ReviewNex

Windows 8.1 Review

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Windows 8.1 is here. And you can download it for free. But does it fix what was wrong with Windows 8?</div>
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From Facebook to the full-featured Mail app and modern Outlook to a "peek" bar in the modern version of Internet Explorer 11 to the new Windows Scan app, you get all of the promised Windows 8.1 extras.</div>
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We are still waiting for the proper touch versions of the Office apps but that's the way things work in Microsoft's new 'continuous development' world. And of course you get the interface changes and SkyDrive integration we saw in the Windows 8.1 Preview.</div>
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The Start button is back, you can boot to the desktop and use the same image for your Start screen as your desktop background.</div>
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SkyDrive is built in to sync files - on both Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 RT - as well as settings and the layout for your Start screen and desktop taskbar.</div>
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But Microsoft's second bite at the convergence of PCs and tablets doesn't back away from what we still want to call Metro; in fact there are more built in modern apps than in Windows 8, more settings you can change without jumping to the desktop and more options for how you place modern apps on screen.</div>
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The question is how well these two worlds sit together, and how much of an improvement Microsoft has been able to deliver in a year.</div>
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Installing Windows 8.1</h3>
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If you already have Windows 8, upgrading to Windows 8.1 is very simple. It will be the first app you see every time you open the Windows Store and the installation happens very quickly.</div>
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You don't have to reinstall your desktop applications or your Windows Store apps, and all your files are still there (as are libraries and the icons pinned to your taskbar.</div>
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If you sign in with a Microsoft account you haven't used before, you might have to use a code that Microsoft emails or texts to you (if you've set that up in the past) to confirm it's you; that works like trusting a PC in Windows 8 but you don't have to do it as a separate step.</div>
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If you have Windows 7 (or earlier versions), you have to install Windows 8 (the same process as when Windows 8 first came out) and then upgrade to Windows 8.1.</div>
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If you've been trying the Windows 8.1 Preview, you can't upgrade directly to the RTM version (which Microsoft warned people about all along).</div>
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If you can't revert to Windows 8, you still do the update from the Windows Store and your files will stay on the system, but you'll have to reinstall your desktop programs.</div>
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<li style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; width: 480px;"><b>15 Windows 8.1 annoyances fixed</b></li>
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If you've already upgraded another PC using the same Microsoft account you'll see tiles for the Windows Store apps you have installed on that other PC (marked with a little download icon) and you can tap on the tiles to install them.</div>
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Once you've got into the Windows 8 and 8.1 world, upgrades become almost seamless (previews aside). You just have to get there<br /><br />ReviewNex Stars: 4.5/5</div>
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Windows 8.1 Review

Windows 8.1 is here. And you can download it for free. But does it fix what was wrong with Windows 8? From Facebook to the full-featured Mail app and modern Outlook to a "peek" bar in the modern vers…

20 Jan 2014

Android 4.4 Kitkat (Latest Edition)

