| In Depth: The Samsung Game Hub explained Apr 9th 2013, 12:42 
The sheer volume of top-notch Android games can be daunting – but not if you let Samsung Game Hub take the strain. The stunning success of the mobile web, facilitated by the sophistication of Android and the exponential rise in the power of handsets (with the likes of the GALAXY Note II providing shining examples) has led to a well-documented (and very first-world) problem. With all that information and entertainment at your fingertips, even when you're on the move, where do you go to find the precise things that float your boat? Let's say, for example – and we've all experienced this – you're sitting in a cafe, waiting for a friend to appear, and fancy filling your time with a bit of cheeky gaming. There are, of course, thousands of Android games you could choose between, so where should you start? 
Head for the Game Hub Luckily, that is an easy question to answer. All you need do is click on your GALAXY Note II's Apps icon, and seek out the one entitled Game Hub. Indeed, you can go one better than that – the Game Hub exists as a Widget, which you can press on until highlighted, then pull across to occupy an area of real-estate on one of your GALAXY Note II's less-occupied screens. 
But however you access it, the Game Hub has one purpose: to bring you instant access to the best Android games in existence. If you like, it's a sort of filter, through which Samsung (invisibly) is constantly working to select the very games, which, with all its experience as the world's top handset manufacturer, it reckons you will want to play. If you're worried that the sheer amount of Android games out there means that there must be plenty of dross among the gems, you can rest assured that none of that dross will make it through the stringent selection process that governs the Game Hub. Let's get social Once you've registered for a Samsung account (which involves inputting a basic level of data like your name, date of birth and email address – and if you just fancy playing free games, you don't have to surrender your credit-card details), the Game Hub presents a gloriously straightforward and self-explanatory face to the world. 
It presents you with a matrix of games, selected according to their popularity. And they are essentially split into two categories: Social and Premium. The Social games are, perhaps, the most interesting, as they aren't just about sitting around in isolation and entertaining yourself. Instead, they take the proposition that has made gaming such a compelling activity on social networks like Facebook, and launch that into the mobile space. In other words, they are all about gaming with your friends, no matter your whereabouts. 
In order to access the Game Hub's Social games, you must sign up for another service, called mobage – which is free, and the sign-up process merely consists of generating a username and a password. When you've done that, you can get on with downloading some games, and can communicate with, and play against, your friends. Launch a game, and you will see the mobage icon in the top right-hand corner; click on that and you get a social networking-style screen that details your games and your friends. Thus, you can see what they have been playing, and invite them to compete. Once you've made that initial leap to playing a game against human rather than computer-controlled opposition, we reckon you'll develop a lasting taste for it. 
You'll also begin to appreciate how cleverly Game Hub caters for all tastes. It does, of course, contain some pretty basic, board-game-influenced efforts, like Tic-Tac-Touch (mobage, free), which are perfect for dipping into when you have a tiny bit of time to kill. But there are plenty of surprisingly sophisticated games on offer, like the anime-style, utterly addictive trading card game Darklord Legends (mobage, free). 
Premium games for all types of gamer But if you're a more seasoned gamer, seeking to explore the full extent of the GALAXY Note II's impressive capabilities as a gaming device, head to the Game Hub's Premium section and you'll find a wall-to-wall selection of gems. There are two ways of finding Premium games in the Game Hub: first, by descending order of popularity and second, by homing in on a specific game publisher. And the Game Hub brings to the fore games put out by the world's leading mobile publishers – namely Gameloft (Ubisoft's sister company), Electronic Arts, Glu, Com2us, G-Gee, TheAppsGames and good old Sega. So, if you're a hardcore console gamer, you can instantly get your hands on GALAXY Note II-optimised versions of all-conquering franchises like FIFA 12 (EA Swiss, £4.99), Dead Space (E Swiss, £4.99) and Need For Speed: Most Wanted (EA Swiss, £2.99). Premium but casual If you're seeking something a bit more casual, but prefer to play on your own, rather than getting your friends involved, the Game Hub's Premium section still pulls out plenty of stuff that ought to be up your street. Like, for example, Tower Defense: Lost Earth (Com2us, free): the original and best example of the classic strategy genre. 
