Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 09-09-2013

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In Depth: The Samsung GALAXY S4 Active – up to the challenge Sep 9th 2013, 14:08, by Your Mobile Life Designed with the elements in mind, the Samsung GALAXY S4 Active is built for any situation – and capturing great underwater pictures and video is one of the S4 Active's standout features. Not only does the S4 Active boast a water-resistant and dust-proof body for protection against life's mishaps, these features open up a whole new world of ways to use your phone. Underwater capture is heaps of fun, so grab your GALAXY S4 Active, head to the pool, and discover a great new way of taking pictures and video. Crystal clear capture Taking pictures and recording video underwater could not be easier, and the ease of use is matched by the high quality of the GALAXY S4 Active's camera. The Samsung GALAXY S4 Active's 8-megapixel rear camera sensor ensures that pictures you capture below the water's surface are every bit as clear and as sharp as those you take above. And when you're done snapping photos, 1080p video underwater opens up a whole new realm of possibilities, producing razor-sharp detail in both capture and playback on the S4 Active's stunningly vibrant screen. Aqua Mode on the Samsung GALAXY S4 Active Swimming underwater isn't the best time to be fiddling around with various options and on-screen functions. Luckily, the Samsung GALAXY S4 Active gets a brand new camera function to deal with that exact problem: Aqua Mode. As its name suggests, Aqua Mode is designed for when you're using the camera in wet and wild conditions, increasing the clarity of underwater pictures and video to ensure the phone is always performing at its best. It also lets you set the volume key as a camera shutter button or video record key, meaning that capture is as easy as can be – no hassle required. The perfect holiday companion The Samsung GALAXY S4 Active makes for the perfect family companion, always ready to capture those unforgettable moments. That first swim in the holiday pool? Your partner's perfect dive? You'll have all those precious moments on record with the Samsung GALAXY S4 Active. The S4 Active can be submerged in up to three feet of water for up to 30 minutes, which means you won't be against the clock – the S4 Active is more than up to the challenge. The S4 Active lifestyle Whether you're sailing, kayaking or snorkeling, the Samsung GALAXY S4 Active's IP67 rating – which means it's fully dust and waterproof – means you won't have to worry about the elements damaging your phone. Being able to have your Samsung GALAXY S4 Active in your pocket all the time means you're never on your own, and it's reassuring to know that no matter how wet it gets, your S4 Active is up to the task. So whether you've just seen some colourful underwater wildlife that needs documenting, or you're about to take on the rapids for the first time, you've got the perfect companion at hand to make sure you can capture the moment. Screen dream Having high-quality playback is just as essential as having high-quality capture. And a bright and vibrant display makes all the difference when doing both tasks. Thankfully, the Samsung GALAXY S4 Active's 5.0-inch Full HD TFT LCD screen means that you can get an instantly clear idea of how well your pictures and videos have turned out. It also means that, even when underwater, the enhanced screen always lets you see the whole picture, to make sure you're getting the best shot possible in every situation. Sharpening the shot Awkward lighting is always a pain when taking pictures underwater, but the Samsung GALAXY S4 Active performs to the highest quality no matter how tricky the lighting conditions might be. It also cuts through the blur that many other cameras can't overcome in underwater conditions, making sure those submerged shots are always enhanced to their utmost clarity. Designed to look good The Samsung GALAXY S4 has a beautifully sleek design, and the GALAXY S4 Active continues to impress by maintaining the slim body in a build that is sturdy and secure. Not only does it look good, but the GALAXY S4 Active manages to be incredibly light in the hand, despite all its great extras. While sealed for protection during use, the removable back cover also offers the option to change the battery, meaning that you'll never run out of juice just before capturing that perfect shot. Whatever the weather Noticed the perfect picture on a rainy summer evening? The Samsung GALAXY S4 Active is built for every weather condition, meaning you'll get great shots whether it's rain or shine without needing to worry that your phone isn't prepared. Not only does this mean you don't need to worry about getting caught in a downpour