With video gaming a sport in its own right, smartphones have no other choice but raise their game too. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play has strong ties to Sony’s gaming rigs, both portable and not, and Sony’s a big name in gaming. So, what does all this pedigree bring? Games from the original PlayStation for one, with PlayStation 2 titles coming in the near future. The PlayStation Pocket game store comes with 50 games at launch optimized for the Play. You’ll certainly also appreciate the familiar feeling and design of the gaming buttons. . So, let’s have a look at the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play. They stitched thumbs to the robot: meaning a DualShock controller stitched to a 4” touchscreen in a side-slider form factor. A smartphone version of the PSP Go but with more processing power isn’t far off the truth either. Especially now that the PSP Go is officially discontinued. Here’s a quick summary of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play: That’s the smartphone half of the XPERIA Play equation. It measures up pretty good as a droid and even though it can’t compete with the latest flagships, it’s got more than enough on its spec sheet for day to day use. Mobile gaming is at an all time high. Everyone carries a phone around and everyone has gaps in their day to fill, making mobile games the time-killer of choice for millions of people. Those are usually simple games optimized for touchscreen input, usually with just one or two controls. But some want more compelling games and those require more elaborate controls. The XPERIA Play is the first phone in recent years that has the proper hardware controls. The added tactile feedback is a major plus. Android also seems as a nice software platform of choice for its potential.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA PLAY official photosKey features
Main disadvantages
Sony Ericsson XPERIA PLAY live shots
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Monday, April 25, 2011
Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play review: Bring your 'A' game
2011 Tech Review: Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II preview: Second Encounter (google, adroid, phone, pda, tech, news, update)
Having earned its place in the Android hall of fame, the original Galaxy S can start thinking about retirement. And these won’t be thoughts of fear and worry. With a replacement on its way, the veteran can look forward to getting the respects it deserves. And what a replacement it is. Samsung’s Galaxy lineup is home of some of the world’s finest droids. But the I9100 Galaxy S II is special. The forerunner was in contention for the Best Droid title and more than once got a hand on it. But it was only a matter of time for the competition to eventually catch up and even get ahead. The Galaxy S II aims to put Samsung back in the lead. The success of the original Galaxy S was based on four key features: the big Super AMOLED screen, the processing power, the 720p video recording and the ever evolving Android. The Galaxy S II is not just a cursory update – it upgrades all the key ingredients of its predecessor. The Super AMOLED Plus looks better and is more power efficient. The powerful dual-core processor and faster graphics make the Galaxy S II a silky smooth performer in web browsing and media. On top of that, Samsung has really listened to the users. They’ve added a LED flash to the camera – and 8 MP sounds like they finally mean business. Not to mention the full HD videos were quite impressive. There is even more – the Galaxy S II has ditched the glossy battery cover in favor of a textured surface that makes the phone appear both more mature and durable. The Galaxy S II is slightly bigger than its predecessor, but thinner and lighter. It’s a monster of a smartphone with a killer screen and premium imaging. You can bet the Gingerbread ticking inside feels right at home. 
Samsung Galaxy S II official photosSamsung I9100 Galaxy S II at a glance:
Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II
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2011 Cell Phone Review: Motorola Atrix 4G review: Enter the Atrix
25-April-2011: It was the alliance with Android that put Motorola out of the woods. Like every partnership, it’s been a series of peaks and dips but every now and then the relationship between Motorola and Android goes beyond a mere marriage of convenience and well into a simmering love affair. They did it with the MILESTONEs and the DROID X, the BACKFLIP and the DEFY. With the ATRIX 4G, Moto says it has no plans to live in the shadows of other big makers. The Motorola ATRIX 4G is the first dual-core smartphone in the Motorola line-up. It’s also the first to flaunt a qHD touchscreen. That’s as solid as credentials get. Add the fact it’s the first handset for Motorola to support the fast HSDPA+ network (hence the 4G moniker) and you’ve got yourself a Droid that’s not afraid of what comes next. Dual core is certainly the next big thing in mobile phones and the Motorola ATRIX deserves credit for being among the first – our bad really, this review isn’t exactly on time. But there are other bold decisions that Motorola had to make. The HD and laptop docks for one – though the concept is not exactly original, Motorola is trying to make it mainstream. The added fingerprint scanner is not new either but well forgotten old does just as well. Plus, it will satisfy the privacy freak in all of us. Anyway, the standard package is what we’re interested in and this is what our review will focus on. The optional extras can wait. The ATRIX is more important to us a phone (a dual-core smartphone, to be precise) than a wannabe laptop or a potential entertainment dock. Let’s waste no more time and take a glimpse of the ATRIX 4G’s key features. The ATRIX 4G is certainly the most powerful phone Motorola has made so far. With a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB worth of RAM and the ultra low power GeForce GPU under its hood, the ATRIX 4G is set to win the hearts and minds of power users. Garnish all this premium hardware with a 5MP camera with dual LED flash and a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen of qHD resolution of 540x960 pixels, and the ATRIX 4G is more than ready to play with the other dual-core kids.