Or if card games are more your thing, you'll see that Uno HD features prominently – this £1.00 Gameloft game can't actually be found on Google Play, as it's a special version for the GALAXY Note II, taking advantage of its cutting-edge graphics hardware and the box of tricks that is the S Pen. The same applies to Glu's Diner Dash 2 (free) – a hilariously frenzied and constantly amusing restaurant-sim, enjoying its first outing on the Game Hub. Always bringing you the latest So if you're always on the lookout for the very latest and very best games for your GALAXY Note II, but don't have the time or inclination to seek them out (and let's face it, who does?), the Samsung Game Hub is there to act as your very own repository of fun and entertainment. Give it a whirl, and you'll soon find yourself going back to it regularly, and no doubt recommending its latest picks to your mates. ---------- Also check out on Your Mobile Life: Working on the go made easy VIDEO: A Beginner's Guide to the Samsung GALAXY Note II Living with the Samsung Galaxy Note II Writers, designers and gamers: how the Note II brings innovation to the smartphone space Streamline your office with S Note and S Planner     |  | Microsoft and Nokia file EU complaint against 'trojan horse' Google Apr 9th 2013, 11:27 
With great power, comes a great number of lawsuits - and Google is certainly no stranger to finding itself in sticky litigation disputes. Now European antitrust regulators have received a formal complaint about Google's Android for mobile, filed by Fairsearch Europe, a group that includes Microsoft, Nokia and Oracle. According to the group, Android is giving Google anti-competitive and "deceptive" advantages, acting as a vehicle for the company to control consumer data and using its free model to give it a leg up. Can't we just talk it out?In the complaint, Thomas Vinje, a lawyer for the group, said: "Google is using its Android mobile operating system as a 'Trojan horse' to deceive partners, monopolise the mobile marketplace, and control consumer data." Big words, it seems. But does Fairsearch have a fighting chance here? The group's problem seems to be that, while Android is free, users must download a number of apps in order to "register" with Google. This means things like YouTube and the Google Mail app get prime position. However, registration is not mandatory. But the fact that Android is free does make it difficult for rivals to compete. "Failure to act will only embolden Google to repeat its desktop abuses of dominance as consumers increasingly turn to a mobile platform dominated by Google's Android operating system," Vinje added. This also comes as Google is facing a separate EU investigation made by six countries, after a failure to make proposed alterations to its privacy policy.     | | App tips to backing a winner on the gee-gees Apr 9th 2013, 11:21 
Grand National fever sweeps the nation this month, purely because is the most popular event in the UK racing calendar and – traditionally – is the one that attracts the most casual betters. If you aren't a racetrack regular, are you just going to be throwing your money away or could there be a way for your GALAXY Note II to help even the odds? Here is our selection of the apps that could help you pick a winner on the gee-gees as well as some apps to help you get the most fun out of horse racing, whether you are a seasoned fan or just a casual flutterer. 
Horse Racing Form Guide £4.99 An understanding of and ability to read racing form is something that any dedicated racing enthusiast ought to develop. If you are more of a hobby better and the Grand National is the only race meeting you have taken an interest in for some time then you may need a hand. This no-frills app will efficiently collate the racing form and statistics for upcoming races and wiz through it to make its own recommendations. The app will highlight the horses it believes will do well, based upon the crunched numbers. 
Met Office Weather Application Free Race officials will carefully assess the Going – the state of the course (from Heavy to Hard), based upon moisture levels in the soil. For the full picture of what will be happening, climate-wise, on the day of a race you could do worse than the official Met Office Weather App. This gives an extremely detailed breakdown of the Met Office's predictions for a given day for any UK location. 'Aintree Racecourse' is one of the locations it knows about and with a few taps you can get a breakdown of wind speed, humidity and chance of rain, amongst other factors. 
Horse Racing Jargon Free The Racing world is a confusing place for the neophyte. The track has its own dialect of stable jargon and gambling slang that can seem like double-dutch. Don't know a Front-runner from a Furlong? This Horse Racing Jargon app is a handy glossary that you can use to sort Combinations from Accumulators and Yankees. A little knowledge may be a dangerous thing but too little could be the difference between a Banker and a Backward! 
Horse Racing News Free Horse Racing News gives you all the latest news from the racing world as well as videos sourced from racing sites around the world. You can personalise results to just see news and comment on the topics (such as the grand National, or a specific horse) that interests you and get notification alerts when a story breaks. The app can also connect to Twitter and Facebook with your login details in order to bring you a social media search on your chosen topics and have keywords from your Twitter feed influence the stories you get shown first. 
BBC iPlayer Free BBC Radio Five Live broadcasts the Grand National and loads of other major horse races in audio form. Five Live's Racing team promise top-quality commentary and for many people, this is the best way to experience the excitement of the races. The BBC iPlayer app isn't just for watching episodes of Doctor Who in the bath. You can also stream live radio and this is an easy way to hear Five Live's coverage in high quality stereo. 