midway through a phone call, but also that you'll be able to get that all-important shot when you see it, no matter what the elements throw at you. The power and the glory of the S4 Packing in the Samsung GALAXY S4's killer specifications, including the powerful 1.9GHz Quad-Core processor, the GALAXY S4 Active retains the high-level performance to back up its brand new features. Importantly, this means blisteringly high speeds at all times. Life's best photo opportunities are always fleeting, so having a fast performer on hand when the moment arrives is essential. What's more, the onboard microSD card slot means you can keep on capturing without worrying about storage limitations. The Samsung GALAXY S4 Active is the perfect phone companion for any situation. With the ability to take pictures and video underwater, there's no end of ways in which the S4 Active offers an enhanced and freeing phone experience for both casual and intensive users. Vodafone offers everyone 4GB of free 4G data Sep 9th 2013, 12:40, by John McCann The 4G war is heating up in the UK and Vodafone has mobilised its troops in an attempt to win more custom, offering an extra 4GB of data every month to pre-existing and new 4G customers. Its "4GBonus" promotion (see what they did there? Clever) will give anyone currently on a Vodafone 4G plan an additional 4GB on top of the allowance already provided in their contract. If we look at the SIM-only plans that means you'll now get 6GB for £26 per month, 8GB of data at £31 per month and a whopping 12GB if you are prepared to splash out £36 for 12 months - trumping EE and O2 at every price point. Get in there soon For those of you not currently a 4G Vodafone customer you'll need to sign up to a 12 or 24 month plan before the end of the October to take advantage of the offer. Currently Vodafone's 4G rollout has only hit London making the service pretty limited and the smallest out of the trio of networks, but from September 28 it will arrive in Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield. We can't help but think the timing of this announcement is a little coincidental, considering a certain Cupertino-based firm is said to be launching a couple of new handsets (the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C if you've been living under a rock for the past months) tomorrow. O2 and Vodafone are currently in the tricky position which sees their 4G networks unable to support the iPhone 5, so the hope is the new iPhones will be more forgiving when it comes to frequency. Unsure on your mobile usage? Find out how much 4G data you really need Supposed iPhone 5S specs reveal very few differences to iPhone 5 Sep 9th 2013, 10:07, by Kate Solomon We're into the final 36 hours before Apple's iPhone 5S event so get ready for the leaks to get granular. And you don't get much more granular than "THE SQUARE ON THE HOME BUTTON IS GONE" and "OMG IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME WEIGHT AS THE iPHONE 5" on this leaked spec sheet for the upcoming smartphone. The fact that so many details are literally exactly the same as the iPhone 5's does make us question the legitimacy of this spec listing which comes from a Chinese network via CTechCN. Camera bag For the same exact size and weight, the sheet claims that the iPhone 5S will come packing an Apple A7 processor (versus the iPhone 5's A6) and a slightly improved camera with f2.0 aperture, double-flash and 1080p video recording. It's worth bearing in mind that these specs could relate to an iPhone 5S specially formulated for the Chinese market. It's also worth bearing in mind that they could be completely made up. Still, not long till we find out for sure: join us here or on Twitter on Tuesday September 10 at 10am PT / 6pm BST / 4am AEST for all the official news on the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C as it breaks. In the meantime, here's all the latest on the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C for your enjoyment In Depth: The 10 best uses for Multi Window on the GALAXY S4 and Note 8.0 Sep 9th 2013, 09:53, by Your Mobile Life We're forever trying to do more than one thing at a time, and thanks to Samsung – and Multi Window – that's now much easier on your GALAXY S4 and GALAXY Note 8.0. Multi Window is easy to activate on the GALAXY S4 and GALAXY Note 8.0. Just slide your finger down from the top of the screen to open your device's drop-down menu at the top of the Notification screen. Now ensure that the Multi Window setting is selected and then hold down your "back" button for a second to bring up the Multi Window menu. Hit the tab and a column of apps will appear. Drag the two apps you want to use at the same time onto the main part of the screen, and you're all set. Dragging the apps onto the display is made as easy as