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Whilst I know the iPhone 5 has been released, unlimited calls and texts with 1Gb of data for £26 per month (24 month contract) sounds pretty good with any phone, and even better with a (superseded) iPhone.
The global mind-set is all about making things smaller, faster and more efficient, and money is no exception. In the very beginning people bartered goods and services, which was then replaced by coins and notes This became the norm until credit cards, our ‘flexible friends’ were introduced, shrinking the size of our wallets. Now we stand on the edge of another minimisation of currency that looks to get rid of credit cards and money altogether – the smartphone wallet.
One of the biggest players in the smartphone wallet race is, unsurprisingly, Google. Android-enabled phones like the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Sony Xperia T have a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip built-in that allows it to communicate with compatible contactless tills. Google Wallet uses this technology to create an embedded credit card in your phone. Store your card details into the app and all you need to do to pay for your lunch or bus fare is to wave your phone over the receiver. There are also plans for Google to launch a physical Google Wallet Card to tide consumers over until all tills use NFC technology, though both the card and the app are only available in the US at the moment.
As useful as the technology is, payment using NFC isn’t quite there yet, and some believe that it could take as much as ten years before the majority of stores are able to accommodate it. In addition to that, NFC only accepts smaller payments, and there are no security features to stop unauthorised access. For security conscious Brits, an alternative to Google Wallet is PayPal InStore, which has been taken up by the likes of Oasis, Karen Millen, Warehouse and Coast. The InStore app is linked to your PayPal account and is protected by a PIN, which generates a barcode that can be scanned at the till to deduct the money from your account. A more secure method, yes, but with a very limited selection of stores it’ll only appeal to a few.
QR codes are a bit of a mixed bag. They’re a great idea, but no one seems to really know what to do with them. One of the best initiatives by far is the virtual store that was first launched in South Korea by Tesco. Customers are presented with a digital display showing a variety of supermarket items, each with its own QR code. You scan the QR code for what you want, use the Tesco app to complete your purchase and the groceries will be delivered to your doorstep. After the initial success in South Korea, trials have started in Gatwick airport (Tesco) and Birmingham bullring (Ocado), though the QR codes have been swapped for more traditional barcodes.
Not wanting to be outdone by Google, Apple have also developed a digital wallet in the form of PassBook. Apple’s sights aren’t focused on money, however, but on all the other stuff that accumulates in your wallet; store cards, coupons and tickets. It’s pretty useful if you’ve earned enough points for a free skinny latte, but it’s no replacement for cash or credit card. Passbook rolled in as part of iOS6, but stores so far have been slow to adopt the service.
The capability for us to completely do away with our wallets, cash and credit cards is in its infancy, and while there certainly are many ways we can make purchases without physical money, we’ve still a long way to go before smartphone wallet technology is universally adopted.
This smartphone wallet article was written by Jamie Gibbs, who blogs for credit card comparison site Confused.com.
The LG Nexus 4 was announced on October 29, created to come and update Google’s famous Nexus line. The previous Nexus phone, which was made by Samsung, wasn’t the coolest device on the market in terms of hardware, though it came with the latest version of Google’s Android OS. Now the Nexus 4 manufactured by LG is running the new Android 4.2 OS, which offers a lot of amazing improvements. But what else can this phone boast of? And is it really worth buying? We’ll try to find it out now.
LG has tried to arm it new Nexus 4 with the best features of the famous Optimus line, yet keeping its price as low as possible. That’s how we got a huge 4.7-inch device offering a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels (320ppi pixel density – not bad, hm?), protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and weighing only 139 grams (4.90 oz).
Inside the phone you will find a quad-core processor clocked at 1.5 GHz, together with 2GB of RAM, similar to the LG Optimus G. Well, you can call it a powerful CPU of course – they say it’s almost as good as that of the Samsung Galaxy S3. We are not sure the 2100mAh battery is enough to power these energy-consuming processor and touchscreen, but it’s still said to provide at least 15.3 hours of talk time, which is not bad, of course, if it’s true. The cameras are usual 8MP and 1.3MP ones – almost all modern smartphones have such cameras now.
