| Opinion: Why the Nokia doom-mongers are missing the point May 8th 2013, 11:19 
A wise man once said (well, actually wrote in a poem) "patience is a virtue" and while we may live in a hundred-miles-a-minute world nowadays, this proverbial phrase still rings true - especially if your name is Nokia. Sure, Nokia hasn't had the best of times in recent years, falling from mobile phone superiority quite spectacularly as Apple and Android romped onto the scene in the mid noughties, and while it's taken quite some time to get back up to speed the Finnish firm is almost fully back on track. I can understand frustration from shareholders regarding the company's slow progress, but insinuating that Nokia is on the road to hell smacks of someone looking for 15 minutes of fame. Windows Phone follyFingers have been pointed at the operating system that Nokia has chosen to exclusively adopt for all its smartphones, with critics claiming Windows Phone simply cannot compete with the likes of iOS and Android. While that may have been true for the initial iteration of Windows Phone 7 we're now on Windows Phone 8 and it offers a fully packaged platform providing you with everything required for a wholesome smartphone experience - sure it still needs the odd tweak here and there, but what doesn't? It may not follow the app-centric layout of its rivals, but Windows Phone is a breath of fresh air and gives consumers a genuinely decent alternative to the increasingly similar Apple and Google services. Microsoft's mobile baby may still lag behind in terms of market share but it is on the up and with the might of this giant software firm behind it Nokia has a huge amount of support. The device is rightOnce upon a time you wouldn't be seen dead with a phone which didn't bear the Nokia brand, with the likes of the 3210 and 3310 gaining cult status - and it's this appeal which Nokia is slowing reigniting with its current Lumia range. People were unsure when the Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 landed, with a bold, industrial unibody design in a range of eccentric colours breaking the mould of the generic piece of black plastic we'd come to accept as the norm. And proof that its design concept is a good one can be seen in Nokia's latest phones with the Lumia 920 and 720 looking almost identical to the first Lumia handsets, and the upcoming Lumia 925/928 appears to be ready to continue this trend. Nokia needs to rebuild its brand and the commitment to a strong, and brightly coloured design ethos will allow the Finnish firm to cement its products in the minds of consumers. On the upIt's clear that more and more people are coming round to the idea of owning a Nokia-made Windows Phone with the manufacturer recording its best ever smartphone sales in the first quarter of 2013, and this upward trend is likely to continue as we hear more and more rumours around future handsets planned for later this year. As we've already mentioned the Lumia 925 looks to give the Lumia 920 a welcome boost in the camera and chassis departments, while ongoing reports surrounding the Nokia EOS packing a quad-core chip and 41MP PureView camera could well make it a serious contender for our "best mobile phone in the world today" title. Everyone wants instant results these days - especially the money men - but some things require a little bit more time. Sure Nokia has had more than enough time, but let's not forget "patience is a virtue", and if adverts have taught us anything in the last decade it's that "good things come to those who wait". Hold tight folks, this Windows Phone ride is about to get exciting - finally.     |  | Gary Marshall: Is Nokia's platform burning again? May 8th 2013, 10:51 
I wrote a poem! Elop stood on the burning deck / facing angry shareholders / "It's Windows Phone or nowt!" he cried / as he tried to dodge the boulders Things at Nokia are going from bad to verse, it seems. Sorry. Investors in Nokia aren't happy. The firm's smartphones aren't doing the numbers they'd like, and those sales aren't making up for the catastrophic decline in feature phone sales. No, this article isn't coming at you from 2011: two years after Stephen Elop's famous "burning platform" memo, Nokia's platform feels awfully warm again. The problem is pretty simple. Nokia has bet the farm on Windows Phone, and the bet hasn't paid off yet. That doesn't mean it won't pay off eventually, but investors aren't famed for their patience - and while Nokia's sales are improving, there's still a long way to go and success isn't guaranteed. Nokia certainly wouldn't be the first firm to discover that strategic partnerships with Microsoft don't always end well. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions," one shareholder told Elop this week. "Please switch to another road." By "another road", of course, the investor means Android. One trick pony?Investors are worried that Nokia has backed the wrong horse, and that trying to make the best Windows Phones doesn't necessarily mean making the best phones. The reviews do seem to back that up: the Lumia 720 is great but "some may be put off that it's rocking Windows Phone 8 over Android". The Lumia 820 is great but "the app selection still handicaps Windows 8 devices" (although that is improving. This week, Windows Phone finally got a YouTube app). The Lumia 920 is great but the OS is "clunky at times." Nokia can perfect its hardware, but it can't do much about the OS - so if the OS is the weak point, investors ask, why not try another OS? That doesn't mean abandoning Windows Phone. It just means using, say, Android as insurance in case Windows Phone isn't a magic bullet. You've got to admit, they have a point. Nokia doesn't have a Plan B, but its rivals do: if Samsung, Huawei and HTC can't persuade people to buy their Windows Phone 8 devices, they have plenty of Android alternatives. If Nokia can't, there's nothing else in the cupboard. Back in 2011, I described Nokia's embrace of Windows Phone as an act of "sod it! Let's go to THE MOON!" bravery. I still think that's the case, but I do hope its moonshot doesn't fall short - because if it does, Nokia hasn't packed a parachute.     | | LG Optimus G2 launch set for May 30? May 8th 2013, 10:34 
The 'next in the Optimus G line' is coming at the end of this month, with a 'Save the Date' invitation being whizzed out. The invitation shows a new slimline phone with colour bursting out of the screen, with a slightly protruding camera element on the rear. Although you can totally see all this in the invite above. However, there's a bit more going on here – LG has been promising to keep the screen wars going with Samsung with its new phone, and we're expecting, if this is the LG Optimus G2, to see a new level of IPS LCD technology used to provide even higher contrast ratios, brightness and resolution to the phone. Still waiting for the G6This isn't nailed on yet though, as LG would only tell us that this was 'one of the Optimus G Series', which doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to be the Optimus G2, despite the South Korean brand talking up the new phone in recent weeks. It would be odd to see the Optimus G2 appearing so soon after the LG Optimus G Pro was announced, but if LG is mirroring Samsung's movements, then it makes sense that it would have a more premium smartphone line happening next to its larger, Note-style devices. Add to that the fact the Optimus G2 has leaked all over the shop, and you can see that it seems likely we'll be getting a taste on May 30 in Macau. It's not good news if you're highly excited for this phone though, as LG has told us that this phone is 'planned to launch in Asia' which would mean it would follow previous Optimus G release cycles and only come to the Asian continent, before getting a US launch and then dribbling into Europe. Still, we'll be reporting on all the events from Macau at the end of the month, so keep your eyes peeled to see what emerges.     | | Nokia shoots to win against iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 May 8th 2013, 10:10 