pie on the GALAXY Note 8.0 using your S Pen. And the responsive screen on the GALAXY S4 means it's also really easy to drag and drop with your finger. Our first four top uses for Multi Window below – note-taking, Google Map planning, social networking and emailing pics straight from your Gallery app – are all compatible with Multi Window on both the GALAXY S4 and the Note 8.0. Our final six uses for Multi Window, which are exclusive to the GALAXY Note 8.0, include setting alarms, checking the World Clock to help you organise international meetings, watching movies while messaging, using S Planner to keep your life on track, maximising your productivity using Polaris Office and, last but in no way least, enjoying your tunes in the Samsung Music Player app as you work, tweet or Facebook away in another window. 1. Note-taking while online Many of you will spend quite a lot of time browsing the web on your new phone or tablet, but sometimes it's difficult to keep track of what you've seen when there's no pen or paper around to make a note. Luckily help is at hand, as you can drag both the internet browser and S Note on your Note 8.0 (or S Memo on your S4) next to each other on screen. This lets you scribble down the important points from the site without the hassle of finding a pen or potentially losing the scrap of paper you've just torn off a nearby envelope. If you're using the GALAXY Note 8.0 you can also use the S Pen to physically write on the tablet, just as if you were using a pen and paper. 2. Addressing maps Looking up a location in Google Maps is a great feature, but it can be annoyingly time-consuming. If someone's emailed you an address, you normally need to exit your inbox before firing up the map app – then hope you've remembered all the details correctly. On the GALAXY S4 and GALAXY Note 8.0 no such problem exists, though, as with a couple of finger gestures (or an S Pen swipe on your Note 8.0) you can have Google Maps running side by side with your email client, social network or web browser. From here you can type in the address you want to locate, and even get directions, all without having to flick back and forth between applications. 3. Social dominance Social media is incredibly popular these days and many of us are signed up to more than one of the various networks. With Multi Window on the GALAXY Note 8.0 and GALAXY S4 you can have both Twitter and Facebook open at the same time, ensuring you never miss your friends' latest ramblings whichever network they prefer. What's more, Samsung's excellent ChatON social messaging service is also included in the Multi Window set-up, so it will only ever take moments to get in touch. 4. Picture perfect The GALAXY S4 has a fantastic 13-megapixel rear camera – but there's no point taking photos if you're not going to share them with other people. Having the Gallery app available in Multi Window on your S4 or Note 8.0 allows you to check out your best shots before attaching them to an email or uploading them to social media – ensuring that only the best are used. Because, no matter what you say; no one wants to see thousands of your rubbish pictures. Top Multi Window apps unique to your GALAXY Note 8.0 The GALAXY Note 8.0 makes multitasking easier and more pleasurable than ever before, with an extended range of apps that are able to run alongside each other on Samsung's finest 8-inch tablet. Whether you want to jot down important ideas while listening to your favourite tunes, find directions on Google Maps while checking your schedule on S Planner or just tweet while watching movies on your tablet, the Note 8.0 is the device for you. Here are six essential reasons why. 5. Wake me up before you go go Alarm clocks are a dying breed as our mobile devices slowly take over, but thanks to Multi Window setting your alarms on the GALAXY Note 8.0 couldn't be easier. The number of times we've thought about setting an alarm and then forgotten all about it because we're invested in the app we're currently viewing isn't worth thinking about – but trust us, it's a lot. Thankfully now when we finally remember to set the alarm we don't have to close the app we're on – just drag the alarm function from the Multi Window tool bar, select the time you want and hey presto, you're good to go. 6. The international traveller If you travel a lot, then keeping track of the time zone you, as well as your friends and colleagues, are in can get pretty difficult. If you're organising a meeting or video conference you need to be sure that your colleagues in other countries will all be arriving at the same time. Having the World Clock app open on your GALAXY Note 8.0 next to your email can be a lifesaver when it comes to making crucial time conversions. You can pre-set locations into the World Clock, so if you have contacts in New York, London and Dubai you can have all three cities set up and ready, giving you the time in each location instantly. 