Nokia Lumia 625

Nokia reveals budget-friendly, large-screen Lumia 625

After the 520 accepted article of a hit (in Lumia terms, that is), Nokia has appear a new low-end device.

What makes the 625, launched on Tuesday, angle out from its predecessors is the admeasurement of the screen: a 4.7-incher. It's the better Lumia awning to date: previously, the better affectation in the ambit was 4.5 inches, as apparent on the 1020, 920, and 925.

However, for all that awning absolute estate, the resolution is adequately low — 800x480p — the aforementioned resolution as the 520 but decidedly lower than Nokia's flagship 1020's 1280x768p. Additionally noteworthy: the 625 is 4G LTE-compatible.

The accessory is contrarily a adequately accepted lower-end Lumia on the inside, powered by the 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, rather than the 1.5GHz adaptation begin on best of the contempo Lumias. There's additionally 512MB of RAM, 8GB of onboard accumulator (extendable up to 64GB via SD card), and a five-megapixel rear-facing camera.

As able-bodied as active Windows Phone 8, the 625 comes with the Lumia Amber update, which brings tweaks including announcement the time during back the accessory is in standby approach after clarification the battery, and added camera appearance such as SmartCam.

The accessory — which comes in orange, yellow, ablaze green, white, and atramentous — will go on auction the accepted quarter. The 625 additionally has its own ambit of capricious coloured polycarbonate shells.

Though it's anticipation to be aimed chiefly at the Chinese market, the 625 will additionally be awash in Europe, Asia Pacific, India, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, and comes with a wallet-friendly amount tag of €220 unsubsidised.

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop told investors aftermost anniversary that the aggregation would be gluttonous to cut the amount of its Windows Phone accessories in an accomplishment to drive sales, citation the 520 as one of the added accepted handsets in the ambit at the moment — decidedly in the US, UK, and China.

The 625 is the additional Lumia barrage this month: the imaging-focused 1020 was launched in New York beforehand in July.

Windows 8.1 Preview

The Metro hater's adviser to the Windows 8.1 Preview

In announcement the absolution of the Windows 8.1 Preview, Microsoft admiral said, “We’re alert to feedback.” That’s a affable way of adage they were aggravating to abstain actuality splattered by a battery of rotten tomatoes.

Some of the best articulate complaints—sorry, feedback—came from longtime Windows users who capital the acceptable genitalia of Windows 8 after sacrificing the accustomed Windows 7 desktop. Responding to that complaint was the catalyst abaft Microsoft’s accommodation to restore the Start button in Windows 8.1 to its acceptable abode at the larboard ancillary of the taskbar.

The acceptable news: Windows 8.1 has all the user-interface pieces you charge to accompany the desktop to the beginning and accomplish the Start awning abate far, far into the background.

The bad news: Windows 8.1 doesn’t accept a abracadabra “make Metro go away” button. Desktop diehards will charge to absorb a brace account (really, that’s all the time it takes) to abuse the Windows 8.1 Preview into submission.

Here’s what you charge to do to accomplish Windows 8.1 as desktop-friendly as possible. Note that all of the appearance I call actuality are new or decidedly afflicted in Windows 8.1 compared to Windows 8.

Step 1: Uninstall exceptionable apps.

Your focus is on desktop apps. You accept no admiration to use any of the 20-plus congenital Metro apps and no affairs to download any from the Windows Store. To abate the adventitious that you will aback barrage one of the congenital apps, uninstall as abounding as you can. Windows 8.1 allows you to uninstall all of those apps in one operation; that’s a big advance over Windows 8, which fabricated you uninstall anniversary app separately.

Step 2: Adjust the attending of the Start screen.

Windows 8.1 includes an advantage that allows the Start awning to allotment the aforementioned accomplishments as the desktop. Personally, I acquisition that ambience somewhat distracting, so I leave it off. Instead, I acclaim removing the arrangement and adjusting the accomplishments blush to article neutral. This chat box isn’t in PC Settings, area you ability apprehend it. Instead, you accept to go to the Start screen, bang the Settings charm, and again bang Personalize.

Step 3: Abuse the Start awning settings to clothing your preferences.

Right-click any abandoned amplitude on the taskbar and bang Properties. That opens up the familiar-looking Taskbar And Navigation Properties chat box, with a Navigation tab that’s new to Windows 8.1. Options actuality acquiesce you to bypass the Start awning at sign-in, appearance the All Apps awning back you bang or tap Start, and attenuate the two hot corners at the top of the screen.

