Later this year, iOS 8 could give new meaning to the phrase "an Apple a day keeps the doctor away," as the iPhone maker is reportedly focusing on health tracking technology.
Apple executives met with directors of the US Food and Drug Administration to discuss mobile medical applications last month, The New York Times discovered in the FDA's public calendar.
The talks involved high-level Apple employees, including Jeff Williams, senior vice president of operations, Bud Tribble, vice president of software technology, and Michael O'Reilly, a medical doctor in Apple's government affairs department.
The FDA meeting details haven't been disclosed, but combined with a report today about iOS 8, it suggests that Apple is going all-in with health monitoring in its next iOS update.
What is Healthbook?
Healthbook is supposed to be a pre-installed iOS 8 app that monitors and stores fitness metrics, according to unnamed sources who spoke to 9to5Mac.
It's interface is said to match Passbook, but instead of accumulating digital tickets and coupons, it calculates steps taken, calories burned, miles walked and weight loss.
These are pretty standard stat-tracking features that can be obtained from current wearables like the NikeFuel Band SE and Fitbit Force.
iWatch and Healthbook
The Healthbook report contains a "one more thing" style surprise when you factor in the unconfirmed iWatch, which is said to enhance this software with vital signs the iPhone is incapable of tracking.
Blood pressure, hydration levels, heart rate, and possibly glucose levels are additional metrics that could be introduced, according to 9to5Mac's sources.
We're not sure how wearable can keep track of hydration outside of a user manually logging every drink consumed, but when it comes to glucose levels, Google found a way in its smart lens prototype.
Logging medication information is said to initiate helpful pill-taking reminders at scheduled times, a feature that could tie into the existing iOS 7 Reminders app.
iPhone 5S was just the beginning
Apple's first foray into health monitoring came last year when it introduced iPhone 5S and its M7 coprocessor that could keep track of steps.
The company showed how Nike was integrating its Nike Fuel metric into the new phone and Fitbit has since expanded its app to use the M7 processor to log steps walked even without a Fitbit tracker.
It'll be interesting to see if Apple works with or against Nike in realizing its health monitoring ambitions. Apple CEO Tim Cook is still on the sneaker company's board and Apple snagged at least Nike employee last year.
Either way, this blip on Apple's radar last year could become the highlight of iOS 8 this fall if development of Healthbook gets into shape and joins the rumored iPhone 6 and iWatch in time.
Read our iPad Air review for the tablet that's already on Apple's diet
Watch livestreams of gamers gaming at home while not at home
Sony's updated its mobile PlayStation app for Android and iOS with a new feature to watch livestreams from PS4 gamers while on the go.
The new addition comes labeled as the "Live from PlayStation" section, letting users browse game streams from their devices. Actually watching livestreams, however, will kick the video over to open in separate applications.
Specifically Ustream feeds open in the service's own application, while Twitch.tv streams play through a mobile device browser.
Just below the video window there's also now added support video playback from PS Store notifications in the What's New pane. This list will propagate with live game sessions from friends to get to watching their streams faster.
PSN go
Along with the new live video support, the app fixes a niggling issue of waking up the main system every time users wanted to do something. Now the app allows mobile devices to queue up downloads or accept friend requests.
The PlayStation app was a new addition for Sony with this new line of consoles. With the new update, the PlayStation app is starting to catch up fast with the SmartGlass app Microsoft introduced during the Xbox 360 days.
The update is rolling to wide variety of devices around the world right now for both Android and iOS platforms.
The original Galaxy Gear was okay in many regards, but the combination of a lofty price tag, poor UI and limited functionality - not to mention that less than acceptable battery life - left us wanting.
Could our prayers be answered with the Galaxy Gear 2? If so, we've got a number of boxes Samsung will need to tick if they want to win our hearts.
We're not going to list them here (lists are so 2013, don't you know?) - instead, we've gone the extra TechRadar mile and put together a super slick 3D concept render for your eyeballs to enjoy. Check it out below, then leave us your thoughts in the comments.
Texting has changed the world in 21 years, and we're just sat here...
"Merry Christmas," a short but simple message from Neil Papworth to Richard Jarvis heralded the start of mobile messaging 21 years ago.
That first text has led to the rise of mobile messaging and the decline in using a phone to call people. But before people begin to wonder what an SMS (Short Message Service) ever was, we're here to guide you through history of texting.
Mobile messaging now comes in many forms with the humble SMS format joined by MMS, email, IM (Instant Messaging) and via myriad different social media sites. It has become the central hub of the modern smartphone, with email and IM apps now populating every app store.
Could Papworth have predicted the revolution that "Merry Christmas" would start? Could Friedhelm Hillebrand foresee that his choice to limit messages to 160 characters would still prove enough to change history?
In the beginning
Back in 1992 that first text message had to be sent from a PC, carried by the Vodafone network to an Orbitel 901, a device that Jarvis was unable to reply from as the mobile phone had no method of inputting text.
We use the term mobile pretty loosely, as the Orbitel 901 has no resemblance to any modern portable device. It was massive device with a corded handset and whopping antenna.
More suitcase than phone, the Orbitel 901
Design wise, it was miles behind the $3000 Motorola MicroTAC, a handset that was leading the way with its sleek clamshell design. The Orbitel had a trick up its oversized sleeves, coming with digital GSM technology.
At the start of the switch from analogue mobile signals, digital technology created the need for larger batteries leading to the handbag-style design of the Orbitel.
Nokia comes a-knocking
Messaging still had to be done through PCs until Nokia decided in 1993 that text messages should be sent by mobile devices, namely the Nokia 1011.
The Nokia 1011 signified a massive change in mobile design, coming in the candybar design that we are now all familiar with. It measured in at a sizeable 192 x 60 x 45mm, weighing a whopping 475g (that's 6g heavier than the iPad Air).