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E<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">veryone was expecting Key Lime Pie to serve as the delicious moniker for the next version of Android. Google surprised us all by bucking tradition and releasing Android 4.4 under the name KitKat.</span><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 10px; width: 480px;">
Version 4.0 started life as Ice Cream Sandwich, but the last three decimal additions came under the Jelly Bean banner. This new version was obviously deemed different enough to snag a new nickname, but not different enough to merit a jump to version 5.0.</div>
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That 0.1 bump hardly does it justice. Don't be fooled: this is an important step up for Android. KitKat is super-smooth, the UI is refined and elegant, there are improvements to the long-neglected calling and messaging side of the platform, a new focus on productivity, and your fortune-telling digital assistant is brought front and centre as Google Now reaches maturity.</div>
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<img alt="Android 4.4 KitKat" class="lft" height="400" src="http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/Android/KitKat/KitKat%20screens/KitKat_screenshot-210-100.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: none; display: block; float: left; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; vertical-align: middle;" width="225" /></div>
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General surprise in the tech world wasn't just based on the erroneous supposition that Key Lime Pie had to be next; there were also some raised eyebrows at the idea of Google entering into a tawdry cross-licensing deal with Nestle which would see a flood of Android-shaped KitKats hitting the shops offering buyers the chance to win Nexus 7 tablets or Google Play credit.</div>
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According to Google the promotion was its idea and no money changed hands. With Nestle producing 50 million Android KitKat bars it certainly looks like a sweet deal for them.</div>
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Naming conventions aside, the 4.4 update is about addressing some of the Android criticisms that simply won't go away and it does so with aplomb.</div>
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There's a real focus on the consumer here, with a smattering of useful new features, a noticeable bump in performance, and some optimization to ensure that budget hardware is not left behind.</div>
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Android 4.4 is easily the best version of the platform to date, and Google has left the ball firmly in the OEMs' court when it comes to rolling out the upgrades.</div>
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Leading the field by extending the update beyond its Nexus line to theMoto G also neatly illustrates the move to improve the Android experience on low-end, affordable hardware.</div>
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First impressions</h3>
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KitKat really makes a mockery of the idea that iOS 7 is more refined than Android. This version of the platform is impressively fast, with stylish transitions, and an intuitive feel that masks the potential complexity.</div>
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There's a paring back of the notification bar, introducing translucency and context awareness, and enabling you to reclaim every pixel of your display for whatever you're doing.</div>
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There are a few new features here, and not all of them are perfect, but, for the most part Google has cherry-picked improvements and refined them.</div>
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The contrast between the bloated OEM launchers and stock Android could hardly be starker, but there are still a few things that manufacturers like Samsung and LG could teach Google (split-screen apps is an obvious one).</div>
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The familiar white Google logo, followed by four pulsing colourful circles, still greets you on booting up, but the process has sped up dramatically as the platform has matured. When I checked version 4.1 on a Galaxy Nexus it took 34 seconds. The Nexus 4 running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean clocked in at 19 seconds.</div>
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Android 4.4 took 21 seconds to boot up on the Nexus 5 we used for testing. Not quite as fast as the Nexus 4, but when you consider that my Galaxy S3running version 4.3 of Android took just shy of 40 seconds to boot up, you get a feel for how speedy that is.</div>
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As the home screen comes into view, you can immediately detect the lighter feel that Google was shooting for. The status bar icons at the top are now white.</div>
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The custom Roboto font looks like it has been on a diet, which makes it feel that little bit more crisp and elegant. Looking at menu highlights and icons, what once was blue is now generally grey.</div>
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Google Experience Launcher</h3>
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The changes go further on the Nexus 5 because it has the Google Experience Launcher. Those black bars top and bottom are gone. A subtle gradient is retained to ensure white icons are clear, even on light backgrounds.</div>
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Head into your app drawer and you'll find white dots at the bottom of the screen to illustrate which page you are on. The icons are now much bigger and clearer, at the cost of displaying just four across instead of five.</div>
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The widget tab has been dumped, and you won't miss it because a long press anywhere on the home screen gives you access to the widget menu, as well as wallpapers and relevant settings.</div>
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Swipe from right to left and you can access additional home screens. There doesn't seem to be any limit, you simply drag an icon to the right to create a new screen. Any home screen you empty will automatically disappear.</div>
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The only real surprise is that you have to scroll deliberately through each one; you can't take a shortcut by tapping on the page marker dots at the bottom.</div>
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Swiping from left to right on the home screen will bring Google Now into view, but I'll go into that in more detail later.</div>
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None of these changes made it beyond the Nexus 5 by default, but if you're willing to investigate it's quite easy to get the Google Experience Launcher on other Android devices. Unfortunately there's a risk that it won't work perfectly. I am disappointed and surprised that Google decided to keep this as a Nexus 5 exclusive.</div>
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The good news is that popular launchers, such as the free Nova Launcher, can be used, and the status bar transparency is supported along with a number of other customization options, to help you get the look you want.<br /><br />ReviewNex Stars: 5/5 *****</div>
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Android 4.4 Kitkat (Latest Edition)

Everyone was expecting Key Lime Pie to serve as the delicious moniker for the next version of Android. Google surprised us all by bucking tradition and releasing Android 4.4 under the name KitKat. Ve…

