| Oppo Find 7 launches with QHD display and a fake 50MP camera Mar 19th 2014, 10:51, by John McCann 
The Oppo Find 7 has finally been launched by the Chinese manufacturer and it means we now have two QHD (2K) display smartphones on the market (the Vivo Xplay 3S being the other). With a resolution of 1440 x 2560 on a 5.5-inch display the Find 7 delivers a staggering 538ppi. To put that in some perspective the 5.1-inch Galaxy S5 boasts 432ppi while the 4-inch iPhone 5S clocks in at just 326ppi. Oppo has managed to squeeze in a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, Adreno 330 GPU and 32GB of internal storage which can be expanded by up to 128GB with a microSD card. There's plenty on power to put it up against the Sony Xperia Z2 and Galaxy S5, and a 3000mAh battery is tasked with keeping everything going. Camera confusionOppo is boasting that the Find 7 has a 50MP camera, but if you flip the handset over you'll notice it only sports a 13MP lens (and dual-LED flash). The Find 7 comes with a "Super Zoom" software enhancement suite, which stitches together four images into one 50MP image. When you hit the shutter the phone will take 10 quick-fire shots and automatically select the best four for your super image. For selfie fans there's also a front-facing 5MP camera, while in terms of OS the Find 7 comes running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with Oppo's Color OS 1.2 interface stuck over the top. The Oppo Find 7 release date is expected to be around May or June, but if you're in China and can't wait that long you can always pick up the Find 7a in mid-April which sports a slightly older 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, 2800mAh battery and 1080p display. There's currently no word on whether the Oppo Find 7 will make it out of China, but we'll update this article once we've found out.        |  | In Depth: Samsung Galaxy S6: what we want to see Mar 19th 2014, 09:14, by Simon Hill 
Galaxy S6: what we want to seeIt's never too early to speculate wildly about the next smartphone in Samsung's Galaxy S series. The Galaxy S5 was definitely a step up from the S4, but we can't shake the feeling that everyone's favourite South Korean manufacturer (sorry LG) is resting on its laurels. Come on Samsung, market domination should be about more than outspending your rivals on advertising, get back in the game and kick it up a gear! We don't have to strain our grey matter too much to dream up a wish list of improvements we'd like to see in the Galaxy S6, given the relatively muted response the current S5 met, so if you're reading this Samsung, please take note... A better bodyIt would be fair to say that the dimpled back panel on the S5 wasn't universally well received. Everyone has been crying out for a new design in the Galaxy S series for a while now, but Samsung isn't listening. An S6 with a metal unibody and a premium feel would be a potential crowd pleaser. If a redesign is on the cards, why not take it further and go for a new form factor? A new premium profile could refresh the range and make it feel special again. 
A 2K displayNo one is impressed by 1080p anymore, not when 4K TVs are in the shops and we've already heard that Samsung's working on 2K and 4K displays for smartphones. We wouldn't have been surprised to see a 2560x1440 pixel resolution on the S5, but it seems QHD displays are not ready for prime time just yet. Anything less than a 2K display in the S6 will be a crushing disappointment. We're sick of all these fat pixels. Make them invisible to the naked eye - and make sure it doesn't hurt the battery while you're at it, Samsung. Hey, we're not here to solve these issues - that's for your fancy R&D labs. A 64-bit processorPerhaps the lack of a 64-bit processor in the S5 was an acknowledgement that there aren't many advantages yet, or maybe it was a statement about not copying Apple. In any case, regardless of benefits perceived and real, 64 is a bigger number than 32 so it must be better, and if our friend's iPhone has one, if you don't put one in the S6 we're not buying it. While you're there, for heaven's sake add more RAM – 2GB is not enough to satisfy the modern day demands of multi-tasking, especially if you're going for a 64-bit chip. A flexible designRemember that Sky advert where the guy folds his phone out to tablet size? That would be a real slice of fried gold and we've heard Samsung has a folding prototype already. Failing that, a squidgy, bendy phone that can take all sorts of damage and return to its original shape unblemished would be nice. Squeezy controls could bring a fresh tactile element to smartphone ownership. At the very least we expect flexibility to deliver greater durability and new potential shapes, but it has got to be better than the Samsung Galaxy Round. 
