We headed over to the Huawei booth to check out the Ascend D Quad and get some photos of the device and some physical impressions. The device includes Huawei's own HiSilicon K3V2 SoC which consists of a quad core Cortex A9 running at 1.2 GHz (4 cores), 1.5 GHz (1 core), and "16 core" graphics from an unknown IP vendor. The phone also packs a 720p 4.5" LCD display which looked awesome in person.
It's clear that Huawei has come a really long way in the build quality department, as the Ascend D Quad feels very good in the hand and like something at the high end of any other Android smartphone vendor. The styling is superficially close to Samsung's SGS2, and includes a bulge at the bottom with speakerphone and camera centered at the top. The backside has a repeating visual appearance but a smooth soft-touch surface. Huawei is definitely going for the high end market with a vengeance, and I found myself impressed with how far their designs have come since their first Android handsets.
We just stopped by Nokia for our meeting and finally got a chance to play with the new Lumia 610, the Europe-bound Lumia 900, and the Nokia 808 PureView. The Lumia 900 hasn't changed at all, and inside is still based on an APQ8055 and MDM9200, just like the USA/AT&T-destined Lumia 900. Instead, for Europe, the MDM9200 will be used for DC-HSPA+ instead of LTE.
Lumia 900 (left), Lumia 610 (right)
Our subjective impressions of the Lumia 610 are very positive. Superficially the 610 looks to borrow a lot of the design language of the 710 we reviewed a while ago, the primary difference is a different battery cover, and of course the reduced specs to bring the price point down to €189. Specs on the 610 include an 800 MHz Qualcomm SoC (likely MSM7230), 256 MB of LPDDR2 RAM, 5 MP rear camera, and WVGA LCD display with no ClearBlack polarizers. This is as opposed to the 1.4 GHz MSM8255, 512 MB of LPDDR2, and inclusion of ClearBlack polarizers on the other Lumias.
Gallery: Lumia 610 and 900 Gallery
The Lumia 610 is a mass market device running the updated version of Windows Phone 7.5 (Tango) which changes the chassis spect to include lower-specced devices to push a lower price point, and Chinese language and network requirements. Tango will no doubt be announced eventually, though Nokia couldn't spill those beans and outright say that the 610 was running it. The device was showing WP7 OS version 7.10.8731.168 on the unit we saw, which was still wearing the prototype markings on the back and "Lumia 000" model number silk screen. The hardware we played with is still the same as what will ship in 2Q 2012.
The Lumia 900 is the same as what we saw before, which we're anxiously awaiting to arrive so we can play with and prod the device on AT&T's LTE network. The european version is again the exact same internals (SoC and baseband) but will work on DC-HSPA+ instead of LTE.
We headed over to the Nokia 808 PureView booth next and got to play with the Nokia 808, which runs Symbian Belle and contains Nokia's 41MP camera. I asked for some details on the sensor and optical system, and also found that Nokia has an awesome and very helpful whitepaper (PDF) which explains all the details. The sensor is a huge 1/1.2" format (for comparison, most smartphones I see use 1/3.2" size sensors) and uses 1.4µm pixels which is the current size most smartphone cameras use. I'm glad that Nokia hasn't gone with the smaller 1.1µm pixel size that is starting to appear in other devices to push the MP count higher, instead the Nokia 808 simply includes a huge sensor. Nokia is also using some off-SoC ISP for handling the 41MP sensor, as even the newest SoCs right now like MSM8960 support only up to 20MP sensors.
The Nokia 808 can either capture full resolution 4:3 (7152 x 5368 - 38 MP) images, or 16:9 (7728 x 4354 - 34 MP) images if you want, or you can use the PureView mode and crop down to an 8MP, 5MP, or 3MP image. The 16:9 and 4:3 sensor modes again use the same method we've seen in previous Nokia phones, and doesn't just crop the sensor in the Y direction.
In PureView mode, the images that get produced are smaller in size but oversample the image sensor, resulting in extremely sharp, high frequency detail being present. As you zoom in you change that oversampling until (at maximum zoom level) you're at a 1:1 crop.
We weren't able to send images to ourselves or take them off the Nokia 808 PureView, however I was impressed with what I saw on the device and the responsiveness of the camera, even when it was writing full size 38/34 MP images to NAND. Obviously Nokia is continuing to dominate the smartphone camera space. We'll be getting the Nokia 808 to put through our camera tests as soon as it is available, and I have no doubt the results will be very impressive.