20 Jan 2014

Advent Vega Tegra Note 7 review

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In September 2013 Nvidia revealed it was launching its own tablet powered by the Tegra 4 quad-core processor - the same powerhouse that sits at the heart of its Shield gaming gadget.</div>
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Unusually for a budget tablet, the Tegra Note also launched with a stylus, something we've only otherwise seen on Samsung's Galaxy Note range. This isn't the first tablet that Nvidia has had a hand in, but previously it's limited itself to nothing much more than chip developer and software partner.</div>
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The first popular Android tablets such as the Motorola Xoom and Asus Transformer rocked Nvidia's Tegra 2 processor, which for the time was far ahead of rivals in terms of graphical capabilities, and with a cosy relationship with developers Nvidia managed to get a host of quality gaming titles on to the Tegra-based tablets as exclusive titles.</div>
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Advent's first Vega tablet was also powered by the Tegra 2 and due to a bargain price and rooting-friendly firmware, but after initial success its third generation Tegra processor missed the mark and failed to make it into many devices other than HTC's One X range – losing out to Qualcomm in the process.</div>
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Nvida is back though, and in the lengthly named Advent Vega Tegra Note 7 it is able to flaunt its latest processor to the world, the Tegra 4.</div>
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You can pick the Tegra Note 7 up fro around £180 putting it right in the mix with the likes of the Kindle Fire HDX, <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/new-nexus-7-1169802/review" style="color: #0099cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Nexus 7</a> and the lower priced Tesco Hudl.</div>
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The Tegra Note 7 has just been updated to a near-vanilla Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, with the only tweaks being to accommodate extra functionality to the stylus and couple of other minor tweaks. There's Android 4.4 KitKat promised by Nvidia, but when this will materialise no one is yet sure.</div>
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The Advent Vega Tegra Note 7 comes in at a solid 320g, a whole 30g more than the latest Nexus 7, though 50g lighter than Tesco's Hudl.</div>
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It would be stupid to call it heavy, but it feels weighty enough to avoid feeling cheap. Dimensions clock at 120 x 190 x 9.4mm, making it less tall but thicker than both the Nexus or the iPad Mini 2.</div>
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Up front the Tegra Note 7 is a pretty standard tablet affair. There are no special design flares and it's a relatively unmistakable black slab in comparison to more premium affairs from Apple and Samsung.</div>
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One thing that Asus could take notice of for their next Nexus tablet, however, are the stereo front-facing speakers driven by Nvidia PureAudio. In landscape mode they're positioned either side of the screen in a configuration most similar to HTC's award-winning <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/htc-one-1131862/review" style="color: #0099cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">One</a> smartphone.</div>
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They're not bad speakers either, and though they're not going to give you cinema-rivalling performance, they're clear enough to make watching YouTube clips far more enjoyable than the mono or rear-positioned speakers that so many other manufacturers seem comfortable with. To the left (in landscape) there's a front-facing camera with VGA resolution and an auto-brightness sensor.</div>
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The Tegra Note 7 takes design cues from the original Nexus 7 on the rear of the tablet, with the middle portion given a tactile feel thanks to dimpled finish. In the centre there's the embossed Tegra Note logo, while above and below this band of rubber you'll find the relatively understated Advent Vega branding.</div>
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Also on the rear you'll find a 5MP camera, that unfortunately omits any form of flash, and is positioned rather too close to the power button for my liking. This positioning means you'll often end up applying smudges to the camera when fumbling for the power button, which of course can inhibit camera performance.</div>
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Connectivity mostly resides on the left or top edge of the tablet, depending which way you hold it, with a micro-USB port for charging, a micro-HDMI port for HD video output and a 3.5mm jack for audio. Alongside these connections you'll find the power/wake button which is raised to just the right degree to make it easy to find.</div>
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The other side harbours a single-bar volume rocker that is a reasonable size, but suffers the same affliction as all single-button volume controls in that locating direction of the volume in the dark can sometimes be a little awkward.</div>
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Alongside the volume bar is the very welcome addition of a micro-SD memory card slot. It's worth mentioning at this point that when Nvidia updated the Tegra Note 7 to Android 4.3, it also furthered the flexibility of the micro-SD card support, by allowing apps to be installed to the SD.</div>
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Finally the right/bottom edge is where you'll find the stylus residing, but more on this later. There's also a grille that allows further sound output as well as being home to the Note's microphone.</div>
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Delve in to the internal specifications of the Note, and there's almost nothing to let down the side. The quad-core Nvidia Tegra 4 processor is clocked at a respectable 1.8GHz, only a 100mhz drop from the chip found in the Shield.</div>
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The processor is coupled with 1GB of RAM and a 72-core graphics processor which Nvidia claims to be the most powerful tablet GPU on the market, and judging by its gaming and benchmark performance, there's little to oppose this other than perhaps the new <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/ipad-air-1191350/review" style="color: #0099cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">iPad Air</a>.</div>
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For storage, there's only one option available with 16GB built in, which is actually pretty respectable when you consider a lot of the budget Android tablets will hope you'll make do with only 4 or 8GB of storage, though we'd have welcomed more options.</div>
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The micro-SD card slot will afford you another 32GB, so you shouldn't be too pushed for space, even if you're loading up on games.</div>
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Everyone's been spoilt with the full-HD (and higher) screens that other new tablets have launched with, and while the Tegra Note 7's screen is far from awful, the 1280 x 800 LCD display makes pixels more noticeable than ever at 215ppi.</div>
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Most will likely be more than content with the quality of the screen, especially considering the current price of the Tegra Note 7, the excellent viewing angle and bright and punchy colours thanks to IPS technology.</div>
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There's a small gap between screen and the glass, so you don't quite get the painted-on effect that some other tablets have achieved, which could have made using the stylus an even better experience.</div>
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Battery capacity comes in at a respectable 4100mAh, that allows the Note to muster a reported 10-hour battery life that I'll confirm (or deny) later in the review & its Perfect For Gaming ..!<br />ReviewNex Stars: 4/5 ****</div>
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Advent Vega Tegra Note 7 review

In September 2013 Nvidia revealed it was launching its own tablet powered by the Tegra 4 quad-core processor - the same powerhouse that sits at the heart of its Shield gaming gadget. Unusually for a …

