Samsung Galaxy S3 v/s BlackBerry z10 Comparision review

Samsung Galaxy S3 v/s BlackBerry z10Comparision reviewBlackBerry has finally launched its new operating system on its BlackBerry Z10 smartphone, but how does it compare to one of the most popular Android devices around? Read our Samsung Galaxy S3 vs BlackBerry Z10 comparison review to find out. 

BlackBerry has finally launched its new operating system on its BlackBerry Z10 smartphone, but how does it compare to one of the most popular Android devices around? Read our Samsung Galaxy S3 vs BlackBerry Z10 comparison review to find out.
It's been a long time coming but BlackBerry 10 has finally arrived and with it has come the BlackBerry Z10. It's the first full touchscreen BlackBerry which puts it directly up against the best smartphones on offer.





o ne of the most popular smartphones of 2012 was the Samsung Galaxy S3 so we've taken these two flagship devices and compared them section by section.
Take a look at the following two articles for more details on each handset.

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs BlackBerry Z10: Design and build

These two phones are quite different in the looks department. With a larger screen, it's not a surprise that the Galaxy S3 is the bigger handset overall at 71x137mm compares to 66x130mm of the BlackBerry Z10. However, at 8.6mm, the Samsung is thinner than the Z10 which we measured at 9.2mm.
The Galaxy S3 and BlackBerry Z10 are effectively the same weight at 133g and 135g respectively.
We don't like the fact that both these phones have flimsy plastic rear covers but the Galaxy S3 has an overall better build quality and much more premium feel to it.

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs BlackBerry Z10: Screen

As we mentioned, the Galaxy S3 has a larger screen than the Z10 at 4.8in. In today's standards the BlackBerry's 4.2in display is quite small.

Samsung and BlackBerry have opted for similar resolutions - 720x1280 and 768x1280 respectively. The Z10 wins on pixel density here wit a whopping 355ppi against 306ppi. It's the highest pixel density of a smartphone we've reviewed to date

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs BlackBerry Z10: Processor and performance

Despite being much older, the Samsung Galaxy S3 has a more powerful processor in the form of its Exynos 4 Quad, a quad-core chip clocked at 1.4GHz which is based on the ARM Cortex-A9 architecture.
The BlackBerry Z10 has a distinctly mid-range sounding 1.5GHz dual-core processor but the handset has twice as much RAM as the Samsung at 2GB so this evens things up a bit.
The core benchmark apps we use aren't available for the BlackBerry Z10 so we can't compare hard numbers. We found performance to be good on both handsets but the Galaxy S3 feels that bit speedier.

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs BlackBerry Z10: Storage

It's another win for Samsung when it comes to storage since the Galaxy S3 comes in a few different was storage options -16GB, 32GB and 64GB. BlackBerry has decided to only launch the Z10 in a 16GB model.
Both have the same potential for adding more storage with each smartphone providing a microSD card slot capable of accepting up to 64GB memory cards.

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs BlackBerry Z10: Cameras

Things are much tighter on the photograpy side of things. The Galaxy S3's 8Mp camera is a common resolution for a smartphone and the BlackBerry Z10 only matches it. Both record video in up to Full HD 1080p and have various and similar software features.
The front cameras are effectively the same, too, at 1.9Mp for the Galaxy S3 and 2Mp for the Z10. Each can shoot video at up to 720p.

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs BlackBerry Z10: Software

The Galaxy S3 is running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, almost the latest edition of Google's operating system. Samsung uses its own TouchWiz user interface which comes with a number of exclusive features you won't find on other Android handsets. BlackBerry's Z10 is pre-loaded with the firm's brand new mobile operating system, BlackBerry 10.
We like BlackBerry 10 which has turned out to be a smooth and easy to use piece of software. However, it doesn't present any unique and outstanding new features. BlackBerry has created an OS similar to that of Android and iOS but laid out differently with features presented an an alternative way.
The other issue is that the Google Play Store is leagues ahead as an app store and a platform which developers prioritise over Blackberry 10.

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs BlackBerry Z10: Battery

The Galaxy S3's 7.8Wh (2100mAh) battery typically lasted us two days with a power saving mode helping keep the phone going as long as possible. We were disappointed to find the 6.7Wh (1800mAh) battery of the BlackBerry Z10 only lasted us a day, and only just at that.

 

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Vodafone to sell Windows Phone 8 smartphones on 6 February

Vodafone to sell Windows Phone 8 smartphones on 6 February

Vodafone has announced it will sell Windows Phone 8 smartphones on 6 February.

The mobile operator has decided to stock Windows Phone 8smartphones starting with devices from Nokia and HTC. Vodafone's first five Windows Phone 8 handsets will be on sale this week on 6 February. See also: HTC Windows Phone 8S vs Nokia Lumia 820

Vodafone said: "Windows Phone 8 is nearly here. Since announcing that we’d be stocking the phones in a post late last year, we’ve been working day and night to get the new breed of Windows Phone devices through our network tests unscathed."