Another advantage of the Nexus 4 is the wireless charging technology: the phone uses the Qi wireless standard, so finding a charger for it won’t be a big problem, but Google has still announced the Wireless Charging Orb – a really cool and stylish accessory that is expected to be fully compatible with the Nexus 4.
All of the specs mentioned above seem to be rather attractive, but the LG Nexus 4 has two big shortcomings, too. First, it comes in two versions only featuring 8 and 16GB of internal memory and NO support for microSD cards, so you can forget about storing huge amounts of data on your phone. For many users it’s a very big problem. Second, LG and Google haven’t added LTE support to the phone: they said LTE wasn’t quite “consumer-ready,” whatever it means; but perhaps they did it just to cut down the price of the Nexus 4. This will be a problem for those who’re used to LTE, but people from areas with no LTE coverage won’t care at all.
Most versions of Google’s Android OS have special “sweet” codenames coming in alphabetical order: Cupcake, Donut, Éclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Jelly Bean. Developing the Jelly Bean experience with further smoothening to the UI, Android 4.2 has a lot to offer.
First of all, it now supports multiple user accounts (though it’s available in tablets only – yet), each coming with its own homescreen, apps and widgets. Gesture typing, which has long been available thanks to the popular Swype app, is now built in the system, available for both smartphones and tablets. It’s also possible to place widgets on the lock screen and access quick settings (including display brightness, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and battery life) even faster than before – via the notifications area. Google Now has become smarter, too.
If you love taking photos, you’ll probably like the new camera mode in Android 4.2 called Photo Sphere. It’s a good improvement to the usual panorama mode, allowing tilting the phone not only left and right, but up and down, too, so you can get even bigger and cooler panoramic images.
So many features that were earlier made available via different apps are now implemented in the OS itself, so you won’t have to use any third-party apps any longer, which is of course very nice. Plus, Android 4.2 is promised to perform better and lack the lags of the previous versions, which also sounds very attractive.
The LG Nexus 4 is expected to be launched on November 13 in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, US, Canada and Australia, while other countries will get it a bit later, by the end of November. The 8GB model will be sold for £239 at the Google Play Store.
Well, what do we have here? The LG Nexus 4 is quite an attractive smartphone with good hardware and software. It does have a couple of shortcomings, of course, like the lack of LTE and microSD card slot, but the low price fully compensates for this.
If you like to store much info in your phone and use the super-fast LTE networks, perhaps the LG Nexus 4 is not for you. For all the others it’s an almost perfect smartphone for a rather affordable price.
Announced in California, an unveiling of the first Apple iPad Mini was shown to the world. The reduced size tablet is Apple’s smallest to date and was built to offer a portable experience. With a 7.9 inch display and prices starting at £269, will the iPad Mini make a massive impact on the tablet market?
The key feature of the Apple iPad Mini is it’s reduced size. The smaller 7.9 inch display breaks the tradition of 9.7 inch iPads to offer a device you can hold in one hand. Even though the iPad Mini is smaller, the resolution of 768 x 1024 pixels is identical to the iPad 2 release and ensures that apps still look pristine and in shape on the new screen. Maintaining the traditional aspect ratio of 4:3, the wider format makes the iPad Mini a great e-reader over its Android rivals.
Apple has reworked the whole iPad design to maximise portability. Compared to previous releases, the Apple iPad Mini is 23% thinner and 53% lighter making it great for travelling. The portability truly comes to life when Apple’s latest release still offers an impressive 10 hour battery life, meaning you can read, watch and play for longer when on the move.
The Apple iPad Mini utilises an A5 chip; a 1 GHz dual core processor that featured in 2011’s iPad 2 release. This strength processor will comfortably load many of the top titles from the App Store smoothly. The Mini also packs the latest big features from Apple including iOS 6 features. It’s even integrated with Siri, so you can stay clued up on the sports scores and more when you speak to Apple’s personal assistant.
