HTC G1 gets a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich (video)

Even though Ice Cream Sandwich is popping up everywhere since its source code was released to the public, we've got to give a shout out now that its been squeezed onto the original Google phone, HTC'sG1. The G1 was last seen sporting an unofficial Honeycomb port, and now jcarrz1 from XDA-Developersis showing off his device running Android 4.0 in this video. So far the touchscreen is (slowly) working, along with all apps and "ICS goodies", though WiFi, Bluetooth and rotation are still out. That's a nice effort for a device that some said wouldn't see any versions past 1.5, so press play and witness the unholy fusion of Android's past and present working all at once, or hit the source link below to grab the alpha release for yourself.
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Fujifilm's XS-1 bridge camera: 26x zoom, EXR sensor, £699 in the UK (video)

Fujifilm claims it's 'reinvented' the bridge camera with the latest in its X line of premium snappers. The XS-1 is affixed to a Fujinon lens that opens up to f/2.8 and stretches all the way from 24mm to 624mm (in 35mm parlance) in an effort "cater perfectly for every photographic need" and prevent you from ever longing for the flexibility of a DSLR. It even sports a Super Macro Mode for focusing down to a rather intimate single centimeter. Behind the lens sits the same 12-megapixel EXR CMOS found in theX10, which means you get an undersized 2/3-inch sensor instead of the superior APS-C format found in the X100 and many DSLRs. Read on for more specs in the press release plus a short promo clip, and expect to see this hit British shelves in February for £699 ($1090). 

Fujifilm X-S1: The bridge camera, reinvented

24th November 2011 - The Fujifilm X series of premium cameras has a third model, the X-S1, due for UK launch in February 2012. The XS-1 represents a new breed of bridge camera. Featuring a Fujinon 26x optical zoom lens through to the EXR sensor technology found in the X10, the X-S1 puts the photographer in control.

The X-S1 is the ideal camera for the safari and travel photographer – offering superb image quality, extensive zoom range and superior handling.

Maximum optical versatility

The centrepiece of the X-S1 is the superb Fujinon 26x optical zoom lens. Offering a range of 24-624mm (35mm equivalent) it caters perfectly for every photographic need and features a bright f/2.8 maximum aperture at the wide-angle setting.

This optical range is boosted further by Fujifilm's Intelligent Digital Zoom capability, which effectively doubles the focal range without the drop in picture quality tradititionally seen on older digital models As a result, the X-S1 offers users an incredible 52x zoom range of 24-1248mm (35mm equivalent).

Optically, the Fujinon lens comprises 17 glass elements, which includes four aspherical elements and two ED lenses, to deliver images with superb edge-to-edge sharpness and amazing clarity. The lens' construction is also of the highest standard, featuring metal cams for smooth zoom control and fast, precise framing.

The X-S1 is also ideally suited to capturing subjects close up. In standard mode, the zoom focuses down to 30cm, but by selecting Super Macro Mode, users can focus down to just 1cm for frame-filling close-up images. Furthermore, the lens' aperture is made up of nine blades for excellent bokeh effect photography.

Great results in every picture-taking scenario
The X-S1 features the same 2/3-inch 12 megapixel EXR CMOS sensor as the X10 which guarantees high quality images regardless of the lighting conditions.

The unique EXR CMOS technology pioneered by Fujifilm allows the user to switch between three modes – High Resolution, Wide Dynamic Range and High Sensitivity/Low Noise - depending on the lighting conditions – or leave the camera to make its own choice in the Auto EXR mode.

Coupled to the EXR CMOS sensor is a Fujifilm high speed EXR processor, which offers a minimal shutter lag of just 0.01sec and a high speed continuous shooting capability

The X-S1 also takes high-quality movies. It captures Full High Definition (1920 x 1080 pixels) video with stereo sound at 30 frames-per-second.

Easy composition and image review
The X-S1 offers a powerful combination of high quality electronic viewfinder and rear LCD, with the 0.47-inch electronic viewfinder (EVF) featuring 1.44 million pixels for superb image clarity with a wide viewing area of 26 degrees to reduce eye strain.