Step 4: Arrange the Apps screen.

You’ll apparently demand to abstain the Start awning completely, but you can’t abstain an casual appointment to the Apps view. It replaces the All Programs card with a full-screen list, organized into groups. You accept several allocation and alignment options in Windows 8.1 that aren’t accessible in Windows 8.

Step 5: Pin your admired desktop programs to the taskbar.

This is absolutely one affair Windows 8.1 does bigger than Windows 7. From the Apps appearance you can baddest as abounding desktop programs as you demand and again bang Pin to Taskbar from the command bar at the basal of the screen.

Step 6: Set your absence apps.

This is a footfall a lot of bodies overlook. By default, Windows 8 sets several accepted book types to accessible with Metro-style apps. Windows 8.1 follows in that tradition. You can use the awkward and ambagious Absence Programs advantage in the desktop Control Panel. But it’s much, abundant easier to use the new Defaults option, which you’ll acquisition in PC Settings below Search & Apps.

Don’t balloon to change your absence browser here. If you use Chrome or Firefox, the desktop adaptation of your adopted browser becomes the default. If you use Internet Explorer, be abiding to appointment the Internet Options chat box application the desktop interface. On the Programs tab, below Opening Internet Explorer, accept Always In Internet Explorer On The Desktop, and additionally analysis the box below that setting.

There, you’re done.

That was apparently added complicated than it needs to be, but the end aftereffect should be a arrangement that is far added advanced of your desktop habits, with far beneath Metro style.

ThinkPad Book 2: Best Windows tablet

ThinkPad Book 2: Best Windows tablet

Windows book makers are aggravating altered forms and styles of units to try to accomplish a archetypal that will address to consumers. Some of them assume to assignment OK while others absence the mark. Lenovo has called to accomplish a simple slate archetypal in the ThinkPad Book 2, and it is by far the best of the lot.

I was afflicted with the ThinkPad Book 2 back I aboriginal advised it at barrage beforehand this year. I would accept purchased one except I acquainted the $729 amount was too high. Back the amount alone afresh to beneath $600 I had to buy one.

I've acclimated over a dozen Windows tablets including convertible notebooks, hybrids, and authentic tablets. Some of them accept been terrible, others aloof OK, and one or two nice but not compelling.

Hardware as reviewed:

• Processor: Intel Atom Z2760 (2 cores, 1.8 GHz, 1MG cache)
• OS: Windows 8 Pro (32-bit)
• Display: 10.1-inch IPS (1366 x 768)
• Pen: yes
• Graphics: PowerVR SGX545 in Atom SoC
• Storage: 64GB eMMC
• Memory: 2GB
• Cameras: 2MP front; 8MP rear (720p video capture)
• Sound: stereo speakers (0.5 Watt x 2)
• Wireless: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0; GPS
• Weight: 1.3 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.34 x 6.48 x 0.39 inches
• Battery: 30 Whr
• Slots/ports: 1-USB 2.0; miniHDMI; microSD; berth connector; 3.5mm audio

Where best of them accept collapsed abbreviate is in aggravating to do too much. It seems that back OEMs try to accomplish a book that is additionally a acceptable laptop, they abatement abbreviate on the book side. For tablets to be acceptable models, they charge be attenuate and ablaze abundant to be acclimated in the duke for continued periods. The slate charge additionally be baby abundant to be adequate to handle.

It's all about the tablet

That's absolutely what Lenovo has congenital in the Book 2. The 1.3lb assemblage is the best adequate Windows book I've used. The 10.1-inch affectation makes the slate an about absolute admeasurement for accomplishing archetypal book tasks. It works able-bodied in either mural or account orientation, article best Windows tablets don't consistently handle able-bodied in my experience.

The atramentous matte accomplishment on the Book 2 looks nice and provides a apparent for deeply administration the tablet. It is far bigger than the glassy metal accomplishment acclimated on the iPad which is slippery. Secure administration aside, it has a affection that is actual important for a tablet: it feels actual acceptable in the hand.

I like the disposable book on my HP Envy x2, but the Book 2 is abundant better. The admeasurement is a big reason, a 10.1-inch book is artlessly abundant easier to use than a 11.6-inch model. A attestation to that is I acquisition I like account books with the Metro Kindle app on the Book 2. It displays a big folio and is adequate to authority in account acclimatization for a acceptable while.

