mid-range Galaxy S4 mini could be on the cards sometime this year, so the Core would complete Samsung's S4 look-a-like line up. Dubious detailsThe site claims that the Galaxy Core will rock up with a 4.3-inch display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 768MB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, 5MP camera and 1,800mAh battery. 
It's said that the Core will run version 4.1 of Android Jelly Bean with Samsung's TouchWiz overlay - but we can't see why you'd buy this over the Samsung Galaxy S2. HiTech has come up with the goods in previous years - correctly noting for example that the Galaxy S would receive a processor bump in 2011 - although the quoted price tag of 14,000 rubles (around $280/$430/$AU420) and grainy images don't fill us with confidence.     | | Week in Tech: Samsung's new superphone, the incoming Xbox and a little bit of idiocy Apr 26th 2013, 10:00 
It's cool! It's great! It's bigger than a plate! Yep, it's the rather nifty Samsung Galaxy S4, which our very own smartphone superhero Gareth Beavis has been staring at with his X-ray eyes. It is "the most anticipated smartphone ever from the Korean brand... the most powerful and desirable device Samsung has created yet." But is it any cop? Mr Beavis says yes. It's lots of cop. But while it's a great phone, there are some niggles: gallery loading was slow - to the point where we decided not to show people any photos at all - and it's a little short of internal storage capacity too. But the biggest issue is where the S4 has tried to innovate: "Air View, Air Gestures, Smart Scroll... all are flawed or overly complex." Nevertheless it's "a great, great device." Fancy one? The release date has been put back a day because "Samsung wants to make it available to all of its customers at the same time", John McCann reports, and he's put together an exhaustive list of who's selling the S4 and what you should expect to pay. Intergalactic challengersThe S4 isn't the only superphone to tremble beneath Gareth Beavis's unblinking gaze: he's put the HTC One through its paces too. It's "one of the best smartphones around", a "combination of innovation and sumptuous hardware" with a great camera for low-light shooting. However, it suffers from poor battery life, no expandable memory and a screen that isn't quite as good as you'd expect. It's still "the best HTC phone ever", but while it's better than the Samsung Galaxy S3, the S4 may just have raised the bar again. 
If you like the idea of a quad-core Android phone but don't want to pay top whack for one, the Acer Liquid E2 may be the phone for you: the latest soldier in the Android army will go on sale in Europe in mid-May, with a price tag of around £195. The big showsOr maybe you should save your cash because THE XBOX 720 IS COMING! The invitations have arrived and we'll see the next Xbox on May 21. That date "marks the beginning of a new generation of games, TV and entertainment," Microsoft tells us, and the event "will give a taste of the future while also letting Microsoft share its vision for the gaming console". Which means nothing, of course, but we're still excited because THE XBOX 720 IS COMING! For a reminder of the latest leaks, check out our round-up of the latest next Xbox news. 
Prefer Glass to games? GOOGLE IO IS... sorry, we'll stop shouting. The search giant's annual showcase is just around the corner, and we're expecting all kinds of goodies: a new Nexus 4 and Nexus 7, Google Now on the Google home page, the much-rumoured Babel chat system and hopefully Android 5, aka Key Lime Pie. It's the first of the summer's really big events, with E3 and Apple's WWDC happening in June. Apple's just announced its latest financial results. It's still selling ridiculous quantities of products, but profit margins are down. Inevitably some analysts say that means Apple is "DOOOOOMED!", Gary Marshall reports. It isn't - "what we're seeing here is the tail end of a wave" where the iPhone's incredible growth is finally starting to slow. It happened with the iPod and one day it'll happen with the iPad. "What's surprising isn't that the iPhone is being squeezed," Marshall says. It's that Apple has been able to maintain such extraordinary profit margins for so long." No smut with your StarbucksAnd finally, isn't it nice to make it through a week without any politician saying stupid things about tech? Oh, hang on. Here's David Cameron. "We are promoting good, clean Wi-Fi in local cafes and elsewhere," he told The Telegraph. The reason? So that people "are not going to see things they shouldn't." We're sure that'll work. After all, blocking the Pirate Bay stopped all internet piracy, forever.     | | Samsung is riding high ahead of Galaxy S4 release Apr 26th 2013, 09:53 