Motorola ATRIX 4G official photosKey features
Main disadvantages
Motorola ATRIX 4G live photos
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Is this what the Apple iPhone 5 will look like? (Sneak, preview, tech, report, "iPhone 4", iOS, Auckland)
When it comes to Apple’s next iPhone, the rumor mill never seems to stop producing noise on how the iPhone 5 is going to look like and what hardware it’ll pack. Well, Engadget’s former editor Joshua Topolsky says he has some new information regarding how the next smartphone from Cupertino might look like. What you see on the left is a mockup designed with the help of all the information and rumors from various sources that Topolsky claims are "not to ignore". While many people expect Apple to pull a “3GS” on the iPhone 5, this mockup screams exactly the opposite. According to those sources, the iPhone 5 will look more like the iPod Touch and the still hard-to-find iPad 2. Not only that, but the home button is going to double as a gesture area and gestures are almost certainly going to be unleashed in a future version of iOS. The rumors of a bigger screen are confirmed here as well. The iPhone 5 is expected to feature an expanded 3.7-inch screen, covering the device almost edge to edge. Hardware-wise, the next iPhone is expected to sport the faster A5 processor and an updated 8 megapixel camera, but that’s not something we haven’t heard before. According to Topolsky, Apple has been experimenting a lot with the iPhone 5 and will make the jaws of the people expecting just an iPhone 4S drop. Whatever the case, we’ll undoubtedly witness how Apple is going to play its cards at the WWDC in July this year.
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The LG Optimus Big gets an official release
The LG Optimus Big, made its first unofficial appearance back in March but now it looks like it's about to be unleashed for real.
In LG's homeland of South Korea, the Optimus Big has been officially announced under the guise of the LG LU6800. For the meantime it's only available in South Korea but if conditions are right, there's no reason why it couldn't be pushed westward, although LG haven't got plans at this point in time.
The LU6800 runs Android Froyo 2.2 out of the box, but it wouldn't surprise us if it got a Gingerbread update in the near future. It also features a 4.3" WVGA display, a 5MP autofocus camera on the back and a 1GHz processor. The Optimus Big is exclusively available on South Korea's 3rd largest carrier LG U+ from April the 28th.
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2011, HTC Desire S review: Droid Cravings (mobile, phone, news, tech, update, report)
Powerful hardware, large high-res screen and the latest Android version in a single piece of solid metal – the recipe did wonders for the original Desire so no wonder HTC are in no mood to experiment with the sequel. Take the best and make it better pretty much sums up the game plan. Oh well, we’ll take quietly brilliant even if emphasis is sometimes on quiet. In other words, the Desire S is a phone we’re ready to like. But make no mistake – it’s not meant to be the flagship its predecessor was. HTC has the Sensation to send against the heavyweight competition. The new Desire is given a different, though no less important role. Ideally, it should be the smartphone that has broader appeal, the one to offer as reward to loyal upgraders. The phone to give you – wait for it – more bang for your buck than we’ve come expect from HTC. Here’s what it puts on the table summarized. Those coming from the original Desire will certainly notice the absence of the optical trackpad and that now capacitive keys replace the hardware buttons. It’s a different way of interacting with the phone but by no means less comfortable. Other than that, the new smartphone certainly does well to upgrade the original. You get more RAM, a slightly more compact and lighter body, which is still solid enough thanks to all the metal, along with the latest Android and a more powerful GPU. Video-chat enthusiasts will cheer the front-facing camera, while those who want lots of apps installed on their smartphones will appreciate the extended built-in memory. The bad news is the Desire S is – in more than one way – running against the clock. A year is a really long time in cell phone terms and there’s no guarantee the updates are enough to make it competitive in a market that’s embracing dual-core and pushing beyond the 1GHz mark.
HTC Desire S official photosKey features
Main disadvantages
The HTC Desire S at ours
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A white iPhone 4 appearing at Vodafone UK, launches next week (mobile, phone, tech, news, report
25-April-2011: For the better part of a year, the white iPhone 4 drama has been endlessly taking unnecessary space in our tech journalist lives, but now all this is finally coming to an end. Vodafone UK is said to start selling the device as soon as next week. Reports are coming that Vodafone UK has received the notorious white iPhones and a sales associate has sold one to a customer, confusing it with a black iPhone. After that though, sales have stopped, as the carrier has sent out a company-wide email saying to halt sales until next week. Now all that’s left to do is wait for an official Vodafone UK press release stating price and a release date.
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Westfiled Mall, Kiosk (6) Level 3
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