20 Jan 2014

Apple iPad Air review

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Apple's new approach to tablets is to make everything easier to carry - and with a 43% thinner bezel and a 28% lighter device, the iPad Air is championing that drive.</div>
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If you haven't seen a picture yet, then imagine an iPad mini that you've just held a little closer to your face, and you're largely there with the Air.</div>
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It's got the same smooth back design, thinner bezel and more attractive speakers at the bottom of the phone to make it look like more of a family with the cut down tablet from Apple's stables.</div>
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While it's a clear copy, we're not going to get upset about that as the mini already had a stunning design, and the Air takes that message and brings it to the big leagues.</div>
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It also has machined buttons that don't feel loose when shaking, bringing up the premium feel to the device.</div>
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And the greatest thing about the iPad range in our eyes is the price - Apple is starting the 16GB Wi-Fi-only model at the same cost as its rivals, and while that outlay does spiral up as capacity and connectivity increase, for an Apple device to not charge an (unnecessary) premium is something we're really happy to see.On top of the new design, it's also rocking Apple's A7 chip, bringing with it 64-bit processing power and reams of battery saving techniques to keep your tablet going even longer in day to day use.</div>
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We're looking at a price range of £399 - £739 ($499 - $929 or AU$598 - AU1049), starting from the 16GB version (Wi-Fi only) to the 64GB cellular option.</div>
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Add to that the fact Apple is lobbing in a lot of useful free software, as well as bringing a more refined experience with iOS 7, and you can see that it's put a lot of effort into making the iPad Air the tablet that shows it's not losing its relevancy in the market.</div>
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The keynote for the launch of the iPad Air talked a lot about Apple's dominance in terms of tablet usage, but it's no secret that a number of users are starting to warm to the idea of an Android model as their main device - the Sony Xperia Tablet Z is one of the best around at the moment, and offers expandable storage as well as a waterproof casing to trump Apple in that respect.</div>
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But Apple has countered by bringing out the same 128GB model as before, which, while pricey, gives more than ample storage for anything you want to do on the go, be it storing all the HD apps you want as well as your entire music collection and most movies too.</div>
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It's worth noting that the 16GB option is nigh-on useless as a purchase if you're thinking of pulling in all the free apps Apple is slinging your way - this was an issue when the Retina display landed on the iPad 3, and has only got worse as more HD apps from developers have been slipped onto the App Store.</div>
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However, it's still good to see options being offered when it comes to storage, as some Android devices (albeit mostly phones) are starting to eschew expandability and not really upping the internal space.</div>
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So you can see that Apple has covered its bases in nearly every area when it comes to the iPad Air - but how does it actually perform in the hand when subjected to rigorous daily use?</div>
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Design</h3>
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The iPad Air is an odd device when you pick it up for the first time. When you hear all the numbers being bandied about you'd rightly assume that you'd feel something that was almost ghost-like in the hand, a tablet that could almost get blown away.</div>
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And we're utterly not disputing that - the iPad Air is the most balanced tablet on the market, with great precision going into the engineering throughout. However, if you've touched an iPad mini or just haven't held an older iPad for a while (and with some people we tested with, even those that had) you won't feel as much of a step up as you'd be expecting.</div>
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We've added that caveat to brace you should you be excited to purchase the new iPad, as it's not something that affects the general usage in any way, with one-handed holding very easy, and something that puts the Air into a new product category.</div>
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The design of the iPad Air is, as we've mentioned, very impressive. Yes, it's totally based on the iPad mini, and the smooth aluminium back is really great to feel in the hand. It's a shame that most people feel the need to slap a cover on an iPad as soon as it's bought - while we get the notion of protection, it hides away some cracking design.</div>
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That said, at least it keeps the fingers away from the chassis, and the iPad Air is a real magnet for prints. The back cover isn't too bad, but the mirrored Apple logo sucks down finger oil and is loathe to give it back even with hard scrubbing with a cloth.</div>
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It might not sound like a big deal, but it makes your premium new tablet look a bit unkempt right from the start.</div>
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But in actual operation, the design of the iPad Air complements the impressive innards superbly. It's unsurprisingly not possible to hold your hand the entire way around the edge of the Air, but then again it's so light (and comes with the ability to disregard erroneous thumbs entering the screen, again like the iPad mini) that it doesn't really make a big difference.</div>
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The rest of the buttonry - the top-mounted power key and the silencing rocker switch and volume buttons at the side - haven't moved far, but protrude nicely to make them very easy to hit no matter when you're holding the device - being able to find such things without looking is often sacrificed in the quest to make tablets look sleeker, so we're happy Apple has gone the other way here.</div>
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There is one note of criticism in terms of design for such a decent (and still expensive, despite costing the same as many of its peers) piece of kit: the screen has a plastic thud to it when tapping, thanks to the smaller and lighter innards.</div>
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It's most noticeable when grazed with a fingernail, although in a case the effect is lessened. We're surprised Apple let this feature go unchallenged, but it seems in making the design thinner and removing part of the inner cage the overall strength of the chassis is somewhat reduced.</div>
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It's not a major issue by any means, and certainly one that you'll only pick up on sporadically, but it's still enough to irk at times when you're expecting a truly premium experience.</div>
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Many of you will also be wondering why there's no <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/apple-s-touch-id-genuinely-useful-or-passing-gimmick--1180525" style="color: #0099cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">TouchID</a> onboard the iPad AIr when it's such a large selling point for the i<a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/iphone-5s-1179315/review" style="color: #0099cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Phone 5S</a>.</div>
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We're in the same boat. The architecture is there. It surely can't be an issue of space seeing as the technology fitted into the iPhone 5S.</div>
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So what could it be? Apple surely isn't holding it back as the 'big upgrade' for the iPad Air 2, is it? That would be such an anti-climax... plus we're waiting for the bendable iPad in 2014 anyway.<br /><br />Apple iPad Air is the world's best Tablet.<br />ReviewNex Stars: 5/5</div>
</div>

