Samsung Galaxy Mega

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; quad-band 3G with HSPA; LTE
• 6.3" 16M-color 720p TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen; 233ppi
• Android OS v4.2.2 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz UI
• Dual-core 1.7GHz Krait CPU, Adreno 305 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset
• 1.5GB of RAM
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording @ 30fps, continuous autofocus and stereo sound
• 1.9 MP front-facing camera, 1080p video recording
• Drama shot, Shot and sound
• Dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
• 8/16GB of built-in storage
• microSD card slot
• microUSB port with USB host and MHL
• Bluetooth v4.0
• NFC
• IR port for remote control functionality
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
• Ample 3,200mAh battery with great endurance; user replaceable
• 8mm thickness; 199g of weight

Main disadvantages

• Big, even for a phablet
• Resolution on the low side for the screen size
• Midrange performance
• Design is a bit played out by now
• No FM radio
• Shared camera interface makes framing tricky

Samsung Galaxy Mega review

There was the Note. Then the Note 2. But has Samsung finally pushed things too far with the 6.3-inch Galaxy Mega, or is it the ultimate fusion of tablet and smartphone?

The Galaxy Mega might not have a price yet, but it's certainly not going to be jostling with the Galaxy S4 at her sharp end of the smartphone market. Packing a 1.7GHz dual core processor and 1.5GB of RAM, it's not slouch in the performance department, but it's a far cry from the power and force of the S4 or even last year's S3.

So who is it aimed at, this gargantuan effort at a smartphone? Samsung tells us that it's the 'perfect device of students', which means it dispenses with the need for a phone and a tablet. The subtext there is affordability, and there's no doubt the Galaxy Mega is going to be closer to the mid-range market.

That said, and perhaps it's an acceptance of the likes of the Galaxy Note 2, but that whopping screen didn't feel too bad in the hand at all. It's huge, that's for certain, and no matter what, you're going to feel stupid holding it to your ear.

But given we said the same thing about the Note 2 last year (and has since gone on to be one of the world's top selling phones) there's clearly an appetite for a phone that is great for the Internet and video with the ability to make calls too.

The Samsung Galaxy Mega does have a surprisingly clear and sharp screen for a phone / tablet that isn't full HD nor uses Samsung's proprietary Super AMOLED technology either, opting for an HD PLS LCD effort instead.

We were therefore expecting low colour reproduction and a slightly jagged experience, but even at the larger screen size we were really impressed when it came to video and Internet use, with everything appearing clear and sharp.

Holding the phone to do these things was less of a joy, as you can imagine - it wasn't too heavy in the hand when using with only a single palm, but try to do anything like send a text message and you have to do so using one hand to brace yourself before knocking out a missive.

The messaging system is much more accurate than found on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S3, which has a simply woeful keyboard. We can still see any user installing a new option ASAP, but what was on offer wasn't bad.

It's clear to see that the Galaxy Mega is a phone that's the first to feed off the design ethos of the Galaxy S4, with the more robust feel to the chassis and a more metallic rim around the edge.

Like so many Galaxy products, the Mega is as light as can be - you'll struggle to believe that something this large can weigh so little and still actually work. It's only got up to 16GB of onboard storage, but this can be supplemented using the microSD slot hidden under the flimsy polycarbonate cover.

There's also an impressive 3200mAh battery, which should power the massive screen for a full day and still leave you a good slug of juice should you forget to charge up during the night. We couldn't test the battery power due to the fact it was locked to a charger in our hands on time, but we've got high hopes for this one.

The Samsung Galaxy Mega comes with a similar feature to the Galaxy S4 in the shape of a high power touchscreen than allows you to use gloves with the device, and also gives you Air View. This function allows you to hover a finger over things like photo albums or calendar entries to see more of what's hidden beneath without having to actually open it.

Taking more features from the Samsung Galaxy S4, the camera mode has been upgraded to include drama shot (to let you put loads of frames into one still) and Eraser mode, sponsored by Schwarzenegger (WE JOKE, it's a film reference).

We tried the latter at the event, and we have to say it was really impressive - more so than on our early tests with the S4, which means Samsung is probably managing to perfect the technology.

There was one big problem during our experience, and that was with the overall running of the device. You'd have thought that a phone / tablet with a 1.7GHz processor and 1.5GB fo RAM could have handled anything you threw at it, but twice we had a forced reboot situation.