The Nokia Lumia 928 still hasn't been officially launched but this hasn't stopped the Finnish firm when it comes to marketing the handset - a new video showing off its camera capabilities has now appeared online. In the video you see the Lumia 928 go up against the Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 in a low-light camera competition aboard a rollercoaster in New York. Unsurprisingly, the winner is the Lumia 928 - that's what you'd expect from the Nokia made clip - but the results do look pretty impressive. Coming into PureViewThe much-rumoured Nokia Lumia 928, which is thought to arrive as the Nokia Lumia 925 in markets outside North America, is claimed to pack Nokia's PureView camera technology which debuted on the 808 PureView. In the video Nokia claims that photos and recordings on Lumia 928 have less video noise, greater colour saturation and a sharper image focus than the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5. Of course we will put these bold claims to the test in our in-depth Nokia Lumia 928 review, and we'll be interested to see how it compares to the likes of the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4 and Sony Xperia Z. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isKPxCvFEGo    | | In Depth: Turn your iPad into a great portable TV with these apps and services May 8th 2013, 09:00 
Rumours continue to circulate that Apple will launch a television set, the Apple iTV. There's plenty of speculation about what technology would be in it, what services it would offer and how you'd control it. But these rumours tend to ignore the fact that Apple has already helped to revolutionise the TV industry with the iPhone and iPad. They're great for watching on, thanks to their brilliant image quality and, in the case of the iPhone 5 and fifth-generation iPod touch, wide screens - but developers have also pushed forward how you find and interact with the shows you love. Between on-demand services, live-streaming channels, dedicated apps, 3G and 4G coverage and social networking, the idea of watching television has changed. What was once a passive pastime - where you had to hope there was something interesting on - has become an engaged activity where you can seek out the shows you love most, keep up with live broadcasts and chat to your friends about it while you're watching. You can find things to watch that you might never have considered, and catch up with things you missed. Whether Apple ends up producing an actual TV set or not, this kind of flexibility is surely the future of television. In this feature, we'll look at the best ways to watch TV live, no matter who your provider is, as well as all the on-demand options you need to either catch up with TV you've missed, or find something from the past. We'll also look at how your iPhone or iPad can be a companion to a full-size TV, and pick out the accessories that make the viewing experience that much better. Your iPad could become the best TV you've ever used - and you just need the App Store to get started! Watching live TV 
Though there are ways to watch Freeview live TV directly from the airwaves as it's broadcast - using something like the Elgato EyeTV or equinux tizi+, which we'll go into later - the easiest way to watch shows as they happen is generally to stream them over the internet. If you're on a Wi-Fi network, any iOS device can connect and stream video, while the iPhone and Cellular iPad models can use 3G and 4G mobile broadband connections. Many TV channels can be streamed with an app from the owner, but the best one-stop shop for watching just about anything live is the TVCatchup app. It offers over 50 channels to watch for free, including the bulk of Freeview channels and all the big free channels from the major UK broadcasters. It's a free download, and the Universal app supports iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, so you can watch on any of them. On the iPad, you can see a channel list with a now-and-next guide alongside a small video window, or easily expand the video to fit the screen fully. On the iPhone, you still get the guide, but it fills the screen, as does the video when you tap on a channel. The quality of the video streams is really solid and reliable, though the level of detail isn't all that high, and the app's adverts never get in the way. TVCatchup really does an amazing job of turning your iOS device into a TV - it's so good, in fact that Tap! readers voted it the Best App Ever last year, beating the likes of Tweetbot and Hero Academy. 
Giving you much less in the way of selection but keeping it simple, the BBC iPlayer app and ITV Player app both let you watch their respective channels directly through the apps, and in the case of iPlayer, you get a much better guide to what's on that through the minimal but effective interface of TVCatchup. The BBC and ITV's offerings aren't the only official broadcaster apps to offer something along these lines. The Sky Go app allows Sky subscribers to watch up to 32 live channels, depending on their subscription. All the Sky Sports channels are available, along with Sky Movies and Sky's own other channels, including Sky1 and Sky Atlantic. 
You don't have to be a Sky home subscriber to get these channels, though - Sky Go subscriptions are available without you having to get a satellite installed, so anyone can use the app. Just like TVCatchup, it works over Wi-Fi or 3G/4G, so you can get your fix anywhere. Virgin Media TV customers with the latest TiVo box can also watch over 20 channels of live TV using the Virgin TV Anywhere app. Not only can you watch the channels live, but you also still have access to the TiVo box's clever recommendations and ratings systems. Unfortunately, it currently only works over Wi-Fi, so you'll need to be somewhere with a solid local network for it to work - you won't be able to catch up at the bus stop. TV on demand 
In just a few years, the way we think about watching shows has changed a lot. Starting with DVD box sets, it became normal (and completely acceptable) to devour whole television series in a matter of days - and that torch has now been passed to on-demand services, letting you watch whatever you want, whenever you want at a pace that suits you. There are a ton of them available, but one of the pioneers was the BBC with its brilliant iPlayer service. The app lets you browse through a featured list of recent shows, or to search or go through them by category to find what you're after. It's also unusual in allowing you to download shows to your iPad for watching when there's no internet connection - all the other services here require you to be online. 