Apple iPad Air review

Apple's new approach to tablets is to make everything easier to carry - and with a 43% thinner bezel and a 28% lighter device, the iPad Air is championing that drive. If you haven't seen a picture ye…

20 Jan 2014

iPad Mini 2 with Retina Review

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Look at that - Apple's taken the top two spots in our tablet round up. You'll either love or hate that decision, but we can't deny that Apple has the best slates on the market right now.</div>
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The iPad Air is just ahead of the Mini 2, thanks to being more competitive on price and having a larger screen for all those iPad-friendly apps.</div>
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But this is far from a poor device. It's got reams of style from the aluminium back, a superfast A7 chip and that screen... well, it's what we should have had last year, but it still looks the business 12 months on.</div>
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Quick verdict</h3>
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The iPad Mini 2 is actually slightly cannibalised by the change to the Air's design - the larger tablet is now encroaching on the 'portable tablet' space.</div>
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That said, the Mini 2 has as many pixels in a smaller space, leading to greater sharpness for text and pics - plus there's no loss in power or battery life, which is a marvel in itself.</div>
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If only it was a little cheaper, we'd have two five star tablets on the market at the moment - but even still, if you're looking for a brilliant tablet in the smaller category (and aren't too worried about cost, you wealthy little so-and-so) then the Mini 2 is without compare.</div>
</div>

iPad Mini 2 with Retina Review

Look at that - Apple's taken the top two spots in our tablet round up. You'll either love or hate that decision, but we can't deny that Apple has the best slates on the market right now. The iPad Air…

20 Jan 2014

LG G Pad 8.3 Review

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What's this? LG in at number two on our smartphone list and then top five for tablets? Could the brand be on a rebound?</div>
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Well, when you make an Android tablet with a design language like this one, perhaps it's time to quietly worry at Samsung. In place of plastic, it's got a lovely aluminium shell, and connectivity with other Android phones makes it a viable option for a wider range of users.</div>
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Some might question whether the Snapdragon 600 chip is too low-power for a tablet that costs nearly £270, but it allows for a sleeker design according to the Korean brand.</div>
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Quick verdict</h3>
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We really liked the G Pad 8.3, and it was only lower down in our list thanks to a slightly higher battery drain than we were expecting - plus the overlay can take some getting used to.</div>
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But its the closest competitor to the iPad Mini out there, in terms of design, and it's a tablet we're not ashamed to pull out of a stylishly slim bag.</div>
</div>

LG G Pad 8.3 Review

What's this? LG in at number two on our smartphone list and then top five for tablets? Could the brand be on a rebound? Well, when you make an Android tablet with a design language like this one, per…

20 Jan 2014

Amazon Kindle fire HDX 7 Review

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Leaner, meaner and more powerful than its predecessor, Amazon has stepped its game up with the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 as it looks to keep pace with the new Nexus 7.</div>
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On paper Amazon's latest 7-inch tablet is more than up to the job with a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, full HD display, up to 64GB of storage and prices starting at £200.</div>
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In reality however it's not the complete offering the Nexus 7 is, with Amazon's heavily modified Fire OS 3.0 stripping out a lot of the functionality of Android and putting the retailer's services front and centre.</div>
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Verdict</h3>
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For the customisation you give up, you gain simplicity and ease of use on the Kindle Fire HDX 7. We'd like to call this the sort of tablet you give to someone who is less than tech savvy, but those devices don't usually have such good hardware.</div>
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If you're a Prime subscriber, or heavily invested in Amazon's ecosystem, the Kindle Fire HDX 7 is a smart purchase. For those who want a little more functionality reach for a Nexus 7, or if you have deeper pockets check out the iPad mini 2.</div>
</div>

Amazon Kindle fire HDX 7 Review

Leaner, meaner and more powerful than its predecessor, Amazon has stepped its game up with the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 as it looks to keep pace with the new Nexus 7. On paper Amazon's latest 7-inch …