7. Movies and messaging on the Note 8.0 We've all been there, enjoying a favourite movie when all of a sudden a message arrives, along with the question of whether to pause the film and read it, or carry on and hope it's not important. Thankfully the GALAXY Note 8.0 has Multi Window support for both the Video Player app and the various messaging clients, allowing you to display both applications on screen at the same time. The seamless transition between full screen and the Multi Window mode means there'll be no lag on the video or audio side of things, and once you've replied to that all-important text you can return to full screen mode with a tap. 8. Date for the diary We're all busy people, and we're often invited to all manner of meetings, events and social occasions, so we need an easy way to check our schedule when a new invite comes through. Using Multi Window on your Note 8.0 you can pop up the S Planner app right next to your invitation, so you can easily see if you're free to attend. You can add all manner of calendars to S Planner including Google, Outlook and Facebook, so you can be confident that you'll never miss an appointment. It's also extra convenient to have the calendar side by side with an invite, meaning you can reply instantly and suggest an alternative date if necessary. 9. Business talk The GALAXY Note 8.0 is a great business tool. And for anyone who wants to be productive on the move, Multi Window is vital. The Polaris Office suite is even compatible with Multi Window on your GALAXY Note 8.0, allowing you to keep an important document open alongside your emails on your tablet, so it's easy to fire off responses without having to switch between apps. Polaris Office supports Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, all of which can be edited within Multi Window on the 8-inch WXGA TFT display on your GALAXY Note 8.0, making the device one of the most powerful business tools around. 10. Sound of the underground You can happily browse your device's entire music collection using the Samsung Music Player, while also replying to a tweet, reading an email or checking your calendar. And this intuitive application makes selecting the song to suit your mood a cinch. There's even a Now Playing bar, which appears as part of the Samsung Music Player app within Multi Window on your Samsung tablet. This means you can easily play and pause tracks as well as skip to the next one, without leaving what you're doing. In Depth: Football Focus on the Samsung GALAXY S4 Sep 9th 2013, 09:53, by Your Mobile Life The great thing about the beautiful game is that people of all ages and from any walk of life can enjoy it. Whether you're kicking a half-deflated leather ball around bedraggled city backstreets or watching a Premier League fixture with a prawn sandwich in one hand and glass of Prosecco in the other, it's always going to be good fun. It could be said that today's technology – from the internet to 3DTVs and round-the-clock coverage – means that you can get your hands on more on-demand footy-related goodness than ever before. If you consider yourself in the top flight of fans, you could do worse than checking out our top 10 football apps for the Samsung GALAXY S4 below. 1. Sky Sports Live Football Score Centre Free – Get it here If you're desperate for a smartphone app that keeps you updated with live football scores, league position standings and results, then this is the one to get. Unfortunately the app doesn't feature Chris Kamara's perplexed expressions, but it does go to some lengths to recreate the wealth of football-related information usually served up on Soccer Saturday. It features live scores, text commentary, league tables and match stats on every tier from the Premier League to the Scottish Third Division (as well as all of the major European leagues). Additionally, it provides in-depth data on team line-ups, formations and calendar fixtures, and – because the Samsung GALAXY S4 runs the Android Jelly Bean operating system – you can also place a handy widget on your home screen that shows tailored, up-to-the-minute information about your favourite team. Unbelievable, Jeff! 2. New Star Soccer £1.99 – Buy it here New Star Soccer is one of the top-rated football games in Google's Play store, and it's easy to see why. Inspired by legendary '90s game Sensible Soccer, it presents various match situations in a top-down view. This could be anything from a throw-in to a free kick or intercepting a pass. After pressing down and dragging in a direction to set power, a ball bounces across the screen, which you then kick by tapping its surface. As in real life, timing it right to strike the ball's 'sweet spot' will have you belting it into the top corner. Miskick though, and you're in danger of skying it higher than David Beckham in a European qualifier. The game is eerily addictive, offering up a player-manager mode that sees you live the life of a footballer, increasing your skills as you go, or a quick-fire arcade mode that tests your skills with progressively tougher challenges. 