The Nexus 10, Surface RT and fourth-gen iPad represent the best of each tablet operating system, but how do they stack up against each other?

“In most cases, people choose and operating system and stick with it”

 “The Surface RT’s display looks low-res in the face of the iPad’s beautiful Retina-quality screen, but the Nexus 10 is  the real star of the show here”

 Smartphone and tablet users tend to fall into two categories: those who are diehard Apple fans and seemingly willing to pay any price for its fashionable hardware, and those who prefer the semi-open approach of Google's Android operating system and the less costly hardware on which it runs. 
                                      Now there's a third category, which champions Windows RT. In most cases, people choose an operating system and stick with it. The OS feels familiar, you already know your media collection is supported, and if you have more than one such device you can expect them to play well together. 
                                     
                             So, if you have an iPhone you'll probably want an iPad; if you have a Galaxy S III or Nexus 4 you'll likely want the Nexus 10; and if you're a Windows Phone user, perhaps the most loyal of the lot, you'll almost certainly be eyeing up the Surface. 

             But what if you don't have a particular preference in terms of the operating system? Here, we put head-to-head the best each platform has to offer.

Price

Microsoft's Surface RT starts at £399 with 32GB of storage, whereas this amount of cash will net you only a 16GB iPad. Add a Touch Cover, though, and the Surface RT matches Apple's 32GB slate at £479. The Nexus 10 offers great value, with a 16GB model costing £319, and 32GB £389.

Dimensions

Somewhat surprisingly, the iPad is the chunkiest tablet in this trio. The Nexus 10 is the slimmest, at 8.9mm; the Surface RT is also slightly thinner than the iPad at 9.3mm versus 9.4mm. The Nexus is a relative lightweight, at 603g, although the 662g iPad and 678g Surface don't tip the scales much further.

Screen

Every full-size iPad released by Apple has had a 9.7in screen, which is ever so slightly smaller than that of the 10.1in Nexus and 10.6in Surface. Until the Nexus 10 launched, the iPad had by far the best tablet screen resolution on the market. The Surface RT's 1366x768, 148ppi ClearType display looks comparatively low-res in the face of the iPad's beautiful 2048x1536, 264ppi Retina-quality screen, but the Nexus 10 is the real star of the show here, with a 2560x1600, 300ppi display.

Processor and memory

It's difficult to compare the Surface's nVidia Tegra 3 quad-core chip with the dual-core 1.39GHz A6X CPU selected by Apple and 1.7GHz ARM Cortex A-15 preferred by Google, since our usual benchmarks are incompatible with Microsoft's tablet. 
                                  
                            In Geekbench, the iPad scored 1,769 points, and the Nexus 10 recorded a massive 2,505 – the best we've seen yet. In real-world use, the Surface felt like the slower tablet – not that it's by any means slow. Animations are smooth and demanding tasks, such as pinch-zooming in Internet Explorer and Bing Maps, is responsive. This is no doubt helped by the 2GB of RAM. Nexus 10 vs Surface RT vs iPad  REVIEWS On the iPad and Nexus 10 we also ran the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark and GLBenchmark graphics test.
                              
                         The iPad fared better in both, recording 854ms against the Nexus 10's 1,329ms in SunSpider, and 39fps versus 27fps in GLBenchmark. The latter result is perhaps to be expected, given that the  iPad sports quad-core graphics. However, it's equipped with just 1GB of RAM, whereas the  Nexus 10 has 2GB.

Storage

Neither iPad nor Nexus allow you to add to the storage capacity through removable media, so it’s important to carefully calculate what capacity you’re likely to need – the iPad is available from 16- to 64GB, the Nexus is 16- or 32GB. The Surface RT, by comparison, has a microSDXC slot, which lets you add up to 64GB to its 32- or 64GB of internal storage.

Cameras

On the photography side of things the Nexus 10 and iPad 4 have a similar setup, and both are better than that of the Surface RT in our subjective tests. Both iPad and Nexus have a 5Mp rear-facing camera capable of 1080p video, and front-facing webcams – the Nexus' offers a slightly higher megapixel rating, at 1.9Mp versus 1.2Mp. Meanwhile, the Surface supports only 720p video, but when propped up with its kickstand the front-facing cam is cleverly angled such that it's level.

Connectivity

 Apple's latest iPad replaces the 30-pin docking port with a Lightning connector.  This means existing iPad accessories will work only with a £25 adaptor. Both the Nexus 10 and Microsoft Surface RT are more user-friendly in this regard: the Nexus 10 charges via Micro USB and offers a Micro HDMI slot, while the Surface RT has a full-size USB 2.0 port, a microSDXC slot and an HD video-out port. All three tablets support Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11n Wi-Fi, although the Nexus 10 and iPad can cope with both 2.4- and 5GHz frequency bands. The Nexus also caters for NFC, while the iPad supports 3G and 4G LTE in the UK.