A bigger batteryWe can hold the sum total of humanity's achievements in one hand, accessing all of our scientific knowledge, and our greatest works of art, but only for a few hours at a time. Why are mobile phone batteries still so crap? We need bigger batteries, more efficient power management, and faster wireless charging. The 2,800mAh battery in the S5 might be a slight step up from its predecessor, but it has an extra 0.1 of an inch of screen to power. You're treading water, Samsung. Free us from the daily charge. An end to bloatwareNo one wants a Samsung-branded app that does exactly the same thing as an existing Google app, only worse. We also expect a device listed as 16GB to have more than 10GB free. The days where Android was rough and ready and Touchwiz really added value are gone. Stock Android is smooth and delicious, KitKat needs no embellishment. It's time to tone it down a little. By all means stick S Health on there as an optional extra, but please let us uninstall the S apps we don't want and ditch the superfluous doubles. 
A decent pair of stereo speakersSadly there's just one speaker on the S5. We don't want to have to wear headphones or hook up speakers all the time. It's a mobile device. The HTC One clearly demonstrated the benefits of dual front-facing speakers. Sony heard it, because the Z2 has them too. Screens are big enough to watch movies with friends now. How about bringing that sound quality up to scratch? A good set of stereo speakers in the S6 would be welcomed by everyone. A DAB chipWi-Fi isn't always available and mobile data can be costly, so streaming tunes from the cloud or internet radio can be tricky and prohibitively expensive. FM radio seems to be rapidly disappearing from mobile devices and the quality is pretty patchy anyway. Isn't it about time digital radio made it into smartphones? Access to high quality stations without the fiddling or the network connection would open up a world of music, sport, and talk. DAB chips are coming to smartphones and we'd love to see one in the Galaxy S6. Always listeningThe Moto X was a mixed bag, but it's undeniably cool to be able to talk to your phone and have it blink to life. Google continues to improve Now and add more functionality. If the Galaxy S6 was always listening, we'd get more value out of it. Voice recognition is improving fast. Given that our smartphones are starting to connect to wearables, home electronics, and cars, the ability to issue voice commands brings us a step closer to the futuristic utopia we've all been dreaming about. 
A new UXWe already suggested that Touchwiz is no longer adding much value to stock Android, but that doesn't mean it couldn't. A radical rethink of the stagnant UX could wash away childish fonts and pointless features to deliver something fresh and stylish. Samsung must have bags of data on how we interact with our smartphones and a cursory glance at popular launchers reveals a world of possibilities. Be bold Samsung, offer us something new and exciting! As long as it isn't a candy-fuelled, garish, neon nightmare, we'll give it a try.        | | Vodafone expands Roam Like Home beyond Red plans Mar 19th 2014, 04:10, by Farrha Khan 
Vodafone has announced that all post-paid customers will now be offered its Roam Like Home $5 capped roaming to 46 countries starting from March 23, no matter what tier of plan they choose. The telco introduced it's Red plans with the Roam Like Home feature mid last year, and were priced at $65, $80 and $100. The plans allowed customers to roam and use their phone up to their plan allowance for an extra $5 a day in the UK, most of Europe, NZ, US and six countries in Asia. It will now be offered to all post-paid plan tiers, which start at $30, and though existing customers will be able to opt in from next week, the roaming feature will be automatically added for new customers starting from April 23. Simple roamingVodafone is also simplifying it's roaming rates across 200 countries where Vodafone doesn't allow for Roam Like Home. In these countries, which include Fiji, Vietnam, India and Canada, Vodafone will now charge $1 for a 1 minute call or 1MB of data. Vodafone over the last few months has also extended $5 capped roaming to business customers and introduced 4G global roaming.        | | GDC 2014: Unity 5 engine unveiled with better lighting, sound and browser gaming Mar 18th 2014, 20:25, by klee 
Unity is one of the gaming industry's most robust cross-platform engines, and it's been used to create titles such as Shadowgun, Bad Piggies and Gone Home. Now, it's getting an attractive new version 5 update. Unity 5 is officially up for pre-order for developers. Once new games start getting built with the improved engine, players can expect higher quality characters and environments thanks to better lighting and shading. The latest engine brings improvements to dynamic lighting such as a torch or a moving sun. Unity 5 also adds better shadows and reflections to make graphics look more realistic. Beyond visuals, Unity claims it has overhauled its sound system to allow developers to tune sound profiles, so next time your bad piggy might make a different sounding squeal when it's rolling down a tunnel versus when it rode a rocket-powered skateboard. Cross everythingOverall, gamers should expect some nice upgrades in visual and audio fidelity with Unity games. But as the engine is cross-platform, the Unity folks haven't forgotten to make it accommodating for all sorts of devices. Falling in line with Epic's recent move to add more browser gaming to Firefox, Unity is also working with Mozilla to make plugin-free gaming. With WebGL and asm.js support added directly to Unity, gamers will be able to play games such as Dead Trigger 2 over the web without having to download anything or go through a client. In a smaller tweak, Unity 5 is also 64-bit, which should allow games to access more memory on everything from gaming PCs to consoles to 64-bit processor powered smartphones. - Got the gaming bug? Check out our Xbox One and PS4 reviews!