20 Jan 2014

Microsoft Surface Pro 2 Review

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*Ding, ding* Round 2. Microsoft's second generation Windows 8 slate is here, building on its predecessor and providing a well rounded tablet-come-laptop experience.</div>
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In terms of portability the Surface Pro 2 won't be winning any awards - it's big and it's heavy, but if you're looking for a powerful business tablet then the Pro 2 is one of the best (if not <em>the </em>best) around.</div>
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Microsoft has improved the Pro 2 in a numbers of ways from the original Surface Pro, with an updated Windows 8.1 OS, beefy Intel processor, improved battery life and two position kick-stand.</div>
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Quick verdict</h3>
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The Surface Pro 2 doesn't offer the best natural tablet experience, but if you're looking for a device which bridges the gap between laptop and tablet then this is one of the best on the market.</div>
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With a handy QWERTY keyboard, large screen and Microsoft's Office suite it's an obvious business machine, but also offers something rather different to the iPad and Android slates.</div>
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It's expensive though, so be ready to fork out at least £700 for the basic version - plus you'll need a keyboard on top of that.</div>
</div>

Microsoft Surface Pro 2 Review

*Ding, ding* Round 2. Microsoft's second generation Windows 8 slate is here, building on its predecessor and providing a well rounded tablet-come-laptop experience. In terms of portability the Surfac…

20 Jan 2014

Apple iPad mini review

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Apple's former CEO Steve Jobs famously slammed small tablets a few years back, leading many to believe the Cupertino-based firm would never dabble in the budget end of the market, but here we are.</div>
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In terms of consistency in the tablet market Apple cannot be matched, as it now lays claim to the top two places in our top 10, although the iPad mini is no longer the jewel in an already glistening crown - it's already been usurped by the upgraded Google Nexus 7 and its successor.</div>
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Now we have all the Retina magic we'd hoped for on the new Mini edition, the old Mini isn't a bad device - we'd just recommend you heavily look at the newer model before you plump for this one.</div>
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Quick verdict</h3>
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When it landed we dubbed the iPad mini "the best iPad Apple has ever created", and while the iPad Air now claims that title now, this pint sized slate is still an OK choice on a budget.</div>
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If the screen puts you off, fear not, for the iPad mini 2 with Retina display is now out - but at least it hasn't shoved the Mini off the list altogether.</div>
</div>

Apple iPad mini review

Apple's former CEO Steve Jobs famously slammed small tablets a few years back, leading many to believe the Cupertino-based firm would never dabble in the budget end of the market, but here we are. In…

20 Jan 2014

Tesco Hudl Review

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What's this, a supermarket making a tablet? Whatever next, Argos making one too? <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/tablets/now-argos-jumps-on-the-tablet-android-tablet-bandwagon-with-99-mytablet-1189507" sl-processed="1" style="color: #0099cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Oh wait</a>... that aside, the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/tesco-hudl-1183138/review" sl-processed="1" style="color: #0099cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Hudl tablet</a> is a super cheap, £119 Android tablet which puts other £100 slates to shame, and so it comes in at number 10 in our best tablet roundup.</div>
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Given its price the Hudl is very well-specced, sports a solid build and a pretty decent 7-inch display. Stock Android will please those who are not fans of the various interface overlays which exist, and the addition of a microSD slot is useful.</div>
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Of course the Hudl isn't going to blow you away with super slick operation, although the quad-core processor means there's a chunk of power under the hood. But the less said about the camera, the better.</div>
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Quick verdict</h3>
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If you can stretch to £200, we'd still recommend the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/new-nexus-7-1169802/review" sl-processed="1" style="color: #0099cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Google Nexus 7</a> as the best pound-for-pound tablet on the market. If you're looking at spending closer to half that, though, we can't see any compact tablet out there that tops the Hudl.</div>
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Tesco Hudl Review

What's this, a supermarket making a tablet? Whatever next, Argos making one too? Oh wait... that aside, the Hudl tablet is a super cheap, £119 Android tablet which puts other £100 slates to shame, an…