ITV Player, Channel 4's 4oD app and Channel 5's Demand 5 all let you catch up with shows from their respective networks, and 4oD offers a good range of older shows as well. All of these apps are free to use, but what's available on them isn't always totally comprehensive - there may be shows that you can't watch. The Sky Go app gives Sky subscribers access to its on-demand library, which includes many shows that are exclusive to Sky1 or Sky Atlantic, as well as productions from Sky Arts and some sports highlights. LOVEFiLM and Netflix are the two big paid-for on-demand services. In both cases, you pay a monthly fee and can watch as many shows as you want, as often as you want, across multiple devices, which works out as a really rather good deal. Both services made their names offering films, but now offer plenty of television shows as well - Netflix is more expansive in this regard, though, offering multiple series of many shows. It's a much more comprehensive service in America, but in the UK it still offers a great choice of television. LOVEFiLM isn't quite as wide-ranging, but is expanding in this area. They cost similar amounts (approximately £5 per month) for streaming on-demand shows, so there's not much to choose between them on that front. Netflix is more TV focussed, with an easier-to-use interface and better recommendations, though. Both services can remember your place in a show across devices, so it's super-useful if you start watching on your computer and have to stop, because then all you have to do is simply pick up where you left off on the iPad or vice versa, if that happens to be the case. Needless to say, we're big fans of both services. There's also a newer service from Tesco called Blinkbox, which is a little different to the likes of Netflix or LOVEFiLM. With it, you pay for shows individually (or you can buy series), rather than pay a monthly subscription, but it offers lots of shows that aren't available elsewhere, or are brand new - new episodes often go on the site just after they've been broadcast. You can't actually buy shows from the app, though - you have to purchase them through the website and then add them to your library, which can be accessed through the app. Blinkbox purchases are available on other devices, including Mac or PC, Xbox 360 and some smart TVs. If you always want to be up-to-date with shows, it's a good way to go about it, though there's also Apple's own iTunes Store offering for TV shows (which we'll go into in the next section), which you can browse and buy from directly on your device. TV from iTunes
If there's a specific show you want to watch, it won't always be available on the subscription on-demand services, but there's a good chance it's on iTunes. The iTunes Store lets you buy TV series either by the episode or in whole series (and it will occasionally offer bundles of series), giving you flexibility. In some cases, episodes of a show will go up on iTunes almost immediately after they're broadcast, and you can buy 'Series Passes' for these, where you pay for the whole series up front, and they're available to you as soon as they're ready. Individual episodes are typically £2.49 each in HD or £1.89 in SD, but of course, you make a saving if you buy the series as a whole. The HD versions are, of course, crisper and more detailed, but also take up more space on your device, and take longer to download. It's worth noting that the quality of Apple's shows - particularly in HD - is great, too. You can access and download individual episodes directly from your iOS device, using the iTunes app. 
The great thing about buying from iTunes is that these will also be available through iTunes on your computer, from your Apple TV, or on any other iOS devices, provided they're all signed in with your Apple ID. And because they download to your device - rather than stream as you watch - you can grab what you want to watch before you go travelling, and that way you'll have plenty of entertainment to keep you going for long journeys or quiet nights in. What about my DVDs? If, like us, you've built up an impressive, somewhat intimidating collection of DVD TV box sets over the years, you might want to transfer them to your iPad to watch on the move. Sadly, despite a recent Government report concluding that transferring media from one format to another like this should be permitted, 'ripping' your bought DVDs to your computer will still not be allowed. This is because commercial DVDs include technical protection measures (TPM) to stop you copying them, and the licence for you to use the DVD does not permit you to break the TPM, even though you own the disc. This is specific to DVD and Blu-ray discs - CDs aren't protected, so once the new legislation is in force, copying your music to your computer will be permitted. You can, of course, rip any DVDs that you've made personally to your computer and then transfer them to your iPad or iPhone - for further tips and information, we've got easy guides for PC users and Mac users. TV accessories The inventiveness of developers means that apps alone are all you need to do a lot of TV watching on your iOS device, but a few accessories can make the experience even better. We've already talked about how you can connect to many set-top boxes directly with apps, but these accessories give you flexibility in other areas, from getting Freeview signal anywhere to turning your iPhone into a universal remote to streaming and controlling any kind of set-top box. PCTV Broadway 2T - £150 
This Freeview tuner connects wirelessly to your home network, allowing your iPhone or iPad to connect to it and stream the channels it's receiving. You can even connect to it from anywhere over the internet, to get your home channels. It connects over Wi-Fi, so is flexible (though it still needs to be hooked up to your aerial by a cable), and can still act as a Freeview box for a TV, thanks to its twin tuners and video outputs. Read the full PCTV Broadway 2T review equinux tizi+ - £150 
This teeny, tiny Freeview tuner (it's smaller than an iPhone!) can be placed anywhere to pick up a Freeview signal, which it then sends to your iPhone or iPad over Wi-Fi. This means you can watch TV channels even if there's no internet connection available. It has a rechargeable battery, so it can run completely cable-free, and has some built-in storage for recording shows, from which you can expand with a microSD card. Read the full Equinux Tizi review Jabra Solemate - £100 
If you've set up your iPhone or iPad in a room to watch something, the built-in speakers might not be quite enough to make all the dialogue and music crisp and clear. A Bluetooth speaker is a great option, because it keeps things portable, but can provide plenty of volume. Once it's wirelessly paired with your device, the Jabra Solemate can be placed anywhere, thanks to its built-in battery. The quality's really impressive too, and it's a durable, small design. Read the full Jabra Solemate review SlingBox Pro-HD - £160 
The SlingBox idea is simple: watch your home TV from anywhere, no matter what kind of set-top box you have. The SlingBox sits between your set-top box (say, a Sky box) and your TV, passing through the video so you can watch TV as normal. But it also takes that video and streams it over the internet, so with SlingPlayer's app on your iPhone or iPad you can watch anything you could at home (instead of a limited subset of channels, as with the Sky Go app), and control the set-top box from your device. Read the full Slinbox Pro-HD review Griffin Beacon - £40 
The Griffin Beacon is an infrared controller that sits near your TV and turns your iPhone into a universal remote. It's roughly the size of a cupcake, so there's no need to worry about it cluttering up your television set-up. Basically, you use your iPhone to wirelessly control the Beacon, which then sends commands to your TV or settop box just like a normal remote control would. You can set it up simply with a huge range of devices using the built-in library of commands, or there's a learning feature for adding new controls. Read the full Griffin Beacon review Apple TV - £99 
The Apple TV does a couple of great things on its own - it lets you watch TV shows from the iTunes Store or from Netflix for starters - but it's even better when you connect it to an iPhone or iPad. With AirPlay, you can send video from your iOS device to your Apple TV, so you can watch it on the big screen. This could be something from apps like iPlayer - however, take note that not all video playing apps support AirPlay - or something you've found on YouTube. Read the full Apple TV review YourTV sidekick 