This was when we were trying to use the device for its more taxing purposes, such as multi-screen or Eraser shot, and was a bit of a worry

You always allow for elements like this to occur when testing devices on a stand, as the software is never fully ready for proper review. However, perhaps it's an indication of where we've got to these days, but it was still surprising to see it happening on a device from Samsung, which is usually rock solid in this area.

However, like most brands, we'll give it the benefit of the doubt until the final review sample is made available.

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Nokia Lumia 925

The Lumia 925, as it is officially known, is Nokia’s latest flagship smartphone running Windows Phone 8 and it is hard to say which it exemplifies the most: a solid performance smartphone, sleek and beautiful design or the best camera technology in the market right now.

The Lumia 925 is one of a handful of devices to come from Nokia where very little is spared in terms of lens technology but refreshingly this doesn’t cost innovation or design elsewhere in the device. The whole package is perfection.

I have to admit I have struggled to fall in love with Nokia’s smartphones that arrived in the last two to three years, first running Windows Phone 7 and more recently Windows Phone 8 operating systems. Something just didn’t click. The phones were solid (in some cases too solid and heavy, with heavy plastic materials) and while Windows Phone is a decent OS and genuinely the first mobile OS to come with what is now fashionably known as ‘flat’ design, it still didn’t feel totally right.

But the 925 has me smitten. I have phone envy. And I haven’t said that about a Nokia device in a very long time. I will spare you the history lesson but I finally am convinced Nokia has found its stride in terms of packaging hardware that can compete for style and performance with elegant vamps like the HTC One or the Samsung Galaxy S4.

The 925 comes in a nice silvery aluminium-like shell that makes it refreshingly light, unlike more recent models, like the Lumia 800, which I felt had a lot of heart, but which was heavy and awkward. Before we get into a debate about superficiality I think I am making an important point; Nokia needs to start being talked about in style terms and not just technology if it wants to win back lost ground.

But you say looks aren’t important, it’s what’s inside that counts. And yes, that is also true and the 925 is where design, software and hardware work entirely in concert or harmony for Nokia and the Windows Phone platform.

Lumia 925 specs

The kind of shot Nokia says is possible with the Lumia 925

The main camera sensor is an 8.7-megapixel PureView lens with optical image stabilisation, autofocus and short pulse high power dual LED flash. It is capable of capturing video in 1080p HD video at 30 frames per second.

It is the first Nokia device to come in a metal body in a long time and this results in the lightest of the entire Windows Phone generation at just 139 grams. For the eco-conscious among you, Nokia says the body is made from entirely recycled materials. So bravo!

The phone’s PureMotion HD display measures 4.5 inches and the device is capable of wireless charging.

Sporting Corning Gorilla Glass, the AMOLED display has a resolution of WXGA 1,280 x 768 with an aspect ratio of 15.9 and a pixel density of 334.0 ppi. It also comes with all the accelerometers, gyroscopes, proximity sensors and magnetometers you would now expect in a high-end smartphone.

As well as being LTE-ready, that means capable of 4G, the device works with Wi-Fi and 3G, as well as near field communication (NFC) for mobile wallet applications.

I couldn’t wait to use the new Smart Camera technology, which I put to the test at the recent Body & Soul festival and which enables users to capture 10 images at once and edit them using features such as best shot, action shot and motion focus.

These were nice features but when it came to simply getting a good shot, just a little superfluous, because the quality of the 8.7-megapixel camera and image stabilisation meant you could capture pretty good stills anyway without trying to get 10 images so you didn’t miss that ‘moment.’

One unexpected surprise was the phone’s battery life and in just a week I probably only charged it twice. I was very impressed by this. Most devices require a daily charge.

The 925 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz dual-core processor and comes with 1GB of RAM, mass memory of 16GB and users are automatically entitled to free cloud storage of 7GB on Sky Drive.

Verdict

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds live at Body & Soul last weekend. Photo taken with a Nokia Lumia 925

When I said earlier about the whole thing coming together in concert in terms of hardware and software, what I meant was this is probably the best example yet of what Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 technology is capable of and I found myself delving deeper into the Windows Phone OS than I had before.