The rear mounted high quality, tiltable three-inch LCD screen features 460,000 pixels to make it easier for users to scroll through menus, assess exposure accuracy and view images. The LCD also offers a useful Daylight mode that overcomes the problem of viewing the screen in bright conditions.

Full user control and picture taking versatility
The X-S1 offers a superb level of functionality whether users want to make picture taking as simple as using a compact or as involved as a fully-manual digital SLR.

For simplicity, the X-S1 will assess the subject and then select the relevant scene mode for the perfect result, automatically switching the EXR CMOS sensor accordingly. The XS-1 can also calculate whether an image contains a person, features backlighting or has any subject movement. ISO settings are taken care of too by the Auto ISO mode.

Photographers after full control are well catered for with the X-S1. The camera offers a full range of conventional shooting functions (program/aperture-priority/shutter-priority/manual), plus users can also fine tune levels of colour, image sharpness and tone.

Additionally, the X-S1 provides four auto bracketing options, eight Film Simulation and white balance functions and a Raw file format.

Due to be launched in February 2012 in the UK, the X-S1 will have an estimated selling price of £699.

Fujifilm X-S1 key features
• High quality Fujinon 26x optical zoom covering 24-624mm (35mm equivalent) with Intelligent Digital Zoom boosting range up to 1248mm
• Superb build quality and finish with rubberised coating and metal dials
• 12 megapixel EXR CMOS sensor
• Up to 10 frames-per-second shooting
• Large EVF with 1.44 million pixels and 26 degree viewing angle
• Tiltable three-inch rear LCD with Sunny Day mode
• Full HD video
• PASM modes
• Raw file format
• Film simulation modes
• Macro focusing down to 1cm
• Lithium battery providing up to 500 shots per charge
• Optical image stabilisation
• 360° Motion Panorama mode
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Samsung Focus S review

Samsung Focus S
The deluge of Mango devices isn't over yet. Hot on the heels of the Lumia 800, the TitanRadar and the wallet-friendly Focus Flash comes the Samsung Focus S. There's not a whole lot of mystery to Sammy's flagship Windows Phone 7.5 handset. It's not terribly different from many of its cousins packing Microsoft's mobile OS and, other than size, there doesn't seem to be anything separating it from its little brother, the Flash. What, then -- aside from a few Galaxy S design touches -- does Focus S offer your high-end smartphone dollar? And are those differentiators enough to make it the clear choice when shopping for WP7 device -- especially when considering the $150 premium AT&T is asking for, over the surprisingly satisfying Flash. Head on past the break to find out.

Hardware


If you've ever held a Galaxy S II you should immediately feel at home with the Focus S. They're both cut from the same cloth (or sheet of plastic, as it were). The larger of Samsung's Windows Phone 7 devices is an entirely synthetic affair. The edges of the handset are the same glossy black polymer that has come to define the Korean manufacturer's products over the last few years. Thankfully, the company has continued its recent trend of using textured, matte battery plates that, while not any more robust than their high-sheen counterparts, feel quite a bit nicer. That pleasant feeling disappears the moment you have to remove that rear covering, however. The seemingly flimsy plastic is the same as that found on the GSII. It's proven fairly resilient, but it bends dramatically as you pry it from the rear by sliding your fingernail underneath the top right-hand corner.

Samsung Focus S Hardware

On the left side of the device is the volume rocker, a relatively clicky bar that doesn't seem to travel much in either direction. Moving to the right edge you'll find the power button and the dedicated, dual-stage camera key that positively runs circles around that on the Flash. Though the initial press to focus could stand to put up a little more resistance, the shutter stage provides just the right amount of feedback without causing you to jostle the phone. Around back you'll find the primary camera -- an eight megapixel affair with an LED flash -- while the front face houses a 1.3MP cam. You've also got a pair of ports on the Focus S, a 3.5mm headphone jack along the top and the all-important micro-USB connector along the bottom.

