It is late 2011, and Samsung has just performed a daring technical experiment that has the UK tech press alternating between awe and ridicule. They’ve released the Galaxy Note, a device with a 5.3-inch screen that is so massive it has necessitated the creation of a new word: the ‘Phablet.’ In the ai…
Apple iPhone 4S
Welcome to October 2011, and the atmosphere around the iPhone 4S is a strange mix of technical awe and somber reflection following the passing of Steve Jobs. While many in the UK were disappointed that the design remains identical to the iPhone 4, the internal overhaul is so significant that it has …
BlackBerry Bold 9900
It is August 2011, and RIM has finally delivered the ‘Ultimate Bold.’ The 9900 (or Bold Touch) is the pinnacle of the classic BlackBerry form factor, a device that feels like a piece of high-end executive stationery. In the UK, it has arrived as the sophisticated answer to the plastic-heavy Android …
Samsung Galaxy S2
It is May 2011, and the Samsung Galaxy S II has just landed in the UK like a dual-core cruise missile aimed directly at Apple’s head. This is the phone that has finally turned the ‘iPhone Killer’ from a tired marketing cliché into a cold, technical reality. It is impossibly thin (8.49mm) and so ligh…
Nokia N8
It is October 2010, and Nokia has just released its ‘last stand’ for the Symbian empire. The Nokia N8 is a technical masterpiece trapped in a software time capsule. In an era of plastic slabs, the N8 is a refreshing outlier, milled from a single block of anodised aluminium with glass-reinforced plas…
BlackBerry Torch 9800
Welcome to the end of 2010, and RIM has finally attempted to bridge the gap between the ‘Type-and-Click’ old world and the ‘Touch-and-Swipe’ new world. The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is the first slider in the brand’s history, combining a 3.2-inch capacitive touch screen with a full, slide-out QWERTY key…
Apple iPhone 4
Welcome to June 2010, and Steve Jobs has just unveiled the ‘Retina Display,’ effectively ending the resolution wars with a single technical knockout. The iPhone 4 is a radical departure from the ‘soap-bar’ curves of the 3GS, opting instead for a ‘glass and steel sandwich’ design that is just 9.3mm t…
Samsung Galaxy S
It is the summer of 2010, and Samsung has finally stopped playing second fiddle to the European and American giants. The I9000, better known as the Galaxy S, is the opening salvo in a campaign for global Android dominance. In the UK, it has arrived as the first legitimate challenger to the iPhone 4’…
HTC Desire
Welcome to the spring of 2010, where the HTC Desire has just landed in the UK and been immediately crowned the ‘King of Android.’ If the Galaxy S is a flashy sports car, the Desire is a finely tailored Savile Row suit, sophisticated, understated, and incredibly well-built. It is effectively a twin o…
Palm Pre
It is the start of 2010 in the UK, and the O2 shops have finally taken delivery of the ‘Great Lost Hope’ of the smartphone world. The Palm Pre is a technical and aesthetic departure from everything else on the market, designed by a team led by Jon Rubinstein (the man who essentially fathered the iPo…