TV Catchup Free If, on the other hand, you prefer to actually watch racing then Channel 4′s coverage is justifiably well regarded. For the first time this year, 4 covers the Grand National live. Channel 4′s 4oD app is currently unable to stream live TV but luckily there is a third party service that will stream Channel 4′s coverage directly to the expansive screen of your Samsung GALAXY Note II. TV Catchup is its name and the free app makes it simple to view UK Freeview channels in HD. 
Bets Settler Pro Free If you find that your new-found racing and betting knowledge goes to your head and you want to try an exotic bet, this handy app will do all the mathematical hard work for you by crunching the numbers on the various combinations of odds. Not only will Bets Settler Pro help you to place a Goliath or a Super Heinz, it will also explain to you what these actually ARE, using its glossary. 
Racing UK Free Racing UK is a handy one-stop-shop for racing and betting news, aggregated from different news sources including newspapers and blogs. With a monthly subscription you can also watch exclusive live coverage of race meetings from around the country. Subscribing to the app will also gain you free tickets to UK racecourses and other promotional offers. 
Draw Names From A Hat Free Let's be absolutely honest and up front here. If these apps could really guarantee you a Grand National Winner we wouldn't be making this list. We would be down at Cash Converters selling all our old phones (apart from the GALAXY Note II, obviously) to raise cash for the kind of accumulator bet that could kickstart our early retirement. There are no guarantees in the world of racing and so you might think that you may as well to just draw the name of a horse from a hat and use that to place your bet. Happily, the Google Play store has you covered here as well, with the aptly named Draw Names From A Hat. Give it a list of the runners and it will do pretty much what you might expect. Betting apps Once you have decided which horse to back you need to place your bet and it would be handy if there was an app that would help you to do this on the Play store. Sadly, Google's policies prevent any apps which involve gambling from being distributed via Google Play. Luckily, that doesn't actually matter! Providing, of course, that you are over 18 years old and have your own cash (and are fully aware of the dangers of losing it all involved in gambling big money!) then you can still enjoy a harmless little flutter now and then. Go into Settings and then Security and you can turn on 'Unknown Sources' to let you install apps from sources other than the Play store app. Most of the major online bookmakers have Android apps just waiting to be downloaded to your SD card and installed. (Disclaimer: Note II users should be aware that downloading apps outside of Google Play means that their Note II is more vulnerable to attack by applications from unknown sources). There are apps from the likes of William Hill, Ladbrokes, Betfair, Bet365 and others, all of which will let you place bets securely from your GALAXY Note II via 3G or Wi-Fi. Most of these will also come with offers involving free bets. The site BettingApps.co.uk has a handy list of apps and instructions for how to download and install them. ---------- Also check out on Your Mobile Life: Working on the go made easy VIDEO: A Beginner's Guide to the Samsung GALAXY Note II Living with the Samsung Galaxy Note II Writers, designers and gamers: how the Note II brings innovation to the smartphone space Streamline your office with S Note and S Planner     | | EE: 'We'll double your speed, but we won't double your data' Apr 9th 2013, 10:50 
After announcing that it would be doubling the speed and capacity of its 4G network, we were hoping EE would also give its data allowances a boost - but, alas, that's not the case. Olaf Swantee, the CEO of EE admitted during a press briefing that "people are using more data on 4G than on 3G" (which is no big surprise), but defended the caps on its contracts revealing that on average heavy-use 4G customers get through 1.3GB to 1.4GB of data per month. Swantee explained the network was "continuing to monitor feedback from customers on tariffs", but didn't suggest a change was in the works. 4G to get affordable?EE has been criticised over its lofty tariffs which require users to shell out at least £31 per month to enjoy 4G - although that only gives you 500MB of data, while 1GB will set you back £41. A reprieve may be on the horizon however, with Swantee confirming that "in the next couple of months you will start seeing devices hitting other price points in the market" - suggesting affordable options are on their way. We already know that EE will be ranging the Facebook Home-toting HTC First, but it's not clear what other mid- and low-end devices will join the fray. Numero UnoThe UK's first 4G network has set it's sights high as Tom Bennett, EE's director of network services, told TechRadar: "We want to be the benchmark for 4G services worldwide. "Our rollout plan has been aggressive, but it's not stupid and we expect to have 8 per cent of our customers on 4G by the end of the year. "That's impressive growth as on average 4G networks around the world have seen 10 per cent of customers switch over during the first 24 months, and we'll have 8 per cent in just 14." EE is certainly taking the fight to the likes of O2, Three and Vodafone who won't be launching their rival LTE services until later this year, but we'll have to wait and see whether this early work pays off.     | | WhatsApp says it's not selling to Google after all Apr 9th 2013, 09:37 
