The "Dazzling" Xperia - S

The Sony Xperia S is the first smartphone to feature Sony without Ericsson and with a HD screen, 12MP cam and NFC technology, it’s clear that the Xperia S is a serious statement of intent. But has Sony Mobile’s latest smartphone got what it takes to become Android’s new champion against potent rivals like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Apple's iPhone 4S?

Sony Xperia S – design This is a big slice of smartphone, but one that looks undeniably swish. We’re not completely sold on the clear bar that labels Android’s navigation buttons above and lights up in use, but that’s just our taste. Given the size, the Xperia S is comfortable in the hand and the positioning of the volume controls halfway up the body is a thoughtful ergonomic touch. Only a slightly rattling plastic back cover lets the side down, a flaw that is not shared by the iPhone 4S whose build quality is exceptional.

Sony Xperia S – screen When on standby the Xperia S fools you into thinking it has a bezel-less screen. The genuine HD resolution of 1280x720 was the norm for full-size TVs not so long ago, and although the 4.3in screen offers a smaller viewing area than the Samsung Galaxy Nexus’ 4.65in screen, it more than bests Apple's iPhone 4S in the size department. Sony Mobile’s superior picture processing tech also results in a movie-watching experience that other smartphones simply can’t match.

Sony Xperia S – processor and battery With a 1.5GHz dual-core processor the Xperia S serves up more power than the both the iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy Nexus and is a seriously pokey smartphone that’s able to rip through demanding games, HD movies and general multi-tasking without breaking a sweat. That substantial power matched to the big HD screen may equal fun times, but they can be relatively short-lived – daily recharges are vital and under intensive use you’ll be looking at more like 7-8 hours.

Sony Xperia S – OS and usability Sony’s new flagship phone uses an aging operating system, but Android 2.3 does look especially crisp and clean here. Operation isn’t always quite as silky-smooth as you might expect though, with a little jerkiness creeping in from time to time, especially when switching orientation and quickly navigating the web. We’re assured that Ice Cream Sandwich is on the way, and we expect that to make the user experience more tasty.

Sony Xperia S – camera Smartphone camera pixel counts have been creeping inexorably upwards forever, but Sony’s taken a running leap ahead with a stupendous 12.1MP lens. The shots it takes are superbly crisp and naturally coloured, but perhaps most impressive is that the phone will go from standby to capture in just 1.5 seconds. Video is similarly excellent, with fantastic shake removal. The Sweep Panorama mode works well, too, and there’s even the option to take 3D panoramas, although in our tests those didn’t turn out well. It’s no biggie.

Sony Xperia S – SmartTags And the prize for doing something interesting with NFC goes to... Sony! Four coloured SmartTags come in the box with most Xperia S handsets, and these can be stuck anywhere you like and used to automatically activate particular profiles when you wave your phone within range. How about one in the car to automatically open Google Maps and connect to your Bluetooth stereo, and one next to the bed to activate your alarm?

Sony Xperia S – media sharing If you can tear yourself away from its gorgeous screen, you can choose to display photos or play movies stored on the Xperia S on your telly via a HDMI cable. Alternatively, Airplay-style wireless tech can have you streaming video to your TV at the press of a ‘Play On’ button, which is a very neat trick.

You can also use the ‘Play On’ icon to send music to your web-connected AV and hi-fi equipment. Sony’s Music Unlimited is another viable choice, combining the on-demand music streaming of Spotify with the library-aping skills of iTunes Match. There’s even a Shazam-style feature that adds any song you ‘capture’ straight to your library. All of these apps should work almost as well on other DLNA-enabled TVs and network music players, and if they don’t for your kit, the Android Market has many other DLNA apps that will.

Sony Xperia S – verdict The Xperia S may be the first Sony smartphone to drop the Ericsson moniker, but make no mistake – this is not a greenhorn smartphone. The combination of a powerful dual-core processor, a stunning 4.3in screen and smart NFC and media sharing capability make the Sony Xperia S one of the best Android devices currently available, besting the flagship Samsung Galaxy Nexus in most areas bar the lack of Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. If you want to stray over from the Apple camp and try the very best that Android has to offer, you couldn't go far wrong with the Sony Xperia S


Now what do you think of this one. Just give your comments.