Anand and I stopped by Motorola this afternoon and got to spend some time with a number of the handset-maker's newly announced products, including the RAZR MAXX, Droid 4, and Lapdock 500 Pro. We covered the announcement, but as a refresher, the RAZR MAXX is a RAZR with a gargantuan 3300 mAh (12.54 Whr) battery and slightly thicker profile, and the Droid 4 is a close relative that eschews the SAMOLED Advanced display for TFT-LCD and includes a 5-row QWERTY keyboard. Both include 4G LTE connectivity and a 1.2 GHz OMAP4430 SoC.
When playing with the RAZR MAXX, it's shocking how a phone with this large of a battery manages to not feel strangely heavy or bulky. Like a number of other Motorola devices, the RAZR MAXX's internal battery is also the higher voltage 3.8V nominal chemistry as well. The MAXX simply closes the thickness difference between the camera bulge and the backside and instead results in a flat surface. The best way to think of it is that the thickest part of the RAZR is no thicker on the MAXX, only the thinner carbon-fiber region puts on some bulk. I'm excited to see how the MAXX does in our battery life tests with that big of a battery.
Motorola also whipped out the purple RAZR which we grabbed some shots of. The white and purple RAZRs are identical to the gunmetal grey device we've already reviewed.
The Droid 4 looks and feels a lot like the RAZR, and doesn't bulk up that much with the addition of a QWERTY keyboard. I came away very impressed with the Droid 4's keyboard, which felt very communicative and comfortable, just like the Droid 3's. The Droid 4 includes a LCD-TFT with RGBW PenTile instead of the RAZR's RGBG Super AMOLED Advanced.
Gallery: Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX, Droid 4, Lapdock 500 Pro
Lastly, we got a brief chance to touch and inspect the Lapdock 500 Pro, which feels like a much more serious, grown up, evenly-balanced notebook than the Lapdock 100. In addition, the Lapdock 500 Pro includes many more I/O options, including Ethernet, D-Sub, an SD card slot, and front facing camera.
The iPhone 4S has been outed during Apple's latest press conference at its HQ in Cupertino, California.
And although there will be many disappointed with the lack of iPhone 5, it's not surprising that Apple has chosen to go down this route.
After all, this is exactly what it did with the iPhone 3GS, which in itself was a retread of the phenomenally successful iPhone 3G.
As per that refresh, we've got a beefed up model. The iPhone 4S has the A5 dual-core processor from the iPad 2, dual core graphics (like iPad 2, Apple is also claiming a 7x increase in graphics capability), 8 megapixel camera and 1GB of memory - the existing iPhone 4 makes do with 512MB.
The iPhone 4S UK release date is 14 October and as well as 16GB and 32GB versions there will also be a brand new 64GB model. UK pricing will apparently "stay the same" as iPhone 4 for the 16GB and 32GB models. Whatever that means.
It's a seriously upgraded handset by any reckoning. The 3.5-inch retina display is retained as is the "metal band" design.
That last point is the shocker. Despite the fantastic looks of the existing iPhone case, Apple was widely expected to launch an iPhone 5 because of the previous problems with the handset. However, we expect Apple has been working hard with the new internals to ensure the problems aren't repeated.
iPhone 4S camera, call quality and downloads
The f2.4camera has 3264 x 2448 pixels - that's a total of 60 per cent more pixels over the iPhone 4's 5MP snapper. A Backside illumination feature means gather 73 per cent more light too. Taking pictures in low light should mean a lot less noise. Apple is finally catching up in terms of image quality,
There's also 1080p video recording as well as AirPlay mirroring to a TV while Apple also promises a 1.1 second start-to-shoot time for the camera.
The 4S can switch between its two antennas while on a call for improved call quality and it supports GSM and CDMA. There are also faster downloads-14.4mbp/s down - over HSDPA.
The new handset has 8 hours of 3G talk time and can also run 10 hours of video or 40 hours of music.
One group of people that will be happy are existing iPhone 4 customers. They don't have an outdated handset in terms of looks. Apple is clearly now working to a two year timetable with iPhones.
