James Ivett – BMX rider

Jed Cullen – Skateboarder

Pip Andersen – Free Runner

For more info about new Nokia phones visit nokiaconnects.com

“We’re truly excited that Xperia™ S, our first Sony smartphone, is hitting Aussie stores,” said John Featherstone, Managing Director, Sony Mobile Communications Oceania. “People can experience for themselves how the unique Sony experience can bring a world of entertainment to life. Made with imagination and style, the Xperia™ S is more than microprocessors and memory chips – it is designed to let consumers use their creativity to drive connected experiences that interest and excite them.”

Smartphone’s key features:

• Enhanced connectivity to a world of entertainment – Simply connect the Xperia™ S to a TV via HDMI to watch the latest HD movies from the Sony Entertainment Network (SEN) or share photos wirelessly with just one touch.
• The smartphone is NFC (near field communication) enabled so you can enjoy a growing number of NFC applications. Simply swipe your smartphone past an Xperia™ SmartTag to automatically launch your favourite settings. Whether it’s a high-energy playlist for the daily workout or an alarm setting for bedtime, profiles can be easily personalised and are designed to make your life easier.
• Instantly recognisable design with illuminated transparent strip

COMFIRMED DATES (Pricing and plans will be announced separately):

• Optus – available in Black from early April.
• Vodafone – available in White from 11 April.
• Crazy John’s – available in Black and White from 11 April.
• Xperia™ S in Black available to purchase outright at JB HiFi, Dick Smith Electronics, Allphones, Telechoice and Harvey Norman. Launch dates and prices will be announced by retailers.

Main features of the seventh version include:

• Hardware OpenGLES support, which will speed up your browser as a whole, as well as make site panning process smoother
• Support for right to left writing  (e.g. Arabic or Hebrew languages)
• Built-in wireless NFC technology (on Android 4.0 devices)
• “Exit” button

In addition, the following elements have been improved:

• Speed ​​Dial buttons – you can now have as many as you want
• Tab management
• Search interface

It’s no secret that 2011 was not the best year for HTC: sales stopped growing, profits fell and the company began to slowly lose loyal customers. Earlier last year, HTC released a number of strong products – for example Desire S and Incredible S. By mid-year customers were waiting on an answer to Samsung’s Galaxy S II. HTC presented Sensation, which could not match its main competitor on any fronts. By the year end, HTC devoted a lot of efforts to its partnership with the Beats, which, in my opinion, produced good results. However, in general, the picture was not very bright for HTC by the end of 2011.

HTC were expected to make big announcements at this year’s MWC 2012. Ideally it would be a strong product line, which would allow the company to build on and thrive this year. In my opinion, HTC has a significant advantage over its competitors in the form of the Sense interface. The company is also known for distinctive design, which could be a big selling point, as demonstrated by Sony Ericsson Arc and Arc X, and now Sony’s XPERIA X.

One, Two, Three?

This year HTC are moving away from the old smartphone, and, most likely, tablet naming convention. It is difficult to say what the reason for this decision was. Perhaps HTC were concerned that the use of prefixes (e.g. S, XE, XL) would make the product line too monotonous in terms of names. This is very true, as it is easy to confuse Sensation, Sensation XE and Sensation XL, as well as Desire and Desire S. Another reason could be that the company didn’t just want to renew the devices themselves, but everything around them – names, interface and so on.

Long story short, this year HTC will offer its customers device “families”. The first one was presented at MWC 2012 – HTC One. It is logical to assume that later this year we will see other device families, but at this stage there is no information of what they might be.

Names within the family are given without much ingenuity: One X – is the flagship, One S – high-medium segment model, and One V – the most affordable model. New naming system could still be difficult to get used to, but, in general, I cannot find any serious arguments against it.

Enough said about names, let’s have a look at the phone itself.

Design or the story of transformation

HTC One X was originally known under different names – HTC Edge or HTC Endeavour. As for its early images, these can be easily found on the web. For example, the device was rumored to look like this:

The new name and a new image were leaked closer to the release date:

I can honestly say that I was already preparing to write a negative preview, as the device on these early images looked very boring. It was a technologically advanced ‘clone’ of previous HTC smartphones. I do not know how seriously this design was considered within company, but the released HTC One X looks very fresh and different and, in my opinion, is a major step forward for HTC.

A few words about the One X body. The first thing you will notice is that it does not have any metal parts. It could be considered a disadvantage, but HTC is one of a few companies, which used metal body parts often and sometimes with no real reason for it. Therefore, I think that it is rather a plus. The second interesting feature is a unibody-plastic case. It is probably a tribute to popularity of the Nokia N9 and its “followers.” Overall I really like the design of One X, mainly due to a slightly curved body and its integrity, which is achieved through the use of a plastic body. This is one of the most powerful designs of HTC smartphones in recent years.

