| Early view: Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini vs Sony Xperia Z1 Compact Jul 2nd 2014, 14:00, by James Rogerson 
Until now the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact has arguably reigned as king of the compacts and mayor of the minis, with its impressively high end specs and premium build. But Samsung's back and has its eye on the throne with a shrunk down version of its latest flagship, the Galaxy S5 Mini. So has Samsung taken a similar approach to Sony? And how do these two pint sized prospects compare? We've got all the answers. DesignThe Galaxy S5 Mini stays very close to the design of the Samsung Galaxy S5. In other words it has a mottled plastic back cover and faux-metallic edging, while at 131.1 x 64.8 x 9.1mm and 120g it's fairly small and light, somewhat living up to its name. 
The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact certainly looks the better of the two, thanks to real metal around the edge and a glass back. For better or worse it's more angular than the S5 Mini, but it certainly looks more premium. That metal and glass comes at a cost though, as it's a little heavier at 137g. It's also slightly thicker, measuring 127 x 64.9 x 9.5mm. It's worth noting that both the S5 Mini and the Xperia Z1 Compact are dust and water resistant, with IP67 and IP58 certifications respectively. 
ScreenThe Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini has a fairly large 4.5-inch Super AMOLED screen, pushing the definition of mini. The good news is that with that large size comes a decent 720 x 1280 resolution, for a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch. 
The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact has a slightly smaller 4.3-inch IPS LCD display, but it has the same 720 x 1280 resolution, so its pixel density is actually a marginally higher 342 pixels per inch. That's not likely to be a noticeable difference and both are among the best that you're likely to find on a smaller size smartphone. PowerBoth the Galaxy S5 Mini and the Xperia Z1 Compact have gone quad-core, so neither should feel short on power, but there are some substantial differences between them. 
The S5 Mini has an own-brand 1.4GHz quad-core processor paired with 1.5GB of RAM, while the Xperia Z1 Compact has a meaty 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM, so despite being older it should still be the more powerful of the two. Operating system
Both handsets run Android 4.4 KitKat, however their UI's are quite different as the S5 Mini uses Samsung's TouchWiz, while the Z1 Compact uses Sony's Android UI. It's subjective as to which is better, but Sony's one is a lot closer to stock Android, while TouchWiz is more feature packed and includes Samsung staples like S Health. CameraThese two shrunken smartphones come with very different cameras. The Galaxy S5 Mini has an 8MP snapper inherited from the S4 Mini, coupled with a 2.1MP camera on the front. -420-90.jpg)
The Xperia Z1 Compact on the other hand has a 20.7MP main camera, so we'd be surprised if the S5 Mini can compete with it. The Z1 Compact even has a dedicated shutter button, so there's no need to tap on the screen. There's less difference on the front though as the Z1 Compact has a 2MP snapper above the screen. Both phones also have an LED flash and various shooting modes, such as Virtual Tour on the S5 Mini and Timeshift Burst on the Xperia Z1 Compact. BatteryThe Galaxy S5 Mini has a 2100mAh juice pack. Samsung hasn't released any battery stats but it comes with the same Ultra Power Saving Mode as the Galaxy S5, so one way or another you're likely to be able to eke a lot of life out of it. 
The Xperia Z1 Compact has a slightly bigger 2300mAh battery which we've found can easily last a day of use and has its own battery saving features in the form of Stamina mode. ConnectivityThe two phones have more or less identical connectivity options. They both support Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. However the Galaxy S5 Mini one-ups its competitor with an IR blaster. -420-90.jpg)
Their storage capacities are totally identical, with 16GB built in along with a microSD card slot that supports cards of up to 64GB. Extra featuresThe Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini inherits two of the main features of its larger sibling, namely a fingerprint scanner buried under the home button and a heart rate monitor below the camera lens. We're not convinced that a heart rate monitor on a phone is likely to get much use, but it's there if you want it. 
The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact doesn't really have any extra features that haven't already been covered. What you see is essentially what you get, but when that's a high end, good looking smartphone in a small package that's no bad thing. PriceSamsung hasn't announced the price of its S5 Mini yet, but we expect that it will cost roughly £350-£400 when it starts its global roll-out in July. 