Over 250 million iOS devices have now been sold, with a billion new apps being downloaded every single month. That's some ecosystem.
Advanced voice control is also appearing but what we thought would be called Assistant is actually just called Siri. That's the name of the company Apple bought that is behind the technology. It's still in Beta. It'll read out lots of things including Notifications and texts and you can dictate to it too - which actually might be quite useful.
Aside from that last bit we're not so sure about the feature - Apple seems to think it will be big, but then it said that about FaceTime. When was the last time somebody you knew made a FaceTime call?
What we are sure about is that in iOS 5, Notifications look absolutely stunning. We can't wait to get our hands on the new OS. The iOS 5 UK release date is 12 October.The iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad and iPad 2plus iPod Touch third and fourth generation all get the update.
First off, let me start by pointing out that if your hoping for some sort of inside scoop, videos, or screenshots of the games closed beta, you won't find them here! This Closed Beta comes fully equipped with an agreement that all participants must adhere to. Something I do not plan on breaking. So no game details or information that's not already available directly from EA, sorry.
If you want in, go sign up at http://battlefield.play4free.com or follow the Community Team on Twitter as they are giving out beta keys daily this week (Dec 13th to 17th), and who knows when else!
OK, on to my "vague" first impressions, and my opinions on how I think the game will turn out.
Battlefield Play4Free is, by EA's own words, and I quote.
Set in the modern theater of war Battlefield Play4Free is a first person shooter with realistic graphics containing the best of the Battlefield series including all-out vehicular warfare, sandbox gameplay and intense 32- player battles online. Featuring the most popular maps from Battlefield 2 combined with the familiar classes and powerful weapons of Battlefield: Bad Company 2, players have access to 16 vehicles including the F35 VTOL jet fighter and the massive Russian T-90 main battle tank.
They are not just saying all that to make the game sound good, from what I have seen so far, it's a great game in the making!
The graphics for a free game are actually very nice. I was pleasantly surprised how good the game looks cranked all the way up and at high resolution. The graphics are probably some of the best I have seen in any free FPS, and I have played most all of them at least once. They did a wonderful job and I think people will love how the game looks.
The battles can truly be intense. I am not going to go into any class or vehicle details obviously, but lets just say than any Battlefield action junkie will find him, or herself, right at home in Battlefield Play4Free as well. No matter if you are more of a foot soldier like me or a vehicle gear-head, it's all here! This game truly does "feel" like Battlefield!
If you want to know more about the game, go sign up and follow them on Twitter, it's not hard! You can get in and give this, what I think is going to be a great addition to the Battlefield Series, a spin for yourself!
First impression rating: 10/10
Overall I think this game is going to be very popular. I have to take my hat off to EA on this one. I think Battlefield Play4Free will not only be a hit with fans of the Battlefield Series like myself, but with many other gamers as well. It may even be a great way for people who have never played a Battlefield game to jump in and get their feet wet. Great job on this on EA!
Since I was one of those who had Crysis 2 on pre-order via Steam, I could not wait until 9am CST Wednesday March 22nd, the time the game became available for me to download through Steam. A day later, after completing the single player campaign on "Veteran" mode, in about 7 hours, while broadcasting a live stream of my session. I can honestly say the game was well worth the money and the wait.
Like I said, I decided to make my first play through the game a little more challenging by playing it on Veteran mode, and it took me about 7 hours from start to finish. It was challenging, but still easily doable and a lot of fun. Since I was also broadcasting my gaming session live via X-Fire and LiveStream, I was not really exploring all the paths you can take or areas of the game, so I missed a large number of the games "collectibles". That's not a problem since, in my opinion, it gives the single player campaign more replay value. I intend on playing through it another time or two to collect all the items available.
The Story
Well, I can sit here and type out a few boring paragraphs about the games story, or I can just give you a couple videos that will do the job a lot better. Not to mention be far more entertaining.
This first one is the official "Crysis 2 Story Trailer".
This next one is the games introduction sequence that I recorded and uploaded shortly after I got it downloaded and installed. So you can get an idea of how the story starts out.
I really liked the story and the direction they took it. Without giving away any spoilers, I can say that it's left open for more games in the series, something I hope to see in the coming years. Any fan of the series or Sci-fi stories will like this one.