This was ultimately because the lightness of the device and its superior capabilities, such as the camera, encouraged me to simply want to use it for more and more things, to the detriment of my trusty iPhone 5. I found myself relying on the alarm, using the calculator, the to-do list - stuff I hadn’t really been able to bring myself to using with regularity on the Windows Phone platform before.

I found it to be pretty darned good for photo-sharing via social media, sending photos to the cloud or simply emailing images.

Downloading apps via the Windows Store was simple and elegant and I found myself using functions like Calendar and Messaging a lot more than on previous Windows Phone devices.

The reason for this has to be not only the software but the device’s attractive design and light body. Like I said, the whole thing works in concert and it’s hard to put it down.

The only drawbacks that I can tell about the Windows Phone platform is although new apps are arriving into the Windows Store all the time and Microsoft revealed amazing developer tools at its Build conference this week, it is a shame there is as yet no dedicated YouTube app apart from a few developer-made clones that have limitations and quirks.

While temporary, this is really a shame because the screen size and capture capabilities make you really want to capture and share video, as well as consume video. This phone was built for video. The longer this drags on I believe it is as much Google’s loss as it is currently Microsoft’s, so hurry up people. Apparently, the dispute has something to do with the display of ads. Consumers don't care about that stuff, so sort it out.

Either way, users are free to capture video and share directly onto the YouTube platform but it is the playback side of things that is unresolved. You can also share your video via the usual social platforms, like Vimeo and Twitter.

On the whole, I believe the 925 is a massive departure for Nokia in the design department. It looks and feels more like a high-end phone than any of the models of the past year and one that will adequately compete with other high-end rivals.

The Nokia Lumia 925 launches in Ireland next week and the handset is free on contract across Vodafone, O2, Meteor and eMobile. Pre-pay rates are not yet available.

waterproof smartphone from SONY

The Xperia Z Ultra can be used underwater up to a depth of 1.5m, even allowing people to take pictures and film video in full HD below the surface, the company said.

Launching it today, Sony claimed the handset, which has a 16.3cm screen, has the biggest display and is the thinnest large-screen smartphone on the market.

Calum MacDougall, Sony's director of Xperia marketing, said: "The Xperia Z Ultra is the most exciting revolution in large-screen smartphone entertainment devices with both the slimmest and largest full HD smartphone display in the world that is second to none."

The phone will include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor which Sony says is the world's fastest processor.

The screen also features handwriting recognition software that allows it to be used with pencil or stylus.

The phone was launched at the Mobile Asia Expo in Shanghai, alongside the Sony SmartWatch 2 SW2, a "second screen" for any Android phone worn on the wrist.

Sony say it will allow people to remotely handle calls, read emails, alter the volume on their music and even take pictures remotely using a built-in camera app.

3 smartphone apps that motivate you to get fit

Who doesn’t need an extra boost of encouragement to make it through their workout or choose a salad instead of french fries? Healthy living motivation apps can help you succeed on your fitness journey, while also offering the chance to win money, create a healthy habit streak or support your favorite charity. Here's a review of the three most popular.

Diet Bet (Free, iTunes)

What if losing weight could boost your bank account? That’s the idea behind the DietBet app. The app harnesses the power of what CEO Jamie Rosen calls "social dieting" along with people’s desire to, well, win money.

Here's how it works.  DietBet features "games" where a group of people pool entry fees (around $25 each) into a pot and challenge each other to lose weight. The game begins and participants have four weeks to lose four percent of their body weight. At the end of the four weeks all the money in the pot is evenly split between the winners.

So how well does it work? Rosen says about 30 to 40 percent of group participants "win," losing an average of nine pounds and winning an average of $96. But in the end everyone wins, since according to Rosen, the supportive community and accountability features of the DietBet game result in 86 percent of all users losing weight.

The app tracks your progress during the game, while dynamic in-app graphics display how you stack up against the competition. Tap the activity button on the bottom of the screen and add comments, motivate your friends and see updates from people you follow. The app also sports a photo feature, so you can snap a photo of that healthy lunch or your favorite running trail and share it with your followers.

This is where Rosen’s "social dieting" idea starts to take shape. During a DietBet game, you’re not going it alone -- you're working with a group, which makes the healthy living journey more fun. It’s encouraging to know your fellow DietBetters are having the same experiences and supporting you along the way.