It's more good news over in Korea as Samsung announces its sixth straight quarter of profit while taking another chunk out of Apple's market share - and the Samsung Galaxy S4 isn't even on sale yet. It's no surprise to learn that smartphone sales were the main catalyst for Samsung's strong results - in fact mobile devices accounted for three quarters of the firm's profits in the last quarter. The continued success of Samsung will no doubt be a bitter pill to swallow over in Cupertino, where Apple recorded its first decline in profits in over 10 years earlier this week - although it's certainly not anywhere close to collapse. Samsung eats AppleIt gets better for Samsung, and worse for Apple as research firm IDC reports that the iPhone maker has witnessed its market share drop from 23 to 17.3 per cent. In contrast, Samsung's seemingly never-ending line of new handsets has seen it grow its smartphone share from 28.8 to 32.7 as it apparently shipped 70.7 million handsets during the first quarter of this year. Check out Samsung's Your Mobile Life to discover loads more about the infinite possibilities of the GALAXY Note II Things are set to get even better for Samsung as well, with its new flagship Galaxy S4 going on sale around the world tomorrow, while the next Apple instalment - rumoured to be the iPhone 5S - isn't scheduled until later this year.     | | Qualcomm promises 4K-supporting Snapdragon 800 processors in May Apr 26th 2013, 09:39 
Sure, the Snapdragon 600 you find in the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is fine and all, but we're pretty excited to hear that Qualcomm's next-gen processors, Snapdragon 800, are soon to trundle off the production line. At a briefing in China, Qualcomm confirmed that the 800 line would be hitting mass production in May - although there'll be a bit of a wait before you see any souped-up 2.3GHz processor action in any phones or tablets. Although the company had prototypes on hand, it wasn't letting anyone near any benchmarks until June. Processor pornSo what can we look forward to in 800-toting devices? Up to 2.3GHz quad-core processing, with the cores running on different frequencies to conserve power - two cores can handle the more intensive processing action while the others idle for later. There's also an Adreno 330 graphics processor in there, which means the next generation of handsets should be able to support 30fps 4K video playback. All in all, pretty exciting stuff. Rumour has it that the LG Optimus G2 could be the first Snpadragon 800 phone - stay tuned for more details on the new flagship from the chip-maker in the coming months.     | | Microsoft to tempt Android users with app alternatives Apr 26th 2013, 07:07 
A new app to be released on the Google Play Store is aimed at those looking to switch from Android to Windows Phone, and you'll never believe who is behind it. Microsoft has worked with developer Quixley on the Android app, which offers Windows Phone alternatives for all the apps you have installed on your Android device. Where it can't assure you that the same app exist on the Windows Phone ecosystem, it will find one with similar features. Called Switch to Windows Phone, the app shows all the available alternatives, then saves a list to the user's SkyDrive account. When you then sign in on a Windows Phone device, the list is retrieved and the apps are downloaded to the new phone. This may all sound like sneaky smartphone subterfuge, but from a user perspective, this sounds like one very handy tool. Smoked by Windows PhoneYou'll remember that this isn't Microsoft's first attempt at luring Android users over to its phone system. In the US, Microsoft ran the "Smoked by Windows Phones" campaign last year. In these videos, average Joes were accosted by Microsoft evangelist Ben Rudolph and tasked with performing everyday phone duties faster on an Android (or iPhone) then Ben could on a Windows Phone. In May 2012, Rudolph posted to the Windows Phone blog that over 50,000 phones had been "smoked" between CES and the blog post, with a 98% success to the Microsoft team. Market share stats tell a different story though, with the latest numbers revealing Android holds about 60 percent of the smartphone OS market, while Windows Phone holds about 5 percent -- with these figures varying slightly in different regions around the world. Via NeoWin     | | In Depth: The Samsung Galaxy S4: 10 things to know Apr 26th 2013, 05:23 
In addition to our first impressions of the new Samsung Galaxy S4 we've considered the tech specs, features and applications that Samsung is offering users with its latest smartphone and, to make things easier for you, distilled all of this info into an easy-to-remember ten-point guide. So, without any further ado, here are the top ten things that you need to know about the new Samsung Galaxy S4... 
The S4 is not a smartphone, it's a "life companion"Samsung is all about improving the way we live, using technology, as J.K. Shin, the company's President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division explained at the S4 launch event this week: "All the innovative features of Galaxy S4 were developed based on the insights and needs we found from our consumers all around the world. Following the successful Galaxy S series, this phone is yet another great proof point of people-inspired innovation. At Samsung we'll never stop pursuing innovation conceived by people, so we can inspire them in return." 