The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact carries a similar SIM free price tag, coming in at around £350. Hopefully the S5 Mini will land at that end of the price range, as if it creeps up to £400 it could be a tough sell. Early verdictThe Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini looks like a compelling little handset, but on paper at least it doesn't quite match up to the Xperia Z1 Compact, which has a superior design, more power and in all likelihood a better camera. -420-90.jpg)
The only edge the S5 Mini really seems to have is its heart rate monitor and fingerprint scanner and while your mileage may vary with them we'd be inclined to say that they veer more towards gimmicks than genuinely useful features.        |  | Early view: Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini vs Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini: what's new? Jul 2nd 2014, 10:36, by James Rogerson 
Samsung's Galaxy S4 Mini was a popular little smartphone and one we were rather fond of too, but it's had its time to shine and soon it will be taking a back seat to the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini (although we all know it'll be on the shop shelves for the next 7,000 years still). The question is, just what has changed in the new handset? And is it really much better than its predecessor? Well strap in, and prepare your brain for answers to both of those questions... plus, there will also be some pictures too. Keep your hands and arms inside the carriage. DesignThe Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is basically just a shrunken-down Samsung Galaxy S5, so the name is rather fitting. It has a perforated plastic back cover and a shiny metallic edge, but don't be fooled, it's plastic through and through. At 131.1 x 64.8 x 9.1mm and 120g it's obviously smaller and lighter than the Galaxy S5, but it's not exactly tiny.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini takes the same approach (funnily enough), being as it is a smaller version of the Samsung Galaxy S4, at least on the surface, with a plastic back and faux-metallic edge. In fact it looks a lot like the Galaxy S5 Mini too, except slightly more rounded and less industrial looking. At 124.6 x 61.3 x 8.9mm and 107g it's also smaller, lighter and ever so slightly slimmer than its successor. 
However the Galaxy S5 Mini is definitely the more durable of the two, as it's IP67 certified dust and water resistant, which the Galaxy S4 Mini isn't. ScreenThe Galaxy S4 Mini has a 4.3 inch 540 x 960 Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 256 pixels per inch. It's a decent, bright screen but the resolution is a little on the low end.
Not so in the Galaxy S5 Mini with its 4.5 inch 720 x 1280 Super AMOLED display. OK, so that's still not Full HD, but it's a substantial improvement over the S4 Mini, and gives it a much sharper 326 pixels per inch, despite the increased size. PowerSamsung's tucked a fair bit of power away behind the Galaxy S5 Mini's diminutive shell. It has an own-brand 1.4GHz quad-core processor and 1.5GB of RAM, which puts it close to high-end, although without all the power and efficiency of the Snapdragon 801 that resides in the full-fat Galaxy S5. 
Assuming Samsung's in-house processor is any good that's quite an upgrade over the Galaxy S4 Mini which is lumbered with a 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, though it manages the same amount of RAM at 1.5GB. Operating systemThese are both Android handsets and both use Samsung's TouchWiz interface. However while the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is launching with Android 4.4, the Galaxy S4 Mini is currently still on Android 4.3. 
We wouldn't be surprised if the S4 Mini gets an upgrade, but the S5 Mini is likely to be supported with software updates for longer, and will be earlier to get a taste of Android L when it launches later in the year. CameraThere's very little different on the camera front. Both phones have an 8 megapixel rear snapper complete with an LED flash, but selfie fans can rejoice as the Galaxy S5 Mini fares slightly better with a 2.1 megapixel front-facing camera, compared to the Galaxy S4 Mini's 1.9 megapixel offering. 
We were quite impressed by the Galaxy S4 Mini's camera both for its photo quality and variety of modes and options and we expect the same will be true of the Galaxy S5 Mini. It's a shame that the megapixel count hasn't been upped, but if Samsung has improved the sensor and software then the amount of pixels is irrelevant, as 8MP is more than enough to get a good picture. BatteryThe Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini has a 2100mAh battery, which is a reasonable size for a mid-range phone. We haven't had a chance to put it through its paces yet but we're cautiously optimistic that it will fare well, particularly with the help of Samsung's Ultra Power Saving mode. 
The Galaxy S4 Mini has a smaller 1900 mAh power pack, but then it has a smaller screen to power, fewer pixels and just a dual-core processor. In practice we found that it easily lasted a day or more, so it's got a decent amount of life, but for the time being it's hard to say just how well the Galaxy S5 Mini will compare. ConnectivityBoth the Galaxy S5 Mini and the Galaxy S4 Mini support Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC and they're even both equipped with IR blasters so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they're fully loaded with connectivity options. 
