Demystifying Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Android 4.2 is now a reality just four months after version 4.1 was announced. While this is a version number increase, the OS keeps the Jelly Beanmoniker in the same way Android 2.0 and 2.1 were both Eclair variants; this is not Key Lime Pie.

Because of the last minute change in plans, Google’s message has been somewhat scatter-shot when it comes to the new Android software. So let’s go over everything we know.

Pictures and video

There are a few new features coming to the way Android deals with images and video, and the first will take advantage of that new higher-resolution camera in the Nexus 4. Photo Sphere is the natural evolution of Google’s panorama mode first introduced a year ago in Android 4.0. Instead of just rotating your phone along one axis, you can point it anywhere to build an immersive 3D view.

You will center the phone to start a Photo Sphere, then just start moving your viewfinder around and the phone will automatically capture the images it needs to build a full picture. It feels a little like Google Maps Street View where you can pan side to side, as well as up and down. These files are simple JPEGs, so you can save, modify, and share them as you like. XML metadata within the file stores data that allows Photo Spheres shared to Google+ to be manipulated in real time like a Street View frame.

The other innovation in this area is support for Miracast wireless display technology. You could be forgiven for not being familiar with Miracast — it’s essentially an open alternative to Apple’s AirPlay. It’s based on Wi-Fi Direct, an ad-hoc wireless standard. Basically, anything on your screen can be beamed to a TV, assuming you have compatible hardware. All you need is a display of some sort (like TV) that supports Miracast, or an HDMI adapter that does. You’re more than likely going to have to go with the additional box because Miracast-ready TVs are still rare.

A new keyboard

A few years ago we were wrestling with the barely passable on-screen keyboard (OSK) included with the original Motorola Droid, but things have come a long way since then. In Android 4.2, Google has again stepped it up when it comes to text input. With Android 4.1 Google made offline voice dictation and suggestions its focus. This time Mountain View is looking to put Swype out of business.

Swype is a popular alternative keyboard for Android that allows users to just drag a path from one key to the next in order to spell out words. Swype figures out what word you’re probably spelling, and inserts it. The company has worked long and hard to make this technological voodoo work, and it’s right an astounding amount of the time. Google’s new stock keyboard promises the same functionality, but calls it Gesture Typing.

You will be able to drag your finger around, and the keyboard should figure out what you’re typing, complete with spaces. We won’t know if Google has beaten Swype at its own game until we get some hands-on time, but it’s possible.

Multi-user tablets

The problem with sharing tablets often seems to be that each user has to work around everyone else’s junk. Security is also a concern as all users have access to each other’s files, web history, and email. Starting with Android 4.2, all tablets will finally have multi-user support.

You will be able to switch profiles on the fly from the Android settings. Each user has their own home screens, widgets, apps, and data. This really makes it feasible to share that spiffy new Nexus 10 tablet with your family.

This feature is a big deal not just because it effectively fixes a feature gap in existing tablets, but because Google beat everyone else to the punch. Plenty of iPad users would love to have this feature. Some pages are listing this as a tablet-only feature, which would make sense. However, there are a few screenshots of the Nexus 4 showing a profile menu. Time will tell how this is implemented.

Notifications and lock screen

Google added expandable notifications to Android 4.1, and now the notification area has gotten better still. A new secondary panel in the notification shade allows users to access common settings like WiFi, brightness, Bluetooth, and Profiles from anywhere on the device.

These settings can be accessed in two ways: by tapping the quick settings button in the open notification shade, or by swiping down with two fingers when the shade is closed. A number of popular ROMs and OEM skins like TouchWiz have implemented power bars embedded in the notification panel, but Google’s new implementation keeps those buttons out of the way until you need them.

The lock screen has been tweaked in Android 4.2, but this is one of the changes Google is being less forthcoming about. Some widgets will be allowed to live on the lock screen so you can perform simple functions and view data without unlocking the device. You access most of these widgets by swiping left and right from the main lock screen. We don’t have any firm details on this yet, but stay tuned. Users have been asking for this since the early days of Android.

Google Now

Let’s face the cold, hard truth of things: it’s going to be a while before Android 4.2 reaches your device. Most of the features included in Android 4.2 will be off-limits, but one bit might offer you some hope. If you have Android 4.1 on your phone, the newest improvements to Google Now are coming your way.

Google Now is part of the Google Search app, which is in the Play Store. This won’t deliver Google Now to all devices with Play Store access, but new Google Now features can be added to Jelly Bean devices. Pulling up Now will henceforth include information about hotels, flights, popular photo spots, calendar integration, and concerts.

