Apple sells 9 million iPhone 5s and 5c units in first weekend

Apple prides itself on its opening weekend sales each year and there's always that word record somewhere to be found. This year Apple boasts 9 million sold iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c units in the first weekend.

Apple didn't provide specifics on which iPhone sold how many, but the two new iPhones combined for a significantly larger win over last year's 5 million iPhone 5 units opening weekend.

Also iOS 7 is now running on more than 200 million devices, making it one of the fastest updates in history. The updated OS launched just two days before the new iPhones.

Apple is reporting low supply for the new iPhone 5s flagship, with many online orders expecting to be shipped in the coming weeks.

Be sure to check back with us soon for a detailed look at the iPhone 5s and 5c.

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Unknown 03:00  No comment

Microsoft Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro: Hands-on

Introduction

Microsoft is presenting two new Surface tablets, saying "reinventing the wheel is not the goal, making it better is." This better wheel of theirs features a more powerful chipset, improved battery life, better screen, more ports, and even the accessories are better.

Well, there were quite a few complaints about the original Surface duo, but Microsoft seems to have taken them to heart and made the tablets better.

The high-end model is the Surface 2 Pro with a new Haswell processor from Intel. This new chip allows it to run faster, cooler and use less energy in the process. Microsoft claims the Pro 2 is faster than 95% of laptops out there and even showed how it processes 6K footage (9x Full HD resolution) in real time.

The battery life has gone up by an equally impressive 75% (again thanks to Haswell), and that's before you add the Battery cover.

Speaking of covers, the new Type Cover is 1mm thinner than before – that's as thin as the first-gen Touch Cover – but features an improved key travel of 1.5mm and it's even backlit.

The Surface 2 (it's just that now, the "RT" has been dropped) has seen some major improvements too. For one, it's now white to accentuate its magnesium build (there won't be a black version). Also, Microsoft moved to from a 3 piece design to a 2 piece one, which is also thinner and lighter than the first generation product.

The Surface 2 features the same 1080p screen from the Surface Pro 2, no more 1,366 x 768 resolution that other tablets make fun of. The chipset is 3-4 times faster too and the bus speeds for memory and Wi-Fi have also been improved.

Battery life on this model has been improved by a modest 25%, but battery life was a problem for the Pro more than the RT.

The second-gen Surfaces will run Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 RT, respectively.

Stay tuned as we're looking to get some face time with the new tablets and we'll post hands-on impressions here!

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Nokia Lumia 625 review: Big and colorful

Introduction

The Nokia Lumia 625 is one of the last smartphones by Nokia, putting an end to what has been a bumpy ride for the Finns in the modern phone era. Whether the Lumia line will find greener pastures under Microsoft remains to be seen, but one thing's for certain - the Lumia 625 will be one of Nokia's last Lumia releases.

Oh well, the 625 certainly won't qualify as Nokia's loudest bang on its way out - that honor belongs to the Lumia 1020 flagship.Or, if we're lucky, a certain phablet may be the gadget to remember them by.

Nokia Lumia 625 official photos

Back to the point though, the Lumia 625's main attention grabber is the healthy boost in screen size. By going from 3.8" to 4.7", the Lumia 625 gains almost a full inch in screen diagonal over its predecessor. This, along with LTE support, higher clock speed and full-HD video recording, highlights the primary advantages of the Nokia Lumia 625. For a more complete list of specs, you can refer to the following list.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM support
• Tri-band 3G and LTE support with 42 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA
• 4.7" 16M-color IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen of 480 x 800 pixels with Gorilla Glass 2
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording @ 30fps
• 0.3MP front-facing camera
• Windows Phone 8 OS
• 1.2GHz dual-core Krait CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8930 chipset
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band
• GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS support
• Free lifetime voice-guided navigation
• 8GB of inbuilt storage
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
• Built-in accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port
• Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP and file transfers
• Deep SNS integration
• Xbox Live integration and Xbox management
• Digital compass
• Nokia Music
• FM radio
• 2000mAh battery
• Unparalleled talk time in our battery test

Main disadvantages

• 4.7" quite a stretch for the WVGA resolution
• App catalog falls short of Android and iOS
• Non-user-accessible battery
• Only 512MB of RAM
• No system-wide file manager
• No NFC
• Below average loudspeaker performance

Thanks to the larger screen and resulting larger dimensions, the Lumia 625 feels like a marked improvement over its predecessor. But bigger is not necessarily better, and the Lumia 625 may learn it the hard way. Big screen on a budget sure sounds nice, but WVGA on 4.7" could be too much of a stretch. And it's not a ClearBlack display either, which may as well be the only downgrade compared to the original Lumia 620 - along with the missing NFC chip.