Samsung Focus S Hardware

The 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display here is the same exact panel you'll find on some of its Galaxy S II cousins and it's every bit as gorgeous. The blacks are so deep they seem to absorb all nearby light and matter. And the colors are so vivid the hues can only be described as surreal. Even at its lowest brightness setting the screen is perfectly visible in direct sunlight and, when cranked to the max, not even the most glaring of desert days would be enough to wash this panel out. Sure, you could complain that the screen is only 800 x 480, but with a panel of this caliber you'd just be nitpicking. Metro's beauty shines through despite its shortcomings in the pixel department and we're sure plenty of people would gladly trade a few lines of resolution to avoid the slightly off-kilter colors of a PenTile matrix. Below the screen are the trio of capacitive buttons that are far from the worst we've ever used, but had similar issues with sensitivity as the Flash -- simply brushing your thumb in the general area of the search key was enough to launch Bing and interrupt whatever you were doing.

Update: The Focus S ships with 16GB of non-expandable storage.

Performance and battery life

Samsung Focus S battery life

Underneath the hood of the Focus S is the same 1.4GHz, single-core Snapdragon and 512MB of RAM found in the Focus Flash and Nokia's Lumia 800 -- so don't expect any performance miracles. That being said, it's not like there's anything wrong with how Mango hums along on those devices. WP7 simply doesn't need the power of dual-core at this stage of the game to stay responsive. When put to the test using WP Bench the Focus S averaged 91.54, putting it right in line with Flash which pulled a 92.15 and well ahead of the Lumia 800 which scored an 86. It couldn't quite keep pace with the extra 100MHz of the Titan though, which hit 96. SunSpider didn't turn up any surprises either. The 6,914ms was, again, just a slightly behind its little brother, the Flash, which finished the benchmark in 6,842ms. That was enough to keep it ahead of the Lumia though, which took took a surprisingly long 7,200ms on the same test.

Focus SLumia 800TitanFocus Flash
WP Bench91.54869692.15
Battery drain4:242:403:003:55
SunSpider6,9147,2006,5006,842

The 1,650mAh battery isn't quite as beefy as the packs found in some other handsets in the $200 price range, but it managed to survive a full day of pretty heavy usage without batting an eye. We started one morning with the pack charged to the brim and, after 12 hours of texting, emailing, pulling up driving directions and playing a few YouTube clips, we still had 50 percent left. Sticking with a single core might not earn Windows Phones any bragging rights in the performance department, but it helps keep them chugging away throughout the day. Our less-than-scientific testing was right in line with what the WP Bench battery drain test turned up too. The Focus S took a stunning four hours and 24 minutes to kick the bucket, topping the Lumia 800 and Titan by well over an hour, and even besting its little brother by 30 minutes.

Camera

Samsung Focus S Camera

The main camera on the Focus S is an 8 megapixel joint with a lone LED performing flash duties. Saying that any phone takes acceptable photos outside in the daylight should be a forgone conclusion at this point, but Sammy's shooter is just a bit above average. Colors are crisp and just saturated enough, while offering plenty of detail with very little noise. Shots indoors with plenty of natural light streaming through the windows were equally good -- we wouldn't blow them up to poster size, but they're more than acceptable as casual snapshots. The camera even took surprisingly good macro pics, though not quite as good as the Droid RAZR. Even at night images were quite crisp with decent color, though there is some noise in the shadows, and the same goes for shots indoors under artificial lighting. We wouldn't hang the shots on a gallery wall, but we were satisfied with their quality. As with its little brother, though, the flash was borderline useless -- washing out anything in the foreground and casting the background into almost complete darkness. What's strange is, this is the same, much-lauded camera found on the Galaxy S II, yet we didn't have this issue with that handset. The same is true of the Lumia 800 and it's practically identical forebearer, the N9, which leads us to believe Microsoft's camera app isn't quite up to snuff.


