Android

Facelift. HTC re-engineered their One X, packing their current top model, the One X+, with a few more horsepower and a bigger tank under the hood. But those aren't the only renovations. A run on our rugged test track shows what else is inside and how the revisions have altered the device.

Dithering escort. In December Archos announced the market launch of the Archos 97 Titanium HD tablet. Now the latest scion of Archos' Element Series is available and promises pictures in razor-sharp HD quality. But can the smart "Frenchman" really compete with the equally sized, 9.7-inch Apple iPad 4 Retina powerhouse? Or will the tablet escort get cold feet after all?

LTE for 430 Euro (~$590). The One SV is the newest member in HTC's portfolio and it's designed to shake up the hotly contested mid-range smartphone market. We look at how well the new 4.3-inch smartphone with its updated hardware, LTE support, and integrated card reader handle our battery of tests.

Slow start. December 2012 was led by the search engine giant Google. The beginning of the New Year was however a bit quieter. Tablets from some low-cost suppliers found their way to our test lab and presented very mixed results. January was themed "midrange" for smartphones.

Portfolio expansion. Sony is currently launching a torrent of new Xperia models on the market in order to satisfy all conceivable target groups. How will the 4-inch midrange model, featuring a clock rate of 1 GHz and a 512 MB working memory, fare in our tests and is the RRP of 239 Euros (~$323) reasonable?

A real bargain. Acer launched a real bargain at CES 2013 in Las Vegas. The manufacturer promised the visitors a 7-inch tablet featuring decent performance and a high-quality build. And this for a mere 120 Euros (~$160). Acer is trying to steal the march on the first wave of cheap tablets coming to the market.

Smartphone? Tablet? Camera? With the Galaxy Camera, Samsung puts a product on the market in a form no one's ever seen before. Just classifying the product isn't easy: From the front it looks like a camera, from the back more like a smartphone.

Google strikes back. While the industry giant Apple and smartphone specialist HTC claimed the Best-of-Awards for themselves in November, the search engine giant dominated the tablet and smartphone field in December. But other interesting devices were also present.

High-end meets budget. Google throws down the gauntlet and challenges Apple and Microsoft with its new offering. The Nexus 10 offers up-to-date hardware and a high-res 10.1-inch screen for a price starting of 400 Euros ($530). Is it the perfect gadget for the living room?

The good and the weird. Asus has announced the launch of the PadFone 2 for December. Exactly like its predecessor, the PadFone 2 is a combination of a smartphone and a tablet. We will be taking a look at a much more revealing form of the phone with all its secrets laid bare when compared to the last generation.

Full HD debut. Quad-core, Full HD screen, aluminum casing, docking port for a keyboard and other features are united in the MediaPad 10. Is it a successful blend of high-tech components with a good chance of high sales figures? Or is only a weak light in the masses?

Battle of the Titans. Microsoft launched its very first tablet onto the market in November. Apple countered with the fourth iPad generation and added a mini version on top. Nevertheless, there are also other interesting devices, such as Amazon's Kindle Fire HD or HTC's Windows Phone 8X.

Half a tablet? When it comes to the selection of hardware Huawei haven't made matters especially difficult for themselves. The main components are identical to those currently used in the Full HD tablet by the Chinese company - the Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD. Merely the processor speed has been increased. But is this enough to stand out in the high-end segment?

Sprightly little nipper. The Prestigio MultiPad 7.0 Prime Duo (PMP5770D) is contending against reputable names and renowned opponents among the 7-inch tablets: Apples iPad Mini, RIMs BlackBerry PlayBook, the Google Nexus 7, and the tablets Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD from Amazon. The question is whether the 7-inch tablet with a sharp IPS display and a dual-core processor for 150 Euros (~$195) is able to assert itself?

The calm before the storm? October was a rather quiet month in the realm of smartphones and tablets. There were very few big releases, with the exception of the Samsung Galaxy Note II, that captured the attention of the technology press. It feels that everybody was waiting for the release of the new product from Microsoft.

Two in one. And yet another device in the midrange sector that sports unremarkable hardware. However, there is one feature which is being installed in an increasing number of smartphones: "Dual SIM" are the keywords for the Samsung Galaxy S DUOS' most striking attribute.

Revamped phablet. The sleeves are too short or it tweaks at the waist - a clear case for a half-size. This was likely what Samsung thought when designing the Galaxy Note. The second edition just cannot be pigeonholed into a standard size. It is now even a bit bigger - and extremely fast.

Mixed double. An Android smartphone and tablet in one - will that work? Asus is the first manufacturer to release a combined solution, dubbed PadFone, which is to kill both birds with one stone on the market. We also ask ourselves what this mixed double is capable of in view of the upcoming market launch of the PadFone 2. Can the smartphone and its tablet casing score as a power duo?

Surfer's tablet. Manufacturers who are now launching their very first Tegra 3 tablet on the market have to come up with something special to stick out from the competition. Sony does this with the casing, equipment and one special feature: The Xperia Tablet S is splash-protected. Our test will reveal its other specialties.

Small tablet. Toshiba installs Nvidia's high-performance Tegra 3 platform in an awesomely compact case in the AT270. The AMOLED screen is only 7.7-inches but provides a high resolution. Will this work?

Fresh out of the oven. Tablets with 10.1-inch display, NVIDIA Tegra 3 and Android 4 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich) are almost a dime a dozen now. Can Acer's Iconia A700 Tablet stand out from the crowd?

Dried-out Gingerbread? The Samsung Galaxy beam is a middle-class Smartphone with an LED projector. Sadly, the operating system is the old Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. We will find out if this device is a relic of the past or is still relevant today.

Standard fare, delicately flavored. Appearing to be just another tablet at first glance, the Fujitsu Stylistic M532 is an interesting mix of software features for both business users and consumers alike. The technical specifications are absolutely state-of-the-art. Has Fujitsu brought new innovation to the tablet market?

Smartphone or tablet? "It's all in the screen size" - Samsung advertises with this slogan for its currently biggest smartphone, aka "smartlet", in Germany. If everyday use meets up to the slogan and if it's possible to work and handle the behemoth reasonably can be read in our review.