Along with friendly competition and support, money can also be a great motivator. In fact, a Journal of the American Medical Association study found that dieters who had a financial incentive were five times more likely to lose weight. If you win, you have the option to cash out via PayPal, donate your money to charity or apply your winnings to another DietBet.

If you like some friendly competition and the idea of adding a little extra cash to your pocket, then the DietBet app could be the one to get you on track with a healthy lifestyle. 

Lift (Free, iTunes)

Born from Twitter founder Biz Stone’s tech incubator, the Lift app is designed to encourage you and help you establish healthy habits. The idea is that through taking small steps every day you can create and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

This app is simple and straightforward to use. Think of it as a to-do list with plenty of positive reinforcement and support.

Upon opening the Lift app, you’ll notice three habits already built in: 10k steps, exercise and meditate. Click the upper right-hand box and you can search a menu of current habits featuring categories like "Popular" and "Trending" with habits like exercise, sleep eight hours and eat breakfast.

The "Supportive" category features the most encouraging and engaging communities on Lift. The "Health and Wellness" category includes habits like drink more water, stop drinking soda and eat fruit to name a few. The "Fitness" habits allow you to choose from workouts like CrossFit and Insanity or simply running and pushups. Click to choose your habits and they are added to your homepage main menu.

My favorite thing about the Lift app: When you complete a habit, simply click the big check box and that’s it. The app logs your progress and keeps track of your streak.

A running feed below each habit gives you the opportunity to add a note to your own habit or comment and give props to others. This adds a nice social element of support.

The activity tab on the bottom of the app displays how many times you’ve "checked" into each habit. There are also graphs that visually showcase your weekly and monthly habit frequency.

Follow friends and get support from the Lift community to keep your healthy streaks alive. Recently, Lift even started featuring group challenges like The 4-Hour Body based on the book by the same name.

Building healthy habits and establishing consistency are keys for getting in shape, and Lift is a helpful tool to do this. If you are looking to make simple changes to your lifestyle this is a great app to keep you accountable. 

Charity Miles (Free, Android and iTunes)

What if you knew that every mile you ran, walked or biked raised money for someone in need? Sometimes it can be easier to motivate yourself to do something good for others. If this theory strikes a chord, then Charity Miles might be the app for you.

Swipe the screen and select a charity from options like Feed America, Stand Up To Cancer, Autism Speaks, Wounded Warrior Project and the ASPCA. Then choose whether you’d like to run, bike or walk. The GPS-enabled app starts tracking your run. This is a nice bonus for those that like to monitor time and distance. Runners and walkers earn 25 cents per miles while bikers earn 10 cents per mile.

When your workout is over, the app asks you to post your accomplishment to Facebook or Twitter in order to accept your sponsorship. No money comes out of your pocket, as Charity Miles and corporate partners cover the donations. 

Every now and then we all need a little motivation to make healthy choices. So whether encouragement comes in the form of winning cash, checking in to stay accountable or supporting your favorite charity, the smartphone apps DietBet, Lift and Charity Miles have you covered.

Nokia Asha 501: Colorful Smart Phone to Officially Arrive at the Worldwide Market with RM315.00 Price

Nokia has officially declared that the colorful Nokia Asha 501 smart phone will arrive this week at the markets of Thailand and Pakistan while availability in India follows shortly as well as in countries across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. The Nokia Asha 501 will sell for a suggested retail price of US$99 or RM315.00 before taxes and local subsidies in six available colors.

Nokia Asha 501 is the first in the new generation of reasonably priced smart phones to run on the new and fast Asha platform. "The new Nokia Asha 501 helps people quickly access everything they love with just a simple swipe. Coupled with beautiful design, it's a smart phone with both style and substance offered at a great price," stated Timo Toikkanen, the Executive Vice President of Nokia Mobile Phones.

The smart phone is noticeable due to its compact design with a tough removable shell and scratch-resistant glass display. Another standout feature is the available color choices of cyan, bright red, bright green, yellow, black and white but these hues will differ by market.

 

Consumers can choose from the available single or dual SIM feature on the Nokia Asha 501. The smart phone has a 3.2MP camera with EDGE EGPRS (2.75G) connectivity and 17 hours of battery life backup.