Google Now also goes deeper into your account, finding tracking data for packages in your email, meeting locations, and more. All this data is integrated into your cards, but can be disabled if you don’t like the creep-factor.

Google has worked to make Android 4.2 more user-friendly, faster, and even more feature-complete than 4.1 was. There’s a lot to like, but OEMs have barely gotten Android 4.1 updates going and here Google comes with even better software. If you want to enjoy all that the new Jelly Bean has to offer, a Nexus device is probably the way to go. Fortunately, Google released a new Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 10 tablet yesterday, too.

Under the hood of Windows 8, or why desktop users should upgrade from Windows 7

Windows 8 has been out for a while — the result of more than three years of work by one of the world’s largest cross-disciplinary software and hardware engineering teams, and undoubtedly the largest, most daring, and most vital project the Redmond, Washington company has ever attempted.

At this point, if you’re a desktop or laptop user, you are probably laughing in my face. “Microsoft spent three years killing the Start menu and introducing a new tablet interface,” you say. “Windows 8 is Windows 7 with a cross-paradigm UI/UX trainwreck,” you bellow — and to an extent, you are correct. Windows 8 is undoubtedly a tablet-oriented operating system. Microsoft has tried to pass it off as a “touch-first OS,” but that’s just euphemistic swill from the PR department.

Given the way Microsoft seems to be spending most of its $1.5 billion Windows 8 marketing budget on the Surface tablet and the Metro Start screen, you would be forgiven for thinking that the Desktop (Explorer) side of things has simply been swept under the rug. You would be even be forgiven for thinking that Microsoft has abandoned the existing two billion users of the Windows Desktop, opting instead to recklessly chase the shiny, happy, and unproven tablet market.

Thankfully, though, Windows 7 isn’t the end of the Desktop line. Windows 8 does actually include a ton of tweaks and upgrades that Desktop users will very much enjoy. I’ve been using Windows 8 for a year now, and I can definitely say that the Desktop experience is faster, and generally better than Windows 7. Enough talking, though; let’s actually dive on in and take a closer look at the Windows 8 underbelly.

Core upgrades

By designing Windows 8 for tablets, Microsoft was forced to put a lot of effort into streamlining the entire OS for battery-powered, wimpy (Atom and ARM) mobile devices. As a result, Windows 8 boots up faster, and the OS itself consumes less RAM and CPU cycles than Windows 7. For mobile users this means more battery life and snappier performance — but for Desktop users, this means Windows 8 is simply faster than Windows 7.

Let’s break it down.

Startup

The very first thing you’ll notice with Windows 8 is that it boots a lot faster than Windows 7 (or Vista or XP, if you’re still part of the significant minority hanging onto either). This is partly because of the shift to UEFI (from BIOS), but primarily because of a clever tweak to the boot process. If you’re still using a mechanical hard drive, your boot time will probably go from around 30 seconds to 15-20 seconds. If you’re using an SSD, boot generally takes less than 10 seconds.

Basically, when you shut down a Windows 7 (or any other kind of PC), the slate is wiped clean. When you shut down Windows 8, the low-level system state (kernel/session 0) is saved to your hard drive, just like hibernation. Then, when you boot, only drivers need to be reinitialized — which is a lot faster than loading up the entire operating system. It’s kind of a cheat, but it works very well.

Incidentally, if you want to perform a full “cold” boot (without the kernel being hibernated), simply select Restart from the shutdown menu or run shutdown /s /full /t 0.

Security

While exact details of the Windows 8 kernel are fairly hard to come by, we do know that a lot of changes were made to ruggedize Windows 8 against malware and rootkits. For the most part, these protections take the form of memory allocation safeguards (see below).

Many hackers have already gone on the record to say that Windows 8 is (and will be) very hard to break into.

Due to the inclusion of UEFI (which is basically like a very light-weight operating system that then loads Windows), there is also a boot-level malware scanner that will prevent your computer from booting if a USB thumb drive is infected. There’s also Secure Boot, which stops the system from loading if any core system files have been altered.

Power management

Improved power management in Windows 8 takes a three-pronged approach: The introduction of the Metro app model; idle hygiene; and runtime device power management.

In Windows 8, Metro apps run on top of a new application architecture called WinRT, which is a low-level set of APIs that run just above the Windows kernel. WinRT is the Metro equivalent of Win32, which is the API that Desktop apps use. WinRT, because it is ultimately targeted towards tablet (and eventually smartphone) apps, is designed from the outset to be power efficient. In general, Metro apps are very good at only running when they need to run — otherwise, they are very quickly shifted to a suspended state, to minimize their CPU use, and thus power use. To cater for apps that need to periodically update for freshness, such as news or email apps, WinRT also includes functions for doing this efficiently (called Background Tasks).

