Thinking of getting a Tablet for yourself or someone.... Here are the options and things you should consider

In this post we will be considering 3 basic models i.e the Apple Ipad, Samsung Galaxy, Asus Nexus.

No doubt about the fact that apple still has the thinnest and sleekest tablet in the market right about now which is the almighty IPAD AIR, but we shouldn't forget other contenders in the market like the Samsung galaxy models and the Nexus 2013 models too, they are pretty fantastic tablets. But when one wants to get a tablet, there are plenty things to be put into consideration, not just d design or the physical appearance.

Here are some other factors to be considered
  • Price:  First and foremost, you need to decide how much you're willing to spend. While some tablets are available at an extremely low price point, they're usually not what they're cracked up to be. So one has to be careful so as not to purchase a low quality product just because the price is favourable
  • Size: Size is more important than you might think. While cute 7-inch tablets might be right for some, other people really appreciate the increased real estate that large tablets offer. If at all possible, I recommend trying out a few tablets in person. Many stores have floor models, and friends are often eager to share. Different sizes fit different people, so make sure of what you want before diving in.
  • Weight:  What do you plan on doing with your tablet? Are you going to hold it in one hand to read books, or are you going to rest it on the table to watch movies? Your intended uses should inform your purchasing decision. If you're looking for a small device to read and play games on, a small 7 or 8-inch tablet might be right for you. If you're not going to be carrying it around, weight won't be much of a concern at all.
  • Resolution:  Screen resolution is important — especially for heavy readers. The beautiful high-res Retina screens in the third and fourth generation ipads make reading, watching movies and others a joy. If you're planning on using your tablet extensively, stepping up to a better screen can make the whole experience much more enjoyable.
  • Storage:  When you think about storage, think about it as two separate things: internal and external. Spending a little bit more for a tablet with more internal drive space offers more room for videos, photos, apps, and music right out of the box. Some tablets also have SD card slots, and this allows the addition of extra storage. But i personally advice going with one that has expandable memory.
  • Resale value: Traditionally, Apple products tend to hold onto their resale value extremely well. If you plan on selling your tablet a few months or years down the road, keep in mind that an iPad will probably pay you more.
If one is considering price.....A samsung galaxy or a Nexus is preferable.

WHO SHOULD GET THE IPAD?
 http://b-i.forbesimg.com/patrickmoorhead/files/2013/11/iPad-Air.jpg

 
If you want a tablet that just works, and that has all the great user experience, app and game, accessory and services, customer support and iMore community benefits, then the iPad is for you. It's not as cheap as many competitors these days, doesn't have a Wacom-style digitizer built-in, but it remains the single best tablet lineup in the world at what it does, and what it does it does very, very well.
Unless you have a very specific set of requirements or use cases that make something else a better option for you

WHO SHOUL GET A SAMSUNG GALAXY TABLET


https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_SrrY14vCqs_ADz3f6VBKu6oesAsGPu9-CbIhud6tQJi2DT5KjsFlXt29PuoYDt5zy6apJkUqEmn1rSECwHiWPAEpAWWTPfAXVEsRm31fCoIXhPUEpF328rAJZN_UX4iD7Mcp2UHddA/s1600/Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-3-roster.jpg
  
The Galaxy Tab audience can be divided into two main categories: (1) those who want to use the device for watching movies, reading books, listening to music and playing casual games and (2) those who want to customize their experience or love to tweak their device to get the most out of it.
Android tablets will appeal to those who mostly want to consume entertainment because the initial price tag can be significantly cheaper. This means more money for the good stuff.
Android also provides a more customizable experience. So if the first thing you do when you get a new smartphone or gadget is to hit the settings to get it just right, you might be the perfect Android user. Home screen widgets might intimidate some people, but they can be both useful and pretty cool.

WHO SHOULD GET A NEXUS TABLET
http://www.mobiada.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/nexus-7-2013.jpg The Nexus 7 has just been refreshed with a higher density screen, making an already good tiny tablet even better.
The interface isn't quite as good as the iPad, though it's getting better every iteration, and the tablet-optimized app selection is still a crime against larger screens, but services like Google Now are unmatched on any other platform. Also, Google typically eats profit margins on their hardware (since they make money off advertising in their services), so Nexus tablets can be quite a bit cheaper than competing devices, including and especially Apple's.
If price is your most important feature, and you like stock Android, you'll likely be happy with a Nexus tablet.

