by Esat Dedezade

21 February 2014

Samsung is reportedly planning to surprise us all with the world's first flexible tablet at Mobile World Congress.

According to Chinese site ET News' sources, Samsung's bendy tablet can fold up to a 90 degree angle. It's a dramatic transformation in which a flexible screen definitely has to be involved.

Samsung has already more than proven itself the flexible screen department.The Samsung Galaxy Round - the world's first curved smartphone with a flexible display - is already out, and it also presented some impressive flexible displays at CES, along with a (horribly cheesy) video showing off a foldable tablet concept.

The Korean Tech giant was also granted a design patent for a tablet with a flexible display, which came to light last December.

All of the evidence cleary shows that Samsung is more than capable of manufacturing a flexible tablet then, but why would you want one?

Best of both worlds

I remember when I slid my HTC HD2 out of the box for the very first time, gawping at its 4.3in screen. It was, at the time, the largest smartphone in the world, and the display alone was bigger than an entire iPhone.

Times have, however, changed. We now live in a world where a phone like theLG G2 Mini has 4.7in screens and the Xperia Z Compact matches the HD2's original 4.3in size.

We've fallen in love with big phones. They're more pleasant to use, they display more content, and web browsing, reading and watching movies are all much easier on the eyes.

But we all have our limits. Mine is the gargantuan 6.4in Sony Xperia Z Ultra. Even with my fairly large shovel hands and deep pockets, I struggle using it like a normal smartphone.

I'm not really a tablet person either. I can't carry one with me wherever I go, and the 5.2in screen of the LG G2 is plenty big enough for my needs.

A tablet or super-sized phablet which can fold in half however, would be the holy grail. Fold it open when watching movies, bend it back into size when you're out and about - it's the best of both worlds.

Yes, a 90 degree folding tablet will be pretty useless for anything other than showing off, but like the Galaxy Round or LG G Flex, it's a proof of concept which will lay down the foundations for the truly flexible devices of the future. And I can't wait.

by Esat Dedezade

26 December 2013

Your Nexus 5 has settled in well. It's become accustomed to the warmth of your pockets, your loving hands, and your inquisitve cat Mr. Tibbles.

It's ready for a life of loyal servitude, so get things off to a solid start by setting it up with some of these apps to ensure that all its needs are met from day one.

SNAPSEED (£FREE)

This comprehensive photo editing app throws up a whole host of tweaking options to ensure that you can squeeze the very best out of the snaps taken with the Nexus 5's 8MP camera. Filters, borders, adjustments - you name it, it's got it. 

Get it now

SWIFTKEY KEYBOARD (£1.49)

This is probably the best £1.49 you'll ever spend. SwiftKey's disturbingly accurate predictions only get better over time as it learns your writing style and you can even choose to swipe across the keys if you prefer that to traditional tapping. The latest version even lets you split the keyboard layout up, arranging both sides in whatever position is comfortable for you.

Get it now

CALL OF DUTY: STRIKE TEAM (£4.33)

We know how it is. You have to leave the house to get supplies in between head-shotting enemies. But that doesn't mean you can't practice in the self-checkout queue. Call of Duty: Strike Team slips CoD's bullet-riddled action into your pocket, taking advantage of the Nexus 5's razor sharp full HD screen and powerful Snapdragon 800 processor, serving up explosive first and third-person shooting action.

Get it now

DASHCLOCK WIDGET (£FREE)

DashClock will super charge your Nexus 5's lock screen by injecting it with extra notifications, all of which can be customised. From upcoming calendar appointments to local weather, Gmail messages and more, you'll have all the important info you need at a glance.

Get it now

NETFLIX (£FREE)

If you're a Netflix subscriber then this app's a no-brainer. Bury yourself in Breaking Bad as you walk to work, lose yourself in House of Cards on a park bench – block out the real world however you see fit. The Nexus 5 is a card-carrying 4G member now too, which means less time buffering and more time enjoying your favourite shows.