The New I PAD 3

With iPad 3 Coming, New Tablet Price Wars Pending? Barnes & Noble bows cheaper Nook, BlackBerry upgrades PlayBook tablet OS, pre-iPad 3 released

It now looks as if Apple will announce its next-generation iPad tablet PC – the iPad 3 – on March 7 (although Apple hasn't yet officially set the date), with availability likely the week after. Other than the much-speculated upgrades ("iPad 3 To Go On Sale In Early March?"), possibly the biggest boon to consumers looking to buy their first tablet will be the likely iPad 2 price drop, at least for a limited time (i.e. as long as supplies last). When Apple started selling the iPhone 4S, for instance, it dropped the price of the still-impressive 8 GB iPhone 4 from $199 to $99. I don't think Apple will slice the price of the iPad 2 in half, from $499 to $249 for the 8 GB model. But even at, say, $300, iPad 2 beats all other cutting-edge Android tablets and could trigger a price war – good news for nouveau tablet buyers. Barnes & Noble and RIM, the makers of the BlackBerry PlayBook – are being a bit more proactive prior to iPad 3's pending profusion. Barnes & Noble has just announced an 8 GB Nook priced at $199, which, to be honest, is more a reaction to the 8 GB/$199 Kindle Fire e-reader/tablet than to iPad 3. Kindle Fire has outsold every other tablet other than iPad, and especially the over-priced $249 Barnes & Noble Nook. Since you can add memory to the Nook (and you can't to the Kindle Fire), and since you can buy a 32 GB memory card for $30 or less to boost the Nook's memory capacity, spending $50 for just 8 GB more memory for the $249 16 GB Nook makes no fiscal sense. In addition, Barnes & Noble has further slashed the price on the original Nook Color from $199 to $169.

The Brand New L.A.Noire...!

The game takes place in the year 1947 in the city of Los Angeles, a city of glamour, fame, and wealth, but also where crime, vice, and corruption are rife. The player assumes the role of Los Angeles Police Department Officer and later Detective Cole Phelps.[27][28] The game starts with Phelps as a uniformed patrolman,[29] and follows his career as he advances through the police department bureaus of Traffic, Homicide, Vice and Arson. Instead of missions or levels, the game assigns the player with cases. Each desk gives the player a new partner who will help Phelps in his investigations. After each case, the player will receive a rating of 1-5 stars depending on their performance in both interrogations and searching for clues. When searching an area for clues to the crime, in some cases, players can also find newspapers. Besides reading the story, the newspapers give access to a short cinematic that covers a part of the game's overarching plot or a flashback to Phelps' war memories. Near the end of the final desk, Arson, the player assumes control of Phelps's old Marine comrade Jack Kelso, who becomes the protagonist for the rest of the game; although different in appearance and personality, he controls identically to Phelps. The game blends investigative elements such as mystery and crime solving, with fast-paced action sequences, including on-foot and car chases, hand-to-hand combat, interrogations and gunfights.[27] In addition to the storyline cases, the player can work on optional side-investigations known as Street Crimes, which are 40 unassigned cases that are not related to the case that you are working on. The player can travel on foot, as well as in various vehicles. The player also has a total of ten detective suits available; an initial six, plus four downloadable ones. The suits are equipped with special abilities, such as increased damage protection.