 Battery

 The iPad has a 42.5Wh battery, while the Nexus 10 has a lower-capacity 33.3Wh pack and the Surface’s is lower still, at 31.5Wh. The results are as you would expect: the iPad can keep going for around 10 hours, while the Nexus can manage nine and the Surface eight.

      Microsoft Surface RT vs Pro

Two versions of Microsoft’s Surface tablet are available, and it’s essential that  you understand the differences before making a purchasing decision

“The Surface RT and Pro look similar, but they vary wildly in specification and run different versions of Windows 8”

“The Surface Pro has the type of hardware  line-up you’d expect to find in an Ultrabook”

Microsoft's Surface is its own-brand tablet, but there are two models,  the Surface RT and Surface Pro. So what are the differences between  the two and which one is right for you? On the, er, surface, both tablets look pretty similar. But while they have an almost identical design, they vary wildly in specification and run different versions of Windows 8. Here, we'll compare the specification of the two Surface tablets and highlight the differences between them.

Dimensions

It's difficult to tell the difference between the Surface Pro and the RT, since they share similar dimensions – both are 275x172mm. However, with beefier components to pack in, the Surface Pro is thicker, at 13.5mm compared to 9.5mm. It's not a surprise that the Pro is also heavier, at 903g, while the RT weighs 686g.

Price

The Surface RT starts at £399 and goes up to £559. Microsoft has announced only US pricing for the Pro, which will launch in January with prices starting at $899.

 Screen

Both tablets have a 10.6in ClearType screen, designed to be used predominantly in landscape mode. Each has an aspect ratio of 16:9, but there are some differences. The main difference is resolution: the Surface RT offers 1366x768 pixels, whereas the Surface Pro has a full-HD resolution of 1920x1080. This means the Pro's pixel density of 208ppi is greater than the 148ppi offered by the RT. Another difference is that the Surface RT supports up to five-point multitouch, while the Surface Pro offers 10-point input.

Processor

Running the tablet-specific version of Windows 8, the Surface RT is fitted with the popular nVidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. The Surface Pro, by comparison, has the type of hardware line-up you'd typically find in an Ultrabook. It boasts a third-generation Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor and 4GB of RAM. We don’t know the exact processor model, but it will be a dual-core chip with a clock speed of 1.7GHz and integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics.

Storage

Both Surface tablets are available with two storage capacities. The Surface RT offers 32- or 64GB, while the Surface Pro has 64- or 128GB. They each come with a microSDXC card slot for expanding this capacity,  and a full-size USB port is useful for attaching an external hard drive.

Cameras

There's no difference when it comes to the cameras. Both the Surface Pro and Surface RT have 720p front and rear cameras. The rear camera is angled such that it's level when the tablet is propped up with its kickstand.

Connectivity

Connectivity options are very similar for the Surface Pro and Surface RT.  Both have Bluetooth 4.0, a headphone jack, a microSDXC card slot and  a 2x2 Mimo antennae for 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. However, the Surface RT offers USB 2.0 and Micro HDMI, while the Surface Pro one-ups it with USB 3.0 and Mini DisplayPort connections.

 Software

The software each tablet runs is perhaps the most important distinction. The Pro runs the full version on Windows 8, as seen on laptops and PCs, while the Surface RT runs Windows RT, the version of Windows 8 designed for ARM processors. Operating in the tiled Modern UI, the tablets are no different; apps for this part of the operating system can be downloaded from the Windows Store. It's in desktop mode that you'll notice a real difference. On the Surface RT,  this is merely an environment in which you can run Office and Internet Explorer, and access the Control Panel and File Explorer. On the Pro, which isn’t preinstalled with Office, you can run legacy x86 programs.

Battery

The Surface RT has a 31.5Wh battery, while the Surface Pro has a higher-capacity 42Wh pack. Despite this, the Pro offers half the battery life of the RT – Microsoft claims it runs to around four hours.

Bottom line

The Surface Pro is our preferred choice. The full-HD screen, extra storage, laptop-like spec and ability to install any Windows software gives it the edge. 

     
              Microsoft Surface RT

Microsoft’s highly anticipated Surface RT has arrived. Thankfully,  it’s nothing like the dogs previous Windows tablets have been

● Price From £399 ● comPany microSoFT ● WeBSiTe microsoft.com

“The keyboard cover clicks securely into place, and you can even dangle the Surface from its cover without it hitting the ground”