The S4's lucky 13-megapixel cameraOkay, it might "not be all about the megapixels" as keen amateur snappers often say, but the tech improvements of the new 13-megapixel camera on the Galaxy S4, combined with the software improvements to Samsung's onboard camera app are sure to blow any would-be David Bailey away. S4 snappers can now place themselves in their pictures far easier and better than ever before, which is a particularly cool feature for on-the-fly family shots. Also, you can now record sounds for photos taken on your S 4; a minor but fantastic way of recording a memory. 
Touch-less tech is the futureWe are all so familiar with touchscreen technology nowadays that Samsung's mention of "touch-less tech" at the S4 Unpacked launch was quite novel. What the S4 designers mean when they speak of "touch-less tech" is plain and brilliantly simple, Air View, which has been one of the most popular features on the Galaxy Note II, helping to create what Samsung's JK Shin referred to as "instant, effortless and accurate touch-less interfaces" on this latest smartphone. 
Storming the Tower of BabelImagine if you were able to talk to and communicate with the vast majority of the world's population, despite only being fluent in English and, perhaps, having a smattering of one or two other languages you vaguely remember from school? Samsung's S Translator on the S4 makes this inspiring vision an actual reality, allowing you to swiftly translate voice or text into nine different languages. It's essentially Douglas Adams's vision of "the Babel Fish" made real! 
Don't be a solitary smartphone userOne real problem with smartphone usage to date is that it has, by force of habit for many of us, become a solitary activity, distancing us from our friends, family and colleagues at work. The S4 will change all of this, by encouraging and helping us to play and listen to music together again. The S4's Group Play feature encourages users to share music and play games together, in ways that are easier and more intuitive than ever before. 
A smartphone to keep you in shapeSamsung's new S Health software promises to "empower your life by keeping you up-to-date with health and wellbeing information through a range of accessories," using a number of sensors to track your progress, in addition to Samsung peripherals such as the S Band; Body Scale and HRM heart monitor. All of which is an incredibly handy way of reminding you to keep up with your running, swimming or gym regime; eating healthily, and keeping a check on your weight and overall fitness. 
Samsung Knox will change the way you workWith Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) being a major issue for many workplaces right now, it's vital that you invest in a smartphone that is going to let you work as well as play. After all, do you really want to be carrying two devices around with you at all times? This is why Samsung Knox might well be the perfect security solution for keeping your IT manager at work happy and safe in the knowledge that you are using a phone that will connect 100 per cent securely with the corporate network. 
Samsung HomeSync will make entertainment easierYou know that annoying feeling when you have a movie you are watching on your phone, yet cannot finish watching it on the TV at home on the weekend? There is yet to be a name for this malaise, though Samsung has already come up with a solution to the problem, in the shape of HomeSync, an Android-powered set-top box that lets you store, share and stream the movies on your S4 with absolute ease. 
Adapt Display means the S4 is easy on the eyeThe Samsung Galaxy S4's new Adapt Display feature means that the Full HD Super AMOLED display will automatically alter to give you the optimum viewing experience, no matter what you are doing. Whether you are watching a movie, playing a game or checking your email, Adapt Display ensures that the S4's superb 5-inch screen is giving you the best viewing experience whilst being as easy on the eye as possible at all times. 
Make beautiful photo albumsTaking, carefully editing, and storing thousands of great photos on your S4 is something that most users will do purely by habit, but what about those truly memorable photos that you want to keep forever? Samsung's new Story Album offers a superb auto album-creating function for proud new parents or first-time Glastonbury goers, who want to capture and always remember these precious moments in time. Plus, with a new partnership with book-printing specialists Blurb you can also get beautifully-bound hard copies of your albums (costing in the range of $10 to $30; UK pricing is yet to be confirmed). Find out more about the Samsung Galaxy S4 in the video below:
FutTv : FEq1E78cQ5qJ4  | | In Depth: First impressions of the Samsung GALAXY S4 Apr 26th 2013, 03:49 
Samsung has finally unveiled its latest smartphone, the highly anticipated GALAXY S4, at a high profile launch event at New York's prestigious Radio City Music Hall. We were there to see and hear more about the latest tech and features that Samsung has to offer smartphone users and, of course, to be amongst the first to get our hands on the S4. Read on to get our first impressions of this hugely-impressive next-gen smartphone. As you can see from our product pictures right here, the first thing that regular S III users will notice is that the much-loved look and feel of the S4 is very similar to its predecessor, with a few minor, yet highly important, changes to the form factor. FutTv : cjH9F0HTCDrehSamsung's HD pièce de résistance The S4 is still impressively light, weighing in at just over 130g, with the new addition of a solid metallic banding around the side of the phone. It's also slimmer than the S3, with the phone measuring 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm and packing in Samsung's pièce de résistance – that 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED screen. 
