Electronic Division: December 2013

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Acer C7 Chromebook (C710-2055)

More RAM for better, zippier performance. Swappable 6-cell battery lasts longer on the road. Very affordable. Big 320GB hard drive for a Chromebook. Full selection of ports, including Ethernet and VGA. Keyboard blends traditional and Chrome layouts.
Unchanged design is still clunky. Chrome OS is limited. No 3G option.
Though it still has a couple of faults, the new version of the Acer C7 Chromebook is faster, longer lasting, and better all around. All this and its very low price tag makes it the best inexpensive Chromebook on the market.

Acer Aspire S7-392-6411

Acer Aspire S7-392-6411

Very thin and light. Strong build quality/sturdy materials. Dual friction hinge. Very good benchmark test performance. Speedy wake from sleep. 8GB of memory. 2.4 and 5GHz Wifi support. No Bloatware. Very good battery life. Full size HDMI port.
Odd keyboard layout. Could use a larger SSD array. Thinness is expensive.
If you're looking for a svelte laptop to show off, yet still be able to do real work in Windows 8, the Acer Aspire S7-392-6411 is the ultrabook you want at the top of the list. It's the current pinnacle of the ultrabook trend and shows the brilliance that the PC makers can return under Intel's increasingly stringent standards for ultrabooks.

Monday, December 30, 2013

Samsung Galaxy Win Pro G3812

General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100 SIM Dual SIM (Micro-SIM, dual stand-by) Announced 2013, December Status Available. Released 2013, December Body Dimensions 132.7 x 66.5 x 9.7 mm (5.22 x 2.62 x 0.38 in) Weight 139 g (4.90 oz) Display Type Capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Size 540 x 960 pixels, 4.5 inches (~245 ppi pixel density) Multitouch Yes Sound Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones Loudspeaker Yes

3.5mm jack Yes Memory Card slot microSD, up to 64 GB Internal 8 GB, 1.5 GB RAM Data GPRS Yes EDGE Yes Speed HSDPA, 21.1 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot Bluetooth Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, EDR USB Yes, microUSB v2.0 Camera Primary 5 MP, 2592х1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization Video Yes, 1080p@30fps, stereo sound rec. Secondary Yes, VGA Features OS Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) CPU Quad-core 1.2 GHz Sensors Accelerometer, proximity, compass Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS Browser HTML5 Radio No GPS Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator Colors Blue, White - SNS integration - TV-out (via MHL A/V link) - MP4/WMV/H.264/H.263 player - MP3/WAV/eAAC+/FLAC player - Organizer - Image/video editor - Document viewer - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa - Voice memo/dial/commands - Predictive text input

Samsung Galaxy Appeal I827

General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 SIM Mini-SIM Announced 2012, May Status Available. Released 2012, June Body Dimensions 112 x 57.7 x 14.2 mm (4.41 x 2.27 x 0.56 in) Weight 114.2 g (4.02 oz) Keyboard QWERTY Display Type Capacitive touchscreen Size 320 x 480 pixels, 3.2 inches (~180 ppi pixel density) Multitouch Yes

Sound Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones Loudspeaker Yes 3.5mm jack Yes Memory Card slot microSD, up to 32 GB Internal 4 GB storage, 512 MB RAM, 1.8 GB ROM Data GPRS Yes EDGE Yes Speed HSDPA, HSUPA WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot Bluetooth Yes USB Yes, microUSB v2.0 Camera Primary 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels Features Geo-tagging Video Yes Secondary No Features OS Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread) Chipset Qualcomm MSM7225A Snapdragon CPU 800 MHz Cortex-A5 GPU Adreno 200 Sensors Accelerometer, proximity Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS Browser HTML, Adobe Flash Radio No GPS Yes, with A-GPS support Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator Colors Silver - SNS integration - MP4/WMV/H.264/H.263 player - MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player - Organizer - Image/video editor - Document viewer - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa - Voice memo/dial/commands - Predictive text input

Apple MacBook Pro

Brilliant Retina Display. Almost nine hours of battery life. Comes with iLife and iWork software suites. Two Thunderbolt 2 ports. HDMI. Higher than 1080p HD screen. Intel Iris Pro graphics performs like discrete GPUs.