The idea of having a 'second screen' while watching TV has taken off hugely since the launch of the iPhone. The idea is that you can enhance what you're viewing with apps, whether you're playing a game along with it, looking up that actor you recognise but can't remember where from, or chatting with friends about what's happening. One of the best companion apps is Zeebox, which pulls together social network feeds about shows, information about who's in it and related apps, as well as a TV guide, so you can see what's on (there's also a TV Guide app, if you don't want the social extras). If you just want to talk to people about what's going on, you can use the Twitter app to follow along - big TV events will often be trending or have a hashtag you can follow along with to get into the conversation. And if you want to look up more information about a show or actor, try the IMDb app. You can also use your iPhone or iPad to control what happens on your TV - the Sky+ app lets you set recordings and control your Sky+HD box directly from your iPhone, while the Virgin TV Anywhere app lets you do the same for the newer Virgin TiVo boxes. YouView box owners can do the same with the YouView iPhone app; we've also reviewed the View21 Freeview HD box, which has an app that lets you watch live or recorded shows, and control the box as a remote. Some apps even let you add to what you're watching: the BBC's Antiques Roadshow app lets you play along by guessing how much things will be worth as they're shown on-screen, while the Sky Sports app offers companion video and data for F1 races, and even split-screen viewing of multiple live football games (or just stats for games, if you're a little intimidated by that thought). Video aggregators
RSS helped revolutionise the internet of the early 2000s, bringing news articles to users' screens based on a simple subscription model and a set of search criteria. While RSS has taken a back seat in the tablet revolution, the essence of aggregation has never been stronger, with fantastic personalised news apps such as Flipboard, Pulse and Zite. But this is a world dominated by on-demand video, right? Well, your iPhone and iPad are certainly well catered for in that regard too, and the apps are almost always free. The App Store has blossomed with video aggregators that will grab you great news videos, funny YouTube clips and sports highlights, just based on what channels you subscribe to, what topics you select as being of interest, or simply based on your watching habits. Algorithms for choosing the content are similar, but interfaces and features vary. As with personalised news apps, it often comes down to a usability preference, but the two Universal apps we recommend are Vodio and Showyou. Vodio has an interesting carousel interface with videos presented in a vertical Cover Flow view, scrolling down to see more videos. To add a channel, tap the + icon in the top right-hand corner and choose a category to bring up a list of feeds. Vodio collates most of these, but there are many others from individual sources. Showyou opts for a grid-based approach that is intelligently organised, with the upper-left being reserved for the latest videos posted by your Facebook friends or by people you're following on Twitter. As you scroll down and to the right, you get related videos from other ShowYou users - helping you identify new people to follow who have related interests. Indeed, all good aggregators not only let you choose your own channels or topics, they connect to all the usual social networks to deliver your personalised content.     | | In Depth: VIDEO: Official Samsung GALAXY S4 Hands-On May 8th 2013, 08:39 
Check out the official GALAXY S4 Hands-On video below, for a thorough walkthrough and explanation of all the great new features packed into Samsung's cutting-edge next generation handset device. From the S4's stylish hardware design through to its outstanding camera experience and media sharing tools, Samsung's premium smartphone has been designed to bring people closer together and enrich users' everyday lives. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRYfSYg8DEkHardware and Design The first thing you notice about the GALAXY S4 is that it is really thin, a mere 7.9mm. It's also comfortably light to hold in the palm of your hand, with a strikingly small bezel surrounding its 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display and an elegant diamond-pattern rear casing. Plus, even though the S4 screen is larger than the S3, that diminutive bezel means that the body of the phone is actually smaller. The GALAXY S4 is currently available in black or white and not only looks great, but is also incredibly powerful. Its 2600 mAh (milliamp hour) removable battery means that you will be able to do loads more with the S4 before needing to recharge the phone. As for that display, you only have to check out a high definition video on the S4 to appreciate the difference: the colours are vibrant and natural and, with the 441 ppi resolution, web pages are highly defined, making them much more of a pleasure to read. Finally, you can customise the S4's lockscreen for rapid access to the camera or to your favourite apps. And you can design your own lockscreen, selecting your favourite photo and personalised message and tailor the S4's home screen options to meet your own requirements. Camera Experience The GALAXY S4 is equipped with a truly impressive 13-megapixel camera, with an inspiring array of new options to help you create all kinds of fun and innovative shots. For example, Sound & Shot allows you to record up to 9 seconds of audio before or after taking your photo, to remember the moment exactly as it happened. Animated Photo lets the user quickly create fun GIFs to share with their friends and family on social media. And Drama Shot is an incredibly easy way to create very cool time-lapse inspired photos of people or objects on the move. Dual Shot is a particularly cool new camera feature on the S4, which uses both the front and rear cameras simultaneously, letting the user insert a mini framed picture of himself or herself into the main photo – a great way of personalising your pics! While viewing your favourite photos on the S4's vivid screen is great, it is often nice to see your pictures in a beautiful printed album, the old-fashioned way. Which is exactly why designing and ordering a photo album on the S4's fabulous Story Album app is both fun and appealing to amateur mobile snappers. Group Play and Media Sharing Group Play is a hugely fun feature, exclusive to the Samsung GALAXY S4, allowing users to share music, photos, documents or games to other S4 phones nearby. With music, for example, you can share your favourite tunes, projecting a song onto other S4s in the same room. You can also control which phone acts as left or right speaker to make all sorts of cool effects. Group Play also allows you to easily share pictures with other S4 users in the vicinity. For example, you might want to write a personalised message on a particularly cool photo and immediately share it with S4-toting friends and family members nearby. Convenient Motion and Gesture Control The GALAXY S4 is equipped with a number of gesture and motion control sensors that allow users to control their smartphone in a number of new and convenient ways. For example, with Air Gesture you can interact with your phone without touching it: practical if you are cooking and don't want to get your phone dirty. Air View allows you to quickly preview emails, pictures, videos or a web browser by just hovering over the S4's screen with your finger. Previewing scenes in movies by suspending your index finger above the video timeline quickly becomes second nature. In terms of everyday convenience, Speed Dial is one of the handiest applications of Samsung's Air View tech on the S4, allowing you to quickly access your friends' numbers by hovering your finger over the keypad. The official Samsung S View Cover has been cleverly designed to allow you to use Air View to view and answer incoming calls by swiping your finger across the cover's transparent viewing panel. Highly practical! Last but by no means least, for TV and movie fans, Smart Pause is a very cool feature that lets you control the S4's screen by the direction in which you are looking. Look away from the display and the video you are viewing automatically pauses. Plus, Samsung WatchON transforms your S4 into the perfect IO remote to control your TV and other devices directly from your smartphone. Live a Healthy Life with S Health The Samsung GALAXY S4 understands how important your health is, empowering you to lead a healthier life and take care of your well-being. S Health can be used to monitor and share your workouts, nutrition plans and to measure the temperature and humidity levels of your environment. You can easily set yourself exercise and fitness goals and monitor your progress in steps and distance walked or ran and number of calories burned. To make it even easier to monitor your daily, weekly and monthly progress, you can also drop the S Health widget onto your S4's home screen. ---------- To find out more about the GALAXY S4, head over to Samsung's official microsite and to see more videos about the GALAXY S4 be sure to check out Samsung Mobile's YouTube Channel.     | | Google Now for Mac hinted in latest Chromium update May 8th 2013, 00:40 