Speculation was rife yesterday that messaging app WhatsApp was reportedly in talks to sell itself to Google for a nice little (billion-dollar) sum. But the company has now denied that this is the case - although it's not clear whether the fact is that talks have ended or that talks were never happening. Neeraj Arora, WhatsApp's business development head, told AllThingsDigital that the company is in fact "not holding sales talks with Google", though declined to say more than that. Is it or isn't it?This could mean several things. Yes, it could all have been nonsense. Or, Google and WhatsApp may have been in talks at an earlier point, but after the app demanded more than was offered, as rumoured - said to be around $1bn (£653m/AUS$963m) - Google walked away. Or, Arora is just throwing us all off the scent. Certainly, Google's interest in the app makes perfect sense right now. Especially as we're hearing a lot about Google's Babel service (previously known as Babble) which will allegedly place its messaging, chat and VoIP services on the same platform. If a deal were to take place with Google, we'd expect to see WhatsApp also sharing the same roof. And given the cross-platform success of WhatsApp, that could be a very good thing indeed.     | | EE doubles 4G speeds, doesn't create 8G Apr 9th 2013, 09:14 
Double-speed 4G is coming to ten cities in the UK as EE beefs up its already-pretty-nippy network as part of its plan to head off upcoming competition before it gets here. The ten cities set to enjoy top-end speeds of 80Mbps and an average of 20Mbps by summer are Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Sheffield. The lucky Welsh will be the first to enjoy the new speeds and thus the ability to up- and download bigger HD pictures and stream HD video with no delay, as Cardiff will get the network boost in a few weeks. EE? More like ££As well as the velocity revamp, EE is boosting its network capacity by doubling the amount of spectrum bandwidth it has dedicated to the 4G network. That's all very nice, but it does make us wonder if perhaps people are being a little bit reticent to hop aboard the EE 4G bandwagon - something to do with those sky-high prices, perhaps? The network is aiming for one million of its customers to be on 4G by the end of the year - by which time it will have some competition from the likes of Three, which will have rolled out its 4G network too.     | | Vaya Mobile now offering Optus 4G Apr 9th 2013, 02:18 
Mobile Virtual Network operator (MVNO) Vaya Mobile is now offering 4G services on its post-paid plans, starting from $9 per month. Vaya's plans go up to $45 per month, which includes 3GB data plus unlimited calling and messaging. The service piggybacks on the Optus network, with coverage advertised for 97-percent of the Australian population. 4G coverage is much smaller, of course, with service in most of the capital cities. The fine printThe post-paid offer operates on a month-to-month basis, letting customers cancel after each billing cycle. This is common with MVNOs, like Amaysim, whoi offer a similar deal. There is one catch in the Vaya small print, though. The telco charges $20 for a SIM pack, which other usual give away or sell for a nominal sum. This equates to two-months worth of service for those signing up to the $9 plan, though the fee is waived if you agree to a 24-month contract with Vaya. Excess data is charged at 4c per megabyte, which is a reasonable rate in comparison to the major telcos, and there is also the option to pay $7 per GB to increase your data plan in any given month.     | | Samsung Galaxy Mega specs emerge, stretch definition of 'portable' Apr 8th 2013, 20:19 
New Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Galaxy Mega 6.3 leaks today revealed some specs for the rumored massive Samsung devices. Whenever Samsung decides to add new members to its line of generally stellar Galaxy devices, new details always seem to fly around at lightspeed. But according to the latest leaks, the 5.8-inch and 6.3-inch Galaxy Mega devices will not offer anything more impressive than what we're already seeing in other Galaxy hardware. These specs are far from confirmed, but they seem reasonable enough to at least give some airtime. Galaxy Mega specsThe Galaxy Mega 5.8 (codenamed GT-I9152) specs come from SamMobile, which claimed today to have received a specs sheet for the phablet. According to the site, the Galaxy Mega 5.8 will be a dual SIM smartphone with Android 4.1 or 4.2: Jelly Bean and a 5.8-inch 960 x 540 display, 2- and 8-megapixel front and back cameras, 1.5GB of memory, a 2,600 mAh battery, and a 1.4GHz processor. Those internals will reportedly be housed in a 164mm x 83.8mm x 9.7mm chassis, slightly bigger than the Galaxy Note 2 (keep in mind, the Mega 6.3 may have appeared first