News of the Week
Apple’s eagerly awaited iPad 2 is creating quite a stir despite having yet to be confirmed, This week the first leaked iPad 2 case appeared showing the second gen tablet will feature a rear-facing camera and increased connectivity options. This was followed by further case leaks and the original iPad has pushed Apple’s mobile computing share to a global high. Elsewhere on the iPad 2 front, it emerged the device will not feature an OLED display as Apple push for a backlit screen and rumours began about an April launch as February shipping date information was revealed.
Android 2.3 officially launched this week as Google unveiled the Samsung Nexus S, the first device to run the Android Gingerbread filling. The 2.3 unveiling was shortly followed by the news that the upcoming Android release will be made available as an update shortly with HTC leading manufacturers and confirming its use of the update. Other Android news this week saw the revelation that 300,000 Android devices are activated each and every day whilst the next generation Android OS, Android 3.0 Honeycomb was demoed by Google’s Andy Rubin on the upcoming unnamed Motorola tablet.
Back to Apple and the iPhone has once again been doing the rounds. Whilst a £40,000 iPhone 4 customised with a 65 million year old T-Rex dinosaur tooth and meteor rock might be a bit brash and pricey for some, the long delayed white iPhone 4 wont be and the white Apple handset has this week been dated for a spring 2011 launch by the folks at Cupertino themselves. Advancing to the upcoming iPhone 5 and new Apple patents have revealed the fifth gen smartphone will sport an FM radio receiver and graphical radio mapping tech.
Launch time for RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook is growing ever closer with the 7-inch tablet this week given a number of hands-on demos. Whilst the first saw the tablet’s multifunctioning touchscreen credentials shown off, the second gave a look at the tablet, phone pairing that will allow for mobile web browsing. Elsewhere on the PlayBook fornt, RIM has started to accept apps for the upcoming tablet whilst rumours of an upcoming 3D BlackBerry smartphone kicked into gear following the acquisition of a 3D UI developer.
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App of the Week | Angry Birds HD
The iPhone game causing a stir around the world has gone big, gone HD, gone iPad bound
T3 App Chart | Top 10 iPad Apps | Angry Birds HD Review
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Features of the Week
This week marked another momentous occasion in consumer technology, the latest issue of T3 Magazine hit stores filled with all the tech highlights to keep you going through the festive period and well into the New Year. Not only is the printed issue now in stores, the latest T3 iPad Edition is now available to download from the App Store.
Google expanded its mobile based operating system behemoth Android this week as it officially announced the first Android 2.3, Gingerbread, handsets that will launch later this month. Keeping you on top of the game we brought you a round-up of the best new Android 2.3 features with our top 10 additions unravelled.
Disappointingly failing to make its expected official appearance this week, the mooted Sony PSP phone is still one of the most talked about, hyped and leaked phone of the moment. Ensuring you have all the deats on this game-centric handset we have brought you the PlayStation Phone: Specs and info we know so far. Enjoy.
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T3 Podcast – The web’s biggest audio gadget show
The T3 tech team discuss the weeks top news and their gadget of the week, the Samsung Nexus S
T3 Podcast episode 160
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Reviews of the Week
The Dell Streak has been running around the mobile and tablet worlds for a while now, fitting comfortably into neither group. Now the 5-inch Streak has been given a tasty new FroYo Android 2.2 filling and found itself back in the hands of the T3 reviewers, read on to find out how it fared…
Expected to be one of the most desired Christmas tech treats this year, eBooks have been going from strength to strength with a number of manufacturers vying for eBook supremacy. Ensure you pick up the best eBook Readers available we have reviews on six of the best right here. Aren’t we lovely.
One five-star performer this week was the Panasonic Lumix GF2, the compact/DSLR hybrid camera that stole the heart of the T3 reviewer with its small, lightweight 3D shooting capabilities and low price point. Despite its top level rating the GF2 wasn’t without fault as the small handgrip and lack of in-body anti shake caused concern.
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Competitions of the Week | Win a 58-inch Philips Cinema 21:9 Platinum 3D TV worth £4,000
Win the first cinema-dimension 3D TV available, the £4,000 Philips 21:9 Platinum model
Plus: Win a Sony Alpha 55 SLT camera | Win a 3D ready Toshiba laptop | Win an Xbox with Kinect
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Other stories from the week’s News@8pm:
Monday 6th December: News@8pm: Nexus S lands and PSP Phone videos
Tuesday 7th December: News@8pm: PlayStation Phone and Android 3.0
Wednesday 8th December: News@8pm: Google Chrome OS announced, 3D Maps
Thursday 9th December: News@8pm: iPad 2 rear camera confirmed and PSP 2
Posted by Luke Johnson
