ANDROID TERRITORY

Western Digital was clearly a believer in the bright future of SanDisk when it acquired the company for an estimated $19 billion back in 2016, and it looks as though that belief was not misplaced. The American manufacturer of flash memory products has changed the landscape of portable memory by introducing a 400GB microSDXC UHS-I card which it believes to be the highest-capacity microSD card on the market. SanDisk has a history of blowing the portable memory game out of the water and taking things to the next level, which is likely one of the reasons Western Digital saw fit to pump billions into the company’s coffers. It was just two years ago that SanDisk introduced a 200GB Ultra microSD card, which at the time seemed extremely impressive for the type of money that it was charging. This latest addition to the product range effectively doubles the capacity of that card. The desire by SanDisk to double the storage of its largest capacity card has clearly partly been dri...

A new report from Qualcomm suggests that the ‘true wireless’ revolution is now well underway, but is the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack really living on borrowed time? We spoke to one of its top aptX execs to get the inside scoop on where the consumer audio industry is heading – and it all might just hinge on what Samsung does with its 2018 flagship, the  Galaxy S9. Wireless is the way forward. That was the clear message from American telecoms titan Qualcomm when it briefed  Trusted Reviews  ahead of the launch of its annual State of Play report into consumer audio preferences. State of Play 2017 is based on a survey of 4000 smartphone users in the US and UK, and while some of the findings might seem unremarkable (80% of us expect ‘new features’ when buying something!), reading between the lines gives us a good idea of where the audio industry is heading – and can help us ensure we make better purchase decisions as result. For one, it’s interesting to note t...

The littleBits Droid Inventor Kit is about to trundle onto every Star Wars-loving kids’ Christmas list. New York-based littleBits wants everyone to be an inventor. It’s been trying to get people of all ages to embrace STEAM (Science, Technology, Art and Mathematics) via its invention kits comprising modular blocks that snap together with magnets. It’s all very cool and educational, but now littleBits has a kit that enables you to build a programmable, app-controlled R2-D2. If that doesn’t get kids’ creative juices flowing, they may as well all become accountants now and be done with it. The basic instructions tell you how to use the supplied six Bits (modules), 20 Droid parts and three sticker sheets to create a Droid that can be controlled in Drive Mode, Self-Nav and Force Mode, and that features 20 authentic R2 Unit sounds from the Star Wars films. After that, you can start getting a little more adventurous, reconfiguring your Droid with new skills and even taking part in ...

The iPhone 7S Plus is inching ever close to a release date, and a few kind retailers have already opened up pre-order pages to end the misery of waiting . Apple’s new handset is launching alongside two other new iPhones – the iPhone 7S and the iPhone 8 – and it’s pretty much a given that it’ll be a maxed out version of the iPhone 7S. Notable features include the retention of the Home button complete with Touch ID fingerprint scanner, which is nothing to write home about unless you know that both the iPhone 7S and 8 are said to be shedding the button. There’s no firm release date just yet for the iPhone 7S Plus, but we’re expecting Apple to lift the lid on its full design and specs in early September, which is really soon. That’s why we’d recommend jumping in line for the 7S Plus as the first opportunity. You can go to  Mobiles.co.uk  to register your interest now, which will mean you’ll be among the first to pocket the phone when it finally launches. Another reas...

Samsung launched its new Surface Pro rival earlier this year in the form of the  Galaxy Book , and now you can pre-order the device in the UK. The company first showed off the device at MWC back in February, showcasing 12 and 10-inch configurations, both of which have slightly different internals. Now, those looking to get in on the Samsung hybrid action can pre-order both ahead of their official release on June 16. Before you go rushing to pre-order, however, its worth noting that prices for the new Galaxy Book start from £649, which is a tad steep for a hybrid device such as this. Still, there’s no denying the Galaxy Book is an impressive device, coming with an attachable keyboard dock and updated S Pen stylus. There’s two USB-C ports on the 12-inch model, which also benefits from a 7th-gen Intel Core i5-7200U Kaby Lake CPU clocked at 3.1GHz. If you opt for the smaller configuration, you’ll be getting an Intel Core m3 processor clocked at 2.6GHz. We tested th...

How to reset an iPad: The complete guide to factory-wiping an iPad, regardless of model or iOS.  Do you have plans to flog your old iPad before a new one comes out? Or, perhaps, you’ve downloaded some new software that’s caused it to bork – it’s rare, but it can happen. Either way, your device will need to be reset. Basically, this erases all the content on the device, returning it to its factory settings. There’s a couple steps to this, and some might not apply directly to your iPad. If you don’t have Find My iPad switched on, or own an Apple Watch, skip ahead to step 3. Otherwise, read on to learn how to reset an iPad. 1. How to reset your iPad – Turning off Find My iPad This is a little confusing, purely because it’s called Find My iPad on your iPad but Find My iPhone on your iCloud homepage. Confusion aside, it’s a nifty security feature that should be turned off automatically when you reset your iPad – however, it’s best to turn it off manually if you have an olde...