The Book 2 additionally has one important affection the Envy x2 lacks: pen support. The pen lives in a little accumulator silo on one bend of the Book 2 so it's accessible to accelerate the pen out and use it instead of the onscreen keyboard. Windows 8 handles inking accurately and it's a abundant affection for a tablet. The pen is additionally accessible back alive on the Windows desktop as awning controls can be tiny on the baby screen. Borer them with the pen is added absolute than with a big finger.

The ThinkPad Book 2 has a concrete Windows button on the basal of the awning rather than a blow button as acclimated on added tablets. The blow buttons accord me fits back application the book in the duke so the concrete button is a big added for me.

The resolution of the Book 2 affectation (1366x768) is aloof appropriate for the 10.1-inch screen. While the Metro interface can handle assorted resolutions with ease, bequest apps on the desktop can be too baby to apprehend calmly back the resolution is high. That's not the case on the Book 2, aggregate looks nice and brittle yet is still accessible to read.

There is a microSD aperture on the Book 2 and I've put a 64GB agenda in mine. That added than doubles the centralized accumulator which has abounding Windows 8 demography up a lot of the 64GB. Now I don't anguish about it with about 100GB at my disposal. My assemblage additionally has a SIM agenda aperture as Lenovo sells models with adaptable broadband. On my assemblage the SIM aperture is not active.

I like the adeptness to install bequest Windows apps on the Book 2, and that agency Chrome. I am heavily built-in in the Google/Chrome ecosystem and I use Chrome heavily. It runs accurately on the Book 2 and is accessible to accomplish by touch. I can calmly about-face amid Chrome on the desktop and Tweetdeck active in IE on the Metro ancillary with a bash from larboard to right.

I'm application the pen added than I anticipation I would due to the nice Windows 8 inking panel. I can calmly author abbreviate entries in any app (Metro and legacy) which I acquisition easier to do than borer on the onscreen keyboard. It feels accustomed to authority the Book 2 like a block and address on the screen.

Optional keyboard-- nice but too expensive

The alternative keyboard for the Book 2 is accessible back I charge to access lots of text. It is a rechargable assemblage that connects to the Book 2 via Bluetooth. There is a little bend that ancestor up to prop the Book 2 at a acceptable examination bend for typing. The keyboard is archetypal ThinkPad affection and while hardly abate than full-size keyboards I can blazon at abundant acceleration and with acceptable accuracy.

It lacks a trackpad so no Windows gestures are available. There is a red trackstick in the average of the keyboard forth with three abrasion buttons at the basal bend for administration mousing. The trackstick is not a joystick, it is absolutely a little optical touchpad for affective the cursor about the screen.

I got acclimated to this trackpad/trackstick thingy actual bound and it now feels actual accustomed to use. I can move the cursor calmly from one bend of the awning to the added with little feel swiping. Application the average abrasion button with the trackstick is a abundant way to annal bottomward continued windows.

It's about a claim for application Windows 8 to abounding advantage and it would accept been nice had it been cheaper or bigger yet included with the tablet. 

Best Windows tablet

Lenovo has taken the appropriate access with the ThinkPad Book 2 by architecture a no-compromise book aboriginal and abacus keyboard abutment separate. The book is the absolute size, is accessible to use in the hand, and is now affairs for a acceptable price.

It's far bigger than the Apparent RT I bought and after awash as it's added adequate to use in the hand. Added Windows RT is abortive with its disability to install the Chrome browser (or any bequest Windows apps).

I haven't acclimated a Apparent Pro but I apperceive the Book 2 is above to that book from Microsoft in my opinion. The Apparent Pro is too big and abundant for a tablet, at atomic for me, and the array activity of about 5 hours is far too short. I'm accepting 10+ hours on the ThinkPad Book 2 and I wouldn't barter that alike for the faster processor of the Apparent Pro. The amount advantage goes to the Book 2 by a advanced margin.

I'd like to see Lenovo aftermath a Book 3 with Haswell central for bigger achievement than the Atom acclimated in the Book 2. The Haswell band-aid should accumulate the array activity at a akin commensurable to the Atom so it would accommodate the best of both worlds. I'm not abiding the added calefaction and accessible aggregate of the Haswell would fit in the aforementioned case as the Book 2 but if so that would be great.

Until that brace happens, if possible, the ThinkPad Book 2 is the best Windows book I've used, and I doubtable it will authority that appellation for the accountable future. Lenovo has hit the brawl out of the esplanade with the Book 2.

Apple iPad with 13-inch model

Apple attractive to supersize the iPad with 13-inch model?

The abutting accessory rumoured to be abutting Apple's calendar will be a supersized iPad, according to reports. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple and its basic suppliers in Asia are now testing beyond iPad and iPhone screens.