Glossy screen. Ethernet requires adapter.
With an updated Intel processor and speedier Flash Storage, the MacBook Pro 15-inch (2013) leapfrogs over the competition with workstation-class performance and a nine-hour battery life. It's our new Editors' Choice for high-end desktop replacement laptops.

Pebble Watch Connects to iPhone and Has its Own Apps

An exciting new project is being funded on Kickstarter, to the tune of $1 million in just 28 hours. The Pebble smartwatch links up with your iPhone and can be fully configured to run a variety of apps. Aside from customizing the e-paper watch face, Pebble owners will be able to receive information on their wrist without ever pulling out the iPhone.

Pebble will notify the user of incoming calls, emails, calendar alerts, Facebook messages, Tweets, and Weather alerts for starters. To clear a notification from the watch, simply shake your wrist thanks to the built-in accelerometer. Pebble includes a silent vibrating alarm as well.

Attached to a 22mm watch band, Pebble recharges via a special USB cable and will run up to 7 days on a single charge. Other specs include an ARM processor, backlit 144 x 168 pixel e-paper display, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 4 control buttons, and a scratch and shatter resistant lens with anti-glare optical coating. The device will be water resistant and the developers of Pebble will launch an SDK for those looking to make their own watch apps.

Since Pebble is always connected to your iPhone, it pulls data from the Internet and the iPhone's GPS at will. Apps in development for the watch already include various offerings for activities such as cycling, running, many watch faces, music control and even a golf rangefinder. Apps are installed to Pebble via Bluetooth directly from the iPhone. Pebble can even send data from its buttons and accelerometer back up to the Internet.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Sony Xperia C

It is the company's first smartphone powered by a MediaTek chipset. Sony has so far always opted for either Snapdragons or (when the company still existed) ST Ericsson but, with China being the primary target market, it had little choice really. The latest MediaTek chips support both dual-SIM and quad-core processors, and they are light on the wallet too. Affordability is, of course, an important reason, considering Asian markets are teeming with sub-$200 quad-core droids and competition is fierce. The likes of Lenovo, Micromax, Xolo, and many more, are ready to offer a big enough screen and decent feature set on a bargain. What this means is the Sony Xperia C should be preparing for a full-scale war. Let's check the ammo: Key features

Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and dual-band HSPA support Dual SIM, dual stand-by support 42.2 Mbps HSDPA and 11.5 Mbps HSUPA 5.0" 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen of qHD resolution (540 x 960 pixels) at 220ppi Android OS v4.2.2 Jelly Bean Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU, PowerVR SGX544 GPU, MTK MT6589 chipset 1 GB of RAM 4 GB of built-in storage (2 GB user available) microSD slot (cards up to 32GB supported) 8 MP autofocus camera, single LED flashlight, geo-tagging, touch focus, HDR, hardware shutter key; VGA front-facing camera 1080p @ 30fps video capture Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP GPS with A-GPS Accelerometer, ambient light and proximity sensor Standard 3.5 mm audio jack; Walkman music player with many audio enhancements Stereo FM radio with RDS microUSB port (charging) Built-in LED strip provides a breathing light and notification light 2,390mAh Li-Ion battery, non-replaceable

Samsung Galaxy Ace 3

This was the exact strategy that Samsung successfully employed with the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, which continues to be a very competitive Android package following its update to version 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. The Ace 2 continues to be a reasonable entry level droid more than a year and a half after its release, and even made it to our November 2013 shopping guide. Let's see what the Ace 3 brings to the table, and whether it has the potential to continue the Ace legacy set forth by its predecessors. Key features