 VERDICT
I ended up choosing the Samsung Galaxy tab 3. Overall it is more customizable and has a more personal feel. Once you play around with enough Apple products, they all start to feel the same. And the fact that i can get desired satisfaction from a cheaper product is so cool. not, not forgetting the costs of maintaining this is far cheaper than an ipad where free stuff is so limited. thanks for taking time to read this, hope this helps u out in choosing what tablet to buy- Dizzle 
samsung galaxy note 10.1 tablet

Nokia Lumia 2520 review: Nokia's first tablet










 Nokia’s first entry into the tablet market is a triumph of design and beauty, making Microsoft’s own Surface look clumsy and heavy. It’s a Windows machine, and it makes the new 8.1 software, closely related to Windows Phone with which Nokia has had so much success, looks great.

True, this is the Windows RT version, so you can only download apps from Microsoft’s as yet underpopulated store. But it comes with the key Windows program, Office, already loaded. And it has Nokia’s splendid own-brand apps to help.
The Nokia Lumia 2520 comes in a choice of colours: two are gloss, red and white, while the other two are matte finish (black or cyan). All are made from the appealing-to-the-touch polycarbonate finish that Nokia has dressed most of its Lumia smartphones in. The material and the skilfully curved edges combine to create a gadget which feels great in the hand. Although it’s not as featherweight as the new Apple iPad Air it’s lighter than last year’s iPad. This means it’s comfortable enough in the hand to feel absolutely portable. You won’t want to just use this tablet at home.
The design is sleekly realised in every way. Apart from the power button and volume rocker on the top edge there are a couple of sockets, including power and headphones and a connector on the base for an optional keyboard.
Other than that it’s beautifully simple. To wake the screen you touch the Windows logo that sits on the front. It pulses and the display lights up, which is a pleasant and intimate feeling.
Nokia’s own apps include its excellent free music streaming program Nokia music and Here maps. Beyond that there is a proficient camera app and Nokia Storyteller which is new. This is a program which turns your photos and videos into stories based on when and where they were taken. Very neatly, when you’re looking at a photograph and can’t remember where you took it you can zoom out and suddenly the images are revealed on a map – it’s good fun.
There’s a simple but effective video capture and editing program as well, called Nokia Video Director. Part of the success of this tablet is the range of superior apps Nokia has provided, and doubtless there will be more to follow.
The processor on the Nokia Lumia 2520 is pretty whizzy and means the touchscreen is quickly responsive. The inclusion of the full Microsoft Office suite at your fingertips is very useful. And the Microsoft-owned Skype is right there on the home screen, alongside elegantly designed Microsoft apps such as Bing Food & Drink and Bing Health & Fitness.
With so many good-looking apps available it’s easy to forget that this is not a fully capable computer. But the limitation of installing apps only from the App Store hasn’t exactly held back the iPad which has similar prescriptive rules as to what is compatible. The difference is that Apple’s App Store has 475,000 tablet-optimised apps while here the number is much, much lower, though growing fast.
In the world of tablet computers, so completely dominated by the iPad, the Nokia Lumia 2520 is a breath of fresh air.

GTA 5 preview












Grand Theft Auto 5 (or Grand Theft Auto V, to give it its correct roman numeral-flavoured moniker) is unarguably the most anticipated game of the year. With front-page exclusives, multi-storey murals and millions of web clicks for the slenderest of cut-scene-encrusted trailers, Rockstar Games' September-set new sandbox for Xbox 360 and PS3 is the hottest of gaming properties.

Indeed, GTA V's delay from spring to autumn suddenly feels all the crueler now that spring is actually in the air and not just a word printed on a schedule. It's so close our joypad-calloused hands can almost touch it.

We say "almost" with a heavier heart than most, too, because T3 has had an up-close, behind-closed-doors live demo of its inner workings, the gameplay behind the cinematic trailers; our eyes have gorged on Los Santos's spectacularly detailed locales and multifaceted heist potential, yet said hands stayed firmly controller-less the whole time. "Almost."

