Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 06-28-2014

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Now you can touch up lovely Lumia snaps with Photoshop Express for WP8 Jun 28th 2014, 14:16, by Chris Smith Adobe has plugged another hole in the Windows Phone 8 catalogue by launching its Photoshop Express app for Microsoft's smartphone OS. The basic editing app, which has been available on iOS and Android for quite some time, arrives on the Windows Phone as a free download. Like most photo editing apps out there, users will be able to access the basic cropping, straightening and rotating, while there's plenty of manual colour and lighting tools to play around with. Naturally, there's a host of Photoshop Filters to play with. Nokia Camera buddy The app arrives on all devices with 512MB of RAM or higher. On Nokia Lumia phones (and let's face it, that's pretty much ever WP phone these days) it'll sit nicely alongside the powerful Nokia Camera app. The photo and video shooting app brings full manual control for devices like the Lumia 1020 and allows users to Refocus their shots after the fact. Nokia 1320 review Roundup: Best of TechRadar: this week's best features and hottest reviews Jun 28th 2014, 07:00, by James Rivington YouTube's 10 greatest mistakes Once the home of video online, has YouTube lost its way? Given its giant head start over the rest of the field, YouTube should probably be the dominant force in online video. Yet in 2014 it is in very real danger of becoming an afterthought. Despite the Google-owned platform's enduring and vast share of global web traffic, it's innovative, forward-thinking and fearless platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, Sky Go and the BBC iPlayer which are dominating the discussion around video streaming. Meanwhile YouTube drifts further and further out of the conversation. Continue reading... How your smartphone is made Faraday cages, drop tests and fake pockets It's all very well sniping from the sidelines when a new phone comes out. It's too big, too plasticky, too Apple-y... most of us are guilty of shirking a handset without thinking about the months, sometimes years, of R&D that's packed into every device - from the cheapest feature phones to the most premium of handsets. Continue reading... Why 3D audio on Netflix will cement the internet as the home of 4K May on 4K Netflix's claims that 4K is the ideal format for the Internet age are sounding increasingly convincing by the day. The announcement that object-based 3D audio format Dolby Atmos is landing on home cinema receivers and processors from every major AV brand this year may at first glance not seem directly relevant to 4K, however it could prove hugely influential on how the format plays out, particularly with home cinema fans. This week's May on 4K YouTube : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/android-l-the-10-things-you-need-to-know-1254965 Android L: the 10 things you need to know It's ahead of schedule, but we've already got an early look at Android L before it rolls out to the consumers properly - Google wants to attract the developers, and this is the way to do it. The Android development team didn't even say if this forthcoming update is to be considered Android 4.5 or the full 5.0 update. But on the plus side, there are still a lot of new features, big visual changes and clever tweaks added to Google's latest refresh to get excited about. Read more about Android L BMW-GoPro camera app makes video easy at 155mph Control your GoPro using your car dash In-car apps sound like a great idea but they're usually little more than gimmicks. Now, though, GoPro and BMW have teamed up to create an in-car camera-control app that's genuinely a little bit awesome. In fact, it makes capturing video even in extreme conditions like 150mph-plus on the German autobahn easy and safe. Well, relatively speaking. It doesn't hurt that our first taste of the app comes courtesy of BMW's epic new M3 super saloon and thousands of miles across Europe (keep your scanners peeled for an in-depth look at the M3 on TechRadar soon). GoPro recording in BMW's latest road weapon at 150mph? Oh, go on then. Withings has got it right: wearables should be something you want to wear If you don't want to wear it, a smartwatch is worthless It's often said that smartphones are driven by fashion, but that isn't really true. There are trends, of course, such as the current vogue for gold. But ultimately if a phone's good enough and doesn't actually frighten small children you won't care too much what it looks like, because you're either using it or it's in your pocket or bag. Wearables are different, and watches especially so. That's why Withings' approach is so impressive. If you look at the Activité, Withings has taken a really beautiful watch design and added a bit of technology. Best sat nav 2014 Could the car sat nav boast the shortest lifespan of any technology yet? Surely our GPS-supporting phones are more than capable of handling our daily car sat nav needs? Settle down, buckle up and get ready for a whizz around the current state of the sat nav industry. Here are the top 13 options to help you get from A to B, arranged in order of their market prices. Best sat nav 2014 Android L vs Android 4.4 - what's new? Does Android L still pack sweet treats? Head of Android Sundar Pichai took to the stage at Google IO 2014 to deliver one of the biggest overhauls of Android yet - a whole new look and some big changes under the hood too. Sadly, it's only a peek at the new OS, as Google tries to appease manufacturers who think launching new versions of Android later in the year ruins plans to get the new platform on handsets for the holidays... but there's still enough to get worked up over. Get the lowdown MacOS through the ages: a visual guide An Apple family photo album When you're busy making photo books in iPhoto, browsing the web in Safari, or preparing rich, beautifully laid-out documents in Pages, it's easy to forget about the operating system that powers your Mac. It's just… there, isn't it? It's such a fundamental part of your Mac that lots of people understandably struggle to even really know what an operating system is. Without one, though, your Mac would just be a pretty but utterly useless collection of metal, plastic and silicates, so let's take a moment to honour the Mac's operating system. MacOS through the ages LG G3 review The LG G3 is a great smartphone – like its predecessor, if you're after power and precision, perhaps over design and form, then this is a winner. The camera and battery combo is sure to win some hearts, and the improved user interface both will attract new users and give relief to those that were put off by the clutter on the G2. However, I think something was lost in design in making the backplate removable – I