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iPhone 5 price cut on Phones 4u, now free from £31 a month

Apple iPhone 5 white back (generic banner) 

The retailer is currently offering Apple’s latest flagship smartphone free on Orange’s Works 31 and Panther 31 tariffs for just £31 a month on a two-year term.
The former endows takers with unlimited minutes and texts, plus 500MB of mobile internet. The latter provides a less enticing 400 minutes a month, but still comes with unlimited texts and ups the data allowance to 750MB.
Both offers are web exclusives, so you can only take advantage of them by ordering online.
If you’re not too keen on joining Orange, you can also pick up the iPhone 5 free on Vodafone for £33 a month. This gets you 600 minutes and unlimited texts, along with 500MB data and 2GB of Wi-Fi per month.
iPhone 5 white on hand (promotional)
Launched in September last year, the iPhone 5 is home to a four-inch Retina Display with a pin-sharp 326 ppi density, an eight-megapixel camera with an improved iSight lens that offers even better low-light performance and the new A6 processor that’s twice as fast as its predecessor but still consumes less power.
Phones 4u’s price cuts for the iPhone 5 come ahead of the imminent launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Samsung’s fourth-generation kit lands on April 26th and is expected to be one of most sought-after handsets at release with record-smashing pre-order demand reported by the retailer.


iPhone 5 price slashed on EE, Orange and T-Mobile

iPhone 5 black on hand 

EE has dropped the upfront fee for Apple’s latest flagship smartphone from £99.99 to £49.99 when you take up a contract for £36 a month over a two-year term.
This entitles you to unlimited minutes and texts, plus 500MB of mobile internet allowance per month for browsing and downloading at up to five times the speed of 3G.
Orange is also offering the iPhone 5 for £36 a month on its Works 36 tariff with a one-off charge of £49.99 (£69.99 previously). This furnishes takers with unlimited texts, minutes and 1GB of data every month.
Orange’s partner network T-Mobile, meanwhile, has confirmed a price cut on the iPhone 5 on its Full Monty plan, although at the time of writing it has yet to update its website to reflect that.
Assuming it’s still going ahead with the reduction, punters will have to pay £69.99 for the iPhone 5 as opposed to £99.99, with a monthly outlay of £36 a month, which comes with unlimited minutes and texts each and every month, as well as unlimited data.
The price drops are only available until April 30th, just days after the hotly anticipated release of the Samsung Galaxy S4, which lands on April 26th.


HTC 8X and 8S hands-on review

Apparently the result of an internal mandate to design devices inspired by the Windows Phone operating system and the challenge of making the iconic Live Tiles into as close to a physical, tangible product as possible, the 8X and 8S (or the Windows Phone 8X and Window Phone 8S by HTC, to give them their full names) certainly exude a sense of fun and breathe fresh air into HTC’s line up.
Designed by HTC’s lauded design agency One & Co, the 8X and 8S attempt to differentiate themselves with colourful hues, a strong visual identity, and a nice line in hardware specs to boot.

