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Sunday, October 20, 2013

Apple iPhone 5S Is the Fastest Phone, benchmarks suggest

Apple iPhone 5S is named the fastest smartphone beating out rivals like LG G2 and Samsung Galaxy S4 in Which? magazine’s independent speed tests using Geekbench benchmark tests. Apple iPhone 5s was tested using Geekbench in single core and multi-core performance benchmarks, where the iPhone outperformed other smartphones.
iphone 5s-
In the single core benchmark test, Apple iPhone 5S managed to score 1401 compared to 882, 687 and 643 for LG G2, Galaxy S4 and HTC One, respectively. In the multi-core test, Apple managed to gain the top spot with a score of 2561. The second and third spots were captured by LG’s flagship with a score of 2355 and Samsung Galaxy S4 with 1939. These figures are way below the results for iPhone 5S, which makes it the fastest smartphone on the planet right now.
Here are the complete results for the devices that were tested with Geekbench.
Apple iPhone 5s: 1410 (single core score), 2561 (multi core score)
LG G2: 882 (single core score), 2355 (multi core score)
Samsung Galaxy S4: 687 (single core score), 1939 (multi core score)
HTC One: 643 (single core score), 1805 (multi core score)
Apple iPhone 5c: 711 (single core score), 1281 (multi core score)
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini: 649 (single core score), 1135 (multi core score)
HTC One Mini: 477 (single core score), 880 (multi core score)
This doesn’t mean that other smartphones mentioned in the list are not fast, they are fast and can perform tasks quickly. However, the experience on the iPhone 5S appears to be better compared to rivals during heavy usage.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Official Android 4.3 Update for Samsung Galaxy S4 (GT-I9500) Released

Samsung promised at the Unpacked Event held in Berlin that Samsung Galaxy S4 will get the taste of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean by the end of October alongside Galaxy S3 and Note 2. It seems that the Korean OEM fulfilled their promise and released Android 4.3 version for Samsung Galaxy S4 (GT-I9505) yesterday.
Earlier today, the unofficial Android 4.3 update was leaked for the Galaxy S4 GT-I9500, but it seems like Samsung is done with all the leaks and released the official Android 4.3 update for Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 variant.
Samsung Galaxy S4
The Android 4.3 update for Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is not available in all regions at the moment. The roll out process is gradual and it may take some time for the update to reach all the devices. Currently, the update is only available in Russia (at the time of writing), but it will be rolled out for other regions as well.
The update brings several new features including support for Galaxy Gear smartwatch, OpenGL 3.0 support, Samsung KNOX Implementation, new Samsung keyboard and more.
Here’s the complete change log:
- OpenGL 3.0 Support
- TRIM Support (Makes the device much faster)
- ANT+ Support
- Samsung KNOX Implementation (KNOX bootloader and dedicated application)
- Samsung Wallet comes pre-loaded
- Improved RAM management
- Improved Display colour reproduction (Display looks much sharper than before)
- Improved TouchWiz Launcher (Much less launcher redraws and less lag)
- New Samsung Keyboard
- New Samsung Browser (Full screen by default, new tab interface and more)
- New Reading Mode (Optimises display for reading, used by only a few specific applications)
- New Camera firmware
- Minor UI tweaks (Contacts app, Flashlight Widget, dialog boxes etc)
THe update should hit all the devices within the next few days. If you want, you can manually check for the update by navigating to Settings > More > About device > Software Update > Update. We checked our Galaxy S4 and there’s no sign of the update at the time of writing this, but we will update you as soon as it’s available.

Monday, October 14, 2013

HTC One Max becomes official

HTC One max Glacial Silver 
Not to be left behind in the phablet arena, HTC is the latest to follow the ‘bigger is better’ mantra. Meet the cornfed giant known as HTC One max.

The HTC One max is basically a larger version of the award winning HTC One and at the opposite end of the scale to the One Mini.
You’ll get all that lovely stuff such as the performance and sleek design of the HTC One, albeit in a larger package.
This means that HTC BlinkFeed, HTC Zoe and HTC BoomSound will all be present and that will all rest on the spanking new HTC Sense 5.5 which aims to deliver the best overall smartphone experience – on a larger screen, of course.
Your eyes will love the HTC One max’s 5.9-inch Full HD 1080p display. It should be pretty good for enjoying photos, videos and movies whenever you are on the move. Powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor buddied with a quad-core 1.7GHz CPU, it should be able to handle all high graphics intensive apps without so much as batting an eyelid.
The HTC One max will also arrive with 16GB or 32GB of storage space on-board, that can be augmented via a microSD memory card slot – something that the regular HTC One doesn’t have.
Oh yeah, did you know that HTC One max owners will also be able to pick up 50GB of additional free Google Drive online storage?
This is in addition to updates to HTC’s Video Highlights functionality and a new Dual Capture camera feature, which allows people to capture memorable moments and their own reaction to these with a photo or video simultaneously.

HTC One max Glacial Silver  Horizontal Oblique 

Three fingered scanner

Something else that the HTC One max has that the ‘normal’ sized One doesn’t is a dedicated fingerprint sensor. Unlike the more conventional (ok, logical) home button location of the fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 5s, the One max’s sensor is located on the back of the device, near the camera.
The sensor is activated via a swipe and can be programmed to recognise three different fingers. Each finger can be tied to a different function, allowing quick access to frequently used apps. One finger, for example, can unlock the phone, while another might open up the camera.
While that sounds useful in theory, reviews of the HTC One max have likened its fingerprint sensor to little more than a gimmick – Hmmm… pretty much like the iPhone 5s then.
One failing seems to be that the One max fingerprint sensor only works after you’ve awoken the phone from sleep.
There has also been complaints that you end up swiping the camera lens as well as the sensor. Until I actually get hands and fingers on with one, I shall reserve my judgement.
Pricing details have yet to be announced, but you can be sure that the HTC One max will roll out worldwide from the end of October onward.