Phelps interrogating a witness at a crime scene. Part of the gameplay includes interrogating both witnesses and suspects in order to progress through the case. When the player is interrogating suspects and witnesses, the player must listen to the story that he or she gives. The player will be given the option to either believe them, doubt them or accuse them of lying. (If the player accuses them of lying, the player must have evidence to prove that they're lying.) If the player interrogates two people at the police station, the player will be able to decide who to charge for the crime. The captain's attitude will tell if the player charged the right person. If the player is having trouble completing an action sequence, after three failed attempts, they will have the option to skip past and continue through the narrative.[30] Weapons are only allowed in appropriate circumstances and only when a player is working on a case where a weapon is warranted. However, players are allowed to commandeer civilian cars. The game features a free roam mode called "The Streets of L.A.", which is unlocked on completion of a desk. In this mode, players can solve street crimes, search for gold film reels, landmarks and badges (some of which contribute to 100% completion of the game) or just drive around the city

The New Xperia S Specifics.!

The new Polymer phones

The new Polymer phones

Sony Xperia S

The New Mafia 3

Mafia (also known by its full title, Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven Underworld) is a third-person shooter video game initially made for Microsoft Office in 1998 (and later ported to the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox in 2004). It was developed by Czech company Illusion Softworks and published by Gathering of Developers. The game allows the player to take on the role of a mafioso who has to accomplish various missions in order to advance in the game. It received strong critical reaction and continued to maintain a loyal cult following. As of March 12, 2008, Mafia has sold 3 million copies according to Take-Two Interactive. On August 21, 2007, Take-Two Interactive announced Mafia II at the 2007 Leipzig Games Convention, developed by Illusion Softworks, now renamed 2K Czech. As of September 7, 2010, the game is available via Steam.

Gameplay Mafia's storyline gameplay consists of driving, mainly easy city cruise between different locations, as well as chases and races; the rest of the game is based on third-person on-foot navigation and shooting - all inter-connected with cutscenes. In addition to the photo-realistic city and a huge countryside, detailed interiors like the city's airport, a museum, a church, a hotel, an abandoned prison, restaurants and Don Salieri's bar are included. Weather changes and day/night cycles are also in use. 51 classic American cars around the city can be driven in Mafia, plus 19 bonus cars (of which 5 are racing models) unlockable after the main mode and the opening of a new game mode. Cars are introduced periodically - in the beginning of the game, early 1920s models drive on the streets of the city, while models from 1930 begin appearing in later game stages.  Police book players for minor offenses such as speeding or running a red light, and car accidents cause physical harm to the driving player. While other forms of transport are available, such as trams and elevated rails, they are only ridable and not drivable by the player. Mafia is also noted for having comprehensive damage physics on nearly all vehicles. While substantially more robust than their real counterparts, smaller and weaker vehicles stand less abuse before breaking down and finally exploding, than large armoured vehicles. More realism is added here compared to other games in the same genre, such as the ability to puncture the fuel tank, overheat the engine, and the ability to break transmission gears. Many exterior components (such as windows, tires, headlights, and bumpers) can be removed from most vehicles with physical means such as crash-driving, hitting with blunt weapons (fists, baseball bat) as well as firing weapons at them.

Law and order The police department in Lost Heaven uphold the various laws that have been set. When these laws are broken in view of the police, they will respond by booking the player with offenses that can be "minor" or "serious". Minor offenses (such as speeding in a vehicle or running a red light) will end up with the player being fined (-$1,000 in Freeride mode, no monetary value in campaign mode), and serious offenses (such as physical assault, or visible display of a weapon) can lead to the player being arrested for the first offense, or a shootout with the police until the player or they are dead. A series of four successive minor offenses qualify as a "serious" offense. Police force increases with the severity of the player's disregard of the law to a point where now well armed police form blockades with tire spike strips in attempt to defeat the player while firing from behind their cars. Certain criminal acts most people would expect to warrant a response from the police do not, such as driving on the sidewalk or on the wrong side of the road. In the early stages of game development, ignoring "yield" and "do not enter" signs were to be considered as offenses, but this was later changed. The police AI do not recognize computer AI violations. In freeride, the police will ignore violent actions against the player.

Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption

so how is it???