The know-it-all Google Now app could make its way from mobile devices to Macs soon thanks to the implementation of the Chrome OS notification center in the Mac OS X version of Chromium. "Mac users will be happy to know that rich notifications are being implemented on Mac," said Chromium Evangelist François Beaufort in a Google+ post today. "It's still under heavy development but you can play with them by running chrome with the --enable-rich-notifications switch (no flag yet)." The fact that the Google Chrome browser's open-source counterpart includes these notification cards required for Google Now backs up previous hints about it being tested for Apple desktops. However, as TheNextWeb notes, the Google Now feature isn't part of the Chromium OS X package just yet, and remains very limited on Chrome OS and Windows machines. Google Now taking overWhile still in experimental stages on computers, Google Now's transition to Macs would be the latest way in which the Mountain View company's software has sunk its teeth into Apple devices. Google Now launched on iOS last week within the Google Search app for the iPhone and iPad. The company also had iPhone owners downloading its Google Maps iOS application in droves after the Apple Maps debacle last year. With Gmail, YouTube and Chrome all available on iOS devices, Google has become one of the more popular developers within Apple's App Store. More details about Google Now's expansion to computers running Windows, Chrome OS and now Mac OS X could come on May 15, when the Google IO conference begins.     | | Nokia is on the road to hell, shareholders tell under fire Elop May 7th 2013, 22:06 
Nokia's shareholders have launched a scathing attack on the company's senior management team, warning the Finnish smartphone giant must change course if it is going to survive. At the company's AGM in Helsinki, investors questioned CEO's Stephen Elop's decision to throw all its eggs in the Windows Phone basket and intimated they were running out of patience with the strategy. Reuters reports one shareholder, Hannu Virtanen, told Elop: "You're a nice guy ... and the leadership team is doing its best, but clearly, it's not enough. "Are you aware that results are what matter? The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Please switch to another road." Making adjustmentsNokia has seen sales of its Lumia Windows Phone devices improve significantly in the last year, but the company still trails way behind smartphone heavyweights like Apple and Samsung. Elop himself remains unmoved and reiterated the company's commitment to Windows Phone on Tuesday, despite criticism that he doesn't have a back up plan if Microsoft's OS fails to take off. "We make adjustments as we go. But it's very clear to us that in today's war of ecosystems, we've made a very clear decision to focus on Windows Phone with our Lumia product line. "And it is with that that we will compete with competitors like Samsung and Android." Nokia becoming more human?Rather than look beyond Windows Phone, Nokia may look to boost perception by altering its brand image, judging by a recently-published internal document peeped by Phonearena. The brand overhaul would pitch Nokia phones as 'More Human' in much the same way Samsung has attempted to convince smartphone buyers that devices are 'life companions' rather than simple gadgets. The document speaks of the company's City Lens app, Here mapping service, PureView camera tech as well as its advances in wireless charging, as examples of its devices becoming More Human. Will a brand overhaul be enough to catapult Nokia back into the smartphone elite? Or is it time to bite the bullet and jump on board with Android before its too late?     | | Ridiculously thin Huawei P6's latest leak slips into black May 7th 2013, 21:10 
Photos of a super-slim rumored Huawei device known as the P6-U06 - P6 for short - appeared online once again today in all the phone's svelte form. NowhereElse.fr, known for past leaks like the alleged iPhone 5S innards photographed last year, today published several photos of what may be the Huawei P6 in black. Previously the phone has only appeared in white, and that itself was in a leak from TENAA, the Chinese equivalent of the U.S.'s Federal Communications Commission. Not much is known about the unannounced device, but from everything that's been seen of it it's clearly one thing - extremely thin. So thin it hurtsThe rumored new Huawei phone appears so slender that TechRadar previously called it "thinspired." When the P6 appeared on TENAA's official site last week it had a 4.7-inch HD display, a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of memory, a 5-megapixel camera and Android Jelly Bean. The P6's main draw is obviously its thinness, though, and at 6.18mm it's the slimmest phone around. It comfortably beats the iPhone 5's 7.6mm girth and even trumps Alcatel's Idol Ultra, previously the slimmest known phone at 6.45mm. Huawei still hasn't responded to our original query a week ago about the P6, but we've reached out again regarding this latest leak and will update this story if and when the Chinese company responds.     | | Sony C3 slinks online, may be its first phone with MediaTek chips May 7th 2013, 19:21 
Sony may be about to unveil a new smartphone aimed at the Chinese market and fitted with MediaTek processors popular in the country. According to leaks on Tuesday, the Sony C3 will be mid- to high-end, 5-inch device that arrives with a quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor. Although the device is unlikely to escape China, it's notable because Sony has, until now, never made a smartphone with MediaTek's chip designs. The MediaTek processors are cheaper than those produced by rivals, meaning Sony will probably be able to sell the device for less and in greater volume. Conquering the Chinese marketSony and rivals like HTC are looking to make more of an impact in the Chinese market, which is dominated by lower-cost handsets, rather than the flagship handsets we see more of in the west. Today's leak also hinted that the device will bring dual-SIM support and predicted a launch in the second half of 2013.     | | Did the LG Optimus G2 just leak on Sprint's website? May 7th 2013, 18:12 
An online filing and a mysterious page on Sprint's website today may have provided further clues about the state of LG's Optimus G2. The G2 has popped up several times in recent days, and today's apparent leaks only add to the device's mystery. Android Police first spotted an unknown LG smartphone with the model number LS980 on Bluetooth.org, the website of a Bluetooth special interest group with members like Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Motorola and Nokia. Speculation suggested then that the unknown device was a version of the Optimus G Pro for Sprint, but further evidence emerged to point instead to the Optimus G2. Sprint provides another clueLG confirmed in April that the Optimus G2 will be the South Korean phone maker's next flagship, but the Android device has to make any official appearances. The G2 may have appeared twice already this month though, with a photo leaking through @evleaks and three possible variations appearing over the weekend. Today's Bluetooth filing exposed the device with the model number LS980, which Android Police assumed to be the Optimus G Pro for Sprint because of that phone's AT&T model number of E-980. There was one discrepancy, however, in the Bluetooth firmware listed for the mystery device. According to the Bluetooth.org listing, the LS980 uses Bluetooth firmware that's only compatible with Android 4.2 or later. AT&T's Optimus G pro, on the other hand, is currently shipping with Android 4.1. So if the LS980 is Sprint's version of the Optimus G Pro, then it will come with a newer version of Android than the AT&T version. Otherwise we're dealing with a different device altogether - namely, the Optimus G2. Further evidence and sleuthing in the comments section unearthed a cryptic official Sprint page that may have revealed that the LS980 will feature a Snapdragon 800 series MSM8974 chipset - one that's not even out yet, suggesting this device is still a long way off. The evidence doesn't point to anything conclusive, but we'll keep an ear to the ground until LG says something official. In the meantime, Sprint has informed us once again that the company doesn't comment on rumors or speculation about unannounced devices.     | | Nokia Lumia 925 release date, news and rumours May 7th 2013, 16:30 