No upgrade to the 512MB of RAM is potentially a minor disappointment, which can quickly be put to rest if the Lumia 625 behaves in our tests. The extra 700mAh of battery capacity is also a welcome addition.

  
Nokia Lumia 625 studio pics

Up next, we'll get started by unboxing the Lumia 625 and proceed with a closer look at the design and build quality.

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Sony Xperia Z1 review: Walking on water

Introduction

Sony's got a plan and it's sticking to it - while other makers pile software feature upon feature, the Japanese focus on their historical strengths, such as beautiful, durable design, photographic excellence and enviable display tech. That in short is what the Xperia Z1 is all about.

   
Sony Xperia Z1 official images

The upper Xperia echelon is known for its slim design and the Z1 is no exception - 8.5mm doesn't sound wafer thin, but not until you realize that inside this phone's body there's a 1/2.3" sensor and a 3,000mAh battery. The sensor is 70% bigger in terms of surface area than what smartphones usually get (1/3") and large sensors require bigger optics, hence thicker phones. The same goes for high-capacity batteries.

Of course, the big, high-resolution sensor will give the Xperia Z1 a leg up on the competition in the imaging department. But Sony is also responding to Nokia's propensity for name-dropping (ZEISS lenses) by using its own sensor brand and lens design, plus a BIONZ image processor.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support; 3G with 42Mbps HSPA; 150Mbps LTE
• 5" 16M-color 1080p capacitive touchscreen Triluminos display (441ppi pixel density); X-Reality engine
• Android OS v4.2.2 Jelly Bean with custom UI
• Quad-core 2.26 GHz Krait 400 CPU, 2 GB RAM, Adreno 330 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset
• 20.7MP autofocus camera with a 1/2.3" Exmor RS sensor and F/2.0 Sony G Lens; Info-eye, AR effects
• 1080p video recording @ 30fps, continuous autofocus and stereo sound; live video streaming to Facebook
• 2 MP front-facing camera, 1080p video recording
• IP 58 certification - dust resistant and water resistant
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA; Wireless TV out
• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
• 16GB of built-in storage; microSD card slot
• MHL-enabled microUSB port
• Bluetooth v4.0
• NFC
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
• Ample 3,000mAh battery

Main disadvantage

• Quite big even for a 5-inch screen phone
• Non-user-replaceable battery
• Below average loudspeaker performance (probably due to the enhanced waterproofing)
• No proper video playback decoders (XviD, DivX) out of the box

With no unsightly humps (looking at you, Lumia 1020 and Galaxy S4 zoom) the Xperia Z1 makes the OmniBalance design shine. It's an aluminum frame, with durable glass panels on both the front and back, and design accents like the aluminum power key and the color notification light.

Don't forget the IP58 certification, which means the phone will easily go swimming with you so you can take it in the pool or wade into the sea. Water resistance is good all year round, not just summer vacation - a spilled glass can turn a $600+ gadget into a paperweight. You or someone you know has at one point stood over a bag of rice hoping to bring their wet phone back to life.

   
Sony Xperia Z1 chilling in our office

And unlike their treatment of the Xperia Z, this time around Sony is using the best chipset on the market, the Snapdragon 800. Also, a good deal of work has gone into the screen, another point the Xperia Z was criticized on. Finally, the Sony Xperia Z1 even manages to shame the competition by having expandable storage, even though this complicates the waterproofing process.

Sony's recent press releases indicate that the mobile phone business is becoming one of the main money makers (same goes for Samsung) and you can tell the company's heart is into making the best product around. Jump over to the next page to see whether ambition has matched competence.

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Unknown 02:59  No comment

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 preview: Second encounter

Introduction

There are a numbered few launch events in the year to count down the days to, and Samsung's Notes have long booked themselves a prominent spot on the list.

Samsung were the first to cross a line many thought would never be crossed. Of course, an onslaught of phablets was to inevitably follow - but not as soon perhaps as Samsung themselves must've thought. The original Galaxy Note was a shocker back in 2011 with a Super AMOLED HD display of the then whopping 5.3" diagonal.

Whether it was shock, surprise or disbelief, the competition didn't bother with a retaliation plan. Oh well, now everyone wants in on the phablet game, and there are even gadgets lately that have Note-killer written all across a bigger screen, better camera or a waterproof body.