One X will come in white and black colors. Judging by the images the white model will be made of smooth plastic, and the black one will have a soft-touch back cover.

Screen

The smartphone features a LCD2 touch screen. We can’t comment on the quality of the screen until we get a test unit. The size of the screen is 4.7″ and its resolution is 1280×720 pixels (HD). The screen is protected by a layer of the GorillaGlass.

Platform

HTC One X is built on a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 platform. The CPU has a frequency of 1.5GHz. The device comes with 1GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory (about 26GB will be available to the user). There is no memory card slot here, which is a disadvantage in my opinion. Having said that, One X users will get 25GB of space on Dropbox for 2 years.

Multimedia

Similarly to Sensation XE and XL, the new flagship comes with the Beats Audio technology. As a minimum, it will have special EQ settings and software sound enhancers.

The main camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels. LED flash has five brightness modes. Front camera has a resolution of 1.3 MP and the ability to conduct video calls via 2G/3G network. In other HTC devices front camera is used for video calls on Skype and other programs only.

The smartphone supports NFC, DLNA technology, Wireless HDMI, and MHL. Of course the device has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and a GPS-chip.

Conclusion

The device will hit the shelves in the next few months. The final cost hasn’t been announced yet, but it will probably be available from all main operators in the coming months.

The new smartphone runs on Android 4.0 ICS and is, of course, equipped with the HTC Sense 4.0 UI.

My opinion about this smartphone has changed dramatically after I saw the real pictures, which have nothing in common with earlier leaks of the device. I do not know how HTC One X will be perceived by the public at large, but, in my opinion, the company managed to make a beautiful phone with excellent characteristics.

Technical details:

• Class: smartphone
• Materials used: plastic
• Operating System: Android 4.0 ICS, HTC Sense 4.0
• Network: GSM / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS / HSDPA 900/2100
• Processor: 1.5 GHz Quad-core, NVIDIA Tegra 3 platform
• RAM: 1 GB
• Memory Storage: 32GB + 25GB Dropbox storage
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi (b / g / n), Bluetooth 3.0, microUSB port (USB 2.0, MHL) for charging / sync, 3.5mm headset jack, support for DLNA, NFC, Wireless HDMI
• Display: Capacitive, 4.7″ LCD2, with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels
• Camera: 8MP with autofocus and LED flash, video is recorded in 1080p (1920×1080 pixels), 1.3MP front camera for video calls
• Navigation: GPS (Support A-GPS)
• Misc: accelerometer, light sensor, FM-radio (?)
• Battery: Li-pol, 1800 mAh
• Dimensions: 134.4 x 69.9 x 9.3 mm
• Weight: 130 grams

From the very early days of Android, Google has been launching Nexus labeled phones with every new release of the operating system. The whole purpose of these phones is to demonstrate а “bare” Android OS without any add-ons or custom UI upgrades. Nexus phones have been the first to get new versions of the OS. For example, Nexus S was the first phone to get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, while other manufacturers are not yet ready with their offerings.

Nexus manufacturers (HTC and Samsung at this stage) usually reserve the most important features for their flagship models and therefore Nexus phones do not become bestsellers. The same is true for Galaxy Nexus – if we compare it with Samsung Galaxy S2 we will see that the later has a better camera (8MP vs 5MP), faster processor (Galaxy Nexus features 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4460), etc. Having said that these differences are unlikely to stop customers from buying the latest Nexus model.

It is easy to describe typical owners of Nexus phones: they want to have the latest Android version and attentively follow the evolution of Android. I think that most of Galaxy Nexus phones were originally sold to people who needed Android 4.0 and could not find any alternatives. Between its release in November 2011 and March-April of 2012 the phone will have no rivals, excluding models from second-tier manufacturers. It is interesting to note that every new Nexus model is becoming exceedingly popular and enjoys better sales than previous ones. I have to say that the quality of the models is also improving. Galaxy Nexus is an attractive option for those who need an Android smartphone with good, but not top features, and do not want to wait for flagships from other manufacturers. Moreover, a “bare” Android Ice Cream Sandwich is really good on its own.

If you do not need a flagship phone with the cutting edge hardware features, but are looking for the latest Android version, then this phone is the best alternative for you (at least for another month or so).