An unexpected surprise to the iPad Mini announcement was the release of an additional full sized 4th generation iPad. What’s new compared to the 3rd generation release of March time? The latest iPad upgrades the processor within to a high performing A6X chip. The latest chip offers twice the speed and twice the graphics performance over the A5X found in the March iPad release. This boost is great news for app lovers who use their iPad for intense gaming as their titles launch instantly and run smoother.
As with the iPhone 5, FaceTime on the iPad with Retina Display can take place in 720p High Definition; all the better to make those video calls special. As with the iPad release in March, the latest iPad still offers 1080p through its main camera and 5 megapixel photos.
The 4th generation iPad release also sees an upgrade to the Lightning connector port. Being 80% smaller than the obsolete 30 pin cable, the Lightning connector is faster at transferring and is reversible to ensure you can’t plug in the wire the wrong way.
Both products are released in the UK from the 2nd November. Going on pre-order from the 26th October, stock will surely be tight as Apple fans snap up the perfect Christmas gift. For the latest news on Apple iPad stock, sign up to our tablet mailing list to be in the know of when Mobiles.co.uk will be ranging.
Simon from best-mobile-contracts.co.uk outlines some of the features that make the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 a unique device that will appeal to all sorts of creative individuals.
Some people are not quite sure if the Galaxy Note 2 is supposed to be a phone or a tablet. In terms of size it certainly falls into a grey area between the two. Its 5.5 inch screen makes it much larger than some of the largest Android phones available today, yet it is much smaller than the sort of devices that come to mind when the word “tablet” is mentioned. Samsung are quite clear though that the Note 2 is a phone, not a tablet.
If the Galaxy Note 2 were merely a Samsung Galaxy S3 with a larger screen then there would perhaps be little demand for it, but the Note 2 is much more than just an oversized phone. So what makes the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 so special? Unlike most touchscreen phones on the market today the Note 2 comes with a stylus known as the S Pen. Rather than its larger screen size, it is this stylus that distinguishes the Note 2 and makes it a truly unique device.
The S Pen is ergonomic and has a rubber tip, so using it will feel just as natural as using a real pen or pencil. Just like a real pen, the S Pen makes it much easier to write or draw and many apps come included with the Galaxy Note 2 to help you with these tasks. The Note 2 supports handwriting recognition, so you can use the S Pen to write just like a normal pen. This is certainly much easier than trying to type with an on-screen keyboard and is a great way to quickly jot down notes or ideas.
S Memo is an app that has been designed specifically for this purpose. S Memo allows you to take down notes using handwriting recognition, which can be automatically transformed into digital text if you so desire, and you can also augment these memos with images and sound clips. While S Memo was available on the original Note, the Note 2 adds a new Easy Clip feature. This allows you to take irregular shaped screenshots which can be pasted into your memos, or shared via email and social networks. Using Easy Clip, you simply draw with the S Pen around the portion of the screen you wish to copy and then select what you wish to do with it.
S Memo is ideal for jotting down ideas, writing minutes or taking notes during a lecture. But the Note 2 does not restrict you to taking down notes with S Memo – you can also add notes to images and videos. Load a video that you have transferred from a computer, downloaded, or recorded on the Note’s camera, and you can draw directly onto to it to add comments, funny moustaches or other annotations.
Along with the many apps included on the Note 2 there are many more apps available from Google Play which have been designed specifically for use with the Note 2 and its S Pen. Many of these revolve around artistic endeavours such as drawing and animation, and make the Note 2 an ideal device for artistic individuals.
The Note 2 comes with S Planner which can help you to organise your week, and it is a great device for catching up on your emails thanks to Wi-Fi and 3G connections. Air View is a new feature that has been added to the Note 2 which allows you to use the S Pen to get a quick preview of messages in your inbox without touching the screen. Simply hold the S Pen over the desired message and you can get a quick glance of its contents without loading in its entirety.