On the storage front the Galaxy S5 Mini has 16GB built in, while the Galaxy S4 Mini has just 8GB. However both phones also have a microSD card slot with support for cards of up to 64GB. Extra featuresThis section is necessary purely for the Galaxy S5 Mini's sake, as we could hardly fail to mention its fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor. These are exactly what they sound like, and will presumably be every bit as useful/gimmicky as they were on the Galaxy S5. Whether they're a significant selling point is debatable, but the S5 Mini has them, while the S4 Mini doesn't, and it shows that Samsung sees the S5 Mini as a real brother to the S5, where the Galaxy S3 Mini from a couple of years ago was just a re-badged budget phone - hats off, Samsung. PriceSamsung hasn't yet confirmed how much the Galaxy S5 Mini will sell for but we're wagering that it will be around £350-£400 SIM free. 
That's a whole lot more than the Galaxy S4 Mini which can currently be picked up for around £250 without a contract. But then the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is a newer, and almost certainly better, phone, so it might just be worth the extra outlay. Early verdictThe Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini looks to be a marked improvement on the Galaxy S4 Mini in a number of ways, from its larger, higher resolution screen, to its dust and water resistant build, its quad-core processor, its extra storage and its fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor.
Of course it's also likely to be a lot more expensive and not everything's been upgraded compared to the S4 Mini. Both phones are plastic, they both have similar cameras and the same selection of connectivity options. The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is certainly the better phone but whether it's £100-£150 better could be debatable - but you know what we're all about here, so the best review and versus verdicts will be appearing here on TechRadar in the next month or so - stay tuned!        | | Microsoft joins LG, Qualcomm and co. in connected home club Jul 2nd 2014, 10:31, by John McCann 
Microsoft has joined the AllSeen Alliance, a group of over 50 companies committed to establishing the Internet of Things. The AllSeen Alliance, spearheaded by Qualcomm, is working on a range of standards for all manufacturers to adopt, allowing their devices to communicate with others using the same standards. The software giant will rub shoulders with Qualcomm, LG, Panasonic, Sharp and more in the Alliance. With the inclusion of Microsoft into the mix we could see future Surface tablets and Lumia handsets adopting the standards and thus potentially allowing you to use these devices to control things such as burglar alarms, TVs, heating and lighting in your home. Which way?The AllSeen Alliance doesn't have it all its own way though, with some companies believing in different solutions. Apple for example is creating its own offering with the recent announcement of HomeKit, while rival chip manufacturers are also said to be readying their own set of standards. Game, on.        | | Got a Nexus 4 or original Nexus 7? Good news: Android L confirmed! Jul 2nd 2014, 08:30, by John McCann 
We can now safely say that Android L will be rolled out to the Nexus 7 (2013), the original Nexus 7 (2012), Nexus 5, Nexus 4 and Nexus 10. That's because Google has released source code for more Nexus devices to developers, allowing them to install the early version of Android L on more handsets. During Google I/O the search giant announced source code for the Nexus 7 (2013) and Nexus 5, which left many wondering if older devices would see Android L at all. The new code releases also support the Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi + cellular Nexus 7 tablets - both new and old - ensuring every base is covered. Drawing the lineThere's no word on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus or the Nexus S, and we suspect that Google may well have drawn the line here and won't be supporting the handsets which launched with Ice Cream Sandwich and Gingerbread respectively. While the code may be available to developers, Android L isn't due to launch on consumer devices until September or October this year - so you'll have to wait patiently for a few more months.        | | Vodafone bucks trend, adds more data to Red plans Jul 2nd 2014, 06:22, by Farrha Khan 
It's been just under a year since Vodafone launched its Red plans, and while other telcos have been accused of lowering data allowances, Vodafone is adding to the data allowances of its Red plans. It's old $65 plan included 1.5GB of data, while $80 per month gave you 2.5GB and $100 gave 5GB. Starting today, $100 will now give you 6GB of data and $80 a month jumps you to 4GB. Meanwhile, the $65 plan tier gets a price hike up to $70 a month, though you do get double the amount of data at 3GB for just $5 extra. SIM only plans will see you spending $50 per month for 3GB, $60 per month for 4GB and $80 for 6GB. Topped upSimilar to Optus' automatic tier-jumping for its My Plans, Vodafone has introduced automatic $10 data top-ups for an extra 1GB for new and upgrading customers, with no limit to how often the data top-up is added. Existing customers will be prompted via SMS if they want to add a $10 1GB Data Booster, which will expire at the end of the month. Vodafone has also introduced what it is calling the Data Workout, which will give new customers unlimited data usage for two months to help understand their usage patterns. Vodafone will then contact the user to help decide which plan best suits their data needs. While all plans include unlimited national voice calls and SMS, as well as $5 Roam Like Home in 47 countries, each tier also now includes 300 international standard minutes per month to call anywhere in the world from Australia.   | | Google grabs mood music app Songza, hints at YouTube integration Jul 2nd 2014, 01:45, by Chris Smith 