GTA 5: Characters

Yet what we've seen has our mitts itching undeniably for a joypad or two, as Rockstar has rethought the mechanics of GTA more than the overly familiar, wise-cracking trailers suggest.

The new three-pronged structure has you jumping between Henry Hill-esque bank robber-turned-witness protection case Michael, car repo man Franklin and war-vet trailer-dweller Trevor with a push of a button, a character wheel jumping up at the bottom right.

This split-personality disorder doesn't just act as a quick way round when exploring the frankly intimidatingly sized city (three and half times the land mass of Red Dead Redemption, reads the post-show fact sheet). It's also used as a strategic device throughout missions, to, say, cover all vantage points or execute actions in different locations simultaneously.

In fact, there are three different types of switch options at play: auto, as some individual missions require completion by a certain character; cut-scene, in which you're prompted to change persona to advance the central plot; and free choice, where you can use any character you wish, dependent on personal taste. We're told there will be plenty of all three.

Interestingly, we notice the character wheel has four divisions, not three, the last one greyed out suggestively. Naturally, we ask why, and are told it's to do with multiplayer, which isn't being discussed.

We can but hypothesise that a co-op campaign with a mate helping you out in heists would be all kinds of ace. Like the second Kane & Lynch's Fragile Alliance multiplayer, but, y'know, good. Well, that's the dream.

GTA 5: Gameplay

In fact, we have a hunch co-operative heists are going to spawn a whole new genre of brag video on YouTube this year. We realise we keep saying heists a lot, and that's because GTA V has taken its predecessor's much-loved Three-Leaf Clover mission not just for its action set-pieces but much of its narrative.

Sure, there's loads of other stuff to do on your own, as ever. One side mission sees Michael outrun the paparazzi to rescue an A-lister from their prying zooms (was the $150 tip necessary, though? Doesn't she know who I am?).

There are even self-contained hunting and base jumping mini-games, among others, and we spied a Blazing Tattoos, ink fans. Yet the story is pushed forward by these bringing togethers of the three protagonists.

We're promised the full Reservoir Dogs routine: hiring goons by skill set (up to 12 a team), location scouting, escape planning, getaway car stealing and costume sourcing (bagsy the Ex Presidents masks), even Joe Cabot's ageing whiteboard.

Do you pick an all-round strong team, or select a talented weakling who can crack a safe but get offed in gun fire so you can make off with a heftier cut? In our mind we're planning a devilish Dark Knight-esque scheme of last-man standing, but Rockstar won't confirm if this will be possible. Go on, you know it makes sense.

Our interest is certainly piqued at this strategic, Football Manager-esque take on the crime underworld, the return of San Andreas' upgradeable stat system adding another layer of RPG-esque depth and mission ownership underneath the action (a brief foray into scuba-diving shipwrecks amid sharks explaining why you would ever max out "lung capacity"). But unsurprisingly it's action our eyeballs are given.

GTA 5: Combat

We're thrust straight into the heat of one particular heist, straight out of, er, Heat (the old "block the road with a big van and ram them with another big van" routine), weapons of choice some dust trucks, boiler suits and a set of horror-film masks. Apparently it's a "Blitz Play", not an actual "Heist" – they are differentiated in- game by the amount of planning required and the size of the payoff – but it looks like one.

Rather than played for japes as the cut-scenes suggest, though, the tension builds like a scene from Drive, all pulsing bass lines and light blurs, an atmospheric '80s-esque soundtrack rising and falling contextually. We can only guess how affecting it will be when you're not only controlling it, but have personally planned all aspects of the heist you're executing.

With the security van blown and goods commandeered, it's into a police stand-off. Michael has scarpered with the package, so the remaining two fight off the fuzz from in and around industrial estate architecture, environments exploding around them.

The use of the character-switch button becomes apparent immediately, the player skipping between their perspectives smoothly to first fend off and eventually corner enemies, effectively controlling both team-mates at once. The toggled-off character turns to AI support act when not controlled, hiding and firing in cover in self-preservation.

Noticeable firefight refinements show a wider field of vision when lining up a mark over your shoulder, a handy Max Payne 3-esque combat roll for evading an onslaught, and an even handier little 'X' appearing over the reticule to signify a dead enemy. Any clarification we can get in the heat of battle is gratefully received, thank you very much.