The accessories available for the Nokia Asha 501 are the Nokia Stereo Headset WH-108 and the CC-3070 back covers that can be interchanged to reflect the owner's personality. The Nokia Asha 501 back covers are available in eye-catching colors with a recommended retail price of €8.90 (US$12).

Nokia Asha 501 owners can simply swipe the smart phone to unlock, close apps or change between the Home and Fastlane screens. The Home screen fully utilizes the 3-inch showing the established application launcher.

The Fastlane screen is the exceptional second screen that adjusts to put on view the user's recent activity on the phone as well as upcoming events such as birthdays, song or apps downloads and schedule of meetings. Fastlane helps the user to multi-task as well with its support to social network sites like Facebookand Twitter where they can share directly from the Fastlane screen.

Asha's latest smart phone has the pre-installed Nokia Xpress Browser app that can compact Internet data up to 90% so mobile browsing becomes faster. Nokia Asha 501 users can use the available chat services such as Line, Nimbuzz and WeChat.

Close to 40 free EA games can be downloaded on the Nokia Asha 501. More free apps available on the Nokia Store can be downloaded as well such as HERE Maps and the fresh Nokia Xpress Now content discovery web app.

iPhone water damage: rescue a soaked device with rice trick

An iPhone that's been dropped in water is going to be a broken iPhone. Typically any iPhone that's been dropped in the sink, or down the loo, will not start up okay.

A wet iPhone can have a blank screen, no sound, a touch screen that doesn't work, or any manner of other defects.

Fortunately it's often not the end of the world (or the end of the iPhone). Drying out the phone slowly, and properly, can help. It's best to use a product like the Kensington EVAP Rescue Pouch, or collect old silica gel packets. But if you haven't done either of those things, then this rice trick could help.

There's a little-known but useful rice trick that can be used to attempt to repair an iPhone. It works in these steps (that are worth remembering):

1. Do not switch on the phone. If it's off leave it off (the charge will cause more damage).
2. Get some dry rice (not cooked) and a tupperware food box. If no tupperware box is available get a bowl.
3. Fill the tupperware box with dry rice and place the iPhone inside the rice (so it surrounds the device, covering the screen).
4. Put the lid on.
5. Go and do something for three days. Do not take the iPhone out of the rice.
6. After three days (72 hours) Plug the iPhone in and switch it on. See if it works properly.
7. If it doesn't. Switch the iPhone off, put it back in the rice and wait another 24 hours.
8. Keep trying it every day for a few more days.

This trick has been tried and tested by members of the Macworld UK team. The idea behind the rice trick is that the rice absorbs the water, and that when it's all dried out the iPhone should work again. There are few moving parts in an iPhone so the water damage can be minimal. There's some debate as to whether the rice actually does anything, or it's just the process of leaving it alone and letting it dry out naturally that is the repair. But we've tried it and it worked for us.

Leave it like this for a good 48 hours before turning it on. It may take several days to dry out.

Why Samsung S4 Mini?

Reversing its march towards creating a phone that requires a wheelbarrow to tote around town, Samsung has announced the 4.3-inch S4 mini.

Though smaller than the regular S4, the mid-range S4 mini’s screen is still larger than the iPhone 5′s 4-inch display. Unfortunately, Samsung is mum on the price or actual release date of the tinier version of its hit Android phone. What we do know is that the company is entering the mid-market territory with a less expensive device.

The S4 mini is crammed with an 8MP camera, a qHD Super AMOLED screen, 8GB of storage, 1.5GB of RAM, and is powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core processor. The phone runs Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) with Samsung’s Touch Whiz skin. It will be available with 4G LTE, 3G HSPA+ or 3G dual SIM radios, depending on the market.

Basically, it’s less exciting than the larger S4, but more than enough for most smartphone shoppers. The news is also the second “budget” piece of electronics announced today, joining Apple’s release of its cheaper iPod touch.

NOKIA EOS TO BE OFFICIALLY NAMED LUMIA 1020

According to the latest rumor, Nokia will name the phone we currently know as the EOS, the Lumia 1020. This comes from the serial phone leaker @evleaks on Twitter, and hasn’t been confirmed by Nokia, however thanks to many leaks regarding the EOS, it’s just about the only detail we don’t know.

