Samsung’s new flagship phone, the Galaxy S4, is clearly more evolutionary in approach, and most people will probably not notice the differences between it and its older S3 cousin, except for size. Samsung has long been accused of copying Apple’s designs for its smartphones, but with the S3 and S4 it is becoming clear that they have found their own design language.

As part of Samsung’s launch campaign of the S4, they have roped in their high ranking designers to share what they decided to do and how with the S4. It ranges from User Interface to actual product designers for the new phone.

Samsung is pushing their innovation strengths hard in this video, and the designers tell us a bit more about the more gimmicky features as well.

Tell us what you think: (more…)

Even though the Nexus 7 has almost been around for a year, a revamped version was released more recently and we put it through its paces. At such a low price point, the Nexus 7 is a premium device for very little money. We think it’s the best 7-inch Android tablet by a country mile, but how does it compare to something like the iPad Mini? Check out our video review below. (more…)

FNB has released a new Banking App customised for tablet devices, complimenting a much larger tablet device strategy for the Bank. From today, the App is available for download from today in app stores across Apple, Android and Windows 8 devices.

“The new Banking App, designed specifically for tablet devices, was developed with ease-of-use as a key priority and utilises the full capability of the latest tablet devices. It is completely custom-made and not a re-skin of our existing smartphone App.” says Farren Roper, Head of FNB Connect ISP and Business Operations.

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A couple of days ago we reported on rumours about massive smartphones that are launching soon, and it didn’t take long for Samsung to send us the exact specifications of these devices. Most of the leaked details did turn out to be true, with the most interesting one being that these can both be seen as mid-range devices. The only question that remains is how much you would have to pay for these mammoths.

The design is akin to the previous smartphone iterations from Samsung; the Korean firm is really throwing everything they can at the aesthetic and milking it as much as they can. Not that we blame them, it certainly is working for them.

The specs for the 6.3 inch and 5.8 inch Galaxy Mega devices are, respectively, as follows: (more…)

Facebook has moments ago launched Facebook Home which basically turns any modern Android phone into the much vaunted “Facebook Phone” people have been talking about for years. It is essentially a skin (or launcher) that carries some brilliant integration tricks that hooks Facebook into many corners of the Android experience.

Even though HTC did indeed launch a new midrange phone called the “First”, Facebook’s new Home software will eventually also launch for the HTC One X, One X+ and also the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2. The first is just the first (get it?) phone launching with Facebook Home. But Mark Zuckerberg made it clear that it is not Facebook’s strategy to build a dedicated Facebook phone, and they would rather focus on decent integration into the existing Android operating system.

What Zuckerberg made clear is that Facebook’s strategy is about a whole lot more than a dedicated device, and instead harnessing the massive 1 billion users who will slowly but surely move towards smartphones. And with Android’s significant (and ever strengthening) hold on the smartphone market, it was only natural for Facebook to embrace Android. Facebook will also be updating Home on a monthly basis, something that should make many Android fans happy who might not always get too many operating system updates. At least the Facebook skin should now improve over time…

So what is new about Facebook Home? Instead of the typical Facebook app, Facebook Home will take over your screen from the moment you wake the screen. You instantly see what your friends are sharing, and you can quickly see pictures without unlocking the phone. Because its so tightly integrated into the OS, you will also see things like messages and missed calls from the same interface. (more…)

HP at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, announced the HP Slate7, an affordable Android Jelly Bean consumer tablet that provides customers with easy access to Google Mobile services.

The Slate7 will have a 7 inch screen and weigh 368 grams (13 ounces) – putting it up against the current king of Android 7 inch tablets – the Nexus 7. The HP Slate7 features a stainless-steel frame and soft black paint in gray or red on the back. It also is the industry’s first tablet to offer embedded Beats Audio, for the best-sounding, richest audio experience available on a tablet.

The HP Slate7 delivers the Google experience with services like Google Now, Google Search, Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive and Google+ Hangouts for multiperson video chat as well as access to apps and digital content through Google Play. (more…)

Say what you will, but HP has had a dismal record in the Post-PC age. From losing their spot as the top PC manufacturer in the world (then regaining it again according to the latest results), to making a total mess of Palm division, HP is in urgent need of reinvention. According to the latest Canalys results, HP would be number two behind Apple if tablets are counted as PCs, and the tablet market is just growing more every day.

A few years back HP bought Palm for $1.2 billion, and subsequently made some pretty great phones with the WebOS operating system – which had massive potential. But even with that potential, it never translated into a sales success. With the arrival of the previous CEO, Apotheker, the whole WebOS division was killed in August 2011, only 16 months after buying out Palm. Clearly HP has lost out on the Post-PC race since then, and now HP is going to adopt Android for its upcoming devices.

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There is a lot going on in the smartphone world lately, but we thought we would take a step back from the high-end market for a minute and take a look at a device for the more budget minded individual. The festive season is over and most of us are strapped for cash, so what about the individual that is looking for a good device at a low price?

This week Theunis Jansen van Rensburg is doing a video review of the LG Optimus L7, a seemingly great looking Android phone at a very low price. Is it worth your money? (more…)