With over 25 years of experience teaching, Robert Farrell has been a trusted instructor for individuals and companies who want to improve their Adobe skills.
Partnership to show phones, tablets and cameras on the show enters second year
Samsung announced today that it has renewed a deal with FremantleMedia UK to have its mobile products prominently displayed and used throughout the upcoming season of The X Factor. As part of the deal, viewers will see Samsung products on display and in use across all parts of the show, starting from the earliest stages of the competition. The deal is apparently primarily focused around mobile devices including phones, tablets and cameras, but isn't exclusive to just these product lines.
Beyond just broadcast, Samsung is also an off-air licensing partner and will see its products and brand displayed on tickets, in-store displays and across The X Factor's website. It's no secret that Samsung is spending big money on marketing, but locking up a deal for a widely popular show such as this is probably money well spent. Keep an eye out for those Note 3's on set soon.
At IFA last week, we got to spend some time with LG's new tablet, the G Pad 8.3, and we have to say that we came out quite impressed. The G Pad 8.3 is solid and well designed, boasts a decent spec sheet, and some of its software features, like Q Pair, really add value for the user.
However, in the small tablet space (7 to 8 inches), there's one aspect that can really make or break a device, and that is the price. The LG G Pad 8.3 will face off popular devices like the Nexus 7 (2013), which starts at $230, the Apple iPad Mini, which starts at $329, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, starting from $380. So, how competitively priced will the G Pad be?
Sources familiar with the matter told Android Authority that the LG G Pad 8.3 would be priced “very competitively”. While our sources couldn't confirm the final price, they did say that it could be in the $300 range.
At $300, the LG G Pad 8.3 would be priced quite reasonably for what it offers: an aluminum build, a crisp Full HD LCD display, and a fast Snapdragon 600 processor. Most importantly, it would be cheaper than both the iPad Mini (2012, and probably 2013 edition) and the Galaxy Note 8. The Nexus 7 (2013) is still cheaper, but the device is not accessible internationally at a good price point, like it is in the US and the other markets where Google sells it from the Play Store.
As for the LG G Pad 8.3 release date, our sources told us to expect it "towards the end of September." We assume that LG will go for a staged rollout, so don't expect to see the G Pad 8.3 available in stores worldwide this September. We officially know, however, that LG wants to offer the G Pad 8.3 in 30 countries by the end of 2013, which fits in nicely with a debut in late September.
Stay tuned for more coverage, and we'll keep an eye out as more info on the LG G Pad 8.3′s release date and pricing becomes available.
With over 25 years of experience teaching, Robert Farrell has been a trusted instructor for individuals and companies who want to improve their Adobe skills.
While at IFA 2013, we were able to get quite a bit of hands-on time with the Note 3, and we were even able to compare it directly to several other popular Android flagships, including the HTC One.
So how does the HTC One stack up against the new Galaxy Note 3? Let’s jump in and take a look:
Design and build quality
Right away we are presented with two devices that are clearly night and day from one another, particularly when it comes to design language.
While the HTC One has received tons of praise for its sleek aluminum body, it’s important to note (pun somewhat intended..) that there are folks that really don’t mind the plastic builds that are stereotypical of Samsung.
Even if you are the kind of person that isn’t so crazy about Samsung’s overuse of glossy plastic, the good news is that Samsung has switched things up a little with the Galaxy Note 3. This time around, Samsung utilizes a textured plastic that is designed to look and feel like leather, complete with faux stitching on the sides of the phone.
At its heart, the Note 3 still a plastic phone, which may turn off some folks. If you don’t mind plastic over aluminum however, the Note 3 is a fabulous looking device with rock-solid build quality and a soft feel that is very easy to grip in your hands.
In terms of size, the Note 3 and One are obviously in very different classes. The HTC One measures in at 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm with a weight of 143g. In contrast, the Galaxy Note 3 is 151.2 x 79.1 x 8.3mm with a weight of 168 grams.
Display
Again, very different size classes here. The Note 3 features a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED Full HD display that's rated at 386 ppi. As for the HTC One, it packs a much smaller 4.7-inch Full HD display with a rating of 469 ppi.
It’s very much a battle of screen size between the two handsets, as both screens are gorgeous, even if the Note 3 seems to have noticeably more vivid and brighter colors.
Camera
The Note 3 features a 13MP rear camera that is effectively the same as seen with the Galaxy S4. There's LED flash, a BSI sensor and Smart Stabilization technology.
Samsung really pushes camera features with the Note 3 and it is packed with cool stuff like sound & shoot, HDR, drama shot and more.