The Galaxy Note 2 is not just a larger smartphone. While Samsung classifies it as a phone it has much of the functionality you would expect from a tablet, and the S Pen allows it to offer a unique set of apps to help you unleash your creative side. As well as being ideal for artistic individuals the use of handwriting recognition and an ergonomic stylus makes the Note 2 a great device for quickly jotting down ideas while you sit in a café or wait for a train. The unique features of the Note 2 may appeal to some people more than others, but anyone who plays around with the phone for just a short while will start to feel more creative within a matter of minutes.
Order your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 today from Mobiles.co.uk.
After widespread gossip and rumour, an official press release unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. Announced in Berlin last night, the S3 Mini takes a leaf from from their best-selling 2012 device to launch a smartphone packed with great features. How does the S3 Mini differ to the original Samsung Galaxy S3?
Looking at the overall design of the S3 Mini, it maintains a style in common with the original Galaxy S3. Available in Marble White and with a curvy smoothed back design, the S3 Mini is inspired by nature, just like the S3 and Galaxy Note 2 releases. With a 4 inch display, the S3 Mini is 0.8 inches smaller than the May release of the Samsung Galaxy S3.
As our smartphone needs have evolved, many of us play videos and applications on our devices. The larger screen of the Galaxy S3 lets you delve deeper into the entertainment experience. There is a counter argument that some users dislike lugging a large device around with them.
By releasing a 4 inch S3 Mini device, the Samsung brand becomes more appealing to those who look for a regular sized handset. In addition, the Mini sizes up to the iPhone 5 inch for inch; will Apple fans jump the fence?
Running the latest Android Jelly Bean OS, the S3 Mini offers the most up to date version of Android; something the Samsung Galaxy S3 doesn’t even cater for yet. The latest features on Android Jelly Bean include an improved notifications menu and access to Google Now; a tool that answers questions based on your location and time settings e.g. when your favourite sports team are in action, a quick swipe on Google Play will report back to you with the latest scores. Magic!
There’s also NFC packed into the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. It’s a great feature that makes sharing files with friends as simple as a tap. NFC also looks set to be an essential feature over the foreseeable future as more smartphone users transact money payments over their smartphone devices.
Although there’s some great features within the S3 Mini, many of the high end specs have been scaled down. The 8 megapixel camera, becomes 5 though thankfully the S3 Mini can still shoot HD video (720p instead of 1080p). Now running a 1GHz dual core processor, the S3 Mini lacks the quad core processing might of the Galaxy S3, but will still respond effectively to multitasking.
Rather than being a carbon copy of the Samsung Galaxy S3, the S3 Mini looks set to be available at a much cheaper price point. This could be great news for those looking for a reliable budget smartphone.
Though no official date has been announced of the Samsung’s latest mini smartphone, we expect it to be available in the UK during November. If you want to be one of the first to own the latest Samsung device, pre-order your S3 Mini from Mobiles.co.uk.
Display – 4 inch Super AMOLED touchscreen
Dimensions – 121.6 x 63 x 9.9
Weight – 111.5 grams
Operating System – Android Jelly Bean OS
Processor – 1GHz Dual Core
Camera – 5 megapixel (720p video)
Secondary Camera – Yes (VGA)
Other Features – NFC, DLNA, microSD card slot
Connectivity– 3G, Wi-Fi
As the Apple vs Samsung Galaxy battle continues to rage, both brands are rumoured to be launching smaller versions of bestselling devices; The Samsung Galaxy S3 mini and the Apple iPad mini. What are the specs and how do they compare to their originals?
Korean manufacturers Samsung are rumoured to be knocking up a smaller version of their premium Samsung Galaxy S3. Rumoured to have a 4 inch display, the scaled down version of Samsung’s bestselling smartphone would match the Apple iPhone 5 inch for inch. As iPhone fans often criticise the S3 for being too big, the release of a Mini S3 may encourage long term iOS users to switch sides in the Apple vs Samsung battle.
Expect to see Android Jelly Bean features fresh out of the box, a 5 megapixel camera, and multitasking friendly dual core processor.