Windows RT, the version for ARM tablets of Microsoft’s flagship OS, is finally available on a range of devices, including its own Surface RT. The 10.6in  screen provides a fraction more room in which to manoeuvre than the iPad, but it’s just as thin as Apple’s tablet at 9.5mm. The Surface is easy to squeeze into a bag, and it isn’t too heavy to carry, at 686g. An optional cover adds around 200g. In contrast to the rounded iPad, the Surface has a far more angular, businesslike yet sleek design. In portrait mode, Windows 8’s tile-based interface looks  odd, but held in its preferred landscape mode the Surface promotes wrist strain.  This tablet is very much designed to be operated from a desk. The kickstand is an important element. A bracket flicks out at the tablet’s rear, in the process revealing a microSDXC slot, which lets you add up to 64GB more storage, but the kickstand’s rake isn’t adjustable. Adding one of two keyboard covers creates what feels like a pint-sized laptop. These keyboards are a genius invention. The Touch Cover, just 3mm-thick with flat keys, initially feels strange in use, although you quickly get used to it. Its pressuresensitive touchpads are fine for casual use, but serious typing demands the Type  Cover. This is double the thickness, but fitted with real keys. Both keyboard covers click securely into place, and you can even dangle the Surface from its cover without it hitting the ground.  The Surface RT feels like a premium product right out the box. We’d have been more impressed in this regard had it not been for an unseemly gap on the rear, through which the internals are on display. The VaporMG chassis, made from injection-moulded magnesium, makes the slab strong and nice to the touch; although, within minutes, we’d tainted its absorbent fi nish with scores of fingerprints.

 Performance

 Windows RT can’t run regular x86 software, making it all but useless when faced with legacy Windows programs. It’s designed to run on ARM processors, and the Surface is fi tted with a 1.3GHz nVidia Tegra 3 quad-core chip and 2GB of memory. There’s precious little software available for Windows RT, which includes our usual benchmarking utility. Through Internet Explorer 10.0 we were able to run SunSpider, in which the Surface recorded 1,024ms in the Desktop mode and 985ms in the Modern UI. Both scores trail the iPad’s 854ms. From the user’s perspective the interface is extremely slick, just like Windows Phone 8. The interface animations are smooth, and tasks such as pinch-zooming in Internet Explorer are responsive.  Apps don’t launch as quickly as we’d like, though, and we were often left staring at Windows 8’s swirly dots for several seconds upon fi rst launch – behaviour we’ve previously noted in Windows Phone 8. At its comparable £399 price point, the 32GB Surface has twice the storage of the 16GB iPad 4. A microSDXC slot lets you add up to 64GB more. There’s also a   64GB Surface RT, which costs £559 (including the Touch keyboard).  The 1366x768 pixel count is common on 15in laptops, but on a 10.6in tablet it gives a higher 148ppi pixel density. The screen looks good at a regular viewing distance, matching the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, but it’s no Retina iPad; look closer and fuzzy edges are noticeable in reading type. More than the usual Wi-Fi, the Surface has two antennae for better wireless performance, plus Bluetooth. There’s also  a headphone jack, micro-HDMI, full-sized USB, and a keyboard dock and charging port. The Surface won’t charge over USB, although this port accepts peripherals. Our experience of battery life bemused us. We started the day with a full charge, and used the tablet for 90 mins while shooting our video review, and 30 minutes browsing the web. The next day the battery was fl at. Microsoft touts a seven- to 15-day idle runtime.

 Softwhere?

 Most interaction is via the touchy Modern UI with its tiled design. Learn all the fi nger gestures and it’s a breeze to navigate. One handy feature is the ability to confi gure multiple user accounts. Logging into the tablet with our Windows Live account instantly populated the tablet with our contacts, email and calendar. The Store lets you buy apps, although many everyday utilities, including Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Google Maps and Dropbox, are missing. The Surface includes a preview of Offi ce 2013, which runs within the Desktop tile. This makes the Surface a great portable productivity PC.

 Bottom line

 The Surface RT is a very well built and a cleverly designed tablet. The hardware is mostly sound and Windows RT runs smoothly, but lacks decent apps.

 SPECIFICATIONS

 1.3GHz nVidia Tegra 3 quad-core ARM; 2GB RAM; 32/64GB fl ash storage; 10.6in (1366x768) LCD; 802.11a/b/g/n, 2x2 Mimo; Bluetooth; microSDXC; USB 2.0; Micro HDMI; Microsoft Offi ce Home & Student 2013 RT  (preview); 31.5Wh  fi xed lithium battery; 275x172x9.5mm; 686g

       Apple’s fourth-generation iPad, known as the iPad with Retina display, is its best yet, and is still the benchmark for all large-screen tablets

“The extra pace is more noticeable in demanding tasks, and particularly in graphics”

● Price : From £399 ● comPany: aPPLe 
● WeBSiTe : apple.com/uk

Just seven months after Apple unveiled the 'new iPad', or iPad 3 as it's better known, came this iPad with Retina display, aka the fourth-generation iPad or iPad 4. Those who have already bought an iPad 3 have good reason to be peeved: this is Apple's fastest iPad yet, and by quite some margin.

Design and build quality

There's no mistaking the iPad 4 from the previous version of Apple's tablet.  Oh wait, yes there is. Once again, Apple has stuck to the same rectangular  shape with rounded corners and edges. There's no change in the dimensions, so it's 186x241x9.4mm and 652g (662g for the cellular model). As we've come to expect from Apple, the build quality is exceptional. Attention to detail is paramount, and the iPad truly feels like a premium device. There's just one visual change to the design, which comes in the form of a Lightning dock connector. If you want to use existing 30-pin accessories with  this iPad you'll need to separately purchase a £25 adaptor.

