Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 05-26-2014

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Buying guide: The best HTC One M8 cases May 26th 2014, 12:00, by Dean Quinn The best HTC One M8 cases The new HTC flagship; super-sleek Android 4.4 operating system, unrivalled design and build quality, HTC Sense 6.0. The list of positives is endless. Perhaps the only thing it hasn't got going for it is the waterproofing qualities sported by the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2, which means to feel super-safe you need extra protection for this brilliant smartphone. Of course, keeping it free and fresh makes sense: it's one of the most beautiful handsets around, so why would you imprison it in a bulky case? But if you must keep your HTC One M8 looking good and safe from breakages then you'll need a case. So here's a list of some of the best cases you can get for the HTC One M8. HTC Dot View Case Price: £35 (US $50, AU$60) The people who made the phone are in as good a position as anyone to knock up a top-notch case for the HTC One M8, and that's exactly what HTC has gone and done with the Dot View Case. Fashioned from hardwearing plastic and soft-touch rubber the Dot View Case not only brings a splash of retro styling but also works in conjunction with the HTC One M8 to bring users weather, time and notifications in an incredibly cool way. The phone's screen pushes out these notifications in such a way that they appear as old-school dot-matrix displays through the many dots punctuating the front cover. The only downside is it can be hard to actually use the phone if you wrap the front flap right round, as it sticks out a little. But you can even use motion gestures for things like waking the device when the screen is covered too. Impressive. OtterBox Defender Series Case Price: US$60 (about £36, AU$65) OtterBox certainly knows its industry. It has been knocking out impressive protective cases for mobile devices since 1998, the latest of which is an addition to the firm's popular Defender Series for the HTC One M8. The Defender case has a synthetic rubber outer slipcover to protect from drops and bumps and a two-piece internal shell with foam padding for shock absorption. This chunky yet stylish case is perfect for those whose jobs involve a bit of rough and tumble. The case also features an integrated screen protector that saves the 5-inch SLCD display from a battering but which doesn't hamper touchscreen sensitivity, as well as a handy belt-clip holster that doubles as a kick-stand. Speck CandyShell Grip Case Price: US$35 (about £21, AU$38) One for the extremely butterfingered, US accessories manufacturer Speck's CandyShell Grip Case is laden with rubberised ridges across its rear panel to prevent slippage from perspiring paws. This one we feel is aimed more at those with a penchant for incessant texting and gaming, both of which are activities we've seen cause phones being flung from the grasp of their users. There's no screen protection as such - just a cut-out to allow you to prod at the bare touchscreen and raised bezel to prevent the display from shattering if dropped. But the rest of the device is enveloped in a hardwearing polycarbonate shell for 'muliti-layered protection'. The CandyShell Grip Case allows the device's infra-red blaster to be used too as there's a little cut-out especially for the beams to escape. If you want to show off the lovely brushed aluminium bodywork of the HTC One M8 then this case isn't for you. If you want to keep that bodywork intact without breaking the bank though, we'd highly recommend. Case Mate Barely There Case Price: £13 (US $25, about AU$24) The Case Mate Barely There case comes in a clear version meaning that you can bask in the HTC One's metallic glory without worrying about messing it all up with scratches. As the name would suggest, this smartphone protector is hardly noticeable and won't spoil your M8's looks. However, whilst this minimalist approach is to be applauded, you do wish that its creators had made it a little bit sturdier. But if you like things minimal, the soft-touch outer isn't at all bulky and keeps the phone's slim line profile, and there's a bezel to prevent the display from being scratched by surfaces when you lay it down. Drop it from anything more than table height though and this case probably won't save your pride and joy. Case Mate Naked Tough Case Price: £20 ($35, about $37) For just a little extra you can fix yourself up with another of Case Mate's creations in the form of the Naked Tough Case. Offering rugged protection but still letting the HTC flagship's beauty shine through, this clear shell is an affordable option for those who don't want to hide their M8 away under an awful shell. The Naked Tough Case is as straightforward as you like - no mod-cons such as kickstands or belt-clips here, just a svelte, translucent hardwearing cover. As with the majority of the products covered here, there is a raised bezel around the cut-out for the display to stop it coming into contact with surfaces. Where this two-piece snap-on case differs though is that it has a bumper around the perimeter edge for improved shock absorption should you drop the phone that's wearing it. Nice touch Case Mate. Noreve Leather Case Price: £34 (US$56, AU$64) Parisian style comes to mobile tech protection thanks to French luxury goods maker Noreve, although the firm's lush leather offering may be a bit on the pricey side But for that cash, it doesn't half look and feel nice. Well-crafted seams and stitching lend this product an air of sophistication, and it's practical too with cut-outs for the camera module, volume rocker and connectivity ports, as well as the front-facing lens and speaker grille. It has a nice amount of padding to protect your device, the lining is embossed with the Noreve insignia and you get to chose from 11 colours and no fewer than 14 different finishes. Spigen Slim Armour Price: US$25 (about £15, AU$27) This snap-on case is 'designed to protect all angles' and has shock absorption zones at the top and bottom edges, as well as each corner to do just that. A sturdy effort without being overtly bulky, this case really does live up to its name with a dual-layer of protection comprising of TPU on the interior and a hard polycarbonate outer. Much like the Naked Tough Case, the Spigen Slim Armour doesn't detract from the HTC One M8's aesthetics at all - it's 'form-fitted'. Spigen has even gone so far as to treat the middle section of the case with a UV coating so as to prevent fading in the sun. Now if that isn't going above and beyond in terms of keeping your M8 from harm, we don't know what is. Tech21 Impact Tactical Case Price: £25 (US$35, about AU$46) You'd be forgiven for dismissing