Belief of an S3 mini launch has rocketed since a German press invite pencilled in a Samsung event for October 11th. With an “S” in the background, the flyer can be translated to “large may be small, and so small can be big”
Will Samsung challenge the iPhone 5 with the Galaxy S3 Mini? How will the device differ to the popular Samsung Galaxy S3? Find out on 11/10/12.
Previously nothing came close to the Apple iPad range and it’s envious share of the tablet market. Then the Google Nexus 7 appeared with its latest operating system, quad core graphics processor, easy access to Google Play and a surprisingly affordable price tag. The tablet manufactured by Asus was available to buy for just £159; some £240 cheaper than the Apple iPad! Though the impact hasn’t stunted Apple’s growth, it’s clear that Apple don’t cater for the many customers who purchase an affordable Nexus 7 or Amazon Kindle Fire.
Comparing the Apple iPad vs iPad Mini, the price cuts have to come from somewhere. Expect to see a smaller 7.85 inch screen absent of the Retina display. Overall the Mini is believed to house similar tech to 2011’s iPad 2 release, just within a smaller design.Should an iPad Mini come to light, we also expect the latest iDevice to be compatible with Apple’s new Lightning dock connector.
Apple is all about quality and by no means can a bite sized, lighter iPad, fly the same flag as the Apple iPad. We predict this budget tablet could form a new category of device for Apple, perhaps the creation of the iBook.
Whether the device is called iBook or iPad Mini, rumours suggest the product will be announced on the 17th October with a UK release date on the 2nd November.
Apple and Samsung are both trying to create a new product that competes with the changing market. The S3 mini is ready to take on loyal iPhone 5 users in the Apple vs Samsung smartphone stakes. The iPad Mini would challenge those who turn to the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 because the full sized iPad is too expensive.
If either device is announced in October, expect to see momentous hype and record sales figures in the run-up to Christmas.
Our latest guest blog is courtesy of Smash iPhone.
Countless forum sites, social network threads and other online message boards have noted an increase of posts and threads touching up on something which can be described as “Apple fans VS Samsung + Nokia” loyalists.
In reaction to a reported advertising campaign to-be headed by Samsung, the said campaign touches up on comparing the iPhone 5 against the Galaxy S III, with the campaign jotting down the respective features of the two mobiles.
Simply put, the ad positions the Galaxy S III as the better choice against the iPhone 5, since the said campaign keys in more user features over the newest member of the iPhone family.
Naturally, Apple’s fans didn’t like what the ad was implying, with a number of “spoofs” of the said ad circulating online, this time keying in a 360-degree take over the original ad.
The words “Cheap Plastic” had effectively drawn the Galaxy S III’s roster of followers, ensuing a series of unfriendly remarks and comments between Apple loyalists and Android/Samsung followers.
Key arguments between the two factions would touch up on processor power, multi-tasking capabilities, upper class image, price, how Apple’s gone the drain now that Steve Job’s isn’t around and the physical sizes of the mobiles.
Most notable of arguments would touch up on the 5 icon rows “featured” in the iPhone 5, something which Android/Samsung loyalist have been quick in using as a point to stress how “stupid” and “trivial” Apple users are.
Apple fans have been quick in bringing up Samsung’s inability to come up with beautiful phones, having to resort to copying after Apple’s designs.
As it is too soon to see how the iPhone 5 would actually fair against the Galaxy S III, considering that the S III has already been in circulation in retail markets in different parts of the world, we’ll all have to wait and see how the iPhone 5 gets to perform, once it gains sufficient traction in the hands of mobile users.”
About the Authour
Ramon is a veteran journalist covering the technology news and everything in between.
With Microsoft’s next generation mobile operating system set to launch next month, HTC announced two new smartphones to add to their 2012 collection. Introducing the HTC Windows Phone 8X and HTC Windows Phone 8S, here’s everything you need to know about the latest HTC smartphones on WP8.
To coexist with their successful line up of Android handsets, the Windows Phone HTC devices use the same letters to denote the tier of handset. As with the Android loving HTC One X, the HTC Windows Phone 8X stands as premium device. Likewise the HTC One S and Windows Phone S still offer great smartphone specs and enhanced features but run lighter processors with smaller screen displays.