The Nokia Lumia 925 is thought to be the new flagship smartphone which is currently in the works over at the firm's Finnish HQ. Originally dubbed the Nokia Catwalk in earlier leaks, more recently we've seen reports suggesting that this production name will be changed to the Lumia 925 once it's been made official. From what we've heard so far from the good old rumour mill, the Nokia Lumia 925 appears to be a slightly updated Lumia 920 rather than an entirely new handset. We've trawled the web for all the "upstream supply sources", leaks, slips-of-the-tongue and speculation to bring you the clearest possible picture on Nokia's next big phone - and we'll dispense this information... ...now. Lumia 925 release date and priceWhile Nokia is staying schtum on any future devices - as you'd expect - it has scheduled an event in London on May 14, sending out an invite which teased "see what's next" and "the Nokia Lumia story continues". Although this doesn't single out the Lumia 925 various suggestions appear to point towards this event for the launch of the new flagship device. We'll be in attendance at the event to bring you all the news, so keep your eyes peeled for the official low down and our hands on Nokia Lumia 925 review - assuming that's what Nokia will be showing off. In terms of when we may see the Lumia 925 hit shelves we're probably looking at June or July, although there's an outside chance we could get our hands on it sooner if Nokia manages to produce a fast turn around time a la Apple and BlackBerry (with the Z10). We've not seen anything on a price yet, but considering the Lumia 925 is expected to be Nokia's next flagship device you can probably look at the likes of the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 as a benchmark. The not-so-big screenWhile many manufacturers seem to be stuffing gigantic screens into smartphones Nokia is apparently being a little more reserved with the Lumia 925. According to reports the 925 is set to sport a 4.5-inch display, although don't expect to see the full HD resolution we've been treated to on the current crop of superphones. A leak over in China suggests the Lumia 925 will feature a 1280 x 768 resolution - which would match the offering on the 920. Say cheese, in the darkRound the back the Lumia 925 is said to carry a 8.7MP camera which once again puts it in line with the 920, although it could come with even better low light qualities. Over in the States we've seen various leaks and adverts for the Nokia Lumia 928, which is presumed to be the US variant of the Lumia 925 - with billboards screaming "the best low-light smartphone camera". Bold claims indeed and we've got to admit we were mightily impressed with the 920's performance in near darkness, so the 925 has its work cut out - especially now we have the ultrapixel-toting HTC One is knocking about. Some may be a little disappointed that Nokia may not plump for a snapper similar to the 13MP lens found on the Sony Xperia Z, or even take its crazy 41MP Pureview technology to stick inside the phone - but remember none of this information is confirmed so we'll just have to wait and see. More of the sameThere's no surprises in the operating system department with the Lumia 925 tipped to run Windows Phone 8 - which is the sole platform used by Nokia in all its smartphones now. It doesn't get much more exciting with a mooted dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a 2000mAh non-removable battery, which all smacks of a phone that came out last year and one that isn't particularly cutting edge. Let's hope Nokia has a trick or two up its sleeve. Tipped to ditchOne of the big differences between the Lumia 920 and the rumoured Lumia 925 could be the chassis, with the latter tipped to ditch the polycarbonate, found on Nokia's current crop of smartphones, for a premium aluminium finish. There's an ongoing debate over what material our smartphones should be made from. In one corner there's the plastic brigade headed up by the Galaxy S4 who talk up the material's flexible and lightweight assests. In the other is the premium glass and metal fans who want a device which feels like the price they paid for it, with the likes of the Xperia Z, iPhone 5 and HTC One flying the high-class flag. While Nokias have always been well made its current handset crop has been described as looking a bit toyish, and a brushed aluminium finish on the Lumia 925 would see it elevated above these. As well as sporting a new material the Lumia 925 is also said to be lighter and thinner than the 920, with Nokia shedding 50g of weight and 2.3mm round the middle - which would wedge it in between the Galaxy S4 and HTC One.     | | In Depth: Top 10 must-download video apps for the Note II May 7th 2013, 15:10 
Getting the most out of video on your Note II is pretty simple, if you make sure to download a few of the following top 10 video apps we've carefully selected from the Google Play store. With its speedy quad-core processor, 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display and superb camera, the Note II is perfectly suited to would-be Spielbergs and Scorseses, wanting to shoot life on the move and create art from their mobile home movie footage. Check out the following list of the cream of the very finest 10 video players and editing tools to help you get the very best out of that beautiful HD Super AMOLED display on the mobile movie maverick that is the Samsung GALAXY Note II. The Samsung Note II's in-built video player and video editing features are hugely impressive in their own right, of course. Plus, most users' first port of call if they want to download a movie will be Samsung's own Video Hub. That said, in addition to those, what follows is our selection of the ten best video apps out there. 
Magisto – Magical Video Editor Free There is nothing like editing a mini movie out of the video you have shot on your Samsung GALAXY Note II... except getting an app to do all the hard work for you. Magisto – Magical Video Editor is a free video tool that will take any footage you have got stored on your device and create a fantastic mini movie out of it. All you need to do is select the clips you want to use, choose the music you want to use – there's a variety on offer including the latest chart hits – and give your blockbuster a title. It will take a few minutes to auto edit but the results are more than worth it. 
HighlightCam Social Free Highlights are called highlights for a reason – they are the best bits, the things that you skip to whenever you are showing someone something. HighlightCam Social is an app that focuses on the best bits of your video skills. The app analyses footage you have shot on your GALAXY Note II and puts together a sizzle-reel for all to enjoy. You can give the app a few hints as to what you want – whether you want highlights based on speech, action or people – and then you let HighlightCam do the rest. The app is free for the first 10 goes, offering a fantastic way to sift through your Note II's content and make it presentable! 
Animoto Free Animoto is another fantastic way to auto-generate movies from the content you have shot on the GALAXY Note II. The app will find content on your device – and bearing in mind with the Note II's capacious memory there could well be a lot – and creates a video for you to play around with. If you don't like a clip chosen, then you can rearrange, choose music and even give your video a title. There is a limit on the free version, but the app offers so much to entice your inner Scorsese that it will tempt you to buy its full-fat brethren. 