3. Fantasy Football Buddy Free – Get it here Fantasy football is one of many pleasures leading up to the new football season. Not only does it give you the chance to put your summer transfer window knowledge into practice, but it can lead to some truly competitive fixtures between you and your friends or co-workers. The Premier League's official fantasy league is one of the most popular out there, and this app is dedicated to helping you wring as much out of it as possible. Once you've signed up for an account, the app allows you to make substitutions and transfers, order subs and select vice and team captains. Moreover, you can keep track of your team's game week points and drill down into individual players' performances to see who deserves to start and who should be relegated to the bench for the next match. 4. Football Manager Handheld 2013 £6.99 – Buy it here The PC has long been the dominant format for football manager games, due to its simple mouse-driven controls. That all changed when smartphones began packing bigger displays and slimmed down to become the ultimate portable entertainment device. The Samsung GALAXY S4's 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED screen offers plenty of room to navigate your way around Football Manager Handheld 2013's menus, helping you in your quest to lead a team from humble beginnings to Premier League glory. The app gives you the choice of going the distance in career mode, or alternatively testing your luck in 'Challenge Mode', which offers up short-term scenarios with a specific goal in mind. With playable leagues from 14 countries along with full player photos in this latest version, there's plenty on offer that will test whether you're a 'Special One' or a 'Wally with a brolly'. 5. Football Tactics Free – Get it here Whether you're an amateur outfit making its way up the lower leagues, or a Sunday League team having a casual kickabout, Football Tactics allows you to your hone your tactics by drawing markers on the pitch. Diagrams can be as simple or as complex as you please, opening possibilities from planning surging runs down wings to marking zones on the pitch where you want to flummox the opposition with tiki-taka style passing. Tactical diagrams can be saved for later editing or shared with team mates over Twitter. Just remember to set a lock-screen password on your GALAXY S4 in case you leave your notes behind in the dressing room, Benitez-style. 6. Football Quiz Free – Get it here Everybody knows that the pub is the best place to go for a football quiz, but if you can't make it then you could do worse than getting some friends round, downloading this free app and hooking up your GALAXY S4 to a large-screen telly using Samsung's official GALAXY S4 HDTV MHL to HDMI Adapter (£13.75 on Amazon UK) to get everyone involved. Football Quiz serves up fresh questions twice a week, meaning you won't be in danger of repeating yourself. It tests your knowledge on the 2012–2013 football season by asking questions with multiple-choice answers. Once you've worked your way through the current week's quiz, you can dip back into ones from earlier in the season for extra time sessions, which should keep you going until the pies have been eaten and everyone's ready for home. 7. Transfer Rumours 24/7 Free – Get it here If there's one thing football fans love, it's speculation during transfer windows. Often we don't even care if the rumours are true – fortunate for newspapers' sports sections, which rarely seem to get it right! It's a good job, then, that Transfer Rumours 24/7 mines the daily newspapers, in addition to over 100 other sources, to bring you the latest transfer news and gossip on club transfer activity from around the world. Through a combination of RSS feeds from Talksport, football365.com and Sky Sports, as well as Twitter and its Facebook page, the app retrieves potential scoops and delivers them to your phone in the form of push notifications, so you'll always be one step ahead. 8. Fluid Football Free – Get it here Like New Star Soccer, Fluid Football is viewed from above. Undoubtedly influenced by the former's style, you make players embark on runs by drawing lines across the screen to direct them. The aim is to pass the ball around opposition players in a smooth sequence so that you end up in a position to score, without falling foul of the offside trap. It's trickier than it sounds, requiring a combination of timing, judgement and skill, as shots are taken with quick or slow finger flicks to determine power. The game's levels were apparently designed by real-world experts to simulate pivotal moments of matches that have led to show-stopping goals. 