Just when we think the police may be taking control, the player switches to Michael, now miles away with a very good quality sniper scope in his possession, and takes out the remaining coppers. For a finishing touch, the old-reliable rocket launcher comes out to destroy the chopper overhead. It's a classic GTA moment re-imagined, and it's exhaustingly good entertainment, even as a viewer.

GTA 5: The World

Throughout our hour-long demo, Los Santos feels truly alive, whether you're paragliding above dirt tracks coursing with ATVs as adrenaline junkie Franklin, grabbing an abandoned speedboat, Far Cry 3-style, as Trevor after waking amidst a passed-out throng of familiar biker gang The Lost, or just being over-run by night-walking weirdos on Vinewood Boulevard. These feel like lives being lived; over-the-top, occasionally homicidal lives, but lives all the same.

Unusually, the entire city is available from the start, rather than held back for you to unlock, showing confidence in its confines, a want for it to be explored and enjoyed as a realistic space.

Similarly, your smartphone is again the natural hub of much of your non-action activity, but this too is ramped up. Your iFruit (ho ho) can now access the internet directly and take photos, popping up organically on-screen for a snap that can be shared on Rockstar's Social Club instantly as you would any real-life social-networking app (take that, PS4 Share button).

Sure, we're inevitably thrust back into "game" world with talk of "special abilities" that can be built up for each character, but even these have a touch of heightened reality about them.

War vet Trevor can dish out and take more damage than anyone (fair dues), speed demon Franklin can slow time when in cars for last-minute U-turns (makes sense), while Michael indulges in a familiar bit of a bullet time gunfire-dodging (because, well, he looks a lot like Max Payne).

While you expect depth from a developer who's made creating sprawling virtual cities its living, GTA 5 hints at more. Not just in sheer size, but in interaction, the random residents and oddballs that send you off on sub- mission tangents less scripted diversions, more part of the ebb and flow, each of the three-amigo protagonists' lives moving on dramatically while you're choosing to control another.

GTA 5: Verdict

Yet these are still just hints, small tasters of what Rockstar has under the hood, and all our strained peepers can garner in a 60-minute sitting. Hopefully in the coming months our hands will be able to join in the fun and we can judge whether the most anticipated game of the year is on its way to being the best. But our eyeballs say it's looking good.









Sony PS4 review









Deep in Sony's bunker at E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, T3 spent a good few hours investigating the veritable might of the new PS4.

In a series of demos, we got to grips, quite literally, with the new DualShock 4 controller, the PlayStation Camera, the companion iOS and Android app, and a smattering of new titles such as DriveClub, Killzone Shadow Fall and Knack, plus a Play Room demo.

Sony PS4: Controller

The controller itself is sturdy and reassuringly weighty in the palm compared to the always-a-bit-light-for-us DualShock 3, which is interesting as the Xbox One has slimmed down just as Sony has homed in on heft. It's not bulky though, and its sleekness is married to an almost textured coating on both the base and dual sticks that helps grip.

Xbox One vs Sony PS4: Next-gen showdown

The dual sticks feel stiffer compared to the PS3's, and while this initially jars, we found with more exposure to them we actually preferred it for accuracy, though it takes some getting used to.

The triggers are now really very trigger-like indeed (although Killzone, rather bizarrely, still doesn't assign them as aim and fire) and their close placement to the shoulder buttons is a good design move that aids quick changes.

Sony PS4: Touch panel

The central touch panel is very responsive when navigating menus and a satisfying click acts as a surrogate Start button in its absence.

We actually really missed Start and Select to, well, start with (how do you pause?!), but the more time you spend with the touch panel, the more you realise what an increasingly exciting addition it is. Indeed, it's as at home replicating a touch screen as it is the movements of a PC trackpad.

On Killzone it brings up a secondary menu of attacks, while on Play Room it was used for everything from throwing things onto the screen to rubbing to interact with on-screen characters to moving on-screen paddles for air hockey. The bridge between smartphone games and the new raft of independent developers that PlayStation's busy pleasing is a very palpable one.

Sony PS4: 10 things you need to know

The motor rumble of the controller and speaker combine to generate some very impressive feedback, though not quite of the standard of the Xbox One's new joypad.

