August 2012 Roundup

3rd September 2012

The slow summer period came to an end this month with a slew of product announcements from the annual IFA show.

Sony

Sony's second-generation tablet, the Sony Xperia Tablet S is a progressive upgrade to one of the best non-Apple tablets on the market. The Sony Xperia T is Sony's new flagship phone, but it still seems to lag behind rivals in some respects. The Sony Xperia V is closely related to the T, but it has a slightly smaller screen, is dust and water resistant and supports LTE high-speed data. Somewhat cheaper is the Sony Xperia J, a midrange device that still looks very sleek and attractive.

Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet has been refreshed and improved prior to going on sale, but one of the biggest launches of the month is the Samsung Galaxy Note II, a very powerful smartphone with a very big screen. And Samsung has torn up the rulebook somewhat with the Samsung Galaxy Camera which combines a real digital camera with a powerful Android smartphone. Windows 8 is coming, and Samsung have a range of devices supporting it, including the Samsung ATIV S smartphone and the Samsung ATIV Tab tablet which might well appeal if you are looking for something different.

Other manufacturers

The LG Optimus G is a massively powerful but quite forgettable quad-core smartphone. A little more downmarket is the LG Optimus L9, a good-looking midrange Android smartphone. Another attractive midrange phone, the HTC Desire X looks like it might offer decent value for money in a design that is very distinctive.

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