       | | In depth: Ember lights up your night iPhone photography Mar 18th 2014, 20:03, by Marc Flores 
If you've ever found yourself wanting more than what the iPhone 5/5S' camera flash has to offer, you may want to check out Ember, a Kickstarter-backed light for the iPhone. In a nutshell, and as evidenced by its design, Ember is basically a video light that your iPhone can dock into. However, it's smaller and more compact than a video light, but bulkier than your average iPhone case. We spoke with Jedd Goble, creator of Ember, and asked why anyone would buy it over a proper video light. For one, Ember is smaller and more compact than a video light, which makes you more likely to take it with you when you're out at night. 
Of course, it's not so compact that you'll forget you have it with you. You'll probably need to put it in a bag, a larger jacket pocket, or if you're brave you can find a way to fit it in your pants pocket as Goble does. Why Ember and not a video light?Another reason to go with Ember is price. At $90, it's less expensive than your average LED video light, except maybe a few of the smaller ones. And the fact that it's designed to hold your iPhone means you won't have to clamp, hold or stick the iPhone to a video light in awkward ways. The great thing about video lights, and Ember, is that it emits powerful light for photos and videos. You can also control its color temperature with different colored gels or filters. This means you shouldn't have trouble matching the Ember's color of light with your ambient light. Like an LED video light, Ember's light power is dimmable, so you're not hitting your subjects with light at full power every single time you turn it on. Coupled with the ability to modify and diffuse that light, it's really a versatile package for iPhoneographers who are looking to expand their night photography capabilities. Although we wish that the iPhone itself could control the Ember, the nice thing about independent function is that you can use the Ember as a separate light source. This allows you to play with off-camera lighting. At full power, Goble tells us that the Ember will last up to four hours, which is plenty of time since you're probably not going to have this thing on all the time. It's effective to about 15 feet when mounted on the iPhone, and at 10 feet it's six times more powerful than the iPhone's built-in LED flash. If you're not a Kickstarter backer already, this iPhone light is going to set you back $90 as we mentioned before, and it becomes available in July with pre-orders taking place now. The base package comes with the Ember, which can also be mounted on a tripod, and a CTO (color temperature orange) gel. Additional color gels will come in a six-pack and will cost $20.   | | Google Voice app could be set for the chop with Hangouts to reap rewards Mar 18th 2014, 19:32, by Chris Smith 
Google Hangouts has become a pretty versatile communications tool since its introduction last year, allowing instant messaging, picture sharing, video and voice chat. Now, according to reports, the web and mobile giant is about to add the final piece of the puzzle, by totally integrating it's Google Voice service, which allows free domestic and cheap international VoIP calls using a Google Voice number. 9to5Google claims the existing Voice app, which hasn't gravitated beyond the U.S. will be "dragged to the trash" with the functionality consolidated into to Hangouts, making that a one stop shop for all communications needs. To a certain extent, this functionality already exists within the iOS app, but strangely not the Android version of Google Hangouts. Hang on a minute...Any Google Voice integration would make Hangouts much more of a Skype competitor than it currently is, but whether mobile carriers would be too thrilled remains to be seen. Some networks choose to restrict VoIP services over mobile data, something both Apple has experienced with FaceTime video and voice calls. The original report doesn't reference a timeline for the change, but it stands to reason that this summer's Google I/O conference may be as good a time as any. So far, the sentiment from Google fans seems to be: "Just as long as I don't lose my Google Voice number I'll be okay with it," so we'll see what the company has in store. Google in 2014: What to expect        | | Key Apple supplier reportedly buckling up for iPhone 6 production Mar 18th 2014, 19:00, by klee 
Taiwan's Pegatron Corporation, a key player in the assembly Apple iPhones and iPads, is reportedly gearing up to manufacture the new iPhone 6. The Commercial Times has word that the manufacturer has opened up a new factory space on the outskirts of Shanghai at Kunshan. Along with the new facility, Pegatron is also said to be in the midst of a hiring spree to fill the imminent iPhone 6 orders. The newspaper claims this burst of activity is to prepare for iPhone 6 production, which should begin in the second quarter, according to sources the paper wouldn't identify. The report also didn't specify an exact timeline for the release of Apple's new flagship handset. In addition to Pegatron, Hon Hai Precision Industry (otherwise known as Foxconn) will be another main iPhone manufacturer, the Commercial Times said. Things are shaping upThis isn't the first time we've heard early reports about iPhone 6 