Idle hygiene and runtime device power management will both result in slightly better battery life (and performance) for Windows 8 laptop and desktop users, though. Idle hygiene is basically what it sounds like: It’s the trick of getting the CPU back to an idle, low-power state as soon as possible. In recent years, most chip makers (x86 and ARM) have made big strides towards CPUs that shut down unused parts of the chip. In simple terms, an Intel chip might have four cores — but a lot of power can be saved if three of those are fully turned off when they’re not needed. In Windows 8, improved idle hygiene should result in less power usage, and also more CPU time for apps that need it.

Runtime device power management is basically the same thing as idle hygiene, but for other hardware — such as hard drives, wireless radios, and so on. Without active power management, these devices can consume huge amounts of power.

Higher level

Combined, Windows 8′s low-level changes should result in an OS that is faster, more secure, and lasts longer on battery power. Moving up the stack, though, the desktop side of Windows 8 has a ton of upgrades and much-needed tweaks, too. Out of the box, Windows 8 will be a lot more functional than Windows 7.

Aakash 2 a 'Made in China' device? DataWind denies allegations

Controversies have continued to chase India’s ambitious ultra low-cost tablet PC, the Aakash 2. According to reports on the web, the ‘revolutionary’ device aimed at bridging the digital divide in the country is actually a cheap ‘Made in China’ device, and has been embellished with some applications from IIT Bombay. Questions are being raised whether the Aakash 2 is a true Indian innovation.

Economic Times in its report claims DataWind, the company assigned to design, develop and manufacture the Aakash tablet, procured about 12,000 devices A-13 model designed by AllWinner Tech of China. The supplier was finalised by IIT-Bombay, which is also implementing the Aakash project. The report says the procurement took place shortly before the Aakash 2 was officially launched.

The Chinese tablets cost about $42 (around Rs. 2,310) per unit, and were purchased from firms such as Kalong Technology Co., Ltd, Dasen International Electronics Co Ltd, Trend Grace and Shenzhen Shetong Zhaoli Co Ltd. The report points out that IIT Bombay issued a certificate dated October 29 for importing 20,000 units in India, and sought a waiver of duty as they were meant for school students under an HRD ministry programme – days before the Aakash 2 was launched.

According to the report, DataWind didn’t design or manufacture the Aakash 2 tablets. DataWind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli has refuted the charges and claimed his company had designed the Aakash 2. "For the first 10,000 units for IIT, and for expediency sake we had the motherboards manufactured in one of our Chinese subcontractor’s facilities And then the units have been ‘kitted’ in China at various manufacturers for expediency, whereas the final assembly and programming has happened in India. We finished this batch of 10,000 units and delivered them to IIT and will be starting another batch of 20,000 units for them in two weeks," Hindustan Timesquotes Tuli as saying.

Clarifying reports of the Aaksh 2 not being an Indian device, Tuli told website PKR, “Our business model is similar to that of Apple where we use subcontract manufacturers to build our products. So, these are built in facilities of our contractors. For the first 10k units for IIT, and for expediency sake we had the motherboards and kits manufactured in our Chinese subcontractor’s facilities, and then the units have been ‘kitted’ in China at various manufacturers for expediency, whereas the final assembly and programming has happened in India.”

The government hasn’t made any official statement on the controversies surrounding theAakash 2. However, the ET in its report quotes a senior government official involved in the project as saying he was unaware whether the products were off the shelf tablets from China. IIT Bombay has also not responded on the issue yet.

One of the prime reasons behind DataWind choosing to manufacture the Aakash 2 tablets in China is believed to be its rift with its Indian partner VMC Systems, which was supposed to assemble the device in Hyderabad. It is learnt that VMC had halted shipments over non-payment of dues. The Aakash project is no stranger to controversies. The project has been stalled various times in the past for a number of reasons. The original Aakash tablet was rejected over poor specifications whereas standoff between DataWind and IIT Rajasthan also delayed the project. At one stage it looked like the Aakash 2 will never see the light of the day. 

Google Maps app for iOS 6 in final testing stages: Report

Updated to iOS 6 didn’t you? Regretting the decisions thanks to Apple Maps now, aren’t you? Well, you can stop beating yourself in a while, as it is being reported that Google’s homegrown Map app for iOS has ventured into the hands of select (very VERY lucky) outsiders for testing. Reports say that the app is in the final stages of testing, with only a few final polishing touches left. Wall Street Journal reports that soon, the app will be submitted to Apple for review. Oh! and there’s word that it will have the turn-by-turn navigation too!