"Now that work’s come to an end, and we’re almost ready to get all five of our Windows Phone 8 handsets into stores and into your hands."s Phone 8 smartphones shortly after Microsoft's launch in October and said they would arrive in the 'new year'.

See also: Group test: what's the best Windows phone?
No pricing has been announced but the five device which will go on sale this week are the Nokia Lumia 920, Lumia 820, Lumia 620 and the HTC Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S.
There's no word on whether Windows Phone 8 devices from other manufacturers, such as Samsung and Huawei, will be added. Vodafone suggested there would be more on the way by saying the first five would go towards making up a ' Windows Phone 8 army'.

"The Live Tiles were what really struck us when we started to look at Windows Phone 8," said Tanya Thorne from the Vodafone devices team. "You can personalise them far more than you could in the previous operating system. We think they can offer the kind of connection between activities, and different parts of your life, that people are looking for."

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No premium fee upgrade to 4G for Three customers

No premium fee upgrade to 4G for Three customers

Three to offer free 4G LTE broadband

Three has announced that customers will be able to upgrade to 4G LTE for free when it launches.
Mobile operator Three has said its customers won't be faced with a premium fee to upgrade to 4G LTE mobile broadband when it becomes available on its network. In fact, the firm is making a statement by saying it will be a standard feature on all its price plans. See: What is 4G? A complete guide to 4G.
Dave Dyson, CEO of Three said: "Our customers choose Three because they love the internet and know they can get great speeds and great value on our award-winning network,"
"As we add the next wave of technology to our Ultrafast network, we’ve listened to our customers and thought long and hard about the right way to do it. We don’t want to limit Ultrafast services to a select few based on a premium price and we’ve decided our customers will get this service as standard."
The firm said its network will reach 80 percent of the population by the end of March and 4G will arrive in the second half of this year. Three will use the 1800MHz spectrum already acquired as part of a deal with EE.
Customers will need a 4G capable smartphone or tablet to take advantage of the faster speeds, roughly four to five times faster than 3G. Many are on the market already such as the iPhone 5,  Nokia Lumia 920 and iPad. See also: 4G vs 3G network hands-on speed test.
Three said 4G LTE versions of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 will launch on its network within the next month and the BlackBerry Z10 will launch mid-February.

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eBay for iOS review

Thanks to eBay’s iOS app, you don’t have to worry about ever missing an auction. This full-fledged app allows you to do just about anything eBay’s full website does.
eBay for iOS is a free download for iOS devices running iOS 4.3 and later. The app lets you track items that you’re watching, bidding on, or selling.
If you’re a buyer, you can review and submit best offers, bid on items at the last minute, and send messages and questions to sellers.
If you’re a seller, you can review submitted best offers, track your sold and unsold items, list new items with your own item images, relist unsold items, and create and schedule auctions.
The eBay app lets you search for items to purchase (or, if you’re just curious – say, if you’re looking at an item for resale and you want to know how much it’s selling for) using a rather comprehensive search feature.
You can search for an item using keywords or by scanning a UPC, EAN, or QR code, or you can refine your search to show completed listings, sold items, and items with free shipping.
Items can be sorted by category, condition (new or used), price range, and buying format (auction or buy it now).
Once you find what you’re looking for, you can place a bid, opt to Buy it Now, or add it to your Watch List, all through the app.
You can also share the item via Facebook, Twitter, text message or email; or sell an item similar to the one you’ve found.
The main eBay mobile home screen houses your messages centre, where you can read, send, and respond to messages from other eBay sellers.
Here, you can also save searches, manage notifications (for example, you can set eBay to notify you when a watched item is ending, when an item you’ve bid on is ending, and when you’ve been outbid, won an item, or received a best offer), and check out eBay’s Groupon-like Daily Deals site.

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Edifier Esiena BT review

Edifier Esiena BT review

£249.99 inc VAT

The Edifier Esiena BT features an updated speaker system that combines a dock connector with Bluetooth wireless. Read our Edifier Esiena BT review to find out more.

The Esiena is neatly designed, housing two separate speaker units and a 5-inch LCD screen for displaying track information, all within a sturdy and compact unit that measures about 390mm wide, 237mm deep and 145mm high. There are large, glowing touch-sensitive controls on the top of the unit, along with a remote control that provides separate controls for treble and bass.
Audio quality is good – the higher frequencies lacked a little zing at first, but it was easy to bump up the treble using the remote control in order to get a sound that we liked. The bass output is quite firm given the relatively modest size of the unit, and while the 60W output (30W on each speaker) may not be loud enough to power a serious party the Esiena is more than adequate for livening up a dinner party with some friends.

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