production. Previously, Taiwanese newspapers reported that the chip manufacturers behind the iPhone 6's A8 mobile processor were also planning to ramp up production for the second quarter. With everything we know about the new iPhone, Apple seems to be pulling all the stops to make version six the smartest phone yet with an array of new sensors. Paired with the new built-in Healthbook app, the iPhone 6 is shaping up to be an activity-minded smartphone that may sync up with the iWatch. But there's still plenty we don't know about the iPhone 6, including what type of screen the smartphone will have. Earlier it seemed as if Apple's new handset might get tougher than Gorilla Glass with a sapphire crystal display, but those rumors were quickly squashed by other sources saying the iWatch would actually receive the harder glass. - A new iPhone also means iOS 8: here's a couple of things we'd like to see
       | | Gary Marshall: The new iPhone 5C is a really bad buy Mar 18th 2014, 15:20, by Gary Marshall 
Imagine. You're buying something exciting and expensive. The sales person makes you an offer. You can have 1/8 off the sticker price if you agree to just one thing: from time to time, the sales person would come round to your house and punch you in the face. The new iPhones and iPads are a bit like that. Apple has made the iPhone 5C cheaper and it's brought the iPad 4 back from the dead, and in both cases it's selling them with lower amounts of storage: 16GB in the case of the cheapest iPad and just 8GB in the lowest-cost iPhone 5C. 8GB? My email signature's bigger than that. Size mattersOkay, not really. But despite my best efforts to export my photos and videos, my ruthless culling of infrequently used apps, my diligent deletion of read messages and mail and my streaming from iTunes Match and Spotify, I've still got 23GB of stuff on my iPhone and even more on my iPad. If you're reading this, you're clearly into tech. You're an HD-shooting, app-using, downloading-for-offline access kinda gal or guy, and that means that even a 16GB phone will get awfully crowded awfully quickly. The latest iPhone 5C may be 10% cheaper, but it's 90% less useful unless you intend to stream absolutely everything, or use it for absolutely nothing. I'm not being a size snob here. There are other iOS devices in my house, my wife's iPhone and my daughter's iPad, and I spend more time managing them than my loved ones spend using them. They don't have sufficient storage, and that's a headache: even minor app updates mean major housekeeping to free up space, and the really big stuff - updating sat-nav apps, buying a film or running an over-the-air iOS update - can mean hours of meddling. A slightly cheaper phone may seem like a good idea, but you'll pay the money you saved again and again in time and tears. Unlike computers and rival firms' devices, whose storage you can expand, if you buy a too-small iOS device there's no way to fix your mistake. At a time when even 16GB feels awfully stingy, opting for an 8GB smartphone is a decision you're likely to regret.        | | New HTC One (M8) announced by UK retailer, available March 25 Mar 18th 2014, 14:30, by Hugh Langley 
UK retailer Carphone Warehouse has got in ahead of HTC and officially announced the name of next phone – and it's called the HTC One (M8). In an email to TechRadar, Carphone confirmed that it'll be selling the phone from "selected stores" starting on Tuesday, March 25. Which means that people in the UK, at least, will be able to get their hands on the M8 just minutes after HTC officially announces it. OutedA few UK Carphone Warehouse stores will be holding special launch events for the phone. As for the rest of the world, hold tight - we suspect the phone will be available just as immediately, but we haven't heard anything. The phone has been leaked in every shape and form over the past few months, so it feels like there's not a lot that HTC will be able to surprise us with come March 25. Still, we'll actually have the phone itself, so that's something.   | | Apple's cheaper 8GB iPhone 5C is now on sale Mar 18th 2014, 09:43, by John McCann 
We learned yesterday that Apple would be launching an 8GB version of its all-plastic iPhone 5C today, and it's done just that - although only in select regions including Australia and Europe, and with little fanfare. If you head over to the Australian version of the Apple Store you'll now see the 8GB 5C lining up alongside its 16GB and 32GB brothers, sporting a price tag AU$679 - AU$60 less than the next size up. It may not be the super cheap iPhone we've all been waiting for, but at least the 8GB iPhone 5C is another step in the right direction by the Cupertino firm. Storage warsWhile it may say 8GB on the box, you won't actually get all that space to yourself, with iOS 7 taking up 2-3GB of the storage. Bear in mind Apple doesn't believe in expandable storage options such as microSD, so you may find your 5C filling up pretty quickly. Apple does give you 5GB of free iCloud storage, which should ease the storage pain, but even that can fill up quickly if you fancy stocking up on movies. There's currently no word on whether the cheaper iPhone 5C will launch in the US, but considering Apple's American roots we'd be surprised if it didn't appear.   | |
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