WeVideo Free WeVideo is all about sharing the great movies you have created using your Note II. It allows you to edit content, create visceral shorts and then share them to whichever social network you are linked into. You can add some effects, any music you may have on your device and there's a heap of effects to try out as well. And if you are worried that your opus is taking up too much space, then you can upload your video to the cloud as well – freeing up space for your next Oscar-worthy jaunt. 
SocialCam Free Given that it has already racked up around 20 million downloads, SocialCam is definitely doing something right! And that something is how easy it makes the sharing of short videos. Simply film your video on the go, add a filter or two to it – all within the app – then be amazed with the lack of time it takes to render the thing. This is because all of the technical stuff is done in the background of the app, meaning you have more time to upload your content to Facebook and the like all through the app. If that wasn't all, the length of video isn't a problem, neither is storage – you can send everything to the cloud! 
Movie Studio Free If you are going to call your app Movie Studio then you better be able to back it up with some professional grade features. It's lucky then that Movie Studio offers some of the best effects around – including the ability to edit 720p content, which suits the GALAXY Note II's fantastic HD video capturing ability. Movies are created on a timeline, where you drop each video (or photo) file to edit, then simply trim a clip by touching its sides – the app is simplicity itself but has enough features to conjure up your inner Fellini. 
Fotodanz Free No we don't like the hip use of a 'z' in the name of this app either but this doesn't stop us from loving Fotodanz. Now, this app essentially makes your photos dance – see what they did there (and no, the makers are Canadian not German)? Yes, it's a glorified Gif maker but it is so simple to make 5 second animated photographs that this using this app will become very addictive. All you need to do to make it work is shoot a little video, then circle the bit you want to animate and Fotodanz does the rest for you. Brilliant. 
Videocam Illusion Pro £1.49 This is one app for those who want to do everything at once. Load up Videocam Illusion Pro on your Samsung GALAXY Note II and you will be able to edit video and add special effects to your footage on the go. You can even do fancy things like change the effect while you are still recording – this won't make for the greatest videos but you can have a lot of fun using it. Given there are 24 filters to choose from, a whole host of frames to use and 17 effects to use, Videocam Illusion Pro is an app packed with great filmmaking features. 
Video Editor – Samsung Free The good news is that you don't have to travel very far to find a brilliant video-editing app for your GALAXY Note II. Samsung understands how much video means to its consumers and has created an app that's up there with most of the paid-for variants out there. Available through Samsung Apps, Video Editor allows you to auto-generate an edited version of your videos or use the tools to create your own fantastic video. The app is great for those that are new to editing or those who just want a quick way to add their videos some much-needed polish. 
VideoFX Free Just like Videocam Illusion Pro, VideoFX allows you to layer special effects on to your GALAXY Note II shot footage in real time. There's myriad effects to choose from, but we have to admit that our favourite is the brilliant Cartoon filter, which adds a superb comic effect. And you don't have to put the effects on to your footage in real-time, you can add them after if you have not quite made your mind up what effects to use on your movie as you shoot it. Great fun. ---------- 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   | | In Depth: How much faster is the Note II than the very first Intel Pentium chip? May 7th 2013, 14:52 
The power behind the Samsung GALAXY Note II is phenomenal when compared to handsets of today, but if you do a little bit of backwards-gazing it's stunning to see how far computing has come in a mere 20 years. Why 20 years? Well, it was in 1993 that the Pentium processor was born – the first chip that, arguably, made non-geeks interested in computing technology. Going back even further, though, Intel actually first created chip history over 40 years ago, with the arrival of the first ever single processor. Yes, we all love to shout (quite rightly) about the quad-core processor which powers the GALAXY Note II, but let's not forget that it was the humble Intel 4004 that kick-started this evolution – placing all the bits that made a computer, well, compute on to a single piece of silicone. 
Hip to be a chip Skip 20 years and Intel offered up the idea that having Intel Inside your devices was a good thing. Before it created the Pentium brand, no one except die-hard enthusiasts knew about the chips that powered their computers, but Intel managed to make processors, dare we say it, cool. 
The first Pentium chip, the P5 – it was given the name Pentium as it was the fifth generation of processor, with "pente" being the Greek word for five – was available in a whopping 60MHz or 66MHz and had 3.1 million transistors powering the thing. Compare this to the Note II's chipset, which runs at 1.4GHz, and you can start to see how far we have come. Cheaper chips Given that Moore's Law predicts that computer processors double every two years, by 1998 Pentium were now clocking a (at the time) whopping 450MHz. 
Intel began offering a cheaper version of the chip, the Celeron, and a higher-end version, the Xeon. The advent of low-powered chips meant that smaller devices such as phones could begin to have features that were computer-like, such as powering the many apps – essentially mini computer programmes – that can be found on the GALAXY Note II. ARMs race Alongside Intel's push for computing power, British company ARM was creating its own architecture for mobile chips. 
Now in 95 per cent of all mobile phones, Arm architecture can be found in many a device – it's in the Note II for starters – with the technology used by the major semi-conductor makers Samsung, Qualcomm and nVidia. Why ARM? Well, it's low-powered, uses fewer transistors and generally turns the latest portable devices into a computational whiz kid. All systems go Taking Intel's original idea of putting all of the computers thinking processes on to one chip, this eventually advanced to what we know today as a System on Chip (SoC) processor. 
And it is a quad-core variant of this chip that makes the GALAXY Note II tick. All System on Chip (SoC) means is that the chip has all the components it needs on a single chip to control and power a device. To put it into context: one of these chips has the same computing power as an entire desktop computer from a decade ago. And that is what is powering the Note II – it's a mini computer in your pocket, complete with all of that S Pen loveliness. Take Note And this leads us to the Note II. Just how much power is packed into the device? 
Well, if you compare the processor to what was around 20 years ago, the results will astound. If you just compare Hz (how many cycles a second a processor responds), then the P5's 60Mhz is some 25 times less powerful than the GALAXY Note II's 1.6GHz processor of today. But this doesn't take into account that the processor is quad-core so theoretically the Note II has a processor around 100 times more powerful than what was around just 20 years ago. Spaced out Now, if that didn't blow you away, then bear in mind that the computer which helped a man land on the moon – the one used for the Apollo 11 landings – managed to do this at a positively tiny 1.024MHz of processing power. 
Which means that the Note II's chip is an incredible 1,600 times the faster than this – and that is if you just count the one core. Essentially, this pocket-friendly device could perform thousands of Apollo 11 missions at once and still have power left over for a game or two of Angry Birds! Thanks for the memory Moving away from processors for a moment, let's also consider the amount of RAM the GALAXY Note II holds when compared to a computer housing the first wave of Pentium computers in 1993. 
