HP today announced the HP ElitePad Mobile Point of Sale (POS) Solution, a POS device that helps retail and hospitality businesses. With the rise of sophisticated e commerce and mobile technologies, today’s tech-savvy consumers expect instant, customised access to a brand’s offerings. However, delivering this type of personalised experience can be challenging for brick-and-mortar businesses. To address this, 57 percent of retailers plan to implement tablets in their store in the next 12-36 months, citing consumer engagement as the top priority.⁽¹⁾

The HP ElitePad Mobile POS Solution, which is composed of the HP ElitePad  plus the HP Retail Jacket for ElitePad, allows businesses to meet customer needs anywhere in the store with mobile POS and assisted selling capabilities. The new mobile solution integrates into a retailer’s existing IT infrastructure, saving time and money by allowing them to easily connect to store systems. (more…)

The next generation of consoles will be among us by the end of this year, with the Xbox One and the PS4 both being released in the holiday season of 2013. The new Xbox has been confirmed as a November release, whereas we don’t yet have the exact date for the PS4.

Gaming has truly evolved since the previous generation of consoles though, and these giants of the gaming world are also now becoming all-encompassing entertainment systems rather than just a vehicle for big budget games.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2013 started on Monday, 10 June and we finally saw what the PS4 looks like, with many other morsels of news being announced for both the consoles. Both Microsoft and Sony are preparing for a mammoth battle, so let’s see how things are shaping up. (more…)

This doesn’t really come as a surprise, since we already heard in the last couple of weeks that both Samsung and HTC also have this strategy. Their flagships, the Galaxy S4 and the One, will both launch a version with stock Android. Sony has announced that the Xperia Z competing flagship will get the same “Nexus” treatment.

Google’s Nexus brand name has now started to gain some traction in the market after the success of the Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 7 tablet. More people want that vanilla Android experience than ever before, and the manufacturers are now giving consumers that option.
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Samsung is on course to drop the 7 inch tablet for good, and replace it with an 8 inch variant. We first saw this with the release of the Galaxy Note 8.0, and now within their Galaxy Tab line as well.

The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0, very much like its larger brother, the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1, is a mid-range device. That being said, it does have a better camera and more RAM. Interestingly, the resolution of the screen is exactly the same as the 10.1 inch variant, meaning that it will have a much sharper pixel density. This device will replace the current Galaxy Tab 3 7-inch device. (more…)

Samsung have revealed details of the newest version of the Galaxy Tab. The device seems to be permanently perched in Samsung’s mid-range in terms of specs, and we suspect that to endure. It would appear that they will from now on be focusing on the Note range of tablets as their flag bearers for slates.

It will be running the latest Android 4.2.2 Jellybean with the newest version of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface. You also have WiFi, 3G and 4G (LTE) connectivity options, and Bluetooth 4.0. Unfortunately, they are sticking to the 1280 x 800 resolution screen. (more…)

The fourth iteration of the Google Nexus range of smartphones certainly made some big waves throughout the technology community. It is now that time of year again when rumours start flowing about the next Nexus phone, which will undoubtedly be called the Nexus 5. Already, though, an LG exec has squashed one of the earliest rumours: that LG will be making the Nexus 5 as well.
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We can expect some interesting things at this week’s SID annual display exhibition in Vancouver, Canada. We have already learned that LG will show off their 55-inch curved OLED TV that we heard about last month. It will be a direct competitor to Samsung’s latest Smart TV technology, which has also started to launch with some curved designs.

Furthermore, they will demonstrate a 5-inch OLED screen created for mobile devices. What makes this panel unique is the fact that it is made of plastic, which means it is both flexible and unbreakable. This would of course be a welcome addition to modern smartphones, as a lot of us have had the anguish of a cracked screen. If not covered by insurance you might as well buy a new phone in some cases, because of the price tags on a new screen.

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There is plenty in the electronics world to get a gadget fan’s geek-o-meter hitting the red, but usually a headset isn’t one of them. Looking at the Parrot Zik, though, that all changes. In the high-end headphone market it is difficult to make yourself heard (apologies). The Zik takes on a lot of competition, among them the B&W P3 and the Philips Fidelio L1.

Where the Parrot Zik tries to differentiate itself is through sheer technical brilliance. It has wireless Bluetooth connectivity, touch operation, noise-cancelling technology and sensors that pause music when you take the headphones off. Sounds pretty good, but is it? Check out our video review below.

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