With a pixel density of 342ppi the 4.3 inch display of the HTC 8X crams in more pixels than an iPhone 5 Retina display. Not only does this make the watching movie content on your smartphone a joy, the vibrant colours of the WP8 tiled interface will look fantastic. In built with NFC, the 8X is kitted out to assist the future of mobile transactions using Microsoft’s Wallet Hub. Learn more the operating system in our Guide to Windows Phone 8 Features.
The most impressive feature of the Windows Phone 8X however is the front and main camera with f/2.0 apertures to let even more light into your photographs. With wide angle lenses, you can capture more picture in your memories. As with the HTC One X, the 8X contains a dedicated HTC ImageChip to help you take intelligent photos. Both the 8 megapixel main and 5 megapixel front cameras capture video in glorious 1080p high definition. As Windows Phone 8 will embed Skype within its operating system, the high quality of the front facing camera will ensure your video calls are worth remembering.
As with all premium HTC One phones, Beats Audio integration makes its debut for a Windows Phone 8 device and will be available on the 8X and 8S. Beats Audio is great for enhancing the sound quality of your music, streamed videos and games available from Xbox Live.
As baby brother to the 8X, the Windows Phone 8S still offers a great user experience. With two-toned designs, the bold colours continue to capture attention. The 4 inch display offers plenty of space for live tiles. The 1GHz dual-core processor may be smaller, but includes Qualcomm’s latest range of S4 chips, which are more efficient with battery life.
The 5 megapixel is a similar resolution to those found on great affordable HTC handsets such as the Desire X. You can still record in 720p HD too! No front facing camera on the Windows Phone 8S though unfortunately. With a physical camera button however, the 8S lets you point and shoot instantly from the lock screen to make sure you don’t miss those quick fire moments.
In comparison to other Windows Phone 8 handsets on the market, the HTC Windows Phone 8X appears to lack LTE 4G connectivity. Whilst a key selling point within the Nokia Lumia 920 features, 4G connectivity is only just starting to roll out across the United Kingdom and it may be up to 2 years before everyone has access to the faster internet speeds. On the plus side, both of HTC’s latest WP8 handsets give you expandable memory via microSD card up to 32GB; a feature the latest Nokia 920 and 820 handsets opt out of.
Expect to see the latest HTC Windows Phone 8X and 8S available to purchase from shops in the UK early November, shortly after the official launch of Windows Phone 8 OS. If you can’t wait, here’s the best HTC smartphone deals.
So there’s an overview of the latest from HTC. Let us know what you think of the Windows Phone 8S and 8X on our Facebook page.
Display – 4.3 inch (720p)
Operating System – Windows Phone 8 OS
Processor – Qualcomm S4 1.5GHz Dual-core
Memory – 16GB internal storage, SD card slot.
Camera – 5 megapixel, 720p video
Other Features – Beats Audio integration, NFC
Size – 120.5 x 63 x 10.28mm
Weight – 113 grams
Display – 4 inch
Operating System – Windows Phone 8 OS
Processor – Qualcomm S4 1GHz Dual-core
Memory – 16GB internal storage, SD card slot.
Main Camera – 8 megapixel, 1080p video
Front Camera – 2.1 megapixel, 1080p video
Sound – Beats Audio integration
Size – 132.35 x 66.2 x 10.12 mm
Weight – 130 grams
Since Steve Jobs first presented the original iPhone back in 2007, Apple has gone from strength to strength with their revolutionary line of smartphones. With the Apple iPhone 5 now available to buy, the next generation smartphone offers a larger 4 inch Retina display and iOS 6 pre-installed.
If you fancy brushing up on your Apple iPhone history check out our beautiful infographic below. Besides images of each iPhone, we list the features new to each edition, plus major milestones that have transformed Apple into the market leader they are today. Here’s how the Apple iPhone history began….
View the infographic in full at Mobiles.co.uk
