Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One and iPhone 5 face off as T3 Awards 2013 open

Voting for the prestigious T3 Awards has opened, and the headline awards will see giant products from Apple, Samsung, HTC and Sony facing off to win themselves a gong on 3 October.

The longlists serve as an exciting glimpse into what the movers and shakers of the past 12 months of tech have brought and its no surprise to see the likes of Google Glass, the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Sky+ HD 2TB all getting a nod.

With a 175-strong longlist of nominees across 17 categories (with two special Awards to be given on the night), voting is now open at http://www.t3.com/awards.

The pared-down T3 Gadget Awards 2013 Shortlist is to be announced on 18 July when, after intensive judging, each category will be stripped to six, apart from Gadget of the Year, which will drop to 10.

The final winners are settled by a final round of voting by readers and T3′s own judging panel of eight, and will be announced at the T3 Gadget Awards 2013 ceremony at Old Billingsgate, London on 3 October.

Here are two of the biggest categories, but make sure you check out all the awards and candidates and cast your vote.

Smartphone of the Year

Apple iPhone 5BlackBerry Q10
BlackBerry Z10
Google Nexus 4
HTC One
HTC One X+
Nokia Lumia 920
Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Samsung Galaxy S4
Sony Xperia Z

Gadget of the Year

Amazon Kindle Fire HD
Apple iPad Mini
Cambridge Audio Minx Air 100
Dell XPS 15
Fitbit One
GoPro HD Hero 3
HTC One
KEF M500
Nintendo Wii U Premium
Samsung Galaxy S4
Samsung NX300
Samsung UE46F8000
Sky+ HD 2TB
Sonos PlayBar
Sony Bravia KD-55X9000A

Article source: http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/samsung-galaxy-s4-htc-one-and-iphone-5-face-off-as-t3-awards-2013-open-1153839

iPhone 5 ‘Trunk’ Charger Is Simply Amazing

How excited can we get over an iPhone charger? Very.

Especially when it is so deliciously simple yet wonderfully practical.

This charger for the iPhone 5 from Trunk overcomes the problem of tangled cables and which surface to lay your precious gadget.

It’s only a charger but…

The bendable adapter keeps your mobile off the floor and can plug into a wall or the USB on your computer.

They can be ordered here and costs around £25 including shipping from the US.

We want one…

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• Samsung Galaxy S4

  Though the S4 ia href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/24/samsung-galaxy-s4-review-_n_3145186.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-tech” target=”_blank”s in some ways an evolutionary upgrade over its wildly successful S3/a, it’s an extremely attractive, lightweight and high quality phone with a 5-inch HD screen, the fastest processor ever seen in a phone and a href=”http://gdgt.com/samsung/galaxy/s/4/” target=”_blank”some interesting new features/a, including a measure of ‘eye tracking’ controls and gestures that don’t require you to touch the screen.

• HTC One

  The HTC One is probably the most beautiful smartphone on the market – and is also the most intelligently designed. With twin, front-facing speakers it’s the best choice for watching movies, and its 4MP ‘Ultra Pixel’ camera punches above its meagre pixel-count suggests.

• iPhone 4S

  The iPhone 4S is now two years old. But it’s still an extremely attractive choice for many. It’s small, well-made and has decent specs able to run pretty much any app at a fair old clip. The screen is still excellent, and best of all you can get some very fine deals on contract, with a free phone and reduced monthly service costs.

• Sony Xperia Z

  Sony’s a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/08/sony-xperia-z-can-be-used_n_2430192.html” target=”_blank”flagship smartphone is impressively huge/a – in all the right ways. The 5-inch screen feels larger than it is thanks to a small bezel, deep blacks and the device’s very thin profile.a href=”http://gdgt.com/sony/xperia/z/specs/” target=”_blank” Its 13-megapixel camera is very good/a, and the fact that the phone is waterproof is also quite neat – it’s the only smartphone you can use in the bath.