The Lumia 1020 name is somewhat familiar, as just before the beginning of the year, a leak talked about three possible smartphone releases coming from Nokia during 2013 – the Lumia 520, the Lumia 720, and the Lumia 1000. Both the 520 and 720 subsequently arrived during Mobile World Congress, leaving the Lumia 1000 as a no-show. Nokia has been using the number 20 in its model numbers this year, but has recently started to advance beyond this, with hardware such as the Lumia 925. While the Lumia 1000 name trips off the tongue rather nicely, Lumia 1020 isn’t bad either, particularly when pronounced Lumia ten-twenty.

We’ve been treated to a considerable amount of information regarding Nokia’s next smartphone release, which will be announced at an event confirmed for July 11. At first, it told us the zoom feature would be reinvented, and has subsequently said there are 41 million reasons to tune into the live streamed event on the day. Of course, Nokia’s PureView camera just happens to have 41 megapixels, so we can be fairly sure the new Lumia phone will finally bring PureView tech toWindows Phone.

Otherwise, we’re not expecting too many surprises from the phone. Leaked pictures have shown a body shell which is very similar to the Lumia 920, and the specification is likely to be the same as the rest of the Lumia 92x range, meaning a 4.5-inch screen with a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, and a dual-core processor. While not up there with the Galaxy S4, it does beat the latest top-end camera phone, the Galaxy S4 Zoom, which takes on the S4 Mini’s lesser spec.

Nokia’s special event will take place in New York on July 11, and we’ll bring you everything you need to know about the EOS/Lumia 1020 on the day

Sony Xperia Tablet Z Review

If you haven’t been paying attention to Sony lately, then you’ve been missing out on some of the company’s best mobile products it has ever released. The Sony Xperia Z and ZL are powerful and sleek devices that can take on just about any other smartphone available today head on, and the same goes for its latest tablet offering, the Xperia Tablet Z.

In an iPad-dominated market, Android tablet manufacturers have made a habit of chasing the 7-inch tablet market by offering serviceable tablets at an affordable price point. Not Sony, though. The company is still laser-focused on the high-end 10inch tablet market, and it shows with the Tablet Z. It looks as though Sony has left no stone unturned with it’s latest tablet, but is it enough for the consumer to make the jump? In this review, we’ll find out just that. Read on!

HARDWARE

The Sony Xperia Tablet Z is packed with just about any feature one could imagine on a tablet, and then it goes a little further.

Rocking a 10.1 inch 1920 x 1200 Reality HD Display (about 225 ppi), the screen on the Tablet Z is quite beautiful. Images are crisp and color reproduction is stellar. This much we expected of Sony, but as we know, it's not just about the display. The Tablet Z also rocks a 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, 2GB RAM, 16/32GB storage options, micro SD card slot, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, IR Blaster, and more.

Possibly the Sony Xperia Tablet Z's best trick is that its water and dust resistant, which can allow the device to be submerged into 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Because of its water and dust resistance powers, you'll find all ports for the tablet under small covers to keep them water tight.

The front of the tablet is about as clean as any 10 inch tablet, where you'll find only the 2 megapixel front-facing camera and Sony's logo on the top left disrupting the otherwise solid black face. The left side of the Tablet Z gives home to the 3.5mm headphone jack (under a cover), the familiar silver power/lock button we've seen on devices like the Xperia Z, volume rocker, notification LED, two small connections for the optional docking accessory, and a small speaker grill at the bottom. The right side is clean, leaving only a speaker grill, with the bottom sporting two more speaker grills, the micro USB charging port, and micro SD card slot.

About those speakers. There are only two of them, but Sony cleverly placed two grills to each speaker on the corners of the tablet. This can help greatly depending on how the user holds the tablet, as sound will won't be muffled due to the other grills at the bottom to show the user where the chip is located.

The back of the Tablet Z is done up in a nice soft touch finish, and is as elegantly bare as the front. Here you'll find the 8 megapixel camera, Xperia branding smack dab in the middle, and a NFC logo at the bottom.

Looking at the Xperia Tablet Z and picking it up are two very different experiences. A simple glance at the device doesn't really do it justice. The Xperia Tablet Z is both incredibly thin and light. The Tablet Z is thinner than a pencil, coming in at a mere 6.8mm and ultra light weight at only 495 grams. Compare this to the 9.4mm/652 gram iPad and the 8.89mm/594 gram Galaxy Note 10.1.