Are you afraid that Apple will flat out reject the app? Well, they did remove the native Google Mapsfrom iOS after all. Well, once again, you can rest easy. While Apple did distance itself from Google products, it also acknowledged the shortcomings of its own Map app and made recommendations for good alternatives to their own half-baked goods. This is a company that’s showing some signs of change and allowing Google Maps app to be a part of the App Store (if it is in compliance with all of Apple’s rules of course) will only go on to show the Fruity Company’s good will to its consumers.

We’ve also heard some chit chat about “why would the Big G ever release a Maps app for iOS? They’ll just keep it to Android to lure people to its own OS.” Well, that would just be downright non sense. Bringing its mapping expertise to iOS would be THE perfect way to actually ensnaring customers into its Android web. Besides, Google’s outlook to maps (and all of their other services) has always been a very liberal one. They want everyone to have access to their services, regardless of browser, device, OS etc.

We can only hope that Google Maps gets here sooner than later, as its really frustrating how ineffective Apple Maps has been in our search for any address. Even when we dropped pins at two different point and asked for a route between them, Apple Maps gave us a “could not calculate route” error.

In reality, the two points were just a few left-and-right turns away. Turn-by-turn navigation is currently only limited to the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 on Apple Maps, so those of us with older devices would love it the Mountain View outfit decided to make guided navigation a universal gift to all. Well, we can hope!

Samsung Galaxy Camera up for pre-order in India

Samsung has started taking pre-orders for its Android-based camera, the Samsung Galaxy Camera, on its online e-store in India.

Consumers interested in pre-ordering theSamsung Galaxy Camera will have to pay an initial amount of Rs. 3,000, with the rest to be paid within three days of the launch of the device. Those that pre-order the camera will get a 16GB microSD card free. There is no cash on delivery option provided by the South Korean manufacturer and those that have pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy Camera will be notified via email prior to its availability.

Those consumers that do not pay the full amount within three days of pre-ordering the device will not get the free 16GB microSD card and those that don't pay the balance amount within 15 days of availability will have to forfeit the Rs. 3,000 booking amount.

Samsung has used the same sales strategy in the past with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy Note II and the Samsung Galaxy Note 800.

Those of you that are interested in pre-booking the Samsung Galaxy Camera can do so here.

The Samsung Galaxy Camera runs on Google Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core processor.It has a 16MP BSI CMOS 1/2.3" sensor, and a wide angle (23mm) lens with 21X optical zoom. It sports a 4.77-inch 308ppi HD Super Clear LCD. On the face, the Galaxy Camera feels like a camera because of its build and physical shutter button but flip it over and the device feels like an Android smartphone.

This isn't the first Android camera we've heard of. Nikon recently launched the 16MP Coolpix S800c, which runs on Android, and is meant to be the ideal device for those who often share on social networks. Check out our review of the S800c, here.

You can take a look at our hands on with the Samsung Galaxy Camera here.

If you have any doubts about the shooting capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy Camera, you can take a look at some sample images clicked with the camera here.

Apple iPad (4th Generation, Wi-Fi)

Now in its fourth iteration in two years, the Apple iPad continues its reign as king. The best large tablet you can buy today, the Apple iPad (4th Generation) has it all: top performance, a stellar screen, a surprisingly good camera, speedy Wi-Fi, and a breathtaking library of spectacular apps. Unlike other 10-inch tablets on the market, it's the full package, which makes it a very rare five-star product, and a slam dunk for our Editors' Choice.

Pricing and Physical FeaturesThe fourth-generation iPad looks almost exactly like the previous model, and it's priced the same, too. There are 16, 32, and 64GB sizes in Wi-Fi-only ($499, $599, and $699) and same-size 4G LTE variants ($629, $729, and $829). If you want to be able to keep apps, movies, and music on your tablet, I advise getting at least 32GB. For this review, I tested the $699 64GB Wi-Fi-only model.

Just like the second- and third-generation iPads, this tablet has a 9.7-inch screen surrounded by a black (or white) bezel, with a curved metal back, and a single Home button. Apple's magnetic Smart Cover, which was released with the iPad 2, clips on just fine. The tablet still has a sealed-in battery, and no ports other than a standard headphone jack. There's a 1.2-megapixel camera right above the display on the middle of the top bezel, and a 5-megapixel camera in its traditional location on the back upper left corner.