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; dual/quad-band 3G with HSPA Quad-band LTE support (for LTE version) 4" 16M-color WVGA capacitive touchscreen; 233ppi Android OS v4.2.2 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz UI Dual-core 1GHz (3G) / 1.2GHz (LTE) Cortex-A9 CPU, VideoCore IV GPU; Broadcom BCM21664 chipset 1GB of RAM 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash, 720p video recording @ 30fps, continuous autofocus 0.3 MP front-facing camera, VGA video recording Dual-band Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS 4GB (3G) / 8GB (LTE) of built-in storage microSD card slot microUSB v2.0 Bluetooth v4.0 NFC (LTE model only) Stereo FM radio with RDS Standard 3.5 mm audio jack Accelerometer and proximity sensor 1,500 (3G) / 1,800 (LTE) mAh battery; user replaceable

Nokia 515

Motorola Moto G

The Moto X was the first to set on a crusade to prove that high-end smartphones go beyond the number of cores and pixels. Now we have the Moto G on a mission to let everyone know that affordability doesn't necessarily imply crippled functionality. The Moto X was unusual enough to be reasonably successful despite its hefty price tag. The Moto G, on the other hand, is priced to move quickly and will be keeping the competition on their toes. Not that it will get complacent because of it, like most of the smartphones priced at around the same level do. The Motorola Moto G will bend over backwards to serve you properly and its list of features stretches far longer than most in this price range. Key features

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; quad-band UMTS/HSPA support 4.5" 16M-color 720p IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 326ppi pixel density; Gorilla Glass 3 Android OS v4.3 Jelly Bean with Android 4.4 update reportedly coming as soon as January 2014 Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset with quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 CPU; Adreno 305 GPU 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash 720p video recording @ 30fps with HDR, continuous autofocus and stereo sound 1.3 MP front-facing camera Wi-Fi b/g/n; Wi-Fi Hotspot GPS with A-GPS; GLONASS 8/16GB of built-in storage; 1GB of RAM microUSB port with USB host Bluetooth v4.0 LE Standard 3.5 mm audio jack Ambient light; accelerometer; proximity sensors Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic 50GB of free Google Drive storage 2,070 mAh battery Excellent speaker loudness

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Nokia Lumia 1520

The Nokia Lumia 1520 is just like the rest of the premium Lumia smartphones we've seen, but bigger and faster. The advanced imaging and the custom app selection by Nokia will make the difference against Android phablets, with the Snapdragon 800 making sure the Finn won't feel outgunned. Sounds like a promise for the best experience yet on Windows Phone. A few months ago Nokia was in the headlines for what seemed the wrongest of reasons to people who fondly remembered the Finns from their glory days. Voices were rising once again above the lamenting choir, about what might have been had Nokia gone with Android instead.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - all models CDMA 800 / 1900 - N9009 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - N9005, N9002, N9006 HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 - N900W8 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO - N9009 4G Network LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 - N9005 LTE 700 / 1900 / 2100 - N900W8 SIM Micro-SIM Announced 2013, September Status Available. Released 2013, September Body Dimensions 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm (5.95 x 3.12 x 0.33 in) Weight 168 g (5.93 oz) - S Pen stylus Display Type Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Size 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.7 inches (~386 ppi pixel density) Multitouch Yes Sound Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones Loudspeaker Yes 3.5mm jack Yes Memory Card slot microSD, up to 64 GB Internal 16/32/64 GB storage, 3 GB RAM Data GPRS Yes EDGE Yes Speed HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA; LTE, Cat4, 50 Mbps UL, 150 Mbps DL WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot Bluetooth Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, LE, EDR NFC Yes Infrared port Yes USB Yes, microUSB v3.0 (MHL 2), USB Host Camera Primary 13 MP, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, check quality Features Dual Shot, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization, panorama, HDR Video Yes, 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps (N9005, N9002)/ 1080p (N9000), check quality Secondary Yes, 2 MP, 1080p@30fps Features OS Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean) Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (N9005, N9002)/ Exynos 5 Octa 5420 (N9000) CPU Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 (N9005, N9002)/ Quad-core 1.9 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7 (N9000) GPU Adreno 330 (N9005, N9002)/ Mali-T628 MP6 (N9000) Sensors Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, temperature, humidity, gesture Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS Browser HTML5 Radio No GPS Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator Colors Black, White, Pink, Merlot Red, Rose Gold Black, Rose Gold White