HTC 8X

htc 8x blue
The flagship Windows Phone 8 device from HTC is a looker in anyone’s books. It’s certainly an impressive size and exhibits the keen attention to aesthetic detail the manufacturer has become known for.
Boasting an expansive, vivid 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 super LCD display (with Corning’s now-famed Gorilla Glass, naturally), a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 16GB of on-board storage, it would be easy to dismiss the 8X as merely ticking all the boxes for a current-generation smartphone.
However, the attractive tapered frame - delicately crafted from anodized aluminium - as well as an 8-megapixel autofocus camera and built-in amplifiers with Beats Audio support set the 8X apart from the pack when it comes to hardware.
The selection of striking colourways for European editions of the 8X - California Blue, Limelight Yellow and Graphite Black are promised for Europe – was a little more muted than expected, especially given that the Lumia range from Nokia is promising an equally vibrant set of Windows Phone 8 devices in October.
In the flesh, the 8X is a solid handset, the 10.1mm thinness accentuated by the design and a matte finish that lends it a sense of confident build quality.
Whilst we weren’t able to tinker with the Windows Phone 8 innards as much as we’d like, a nice – if subtle – touch, is that the device matches the theme to the colour chosen out of the box.
It is these details and accents to an HTC phone that so strongly emphasise their focus on the overall experience for the user, something which is effectively conveyed in the 8X.
In the audio stakes, whilst the 8X won’t be supplied with Beats By Dr. Dre headphones upon purchase, the software side tweaks are still present and correct, revealing themselves as soon as an audio-outputting device is connected to the phone.
The reassurance of ‘authentic sound’ and dedicated audio amplifiers with a higher voltage output that offset pesky distortion issues at higher volumes are welcome, but the absence of any official cans is sorely felt from HTC’s new WP8 poster child.
The HTC 8X holds its own in the snapper stakes, an 8-megapixel 28mm lens is supported by an LED flash, physical camera key, an f/2.0 aperture as well as a BSI sensor to avoid capturing poor low-light images. And to help out less able snappers, the 8X also equipped with a dedicated HTC ImageChip, which apparently enables a quicker focus speed and clearer action shots.
A nice boost comes to the front-facing camera too, with fans of video calls or self-portraits able to enjoy a 2.1-megapixel effort with a wide angle lens and support for 1080p HD video recording, just like the effort on the rear. You’ll be glad to know that the ImageChip also does the business with the second camera, souping-up photos over here too.
Whilst the 8X won’t be riding on the 4G super-highway any time soon with only a UMTS model due for Europe, quad-band support compliments Bluetooth v2.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and NFC support in terms of connectivity.
As odd as it sounds, Windows Phone 8 is the least thrilling part of the 8X, HTC’s inability to customise, tweak and tinker leaves an altogether slightly over- familiar selection of Live Tiles to greet you on its crisp touchscreen.
That's not a downer by any means, but when you’ve witnessed some of the trickery HTC has managed to create on Windows Mobile and Android in the past, the restraint that the company is showing in the 8X is palpable.
With HTC’s Sense ethos confined to the addition of Beats Audio and improvements in imaging and their Hub present once again to deliver a portal to unique applications, you can’t help but feel the manufacturer is somewhat hamstrung by Microsoft’s insistence on uniformity in the operating system.
HTC certainly achieve what they set out to do in terms of creating a smartphone that appeals to the eye and to the touch with the 8X, perhaps inviting those unfamiliar with the unique language of Windows Phone to try it, engage with it, and most importantly have fun with a robust, slick device.

HTC 8S

htc 8s official
The HTC 8S’smaller 4-inch display is WVGA as opposed to the 8X’s Super LCD screen. The processor is indeed down to a dual-core 1GHz affair and the internal memory has been quartered to 4GB (but is upgradable via microSD, unlike the 8X). Meanwhile, the front-facing camera is gone and the rear-facing effort is now sporting a 5-megapixel lens, shorn of all that ImageChip goodness.
But with those gripes out of the way, the HTC 8S still has one thing going for it: it looks fantastic.
A more affordable Windows Phone 8 entrant, HTC’s 8S definitely lends a heightened sense of fun to proceedings, the gorgeous two-tone design immediately carving the handset a niche amongst fashionistas and the anti-slab brigade alike.
The unique, slender frame evokes memorable HTC handset designs past like the Hero, Legend and HD Mini, with Black-on-White, Red-on-Blue and Grey-on-Yellow colour clashes looking incredibly attractive, cool and certain to turn heads at the right price point.
htc 8s
It pares back on the right features to make it more of a mid-level offering, meaning the Windows Phone 8 experience loses little of its snappiness on the 8S’ leaner processor.
The Beats Audio support may have also lost its dedicated amplifiers in the 8S, but will make more than enough noise in public with some incredibly bold, eye-catching looks.
A smaller, lighter frame makes for a more pocketable (or purseable) device in the HTC 8S, and is sure to go head-to-head with the Nokia Lumia 820 in the ‘cheaper-but-still-cool’ Windows Phone 8 stakes.
According to HTC themselves, Microsoft feel the same way, with the 8X and 8S both receiving a great reception from Redmond, so much so that they will be the faces of Windows Phone 8 in a joint marketing campaign later in the year.
With reassurance that HTC’s dynamic duo will receive ‘prominent placement’ in building awareness for Microsoft’s latest mobile effort, it will be an interesting battle for supremacy between the 8X and 8S with a blessing from on-high (they have Windows Phone 8 right in the name) against a pair of powerful phones from Nokia attempting to convince floating fans to make the switch to Lumia.
Either way, the 8X and 8S are said be landing within days of the launch of Windows Phone 8 in late October, and are due to bring a splash of colour - and a bit of punch - to the smartphone battle.
At the right price and with the right levels of support from networks, these two could well bring the much-needed ‘wow’ factor to Windows Phone this winter.