9. Pitch Invasion 5-a-side Free – Get it here Ask any group of men or women to list common barriers to organising a five-a-side kickabout, and you'll likely be handed a long and varied list. Getting people together in one location can be difficult wherever you live, and even if you do manage it, finding affordable pitches can prove problematic. These are the problems that Pitch Invasion, a company running 5-a-side leagues in the UK, sets out to solve. Its app lets you enter a team before searching for the nearest 5-a-side pitches, using the Samsung GALAXY S4's built-in GPS system. Once found, you and your mates can view upcoming and recent fixtures as well as your team's position in the league. You can even pay for fixtures from within the app and have a receipt sent to your phone's inbox, putting an end to those tired excuses once and for all. 10. FTBpro – The Football News App Free – Get it here FTBpro is all about giving you access to the latest information about your club. Dubbed 'a social platform for football fans', it runs a fine-tooth comb through the internet to bring you the latest football news, articles and tweets in a single Facebook-style stream. In addition to saving you from trawling endless websites for up-to-date information, it also displays breaking stories by league, provides real-time standings and shows live notifications during matches. Anything the app brings up can be shared on your social networks too, allowing you to direct articles at fellow club supporters with the tap of a button. Nokia Lumia 1520 springs another leak, new photos gush out Sep 9th 2013, 08:57, by Kate Solomon While it may be on the road to Redmond, that's not going to stop Nokia launching its first Windows 'Phablet' in the form of the Lumia 1520 which has come out of hiding in a big way. The Verge got its hands on an album's worth of photos of the thing, with the Lumia 1520 seemingly boasting a 6-inch screen capable of 1080p Full HD playback. The tipster responsible also reckons the handset will come with 2GB of RAM, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 32GB of on-board memory and an SD slot to expand that out. Camera talk Peering at the photos reveals that traditional Nokia Lumia rounded-corner styling, an array of buttons on the edges of the handset, a front-facing camera of indeterminate megapixellage and a slightly protruding rear-facing PureView snapper too. That camera isn't expected to be quite as heavy on the megapixels as the Nokia Lumia 1020's 41MP sensor. We've heard tell of the Lumia 1520 before too: the upcoming device was codenamed Nokia Bandit until scourge of mobile phone secret keepers @evleaks let slip that "Nokia Bandit = Lumia 1520" on Twitter. No official word on when the Lumia 1520 will officially become official, but you might want to keep an eye on September 26. How will the Lumia 1520 measure up to the snap-happy 1020? Prime yourself with the Lumia 1020 review Amazon smartphone not coming this year and not for free Sep 9th 2013, 04:04, by Farrha Khan Late last week, former Wall Street Journal reporters Jessica Lessin and Amir Efrati wrote that according to people familiar with the matter, Amazon is looking into launching its phone for free. Just two days after the initial report, according to Efrati on Lessin's blog, an Amazon.com Inc. spokesperson has said that the company would not launch an Amazon smartphone this year. The report went on to say that "if it did launch one in the future, it 'would not be free'." While this doesn't quite confirm the existence of an Amazon smartphone, the spokesperson doesn't outright deny that the retail giant may still be working on a handset either. Not free, but still cheap? Previous Amazon smartphone rumours have pegged the phone to retail at a very cheap $100-200 (around £60-120/AU$95-190). The 7-inch Kindle Fire HD has shown that Amazon is capable of putting together smartphone-like hardware at below-$200 prices, and with the company set to launch the Kindle Fire HD 2, an Amazon smartphone for a low price isn't so far reaching. Of course, as the spokesperson has seemingly squashed any hopes of seeing a handset this year, we'll have to take any news with grains of salt until Amazon comes out with an announcement of the smartphone's existence. Via: The Next Web While the spokesperson's use of "if" makes us inclined to believe that Amazon is working on a smartphone, you can also have a look at our Amazon smartphone news and rumours roundup.

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