Elsewhere, in terms of the exterior design of the S4, the 'home' button and two 'back' and 'menu' buttons remain in the same familiar place as they are on the S III and on the GALAXY Note II. After all, as Samsung's design team most likely decided, why change a winning formula? And while the design of the phone's casing is a small but noticeable improvement on its predecessor, it is the startlingly cool new array of features and impressive list of tech specs that is going to win the hearts and minds of smartphone users when the S4 goes on sale on April 26 next month. 
Octa-core speed and functionality With a new octa-core 1.6 GHz Exynos 5 CPU, running 2GB of RAM, this is one hell of a fast phone – perfect for those power users who don't like wasting precious seconds waiting for apps to load up. Not to mention, particularly ideal for processor-intensive tasks such as shooting HD video or playing the latest graphically-demanding Android games. That said, the real killer selling point here is the screen, as the 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display on the S4 is nothing short of beautiful, being ever-so-slightly brighter and sharper than the S III -- already one of the best smartphone screens currently on the market. So if you want a smartphone to take pictures, videos or watch movies on, the S4 is simply streets ahead of the competition. 
User interface – the S4 as a "life companion" After noticing the thinner form factor; the faster processor and that stunning screen, the fourth most important new aspect to the Samsung GALAXY S4 is the improved user interface. Noticeably clever new features such as Samsung's Smart Stay and Smart Pause are able to see if a user's eyes move away from the screen, informing the application you are using to act accordingly – for example, if you are watching a movie or a TV programme, the phone will pause it while you look away from the screen. There is a huge range of extra additions to the S4's user interface, with some nifty camera and video features that are sure to appeal to both the average user and the would-be pro snapper or movie director, squeezing the most out of the new 13 megapixel camera. Plus, the addition of Air View, developed originally on the GALAXY Note II, which allows you to control the S4 with air gestures (i.e., without actually touching the screen) is sure to be a strong selling point for many new users. 
Life without boundaries, and without limitations J K Shin, President of Samsung Mobile, was on hand at Samsung Unpacked 2013 to explain to the assembled crowd of mobile industry execs and journalists how the development of the S4 has been driven by a desire to "experience life without boundaries, without limitations…to help us live a richer, simpler and more full life" which is exactly why Samsung is calling the S4 a "life companion" and not a mere smartphone. Sure, the S4 is smart, but the fact that it can now cleverly place you, the snapper, in your home movies and family pics alongside your subject; help you to translate and understand nine different languages (both spoken and written); improve your ability to play with others,and share your entertainment via Group Play, or even monitor your health and fitness regime using S Health, really makes the phrase "life companion" very apt. And finally, what might well prove to be the killer apps for the S4: Firstly, the ability to let you connect securely with the office using Samsung Knox, and with your TV at home using Samsung HomeSync. Secondly, the improved ability to obtain your movies, music and books easily and quickly, using the streamlined new Samsung Hub. Overall, the new Samsung GALAXY S4 is as remarkable as it is familiar. With that blindingly fast octa-core processor and 13MP camera, smartphone users are going to be happily at the cutting edge of mobile tech for the foreseeable future. A place where most of us are happiest!   | | A button at a time, Apple's gaming future inches closer Apr 26th 2013, 00:07 
It was at the end of last month we reported Apple slid into GDC 2013 to court game developers under a fictitious name. Word was the tech giant was dipping its toes in game controller waters, something patents have suggested it was interested in developing on its own before. Now, another patent - picked up by Patently Apple - has surfaced that puts a little more water in the well of rumors that Apple is indeed looking at the gaming biz, or perhaps a game controller for a future version of Apple TV. The game-related patent isn't for a bit of hardware as big as a console or even controller; nay, we're not talking anything larger than a button. However, Apple's button, unlike the volume knobs we've grown accustomed to on the iPhone, would come to future products acting like one found in traditional game controls. The hardest button to buttonApple says of one patent figure, "The pivoting button...is configured to move in four directions (up, down, left and right, for example) via four buttons coupled to a four-way pivoting body, and may be a four-way navigation device to navigate, for example, through menus or through a video game. "The [device] may be a remote control, a game controller, a personal electronic device or any other device." So while the button could be put on any one of the Apple products we see on the market today, the fruity firm felt it necessary to call out "a game controller" as a possible future home for its pressers. On another illustration, Apple says that the pivoting button may have "a continuous navigation pad (e.g., not limited to only four directions)." Could this be a sign towards the new categories Apple CEO Tim Cook alluded to during the company's recent earnings call? Unless Apple plans to license its button technology or wanted to make sure it had this super-neat idea secure, we think something else cooking in Cook's kitchen. And some car stuffAs scintillating as buttons are, Patently Apple published a few other patents today outlining some vehicular potential for the iPhone. The basic run down is that Apple envisions ways to turn the handheld device into an all-access car controller, one that can open doors, start and turn off engines, and do a whole lot more. Apple's even concocted ways to make it so a particular device must be present for a car to start. Those who hate having to readjust their mirror every time someone else drives can appreciate another patent that would automatically activate personal settings once a particular iPhone passes a credential check. 