There's no rumble in the triggers here, but there is a real feeling of weight being moved around. At one point in the Play Room, AI bots fill the controller, and you can hear and feel them moving around inside the pad as you manipulate it. Alas, none of the demos used the new Share or Options button so we were unable to test their use.

Sony PS4: Camera

The PlayStation Camera is a bit of a micro-Kinect, following in the best tradition of EyeToy. Like Move, it reads the light bars on the rear of the DualShock 4s so that you can manipulate items on screen with it, but also reads your flailing arms to interact, too.

The resolution is decent if nothing too scary – it doesn't track your expression or engagement, but it can tell if you've covered your eyes (the crowd of AI bots on the demo hushed, before we pulled our hands away and they all cried in a really quite charming game of Peek-a-boo). It will also set your head on fire – virtually, at least – in that AR style that Reality Fighters and its Vita brethren did.

Sony PS4: App

Even more exciting was the PlayStation companion app, which will be available for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets (in this case an Sony Xperia Z tab, obviously) as well as the PS Vita.

This is what the likes of Ubisoft are using in Watch Dogs and The Division as Sony's answer to SmartGlass, but here it was used to draw objects on a very simplified version of art package and literally 'throw' them on to the big screen. It's basic so far, but again, there's real potential there if they can expand the options.

The Play Room, a thoroughly enjoyable tech demo that's not confirmed for any official release, makes great use of the cam and we think Sony would be bonkers not to include as a getting-to-grips-with-the-hardware retail release. Maybe it could be packaged with the PlayStation Camera now Sony has confirmed that omitting that from the PS4 box was a way of keeping the costs down?

Sony PS4: Games

DriveClub is a decent racer with some nice features, although graphically we weren't as blown away as we expected (though the 'Pre-Alpha, 35% complete' sign should explain that). Handling is decent, with a focus on drifting with the shoulder buttons, but the system of Fame points is what is really interesting.

You race in clubs, but as you make your way round the track, independent challenges pop up with headshots of other drivers attached. You then have a variety of durations to better the random opponent – be it cornering, average speed or, yes, drifting – for extra goodies. It certainly keeps you interested, even if you've raced well ahead, and we can only imagine the online integration that will follow.

Sony PS4: Games we want to play right now

Knack is a rather basic combat brawler that has you smashing up scenery and growing your body, Katamari-style, before beating up a succession of bulky henchmen. Some twitchy camera angles aside, it's fun, though very much a 'first wave' title at first glance.

Finally, Killzone Shadow Fall looks rather gorgeous, although, in forests and detailed shrubbery, the particular level we played looked bugger all like typical Killzone.

The sheer number of combat options across triggers, d-pad and touch pad baffled us to the extent that we blew ourselves up twice with a grenade before we knew what was going on, but with persistence we actually killed some people and left intrigued by exactly where the extensive weaponry and drone assistance would take us.

Sony PS4: Verdict

While it's far too early to reach any genuine conclusions on the PS4, what with all games way off completion, few actually playable, the UI and Share features yet to be shown off and the full hardware setup hidden from view, the controller and the implementation of new technology bodes well.

The DualShock 4, for us, is an improvement on its predecessor, more comfy in hand and with a wealth of immersive bells and whistles to see it through years of innovation. The PlayStation Camera is clever and fun rather than intrusive and being removed from the console package to keep the price low makes financial sense, though this could stymy software development focusing on the new tech in the same way Xbox struggled with Kinect support.

First-party launch games at the moment seem decent rather than stunning, yet the potential, in terms of graphical output, is clear, and is already being exploited to a greater degree outside the PlayStation camp, while the nifty companion app hints at greater connectivity than we first suspected. We're eager to try out more.

Sony PS4 release date: November 2013









Samsung ATIV Q review









The Samsung ATIV Q is the Korean giant's first dual-OS running laptop that will see you running Android and Windows 8 apps. It's the second PC in the ATIV line-up, following the Samsung ATIV and is hoping to take on the likes of the Sony VAIO Duo 13, ASUS Transformer Book Trio and Dell XPS Duo 12.

Samsung ATIV Q: Size and Build

Packing a 13.3-inch screen, the device weights 1.29kg, with a profile that measures 13.9mm thin. It's certainly on the lighter and thinner end of the scale and easily portable. As a convertible it can be used in four modes.