The " AWSOME " Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 800 (codenamed 'Sea Ray') is a Windows Phone OS powered smartphone, first unveiled by the company's CEO Stephen Elop, on 26 October 2011 at the Nokia World 2011 event.[4] It is Nokia's first mobile phone to run Windows Phone OS as a part of the first wave of Windows Phone devices to be released by the company as it shifts focus from the Symbian and MeeGo platforms for premium priced phones. The design of the body is based on Nokia N9 that is made from polycarbonate plastic but with a physical camera button on the right side of the phone and the dual LED flash moved directly above the Carl Zeiss camera lens,[5] as well as having a smaller 3.7" display to accommodate the capacitive softkeys. The phone was launched in the UK on November 16, 2011.[6]

Software

The phone is provided with two Nokia exclusive applications—'Nokia Drive', a free Turn-by-turn navigation system and 'Nokia Music', a free streaming music service similar to Last.fm but which optionally lets users purchase tunes from the Nokia Music Store.

Reception

The Nokia Lumia 800 won "Editor's Choice" award of 2011 What Mobile magazine.[7] Their review rated it 5/5, and said "The Lumia 800 is a massive step forward for Nokia and sits apart in an increasingly crowded market. Alongside Windows Phone Mango, there’s enough inside the Lumia 800 to worry rivals and make iPhone fans jealous".[8]
Brian Klug of AnandTech in his review wrote, "The Lumia 800 is indubitably the best Windows Phone hardware out there right now" , with notable features such as "camera without compromises, hardware build quality that’s unique and solid, Nokia’s attention to detail..."[9] Regarding the shortcomings, Klug wrote, "lack of USB or external storage, a still fledgling application ecosystem, and a few others."[9] Regarding the Camera, Brian Klug said, "Lumia 800’s camera comes out looking very good against the rest of the 8MP competition, and for me this is the first F/2.2 8 MP shooter I’ve come across. With less compression and better ISP, it could be even better than most."[10]
In the Engadget review, Sharif Sakr wrote, "Nokia's Lumia 800 is a sophisticated and capable smartphone that melds its hardware beautifully with the Windows Phone OS." Sherif Sakr writes that while the phone lacked features like USB mass storage, expandable storage, the phone is a welcome for those who want to be "part of a carefully crafted, simple and generally happy emerging ecosystem."[3]
PC World said that the Nokia Lumia 800 has solid guts and shiny looks, and was an "interesting proposal", though they also said it had "nothing extraordinary to offer" when compared to the highest end models the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Motorola Droid RAZR or the more expensive iPhone 4s in hardware and software.[11]
Cnet UK noted that the phone was 'overall, the Lumia 800 is a very good handset. The Windows Phone software is slick and fun to use, especially if you like to keep up-to-date with what friends are up to on social networking sites. It also looks attractive and the excellent build quality gives you the confidence that it's built to last.'[12] CNET UK made a camera comparison with the current high-end phones iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S II and wrote that Lumia 800 "didn't offer the quality of camera we were hoping for."[13] Regarding the Camera, GSM Arena wrote that, "We were quite impressed by the job done by the 8 megapixel sensor and the bright F/2.2 lens. Images might not be the sharpest around and the noise levels are only average, but their colors and contrast are great, despite the sub-optimal lighting. Cameraphone lovers should definitely check this one out."[14]
Ketaki Bhojnagarwala in The Hindu review wrote, "The Lumia 800 isn't perfect, but its one of the best products that Nokia has released in the market in recent months. I have no complaints about the hardware - Nokia gets it right every time. Windows Mango is a refreshing and vibrant operating system that's already got a big fan list,..."[15]
Matthew Baxter-Reynolds of The Guardian, after using a Nokia Lumia 800 for a month and being a previous iPhone user, argued that the Nokia Lumia 800 is not up to an iPhone. In summary, he wrote: "I really wanted Windows Phone to work for me. This was £400 of my own money spent to try it. But it just doesn't work well enough to be the small-scale personal computer that I must have on me all the time."[16]