Back then a top-end computer had 8MB of (costly) memory. Today, the Note II houses 2GB of RAM, which means there's no lag when opening apps and you can do a whole host of multi-tasking without the device breaking a sweat. There's a reason for this: there's 256 times more memory on board than what was in the desktops of yore. On display There is a very good reason that the Note II needs a lot of power, and one way you can see it working straight away is with the HD Super AMOLED screen. 
This screen has a total of 1280x720 pixels, which works out at 276 pixels per inch. Back in the early '90s a monitor would have a pixel size of half this at 640 x 480 – and these had to stretch to 15 or so inches of screen size, whereas the Note II has all this pixel goodness crammed into its 5.5-inch screen. Portable product The GALAXY Note II is the best of both worlds: it's powerful but extremely portable. Skip back 20 years and computing portability was a little less, well, portable. In fact, just when Pentium was announced in 1993, the first PDAs were launched. 
And they were, well, cumbersome. To say the least! The early IBM Simon, for example, came with a whopping 16MHz processor, weighed 510g (the Note II is 180g) and had a rather strange 4.5 x 1.5-inch display. Something to remember the next time you stare into the HD Super AMOLED loveliness of the Note II… ---------- 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   | | In Depth: Getting the best TV experience on your Note II May 7th 2013, 14:20 
This month way back in 1925 saw the very first public demonstration of television technology. Nearly a century on, many of us now watch streaming and catch-up TV on our mobiles, not to mention recorded programs. Have you ever wondered what the best way to get TV on the go is? If so, read on as we explain all you need to know about the best Note II-friendly apps that can help you get the most out of TV on the move. 
Pre-installed software – Video Player The Samsung GALAXY Note II video player app is a silent selling point of the phone, and is essential for playing back your own recorded TV shows. What do we mean by 'silent selling point'? On the surface, it's as unassuming as any other video player, but dig a little deeper and you'll find it's considerably richer. For starters, it packs an incredibly broad range of video codecs. MP4, AVI, MKV, whatever format your video, it'll probably play back on the Note II. Thanks to the Note II processor's quad-core power, it'll also play back the majority of your quirky file formats up to either 720p or 1080p – something that less powerful Android phones and tablets just can't do. The video player can even turn your playing video into a floating window, so you can get on with other tasks while your favourite TV show is playing back on your Note II. Official TV services Content providers in the UK have wised up to the likes of the Samsung GALAXY Note II with its 5.5-inch 720p HD Super AMOLED display and zippy LTE data speeds, making it perfect for on-the-go video. Four of the five major television station's content is available on the go, with the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 having developed mobile apps that can turn a portable screen into a pocketable TV. This means that getting your Samsung GALAXY Note II kitted out for TV mobility is as simple as a dip into your Google Play Store. 
Official TV services - BBC iPlayer – Free Encompassing BBC1, BBC2, not to mention the wealth of additional BBC television and radio channels available, iPlayer is the default go-to for most Brits looking for a bit of TV on the go. Whether it's catching up with Eastenders, drooling over The Great British Bake-off or having a good old giggle to Have I Got News for You, BBC iPlayer has it all. The app will prompt you to download a second app in order to play content, so don't be alarmed when it does, but once all is downloaded, you'll be set. 
Official TV services - ITV Player – Free If BBC iPlayer had a twin that was subsidised by advertising it would be ITV Player. The app is also free and is a doddle to pick up in the Google Play Store and get watching on. The ITV Player's interface is presented in a layered and snazzy styling, complete with pretty decent quality streaming; making for an immersive viewing experience on the Note II. 
Official TV services - 4OD – Free 4OD is the catch-up version of Channel 4's TV service, which, as with ITV Player, also features advertising. It's simple to get your head around the clean interface and the app even groups episodes by series, so you can catch up on two or three episodes in one sitting. The app even has the option to set a pin and set a parental lock for content that's inappropriate for under-18s – perfect for any protective parent who's treated their lucky teen to a Note II. 
Unofficial TV services - TVCatchup - Free While the aforementioned are generally regarded as the primary ways of getting TV on your phone, many people will have still heard of TVCatchup. The service is commonly associated with the desktops, but the Android app has seen huge success, with almost 16,000 downloads and a four star rating in the Google Play Store. To put things into context, BBC's iPlayer has had around 17,600 downloads and bears a middling three star rating. The service's success is thanks to the fact it offers over fifty streaming channels in total. While it won't let you pick and choose what you want to watch like the other apps, it will stream all its channels live. This can turn your GALAXY Note II into a very capable second screen for those late nights at the office, or help you keep on top of the Football match you're missing while at the movies with the other half. 
Netflix – Free with subscription You wouldn't associate Netflix with TV on the go, but discount it and you'll be missing out on some high-quality, streaming on-demand TV shows with no advertising to speak of. A quick scan through the Netflix catalogue and you'll soon see familiar shows to those found on other services such as The Vampire Diaries and ITV's River Monsters. Netflix's app is preferable in terms of video quality and user experience, making the humble £5.99-a-month asking price well worth it. As Netflix grows, so too does its collection of original content too. House of Cards for example, the original Netflix series was released towards the beginning of 2013, receiving critical acclaim. With a second original series Hemlock Grove, Netflix looks like it's going the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 route and producing quality original content – only this time, with streaming in mind. 
EPG - On Air - Free What if you've already got a gorgeous Samsung UE55F8000 Smart 3D 55-inch LED TV? As perfect as the Samsung GALAXY Note II is for watching video, it can't beat the real thing, and you wouldn't want it to. It can however supplement a TV beautifully if you download a simple EPG. EPG you say? Indeed. EPG stands for electronic program guide. This sits on your phone while your TV is in full swing, telling you what's on and giving you the low-down on it. Your Freesat, Sky and Virgin service will provide EPGs of their own, not to mention your shiny Smart TV, but the On Air app for Android is still worth your time. For starters, it's operable with a finger and large touch screen rather than just buttons. Providing you with a full run down of programs on now and next, it's the ideal way to figure out how what to stick on as your sitting down for your dinner for one. It's also smart. While most TV and set-top boxes EPGs will present you with program information, the On Air app will pull in IMDb details, link out to YouTube, Wikipedia, Twitter and Facebook. Miss the beginning of your show? No problem. On Air will even show you other times the program's playing so that you can catch it from the start. So there you have it, a host of ways of getting the best TV experience on the Samsung GALAXY Note II, be it through the on board video player, streaming services, or using the Note II as a second screen. DISCLAIMER: While all of the above apps are available in the Google Play Store in the UK they may not be available in other territories. ---------- 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     | |
To get Free ipad visit : https://prizereader.com/earn-ipad-free
ReplyDelete