Hardware

First and foremost in the list of hardware tweaks is a new processor, the 1.39GHz Apple A6X, which is paired with 1GB of RAM. This dual-core processor with quad-core graphics is said to offer twice the speed of its predecessor, and double the graphics performance. Our benchmarking revealed some impressive results. In GeekBench 2 we saw 1,769 points, which is signifi cantly faster than the iPad 3's 750 and has only recently been beaten by the Google Nexus 10's 2,505. The iPad 4 retains its crown in the SunSpider JavaScript test and GLBenchmark graphics test, however, where it recorded a speedy 854ms and 39fps respectively, versus the Nexus 10's 1,329ms and 27fps. But it's the real-life user experience that's most important. The iPad 4 is a nippy device, but we didn't feel it was twice as fast as the iPad 3 in general use. We could see no difference in general navigation, but the extra pace is more noticeable in demanding tasks, and particularly in graphics – the iPad 3 was capable of only 22fps in our benchmarks. Price and storage options are the same as with previous iPads – £399 for the 16GB, Wi-Fi-only version, up to £659 for a 64GB iPad with Wi-Fi and 3G/4G LTE connectivity. Be wise with your selection, though, since there's no possibility of storage expansion through memory cards. Bear in mind that apps supporting the Retina resolution take up considerably more space than previous versions, and you may fi nd yourself fi lling up 16GB of storage faster than you expected. The screen hasn't changed either. It's still a 9.7in Retina-quality (1536x2048) LED-backlit IPS panel, and there's still no faulting this display. The other big change is 4G LTE connectivity. The iPad 3 was marketed as 4G-capable, but it didn't meet the frequencies in use in the UK so Apple removed the claim. If you want, and can afford, 4G mobile broadband, then this iPad will cater for your needs. The iPad mini also supports 4G in the UK. Other connectivity options, such as Bluetooth, remain the same, but Apple has upgraded the Wi-Fi with channel bonding. There's not a great deal of change when it comes to the iPad's cameras either. Those hoping for an 8Mp rear camera will be disappointed to fi nd it's still the same 5Mp iSight camera seen in the iPad 3. It's unsurprising, then, that the photographic capability of the iPad 3 and 4 is very similar. The iPad forms a useful camera if you don't mind using such a large device for composition. The only change here is the addition of a back-illuminated sensor, which should help in low-light situations. More useful is a 1.2Mp FaceTime HD front-facing webcam, which can also capture 720p video. This image quality is offers is much improved over that of the iPad 3, which will not only better your Photo Booth pictures, but be more useful for Skype and FaceTime calls.

Software

 The iPad 4 is preinstalled with the latest version of iOS. This includes the Siri, voice assistant which was introduced to the iPad with the previous generation voice assistant which was introduced to the iPad with the previous generation of the tablet. Some recent and notable changes to the operating system of the tablet. Some recent and notable changes to the operating system include the switch from Google Maps to Apple's own mapping include the switch from Google Maps to Apple's own mapping system, which hasn't been Apple's proudest moment – the app has received heavy criticism for its system, which hasn't been Apple's proudest moment – the app has received heavy criticism for its Apple iPad with Retina display  REVIEWS many failings, so it's handy that third-party alternatives are available in app form, many failings, so it's handy that third-party alternatives are available in app form, and you can access Google Maps in the Safari browser.

 Battery life

Apple touts a double-digit battery life of 10 hours when browsing the web over Wi-Fi. It's diffi cult to suggest a typical usage fi gure, since everyone will use their iPad in different ways, but we'd go along with that claim.

 SPECIFICATIONS

 9.7in (1536x2048 ‘Retina’) LED-backlit multitouch display with IPS technology; Apple iOS 6.0; 1.39GHz Apple A6X dual-core processor; 1GB RAM; 16/32/64GB storage; dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0; 3G/4G LTE; 5Mp iSight rear camera; 1.2Mp FaceTime HD front camera, 720p video; 42.5Wh lithium-polymer battery;  Lightning connector;  241.2x185.7x9.4mm; 652g

                             Google nexus 10

Google set a new standard for budget tablets with the Nexus 7; now it’s  back with the larger Nexus 10. Is the new benchmark for 10in tablets?

 ● Price From : £319 ● comPany : GooGLe
 ● WeBSiTe : play.google.com

 “The Nexus 10’s pixel density of 300ppi is nothing short of incredible”

 Google's Nexus 10 was the first Android tablet to launch in 2012 that stands a real chance of taking on the full-size iPad. Manufactured by Samsung, its  design isn’t too far removed from the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. Like most 10in Android tablets, the Nexus 10 is designed to be primarily   used in landscape mode. It has a Gorilla Glass 2 front and a plastic casing.  The build quality is excellent, and the tablet has a soft and grippy feel, but it doesn't match the quality of the iPad. The Nexus 10 is comfortable to hold in either landscape or portrait mode.  It's both thinner and lighter than the fourth-generation iPad at 9mm and 604g. Physical power and volume buttons are located on the top of the tablet, while ports are found on the sides. Refreshingly, the Nexus 10 charges via Micro USB. A cover similar to Apple’s Smart Cover can be attached, but at the time of writing this had yet to go onsale.