Get it now

HOLA (£FREE)

This handy little app's compression skills speed up your download speeds and help to reduce your mobile data too usage too - a feature you'll definitely appreciate if you're not on an unlimited plan. Not only that, but it'll unblock any locked content too. Can't access some shows on Netflix as they're US-only? Let Hola work its behind-the-scenes magic and they're all yours.

Get it now

BBM (£FREE)

Yep, BBM has left the confines of BlackBerry and has landed on iOS and Android, taking both the App and Google Play stores by storm within hours of its launch. If you're an ex BlackBerry user with friends still in the BlackBerry camp then it's definitely worth checking out, especially as it's a very solid messenger service in its own right.

Get it now

BACONREADER FOR REDDIT (£FREE)

Indispensable for Reddit addicts, BaconReader's slick interface and controls offer a fluid, fast on-the-go Reddit experience which is infinitely better than viewing the site in a mobile browser. Say hi to the passionate Nexus 5 fans onr/Android for us, won't you?

Get it now

SPOTIFY (£FREE)

If you're not forking out £10 a month for Google Play's music service then there's a good chance that tenner is going to Spotify instead. If it is then clearly you're going to want to access your meticulously crafted playlists while you're on the move, with offline listening available for those train-in-tunnel moments.

Get it now

MX PLAYER (£FREE)

Our go-to Android video player, MX Player plays almost any file type you throw at it (plus most subtitle formats), offers hardware and software acceleration, and features a plethora of quick gesture controls. Ideal for showcasing the Nexus 5's big, crisp 5in display.

Get it now

YAHOO! WEATHER (£FREE)

Yahoo! might be struggling to find its place in today's world, but its free weather app certainly deserves a spot on your new phone: it's elegant, uncomplicated and useful. Using your Nexus 5's location, it'll tell you the current weather conditions plus daily high and low temperatures, all backed up by a lovely picture drawn from (the Yahoo!-owned) Flickr's Creative Commons library. Oh, and you can manually add other locations, should you wish to keep tabs on the rain in Bahrain or the snow in Oslo.

Get it now

POCKET (£FREE)

Formerly known as Read It Later, Pocket is an app that'll suit anyone who constantly comes across web articles they want to read – but only at inopportune moments. With Pocket, any article (or page, more accurately) can be saved to a cloud-synced list, then accessed on your various devices at any time. Great for catching up on your, ahem, favourite tech site's news and reviews pieces while you're on the train to work. Or the toilet, for that matter.

Get it now

by Sam Kieldsen

26 February 2014

Now that Sony and Samsung have unleashed their high-powered next generation of flagship phone, it’s high time to compare them across the board: design, specs, features and value.

Which of these Android range-toppers should you opt for? Let’s take a detailed look…

READ MORE: Hands-on review: Sony Xperia Z2

READ MORE: Hands-on review: Samsung Galaxy S5

PLASTIC VS METAL

There’s no doubt about it: Samsung Galaxy S5 is the best built of the S series yet. Its dimpled matte backside (initially available in four colours) is easy on the eyes and comfy in your hand, and a welcome change from the ill-advised fake stitched leather look of recent Galaxy Note models. It’s a solidly put together phone despite its light weight (145g) and boasts IP67 protection to keep out dust and water. The signs are there that Samsung’s engineers are definitely getting their act together.

And yet, it’s still a phone with a plastic back. The Sony Xperia Z2 on the other hand is a gloriously seamless fusion of metal and glass. True, it’s a little heavier than the S5 (163g) but grasp it in your mitt and its cool weight screams “Yes, I’m a premium phone”. Samsung still hasn’t got there yet. The Z2 has IP67 protection and like the S5 can survive a rainstorm or a dunk in the bath totally unscathed.

Winner: Sony Xperia Z2

DISPLAY CASE

On the surface there’s very little difference between the two phones’ screens. The Galaxy S5 sports a 5.1in 1920 x 1080 Super AMOLED display while the Z2 rocks a 5.2in 1920 x 1080 Triluminos IPS screen.

Without having compared them directly yet, we’re loath to call this one. The size difference and pixel density difference are negligible so the real battlegrounds here are colour reproduction, contrast and viewing angles.