Video capture was equally impressive. Sure, there was a lot of shaking (image stabilization would be a welcome feature here), but video was crisp and bright. That despite getting the 30-second 720p clip we captured coming in at just 54MB. Perhaps the biggest surprise though, was the audio. Even with a fairly steady flow of cars and a light breeze every word said from behind the camera was clear and perfectly audible.

As much as the camera impressed us, perhaps our favorite feature was the dedicated shutter button. It's a dual-stage key -- a half press engages the autofocus, while depressing it completely snaps a photo. The autofocus is a bit slow and inaccurate (especially under artificial light), but the it's hardly an insurmountable obstacle. The button itself is almost perfect in execution. It puts up just the right amount of resistance, and depresses with a light click. If Samsung put this on every handset (this exact button, not the overly recessed one on the Flash), it might become our favorite handset maker ever.

Software

Samsung Focus S Software

There's not much new or exciting to say about the Focus S on the software front. It's a Mango device with the same minimally intrusive selection of uninstallable carrier and manufacturer apps we saw on the Focus Flash. Sure, it's a bit annoying the first time you fire up the device to be greeted by pretty healthy number of orange tiles (which stand out quite a bit amongst the default blue) that launch a rather uncompelling selection of AT&T branded apps, but they're easily dismissed. We were happy to see that internet sharing was enabled on the Focus S, though, which allows you to quickly and easily turn the handset into a mobile hotspot for up to five devices. You might want to keep your charger with you if you plan to use the feature for any significant period of time, but it was simple to set up and we had no issues connecting to the handset.

Wrap-up

Samsung Focus S wrap-up

Honestly, we don't have any major complaints about the Samsung Focus S, but there wasn't much that wowed us either. If you're a Windows Phone 7 fan you'll find plenty to like about the device. Mango hums along nicely and the Super AMOLED Plus display, despite its shortcomings in the pixel density department, perfectly highlights the stark beauty of Microsoft's mobile OS. There's also a very good camera with a dedicated dual-stage button and the battery life borders on epic. But, none of that changes the fact that we came away feeling underwhelmed. The build quality is mediocre at best and there just isn't anything distinguishing about the handset that would make us definitively say this is the Windows Phone to get. More than anything, though, our disappointment probably stems from the cost. At $200 on a two-year contract we expect a high-end experience that matches the high-end price and the Focus S simply doesn't deliver that. Making it even tougher to recommend, is the fact that the Titan will be landing on AT&T any day now delivering a better build, faster performance and a larger screen for the same wad of cash. The Focus S isn't a bad phone -- far from it -- but it just doesn't feel worthy of its flagship-like price tag.
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HTC Sensation XL review


The HTC Sensation XL has landed, leaving a sizable footprint behind. While it picks up the naming convention from HTC's previously dual-core flagship series and some Beats audio accreditation on the way, it looks pretty damn familiar to another member of the family. Yes, the family's Windows Phone flagship, the Titan certainly tickled our fancy -- no other phone had landed on that nascent OS with such a screen. But the Sensation XL faces phones both bigger (and onlyslightly smaller) in the increasingly crowded world of Android. At around $723 (£450), is the XL's single-core processor enough? Is that glossy WVGA screen still sharp enough at this size? How does this one compare to previous Sensations, and perhaps more importantly, Samsung's even bigger not-so-heavyweight? Keep reading after the break to find out.


Hardware


The Sensation XL has some sizable heft to it, making it yet another handset pushing the boundaries of how much touchscreen we can fit into our collective pockets.