feel that unibody designs just feel better in the hand thanks to being more solid, and I miss that from the G2. LG G3 review Veho Vecto 360 The Veho Vecto 360 is a wireless Bluetooth speaker with a unique selling point: it's rainproof. Not a bad idea for a travel speaker to be impervious to a bit of rain, actually, so it's surprising that there aren't more out there like it. If you've not heard of Veho before, it's a UK company that's just signed a deal to become Southampton FC's new club sponsor, so you'll probably see the logo around a bit more from now on if you're a footy fan. Veho Vecto review Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 Panasonic is clearly pitching the FZ1000 against the Sony RX10 and it certainly gives it a good run for its money. It may be a little larger and not have quite such a high-quality feel, but the lens is a 25-400mm equivalent rather than a 24-200mm optic, albeit with an f/2.8-4.0 maximum aperture rather than a fixed f/2.8. Our lab results also indicate that the Panasonic camera outperforms the Sony model, but there's not a huge amount in it and both models produce high quality images in the real world. Panasonic FZ1000 review Galaxy F spotted with Samsung's typical gold treatment Jun 27th 2014, 19:57, by klee The Samsung Galaxy F is shaping up to be one of the company's worst kept secret yet and now we've gotten what looks to be a finalized product image of the device in gold. Courtesy of industry insider @evleaks, this latest full-frontal look at the Galaxy F in a color the serial tipster calls "glowing gold." As with previous photos we can see the phone will feature a metalic band along its sides, which also stretch around to the handset's backside. Along with the gold band we also get a clearer look at the Galaxy F's thinner screen bezel, especially on the sides where it seems to measure less than two-millimeters. The last bit of information we can extract from this new image is the Galaxy F will come with a dotted front face where as the Galaxy S5 has a completely clear plastic complexion. Full metal jacket While it might seem like the Galaxy F is just a slightly sized up version of the Galaxy S5 with a 5.3-inch screen the rumored device could be Samsung's first metal encased smartphone. Additionally the device is said to feature a quad-HD display joining the small club of beyond 1080p devices including the LG G3. The device has also been rumored to come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB of RAM, and Android 4.4.3 KitKat. It may also have a 16.3MP rear camera with built-in optical image stabilization and a 2.1MP front facing snapper. Overall a device very much targeted to steal the QHD, higher-spec lighting from the LG G3. It's also very likely Samsung is future proofing this high-end model with supposed specs like LTE-Advanced support to face off with Apple's upcoming iPhone 6. Amazon joins the great smartphone race with its own Android Fire Phone The Phone Show: Android L: Google's answer to iOS 8 Jun 27th 2014, 17:45, by Owen Hughes What a week. Google IO has gifted us with a glimpse of the next Android version; Amazon's Fire Phone is turning heads with its 3D wizardry, and Hugh Langley's gone up a mountain, presumed scared. It doesn't get much better than this. We'll start with the biggest talking point of the week: Android L. Although we were given no hint as to what L-themed sweet the new software is named after, there was otherwise no shortage of info on the next mobile update from Google. Phones and Tablets Writer John McCann tried to stay aloof about the whole thing, brushing it off as no big deal. But with a brand new design, overhauled transitions and 64-bit compatibility under the hood, we're putting his comments down to too much sun and a serious Key Lime Pie deficiency. We've also been wrapping our heads around the Amazon Fire Phone and pondering whether Amazon's heavy investment in 3D will pay off. But why are you still here reading this? Click the play button below to watch us discuss all in this week's Phone Show. FutTv : 9KzL87kdqIxSC Updated: LG G3 release date: where can I get it? Jun 26th 2014, 12:04, by John McCann The LG G3 has touched down in all its glory, bringing a spangly new QHD screen and some meaty specs, including a laser focus 13MP rear camera and a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor. The phone has been available in Korea since May 28, but now the LG G3 has made it to the UK. But who is stocking the new handset, and perhaps most importantly, who's offering you the best deal? Well, we've done the hard work for you, rounding up the places offering LG's new handset and the prices they're asking for it. Three Three has the LG G3 in stock for home delivery and the 16GB black version can be had for free on two year contracts starting at £35 per month giving you 600 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited data or unlimited minutes and texts plus 2GB of data. Stretch to £38 per month and you can get unlimited everything for no upfront cost. There's no PAYG option though. O2 You'll also find the LG G3 in stock over at O2, and it's offering it up on its Refresh tariff where you can claim unlimited texts and minutes plus 2GB of £38 per month and no upfront cost. O2 also has the LG G3 on PAYG, although you'll need to part with £529.99 up front which is pretty cheap - you can get it SIM-free for less. Vodafone Vodafone has confirmed that it will be stocking the LG G3, but for now there's still no word on price, tariffs or release date. Carphone Warehouse You can pick up the LG G3 in while, gold and black at Carphone Warehouse as well, where the handset is available on contracts from EE (including T-Mobile and Orange), Vodafone and O2. If you don't want to put any money down up front you'll have to be prepared to pay at least £38 per month for two years. You can also pick up the LG G3 up SIM-free for an extremely reasonable £479.95, making it cheaper than the iPhone 5S, HTC One M8, Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2. EE and Phones 4 U Both EE and Phones 4 U have confimed they won't be stocking the LG G3. Online retailers Online retailer Unlocked-Mobiles has stock of the SIM-free black LG G3 and it's asking just £489.98 for it, which sounds pretty cheap to us. If you are holding out for the white or gold options then Unlocked reckons gold stock will arrive on July 1 while white will apparently lag behind getting in on July 7. Clove has already sold out of its first batch of LG G3 stock, but it is expecting more to arrive on July 30. The SIM-free 16GB LG G3 will set you back £492 here. Expansys is expecting stock of the gold and black LG G3 in the next few days, while the while version will be arriving - pricing is £489.99 for the SIM-free handset across the board.

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