 Hardware

 This tablet is incredibly fast, with some impressive hardware specifications. Samsung has equipped it with its own 1.7GHz Exynos 5250, a dual-core processor based on the ARM Cortex-A15 architecture, plus 2GB of RAM. In GeekBench the Nexus 10 crushed its rivals with a score of 2,505 points.  Its closest rival, the fourth-generation iPad, managed ‘just’ 1,769. The iPad fared better in the SunSpider JavaScript test, though, with 854ms versus 1,329ms.
                                               The Nexus 10’s graphics are competent, too. It beat the third-gen iPad’s 22fps in GLBenchmark with a playable 27fps, but the fourth-gen iPad was faster still with 39fps. The Nexus 10 is fast to respond to input, apps open quickly, and pinch-zooming in the Chrome browser is silky smooth. The Nexus 10 is available with 16- or 32GB of storage, priced at £319 and £389 respectively. This can’t be expanded via a removable memory card slot. The third- and fourth-gen iPads boast Retina-quality screens, but the Nexus 10 sports an even higher resolution at 2560x1600. Its pixel density of 300ppi is nothing short of incredible. Everything displayed onscreen looks super-sharp and detailed. We found the screen very responsive and viewing angles astounding. Combined with a 16:10 aspect ratio and front-facing speakers, the Nexus is an ideal tablet for watching films. The Nexus is well connected, with Bluetooth and dual-band 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi with Mimo antennae and Wi-Fi Direct. There's also NFC and GPS, but no 3/4G. A Micro HDMI port lets you hook it up to a big-screen TV, too. A 'Magnetic Pogo pin charger' is found on the bottom edge of the tablet. At the time of writing, no compatible accessories were available.

 Cameras

 If you don't mind looking a bit odd when taking photos with a 10in slab of glass and plastic then the Nexus 10 has a good-quality 5Mp rear-facing camera with an LED flash. It can shoot full-HD (1080p) video footage, too. There are a few simple settings within the camera app, such as exposure and white balance, but you can go to town afterward. A Photo Sphere mode enables panoramas. The front-facing camera is capable of 1.9Mp stills and 720p video .

  Software

 Buying a Nexus device is a sure-fire way to ensure you always have the latest version of Google's Android operating system. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean offers  the vanilla experience Google intended, with none of the clutter and bloatware other manufacturers so often add. The user interface is fluid and has the familiar set of homescreens, permanent Google search bar and customisable app tray. You can set up the Nexus 10 how you like with app shortcuts, widgets and wallpapers. A few new features are found in expandable and actionable notifications, offline dictation and Google Now. You can also create and easily switch between multiple user accounts, each with their own apps, widgets and more. The interface now has two pull-down bars – swipe downwards from the left side of the screen and you get the regular notification bar, swipe from the right and you get a new quick settings bar. Certain widgets can now be displayed on the lockscreen in a rotating carousel, and a Swype-style keyboard is a real boon.

 Battery life

 The Nexus 10 has a 33.3Wh battery, which promises up to nine hours of continuous video playback. The tablet has plenty of stamina: even with moderate to heavy use, we were able to go a solid few days between charges.

 SpEcIfIcATIOnS

 10.1in (2560x1600) capacitive multitouch screen; Android 4.2  Jelly Bean; 1.7GHz Exynos 5250 dual-core processor; Mali T604 graphics; 2GB RAM; 16GB storage; 802.11b/g/n; Bluetooth; NFC; 5Mp, 1.9Mp cameras; Micro USB; Micro HDMI; 3.5mm  headphone jack; 33.3Wh  lithium-polymer battery; 264x178x8.9mm; 603g .

                      Apple iOS 6.0

iOS 6.0 is the slick operating system at work behind the scenes  in all Apple iDevices. Here’s what to expect

“With so much personal information stored on smartphones these days, more finegrained control  over who gets to see what  was overdue”

“iOS 6.0 is a compelling free upgrade for iPhone and iPad users”