The HTC Sensation XL bears a more than passing resemblance to its Windows Phone cousin, the Titan. In fact, most of the technical specifications are identical, with matching 4.7-inch screens, identical camera specifications and and generally the same look and feel. There are some differences; the XL is another Beats-branded handset, and arrives with a pair of Dre-endorsed in-ear buds, and there are subtle differences to the shaping of the handset. The Sensation XL has some sizable heft to it, making it yet another handset pushing the boundaries of how much touchscreen we can fit into our collective pockets. Hardware-wise, much of what we've already said about the Titan holds true here. In fact, it measures up identically to its Windows Phone doppelganger, squeezing all that screen and a 1,600mAh battery to within 10mm (0.39 inches), making it thinner than its smaller-screened Sensation sisters. Those XL credentials also betray its weight; at 5.73 ounces (162g) it's lighter than both the original and XE versions. The build quality is another success story from HTC and the single-piece backing feels solid in the hand. While the Titan's cover wraps around the whole screen, the Android version doesn't extend over the front lip. The Sensation XL's upper bezel is thinner than the Titan, but this is simply a trade-off for a bigger chin at the bottom. The phone's edges are also more curved, and we found the back cover slightly more tricky to wrench off, though it's certainly easier than a certain similarly styled HTC tablet.


The XL arrives in the same white-metallic stylings seen on the HTC Flyer and Radar, with a dash of Beats-inspired red accents livening up the back. Unlike the HTC Sensation XE or HTC's forthcomingRezound, you won't find any such touches around the front of the phone, which is a bit of a shame, as we found that splash of scarlet helped add some visual spice to the otherwise slightly muted design. You will find, however, HTC's stock Android button quartet: Home, menu, back and search. They're lit up by a gentle glow, slightly more subtle than other phones from its back catalog, though we'd welcome a return of those prismatic, rotating beauties found on the Incredible S. Above the WVGA screen, you'll find the ear piece, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera.

Screen


You won't find the curved Gorilla Glass display seen on other Sensations -- the screen looks to be identical to the Super LCD we already stroked on the HTC Titan; that 4.7-inch WVGA screen remains the same, as does its color reproduction and viewing angles. Already the software differences do come into play, if only due to involuntary comparisons with other Android phones. We've already seen qHD and even higher resolutions running Google's OS. Does it matter? Well, it depends. This, like the Titan is a lovely screen, despite the mid-table dots-per-inch ranking. Colors aren't washed-out, and this model of Super LCD beats out the smaller -- but sharper -- Sensation screen with impressive viewing angles and color production. No, it's not Super AMOLED, but that doesn't mean it can't impress. In daily use, in this size, it's a revelation to use -- like the Galaxy Note, we found ourselves drawing the phone away from our eyes, as we could see everything we needed to from a distance -- you can glance at the phone, and read any information you've setup on the customizable lock-screen.

Audio

Sound-wise, our review model arrived with another pair of urBeats in-ear headphones, with several pairs of buds, hoping to fit all sorts of ears. As we investigated extensively in our Sensation XE review, the built-in Beats audio remains mostly bluster, the headphones themselves remain stylish and of far higher quality than your typical in-the-box in-ear offerings, which sound cheap and weedy in comparison.


However, despite the push to sell the XL as the go-to music and entertainment smartphone, it's utterly hobbled by non-expandable memory. This would've been fine if built-in storage amounted to top-endiPhone levels, but the built-in storage amounts to just under 13GB. Anyone with an extensive range of music tastes will be forced to pick and choose what they sync with the phone -- or pick an alternative (presumably cloud-based) option like Spotify and miss out on the built-in Beats equalizer. A major problem for this audio-branded phone.

Camera



We feel like we're retreading old ground again, but (again) the Sensation XL has the same camera as the Titan. In that respect, it's another zippy eight megapixel number: responsive, but also missing the kind of two-stage trigger found on its WinPho alter ego. Nonetheless, the f/2.2 lens does its job managing the light admirably, with a particularly strong macro performance. Compression on pictures was similar to the Titan; expect a reduction on full-sized eight megapixel stills to between 1 and 1.5MB.

Video performance is hampered by some pretty poor light balance, often switching between extremes. We appreciated the ability to adjust the auto-focus during filming by touching the area we wanted in focus, but this invariably adds a moment of unfocused blur. Like the HTC Rhyme, there's also an extra (lower resolution) slow-motion capture mode. It's still worth noting that other similarly priced Android phones may be capable of 1080p recording but often don't have the bit-rate chops to back it up. With adequate lighting, the camera is still capable of capturing satisfactory footage, but audio quality leaves a lot to be desired.