As for the HTC One? At first glance its camera might seem lacking, thanks to its paltry 4MP shooter. In reality, HTC touts its new camera as 4 ‘ultrapixel’ shooter, claiming that the megapixel isn’t so important, but instead suggesting it is the pixel size that really matters.
The end result is a camera that allows for better pictures in low-light. On top of its ultrapixel cam, the HTC One also packs is impressive HTC Zoe camera software.
Which camera is really better? Honestly depends on what you are looking for.
For those that are looking for the bigger 'beast' in terms of megapixels, the Note 3 blows the HTC One out of the water, just remember that the situation might be a little more complicated than that.
Battery
If were were looking solely at the mAh rating, the Note 3 would obviously stomp all over the HTC One, thanks to a massive 3,200 mAh battery versus a much smaller 2,300 mAh battery in the One. It's important to look at more than this, however.
The Note 3 might have a bigger battery, but it also has a much larger display and beefier specs. This certainly adds to the battery drain game. Until we get a better look at how long the Note 3 actually lasts, let's just say that both should be more than enough to get you through a typical day's usage.
For what it's worth, we should also mention that the Note 3 has an edge in the battery department simply because it actually has a removable battery.
Other specs
The Galaxy Note 3 will launch with two different possible processor choices, one for LTE markets and the other for 3G. For the former, we are talking about a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.3GHz quad-core CPU. The later markets will get a 1.9GHz Exynos octa-core CPU.
The Note 3's other specs will be the same for both versions of the device, such as 3GB of RAM, 32/64GB storage and microSD support. There's also Samsung's popular S-Pen.
The HTC One might not have a Snapdragon 800 or 3GB of RAM, but it is far from a lightweight. The HTC One offers a 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 CPU, 2GB RAM and 32 or 64GB of storage. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer microSD support.
Software
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, which until KitKat arrives, is the most current version of Android. In comparison, the HTC One currently has Android 4.2.2, but a update to 4.3 is expected later this month for users in the United States.
Beyond the Android version, the HTC and Samsung flagships run completely different, highly customized UIs. We're not going to directly compare TouchWiz to Sense, because in many ways it is a matter of preference.
When it comes to special features and software? Both phones are loaded. With the HTC One we have features like HTC Blinkfeed and HTC Zoe. For the Note 3 we get My Magazine, S-Finder, Pen Window and a bunch of newly updated S-Pen apps.
Hands-on video
Wrap-up
In terms of hardware, the Note 3 is an absolute beast that has few (if any) equals in the smartphone world. It gets even better when you start using the S-Pen. Of course, not everyone likes big displays, or even styluses. For folks looking for a smaller display, the HTC One is certainly a great handset, and one of the best Android flagships available.
In the end, it all comes down to what type of handset works best for you. Which do you prefer: massive handsets above the 5-inch mark, or something a bit on the smaller side?
Yesterday Samsung confirmed that its Exynos 5420 processor can use all of its eight core simultaneously when it released a musical video composed of eight parts. The OCTA-pella video was a whimsical way for Samsung to show how the Exynos 5 Octa 5420 uses ARM’s big.LITTLE architecture to balance workloads across CPU cores, using the right core for the right task. Today the company, in conjunction with ARM, has continued to underline the Heterogeneous Multi Processing (HMP) capabilities of its processor by releasing a set of videos which show how the different cores are used under different workload scenarios.
An eight-core processor with HMP is the truest form of the big.LITTLE technology with limitless benefits to the users of high-performance, low-power mobile products. Taehoon Kim, vice president of System LSI marketing, Samsung Electronics.
To recap, Samsung’s Exynos Octa 5410, which is in some versions of the Galaxy S4, had eight cores (four low-energy Cortex-A7 cores together with four more powerful Cortex-A15 cores) but only four of those eight could be active at any one time. The new chip, the Exynos 5420, allows for all eight cores to be active simultaneously. For more background on the history and technology behind HMP please read yesterday’s post.
The demonstrations, given by Ian Smythe of ARM, shows an activity monitor that plots the usage of each of the eight cores while an Android device powered by the Exynos 5420 is used in different situations including playing a game or loading an image intensive web page.
The first video shows how big.LITTLE HMP uses the different cores when running Angry Birds:
The next video shows how big.LITTLE HMP can work with the GPU, via RenderScript, to improve the quality of images from a web page:
The final video shows the Quickoffice app loading and scrolling thought a presentation. As with the other videos the activity monitor shows how the different cores are used:
With digital photographs, the art is now in creating black and white images. This course will teach you how to use Photoshop techniques to create beautiful images.