Issues

Audio
Nokia Lumia 800 is claimed to have "sound quality problems" when using low impedance headphones like the supplied ones.[17] Nokia has acknowledged the issue and they are working on a fix.[18]
Battery
In December 2011 Nokia confirmed that some Lumia 800 devices do not use the full capacity of their battery.[19] Nokia announced that they would fix the problem with a software update in early 2012.[20] Brian Klug in his AnandTech review wrote that it's possible that the battery charging issue has been "addressed already, though there’s another update coming down the line as well", since the latest update for the Lumia 800 as of the writing of the review (04-Jan-2012) was "1600.2479.7740.11451" which included “charging improvements” in the change-log.[21] During 19-20th January 2012, two updates were made available—battery related software update and another of Windows Phone 7.5 Mango build 8107.[22] Nokia has stated that battery issues are fixed, but some users are reporting a decline in battery performance.[23]
Camera
Nokia has confirmed camera focus problems when snapping. They are working on a fix.[24]

Connectivity

Transferring data is possible with the Zune software on Windows PCs or through the Windows Phone 7 Connector synchronization software for Macs. WiFi sync is also available when the phone is charging and connected to the same network as the host PC. Solutions that require 3rd party access to data like USB Mass Storage or file transfer via bluetooth are not supported. The Lumia 800 promote Microsoft services including a 25GB of free SkyDrive storage that can be used for images, audio tracks and others.[14]

Manufacturer Nokia
Carriers Telus Mobility[2]
Compatible networks GSM, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, 3G
Availability by country
November 2011 (Europe)
December 2011
Related Nokia Lumia 710, Nokia Lumia 900, Nokia N9
Dimensions 116.5 x 61.2 x 12.1mm
Weight 142 grams
Operating system Windows Phone 7.5
CPU 1.4 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255T Scorpion(Snapdragon)
GPU Adreno 205 GPU
Memory 16 GB internal flash
512 MB ROM
512 MB RAM
Battery Rechargeable BV-5JW 3.7V 1450mAh Li-ion battery (Up to 265 h (2G) / Up to 335 h (3G) standby, Up to 13 h (2G) / Up to 9 h 30 min (3G) talk time, Up to 55 h music play)
Data inputs Multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, digital compass
Display 3.7 in. ClearBlack AMOLED PenTile[3] at 252 ppi capacitive touchscreen
480x800 px 16m-color WVGA
Rear camera 8 Megapixel, 3264x2448 pixels, dual-LED flash, autofocus Carl Zeiss optics
Front camera No
Connectivity Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g/n, G-Sensor, Digital Compass, dual mode A-GPS/GLONASS, micro-USB, 3.5mm audio jack
Development status

THE BRAND NEW GTA V

Grand Theft Auto V (commonly abbreviated as GTA V) is an upcoming action-adventure open world video game being developed by games developer Rockstar North in the United Kingdom and published by Rockstar Games. The game will be the first major title in the Grand Theft Auto series since Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), which started the fourth "era" in the series, and the fifteenth game overall.[a] The game is to be set in fictional Los Santos in the state of San Andreas and its surrounding areas, based on modern-day Los Angeles and Southern California.[2] A rendition of Los Santos was previously featured as one of three cities in 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, from the series' third era. The debut trailer for Grand Theft Auto V was unveiled on 2 November 2011.[3]

