25
Feb
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[MWC 2013] Hands-On (Video) With Samsung Home Sync: I Don't Quite Know What It's For, But I Kind Of Really Want One

Posted by in Home Sync, News, Videos

So, Google TV isn't exactly great. And Windows media boxes aren't exactly "average consumer" friendly. With that in mind, it would seem, Samsung has unveiled the Home Sync box. It's a 1TB media server / smart TV box all-in-one, and it's actually pretty cool. To clarify, the Home Center does not run Google TV. The idea here is that Home Sync is the center of your Galaxy-device life - which is to say, I doubt you'd want one if you aren't already carrying around a fair bit of Galaxy hardware.

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The Home Sync can be controlled in a variety of ways - USB or Bluetooth mouse / keyboard, or via your Galaxy smartphone.

25
Feb
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[MWC 2013] Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Hands-On (Video): Yep, It's A Small-Ish Samsung Tablet With A Pen

Posted by in Galaxy Note 8.0, News, Videos

There's been a lot of hubbub around the Note 8.0 leading up to MWC, and this morning, we finally got a chance to go hands-on with Samsung's newest slate. The early verdict? It's... an Android tablet with an S-Pen and Samsung software.

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In that sense, the Note 8.0 seems like a smart move. People love the Note II, but the Note 10.1 may be too large a step up for a lot of folks (I personally don't like 10.1" tablets). The Note 8.0 is going to occupy that 'tweener' space, and I think it'll do a fairly good job. The 8.0 may well be the nicest small(ish) Android tablet I've held in terms of ergonomics, and that's probably due to Samsung's gratuitous use of lightweight, flimsy plastic.

24
Feb
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[MWC 2013] Hands-On (Video) With The 5.5" Optimus G Pro - Yes, It's A Lot Like A Note II

Posted by in News, Optimus G Pro, Videos

When we first caught a leaked glimpse of the Optimus G Pro in 5.5" form, Note II comparisons were immediately drawn - the G Pro really is the Note's not-so-long-lost brother.

This morning, at LG's booth at MWC in Barcelona, we got some hands-on time with LG's latest and largest handset, and overall, it impresses. The Optimus G Pro is running Android 4.1.2, and it's by far the quickest non-Samsung handset I've ever used. I'm guessing LG has begun implementing some Project Butter optimizations into its UI layer (they have to be manually added by the OEM - they don't just 'happen'), because this thing is stupid quick.

24
Feb
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[MWC 2013] Hands-On With The HP Slate 7 - It's Just Another Cheap Tablet You Shouldn't Buy

Posted by in News, Slate 7, Videos

If only there was an affordable, powerful, and well-supported 7" Android tablet out there. Oh wait, there is exactly that. But HP thinks there is room for a cheaper, moderately worse tablet. So, meet the Slate 7. It's not bad looking at all; actually, I quite like how HP's designed this thing. It feels pretty nice (the back is a sort of brushed matte plastic), and is relatively light. Most of the niceness stops there, though.

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While the Slate 7 does perform decently, it is noticeably slower than a Nexus 7 even in basic UI navigation tasks (thank that 1.6GHz dual-core processor), and that's really just the tip of the drawback iceberg.

24
Feb
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[Eyes-On] Tegra 4, Tegra 4i, And The Phoenix Reference Phone At MWC 2013 (With Benchmarks And Stats)

Posted by in News, NVIDIA

We had a chance this evening to take a closer look at NVIDIA's Tegra 4 and Tegra 4i chips, and with Tegra 4, a chance to run some benchmarks. We also took a quick look at NVIDIA's reference design phone for Tegra 4i, the Phoenix (though we were only allowed to look - not touch).

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Left to right: Phoenix, Tegra 4 board, Tegra 4i board

We'll start with the Phoenix reference phone, because there isn't much to say. The phone is in a very early state, and the non-working samples we were allowed to hold (the powered on device was eyes-only) felt like engineering samples...

24
Feb
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[MWC 2013] HP Slate 7 Officially Announced: $169 Buys Low-End Specs, Beats Audio, And Stock Jelly Bean In April

Posted by in News

It took them the better part of two years, but HP is finally ready to get back in the consumer tablet game, this time backing Android. Their first tablet will be the Slate 7, a small model that's light on price and even lighter on surprises. Roughly comparable to the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, the 1024x600 FFS+ LCD screen sits on top of a 1.6Ghz dual-core A9 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of MicroSD-expandable storage. According to HP's promotional page, it will be available in at least two colors. The rear camera is a disappointing 3 megapixels, with the front a dismal VGA model, and it runs stock Android 4.1.

24
Feb
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[MWC 2013] Lenovo Announces A Trio Of Low- To Mid-Range Tablets That You Probably Won't Be Interested In

Posted by in A1000, A3000, News, S6000

Well, Mobile World Congress is officially underway, and Lenovo just kicked things off the only way it knows how: with three fairly mundane tablets. They've given each of the three a "subtitle" of sorts to suggest that they may actually be more than they are, but they're not fooling anyone. These are undoubtedly the "John Smith" of the tablet world – they're just average, everyday devices.

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The company is touting the S6000 as its "home entertainment center." That's a pretty big title to live up to for something like a tablet, and honestly, it's almost there. Almost. There's one huge exception: the display.

24
Feb
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[Hands-On And Video] Huawei Makes The Ascend P2 Official: 1.5GHz Quad-Core Processor, 4.7" 720p Display, 13MP Camera, Perspiration

Posted by in Ascend P2, Huawei, News, Videos

Huawei announced its newest smartphone at MWC this morning, the Ascend P2. The P2 is the follow-up to the Ascend P1, which was announced at CES last year.

The P2 is packing a 1.5GHz quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM, a 4.7" 720p display with Gorilla Glass 2 (it also works with gloves, apparently), 13MP rear camera, 2420mAh battery, Android 4.1.2 with Huawei's 'Emotion UI' (I think I just threw up in my mouth a little), and is a mere 8.9mm thin. Frankly, it's not very impressive - this is  decidedly 'high end of the mid-range' hardware. More likely, Huawei's strategy with the phone (in China, at least) will be aggressive pricing.

23
Feb
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[MWC 2013] Samsung Makes The Galaxy Note 8.0 Official Before MWC: Coming In The Second Quarter, No Price Available

Posted by in Galaxy Note 8.0, News, Samsung

We've seen it leaked a few times, but Samsung has beaten the Mobile World Congress rush and officially unveiled the Galaxy Note 8.0. The device is basically a super-sized version of the Note 2 smartphone, right down to the physical home button (a first for Samsung's post-Android 3.0 tablets), call capability, and vertical orientation.

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The screen is an 8-inch 1280x800 panel, and it's unfortunately a TFT LCD - I had been hoping that they would make it Super AMOLED, and create a spiritual successor to the sadly underutilized Galaxy Tab 7.7. Naturally, you get the S-Pen and all of Samsung's custom TouchWiz applications on top of Android 4.1.2.

22
Feb
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Android Police At MWC: Here's What To Expect In The Next Week During Mobile World Congress

Posted by in News

We're here in Barcelona, preparing for what has probably become the world's biggest mobile-centric trade show: Mobile World Congress. This year's show may have a few surprises in store, but there are a few things we're expecting to see. We'll be bring you live coverage courtesy of our friends at Avast!

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High on everyone's list is, of course, Samsung. There's been a lot of speculation that the Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet will be unveiled at the show, though Samsung has no press conference planned, and hasn't made a point of teasing any new hardware leading up to MWC. Still, Samsung unveiled a number of new products on the down-low at MWC last year, like the Galaxy Beam.

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