It's also thought to make it so a car owner can control what hours of the day their car can start, so one could deactivate it overnight, for example, and prevent thieves from making away with their ride. A wireless connection is given a prerequisite for this set up, as is a thorough communication channel between Apple and car manufacturers, but as electronics find ways to be integrated ever deeper into our vehicles, we see some mano-o-iPhone conversations are taking place. While we don't suggest chucking your keys just yet, the ideas presented in Apple's patents offer a glimpse at a pretty cushy connected car future.   | | BT's 4G spectrum win could prompt unlikely reunion with O2, reports claim Apr 25th 2013, 17:50 
British Telecom is on the lookout for a network partner to assist its re-entry into the consumer mobile market, following its surprise win in the UK's 4G spectrum auction last month. The Financial Times reported on Thursday that BT is preparing to make a major push mobile push after snapping up £200m-worth of 4G spectrum. That'll mean the company will need a mobile network to help power any new service and with that in mind has begun a tender process to find the right partner. The renewed mobile efforts could see a reunion with O2, which until 2001 was a part of BT's core business before being broken up and then sold to Telefonica in 2005. Prefers a deal with O2The FT article points out that O2, EE and Vodafone will answer BT's call, but the company is thought to prefer a deal with O2, according to sources familiar with the matter. A deal and spectrum sharing arrangement would aslo be beneficial for O2, which didn't acquire any of the higher frequency 2.6GHz spectrum during the recent auction. BT has so far been coy about its plans for the 4G spectrum it surprisingly obtained and has more than is required simply to boost its mobile network. The report suggest BT will be looking to augment its home broadband experience by giving customers access to 4G connectivity and voice services when away from home or hotspots. The company said: "We can confirm we're looking for a fresh partnership with a mobile operator. We won some excellent 4G spectrum just recently so it makes sense for us to explore the new opportunities that 4G presents. We have a strong position in the WiFi market and we are looking to build on that. "[BT is] rolling out fibre at breakneck speed and it's obvious that customers want decent speeds when they're out and about as well as at home."     | | Nokia to reveal new Lumia at May 14 event Apr 25th 2013, 15:55 
An invite has gone out inviting media to an event in London, where Nokia promises that we'll "See what's next" on the Lumia front. "The Nokia Lumia story continues," the invite adds. The invite also features a 60:40 colour block split: the larger side features thin pale blue stripes reminiscent of a banker's suit lining, under which you can just make out the hint that we'll 'see what's next'. Meanwhile, the smaller part is in stock Nokia blue with white writing in bold and slim typeface, accompanied by the boxy Nokia logo. Now we've told you literally everything about the invite, which you can also see above if all this is a bit TL;DR for you. Stop, speculate and listenWhat do we expect this to be? Well, if Nokia is flying a bunch of international journalists over to London for the big storytelling sesh, we can only assume we're in for something high-end. That means we could be looking at the launch of the Nokia Catwalk, rumoured to be the follow-up to the Lumia 920 with an aluminium body but fairly similar specs aside from that. Or the next chapter could feature the Nokia EOS, said to be a quad-core Windows Phone handset featuring that insane 41MP camera last seen on the 808 Pureview. Or it could be both! One thing's for sure, whatever's unveiled better be more impressive than the Finns' mid-range MWC 2013 offerings or we'll be quite put out. TechRadar will be on the ground at the event on May 14 so stay tuned for all the news as it breaks.     | | In Depth: Samsung Galaxy S5: What we want to see Apr 25th 2013, 14:31 