Is Google going to merge Chrome OS and Android? Back in December the company said there was  no point, because both are successful . Instead, it seems the company is going to continue introducing Chrome features that are synonymous with Android. Last year, it was the inclusion of the Play Store, now Google is introducing a brand new touchscreen launcher for the web-based desktop operating system. The launcher, which can be accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the display, looks very similar to the one deployed on Android tablets. It is sure to come in handy for folks using touchscreen Chromebooks in tablet mode. You can see it in the video below: The reveal comes from Google’s Chrome evangelist  Francois Beaufort , who showed off the beta feature on his personal Google+ page (remember those?) It’ll probably be rolled into the main OS in 3-4 months, according to an  Android Police  report. While Chrome OS and Android continue to gain features ...

Apple has announced iPad sales have returned to growth for the first time in almost four years. In the headline announcement from its quarterly earnings call, Apple says iPad sales grew 15% year on year since the same period last year. Sales are up 28% compared to the last quarter. Sales hit 11.5 million compared to just under 10 million in 2016. That year-on-year growth hasn’t happened 2013. The sales have been buoyed by the launch of the 9.7-inch ‘New’ iPad in March this year. The replacement for the iPad Air 2 arrived with a budget friendly price tag of £339/$329, while packing a host of improvements. It features a Retina display, A9 processor, all-day battery life and compatibility with the newest versions of iOS. At that attractive price point it’s seen as a perfect update for Apple fans who’ve been plodding on with an iPad 2, for example Meanwhile, the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro is available from £619/$629, alongside the 12.9-inch model Elsewhere, Apple...

If you’re looking to pick up a new tablet, there are few better choices than Google’s flagship Android slate: the Google Pixel C. Making the deal even sweeter is a discount on the tablet when purchased directly from Google, bringing the price down from the usual £479 to just £404 – that’s a £75 saving. Most other major retailers – including Currys and PC World – are still selling the Google Pixel C at the full price of £479.99, so this is a veritable bargain. Buy Now:  Google Pixel C at Google Store for £404 The Google Pixel C was announced by Google during a media event in September 2015, and went on sale later that year. The swanky Android tablet features a sizeable 10.2-inch display with a 2,560 x 1,800-pixel resolution, and runs on the Nvidia Tegra X1 system-on-a-chip. It comes in 32GB and 64GB storage variants, but all models feature the same 3GB of LPDDR4 memory. We gave the Google Pixel C a fairly high score of 4/5 in our review, praising the tablet’s ...

Key Features Review Price: £299.99 GPS and GLONASS Heart rate and relative SPO2 sensor NFC 2.5GB onboard storage Waterproof to 50m with swim tracking  Hands-on with the Fitbit Ionic: Fitbit’s first fully-fledged waterproof smartwatch with 4-day battery Release date:  October 2017 Price:  £299.99/€299.95 Fitbit made some high-profile acquisitions recently in the form of Pebble and Vector, two companies known for their smartwatch smarts. So it’s little surprise that its subsequent new device could be considered its first true smartwatch. Fitbit’s new flagship wearable takes the best component parts of many of Fitbit’s recent devices like the Surge, Blaze and Charge 2, making it the ultimate Fitbit for those wanting advanced sports tracking alongside smartwatch convenience and customisability. Fitbit Ionic – Design and screen The first thing that struck me about the Fitbit Ionic was how much it looked like a mo...

Best Android Oreo Features: What’s new in Google’s Android 8 Oreo update? Android Oreo has long been in the public domain in beta form, so we’ve had a good idea of what new features it includes as far back as I/O 2017. That didn’t take the shine off of Google’s official Android O reveal, though – now that final details of the Android 8 update have been confirmed, there’s more reason to be excited than ever. Here are some of the key features you should look forward to from Android Oreo when it rolls out to your smartphone. 1. Background limits Battery life is always a big concern, which is why Google often makes improvements with new iterations of Android. The latest version of Android Oreo is no different, with Google increasing the automatic limits on what apps can do in the background in a number of key areas (broadcasts, background services, and location updates, for instance). “These changes will make it easier to create apps that have minimal impact o...

The Google Pixel 2 could be launched as soon as October and feature a Snapdragon 836 processor, if the latest leaks are to be believed. That’s the lowdown according to respected mobile tipster Evan Blass, who  tweeted   that Google will be revealing the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 at an October 5 launch event. It seems safe for Pixel fans to circle October 5 on their calendars, as Blass has a strong track record when it comes to smartphone crystal gazing and such a launch date would coincide roughly with the one-year anniversary of the original  Google Pixel  and its big sibling, the  Google Pixel XL . Plus, it would give Google a nice amount of breathing room after the iPhone 8launch but still allow it to deliver a shiny new gadget under the Christmas tree. Google has also previously confirmed that it intends to unveil a pair of new handsets this year, though we haven’t seen a date pinned to the Pixel 2 until now. Potentially more int...

Key Features Review Price: £869 6.3-inch quad-HD+ AMOLED HDR display Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 6GB RAM, 64GB storage 3300 mAh battery, Wireless and fast charging  Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8: The new best big phone? The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was one the best phones of 2016 – until it began to catch fire. A few weeks later, it was recalled and then discontinued. It was a sour end to what appeared to be a good year for Samsung. 12 months on, it doesn’t seem to have caused any lasting issues.  The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are easily two of the best handsets of the year so far, selling in droves, and the company has just announced the Samsung Note 8: a smartphone I never thought would come to be. Before delving into my hands-on first impressions, here are the key facts you need to know about Samsung’s latest phablet. Samsung Galaxy Note 8 UK release date – September 2017 Like all recent Samsung phones, the Note 8 is a gorgeou...