On the bottom is Apple's new, compact Lightning connector, which isn't compatible with earlier accessories, but Lightning accessories are starting to appear, and I'm confident the ecosystem will develop quickly with more than 8 million Lightning-compatible phones, PMPs, and tablets already in people's hands.

At 7.3 by 9.5 by 0.37 inches (HWD) and 23 ounces, the new iPad is the same size and weight as the third-generation model. It's a little heavier than the 21-ounce Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, and the Google Nexus 10 (21.2 ounces), but I didn't really notice during testing.

The 2,048-by-1,536-pixel Retina Display is sharp, clear, and bright. At 263 pixels per inch, it beats every other tablet on the market right now except Google's Nexus 10, which offers a 300ppi, 2,560-by-1,600 10-inch screen. But both Web browsing and gaming look better on the iPad's screen because of superior software choices. In the browser, Apple picked better-looking, better-kerned fonts, and cross-platform games showed generally superior graphics and coding on the iPad.

The Retina display takes its toll on battery life just as it did on the third-gen iPad. I got 5 hours, 36 minutes of video playback at full brightness, almost the same figure as the previous model. (That's still longer than the Nexus 10, which clocked in at just over 5 hours on the same test.) I'll retest at half brightness as well; with the third-gen iPad, halving the brightness bumped video playback time up to 11 hours. And the big battery still takes a long time to charge: Six hours on our first try, even with the new, more powerful 12-watt charger.

Apps and PerformanceThe new iPad, like the old iPad, runs Apple's iOS 6. See our full review for a look at the ins and outs of the iPad's operating system. We've also reviewed and profiled hundreds of iPad apps if you want to get an idea of the richness of the software for this device.

In the eight months since the third-generation iPad was released, most of the apps I have been using for testing have been upgraded to Retina versions. The OS smoothes and improves standard elements within many non-Retina-enhanced apps, too, including text and embedded maps.

Speaking of those maps, Apple's troubles with mapping don't affect this iPad as much as other iOS devices because the Wi-Fi-only model lacks GPS. Still, though, if it can find Wi-Fi the tablet can find its location, and you can download a third-party mapping app if you like; here are 10 solid Apple Maps alternatives.

The latest iPad packs an Apple A6X processor which Geekbench reports to be running at 1.4GHz (Apple won't confirm or deny). The custom-designed A6, as seen in the iPhone 5, was already one of the fastest CPUs available; the A6X enhances the A6 with even better graphics.

The results are stunning. The fourth-gen iPad outmatched all other Apple products on the Geekbench and GLBenchmark benchmarks, scoring 1,768 on Geekbench to the iPad 3's 749. Similarly, the heavy game "Need for Speed: Most Wanted" launched in 18 seconds on the new iPad as compared to 37 seconds on the iPad 3. Yes, it's more than twice as fast. With the iPad 3, I found apps that stressed the older A5 processor. That just isn't the case any more.

Apple's efficient software comes into play when comparing against the Google Nexus 10 too. While the Nexus 10 notched a faster Geekbench score at 2,480, the iPad creamed it on all of our actual Web-browsing tests, Sunspider, Browsermark, and GUIMark, as well as in the speed of loading pages. I saw delays and stutters in the Nexus 10's interface that I never saw on the iPad. Updating a large number of apps went more slowly on the Nexus than on the iPad. And under heavy strain, the iPad got a bit warm, but the Nexus 10 became even hotter.

Part of this is thanks to the iPad's excellent Wi-Fi performance; on PCMag's 5GHz 802.11n network, I got 37Mbps down on the iPad and 23Mbps down on the Nexus 10. Both speeds are fast, but it's the iPad's processor and software that seem to be making the difference here.

Gaming performance is significantly better on the new iPad, too. Intense games like Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Asphalt 7 run at a smooth 60 frames per second on the new iPad and render landscapes in advance of viewing; the Nexus 10 had frame-rate trouble in both games and would render buildings as I came up to them, which was distracting. Scores on the GLBenchmark graphics benchmark tell the tale. On GLBenchmark's "Egypt HD On-Screen," which renders a complex game-like scene, the iPad 3 scored 22 frames per second, the Nexus 10 hit 27, and the iPad 4 marked 42. That's a noticeable difference.

The new iPad upgrades both cameras. The 1.2-megapixel front camera records 720p video; the rear camera takes 5-megapixel stills and 1080p video. The cameras offer the same excellent performance as on the Apple iPad mini. The front camera takes sharp 1.2-megapixel shots, even in low light. In very low light, images get quite noisy, but that's preferable to blurry. Its 720p HD videos record at a noisy 24fps in very low light, and 30fps outdoors. The main camera captures sharp, clear, and well-balanced 5-megapixel images and 1080p video at 30 fps indoors and out. I think people look ridiculous taking photos with the main camera of a 10-inch tablet, but many people do it.