Commercial
In August 2011, Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia predicted first-year sales of GTA V to be as high as 25 million.[30] The same month, analyst Michael Pachter said that the game should sell at least 18 million units and, given historical attach rates for the franchise, that GTA V sales could be as high as 24 million.[31] In October 2011, HMV's head of games Tim Ellis said the announcement of GTA V will bring a new boost to the market. Ellis told MCV a new GTA launch is "a fantastic development that would inject huge excitement into the games market for fans, retailers and media alike," adding Rockstar would "face the challenge of delivering another brilliant game that’s as good if not better than anything we’ve seen before."[32] EEDAR's Jesse Divnich said in November 2011 that GTA V has the potential to shatter first day and first week sales records currently held by Call of Duty.[33] In addition, Electronic Entertainment Design and Research analyst Jesse Divnich claimed, while speaking about his top five gaming predictions for the next year, that GTA V would be 2012's biggest release, coming out ahead of other big releases such as the next Call of Duty installation.[34] In the beginning of December, Google Trends revealed that GTA V was the most searched 2012 video game launch on Google.[35] After Take-Two Interactive delayed Rockstar's Max Payne 3 by two months to May 2012, several analysts expect GTA V to launch in Take-Two's 2013 fiscal year (ending March 31, 2013), despite an increasingly crowded release schedule for the publisher.[36] Analysts including Pachter and National Alliance Capital Markets analyst Mike Hickey previously predicted a summer 2012 release for GTA V.[37] U.S. financial analyst Baird Equity Research stated that GTA V and the next Call of Duty will account for around a quarter of all video game sales in the coming financial year, and a third of all money made from video games in the next year will also come from just those two titles.[38]

The New Arc S....

Xperia Arc S – slim, stylish and faster than ever The Xperia Arc was a highlight in Sony Ericsson’s portfolio this year: a super-slim, über-stylish handset with a high-resolution display. So, the news that it’s now available in a version with a faster processor should be welcome, even if the new chip is the only upgrade.

The new Arc S model comes in a fetching, fashion-forward white gloss livery, though in all other ways it’s cosmetically identical to the Arc. Well, almost: the power button on the original Xperia Arc drew criticisms because it was too flush with the case to be easily pressed.

That power button issue has been addressed and it’s now easy to turn the phone on and off, which is something you want from any gadget. Note that the sleek Xperia Arc S’s edge-mounted camera button also attracted criticism and this still requires a firmer press than is properly comfortable. SONY BRAVIA DISPLAY ON A PHONE That dazzling high-resolution display is intact, and continues to use a version of the image-processing Bravia engine found in Sony TVs. As before, the display sits right up at the surface, not recessed underneath it, adding to the Xperia Arc S’s brightness and sharpness. Sony Ericsson has mounted an impressive 8MP camera on the Arc S and though shutter lag wasn’t entirely absent, that slightly finicky dedicated camera shutter will take a shot near-instantly given a full press. As a bonus, the Arc S has the half-press autofocus familiar from most dedicated cameras. A nice, ahem, touch. Image results are strong, though at the full 8MP resolution you can’t shoot widescreen.

Video recording remains as impressive as it was on the first Arc, with autofocus active as you film, which is cool. It includes image stabilisation among its features, which is always handy/ ARC S POWER AND PERFORMANCE But what does that extra-fast processor the Sony Ericsson’s packing really mean? Well, for one thing, it enables you to shoot 3D images on the camera using Sony’s Sweep Panorama function. You can’t play the images back in 3D on the phone – it’s not lenticular like those of the HTC Evo 3D or LG’s Optimus 3D – but a 3DTV will do it, or you can see them in 2D on the blower.

The Arc S also has Sony’s new video and music download services built in, so you can watch movies on the handset. Of course, a service is only as good as its offering but it’s a great feature to have. XPERIA ARC S MAGIC BUTTON FOR SCREEN SHOTZ... And there’s one more feature, though it’s not something everyone will want. A long press on the power button gives an extra option: to take a screenshot. Journalists and bloggers love the ability to capture what’s on screen, and maybe you’ll be glad of this too, occasionally.

There’s no doubt the Xperia Arc S is one of the best-looking Sony Ericsson has yet delivered, and the bonus of the sprightlier chip means an already accomplished handset now has more strings to its bow. If you admired the first one, you’ll like this even more. Tech Features Bluetooth: Yes Main camera resolution: 8MP Operating system :Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Screen resolution: 480x854 Screen size: 4.2in Standby time: 470 hrs Storage: 1GB Talk time: 7hrs 30minVideo Resolution: 720p @30fps Weight: 117g Wi-Fi: Yes Xenon: flashNo

MOVE ON TO XPERIA