Samsung Galaxy Beam review

First impressions

samsung galaxy beam 1
So far, projector phones have been a tough sell for Samsung. But the Galaxy Beam is a darn sight better-looking than Sammy’s earlier efforts: the bulky Pico and the Halo, which rocked a candy bar form factor that meant it looked more like a superannuated feature phone.
Boosting the Beam’s appeal is that this time around the projector promises to be more powerful than we’ve seen before. And offers some modes that could transform it from a novelty into a handy tool.


Design

samsung galaxy beam 2
With its yellow trim, rubbery backplate, mostly metal construction and weighty, chunky feel, at first glance the Beam appears to have copped more than a few moves from JCB’s range of ruggedized tough phones. Natch, this approach is surely due partly to the need to protect the projector, which sits flush at the top of the handset.
But while those JCB handsets’ form factors sacrifice style on the altar of shock resistance and solidity, the Beam has also been taking notes from the iPhone 3GS. Most obviously in its single home button, rounded corners and all-black slab-like frontage. As someone who - controversially - thinks that the 3GS and not the iPhone 4 is Apple designer Jonathan Ive’s finest hour, the Beam’s sharp looks come as a pleasant surprise.


Features

Of course, the unique selling point of the Beam is its projector. So how does it shape up?
Well if you’re measuring it against a dedicated projector, not brilliant. But for a neat additional function on a smartphone, it’s not bad either.
For starters, it’s easy to use. Firing it up is just a case of long-pressing the button on the side of the handset or touching the built-in projector app. And we awarded extra points for being able to project everything from a blockbuster to lo-fi YouTube clips.
With the Quick Pad mode, you can scribble or point at the screen – rendering the handset a fairly smart tuition or presentation tool. Or if you’re more of a party type, there’s the ambience option. This lets you put together a montage of images – almost always smiley faces and clips from ’70s Chop Socky movies - that you project in a space to give it that warehouse rave feel.
The downside is that with a brightness rating of 15 lumens and quite muddy sound, you’re not going to be blown away by the quality/production values of any movies that you watch on the Beam. And you’ve got no chance of being able to see anything you’re attempting to project in bright, daytime conditions. But by the same token a night spent with the Beam will be a film-watching experience that you’re unlikely to forget in a hurry.
The handset is also home to a fairly standard four-inch screen, with screen resolution of 480x800-pixels. Alas, there’s no sign of the Super AMOLED display technology that has become a hallmark of Samsung’s top-end Galaxy smartphones.
Elsewhere, you’ll find a dual-core processor that keeps things ticking over smoothly and a passable five-megapixel camera with flash.


Software

samsung galaxy beam largest
The Beam runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) out the box rather than the up-to-the-minute Jelly Bean iteration of Google’s OS, which adds features such as the revamped notifications bar and the Siri-rivalling Google Now. The good news is that despite the Beam’s relative lack of power, Samsung plans to make Jelly Bean available for it later this year.
Of course, as with all Android phones, you’ll get to choose from tens of thousands of apps and games up for grabs as the Google Play download store. You’ll also get multiple home screens to fill with apps and games and whathaveyou.


Ease of use

While the dual core processor and ICS version of Android aren’t going to combine to set any new chipset benchmark records, they do make for a relatively snappy smartphone experience.
As we’ve mentioned, the projector is very easy to get to grips with. It’s just a shame that the projector doesn’t really come into its own in anything but really dark conditions.