The single speaker on the bottom of the iPad is tinny and of medium volume like most tablet speakers, but the headphone amp is impressive; I got rich, powerful sound through a pair of Monster earphones. The iPad also works just fine with Bluetooth headphones and speakers.

The iPad has always been an excellent media player, and there's no change here. The hi-resolution screen lets you watch 1080p HD videos without downscaling, and they look spectacular. You can also output HD video to a TV either through Apple's $49 HDMI adapter, or via Wi-Fi using Apple TV's AirPlay feature.

The combination of the new processor and faster Wi-Fi fix the AirPlay problems I saw on the previous iPad, too. Using a 5GHz network, I streamed a 1080p version of "The Hunger Games" purchased from iTunes on an Apple TV, and watched a high-quality stream of "Arrested Development" on Netflix with no skipping. High-quality racing games showed good frame rates over AirPlay, but there was a bit of lag in the controls because of Wi-Fi latency.

Comparisons and Conclusions
Yes, I'm rating the iPad as the best 10-inch tablet, while its little brother, the iPad mini, isn't the top seven-incher. The big iPad's performance stands head and shoulders above the competition, and it provides premium screen and processor specs to match its premium price. The iPad's library of tablet-focused apps matters a lot more, and look better, at 9.7 inches rather than 7.9. And while a 4:3 aspect ratio tablet looks a bit too squarish in the smaller size, it's an ideal form factor for a larger device.

Most 10-inch Android tablets, including the laudable, but flawed, Google Nexus 10, still lack the level of polish and the range of third-party apps designed for Apple tablets. Yes, the Google Play store offers a small selection of featured tablet apps, but for the vast majority of Android apps, it's hard to tell before downloading (and paying for) them whether you'll get a true tablet app or a blown-up phone app. Once again, those scaled phone apps look okay on a medium-resolution, seven-inch tablet and generally awful at a super-high-res 10 inches, so this is more of a concern with larger tablets.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 leaped into our esteem by offering up uses that aren't covered by the standard Android apps: multi-windowed Web browsing and a pressure-sensitive stylus. While the Note maintains its windowing advantage and is still an excellent tablet, the new iPad has caught up with third-party pressure-sensitive styli, including the Editors' Choice Adonit Jot Touch.

And how about the Microsoft Surface RT? It's definitely a competitor, but it isn't quite there yet. The A6X processor's performance beats the Nvidia Tegra 3's, and the Retina screen beats the Surface's 1,366-by-768 panel. More importantly, though, Apple's massive library of excellent apps and accessories dwarfs the still-tiny ecosystem around Windows RT. (Remember, RT can't run true desktop Windows apps.) Want to dance around clicking a keyboard onto your tablet? The iPad offers plenty of options like the Editors' Choice Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover .

The previous iPad received 4.5 stars; I dinged it for its A5 processor. At the time, I told iPad 2 owners to wait for the next model. And this is it. The fourth-generation Apple iPad is the only product I have ever personally rated five full stars because it represents the tablet state of the art.

About 63 percent of home PC users keen to upgrade to Windows 8: poll suggests

With the recent launch of Windows 8, which was followed up by the launch of Surface for Windows RT, and Windows Phone 8, the desktop, laptop, mobile, and tablet worlds have been shaken up dramatically.

A lot has been said about Microsoft’s latest version of Windows, and its attempt to embrace both the desktop and tablet spaces in the market. Many have called the touch-optimized ‘Metro UI’ a useless gimmick for the desktop, while others scoff at the massive weight of full-fledged Windows 8 Protablet.

You can read our full review of Windows 8 here, to get a better idea of just what is new, what works, and what doesn’t work. In the meanwhile, in the days accompanying the launch of Windows 8, we’d asked our readers whether they planned to upgrade to the new OS.

We’ve received 2,475 responses since then, across our website, Facebook page, and newsletters. We thank our fans, readers and subscribers for taking the time out to share their views, and hope to see the same level of enthusiasm in the future.

A total of 48 percent, or 1183 readers said they planned on upgrading to Windows 8. 15 percent, or 371 readers, said they already have. These figures would make Microsoft quite happy, as they imply a combined 63 percent of our fans and readers planned on upgrading, or had already upgraded to Windows 8.