The Gameplay
Well, it's Crysis, it's what you expect and more. Lots of weapons to pick up and modify with different attachments throughout the game. Great melee and stealth attacks, including the ability to kill with a silenced pistol and remain cloaked. New attack methods such as "Air Stomp", "Power Kick" obstacles like cars onto or into an enemy, and power sliding under barriers and pumping the enemy full of lead. You can pull off combination's of such moves for some great kills. There is also a nice cover system where you can peek over barriers and around corners to fire at your enemy.
You can also purchase enhancements for your Nanosuit with points "harvested" from enemy kills that augment your different powers and have any one of them active at any given time in each of four categories. It's a lot of fun and adds a new level to the gameplay.
The Graphics
For a game that was cross-platform developed, they look pretty damn good on the PC in high-resolution and at the "Extreme" setting. I am not a an of cross-platform development when it impacts quality on the PC for the sake of inferior console hardware. No console can dream of doing what a nice high-end gaming PC can and I like to see games that actually take advantage of modern PC gaming hardware. I am a PC gamer for a reason. I like the power and I expect my games to use it. Crysis 2 does not push my system anywhere near it's limit, but it still pumps out good looking graphics. However I had to see for myself how it compared to a console.
So I went out and rented a copy of Crysis 2 for the 360 and did a side by side comparison between the two versions. The 360 version does look very nice, on the PC, it's comparable to the games "High" settings.
However, once you set the graphic quality on the PC version to "Very High", you can notice where the console hardware falls short. Once you push the setting to "Extreme", it's very obvious the PC version looks a lot better than the console versions at high resolutions. Though the game does not use DirectX 11, supposedly there will be a patch that will add DirectX 11 features and support. However you can see DX10.1 features being used in some aspects of the graphics.
So it's nice to see that Crysis 2 is not a pure "console port". However it does suffer from cross-platform development in the fact you have no control over any specific graphic settings, such as AA, AF, texture quality, shadows, post processing effects, and all the rest. You have the ability to adjust your resolution, v-sync, and one of three quality presets (High, Very High, Extreme), that's about it. A disappointment from the perspective of a PC gamer and fan of the game series that used to be well known for its graphic power and customization. Something that should be standard on all good PC games.
Beyond that the game looks great when you run it on "Extreme" and at 1080p resolutions. It's also has 3D display capability if you have hardware to support it. Though I seriously hope that if they continue the series, they stop making concessions for inferior console hardware and give the PC gamers a version that can actually take advantage of the far superior PC hardware available.
How does it run?
On my system, the game ran great, averaging about 70-125 FPS easy and across the board, with dips down into the high 50's while broadcasting my live stream in maximum quality and running the game at all maximum settings. Those dips into the high 50's very short lived and unnoticeable save for the fact I had my FPS being displayed via X-Fire.
Just like the Demo, the MP on Crysis 2 is fantastic and a sheer blast to play. It takes the best elements of the single player gameplay we all have come to love about Crysis and brings them to a great multiplayer experience. I am not sure what else to say about the multiplayer aspect of the game, perhaps this calls for a few good videos again?
Closing Thoughts
This is a great game and well worth the price tag in my opinion. The single player campaign takes about 6 to 7 hours to complete, if your not rushing through it and including a couple breaks, but that's not including locating and acquiring all the collectibles in the game. So the campaign has good replay-ability and will not leave you feeling like you were sold short. There are 4 different difficulty modes, multiple path options, and a lot of different ways to achieve the objectives, I love the "Tactical" mode, and I think you will too.
The multiplayer experience is a blast and very unique. I also don't see it dying anytime soon since there is already DLC on the horizon. There are a lot of "gratifying" ways to take down your enemies in MP, a must for any online gamer looking for a good time.
If you got the extra money to drop on the game, I say go for it, it's well worth it and that's not something you can say about many games these days.
I give it an easy 8/10. Docking two points for the cross-platform development and lack of individual graphic setting customizations like I talked about earlier.
The Nokia 808 can either capture full resolution 4:3 (7152 x 5368 - 38 MP) images, or 16:9 (7728 x 4354 - 34 MP) images if you want, or you can use the PureView mode and crop down to an 8MP, 5MP, or 3MP image. The 16:9 and 4:3 sensor modes again use the same method we've seen in previous Nokia phones, and doesn't just crop the sensor in the Y direction. 