Tablets are wonderful creations that have nearly limitless application. People buy them for all sorts of different reasons, whether it be a budget-level device or a premium slate. And, if you ask anyone that has ever owned one, you’ll know they love their tablet for reasons of portability, convenience and form factor. Often there are times when you don’t need to pull out a whole computer.
When it comes to buying a tablet, it’s important to consider how you’ll be using it. Will you be using it for reading, primarily? How about watching videos? Maybe some emails, web browsing, and gaming? How about price? Is durability a concern? Most people want their tablets to last a considerable amount of time (two years+), and usually that means you’re going to need to be looking at a more premium line of devices, instead of lesser known brands.
Thankfully, the marketplace is ripe with choice, and competition has never been more intense. As a result, you have myriad options available, based on your budget, the size and form factor you desire, and the build quality and brand you most prefer. With so many different options available, how does one know what to choose? Thankfully, we’ve got your best interest at heart, and have rounded up our picks of the best Android tablets available at the moment.
Read on to find out our top five choices for the best Android tablets, as of September, 2013.
ASUS Nexus 7 (2013)
Those that have owned iPads and larger form tablets will surely know that a large tablet make a desirable device not. This is where the Nexus 7 (2013) steps in. With its 7 inch form factor, the new Nexus 7 fits perfectly in the hand, and doesn’t fatigue the user — something most larger 10 inch tablets do because of their weight. The ASUS Nexus 7 (2013) is a testament to just how well the previous generation of Nexus 7′s performed and sold. Running the latest version of Android without any added bloatware or elements that’ll slow down your experience, the Nexus 7 (2013) is one of the best tablets you can get in terms of smoothness of operation and performance.
The build quality and design are fantastic. There’s a reason why Google continued in its partnership with ASUS for the Nexus 7, and it’s simple, really. The original Nexus 7 was a fan favorite, and featured great specs and an even better price when it originally launched. With the new Nexus 7, Google and ASUS have opted for a vastly superior display (7.02 inch 1920×1200), a much improved processor (Snapdragon Pro, Adreno 320GPU), and it comes in at a very agreeable price, too.
Overall, the ASUS Nexus 7 (2013) is our first best Android tablet you can get your hands on at a relative cheap price — $229+. And, for those of you that love mobile data and want a great 7 inch tablet, the HSPA+/LTE specific variant of the Nexus 7 LTE was just released, and is priced at $349.99, for the 32GB model.
Nexus 7 (2013) Specs
Profile: 7.62mm (0.3-inch); 2mm thinner, reduced bezel by 3mm on each side
Weight: 318g (11.2oz)
7-inch LCD IPS display with 1920 x 1200 resolution (323ppi)
1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor
Samsung’s Nexus 10 is similar to the Nexus 7 (2013) in that it’s running the latest version of stock Android (4.3 Jelly Bean). Hardware and quality wise, you’re going to be able to get a lot of use out this high performer.
It’s easy to handle the 10-inch tablet, though like most 10-inch tablets, it does get tiring after a while. It has a rubberized back to make for an easy grip, and it’s not likely to break if you accidentally drop it. Overall, it definitely feels like a premium device worthy of a best Android tablet list, unlike a few other options out there.
With its industry leading 2560×1600 10 inch display, the Nexus 10 offers a best in class display with a level of detail and sharpness rarely seen on all but the best displays. And for those among us more prone to the accidental, the Nexus 10 is a very durable tablet, with this writer having dropped his more times than he’d like to count.
Samsung Nexus 10 Specs
Size: 263.9 x 177.6 x 8.9mm
Weight: 603g
10.055-inch touchscreen WQXGA display with 2560 x 1600 resolution, and Corning Gorilla Glass 2 (300ppi)
1.7GHz Dual-core Exynos chip with Mali T604 GPU
2GB of RAM
16/32GB internal memory
5-megapixel camera, 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera
As our second best Android tablet on the list, the Nexus 10 is one of our favorites here at Android Authority.
For more info on Samsung’s Nexus 10, including our review, click here! Remember to watch for price drops on this one, as it’s likely to be replaced by a newer version in the coming months ahead (November, 2013 onwards)
Third on our list is Sony’s Xperia Tablet Z. It’s arguably the most stylish of the bunch. It really feels like an amazingly premium device, and it commands quite a few looks from the curious in the coffee shops it frequents. Truth be told, the Sony Xperia Z tablet is a wonderful tablet, and it has a stock Android-like interface in that the design is similar to Ice Cream Sandwich. Unlike Nexus devices, the Xperia Tablet Z does have a few preloaded apps, but it doesn’t bog down the system at all. In fact, some of the apps are extremely useful.
