| Buying Guide: Best iPad stylus: 6 reviewed and rated Dec 14th 2013, 10:01, by TechRadar 
As children, all of us shared great delight in covering our tiny paws with various colored pigments to create fridge bound masterpieces. As you grow and develop into an artist, you're taught to pick up a brush, pencil or charcoal stick, and a whole world of mark-making opens up. Today, creating works of art is a single tap away with some mind-blowing iPad and iPhone art apps such as Brushes, ArtRage, SketchBook Pro and Penultimate, but for many artists, reverting to using a finger to paint is a huge step backwards. We figured that it was time to recognize that for some iPad owners, an iPad stylus is a vital part of their iOS experience. Great product design is about creating something instinctive and intuitive to use, so that it quickly becomes a natural extension of a person. In the case of a stylus, the basic requirements are a pen-like handle and tip, but take a look at some like the AluPen and you see that both have aimed to tap into the artist's experience, evoking the familiar by emulating their real-world art tools. Art apps make the perfect testing ground for putting these iPad styluses through their paces. You're more likely to spend prolonged periods of time holding a stylus when taking your iPad to a life-drawing session or for some plein-air painting. If you're looking for an iPad stylus to perform basic navigation, you might not agree with our final result, but then your fingers really are up that task! Creative types should read on… 1. Kensington Virtuoso Touch Price: £15 GBP / $25 USD Kensington marries two worlds in style with the Virtuoso Touch. Its slim profile, satin textured body and clipped lid work together to create a comfortable, assured feel. And the rubber tip, while not the most stable, is sufficiently pressure-sensitive for diagramming. Pop the lid to reveal a handy metallic ball point for when touchscreen just isn't liberating enough. 2. Truglide Pro Precision Stylus Price: £20 GBP / $30 USD The aluminium body of the TruGlide Pro resembles a regular pen, rocks a classic pocket clip, and feels well balanced when gripped. But it's the bulbous mesh tip that sets this stylus apart. It's made of fine microfibre strands that compress against the touchscreen and allow for beautifully controlled movement. A paintbrush-like replacement tip is also available for that uniquely artistic flourish. 3. Wacom Bamboo Stylus Solo Price: £20 GBP / $20 USD Wacom clearly took notes from the humble pen in designing the Bamboo Stylus Solo, a beautifully weighted device with an elegant satin-texture metal casing. A silver detachable lid with classic breast-pocket clip fits firmly on both ends for a traditional scholarly feel, while its removable 6mm tip combines fine-edge finesse with agile responsiveness. Whether notetaking or drawing, the Solo is a pleasure to use. 4. Studio Neat Cosmonaut Price: £23 GBP / $25 USD Don't be put off by the astronomical dimensions of Studio Neat's rubber-grip stylus. The Cosmonaut is great for scribbling and sketching, plus it's perfectly weighted for both small and large hands, though its exactness may prove wanting. However, what it lacks in fine-grained precision it makes up for in robustness, with a bulbous tip that might well outlive the device it daubs. 5. Just Mobile AlupenPrice: £20 GBP / $25 USD The stubby yet comfortable to hold Alupen is reminiscent of a crayon, and maintains a similarly balanced weight thanks to its rubber core and aluminium casing, which prevents rolling due to its hexagonal shape. Controlling the glide of the bubble tip across a touchscreen is a breeze, but those seeking finegrained sensitivity for line art drawing should perhaps opt for a slimmer profile pen. 6. MediaDevil Magicwand Price: £15 / $20 MediaDevil has designed this affordable stylus with iOS devices specifically in mind, as evinced by a detachable lanyard that plugs into the headphone socket to keep it secure (though we found its presence irksome when drawing). The diameter and weight of the clipped pen makes it extremely comfortable to use, and the fine rubberised tip is arguably the most responsive of the styluses we tested.        |  | The HTC One 2 may have just gotten certified with super-fast Wi-Fi Dec 13th 2013, 21:40, by klee 
The HTC M8, a.k.a the HTC One 2, has surfaced yet again, this time appearing with its Wi-Fi certification. According to the Wi-Fi certification, the HTC One 2 will indeed come with a Wi-Fi antenna capable of switching between the 2.4 and 5GHz bands. It will also support all the Wi-Fi standards (a, b, g and n) including the latest 802.11ac variety. Also known as 5G Wi-Fi, 802.11ac can deliver ludicrously fast wireless connections with better range, reliability and power consumption. What we know about the HTC M8It's not the most exciting tidbit we've learned about the HTC One successor, but it's another piece of the puzzle we'll take. So far, we've heard the M8 will come with a punchier 2.26GHz Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor paired with the Qualcomm Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Less verified rumors suggest HTC was looking to boost the M8 to an octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM. On top of this, the screen may be a solid 5-inches with the same 1920 x 1080 resolution. The whole machine is believed to land with Android 4.4 KitKat. As for its exoskeleton, we at TechRadar posit the phone will look relatively the same as its predecessor, and be constructed with a metal body. Turn the phone around and HTC may pack the camera sensor with 10MP Ultapixels. Those last few points are our own predictions, but it seems like the HTC One 2 is on course for reveal soon. Perhaps MWC 2014 will be its time to shine?        | | With latest shuffle, Samsung bets on cameras setting its phones apart Dec 13th 2013, 19:45, by klee 