The first as a standard laptop, the second allows the screen to "float" above the keyboard, the third flips the screen to the back and the last as a fully touchscreen tablet. The CPU can be found in the hinge rather than underneath the keyboard. An interesting proposition and it certainly gives the laptop a sturdy feel.

Samsung ATIV Q: Features

The main boon of the ATIV Q is it's ability to run both Android and Windows. From the screen it's an easy one press from Windows to Android and vice-versa. There's full access to the Google Play Store and Android apps can be dragged and dropped on to the Windows display.

It's simple and intuitive to use and means that if you're an Android apps fan on tablet but a Windows 8 lover on PC, you get the best of both worlds. Samsung has also included it's much loved S Pen from the Samsung Galaxy Note range.

It'll work across both OSs and we're told comes with 1024 level sensitivity and also added in is an updated S Note app. The love-in with Samsung tablets continues with Samsung's new SideSync functionality that allows you drag and drop files, annotations and pictures from the ATIV Q to your tablet and phone, wirelessly.

Samsung ATIV Q: Screen

The 13.3-inch screen comes with a resolution of 3200 x 1800 and 275ppi. From our brief play with it, it's bright and apps across both OSs were pin sharp. The touchscreen using your digits was responsive and the addition of the S Pen is a bonus for those who like a good stylus.

Samsung Galaxy ATIV Q: Battery

Samsung quoted 12 hours on the Samsung ATIV Q, which is pretty standard and in line with Apple's offering of the MacBook Air but we'll be bringing you more on that once we've had a longer time to test in our full review.

Samsung Galaxy ATIV Q: Verdict

The fact that the Samsung Galaxy ATIV Q runs both Windows and Android is a great advantage and sets it apart from other Windows 8-only convertibles. One of Windows 8's big headaches is apps and the ATIV Q solves that problem by offering the 800,000 plus apps from Google Play and the ability to use them in the Windows OS.

It lacks some of the sex-appeal of the MacBook Air but it's certainly one of the sleekest and slimmest convertibles out there running Windows. We only had a brief play with the device and the signs are good, what we need now is a thorough test for a full verdict on whether this is the Windows 8 convertible to get your hands on.











Samsung Galaxy Folder press images leaked




Samsung's new mid-range flip smartphone, the Galaxy Folder, has dual display meaning the screen is visible on both sides of the lid.

Press images have leaked online showing the smartphone in full form just days after specs hit the Internet

The specs for this device are; a 3.7-inch Amold display with 800x480 res, Snapdragon 4001.7GHz dual-core chip, 2GB RAM, 1820mAh battery, LTE support, touchscreen and runs on Android 4.2.2.

The leaked press shots show new elements to the Galaxy Folder (SHV-E400K) with gold edging on the case and a camera key replacing the W2013's previously dual-sim button.

The design is not a new look for Samsung as they have previously released the SCH-W2013 in China, and the SCH-W999.

This clamshell design 4G Android smartphone will launch in the Korean markets.

According to GsmArena, the Galaxy Folder's official name is the Galaxy Golden.

It is unclear whether this new smartphone will launch anywhere else in the world.

Samsung has recently announced the ATIV Q dual device laptop with changeable screen allowing the usual position, the ability to 'float' above the keyboard and full flip capability to turn the laptop into a tablet

HTC One Max photos reportedly leaked



The HTC One Max emerged last month in a leaked document from O2 in the UK and according to Taiwanese site ePrice, images have now been posted online.

The 'Max' feature of the HTC One Max is rumoured to be the 5.9-inch 1080p display upgrade from HTC One's 4.7-inch screen (also in 1080p Full HD).

From the photo leaked online, the screen appears bigger with a lower speak grill and button placement.

According to ePrice, the official One Max will make an appearance at next month's IFA event in Berlin.

Also expected to launch at this year's event are the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Sony Honami.

Other specifications upgraded in the HTC One Max are a move to a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and a 3,200mAH battery.

HTC's current HTC One sports a 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor and a 2,300mAh battery.

HTC are reportedly releasing the HTC One Mini this month which goes the opposite direction of the Max with a 4.3-inch display.

The One Max and One Mini are similar in design with dual speakers and a body thickness of 9.4mm, ePrice reports.