Smartphones
Samsung Note II €599.99
This is a cross between a tablet and a phone with has an exceptionally high-powered operating system, an eight megapixel camera, stylus and good handwriting recognition software. You can expect to get more than two days out of a single charge. This makes surfing the web and watching video – and even working – a joy.
Verdict:A thing of beauty
Star rating: *****
Sony Xperia T €449.99
We’re suckers for product placement and as soon as we saw James Bond using the Xperia T, we wanted one. It is very good, with an excellent 4.5 inch screen. It promises talk-time of up to seven hours and music playback of 16 hours. There’s a 13 megapixel autofocus rear camera and 1.3 MP front camera . It’s Android and, while not as instantly user-friendly as an iPhone, is still good.
Verdict: Super sleek
Star rating: ***
Samsung Beam €479.99
With the Galaxy III, Samsung has, arguably, delivered a better user experience than Apple. This is another option. It’s lightweight and has a clearer and bigger display than anything from Apple. It has an in-built projector so you can stream video clips on to a screen (or wall) that is around the size of a 1980s portable telly. It is unsatisfying but we reckon Samsung is starting something that will, ultimately, render our televisions redundant.
Verdict: A bit faddy
Star rating: ***
iPhone 5 €679
The hype around this hipster brand is tiresome. Yes, the screen is slightly bigger than previous iPhones and it is lighter and has a slightly longer battery life but it costs €200 more than a 4 and the Apple docking stations and rechargers you have will require an adapter. Is the hassle a price worth paying to surf the zeitgeist? Sadly, yes. It is quite brilliant. If you are with Vodafone, prepare to be amazed by its HD Voice technology. Any phone that can be used next to a pneumatic drill, and its noise-reduction technology can block the drill out so we can have a radio broadcast quality conversation, is a winner.
Verdict: Dear but brilliant.
Star rating: *****