   
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 official images

But it may as well be Samsung's turn to act like they're not impressed. The Galaxy Note 3 made its scheduled splash at IFA, boasting a bigger display of more than double the resolution, the latest processing muscle, the groundbreaking 3GB of RAM, and all that within a tighter, thinner body.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 at a glance

• General: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, penta-band UMTS/HSPA, 100 Mbps LTE
• Form factor: Stylus-enabled phablet
• Dimensions: 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm, 168g
• Display: 5.7" 16M-color 1080p (386ppi) Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
• Chipset, N9005 LTE model: Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800, 2.3GHz quad-core Krait 400, Adreno 330 GPU
• Chipset, N9000 HSPA model: Exynos 5 Octa 5420, 1.9GHz quad-core Cortex-A15 + 1.3Ghz quad-core Cortex-A7, ARM Mali-T628 MP6 GPU
• RAM: 3GB of RAM
• OS: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
• Camera: 13MP camera; 2MP front-facing camera
• Video camera: 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60/30fps, 720p@120fps video capture
• Memory: 32GB of inbuilt storage, microSD card slot, up to 64GB
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 3.0 port with backwards compatibility with microUSB 2.0, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC
• Battery: 3,200mAh battery
• Misc: S-Pen support, S Note, Scrapbook, Action Memo, Air Commands software to take advantage of S Pen

Samsung didn't step out of their comfort zone in terms of screen size - and this has been stretched beyond belief by competitors rushing to make up for lost time. Instead of going for the latest in imaging and waterproofing, focus is on what the Note is all about - bringing the smartphone experience on a bigger canvas, and a pen to make good use thereof. This time the Note isn't only about scribbling over screenshots and taking memos.

Once the S Pen is pulled out, the Air Command appears on screen to give you options to draw and doodle around, but also place apps (more than one) on parts of the screen while you're browsing the app drawer, homescreen, browser, etc. The S Pen is now a genuine multitasking tool.

 
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 at HQ

As far as the rest of the smartphone prowess goes, the Galaxy Note 3 has what it takes to call itself the new Samsung flagship. The device offers an improved camera, the screen carries all the positives of Super AMOLED and the processor is the best to have powered a droid.

There's a lot of ground to cover with the Galaxy Note 3 and the design and build is where we'll start. Follow us after the break for the whole story.

Disclaimer: The following preview is based on a pre-production Galaxy Note 3 and by explicit request by Samsung we won't be posting any benchmark scores and evaluation of the Snapdragon 800's scores. We won't be conducting our usual suite of tests either. We'll leave those for a later occasion when we get a retail review sample.

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Unknown 02:59  No comment

Oppo N1 hands-on: First look

Introduction

Oppo is slowly starting to make a name for itself in the West with its high-end phones, and the company is now more ambitious than ever – today's Oppo N1 promises an impressive camera that takes on the likes of the Xperia Z1 and Lumia 1020. With the N1, Oppo has worked closely with the popular CyanogenMod custom Android ROM team, to make the software side of things highly customizable, and really raise its profile.

Going back even to the previous generation, the company puts a strong focus on design. "Beauty above everything else," made the Find 5 definitely a looker. The Oppo N1 has a more rounded design than that, with the company calling it "Restricted art." It's also quite a bit bigger; firmly in phablet territory with a 5.9" screen of 1080p resolution.

It will run Oppo's so-called Color OS, which is a heavily skinned Android. The company claims it took 43 patents and plenty of user case studies to get Color OS where it is today.

Oppo is aiming high with the N1 saying the iPhone brought "Touch 1.0," but Oppo is introducing "Touch 2.0" with innovations like O-Touch. It's a touch-sensitive control on the back that enables scrolling gestures, touch to record audio, and so on. An API will become available to game developers.

One of the most impressive features on the Oppo N1 is actually an old one – the camera can be rotated to point towards the front as well as the back. We haven’t seen such a design in quite a while. The camera has 13MP resolution, a dual-LED flash and a custom ISP.

This part has proven to be very complex - there are as many as 67 parts in it and Oppo has calculated the gaps so that it can rotate 206° with smooth resistance the whole way through.

Oppo also announced the O-Click remote control – it doesn’t submit to the smartwatch craze, instead it uses the remote to snap photos from a distance, it buzzes when you get a new message and will alert you if you get separated from the phone. O-Click is a keychain too and you can use the phone to find your keys – this is the best thing since sliced bread.

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Unknown 02:56  No comment