The companies are attractive into a 13-inch awning for the iPad, which is about a division beyond than the accepted better iPad affectation of 9.7 inches, and about 40 percent bigger than the iPad mini's 7.9-inch screen.

The iPhone too could be accepting larger: according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has asked for ancestor screens that are "larger than four inches".

The cardboard doesn't say how abundant beyond the screens could be, however, admitting the flagship accessories from Apple's rivals are all beyond than its current-generation iPhone: the Nokia Lumia 1020 comes with a 4.5-inch display, for example, while the Samsung Galaxy S4 nudges phablet area with a five-inch screen. The iPhone 5 has a four-inch display.

The cardboard addendum there's no chat yet on whether the beyond iPhone or iPad will accomplish it into production.

However, letters aftermost anniversary appropriate that the beyond iPhone affectation in catechism could be 4.3 inches, and access on the iPhone 5S, the accepted abutting bearing of iPhone. According to Bloomberg, Apple has delayed the barrage of the 5S in adjustment to accommodate the beyond display.

Other additions to the Apple abiding arise to accept additionally got the go-ahead: as able-bodied as a brace to the accepted iPhone slated to address in backward August and go on auction at the end of the year, the aggregation is accepted to acquaint a lower-end iPhone with a abate screen, aluminium anatomy and assorted colours of alien casing, the WSJ says.

Lenovo's Horizon tabletop PC

Lenovo's Horizon all-in-one: Testing out the tabletop PC

The industry has been busily reinventing the PC in hopes of acceptable aback barter captivated by tablets. Abundant of the focus has been on convertible laptops that bifold as tablets. But desktops are additionally accepting a makeover. In particular, computer makers are designing added able all-in-ones that can be aggregate by the accomplished family.

The use of touchscreens on all-in-ones is not new. HP has been aggravating to jumpstart this bazaar with its TouchSmart PCs for years. But the addition of Windows 8, which is optimized for ample touchscreens, absolutely got things rolling. Now, PC makers are demography it a footfall added by abacus batteries, so that you can calmly move all-in-ones from allowance to room, and affectation hinges that bend flat, so that you can allotment them. Although some reviewers attention these as colossal tablets, a bigger name for the class is the tabletop PC.

For the accomplished few weeks, I've been testing out one of these new tabletop PCs, Lenovo's IdeaCentre Horizon. Others in this class accommodate the Dell XPS 18, HP Envy Rove 20, and Sony Vaio Tap 20. The Asus Transformer All-In-One is a array of amalgam that is allotment Windows desktop and allotment Android book (I wrote about these in a antecedent post). And the Acer Aspire R7 accomplishes abundant the aforementioned affair with a 15-inch touchscreen that folds flat, but it is added boilerplate laptop than all-in-one, with its congenital keyboard and trackpad.

The Horizon is based on a 27-inch, 10-point blow affectation with a resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels. It is big and weighs a ample 17 pounds, but a atramentous elastic anatomy makes it accessible to anchor the affectation to acclimatize it or move it. Back you angle it assiduously or backwards, it stays altogether in place. If you bend it all the way flat, it automatically launches Lenovo's Aura tabletop user interface. And if you aces it up again, the athletic kickstand automatically ancestor out and the arrangement prompts you to acknowledgment to Windows 8. (You can additionally avenue Aura and use Windows 8 back the Horizon is bankrupt flat.)

There are several good, all-embracing reviews of the Horizon PC accessible abroad — including Dan Ackerman's booty on ZDNet's sister armpit CNET — so I won't absorb too abundant time on the basal specs or performance. The agreement I tested, with a third-generation Core-i7 adaptable processor, 8GB of memory, Nvidia detached graphics, and a 1TB adamantine drive, is $1,600 at Best Buy. The abundance is additionally alms a $1,500 archetypal with a Core i5 and 6GB of memory. Either one should accept affluence of achievement for archetypal abundance and ball applications, as able-bodied as basal gaming.

The Windows 8 apps from the Windows Abundance attending abundant on a ample touchscreen. Lenovo's Aura interface has its own set of apps and amateur advised for blow and for appropriate Horizon peripherals. And Lenovo has its own App Shop — absolutely a adaptation of Intel's AppUp abundance — with a scattering of "Horizon Select" apps. Lenovo said it is alive with Electronic Arts and Ubisoft to actualize versions of their amateur for the App Shop. For acceptable measure, Lenovo throws in the BlueStacks adversary so that you can run Android apps, admitting they don't attending abundant on such a ample display, and not all apps or appearance will assignment properly.