the NASA-eque name as marketing spiel but delve a little deeper and you'll discover that this chunk of phone armour actually features some impressive space-age technology. You see, alongside a nice, matt-textured TPU outer-shell, the Tech21 Impact Tactical Case is packed full of something called D30. The stuff itself is akin to the Silly Putty you might have played with as a kid and manifests itself here as a continuous bar around the perimeter of the case, both inside and out. It's said to absorb the kinetic energy generated from a drop and disperse it evenly around the case, thus preventing breakage. This video of the technology in use shows that it's good stuff to have in a phone case too, even if it does add about 1cm of girth to the profile of your device. Thinking about buying the HTC One M8? Read our in depth review and let us help you make up your mind. Qantas to make flying easier with updates iOS app May 26th 2014, 04:14, by Farrha Khan Available from today, Qantas has updated its iOS app to add major features such as alerts for flight times and boarding and integration with Google for easier navigation. The app will now suggest the best way to check-in for your flight, gives you live "up to the minute" flight info, as well as giving flight and boarding alerts. Baggage carousel and boarding gate information will also be available on the app. It will also tell you where you are in the terminal and which lounges you have access to. Qantas's updated app can also pull information through Google Maps to remind you when to leave for the airport and navigate what the best route to the airport is from your current location. Flying easy Qantas is calling the app a "full service travel companion", which it is hopes will anticipate your travel needs. "It creates a personalised travel timeline to make airport departures and arrivals a breeze," said Qantas Domestic Chief Executive Officer Lyell Strambi. The update is optimised for iOS 7, and along with the above updates, still allows users to book flights and hotels, and check for fare sales and their frequent flyer points. According to Qantas, prior the update, over half a million customers were already using the app. While the airline hasn't said anything about a Windows Phone update, it did say that an Android update will be released later this year. Speaking of flying, have you heard of Telstra's in-flight internet plans? Samsung Music Hub staying alive Down Under May 26th 2014, 02:04, by Farrha Khan Last week, Samsung sent an email to Samsung Music users explaining that the service would "no longer be available" from July 1. The company suggested to users to download their purchases from the cloud and to use any remaining credit or vouchers before the end of the month. Soon after, Ausdroid reported that Samsung Australia had other plans for its Music Hub Down Under. In a statement sent to TechRadar, Samsung Australia said: "Samsung Music Hub in Australia has been developed for this country and for Australian customers. It is a separate platform from other music channels offered in other overseas markets." Aussie life While the service is set to continue in Australia, there has been no indication from Samsung Australia on just how long the Music Hub will remain in the country, though it will seemingly for a while yet. "Samsung Electronics Australia remains committed to Samsung Music Hub in Australia and providing an amazing music experience through our products," it said. "We currently have no plans to discontinue Samsung Music Hub in this country." It is likely the Aussie service is continuing due to licensing deals it has made with local artists and labels, though as a global strategy, we can't help but assume that the Music Hub will eventually shut up shop as well once those local deals have expired. Globally, Samsung has not given a specific reason as to why it will be getting rid of its Music service or if other Samsung-branded services for videos, books and games will close also. Is Samsung Sound the company's bid for audio domination? Hashtags get a new role as Twitter tests video clip suggestions May 25th 2014, 19:22, by Chris Smith Twitter may be looking to add new functionality to tweets, with the social network currently testing video suggestions that pop up when users throw a specific hashtag into the mix. As Recode points out, some users of the iOS app are being offered video clips from the new Seth McFarlane movie when they start typing the hashtag #amillionwaystodieinthewest. Once the video is selected, it appears within the tweet as if a user posted embedded a YouTube clip, or uploaded footage from their smartphone. At the moment it appears to be in a partnership with content providers, is only available to iOS users at present and doesn't appear to be working with other hashtags at this time. Added value Twitter, for its part, offered its usual response to an enquiry, saying it "experiments all the time," but if the feature eventually rolls out, it could prove useful for users and, potentially a new revenue stream for Twitter. If users were, for example, able to add a clip from the show when posting about #GameOfThrones to illustrate the part of the show they enjoyed most, it would add a little more value to tweets, while also giving readers a reason to stay on the site longer by viewing the video. Also, if Twitter plans on making this functionality available to partners, it could earn a few bucks by renting out the hashtags to content providers. LG G3 fully revealed in dummy unit snaps ahead of official launch May 25th 2014, 18:32, by Chris Smith Another day, another peek at the LG G3. Only this time it's not a peek, it's a full blown gawp at the device in all its glory. Days before the official launch, a dummy unit has reportedly been photographed at a mobile phone store in LG's Korean homeland. The all-white unit shows the rear-mounted volume rocker, the sleek design and the positioning of the USB port, IR blaster and 3.5mm headphone jack. As GSM Arena points out, the unit also shows what will probably be the default wallpaper for the LG G3. You tease, LG... In the last couple of weeks LG has launched teaser videos for the device, which will be revealed at an event on May 27. There has also been several leaks of press renders and spy shots in the build up to the launch, while LG itself has confirmed the device will have a 5.5-inch qHD display. In a recent advert, the firm also confirmed the G3 will also have 3GB of RAM at its disposal and a Snapdragon 801 processor doing the heavy lifting. There doesn't seem to be much much left to tell, when the firm officially takes the wrappers of its new flagship device. Can the G3 surpass the popular LG G2? Here's our review

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