• Google LG Nexus 4

  LG’s a href=”http://gdgt.com/lg/nexus/4/” target=”_blank”Nexus 4/a is a Google-branded phone, and it shows. Ia href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/11/30/google-nexus-4-by-lg-review-uk_n_2218315.html” target=”_blank”t’s a solid, handsome piece of hardware/a with a stock version of Android 4.2 and none of the visual or software clutter you typically get from other handset makers. a href=”http://gdgt.com/lg/nexus/4/” target=”_blank”Wired said/a “it showcases the best of what Google can offer in a smartphone when crufty user interface skins from hardware makers and bloatware from carriers are cut out of the equation”.

• Samsung Note II

  The a href=”http://gdgt.com/samsung/galaxy/note/ii/specs/” target=”_blank”/aSamsung Galaxy Note II is an extremely big device. In fact, it’s massive. With a 5.5-inch display and an included S-Pen for accurate, tactile note-taking, a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/08/30/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-review_n_1842384.html” target=”_blank”it’s somewhere between a phone and a tablet/a (though don’t use ‘phablet’, it’s an awful word. Yes, you’ll look stupid talking into it. But with a phone this powerful, will you care?

• iPhone 5

  The a href=”http://gdgt.com/apple/iphone/5/” target=”_blank”iPhone 5/a was not revolutionary in the same way as its predecessors – but a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/10/03/iphone-5-review-5-reasons-to-hate-the-new-iphone_n_1935530.html” target=”_blank”it’s still one of the best phones ever made/a, and iOS is still many people’s favourite mobile OS. It’s shockingly thin and light, has a tremendous screen and a solid camera – plus the App Store’s unmatched selection of third-party software.

• Motorola RAZR HD

  The Razr HD is a solid, well-specced smartphone. It won’t compete with the HTC One or S4 in terms of fasion – or raw specifications. Buta href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/30/uk-motorola-razr-hd-review_n_3184929.html” target=”_blank” for a decent, hard-wearing, handsome phone/a at a slightly lower cost than those headline-grabbing rivals, a href=”http://gdgt.com/motorola/droid/razr-hd/” target=”_blank”it’s a solid choice./a

• Nokia Lumia 920

  a href=”http://gdgt.com/nokia/lumia/920/” target=”_blank”The Nokia Lumia 920/a distinguishes itself from the competition in two main ways. First it has some stand-out features including wireless charging, a camera with exceptional lowlight performance and a touchscreen that works even when you’re wearing gloves. Second, it runs Windows Phone 8 – which will put off many, but is a solid and connected platform lacking apps but boasting a simplicity of design that Android and iOS occasionally struggle to match.

Article source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/05/23/iphone-5-trunk-charger-is-simply-amazing_n_3324344.html

Apple’s Tight Control Over Components Keeping iPhone 5 Repair Costs High

MarketWatch takes a look at the state of the repair industry for the iPhone 5, noting that costs for display replacements remain very high eight months after the device’s launch in the United States. The report points to Apple’s tight control over components as being the major contributor to high costs, even as the device’s new design makes it simpler to replace the display than on previous models.

There is a tight control on iPhone 5 components in the market, [repair firm iCracked founder AJ] Forsythe says. “Market forces determine the price,” he says. “Apple sells about 300,000 iPhones a day and, as the repair market grows, prices will get lower.”

“Apple controls everything from the manufacturing to the gear for the iPhone 5,” says Jeff Haynes, editor at deal site TechBargains.com. As the iPhone 5 is larger than the 4, the cost for replacement parts rises, he says.

The display is the most frequently cited repair item on the iPhone, given the frequency with which users break the glass front of the device, and it is also the most costly component.

For the iPhone 4S, repair firm iFixit currently sells the display assembly for $95, with users needing to follow a difficult 37-step guide to perform the repair. On the iPhone 5, iFixit is charging $200 for the corresponding part, with the white version not even available at this time. But for those who can get their hands on the part, the replacement process requires only a 23-step guide judged “moderate” in difficulty.

The report notes that many repair firms have even not yet begun offering iPhone 5 display replacements, due to both the shortage of parts in the market and the high costs. Apple itself frequently performs repairs by swapping out the user’s device, then putting the damaged device through a refurbishment process and reselling it at a discounted price.

Recognizing the prevalence of accidental damage issues with its mobile devices, Apple rolled out an AppleCare+ extended warranty plan alongside the iPhone 4S in October 2011. The $99 plan extends warranty coverage to two years and includes coverage for up to two incidents of accidental damage with $49 deductibles. The plan is not, however, universally available throughout Apple’s global sales footprint yet.