After creating smartphone-camera hybrid oddities such as the Samsung Galaxy NX and Galaxy S4 Zoom, it seems the Korean electronics maker is doubling down on cameras setting its cell phones apart. Samsung has done a little deck shuffling, placing its camera division under the guiding wing of its mobile biz. Korea IT News reported that the Galaxy-phone maker hopes the move will create synergies between the two divisions. On one end, the mobile segment can share its know-how to create better, wirelessly connected digital cameras. The ultimate goal is apparently for Samsung to overtake the mirrorless camera market by 2015. But like all good partnerships, the street goes both ways, and Samsung wants the mash up to help "differentiate" its smartphones by packing them with the latest and greatest camera tech. Adapt or dieThis latest internal move is a smart one for Samsung, and builds on what the company has already done with its smartphone-camera amalgamations. Samsung need only look at Nokia for inspiration of what installing better cameras in your handsets can do. Thanks to devices like the 41MP Lumia 1020, Windows Phone has seen a surge in usage, especially in Europe. Only time will tell if Samsung's corporate tango will dramatically improve the quality of its smartphone cameras and creates a whole new line of connected cameras. We doubt we'll see any groundbreaking new products come out of this closer partnership until Photokina, the mega photo gear show going down next September. But the tech industry has always held surprises before, and we'll snap up anything we see at CES 2014 and Mobile World Congress.        | | SlingPlayer app delivers early Christmas joy to Windows 8.1 users Dec 13th 2013, 17:45, by JR Bookwalter 
Santa Claus may not be due to slide down the chimney for another 12 days, but the elves at Slingbox are bringing a little holiday cheer to PC and tablet users on the Windows platform. Sling Media has announced the release of SlingPlayer for Windows 8, a native media player app first announced last month and now available for PC users running Microsoft's operating system. Available globally from the Windows 8 Store, the SlingPlayer app offers a unified experience across all Windows 8 devices, including laptop or desktop computers, convertibles and tablets. Although Intel-powered Windows 8.1 devices could previously access Sling's web-based player, the Windows 8 app delivers support for ARM-based Windows RT devices like Surface 2 and the Nokia Lumia 2520. Sling it, touch itSlingPlayer for Windows 8 works equally well with a mouse or fingers, thanks to the touch-enabled user interface that offers universal support for all gadgets. The app also includes an intuitive gallery view in keeping with the look and feel of other Windows 8 apps for easy discovery and navigation of live or recorded programs. Should you need another incentive to upgrade to Windows 8.1, the SlingPlayer native app is as good as any, since it requires the latest version. SlingPlayer for Windows 8 offers a free 24-hour test drive and is priced comparable to other versions at $14.99 (about £9.20, AU$16.72); a separate version is also available for Windows Phone 8 devices. - No luck buying an Xbox One yet? Check out our extensive review instead!
       | | Nexus 5 gains sturdier build as LG tweaks production Dec 13th 2013, 11:06, by John McCann 
Early adopters of the Nexus 5 look away now, LG and Google have tweaked the production process of the handset making it a slightly sturdier offering. Some users had complained about the rattling sound made by the power/lock and volume keys on the new Nexus 5, and according to a post on the XDA Developers forum LG has returned to the drawing board to solidify those buttons. It's not just the buttons which have been given some attention. There's also been a subtle change to the speaker grille on the base of the Nexus 5, with the machine drilled holes now ever so slightly larger than on earlier models. All change pleaseThere's no obvious advantage to be gained here for end users, perhaps the larger holes will allow for a slightly higher volume, but we don't expect much of a difference between old and new phones. This isn't the first time LG and Google have altered the manufacturing process of a handset, with the Nexus 4 gaining two dimples on its rear a few months after launch, designed to lift the handset off a surface allowing for better volume from the rear speaker. Of course this will all come as little comfort to those who did pick up a Nexus 5 early on, as there's no sign of a trade in program from Google or LG.   | | Unlocking your phone is about to get easier with new gov, carriers policy Dec 13th 2013, 01:18, by Matt Swider 
You may not get the runaround the next time you try to unlock your cell phone in order to use it with another carrier, and it's all thanks to a new agreement between the FCC and carriers. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular have committed to "voluntarily" allowing consumers to unlock their phones and tablets. Under today's agreement, carriers will have to clearly explain their unlocking policies from the beginning and then notify customers of their unlocking eligibility in the future. For most subsidized phones, this will likely come within two years time. For prepaid customers, however, the agreement stipulates that they're eligible one year after buying the phone. Carriers will be required to unlock phones within two business days. Military personnel about to be deployed have the ability to unlock their phones right away. Volunteer after warningsThe practice of unlocking a handset tied to a specific cell phone network was made illegal earlier this year due to the Library of Congress' review of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Both the White House and FCC decried this measure, which was taken on by online petitioners who were outraged by the new ruling. Carriers may be voluntarily agreeing to this new policy, but it's at the behest of new FCC Chair Tom Wheeler, who threatened to enact mandatory regulations if they failed to act, according to The Hill. Customers still have to pay for their device in full or wait out their contract period and make sure it's compatible with another network. But it's a step in the right direction for these would-be criminals.   | |
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