As for build quality, this is one of the tablets on the list that actually feels like a premium device. With its angular edges and strong construction it’s quite comforting to know that this is one of the few water/dust resistant tablets out there. Despite being a 10 inch tablet, it is incredibly light, and thinner than any tablet on this list. As such, it feels great in the hand.
With the price starting at $499 on the Xperia Tablet Z, you would certainly hope you were getting the best Android tablet out there. Let me reassure you — the Sony Xperia Tablet Z is a very premium tablet. Sony has worked hard to provide a good experience here, and it shows.
Sony Xperia Tablet Z Specs
172 x 266 x 6.9 mm
495 grams
10.1-inch TFT display capable of 1,920 x 1,200 resolution (224ppi)
1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU
Adreno 320 GPU
8.1-megapixel rear camera
2.2-megapixel front-facing camera
IPX57 water resistant and IP5X dust proof
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
For more on the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, including our review, click here.
While LG might not be a name associated with tablets, they still are one to watch. The 8.3 inch G Pad features a very compelling feature set, and a beautiful 1920×1080 8.3 inch IPS LCD display. What’s particularly nice about the G Pad is that, much like the Nexus 7 (2013), it is able to be held by one hand, and still manages to fit a beautiful, crisp 1920×1200 resolution display.
While it might not be as easy to find as the Nexus 7 (2013), the Nexus 10, or the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, it might be worth holding out for. The G Pad represents LG’s renewed focus in the tablet market, and you can be sure they’ve fully invested their expertise into making a fantastic tablet.
Specs
216.8 x 126.5 x 8.3mm
338 grams
8.3-inch TFT display capable of 1,920 x 1,200 resolution (272.79 PPI)
1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM
Adreno 320 GPU
5MP rear camera
1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
4600 mAh battery
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Packing the latest in display technology, The G Pad 8.3 features a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU and is accompanied by 2GB of RAM. The device also has a beautiful 8.3-inch 1920 x 1200 display, 16GB storage, microSD, a 5MP rear cam, 1.3MP front cam and a 4,600 mAh battery. As for the OS, the G Pad will arrive with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. In terms of size, it sites somewhere between the iPad mini and the new Nexus 7. One big upside for the tablet is that it includes expandable storage in the form of a much loved microSD slot, something few tablets these days, offer.
While pricing is not official, it’s likely that the LG G Pad will hit the market at $300. It’s one of our favorites because of its fantastic form factor, its amazing display, and its powerful spec sheet. And it’s svelte, light, and feels great in the hand. What’s not to love?
We originally saw the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 back in 2012, but during the IFA 2013 trade show in Berlin, Germany, Samsung unveiled a successor, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition is the definition of the best Android tablet, especially in terms of functionality. The Note 10.1 2014 Edition is packing a lot of new software features, including a lot of the features found in the newly announced Galaxy Note 3 smartphone, such as Air Command.
Now, we haven’t had a whole lot of time to play with the new Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, but from the time we had with it, it really is an impressive device, worthy of the best Android tablet list. It’s well built, durable, and stylish.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition tablet is one beast of a device, and it certainly belongs on anyone’s best Android tablet list.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition Specs
Size: 243.1 x 171.4 x 7.9mm
Weight: 535g
10.1-inch WQXGA Super clear LCD (2560 x 1600 resolution)
Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz on top and Samsung features
The device isn’t available just yet, though. The device will begin hitting stores in the third quarter. So we can expect to begin seeing the device go through a gradual rollout, starting this month. The good news is that Samsung plans on selling three versions of this device, the first being a Wi-Fi model. And for you cellular junkies, there’ll be a Wi-Fi + 3G version and a Wi-Fi + LTE option. With three different models available, this’ll definitely be the best Android tablet for many.
For more on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, including a first look,click here.
There are plenty of premium tablets out there, with manufacturers looking at bringing more to the market in just a few months, too. Regardless, if you decide to jump the gun on one of these, you’ll get a good few years of usage out of it before needing to upgrade.
Every year we see new tablets and smartphones launch, always having better specs than the previous version. Truth be told, you really aren’t going to need to worry about that yearly upgrade with these tablets. Each device in our best Android tablet list will get you through your daily tasks for weeks, months, and years to come.
Yesterday Samsung confirmed that its 
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