BlackBerry 10 inflictive addition

BlackBerry 10 inflictive addition figures: It's the keyboard

The aboriginal appellation you anticipate of back you anticipate of BlackBerry is beleaguered. The maker of the BlackBerry has collapsed as far as a aggregation can and still be in business. Once the angel of the action and again the customer space, the BlackBerry hasn't been able to accumulate clip with its competition.

The addition of BlackBerry 10 (BB10), the avant-garde adaptation of the OS on the latest phones by BlackBerry, was beheld as the aftermost attack by BlackBerry to abide applicable in the market. BlackBerry pulled out all the stops to accomplish BB10 a glassy blow OS to attempt with the iPhone and Android phones.

See also: BlackBerry Z10: Refreshing but not appetite abatement (review)

The latest numbers for BlackBerry shipments assume to announce that BlackBerry customers, and in animosity of appearances there are still millions of them, adopt phones active on the earlier OS. As Matt Miller credibility out, BlackBerry alien 4.08 actor BlackBerrys active the earlier OS and alone 2.72 actor phones active the new BB10. On the apparent that would betoken that the new OS is not as accepted as the earlier version, but I don't anticipate that's the case.

Those addition numbers awning the latest division of BlackBerry's reporting, and the actuality is the Z10 handset was the alone one aircraft with BB10 for the absolute quarter. The newest BB10 phone, the Q10, has alone afresh alien in the all-around market, and alone actual afresh in the US. That's cogent as the Z10, which should accomplish up best of those aircraft figures, is the new BlackBerry after a concrete keyboard.

No amount how badly BlackBerry wants to breach into the blow buzz market, the distinct aspect of the BlackBerry that has consistently admiring barter is the concrete QWERTY keyboard. The BlackBerry is acclaimed for the keyboard, and there's no acumen to apprehend this to change with BB10. Best if not all of those earlier BlackBerrys that alien in the latelst division acceptable had concrete keyboards.

There may be added factors accidental to the actuality that earlier BlackBerrys are still outshipping the new Z10 about two-to-one but I anticipate it's primarily the keyboard that is alluring buyers. They demand the keyboard and they are not absolution the bling of the new OS and the new handset affect their decision. Keyboard or annihilation is what these numbers announce to me.

That agency the newest BlackBerry with the concrete keyboard is the best important handset of BlackBerry's history. The Q10 has it all, the new BB10 system, a blow screen, and the concrete QWERTY keyboard. This is the buzz that can get BlackBerry enthusiasts to advancement to the new OS.

Whether the Q10 can attempt with the antagonism charcoal to be seen. It bigger be able to attempt with old BlackBerrys or it could be the company's aftermost hurrah.

Firefox OS Smartphones

Firefox OS smartphones arrive: A fine mobile Petri dish

Mozilla's Firefox OS smartphones will anon acreage via Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica, and the adaptable open-source belvedere is account watching — alone to see if addition amateur can accomplish a cavity in Android and Apple's iOS.

The adaptable ecosystem is atrocious to acquisition a No. 3 platform. Windows Buzz has carrier abutment as does BlackBerry. Why? Carriers don't wish to be abased on Apple and Google. That absoluteness is why you see Samsung aggravating all sorts of software overlays to abbreviate assurance on Android. The problem: there are applicable adaptable platforms above Android and Apple's iOS, but consumers aren't buying.

BlackBerry's a lot of contempo division indicates that appeal is apathetic for BlackBerry 10 devices. Windows Buzz abundantly depends on Nokia, which is aswell struggling.

Perhaps Firefox OS has a shot. Firefox has the accessible antecedent cred with Mozilla just like Android has. Meanwhile, Firefox aswell has a acclaimed brand. The aboriginal Firefox OS accessories will be the Alcatel One Touch Fire and ZTE Open.

Mozilla is aswell targeting advance away in a move that's strategically sound.

Firefox OS is advised from the arena up to be about the Web and will accept appearance such as Facebook and Twitter. The abstraction is that the buzz is chip with the Web and that minimizes the charge for non-HTML5 apps. Mozilla describes the elevator pitch:

Firefox OS is all about the HTML5 apps, but it's cryptic whether the bazaar will be accessible for it. Folks are acclimated to downloading apps.

In added words, Firefox OS is one accomplished adaptable Petri bowl and 20 accouterments and abettor ally highlight the interest. Everyone seems to wish a absolute No. 3 belvedere with Android assertive the market. Why not Firefox OS?