Which of HTC’s New One Line-Up Most Excites You?
By Cool Damn Pictures On 4:26 AM | Categorized As | With 0 comments

With HTC’s announcement of a new range of handsets at the latest Mobile World Congress, which took place at the beginning of March, we’re beginning to wonder which horse to back.Which of HTC’s New One Line-Up Most Excites You?
The One range consists of the budget model – HTC One V – the mid-range HTC One S, and the high-end HTC One X. All of the phones target different price points and have very different specs, though they’re all tied together by sleek, smooth design and a good balance of power and performance. So which one do you think is set to be this summer’s hottest handset?
The HTC One X, despite being the most powerful of the three, is probably not going to appeal to the mass market. If you’re thinking of purchasing the One X, it’s going to cost you a bomb, and it’s also a pretty hefty device at 130g. Quad-core power is impressive, but unnecessary for most users as it’s enough to power a small computer. The HTC One X is mostly going to make its mark with hardcore smartphoners who want to get their hands on the cream of the crop, regardless of whether they really need it.
Next up is the HTC One V, the manufacturer’s latest budget model. For a budget phone, the One V is actually pretty good, packing in a 1GHz processor and a 3.7-inch touchscreen. However, it’ll probably set you back a little more than most budget models – such as the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy Mini, Ace and Pocket series – which means it, like the One X, is settling into another niche market all of its own. The HTC One V will appeal to users looking for a more affordable handset, but willing to splash a little extra cash for slightly better performance. We suspect the V will be popular, but not quite enough to compete with…
That’s right – the HTC One S is our bet for the best-selling handset from HTC’s latest line-up. It’s a classic example of the Goldilocks Principle; one is too big, one is too small, but this one is just right. The HTC One S actually includes mostly the same features as its more expensive counterpart, including an 8MP camera, and it runs on Ice Cream Sandwich. Rather than four cores, it only includes two, but most sensible consumers won’t see this as much of a flaw; it only means your handset won’t be guzzling up its battery at a rate of knots. It’s also considerably slimmer, at 119g and with a 4.3-inch touchscreen compared to the X’s 4.7-inch display.
If you’ve got your eyes on the One X or the One V, don’t worry – they’re still excellent phones; we just suspect that the HTC One S’s well-balanced specs will prove to be a significant pull for bargain-hunters everywhere. After all, it packs even more power than the current iPhone 4S – and whoever complained about that being too slow?
Samsung Galaxy S2 owners still waiting for Ice Cream Sandwich
By Cool Damn Pictures On 4:24 AM | Categorized As | With 0 comments

The week commencing 19th March 2012 was supposed to be a big week for millions of Samsung Galaxy S2 owners around the world. That was the week, according to Samsung, that the long awaited Android 4.0 Ice Cream update was supposed to arrive for their beloved smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy S2 owners still waiting for Ice Cream Sandwich
True to their word, the w/c 19th March rolled around and Samsung delivered the ICS update; but only to a handful of users in a handful of countries. In the important UK market, only users on the Three network received the update, much to the bewilderment of unbranded Galaxy S2 owners, especially as Three is considered to be a poor cousin of the other major networks.
Most unbranded owners, many of whom are more tech-savvy than the average user, fully expected to be at the front of the queue in receiving the update; often a key reason for purchasing a phone at full retail price, rather than through a long contract. Unfortunately this is only where the story begins. Currently, we are three weeks on from the original release date and the grumblings on tech forums are growing somewhat more vociferous
While Samsung will probably not admit it, the general consensus is that the update was rushed out to certain markets which then went on to experience bugs and technical problems as a result of the update. While the odd bug is to be expected, it seems that users might have experienced one bug too many and Samsung took the decision to postpone the roll-out until they were ironed out.
What makes this update so important is that the Samsung Galaxy S2 is the top selling Android smartphone to have been produced so far. The Galaxy S2 and the iPhone 4S have been leapfrogging each other for months in terms of sales volumes and the phone is a hugely important phone, not only for Samsung, but for Android itself. What makes the situation worse is that Samsung have been eerily quiet about the delays to the ICS rollout.
That was until last week however. According to an exclusive CNET UK interview, Samsung explained that they had stalled the rollout to let some networks test the update to be sure the software will work on whatever network you are on. Unfortunately for SIM-free / unbranded owners, Samsung have also taken the decision to provide the update only once they have “…all of the operator pieces on board”. While this may irk many unbranded owners, the consolation will be that at least when the update finally arrives, it should be in a complete and working form.
While Samsung is under no obligation to keep users updated as to their time-frames, and decisions, the Korean tech giant have held their hands up and admitted a lack of communication throughout the rollout process. Vice President of Samsung Telecommunications and Networks for Samsung UK, Simon Stanford, went as far as admitting: “The communication itself can be managed a bit better next time”, going on to say “we work very closely on to try and make sure we get it absolutely bang on so we apologise to anyone - we really apologise to anyone - who has been disappointed by this”.
Samsung has emerged as second only to Apple in the smartphone wars and let’s hope that in future their PR department takes such rollouts more seriously. In this age of social media, instant reporting, consumer awareness, tight handset release cycles and the cutthroat world that the manufacturers inhabit, there is no excuse for poor communication. While customer loyalty is being eroded in many areas of consumer society, there still exists a significant loyalty factor for smartphone owners and Samsung should take heed of this.
In the meantime, for the millions of Samsung Galaxy S2 owners, let’s hope Ice Cream Sandwich isn’t too far away.
Samsung Galaxy SIII set for May launch, awaiting Release Date
By Cool Damn Pictures On 4:20 AM | Categorized As | With 0 comments

Samsung has despatched special invitations to announce a new member of their “Galaxy” range of phones; the much anticipated Samsung Galaxy SIII smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy SIII set for May launch, awaiting Release Date
For lucky attendees at the exclusive London event on 3rd May, it is all but certain that Samsung will show off their latest and greatest Galaxy smartphone: the Samsung Galaxy SIII.
Samsung have taken a trick from Apple’s book in anti-hyping the Galaxy SIII, keeping the phone a closely guarded secret and shunning Mobile World Congress and the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year in favour of their own, invitation only, launch.
The design and specification for the Galaxy SIII are currently just rumours, but it will almost certainly run on a quad-core processor, will contain LTE connectivity (for markets with such networks) and use a screen size of 4.6 inches or larger – which is likely to be even brighter and more vivid than the Galaxy SII’s delightful Super AMOLED screen. Many industry watchers also expect the phone will ship with a 12 megapixel camera and utilise 2Gb or RAM.
This launch represents further, serious competition for Apple, the other top-dog in the smartphone marketplace. By some reports, Apple and Samsung have taken close to a 50% share of the smartphone market with the iPhone and the Galaxy range of smartphones respectively. The problem for Apple is that the specifications of the Galaxy SII alone surpass that of the iPhone 4S, so an improved Galaxy SIII will mean Apple is playing a game of serious catch-up.
Since June 2010, Samsung has sold over 40 million Galaxy smartphones, propelling them into the top two positions in the smartphone war. They are also a major supplier of smartphone screens and components to other manufacturers, including Apple. This has helped the Korean giant produce an expected USD$5b operating profit for Q1 2012 alone.
No release date for the Samsung Galaxy SIII is known at this time, but many in the phone industry will be hoping that Samsung not only show off their new flagship phone, but promise a delivery date for consumers to start snapping them up.
When comfirmed release date information becomes available, we will update this page, so subscribe to us to stay up to date.

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