What’s in the box:

• Phone
• 1750 mAh Li-Ion battery
• USB cable
• Wired stereo headset
• Charger
• User Guide

Design, Dimensions and Controls

The first thing you notice when you start playing with the phone is its curve. It is clearly visible on both back and screen sides. This curved HD screen allows you to put it face down without the danger of scratching or damaging. The curve looks and feels unusual at first. Once you get used to it, you will realise that overall Galaxy Nexus is a very nice device to use on a regular basis. The phone is mostly made of plastic. Front the side it is slightly glossy, while the back panel is textured. Plastic cover on the back panel feels a bit oily, which is a new type of material designed to resists dirt and fingerprints. In the future Samsung is planning to use this material in various models, as it has proven its worth. The dimensions of the phone are 135.5 х 67.9 х 8.9 mm, and its weight is 135g. It is not the smallest phone on the market, but it is not as big as some others and will comfortably fit most hands. On the left side we have a paired volume control, while the right side has the on/off button. The bottom edge has a microUSB jack and a 3.5mm headset jack.

Screen

Galaxy Nexus features a 4.65″ Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1280х720 (16 million colors). It comes with a capacitive technology and supports up to 10 simultaneous touches. The picture quality is excellent and it can compete with the Retina screen used in iPhones.

After a couple of days you will probably stop noticing that the screen has a curve. Some people find it more convenient than its flat counterparts. It can also have a placebo effect, because some do not feel the difference at all.

The automated brightness control is more aggressive than in Galaxy S2. You might wish to set it to manual to suit your preferences. The downside of this is increased power consumption.

I found the screen quality to be on par with that of Galaxy S2 with a slight difference in brightness, font details in the browser, etc. But you are unlikely to notice it in day-to-day use. This screen is clearly above average and should not cause any complaints whatsoever.

The bottom part of the screen is dedicated to the control keys. This is a new feature in Android 4.0, which is implemented quite well and doesn’t cause any problems.

Battery

The model comes with a 1750 mAh Li-Ion battery (vs. 1650 mAh in Galaxy S2). The manufacturer claims up to 8.5 hours of talk time and 270 hours on standby. In real life conditions the phone can run the whole day with the load similar to that of Galaxy S2. Full charging takes around 3 hours.

USB, Bluetooth and Communications

Bluetooth

Galaxy Nexus supports Bluetooth 3.0. When transferring data to other devices it uses Wi-Fi 802.11n, allowing for speeds of up 24 Mbps. In our test a 1GB file was sent to another device about 3 meters away at the maximum speed of 12Mbps.

USB connection

Surprisingly, Android 4.0 does not support USB Mass Storage. Therefore we are left with an MTP. Those of you using Windows will have no issues, but MacOS users will have to download a special app from Google to see files in phone’s memory, which is not convenient.

If you have a Bluetooth turned one when you connect to a PC via USB cable the phone will ask you to disable Bluetooth despite the current mode (whether you are connected and transferring data or not), which is awkward. USB connection also triggers charging.

MicroUSB jack also supports MHL, which means that a special cable (available in consumer electronics stores) can connect your phone to an HDMI output.

Wi-Fi

Galaxy Nexus supports 802.11 a/b/g/n. The phone remembers selected networks and automatically connects to them.

Wi-Fi Direct

This new protocol will probably replace Bluetooth or at least compete with its 3rd version (it also uses Wi-Fi n to transfer large files). You will need to select Wi-Fi Direct in the Wi-Fi settings to enable the phone to start searching for devices. Select the device you need, activate the connection and you are good to go. Once connected, you will be able to view and send files from another device using file manager.

Memory and Memory cards

The phone comes with 16GB of inbuilt memory. 14GB of it is available to users. Similarly to iPhone, there is no memory card slot in Galaxy Nexus.

The phone has 1GB of RAM and about 800MB is available to users. It is more than enough for all apps. In terms of RAM this phone is one of the best on the market.

Performance

Galaxy Nexus comes with a dual-core Samsung TI OMAP 4460 processor. It is a bit slower than the one used in Galaxy S2 – 1.2 GHz. Overall performance is similar to that of Galaxy S2, and the ICS makes it even better.

Camera

The phone has a 5 MP camera from Samsung, which is clearly inferior to that of Galaxy S2 with its 8 MP module. In my opinion this is the biggest downside of the phone.

Impressions

I didn’t have any issues with the volume. It can be slightly quieter than Galaxy S2, but the difference is barely noticeable. Connection quality is also good – no complaints here.

The new Google flagship phone costs around $550 – $600 upfront or you can get it on a $59 plan from all major carriers. The price is quite reasonable for a new model. If you can wait until March/April you will be able to get a new generation device for a slightly higher price, but offering better features. I will certainly be waiting on the new flagships to be announced at MWC at the end of February, but if you like the design and can’t wait to try out new Android Ice Cream Sandwich, then this model is your best option.

Android developers announced that Ice Cream Sandwich has a completely new look, redesigned user interface with improved support for multitasking, Wi-Fi hotspot, NFC and Web browsing. Lock screen, home screen, phone application and everything associated with these, was fundamentally rethought and refined to make Android-based devices simple, beautiful and useful.