Verdict

The Galaxy Beam deserves to be applauded for trying something out of ordinary and, with the inclusion of some cool, value-adding bonus modes, represents by some distance the best example of a projector phone so far.
At not far shy of £400, though, whether that’s enough to sway you away from cheaper phones running the software and similar spec sheets but with no projector is something you’ll just have to decide for yourself. 

Specifications

  • 5 MP camera
  • 4.0″ TFT capacitive touchscreen
  • 8 GB internal storage
  • microSD card support up to 32GB
  • Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 processor
  • Android OS, version 2.3.6 (Gingerbread)
  • 1.3MP secondary camera             
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Motorola Razr i review

First impressions

Pull the Motorola Razr i from its box and you’ll be immediately struck by two things.
Firstly, the sheer heft of the thing. Secondly, that edge-to-edge 4.3-inch display.
Motorola Razr i review img 1
This is one smartly constructed phone, which despite tipping the scales at a somewhat heavyweight 126g (the iPhone 5 comes in at 112g by comparison), feels reassuringly high-end in the hand.
Fire it up and the OS is a breeze to handle. Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich edition of Android, coupled with Intel’s nippy 2GHz Atom processor, ensures this is a hugely enjoyable phone to use whether you’re browsing the web or snagging apps from Google Play.


Design

Motorola’s design team have done a grand job in making the Razr i feel like a truly premium device.
The Kevlar backing looks the part and protects it from any nasty bumps and scrapes, while the Gorilla Glass panel truly dominates, leaving no ugly, redundant areas on the phone.
Motorola Razr i review img 2
SIM and SD slots are neatly hidden behind a small plastic grommet down the side, which thankfully doesn’t feel as if it’s about to fall off at the first time of asking. The Razr i is a timely reminder that the Google-owned mobile maker is more than capable of producing sleek, slick smartphones.


Features

The key feature here is Intel’s 2GHz Atom processor. It keeps the Razr i ticking along at lightning speed, to the point where using the device never feels laboured.
Sure, it doesn’t stack up to the quad-core delights of Samsung’s top-end devices, but then that’s not really the point. For a device that costs just £349 SIM-free, it’s excellent.
The eight-megapixel camera sits well against rival devices, with the Android camera controls as intuitive as ever.
Motorola Razr i review img 3
That said, the social sharing options are sadly limited to just Google+ and Picasa for stills, with YouTube added into the mix for Full HD video shots.
The lack of Facebook and Twitter sharing is a rather big oversight, but not the end of the world if you’re more focused on sharing your musings rather than your snaps and clips.
The aforementioned Full HD shooting feature is superb and gives the camera a real edge when it comes to the mid-range Android market.
Shots appear crisp and clean on screen, although you’ll need to make sure the ambient light is spot-on to get the very best images.
Battery-wise, we managed to keep the Razr i going for 36 hours, which included hammering refresh on BBC Sport for the latest footie results, watching goal highlights, downloading apps and using the camera.
That’s as good as it gets these days and will stretch on for longer if you don’t use it constantly.


Software

Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich is great as ever, although it’s a shame that Motorola hasn’t managed to load the Razr i up with the latest version of Android Jelly Bean.
Motorola Razr i review img 4
The small design tweaks it’s made to the software are neat and unobtrusive, while the Circles function, which lets you flip through the time, weather and your battery status on the home screen is very neat.
While those after cutting-edge Android will be disappointed, the software here is still excellent and hardly outmoded.


Ease of Use

The Motorola Razr i is an incredibly easy phone to get to grips with. The simple sign-in means you’re up and running in a matter of minutes, while the home screen quick access to settings means you don’t need to go delving into myriad menu trees to get to what you want.
This is unquestionably Motorola’s best handset in years.


Specifications

  • Android 4.04 Ice Cream Sandwich
  • 4.3 inch, 540 x 960 capacitive touchscreen
  • 8 megapixel camera, 1080p HD video recording
  • 3.5mm jack
  • Wi-Fi, HSDPA, 8GB memory, 2GHz processor and microSD expansion