20 Jan 2014

Motorola Razr HD review

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The Motorola Razr HD launched in the US late last year, but in that time all that's changed is the name (it was called the Motorola Droid Razr HD in the US), so it's less of a mouthful now.</div>
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Unfortunately the specs haven't changed, leaving it with just a dual-core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of RAM.</div>
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Rounding out the specs, the phone's running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, there's a 4.7-inch 720 x 1280 display, 16GB of internal storage - which can be expanded with a microSD card of up to 32GB - and an 8MP camera capable of shooting 1080p video at 30fps.</div>
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While those specs would be fine on a mid-range phone, for a flagship handset they were looking a little low-end even last year, and now next to the Sony Xperia Z and Samsung Galaxy S4 they seem positively quaint. Being a flagship handset, it's not unreasonable to consider these phones its competitors, despite them rocking at least quad-core processors and 2GB of RAM.</div>
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Of course specs aren't everything and they don't always equate to real world performance anyway, but it's still a little disappointing. On the other hand the price is a little lower than some top-end handsets, coming in at around £400 (Australian prices TBC) SIM-free, cheaper than an iPhone 5or Sony Xperia Z.</div>
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It's priced at around the same level as the high-end-but-last-year'sSamsung Galaxy S3 - but even that substantially outperforms it on paper. Ditto the Google Nexus 4, which can be picked up from Google itself for just £239/AU$349 upwards.The corners are also a bit different, being less rounded than most of the competition, giving it a striking, almost jagged look. The front of the phone doesn't disappoint either - sure it's basically just a sheet of glass, but it's edge-to-edge, leaving it looking pretty slick.One thing that we will say is that the Motorola Razr HD certainly looks the part. With a rugged yet premium-looking Kevlar back plate, it comes across as both expensive and built to last. It's also a nice change from the plastic found on most phones, or even the glass or shiny metal that a handful sport.</div>
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At 146g it's got a pleasing amount of weight to it, which feels particularly appropriate given the slightly rugged design. Size wise it's about what you'd expect for a top-end phone, with a 4.7-inch display and total dimensions of 131.9 x 67.9 x 8.4mm.</div>
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If anything it's actually quite a slim handset, though still somewhat thicker than the incredibly slender 7.9mm deep Sony Xperia Z.</div>
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Pretty much the only thing on the front of the phone is the 4.7-inch 720 x 1280 screen with a 312ppi pixel density. That's quite sharp, just topping the 306ppi Samsung Galaxy S3 and almost matching the 318ppi Google Nexus 4, though not even coming close to the 441ppi Sony Xperia Z or 468ppi HTC One.While it doesn't feel bad in the hand, it doesn't feel great either. The Motorola Razr HD's Kevlar back has quite a pleasant feel but it's also quite slippery, making it slightly harder to get a solid grip on than many other phones. The corners also present a slight problem, since being more jagged than most they can be a little uncomfortable, potentially digging into your hand slightly when the handset is held in certain positions.</div>
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The only other things on the front of the phone are small black strips at the top and bottom. The bottom strip is devoid of any features, while the top strip has the earpiece in the centre, with an indicator light above it, which flashes when an email, text or voicemail comes through.</div>
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There's a small Motorola logo at the very top, and the 1.3MP front-facing camera lens just to the right of it.</div>
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The Kevlar back is adorned with an arrow-like pattern, with an 'M' in the centre. The main 8MP camera (which can also shoot 1080p video at 30fps) is at the top, while to the left of it there's the flash and to the right there's a speaker.</div>
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The edges of the Motorola Razr HD have a brushed metal look to them, with the top edge housing a 3.5mm headphone port on the right.</div>
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The positioning of the buttons is fairly standard and works well. Usefully they also feel different, since the power button has little ridges running along it, while the volume rocker is mostly smooth but juts out a little at each end. This makes it easy to differentiate the buttons by touch alone.The right edge is home to the only two buttons on the phone - a power button near the top (which is also used to make the handset sleep/wake up), and a volume rocker halfway down.</div>
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The left-hand side has a micro HDMI port at the bottom, for connecting the handset to a TV or monitor, a micro USB port above it and a little compartment halfway up, which houses the microSIM card and a microSD card.</div>
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The back plate can't be removed, so there's no option to swap the battery. However it comes with a 2530mAH battery, which is pretty big for a phone of this size. It promises impressive performance too, with Motorola claiming it can manage up to 24 hours of talk time or 286 hours of standby time.</div>
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If the battery lives up to its potential it could be the saving grace in an otherwise slightly underwhelming handset.<br /><br />ReviewNex Stars: 4/5 ****</div>
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Motorola Razr HD review

The Motorola Razr HD launched in the US late last year, but in that time all that's changed is the name (it was called the Motorola Droid Razr HD in the US), so it's less of a mouthful now. Unfortuna…