Of the remainder, 30 percent, or 755 users, chose the option “No, I'd rather stick to Windows 7.” This indicates a relatively large number is probably waiting to see just how good Windows 8 is, or waiting for launch bugs to be ironed out, or, just not sure of the value proposition of a new OS, when Windows 7 is serving them so well.

Lastly, 7 percent, or 166 readers, said they don’t use Windows at all, indicating the percentage of sole Linux or Mac OS X users.

Check out the results in graphical form below, and see previous ThinkDigit Weekly Poll results,here. Do also answer our new poll, where we ask you “Which is the best new phone launch of the season?”

New BlackBerry Messenger 7 brings free voice chat feature

Research In Motion (RIM) has released a BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) v7 beta, adding a new voice chat feature to the application. The BBM 7 beta works on BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS version 6 or higher. According to reports, RIM will be soon rolling out the voice chat feature to BB smartphones running version 5.

The new feature, known as BBM Voice, allows users to make voice calls to other BBM users via wireless Internet connection. The split-screen feature allows users to talk and text at the same time, so for example, they can send a picture to their contact while talking with them. They can also check other BBM text chats, check email, or navigate to other apps while engaged on a BBM Voice call. Moreover, users can initiate the voice chat without needing to text first.

The BBM Voice features a “visual indicator” that notifies users when a contact is available to take a voice chat. The new feature is compatible with standard BlackBerry voice accessories. Users can chat via BBM Voice using speakerphone, similar to the normal phone calls.

Apart from voice chat, BBM version 7 also integrates with a BlackBerry ID for backing up groups, contacts and profile information, which can restored when switching to a new BlackBerry device. This will definitely please current BB owners who are looking to upgrade to a BB 10 device next year. 

While announcing the new BBM, Vice President of BBM and Social Communities at RIM T.A. McCann said in a statement: “The new BBM Voice feature is for when you’re travelling and you want to call home without worrying about phone charges. It’s for when you have news you can’t wait to share, for quickly explaining complicated details, and collaborating with colleagues. Whenever your ideas are too big for text, there’s BBM Voice.”

For more information about BBM, click here.

Mobile review: HTC Windows Phone 8X

When it comes to making good looking unibody smartphones, HTC in particular has a knack for doing things the right way. The latest example of this is the new HTC Windows Phone 8X, which is based on Microsoft's latest Windows Phone 8 operating system that announced its global debut last month. Even before that HTC was one of the first few companies to announce a device based on Windows Phone 8, and it was also among the first to make its devices available in markets around the world.

While the device is now available for retail in India at approximately Rs 35, 000 HTC Windows Phone 8X is a high end device that has some serious hardware specifications to flaunt as well.

Look and feel

HTC has always been involved in making some really good looking devices and that has not changed with the HTC Windows Phone 8X. The flagship Windows Phone 8 device simply impresses with its unique design and great looks. The device itself is lightweight and sleek, while its thickness is 10.1 mm at its thickest. But its tapered edges make it look even slimmer.

The device is available in a variety of colours just to lure in the youth as well as other colour loving smartphone users. The display size of Windows Phone devices has gone up from 3.7 inches to 4.3 inches on this one and it certainly feels big and bold while using, but with a narrow shape that makes usage comfortable all day long.

Although there are various colour options available for devices the black colour looks best. The device features a matte-r finish that runs from the edges, making it smudge resistant while the unibody design adds to its slimness and makes the device sturdy too.

The placement of the power/standby key on top really makes the device easy to use for upgraders as smaller smartphones use this key placement too. The right side has the volume rocker, which is great and very easy to use. As per Windows' minimum requirement the device now gets a dedicated camera key and the one on the HTC Windows Phone 8X is certainly one of the most sensitive we have used till today. The device has a total of four hardware keys including power on top, volume rocker on the right side followed by a mandatory hardware camera key, but the flush front of the device certainly is appealing.

The overall build quality of the device is good. It is sturdy and can handle accidental falls quite well. The Gorilla Glass really makes a lot of difference and protects the display from scratches as well as damage from drops. we are quite happy with the way the device has been designed and with its build quality as well.

Display and touch

Built around a 4.3 inch Super LCD 2 screen, with true 720p resolution, the HTC Windows Phone 8X is great for most tasks and is certainly great for multimedia and gaming. Brightness levels are adequate, making it a perfect device to be used even in bright sunlight. The native resolution supported by the device is 1280 x 720 pixels at 4.3 inches, making it a delight for the eyes.

The brightness level of the device can be tweaked by the powerful battery monitoring capabilities of WP 8 and the ambient sensor really does a good job by providing the right degree of brightness at all times.