The Samsung Galaxy S4 has finally landed - and we loved it, as you'll see through our in-depth review. It's light, slim and powerful, and has the best screen we've seen on a smartphone. But we know what you're like. You're already thinking about the Galaxy S5. You're looking at the S4 and wondering: "You know what, could Samsung have done better in some areas? Like make it FLY?" Well, clearly you're insane if you're asking for that, but your point is valid: there's always more than can be done to make the ultimate smartphone. To that end, we've put our thinking caps on and done the work for the South Korean firm - here are the things that we simply must have on the Galaxy S5 to make it a success and beat the new HTC One: A flexible designAnyone using an HTC One will know that the reaction it inspires really is immense. It's no exaggeration to say that more often than not, people will say: 'Wow, what's that?'. The sad fact is that we just don't get the same reaction from the S4, with most people just actually thinking it's the Galaxy S3. One of its predecessor's main criticisms was that the use of plastic made it look and feel cheap (that even applies to the Galaxy S2 from a few years back – though not the Galaxy S, since few people took any real notice of the first iteration.) When the S4 was announced, it didn't even need to be felt – people instantly criticised how cheap that all-plastic façade is going to feel. 
Sure, it keeps the phone light (in fairness, the HTC One weighs a fair bit in the hand, by comparison) but Apple's managed to pull off glass and metal and lightness with the iPhone 5 so surely Samsung can manage the same. If only to annoy Apple even more! The other ideal would be to utilise its flexible display technology - Youm - to bring some new techology to the new design. We're not talking a completely bendy phone (that would actually be rubbish right now) but how about the designs shown off at trade shows recently? That would be amazing. Bigger batteryWe always ask for these and the S4 has graced us with a larger power pack than the S3 – it's up from 2,100 to 2,600mAh. It's a fairly decent jump – but still likely to just give a day of moderate use thanks to that huge, sharp screen. Just look at the HTC One – that has a 2,300mAh power pack yet struggles to exceed the 1,440mAh battery of the iPhone 5 in daily usage. The fact of the matter is that the OS has a huge part to play – so upping the mAh count doesn't necessarily mean a revolution in terms of endurance. 
The Motorola RAZR Maxx has been out since last summer and manages to pack in a 3,300mAh battery, which genuinely puts the hours in. Since Samsung is such a technologically advanced company, if it were to come up with something huge like a 4,000mAh pack that's slim to boot, it would nail the Android market (even more.) Come on boys – you have a year to do this. Stereo speakersAgain we're drawing a comparison with the HTC One here but that's to be expected; especially since said device will be its main Android competitor (along with the Sony Xperia Z, of course, which we mustn't forget.) But there is something unique here. See, HTC has raised the bar here – the sound bar, that is. Some assumed it would be a gimmick, putting two speakers on the front of the phone and calling it BoomSound. But here's the thing: it does sound amazing. To the extent that we often leave calls ringing longer than we need to so that we can enjoy the ringtone. 
The Galaxy S4 doesn't go for anything so lavish – offering a mere grill on the back with a small speaker we fully expect to be loud, yet tinny. Sure, there may be limited call for deep surround sound or anything as elaborate, but why scrimp on features when including so much in other areas? We imagine Group Play will be Samsung's answer – but considering that requires other Galaxy owners, it's a bit of a faff. Samsung could really pull something unique out the bag here – especially considering it's got a proven relationship with audio extradordinaires Bang and Olufsen. Even the iPhone 5 speaker is fairly decent – so come on Sammy.. finger out, please. FM RadioOdd one this, but the S4 is the first Galaxy device to not ship with an FM radio. It's a bit of an add-on that many don't use, but others (especially commuters) are very attached to their FM radio feature on their phones. Samsung's already stated that it left the S4 FM radio out not through any technical issue, but because more people are now streaming their music through YouTube and online services. Which is true. Apps like TuneIn Radio do offer a great service. 