Ice Cream Sandwich also has a new application called ‘People’, which allows you to find friends, family and colleagues, and see their pictures in high definition, check their latest status updates in Google + and other social networks. The new version of Android on Samsung Galaxy Nexus also features new camera functionality – new panorama mode, full HD movie mode (1080p), very quick shutter, and a host of new special effects, including “silly faces” and background changes.

Another cool new feature of the Android 4.0 is ‘Face Unlock’ – it uses the camera to recognise your face before unlocking the device, which is an interesting alternative to the usual pin codes and passwords.  Using the NFC technology, Android Beam allows you to quickly share Web pages, applications, and YouTube clips with friend’s phone  simply by holding two devices close to each other. In addition, you will be able to use camera and its effects in Google Talk application.

Galaxy Nexus is designed in accordance with the ‘pure Google’ principles, which means that the device will not have any third party use interface features installed. As with all other Nexus phones, Galaxy Nexus users will be the first ones to receive latest updates of the operating system and applications as they become available.

This device includes the full suite of applications and services from Google: Android Market, Gmail, Google Maps 5.0 with 3D maps and turn-based navigation, Google Earth, Movie Studio, YouTube, Google Calendar, as well as redesigned Google +.

GALAXY Nexus will be available in the U.S., Europe and Asia starting in November.

GALAXY Nexus Technical Specifications:

Communications standards: 3G/HSPA + 21Mbps/HSUPA 5.76Mbps 850/900/1900/1700/2100 MHz, GSM / EDGE / GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 MHz; LTE
Dimensions: 135.5 x 67,94 x 8,94 mm
Weight: 135 g
Platform: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Processor: 1.2 GHz dual-core
Display: 4.65-inch, HD Super AMOLED, resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels
Main camera: 5 MP with autofocus and LED flash, supports Full HD (1080p) video
Front camera: 1.3 MP
Memory: 1 GB of RAM, 16/32 GB of internal memory
Connectivity: Wi-Fi IEEE802.11 a / b / g / n (2,4 / 5 GHz), Bluetooth v 3.0, USB 2.0, NFC, 3.5 mm audio jack
Sensors: accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, light sensor, proximity sensor, barometer
Battery: Li-Ion, 1750 mA/h

Below is a hands-on video from Engadget:

Droid RAZR is equipped with a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display with qHD resolution and protective Corning Gorilla Glass coating. It has 1 GB of RAM and 8 MP camera capable of taking Full HD videos.

Motorola DROID RAZR technical specifications:

- Communications standards: CDMA 800, 1900 MHz, LTE B13 700 MHz (for Verizon Wireless)
- Dimensions: 130,7 х 68,9 х 7,1 мм
- Weight: 127 gr
- Platform: Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread)
- Processor: 1.2 GHz dual-core
- Display: 4.3-inch Super AMOLED
- Main camera: 8 MP with LED backlight
- Front camera: 1.3 MP
- Memory: 1 GB RAM, 16 GB ROM, 11.5 GB is available to the user, microSD memory card slot (16 GB card included)
- Communications: Wi-Fi IEEE802.11 b / g / n, Bluetooth v4.0 LE + EDR, 3.5 mm audio jack, BOTA, Corporate Sync, DLNA, MML, Phone Portal, HDMI, USB 2.0HS, aGPS, sGPS, GLONASS , electronic compass
- Battery: 1780 mA/h

The phone should hit the shelves in the next month, and it will be available in North America, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. In Australia it will be availabe on Optus.

The interface is quite simple and intuitive to everyone who has ever seen a scientific calculator. Almost all buttons have one or more alternative functions. To use those, you can either press the Shift key, or long tap the appropriate button.

Application supports all numbering systems. It is very easy to switch between them – and as you do the number on the screen will be automatically changed. RealCalc Scientific Calculator also supports simple logical operations, such as “AND”, “OR”, etc.

One of the main advantages of this application is a built-in converter. It supports 12 different parameters, including  data size. It is important to note that the application is capable of distinguishing between Kibibytes and  Kilobytes. There is also a variety of different constants.

Another nice feature is the ability to customise and add your own conversion constants and parameters.

The calculator has a very good memory function. It can keep up to 10 user-stored numbers, and 7 calculation results that are saved automatically. Another useful feature worth mentioning is ‘Undo’.

Pros:

• Ease of use
• Fast speed of calculation
• Built-in converter
• Good memory

Cons:

• Lack of landscape orientation support

Conclusion:

If you are looking for a fully-functional scientific calculator for Android-based device give RealCalc Scientific Calculator a try. I think you will like it. Recommended!

Following capabilities are available in the current version of the Facebook Messenger :
• Ability to send and receive messages with friends and groups. In addition to the Facebook friends, users will be able to send messages to their mobile contacts.
• Ability to determine your current location and display it on the map.
• Notifications about new messages.
• Ability to share photos.

The application is already available on the Market.