- ANT+ support - S-Voice natural language commands and dictation - Air gestures - SNS integration - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - Dropbox (50 GB storage) - TV-out (via MHL A/V link) - MP4/DivX/XviD/WMV/H.264/H.263 player - MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player - Organizer - Image/video editor - Document viewer(Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF) - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa - Voice memo/dial/commands - Predictive text input (Swype

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Samsung Galaxy S4

Full HD Super AMOLED 5-inch screen; 1.9GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Processor; 2GB RAM; Air View and Gesture; Smart Pause and Scroll; Infra Red remote; Temperature and humidity sensors; 13 megapixel camera Manufacturer: Samsung The competition is fierce and constant, not least from Apple with the iPhone 5S or the pretty HTC One. Other manufacturers have also entered the fray with much improved flagship phones, the most notable of these being the Sony Xperia Z1 and the LG G2 and the great value Nexus 5.

New iPad 5: top 10 rumours

With Apple set to launch its iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 this afternoon, Radhika Sanghani lists the top 10 features consumers can hope for in the company's latest tablets. 1. Fingerprints The iPhone 5S has been hugely popular because of its fingerprint sensor software on the home page which allows the user to unlock their phone with their finger. Apple could use the same Touch ID fingerprint recognition on their latest iPads. 2. Higher retina display The iPad 4 already has a good quality retina display, but the iPad Mini does not so this would be a welcome improvement. The retina display is so detailed that the human eye cannot identify individual pixels, and the pressure is on for Apple as Google launched an updated version of its Nexus 7 tablet earlier this year, featuring an impressive 323ppi screen.

3. Flip cover The original iPad flip cover was perfect in its simplicity as it folded up to create a stand for the iPad to rest on. But, it was so simple that Apple can expand on it and make it an even more attractive accessory - perhaps making it easier to use for commuters sitting down and holding it on their laps. 4. Keyboard The latest Microsoft Surface tablet has a thin keyboard in its cover so users don't have to tap on the screen. Currently, iPads do not have traditional keyboards although they can be bought as additional accessories. Their latest designs could mimic Microsoft and feature inbuilt track pads. 5. Lighter iPads are already designed to be easily portable but an even lighter and thinner Pad would be well-received. Rumour has it the new design is more squared-off than previous models, but is the design going to be easier to carrier? We hope so. 6. Faster A faster processor would bring the iPad up to the performance of laptops and desktop computers. Hopefully the iPad 5 will use the powerful 64-bit A7X chip and have increased memory. 7. Battery life With all its hoped-for new features, the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 will need longer battery lives to avoid owners having to carry around chargers. 8. New covers The new iPads are rumoured to come in a range of colours, following the iPhone 5C, but this would mean the current covers would not match. A new range of fun, fabric covers with smart displays would be a good addition. 9. Camera iOS7 software brought new additions to Apple cameras, such as a range of filters, but these were unavailable on the iPad. An update of this would work well, along with a more powerful camera with better zoom functions.

Google Nexus 7 (2013)

There's a new king in the Android tablet world and while it's name may be to same as a previous pole sitter, the new Nexus 7 (2013 edition) improves on its predecessor in multiple ways while still keeping an incredibly attractive price tag. The screen is to die for and the form factor, while taking some getting used to, is ideal for media consumption. It's light, it's bright, it's fun and it's thin. The battery life is really impressive, and the sheer diversity on offer, be it through the uprated CPU, screen, or GPU, mean that we struggled to put it down at times. We're also slightly annoyed that Google hasn't given us an LTE model at launch, since we know one exists, but it's a minor issue