The problem is that you're reliant on a good web connection for this – at the very least, 3G, and even then, there can be problems with buffering. The majority of journeys will pass through different signal strengths and types and this just means that you'll have to stop listening to the radio whether you want to or not. Sure, we know that firm decisions lead to progress (look at Steve Jobs refusing to fit a floppy drive on the original iMac) but this just smacks of silliness since it would have made absolutely no difference to Samsung. We're even thinking of writing to our local MP about it. Beam it up, SammyWe'll lay this on the line before we start: this is one of our more fanciful wishes, given the technology (and desire from many consumers) is a long way away. But we'd love to see a projector built into the S5. Samsung managed it already with the Galaxy Beam last year, even though that was a bit of a niche device. But it makes perfect sense. Forget AllShare (or maybe not 'forget' but at least run it alongside) and turn the S5 into something that everybody can enjoy. The problem is now that if you want to share your photos/videos etc, you either have to buy a dongle or have a Smart TV. It's very niche. 
Apple has managed to do well with marketing its AirPlay so you can stream YouTube etc to Apple TV but again, you have to fork out for an Apple TV to do it, then turn the thing on, change your TV input source and so forth. Wouldn't it be great if you could just stream everything using a projector to a wall? Obviously, there are issues with light interference, but we're sure Samsung could invent something that overcomes that problem. And with those amazing stereo speakers we're lobbying for, it would also sort out the audio problem. Hey, it could even lead to more uptake of things like WatchON, with people buying movies and then streaming them straight to the wall when friends are round. There's an incentive for you there, Samsung. Streamlined TouchWizSpeaking of WatchON, this would be something we'd like to see sorted: a true partnership with Google. Sure, we realise that hell is more likely to see temperatures drop below freezing before then, but the issue is that there is just too much choice. We're all for freedom – but when you have both Google and Samsung trying to sell you songs, movies, books, apps and magazines at the same time, through competing apps, it gets a little tiring. 
The app drawer is littered with more options than you can shake a stick at and for those who aren't completely au-fait with smartphone tech, it's a little confusing and intimidating. Apple makes so much of the whole fact that it is just one company providing everything – the next best thing would be for Samsung to work out with Google a common strategy for sharing revenue here and at least streamlining it for the consumer. We know it's not going to happen because Google won't want to favour Samsung – and also there is the matter of Samsung wanting to end its dependence on Google (hence the Tizen revolution we're not really expecting), but it's nice to dream of one, unified store. 3D screenWe've left this one to last as this probably sounds the most ridiculous – but it's worth giving it a moment's thought. See, screen resolutions have hit the ceiling now. Back when Nokia invented the 7650 with its tiny colour palette, we cooed. When the 7210 came along with a square screen rocking 4096 hues, we gasped. And when the iPhone 4 launched with the famous Retina branding, it really was revolutionary. But phones like the S4 and HTC One now have PPIs that destroy home flatscreen TVs. There isn't any point in making them sharper, because the eye can't discern any difference. We have, pretty much, reached a plateau. 3D's not taken off as well as it could have with TV's. Yeah, it's great to play with, but it's hardly making the waves that the HD revolution did. And it has been tried before with LG. Remember the Optimus 3D? We only gave it 3.5 stars when it came out the best part of two years ago and there was a reason: glasses-free 3D just wasn't there. As we'd seen with the Nintendo 3DS, it tired the eyes very quickly, it had to be viewed at exactly the right angle and was pretty much just a fad. 
Bearing in mind how much Samsung really wants to get one over on LG here (only recently, we looked at the intense competition between the two firms in Seoul), just think how much this could motivate Samsung to pull out a really decent solution. There's a glimmer of hope here: Samsung has already patented the idea to use dual camera to track your eye direction, which would mean the 3D image would follow your eyes and would completely negate the need to keep your head in the 'sweet spot'. App makers are more likely to make 3D apps for the Galaxy range because it is not an also-ran Android line but (at least some would say) the Android iteration to go for. And Samsung could sponsor these apps to get them in the Google Play store (or Samsung's own). Movies, the camera, games, even the OS, could be transformed with the right technique. And there concludes our wish list. Sure, it's elaborate. And we'll be surprised if the less obvious points above make the final build of the S5. But there is no doubt that Samsung will already be hard at work on planning the S4's successor – and we'd love to see some really unique features introduced. A year's a long time in mobile life. And we've seen just how much a company can go from HTC Hero to zero (OK, HTC wasn't quite at the lowest level – but don't ruin our analogy). HTC was the Android maker for a time and has been usurped by Samsung. It may be on the up with the HTC One again – it certainly stands a chance – but the competition is fiercer than it's ever been. And it'll get uglier before it gets better. Samsung will need to work hard to keep its Android crown.     | |
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