Google has confirmed the acquisition of mobile music streaming app Songza and has announced plans to integrate it within YouTube and other Google music products. The Songza app users powerful curation algorithms and DJ-created playlists in order to pull together radio stations based on the weather, moods, the time of day, activities and more. Now it is in the hands of Google, although the terms of the deal remain undisclosed. In its announcement the Google said it'd be built into its Play Music service, but also hinted Songza may have a place within the forthcoming YouTube music subscription service. No immediate changes"Exciting news today - we're thrilled to welcome Songza to Google," the firm wrote. "They've built a great service which uses contextual expert-curated playlists to give you the right music at the right time. We aren't planning any immediate changes to Songza, so it will continue to work like usual for existing users. Over the coming months, we'll explore ways to bring what you love about Songza to Google Play Music. "We'll also look for opportunities to bring their great work to the music experience on YouTube and other Google products." The takeover was originally rumoured last month by the New York Post, with the pager suggested a somewhat low price of $15m (around £9m, AU$16m). The deal comes after Apple splashed out $3 billion (around £1.75, AU$3.1) on Beats, but it's rather unlikely Google forked over anywhere close to that.        | | Narcissism wins again with Vine's 'Loop Count' Jul 1st 2014, 17:59, by Juan Martinez 
As if we needed another way to measure the popularity of our cat, baby and selfie videos, Vine has created a counter that enables users to monitor how many times people watch one of their videos. Think of "Loop Count" as an addition to the endless stream of content validation features on social media, such as "Likes," "Favorites" and "Views." Vine users will be able to determine how many "loops" a video has received based on the number in the bottom right corner of a video - similar to how we monitor YouTube views. However, unlike similar features on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, loops only count if a viewer views a video more than once. For example: one click does not count as a loop; however, if a viewer clicks and watches a video twice, the video will receive two loops. Previously, users could only monitor the success of their posts based on "Likes" and "ReVines." In addition to allowing users to monitor their own stats, Loop Count will provide viewers with details on which videos are worth watching based on how others have responded to the content. They actually tested this...Vine, which is owned by Twitter, has been testing the feature since April 3. Any videos created prior to that date will feature an icon that indicates the total number of views might actually be higher than indicated (because narcissism, that's why). Loop Counts are available on mobile and desktop versions of Vine. Vine has also added a notification mechanism that lets users know when posts reach milestones like 25 or 100 "Likes" (as if you're not maniacally monitoring this already). In May, Vine announced that the web version of the mobile app will allow visitors to view content without being a registered member. One month earlier, Vine added a feature that lets users send each other private, direct messages (which will come in handy after you've looped someone's video 500 times).        | | Nokia Lumia 930 and 635 landing in Australia later this month Jul 1st 2014, 05:42, by Farrha Khan 
Microsoft's latest flagship handset is about to land in Australia in the form of the Nokia Lumia 930, with the low-end Nokia Lumia 635 following along - though both will come sporting Windows Phone 8.1. The Lumia 930 packs a 2.2GHz quad-coare Snapdragon 800 processor, 32GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM. You also get a 2,420mAh battery, LTE and Bluetooth 4.0 LE, as well as a 5-inch Full HD display. A 20MP PureView camera sits at the back while an HD 1.2MP wide-angle camera sits on the front. SiblingsWhile the Lumia 930 will be available through all major Aussie telcos and retailers with a price tag of $729, the lower-end Lumia 635 is so far only confirmed through Optus and Telstra. With a price tag of $279, the Lumia 635 also sports 4G capabilities, as well as a 4.5-inch LCD display, 1830mAh battery and a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor. With no confirmed date just yet, both handsets are set to hit stores in July, so keep an eye out over the next few weeks.   | |
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