Sony Xperia Tablet Z

Sleek, powerful, iconic - these are all words used to describe the impressive tablet from Sony.Until recently the Xperia Tablet Z had been sitting pretty at the top of the tablet tree, but thanks to a certain Google-branded 7-inch slate it has been bumped - but don't let that put you off. The brand has been plugging away in the mobile space for a few years, but now the combination of the Sony Xperia Z and Tablet Z show that the Japanese brand is bringing us devices that the public can finally really lust after. And that's one of the things we liked about the Tablet Z: it's light, really light, yet looks premium too. Sony has surpassed expectation with this and delivered a tablet that wouldn't look out of place in a business class lounge or at the centre of a home entertainment network.It's waterproof too - sure, you might not use that feature a whole lot, but it gives it an air of ruggedness that puts your mind at ease when manhandling something that costs so much.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Ultra high definition television

Ultra high definition television (also known as Ultra HD television or UHDTV or UHD) includes 4K UHD (2160p) and 8K UHD (4320p), which are two digital video formats proposed by NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories and defined and approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The Consumer Electronics Association announced on October 17, 2012, that "Ultra High-Definition", or "Ultra HD", would be used for displays that have an aspect ratio of at least 16:9 and at least one digital input capable of carrying and presenting native video at a minimum resolution of 3,840 × 2,160 pixels.

Sony Xperia Tablet Z LTE

Sony Xperia Tablet Z LTE
Tablet with no support for GSM voice communication
General     2G Network     GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network     HSDPA 850 / 900 / 2100
    LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600
SIM     Micro-SIM
Announced                2013, February
Status                        Available. Released 2013, May
Body Dimensions     266 x 172 x 6.9 mm (10.47 x 6.77 x 0.27 in)
Weight                      495 g (1.09 lb) - IP57 certified - dust proof and water resistant
Display     Type       LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size                           1200 x 1920 pixels, 10.1 inches (~224 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch                  Yes, up to 10 fingers
Protection                  Shatter proof and scratch-resistant glass
                                      - Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
Sound Alert types     N\A
Loudspeaker             Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack       Yes
    - 3D surround sound enhancement
Memory Card slot      microSD, up to 64 GB
Internal                       16 GB, 2 GB RAM
Data                            GPRS     Up to 107 kbps
EDGE    Up to 296 kbps
Speed                          HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.8 Mbps; LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL
WLAN                        Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth    Yes, v4.0 with A2DP
NFC                            Yes
Infrared port       Yes
USB                             Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL)
Camera Primary            8.1 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, check quality
Features                       Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, HDR
Video                           Yes, 1080p@30fps, HDR, check quality
Secondary                    Yes, 2.2 MP, 1080p@30fps
Features                        OS     Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), planned upgrade to v4.4 (KitKat)
Chipset                         Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8064
CPU                             Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait
GPU                              Adreno 320
Sensors    Accelerometer, gyro, compass
Messaging    SMS, MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
Browser       HTML5
Radio                             Stereo FM radio with RDS
GPS                              Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
Java                               Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
Colors                            Black, White
      - SNS integration
                                      - TV-out (via MHL A/V link)
                                      - Xvid/DivX/MKV/WMV/MP4/H.264/H.263 player
                                      - MP3/WAV/eAAC+/FLAC player
                                      - Organizer
                                       - Document viewer
                                       - Photo viewer/editor
                                       - Voice memo
                                       - Predictive text input

Monday, December 9, 2013

LG G Pad 8.3

What's this? LG in the top five for smartphones and tablets? Could the brand be on a rebound?Well, when you make an Android tablet with a design language like this one, perhaps it's time to quietly worry at Samsung. In place of plastic, it's got a lovely aluminium shell, and connectivity with other Android phones makes it a viable option for a wider range of users - you can receive and reply to texts direct from the G Pad 8.3.

Some might question whether the Snapdragon 600 chip is too low-power for a tablet that costs nearly £270, but it allows for a sleeker design according to the Korean brand.

Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7

Leaner, meaner and more powerful than its predecessor, Amazon has stepped its game up with the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 as it looks to keep pace with the new Nexus 7. On paper Amazon's latest 7-inch tablet is more than up to the job with a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, full HD display, up to 64GB of storage and prices starting at £200.

In reality however it's not the complete offering the Nexus 7 is, with Amazon's heavily modified Fire OS 3.0 stripping out a lot of the functionality of Android and putting the retailer's services front and centre

Google Nexus 10

The 10.1 display is one of the biggest talking points on the Google Nexus 10. At 300 pixels per inch it's the highest resolution tablet display on the planet - take that, Apple and your Retina displays.

It's a great performer too. Other than taking a while to process panoramic photos we never felt like it was struggling to keep up. It's fast and smooth whatever you throw at it. Sure it may not be as stunning to look at, or as well built as an iPad Air, and the lack of expandable memory will irk some, but overall the Nexus 10 gives you a quality, big-screen Android experience which is not to be sniffed at.On top of that, the tablet has already been updated to Android 4.3 - the latest version of the operating system - showing this is the tablet to buy if you want a larger screen that Google won't give up on.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Tesco Hudl

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

Given it's price the Hudl is very well-specced, sports a solid build and a decent 7-inch display. Stock Android will please those who are not fans of overlays, and the addition of a microSD slot is useful.The Hudl isn't going to blow you away with super slick operation, but there is a quad-core processor under the hood. The less said about the camera, the better.If you can stretch to £200, we'd still recommend the Google Nexus 7 as the best pound-for-pound tablet on the market. If you're looking at spending closer to half that, though, we can't see any compact tablet out there that tops the Hudl.

Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9

The bigger brother to the Kindle Fire HDX 7 which (spoiler alert!) you'll meet later on in this list, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 offers direct competition to the iPad mini 2 and LG G Pad 8.3.

Boasting a full HD display, powerful 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16, 32 or 64GB of internal storage at touch over £300 you definitely get a decent bang for your buck, but the heavily modified Android platform will be an issue for some.It's not as good its Apple and LG rivals thanks to Amazon's restrictive OS giving you little in the way of options outside the retailer's grip, although it is easy to use and could well be a hit with parents (and grandparents!) across the country

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 arrived on the scene with the iPad mini firmly set in its sights and while it gave a strong showing the Android tablet, complete with S Pen, didn't manage to hit the same heights as its Apple-made rival. That's not to say the Galaxy Note 8.0 isn't a good tablet as it's a light, solidly

built, highly portable device and there's no denying that its display is far better than that of the iPad Mini. The Galaxy Note 8.0 is a good device. There are better out there for the money, and with an arguably better design as well.However, for those that like the S Pen as a tool, it's a great offering, albeit not really worth the extra cash for most.

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity

If it wasn't for the higher price, the Infinity would be a real contender for the top spot. It's got everything you could want in a tablet, a keyboard dock as standard and it can handle anything you can throw at it. Add in the Super IPS panel with a tremendous resolution, and you can see why this is

a tablet to rate very highly - especially if you're fond of typing on the go but crave the simplicity of a slate too. New firmware updates in some territories have brought features like Wi-Fi Direct to the Infinity, and Android 4.2 will be landing soon too.While power is always welcomed, it was the improved screen that really caught our attention. Given that we use our tablet mostly for browsing the web and watching video, we couldn't help but marvel at the resolution, either.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

Movie playback on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is decent, with the large 10.1-inch,
1280 x 800 screen doing feature films justice and the front facing speakers
delivering sound directly at you instead of behind the tablet.

Even though the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 only comes as a 16GB option, the inclusion of a
microSD card slot on top of the tablet will keep the majority happy.
It's doesn't stray too far from the norm, failing to offer anything truly exciting
or different, but also ensuring it doesn't fall flat on its face. However, we're
living the recent price drop, meaning we're happy to boost the score on a tablet
that brings rich power on top of the latest version of Android for under £240.