 This autumn saw the launch of the sixth-generation iOS platform, which headlined on the iPhone 5, but is suitable for most iDevices made in the past three years. Apple says 200 new, mostly minor features have been  folded in. Some are immediately obvious – Passbook is added to the Home screen, along with a retouched icon to signify the new Maps app. When the non-location-aware Siri first appeared last year, it was of limited  use to UK users. iOS 6.0 adds this functionality, allowing you to use Siri to find local businesses, restaurants and the like. It can be all too fallible, though. We asked Siri to find the nearest post office; it responded with several map pins, completely overlooking the main branch close to our office. It’s unclear whether the mistake is Siri’s, or flaky mapping data. Photo Stream was introduced with iCloud for accessing your photos on any iOS device. With iOS 6.0, you can now share new photo streams with others. Passbooks isn’t yet especially relevant in the UK. Launching the app gives you an idea of what may come: boarding passes for airlines, tickets for films and events, credit cards for specific shops and discount coupons. Social media fans may welcome the extra integration with Facebook, allowing you to post updates from the Notification Center and Siri.  As seen in Android Ice Cream Sandwich, Apple now lets you deflect inopportune calls; rather than ignore the call, a push-up menu lets you reject it with a preset text message. With so much personal information stored on smartphones these days, more  fine-grained control over who gets to see what was overdue. You can now restrict how your data is siphoned by other companies. We’d rather have a simple off option to keep all data personal but, until then, you can elect to, for example, not share your contacts with Google Earth; likewise, your photos, calendars and reminders can be walled off from apps. Buried in the Settings menu is an option to ‘Limit Ad Tracking’ – that’s limit, not stop. We still need a ‘Keep all my affairs private’ option, but it’s a positive step. Safari has received a few updates, including iCloud tabs. This lets you jump to pages you currently have open on other iOS devices or Mountain Lion Macs. In the Mail app you can now paste photo or video inline without leaving the app. And you can refresh your inbox by pulling down the screen. Panorama mode has been added to the Camera app, which stitches together a series of portrait shots into one widescreen photo.

Maps app

Apple has created its own Maps system in place of Google Maps, using mapping data from third parties such as TomTom. It’s built on vector-based graphics and text, and scales wonderfully. It’s an elegant solution to the problem of having your device continually redownload bitmapped images at different resolutions each time you zoom in. With smaller downloads required, larger areas can be retrieved, and the data seems to be retained longer on the device. It’s not all good news, though. Popular features such as Street View aren’t available. More worrying is the misplacing of landscape features, towns and cities, and the absence of crucial details such as railway stations. Satellite imagery is also of a comparatively poor quality. The Flyover feature is an attractive way to see buildings in 3D, but available only in select larger cities, and not on older devices such as the iPhone 4. Maps is still a work in progress, but that doesn’t help users who have already upgraded. And apps such as Find My Friends are reliant on Apple’s sparse beta. You can still view Google, Bing or Nokia’s mapping data in Safari, of course. 

Performance
 Some previous iOS updates have resulted in older hardware struggling. We tested performance before and after on the iPhone 4 and 4S. The results were encouraging. In the SunSpider JavaScript test, for example, an iPhone 4 moved from 3,519ms to 3,003ms, suggesting a 17 percent improvement in rendering speed. The 4S recorded 1,891ms, up from 2,421ms – a 28 percent improvement. Geekbench 2 showed no signifi cant change in the raw processor and memory speed: our iPhone 4 still averaged 326 points, and the iPhone 4S 632 points. GLBenchmark showed very similar graphics performance. The iPhone 4 played the Egypt HD sequence at 4.1fps in iOS 5.1, and 4fps in iOS 6.0; the 4S managed 18- and 19fps respectively. Lots of added handy features make iOS 6.0 a good upgrade – with the caveat of the underperforming Maps. In every other respect, iOS 6.0 is a compelling free upgrade for iPhone and iPad users.

               
              Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

   Jelly Bean is Google’s latest mobile platform, but there’s no    guarantee the tablet you buy will be running it. If you’re lucky enough to get it, here’s what to expect

 “Jelly Bean has been very well received by those lucky enough to be able to access it”

 jelly Bean is an incremental update to Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich mobile OS, but it helps Android close the gap on iOS and has been very well received by those lucky enough to be able to access it. Indeed, while version 4.2 Jelly Bean is now upon us, as seen on the Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 7 and 10 tablets, most devices are yet to be upgraded to 4.1 from 4.0, let alone to 4.2. Here, we’ll look in-depth at the changes in Jelly Bean 4.1, and then explain some of the new features added to 4.2

 Performance

 One of the first things you notice when you use Jelly Bean for the fi rst time is the speed boost. Google calls it ‘Project Butter’, and we can vouch for the fact it is lag-free and super-smooth. It’s extended vsync timing to all drawing and animation, tripled the graphics buffering and even applied some wizardry that anticipates where on the display your fi nger will move next. Following a period of inactivity, a CPU input boost is applied at the next touch event to eliminate latency.

 Interface

Since Jelly Bean is an incremental update to 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the interface hasn’t seen a major overhaul. The main addition is smooth animations, seen when you open an app, for example. Rather than the app suddenly popping up when you tap its icon, the animation gradually appears from wherever that icon is placed onscreen. Another improvement is that widgets and app shortcuts will automatically rearrange themselves around a new object, and if there’s only a certain space available the widget will resize itself to fit.