20 Jan 2014

BlackBerry Q10 review

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The BlackBerry Z10 arrived in a whirlwind of frenzied marketing at the beginning of the year, but that new phone smell is starting to wear off so here's the second new instalment from the company formerly known as RIM - the BlackBerry Q10.</div>
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While the Z10 saw BlackBerry tread new water in the mobile market with its first fully touchscreen device, the Q10 sees a return to more familiar territory with the handset sporting the firm's famous QWERTY keyboard.</div>
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BlackBerry is keen to keep up the premium appeal of its first BlackBerry 10 handsets, with the Q10 sporting an equally lofty price and you can expect it to set you back around £560 (around $850/AU$830) SIM-free.</div>
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Over in the US the BlackBerry Q10 will require you to part with $249 up front for a two year contract - which makes it more expensive than theSamsung Galaxy S4, HTC One and iPhone 5 - while in the UK it can be had for free on two year contracts starting at £36 per month.</div>
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The BlackBerry Q10 arrives as the natural successor to the Bold 9900 andBold 9790 at the top end of the keyboard toting tree, which has been pretty much ignored by every other manufacturer as touchscreen smartphones are today's big business.</div>
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There's still a market for handsets sporting a set of physical keys though, with a number of people still preferring the dexterity and accuracy this option provides over their touchscreen rivals.In terms of design BlackBerry hasn't taken any great strides forward and to the untrained eye the Q10 could be mistaken for the 9900.</div>
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What you will note however is the once curved keyboard has now been straightened out and the metallic frets separating the rows of characters are now slightly raised for improved tactile feedback - in other words you should be able to feel where your thumbs are on the board more easily.</div>
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We'll cover the keyboard in more detail in our Keyboard section, so keep your eyes peeled for that.</div>
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Despite packing a full on QWERTY keyboard the BlackBerry Q10 is only a shade wider than the Z10, and noticeably shorter measuring up at 119.6 x 66.8 x 10.35mm.</div>
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The textured rubberised rear of the Z10 is out and in comes a glass weave finish on the back of the Q10 which provides a decent amount of grip and a relatively solid, if not plastic feel.</div>
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Glass weave is a surprisingly tough covering and a tricky one to get scratched - although it's not impossible.</div>
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A single silver fret - reminiscent of the ones separating the keys on the front of the Q10 - runs horizontally across the back of the handset, elevating the 8MP camera lens (and single LED flash) from the surface you place it on, in a bid to avoid scratches.</div>
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<figure style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(178, 178, 178); clear: both; color: #333333; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 15.756799697875977px; margin: -1px 0px 20px; overflow-x: hidden; position: relative;"><img alt="BlackBerry Q10 review" src="http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/BlackBerry/Q10/HandsOn2/Q10-HandsOn-12-580-100.JPG" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="580" /></figure><br />
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The casing below this fret can be removed by simply sliding it down, to give you access to the 2,100mAh battery, microSIM, microSD port capable of handling cards up to 32GB in size - which compliments the 16GB of internal storage (of which 10.5GB is actually available to you).</div>
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You'll need to pop the battery out of the Q10 to gain access to the microSIM port, but thankfully the location of the microSD slot means you can swap out cards without have to remove the phone's power source.</div>
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<figure style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(178, 178, 178); clear: both; color: #333333; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 15.756799697875977px; margin: -1px 0px 20px; overflow-x: hidden; position: relative;"><img alt="BlackBerry Q10 review" src="http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/BlackBerry/Q10/HandsOn2/Q10-HandsOn-14-580-100.JPG" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="580" /></figure><br />
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The catch keeping the rear plate in place seemed sturdy enough fresh out the box, but we fear it could wear down pretty quickly and we've heard from other BlackBerry Q10 reviewers that their back plates are already feeling a bit loose.</div>
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Every now and then when we slide the Q10 out of our jeans the rear plate would come loose and while we maybe need to stay away from the skinny leg garments, it's a bit annoying.</div>
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<figure style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(178, 178, 178); clear: both; color: #333333; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 15.756799697875977px; margin: -1px 0px 20px; overflow-x: hidden; position: relative;"><img alt="BlackBerry Q10 review" src="http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/BlackBerry/Q10/HandsOn2/Q10-HandsOn-09-580-100.JPG" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="580" /></figure><br />
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Thankfully the headphone jack has been moved from its rather inconveniently positioned spot on the side of previous BlackBerry devices to the top of the Q10, allowing you to slide the handset into your pocket without fear of snagging the cord.</div>
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It joins a centralised metal power/lock key which looks identical to the one found on the Z10 and 9900 and is pretty easy to hit and responsive when you do so.</div>
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<figure style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(178, 178, 178); clear: both; color: #333333; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 15.756799697875977px; margin: -1px 0px 20px; overflow-x: hidden; position: relative;"><img alt="BlackBerry Q10 review" src="http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/BlackBerry/Q10/HandsOn2/Q10-HandsOn-06-580-100.JPG" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="580" /></figure><br />
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On the right you get the same trio of buttons as you find on the flagship Z10, with volume switches sandwiching a third key which activates voice control when held down.</div>
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All are within easy prodding distance, but the metal keys sport an angular finish and the edges can be quite sharp if you catch them at the wrong angle.</div>
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<figure style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(178, 178, 178); clear: both; color: #333333; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 15.756799697875977px; margin: -1px 0px 20px; overflow-x: hidden; position: relative;"><img alt="BlackBerry Q10 review" src="http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/BlackBerry/Q10/HandsOn2/Q10-HandsOn-07-580-100.JPG" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="580" /></figure><br />
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BlackBerry has continued with its dual port offering on the left of its BlackBerry 10 devices with both microUSB and microHDMI slots situated together allowing for an easy link up to a computer, TV or even a projector.</div>
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In terms of design and hardware the BlackBerry Q10 delivers the tried and tested method of the keyboard toting smartphone and although it may not plough any particularly new furrows it will offer a welcome familiarity for anyone looking to upgrade from a BB OS 7 handset.<br /><br />ReviewNex Stars: 3/5 ***</div>
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BlackBerry Q10 review

The BlackBerry Z10 arrived in a whirlwind of frenzied marketing at the beginning of the year, but that new phone smell is starting to wear off so here's the second new instalment from the company for…

20 Jan 2014

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