Apple is said to be planning to revamp its AppleCare offerings later this year, with Apple reportedly moving to perform more repairs on iPhones rather than simply swapping them out. The company is also said to be transitioning AppleCare into a subscription agreement that would cover multiple devices owned by a customer, rather than having to purchase coverage separately for each device.

Article source: http://www.macrumors.com/2013/05/23/apples-tight-control-over-components-keeping-iphone-5-repair-costs-high/

Designed by M’s AL13 Aluminum Bumper Is For The iPhone 5 Purist

Designed by M started the development of the AL13 aluminum bumper case as a Kickstarter project asking for US$20,000. Within one week US$86,250 had been pledged. The iPhone 5 purists who wanted to protect their phones without adding a clunky case were obviously interested. I asked Lester Mapp, the creator of this product, what prompted the development. I doubted that he could have foreseen so much interest prior to putting it out on Kickstarter. Mr. Mapp responded:

“Before we developed AL13, we were all pretty anti-case when it came to our own iPhones. We just hadn’t found anything out there that we thought complimented the phone. We wanted to make something that could offer some level of protection but still wouldn’t change the look of the phone. The whole point of having an iPhone…is having an iPhone…not something that used to look like an iPhone before you put a case on it. Apple spent lots of time and money making the iPhone thinner and lighter, so why would you want to cover it up with something that would add bulk and weight? AL13 is slim, extremely lightweight and built to blend in with the look of the iPhone.“

AL-13 Bumper iPhone 5 case

The bumper is made from lightweight aerospace aluminum. It has an anodized finish and chamfered (symmetrical sloping) edges that matches the look of the iPhone 5. It is lined on the inside to protect the phone and weighs only 14 grams.

Side view of bumper compared to iPhone 5

The case is composed of two pieces, the bumper itself, and a sliding cover that glides on and locks in place. Once locked in place, it is somewhat difficult to remove. The product includes a protective film for the back and an anti-scratch, anti-fingerprint and anti-glare polyurethane screen protector.

Sliding cover and bumper

Back view of bumper and sliding cover locked in place

The bumper is available in gun metal, slate black, blue, silver, and red. The black bumper on the black phone is virtually invisible.

The Packaging

This product has very unusual packaging. It is striking and very attractive. It arrives nestled in a metal box with a sliding lid.

Package – partially opened

I complimented Mr. Mapp on the packaging, but asked what effect it has on the price of the product. His response was interesting:

“AL13 is a premium product and we felt that the packaging should reflect that. Other bumpers of a similar quality retail for almost $150… and you don’t get that kind of packaging. AL13 is priced at $79. For that price you get not only a high quality product made with great craftsmanship and extreme attention to detail, you get a cool reusable metal case that you can store cables and headphones in when you travel, or just use as additional desk storage. We really wanted to give our customers a “wow” experience, so that they feel they have gotten value for the money they spent.“

He is correct that the box, which measures 4 x 6 x 1.5-inches (10.2 x 15.2 x 3.8 cm) can be used in numerous ways.

Using the Product

The design of this case makes it extremely easy to install. You just gently lay the phone in the bumper, lining up the holes appropriately, and then slide on the cover until it clicks in place. The cover is basically invisible to the point that I did not even realize there were two parts when I first picked it up.

When I had to remove the case, which I have to do because of my job, it was hard to do without scratching my phone, but I assume the normal user will not face this problem.

Once the case was in place, it was quite difficult to tell that a bumper was being used unless I looked on the back of the iPhone where there is a slight overlap. Of course, had I been testing a red one, it would have been more noticeable.

Do I Recommend it?

I do. If iPhone 5 purity is part of your consciousness, then I believe you will know you have found your solution, and it is certainly well designed and well made. You will not have to worry about the bumper coming off, and it offers good corner protection.

Article source: http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/review/designed-by-ms-al-13-aluminum-bumper-is-for-the-iphone-5-purist

Fresh iPhone 5 iOS/ untethered 6.1.3/ and 6.1.4 jailbreak/ released

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