 “Google Now aims to stay one step ahead of you, offering the answers to your questions before you  ask them”

 Notifications

The Notifications bar has been enhanced and can now show more detail, such as including a text message or photo. Some notifications can be expanded or collapsed with a two-finger gesture. As well as showing more information, users can respond to the notification via multiple action buttons without opening the associated app. You could respond to a missed call by returning the call directly from the alert, for example.

 Google Now

 One of the best new features in Jelly Bean is called Google Now, the latest development in Google search. Its aim is to stay one step ahead of you, offering the answers to your questions before you ask them. For Google Now to work at its best it needs to get to know you. When logged into your Google account, it will use your search history to learn what sort of things you look for. If you’re happy to divulge your search habits, location and similar information, Google Now will quickly become a useful tool.

 Dictation and keyboard input

 Until Jelly Bean, Android’s voice-input feature has required a data connection to function. Now, you can dictate an email or text message, for instance, regardless of whether you have a mobile or Wi-Fi connection. Words appear onscreen almost immediately after they’ve left your mouth.

 Voice search

As before, you can use the microphone icon to perform a voice search. Like Apple’s Siri, you can have the answers read aloud to you. Android also gets one over on Siri in the UK, since you can search for local businesses and attractions.

 Chrome

 Google Chrome is the default web browser. It offers an excellent tabbed browsing experience and things such as your bookmarks, most visited sites and even open tabs can be easily synchronised with the desktop version of Chrome. There are other nifty settings, too, such as the ability to configure text scaling.

 Flash

 The biggest issue with Jelly Bean is its lack of Flash support. This puts it in a similar position to the iPad, on which Flash-based web and video content is inaccessible. If you’re happy to do a bit of hacking there are ways around this.

 New in Jelly Bean 4.2

 Android 4.2 Jelly Bean is preloaded on Google’s own-brand Nexus devices. It hasn’t announced when the free update will roll out to other devices – as always, if and when your specific device is upgraded will  depend on whether its manufacturer decides doing so is worth its while. A new feature is the ability to configure multiple user accounts,  each with its own Home screens, backgrounds, widgets, apps and games. It’s a snap to switch between users, without logging out. Gesture typing is another neat addition, which in effect turns Android’s keyboard into a Swype-style keyboard. You glide a finger over the characters you wish to use, and it intelligently works out  what you’re trying to write, automatically inserting spaces. If you like taking panoramic photos, Photo Sphere is great.   This camera feature allows you to take continuous pictures in  any direction, then stitches them together in a sphere. Also new is wireless display technology, which lets you share what’s on your device on a larger screen, expandable notifications for more apps, lock-screen widgets, and quick settings in the Notifications bar. Note that not all these features will necessarily be available on all devices running Android 4.2, since the manufacturer will the OS how it sees fit. 

 



 

              
                 Windows 8 Tips & Tricks


There are some things that Microsoft hasn’t told you about Windows 8. We’re here to help.

 Windows 8 is replete with new features and unexpected behaviors that it’d take a while for even the most experienced of Windows users to master. After using the OS  extensively for the last few months, here are five tips and tricks that both newbies and power users should find useful.

         Login to Desktop Mode Directly

 The key to this trick is to have the Desktop tile as the first tile on your Start screen.

Most of us here like the new tile-based Start screen in Windows 8, especially the dynamic live tiles that put information we care about front and center. But we also recognize that there are those who can’t stand the Modern UI. While there are third party apps like Start8 and RetroUI that allow booting directly to the desktop, we’ve a trick that does the same thing but doesn’t require any extra software:  •  Put the Desktop tile at the left uppermost position on the Start   screen. •  Restart your PC. •  At the login screen, enter your password. •  Instead of pressing Enter, hold down the Enter key. •  Because the Start screen always puts its focus on the first tile,   holding down the Enter key will launch the Desktop ‘app’    immediately.

 During login, after entering your password, hold down the Enter key to jump straight
into desktop mode.

                       Faster Shut Downs

 Create the shortcut on the desktop; you can assign an icon to it.

 When you invoke the Settings Charm, and click on the Power button, you’ll be presented with options to shut down or restart the device, or put it to sleep. If you’re on the desktop, pressing Alt + F4 will bring up the shut down menu. However, a much faster way is to create a shut down shortcut which you can place on the desktop or pin it on the Start screen: •  Right-click on the desktop and select ‘New > Shortcut’. •  Enter ‘shutdown /s /t 0’ (without the quotes), and then give the   shortcut a name. •  Click ‘Finish’ and you’ll find a shortcut on your desktop. •  Optionally, you can right-click on this shortcut, select ‘Properties’,   and click ‘Change Icon’ under the Shortcut tab to assign an icon to   the shortcut. •  To make this shortcut also appear on the new Start screen, simply   right-click on it and select ‘Pin to Start’.

Pin the shortcut to the Start screen, and you can shut down with just one click.





               Snap Three Apps Side-by-Side

 Snap allows you to place two Modern-style apps side by side on the same screen.