Performance and battery life

The Sensation XL packs a Qualcomm MSM8255 1.5GHz processor, so we weren't expecting a new king of performance. Aside from the comparatively low Nenamark score, the latest addition to the Sensation stable fares remarkably well, with an impressively low Sunspider score proving its web browsing chops.

Sensation XLSensation XESensation
Quadrant1,9632,0802,000
Linpack (single-thread)56.2 MFLOPS32.5 MFLOPS37.5 MFLOPS
Linpack (multi-thread)50.3 MFLOPS52 MFLOPS59.4 MFLOPS
Nenamark 213.1fps25.9fps24.2fps
Nenamark 129.3fps48.5fps45.8fps
Neocore58.459.859
SunSpider 9.12,1403,3006,301

When we pushed the Sensation XL's 1,600mAh battery to its limits in our video rundown test (movie looping, 3G on, WiFi enabled, but not connected), it managed just under five hours. If you stack this up against its progenitor, a dual-core Sensation XE with a slightly larger battery that managed between five and six hours of rundown, you begin to see the phone's battery takes some blows from that big-screen. In day-to-day use, we found Sensation XL's lifespan would understandably vary widely on what you used it for -- the more time spent enjoying that SuperLCD screen, the less you'll have to keep the phone otherwise ticking over. When it came to holding this impressively molded lump of smartphone to our face for calls, we found reception was typically good, and it's worth noting that the unibody back acts as a contact for the aerial innards. Also, the YourBeats headphones doubled as hands-free set quite admirably, and are comfortable enough to manage those extended conversations.

Software

Yes, HTC's Sense UI is back, and it's big. The Sensation XL is the latest phone to get version Sense 3.5, introduced on the "lady-centric" HTC Rhyme. The lock screen shortcuts remain its most redeeming feature, but it looks increasingly likely to face obscurity once Google gives us a bite of the Ice Cream Sandwich -- planned to arrive on the XL in early 2012. Anyone who's used a different Android phone will find it takes some time to get used to its quirks. While some may bemoan the extra processing juice (and presumably battery power) to keep the glossy weather features and 3D carousel animations going, we think they do add to the experience of the phone. Now if only HTC would give us the option to turn all these bells and whistles off, we'd take less of an issue with it, especially with single-core phones that may need to think a fair bit more for these graphical pyrotechnics. Behind the layer of Sense is the reliable Gingerbread build of Google's OS, and functions superbly on the expansive screen. The likes of Google Maps and the built-in web browser make the most of the 4.7-inch Super LCD display, and it rarely chokes on content-dense sites.

Keyboard


HTC's stock keyboard takes up the majority of the screen, with its squareish buttons a very viable option for anyone who's found touchscreen keyboards before now simply too fiddly. There's the typical predictive function here, too, but what the Sensation XL has over the Titan is a choice of extra keyboards, including Engadget favorites like SwiftKey and Swype, though the stock Android version isn't an option here.

Wrap-up


Sacrifices have been made here, and ones which put it behind the smaller-screened Sensation and XE when it comes to processing speed and battery life.

The Android Gingerbread OS remains the major difference between this and its Windows Phone cousin. While the Titan could arguably lay claim to being the best device available on the OS at this point, the XL has tougher competition -- even within HTC's own family. Sacrifices have been made here, and ones which put it behind the smaller-screened Sensation and XE when it comes to processing speed and battery life. We've said our piece about Beats Audio already, but it becomes even more defunct when storage space for the stock music app is at a premium. Having said that, like our experience with Samsung's Galaxy Note, web browsing, media consumption and other full-screen tasks are a joy with the extra canvas on offer here. But as we concluded with the Galaxy Note, some may still find the Sensation XL's 4.7-inch screen one size too big.
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