The colour reproduction and black levels are good and the picture quality offered by the display is sharp and vibrant. In comparison to Samsung Galaxy SIII it is definitely better and much more vibrant, but its smaller size might ruin the party for a few.

The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 2, which is tougher to crack and lighter as compared to its predecessor's.

Hardware

The HTC Windows Phone 8X is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual core Krait processor combined with an Adreno 225 GPU. The processor is capable of powering the device and handling most of the action with ease. The phone features 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage, which works great for all applications, but the lack of external storage is surely a big sting for high end device fans. The hardware specifications are well suited to the device and offer a speedy experience all around.

On the gaming front too the phone is capable of doing justice to most games that are available at the Windows Phone store and users will certainly like playing Xbox titles on the devices.

The HTC Windows Phone 8X just blazes through application and entertainment related tasks with ease. Even in terms of multitasking there is ample headroom for applications with 1 GB RAM and a dual core processor, so do not even worry about what this device can do.

Operating System

The first thing you notice about the device is its new and refreshed user interface. The home screen now features newer colours for better customization and the live tiles also get selectable sizes for a great level of customization. Microsoft has added a host of live applications for the home screen as well, which will show a live feed directly on the home screen of the device as and when any of them gets an update

The transitions between screen changes have been made really smooth and there is a considerable difference in the device's performance on Windows Phone 7.5. The HTC Windows Phone 8X is really smooth when it comes to apps and transitions and that is one very good thing about this device.

Windows 8 comes with the all new Internet Explorer 10 that carries the same web browsing engine meant to be used in Windows 8 for PCs, for faster and much quicker web browsing. The web page rendering time has reduced and a fast network like 3G or WiFi would certainly help utilize its full potential.

And then there is the kids section, which is a welcome offering for users because with the Windows Phone 8 parents can now activate a specialized zone on the phone for kids to play, and compete with their own customizable start screens within the device while protecting other important stuff. Kids will only be able to access apps, games, music and videos that parents pick for them.

Camera and multimedia

At the back of the HTC Windows Phone 8X there's an 8 megapixel camera with a back side illumination sensor, a bright F/2.0 aperture and wide 28 mm field of view, which is a delight for snappers. The 8 megapixel camera is good and offers great variance in colours and full HD 1080p video recording as well at 30 frames per second.

The image quality of the camera is good in both outdoor and indoor modes provided the lighting is sufficient. The LED flash comes into play wherever needed but is only effective for close objects, and it tends to give the subjects a washout too. The colours are captured nicely with details and the 8 megapixel resolution gives unlimited possibilities for how to use the pictures.

Another great inclusion is yet another 1080p capable F/2.0 camera on the front. All this has been made possible with the HTC's dedicated imaging chip that does wonders. Along with that the front camera can also take 2.1 megapixel still shots.

On the multimedia front this device features a more than capable audio and video player along with support for online streaming for both videos and audio. The loudspeaker, however, is a big plus for the device and with the integrated Beats Audio technology and hardware everything is a bit sweeter too. The headphones supplied are not Beats Audio certified, but work great with the device.

Overall

The HTC Windows Phone 8X comes with 16 GB of built in storage, which is not abundant especially considering that it is all that users will get since there's no micro SD card slot. Although cloud storage can be an option, considering the present high speed data charges it is surely a big disappointment for users.

Despite all this the HTC Windows Phone 8X is well worth Rs 35,000. The device is certainly good for multitasking as well as Microsoft's Xbox apps, Microsoft Office and the live tile interface is a class apart. Bing Maps, however, is a great disappointment and is equivalent to not having Google Maps on the iPhone. But with the web interface and faster data connectivity one can surely be ready for navigation in no time.

All in all with 120,000 apps of which most are paid the WP8 is nothing compared to Android or iOSbut it has its own advantages, and comparing all this to the past we can certainly say that we are witnessing the birth of a champion.

Mobile review: HTC Windows Phone 8X Specifications
Network	3G with video calling
Operating System	Windows Phone 8
Dimensions	132.4 x 66.2 x 10.1 mm, Weight 130 g
Display	4.3 inch
Input Method	Touch (capacitive)
Processor	1.5 GHz, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4
Memory	1 GB RAM, 16 GB internal
Connectivity	WiFi, Bluetooth
Multimedia	Multi format audio-video player
Camera	8 megapixel rear, 2.1 megapixel front
GPS	Yes
Additional features	Beats Audio
Battery	1800 mAh
Warranty	1 year
Price	Rs 35,000