 Multi-tasking in Windows 8’s Modern UI environment is achieved by a new feature called ‘Snap’, which places two Modern-style apps side by side. The drawback of Snap is that you can’t have more than two apps on the same screen. However, because Windows 8 treats the desktop as an app, if what you want is to have two desktops apps (or windows) and one Modern-style app on the same screen, there’s a way to do it (you need a screen resolution of at least 1,366 x 768 though): •  On the desktop, drag the title bar of a window to the left or right   side of the screen to expand the window. •  Repeat step 1 with another window to arrange both windows side   by side. This feature is called Aero Snap. •  Next, bring up the app switcher (swipe in and back out on the left   edge). •  Select the Modern-style app you like to ‘snap’ with the desktop app,   and drag its thumbnail towards the right. •  You’ll notice that the main app will now make room for a stripe that   appears on the left; here is where you dock the secondary app in.   Drag the thumbnail further to the right if you want to dock it on the   right side.

 If you combine Snap with Aero Snap for the desktop, you now can have three apps
side by side.

           Do More With  Google Drive


Turn Google Drive into an indispensable part of your  work and personal life.

 
There are plenty of cloud storage services these days, with the most prominent being Dropbox, Box, Microsoft Skydrive, and Google Drive. Despite having only 5GB of free storage  space, Google Drive, has the distinct advantage of having a whole suite of Google products and services that it can tap into. This guide will show you how you can effectively use Google Drive in conjunction with your mobile devices, your Chrome web browser, or your Chrome OS-powered laptop computer.

  Sync With Multiple  Devices / Platforms

5GB of storage might not mean much these days, but for documents, it’s more than enough. What’s more, you’re also able to edit these documents, and have the changes reflected immediately on documents stored on devices, or in the cloud. Part of Google’s strategy is also to get its products (like Google Drive) onto as many platforms as possible, so no matter which platform you use, chances are, Google Drive is (or will be) available there. 

  Better Conversion  of Other Formats
 
 If you haven’t started using Google Drive, chances are, it’s due to Google Docs’ lousy interpretation of documents in other formats. To fix that little problem, Google acquired QuickOffice, a veteran when it comes to mobile office apps. Access to QuickOffice engineers allowed Google to upgrade their conversion method, and the end result is the ability to accurately render and display some of the most popular document formats.


           Attachments of up to 10GB
 
A recent update to Gmail now allows you to send attachments that are 10GB in size (depending on the size of your Google Drive). You’d probably be sending much smaller attachments, but now you won’t have to deal with the previous limit of 25MB. You won’t be sending the actual file, but rather a link to the actual file stored within Google Drive. Take note also that those files can be updated whenever you want to, and recipients will always have access to the latest version.

                      Collaboration
 
 One of the biggest features of cloud services like Google Drive (which has absorbed Google Docs), is that documents within the service are always in their latest state. That means changes are instantly saved, so people you are collaborating with have access to the latest version of a document. Google Drive also allows multiple users to work on the document at the same time. This lets users collaborate in realtime, reducing the need for time-consuming meetings.


                Mobile Editing

 One of the great things about Google Drive is that it has robust support for most mobile devices, whether smartphone or tablet. Because Google Drive lives primarily on the web, it makes sense that it should work on any web-connected device. Recent updates to Google Drive’s native mobile apps (iOS and Android), enabled users to edit spreadsheets, instead of just documents. This makes it extremely handy for minor edits and collaboration while on the go.


          Convert Photos or PDF into Text

In 2009, Google bought this little company called reCAPTCHA, which makes those little puzzles (CAPTCHAs) that separate humans from spam bots. These puzzles made of scanned words, contribute to building Optical Character Recognition technology that converts images of text into editable (and thus searchable) text. This technology has since been incorporated into Google Drive, so you can start converting by simply taking a photo of text on paper.


            Host (Test) Web Pages

In late November 2012, Google introduced a new and brilliant tool for web developers. Google Drive now supports the hosting of test web pages, with support for JavaScript too. Its original purpose was to allow Google Drive app developers to test their web apps easily. However, users can avoid paying for their own web hosting services, and just use Google Drive to publish simple custom web content like photo galleries, or online resumes. 

         Apps for Google Drive

Some users might be perfectly happy with the default functionality of Google Drive. But for those who are running Chrome OS, or need additional functions on Google Drive, they can turn to Google Drive apps. These web apps work well as standalone Google Chrome apps, but they also work seamlessly with Google Drive. There are apps that let you send faxes, digitally sign documents and edit photos. There are even apps that help users manage small businesses.

          Print from Anywhere
 
 A really useful representation of the tight integration between Google’s products, is the relationship between Google Drive, and Google Cloud Print. Each one is a separate product, but can seamlessly operate with one another. Google Cloud Print lets you manage multiple printers (they must be connected to web) in multiple locations. With Google Drive on any device, you can then choose the printer and location you want your documents to be printed from.