DESIGN

Unsurprisingly, Sony has brought its Omnibalance design found on the Xperia Z to it's tablet cousin. Sony's Omnibalance design is defined as minimal yet distinctive, and that's pretty much what you'd call the design of the Tablet Z in a nutshell.

The tablet avoids the swooping curves and rounded edges found on many tablets today to bring a stark contrast that works very well. The rounded edges that do exist on the corners are very subtle. There's a touch of elegance to the simplicity of the overall design and we think it would be a pretty great addition to the living room (due to its IR Blasterfor controlling the TV) and just about anywhere else.

BUILD QUALITY

Outside of its water and dust resistant capabilities, the Xperia Tablet Z feels pretty durable. Sony clearly went heavy on the plastics when it made the Tablet Z, but the skeletal frame lining the sides of the entire tablet certainly makes it feel like the device can take a beating.

Of course, we'd love to see the Tablet Z built out of better materials, but this likely wouldn't allow Sony to boast about the tablet's light weight feel, so there's a bit of a trade off. I personally don't see the build quality of the tablet to be much of an issue to owners.

SOFTWARE

Like the Xperia Z, the Tablet Z shares a nearly identical user interface, but slightly revamped to take advantage of the extra 5.1 inches of display.

The user interface of the Tablet Z is very clean, and with the exception of a few visual tweaks, the UI gives off a stock Android feel. Of course, it's also pretty obvious that Sony put a lot of effort into its UI, as it offers some unique features, like custom themes and more. Sony also added a nice touch to the selection sounds on the Tablet Z, which sound pretty much identical to that of the PS3 when panning through menus.

There's a nice helping of Sony-made applications on the Tablet Z, and the best part about this is that you'll probably find yourself using them. The Walkman, Albums, and Movies applications are all a nice step up from the stock Android applications, with playful animations that aren't over the top. Sony's Update Center tells you when any of it's home-made apps have an update waiting, which side steps having to update the entire system on the device.

Of course, since this is a Sony device, users will be able to use the Tablet Z to interact with Sony devices your other devices in your home. Tablet Z owners can easily pair NFC-enabled wireless speakers, use the PS3 Dualshock 3 wireless controller to play games on the device, and much more with ease.

Overall, the software experience on the Sony Xperia Tablet Z is just as nice as what you'd find on the Xperia Z and ZL, which is a very good thing.

WEB BROWSER, MULTIMEDIA AND CAMERA

CAMERA

While tablet photography looks laughingly awkward in just about every way, it's kind of hard to ignore when said device rocks an 8 megapixel camera. In our experience, the camera on the Tablet Z performs pretty well.

I had the same experience with the Tablet Z that I did with the Xperia ZL, in that the photos produced look very different than what you see in the view finder. Photos look much, much better when you see them in the gallery and I was pretty impressed to see the color saturation in the photos below in such gloomy SF weather.

The Superior Auto focus feature is a great addition to the tablet's camera, as it will automatically adjust the focus mode depending on the focus subject. This is a very handy feature that will keep you from fidgeting with the camera settings every time you choose to take a photos of a different subject.

THE FINAL TAKE

The Sony Xperia Tablet Z is a home run in my book. It takes a lot for me to personally be interested in 10 inch tablets, as I've always preferred 7 inch devices. This tablet is the exception for me.

The Xperia Tablet Z oozes style and a beautiful design without needing to be in your face. This approach could have been a disaster, as the tablet could have just been another slab, but it's not. The combination of power and sleekness make this one of the best Android tablets available on the market today.

Sony has been churning out some of the sexiest devices for a while now, but it's now been able to find a great harmony between its hardware and software experiences. The Tablet Z would best be served as a companion to something equally as sexy as the Xperia Z or ZL, but it certainly can stand on it's own in every way.

We'd say that the only draw back is the price point of the Tablet Z. It's completely worth the price tag, but tablet prices are dropping like crazy these days, with many companies shipping smaller, more affordable units alongside their 10 inch tablet offerings. It doesn't look like Sony has plans on releasing a 7 inch version of the Tablet Z (as much as we'd love to see one), so if you want it, you're going to have to pay up. Still, we have our doubts that the price tag will stop anyone who has been eyeing this tablet.

If you're not sold on Samsung's Note 10.1, be sure to look at Sony's elegant and straight forward Android tablet. It's a winner.