as what we thought was a 6.3-inch Galaxy Note 3). The Galaxy Mega 6.3 specs, on the other hand, come by way of the Korean website Daum. According to Unwired View, the site reported that the Galaxy Mega 6.3 will also feature 2- and 8-megapixel front and rear cameras, plus a dual-core Exynos processor, and will come initially in black and white. Those specs are a little more sparse, but what can you expect from a leak? Throw the book at themAnd by book, we mean the dictionary, because Merriam-Webster is going to have to change its definition of "portable" if and when Samsung's Galaxy Mega phones surface. Samsung already stretched the definition of the word with the massive Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note 2, but if the Galaxy Mega 6.3 really comes in at 6.3 inches, it's going to be in a whole different class. Specifically, it will be in iPad mini and Nexus 7 territory, making it basically a tablet. A 6.3-inch phone would put many pants pockets to the test (come on, no one wears cargo pants anymore), though at least "Mega" is a much more appealing moniker than "Galaxy Fonblet."     | | Apple job posting hints at fingerprint sensor tech for future iOS gadgets Apr 8th 2013, 19:29 
Apple has dropped another hint it is looking to integrate fingerprint sensors into forthcoming iOS and, perhaps, Mac OS X products with a new posting on its jobs site. Recent reports have suggested that the iPhone 5S will arrive with a fingerprint sensor next to the home button, with the rumoured iWatch reportedly in line for the tech too. Now the company is looking for a software engineer to join its new team at the Melbourne Design Centre on Florida's Space Coast, which is where the AuthenTech company Apple purchased last year is based. AuthenTec, which specialises in fingerprint sensors and identity management, was snapped up by Apple for $356m (UK£233, AUD$342 ) prompting speculation the tech would soon be integrated within Apple products. iPhone 5S may be too soonThe position, which is the only Florida-based role on the company's jobs website said applicants must be able to write "low-level code to configure and control hardware." The job posting does not mention fingerprint sensors by name, but applicants must also have experience in hardware and firmware interaction. It remains to be seen whether Apple is preparing an instant introduction with the iPhone 5S. Speculation has also suggested that the handset, scheduled for launch later this year, would be more of an evolutionary update than a revolutionary new handset, so it would be a surprise in that sense.     | | BlackBerry Q10 release date: when can I get it? Apr 8th 2013, 14:35 
The BlackBerry Q10 is the second handset to come running the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, but it's the first to offer a physical QWERTY keyboard alongside it. The Q10 won't have the same appeal as the flagship Z10, but there are still people out there who swear by a physical keyboard on their smartphone, so we've searched far and wide to bring you the latest on where and when you'll be able to get it. Carphone WarehouseCarphone Warehouse has reduced the price of BlackBerry Q10, with it now listed at a still rather eye-watering £579.95 SIM-free (it was appearing at £600 originally), which is the same as the Samsung Galaxy S4. You can also pick it up on contract for free from £36 per month - with all the major networks apart from Three represented - with stock expected to arrive "by the end of April". Phones 4UThe Phones 4U site tells us it expects stock of the BlackBerry Q10 to arrive "in 4-5 weeks" and it's offering a free BlackBerry PlayBook to the first 300 who pre-order - we're not sure if that's an incentive or not. Like Carphone Warehouse you can grab the Q10 for free on two year contracts starting at £36 per month, but there's no sign of Three or O2 here, nor does it appear to be offering the handset SIM-free. EEEE announced at the launch of the BlackBerry Z10 in January that it "also plans to range the forthcoming BlackBerry® Q10 smartphone. Details on pricing and availability will be announced at a later date". And we're still waiting on those prices and release date. O2O2 reckons we might have a bit of a longer wait here in the UK for the BlackBerry Q10, with a coming soon date of May and the option to "keep me in the loop" on its info page. ThreeThree is yet to announce whether or not it will be ranging the BlackBerry Q10, but considering all its rivals will be selling the phone we'd expect the data-friendly network to follow suit. VodafoneVodafone has told TechRadar: "We will be offering the BlackBerry Q10 for sale in the UK in the coming weeks. Details of pricing and any pre-order will be announced soon." Online retailersYou can pre-order the BlackBerry Q10 at Expansys, but the site isn't currently displaying a price for the QWERTY keyboard device, nor is there a release date. Unlocked Mobiles has the handset listed for pre-order at £529.98 and a Blackberry Q10 release date of April 26. The Q10 is slightly more on Clove's pre-order page, with a price of £534.99 for the SIM-free handset and a note saying "first stock due late April".     | |
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