AMOLED typically excels in all three areas, but Sony’s smartphone displays are always a treat for the eyes and the Z2’s new Live Colour LED tech, which uses custom filters and phosphors to produce a more even backlight and deeper colours, should make this the best yet. IPS also offers stellar viewing angles.

It’s just too close to call at the moment. This is an area we’ll have to revisit after our Z2 and S5 review samples arrive.

Winner: Undeclared for now

CAMERA CAPABILITIES

Both the S5 and Z2 have significantly improved cameras in comparison to their predecessors.

The Galaxy S5 has a 16MP rear camera with the fastest autofocus on a phone (as little as 0.3 seconds), an improved High Dynamic Range mode that shows you the effects of HDR in real time, and Selective Focus, which allows you to blur the background while keeping a subject in sharp focus (it’s not true shallow depth-of-field, but rather a piece of trickery in which two shots are merged). On the video front, it can shoot in 120fps for smooth slow motion playback. There’s also a 2.1MP front-facing camera.

Like the Xperia Z1, the Z2 boasts a 20.7MP rear camera – but the sensor in the Z2 is physically bigger (1/2.3in) which should mean better light-gathering abilities and thus cleaner, sharper photos. On the camera app front, it offers Background Defocus (similar to the S5’s Selective Focus). It also comes with SteadyShot image stabilisation, which smooths motion and panning when capturing video. Oh, and speaking of video, the Z2 can record it in 4K quality (3840 x 2160 pixels), not to mention 120fps for 720p slo-mo playback.

The specs clearly suggest that Sony is the winner here, but we’ll find out for certain when we get our hands on both phones.

Winner: Sony Xperia Z2

POWER: TWO BEEFY BROS

These two are just about the most powerful smartphones on the planet right now, and there’s very little between them.

The Sony Xperia Z2 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor clocked at 2.3GHz, plus 3GB of RAM. The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a slightly faster Snapdragon 805 quad-core chip running at 2.5GHz, but 2GB of RAM. Neither is 64-bit compatible.

We haven’t had the chance to benchmark or real-world test them yet, but our gut feeling is that (a) the Z2 might be a bit better at multitasking (b) the S5 might be slightly quicker overall and (c) both handsets are going to be blazingly fast and capable of handling anything you might care to throw at them.

The S5 sports one speed-related feature we really like the sound of: Download Booster, which uses 4G and Wi-Fi simultaneously to help files download much faster.

The Z2 features a 3000mAh battery delivering (according to Sony) 19 hours of talk time, up to 880 hours of standby and up to 10 hours of video playback. Samsung claims the S5’s 2800mAh battery provides up to 21 hours of talk time and 390 hours standby time.

Both phones have the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system with their own UI embellishments laid on top. Both of which have their own merits and equally irritating bloatware to deal with.

This one is just too close to call until we get a chance to use both phones extensively and run benchmark tests. For now, we’ll have to call this one a dead heat.

Winner: Undeclared for now

FINGERS AND EARS

On the feature front, the S5 seems a length ahead of its Sony rival. It’s the first phone to come with a heart rate monitor (which integrates into the phone’s new S Health 3.0 app) and also features a fingerprint scanner for screen unlocking, document protection and even friction-free PayPal payments. You also get hold-overs from the S4 like Siri competitor S Voice and air gestures, which allow to you to swiftly scroll through images without even touching the screen.

Sony doesn’t really offer anything in that vein on the Z2, but music fans will find its bundled noise-cancelling headset very handy on crowded public transport, not to mention the stereo speakers on the handset itself.

Still, we think the S5 has this round comfortably sewn up.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S5

VERDICT

On paper, there’s little to no daylight between the Xperia Z2 and the Galaxy S5. The former looks better equipped in certain areas (camera, build quality), the latter in others (features) and in many areas, they look pretty much the same.

Both, it’s clear, are likely to be killer smartphones with more than enough power to deal with anything you throw at them. Any differences in capabilities will almost certainly be minuscule – but when we get our hands on them properly in the coming weeks, we’ll be able to give you the definitive answer on which is the best. For now, it’s a tense standoff.