It might be more traditional, but the Nokia 1011 wasn't small
You also had to be careful with your typing, as it wasn't until 10 December 1995 that T9 predictive text was created. At this time the average American was sending 0.4 texts a month, equating to just five texts a year.
Compare that to five years later, and American's were averaging 35 texts a month, or 2008 when the average number of texts had increased to a whopping 357 per month.
Part of this rise was the development of full keyboard phones, the first of which was built by Nokia. Nokia beat the BlackBerry 850 to the punch, with its portrait flip phone the Nokia 9000i Communicator in 1997.
Despite being a flip device, it weighed 78g less than Nokia 1011 (yet still three times that of the Samsung Galaxy S4), at 397g. Inside was a 24MHz processor and 8MB of memory, and the 9000i Communicator was also able to send and receive emails.
Going cross network
With messaging becoming more prevalent on devices, it may surprise you that it wasn't until 1999 that messages could be sent between operators.
This meant early adopters had to make sure their partner, friends or colleagues were on the same network if they wanted to avoid an actual voice conversation.
Initially cross network SMS communications commanded a much higher price, and back in 2008 it cost 2p per text to a handset on the same network, or 10p to rival carrier.
The UK surpassed a billion text messages per month in 2001, but its power was rapidly growing - text messaging was instrumental in everything from organising protests to disseminating information from disasters quickly.
Meeting MMS
MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) was soon developed and the technology was first deployed in March 2002 by Norwegian network Telenor.
Unfortunately problems, such as image format or non delivery, meant that in 2004 all European networks with MMS services admitted it wasn't making money - although it still pervades today.
The Nokia 7650, the first commercial phone with a camera
By 2007, text messaging had become more popular than making phone calls in the US, with Americans averaging 218 texts to 213 phone calls in December. Nielsen reported that the disparity had grown to 357 versus 204 in 2008.
The numbers, predictably, continued to spiral out of control as mobile phone use exploded: The Mobile Data Association reporting that 56.9 billion SMS messages were sent in 2007, rising to 96.8 billion by 2009.
Is this the end?
However, July 2009 saw the launch of messaging app WhatsApp - which was seen as a massive blow to text messaging.
Messaging was free, allowing you to send text via a data (be it 3G or Wi-Fi) connection. By the end of 2009, 1 million people were already using WhatsApp.
Over 1 billion messages were handled by WhatsApp in October 2011, perhaps contributing to falling numbers in SMS sent on Christmas day.
That year Finland, Hong Kong, Spain and the Netherlands all reported that fewer messages were sent.
Is Snap Chat killing MMS?
According to Nielsen the same age group that originally drove the love for the text is now pushing the popularity of mobile messaging apps like SnapChat - teenagers.
It isn't all bad news for text messaging though. Reports suggest that it has generated over $585 billion globally, with forecasts of a further $1 trillion over the next seven years.
This might be in no small part down to Fred Lidgren, a guy with the world record for text messages sent in a month.
Mr Lidgren managed to send 566,607 texts, equation to 18,887 a day, 787 per hour or 13 texts per minute.
Maybe Mr. Lidgren should switch to paperless billing
Andrew Acklin and Deepak Sharma held the record previously, with 200,052 and 182,689 sent and received messages respectively.
What next?
With the rise of mobile messaging giants WhatsApp, Kik, Facebook and SnapChat, just how much longer will we all be sending texts?
The rise of mobile technologies such as 4G and easily accessible Wi-Fi may lead to more messages sent via data connections rather than standard networks.
The future is clearly going to be all about IM, but that doesn't mean the humble text is a goner. The short character formation is universal across handsets and can easily send information without needing to worry about whether another person has the right app installed.
The number of texts sent in the UK will fall again this year... but it will still reach 140 billion. Sure, IM now still shoves out over 300 billion missives, but that's across a number of platforms.
Until one service overtakes all the others to become the champion way of communicating, we'll still be texting for years to come.
For now it seems that text messaging is safe, but just how much longer will we all be sending text messages, how about in 2030?
Big money to be made in 4G upgrades in Europe and China
Ericsson is hoping to expand its business in Europe and China, where it said there is an increase in demand for 4G mobile networks.
Hans Vestberg, CEO of Ericsson, said that some larger projects in the US have been a bit slow, but it has gained market share in Europe, which it can now upsell on. He said there are also other markets of interest, including China and Russia, according to The Economic Times.
With 4G LTE adoption increasing throughout the world, Ericsson is hoping to increase its share of the action. Upgrading current networks to 4G provides a lucrative opportunity for any company that can secure the contract, and there is still a lot of work to be done in this sector in the big European and Chinese markets.
Regaining ground
Ericsson reported revenue of $1.4 billion (£850 million, AU$1.6 billion) in the final quarter of last year, just shy of average analyst forecasts. It also inked a cross-licensing agreement with Samsung for various mobile standards, including GSM and LTE.
The company secured LTE contracts with two major operators in China in the fourth quarter. The period also saw some growth in key European markets and Ericsson said the negative impact of these modernisation projects is now behind it.
At one time Ericsson had operating profit margins higher than 20 per cent, but last year this figure was just 6.2 per cent. It has a lot of ground to recover, and markets outside the US just might help with that.
Ericsson shares were up $0.60 (£0.36, AU$0.69), or 5.02 per cent, to $12.55 (£7.62, AU$14.40) at the time of writing.
Microsoft's been left red-faced after one observer noticed that the team behind the company's Xbox Twitter account was updating from an Android device.
You can only see the source of a tweet if you're using a third-party app like Tweetbot, but we're sure someone got a stern telling off nonetheless.
Not the best way to build support for Windows Phone really. Did no one learn anything from Alicia Keys?
Three has promised that it would be offering us 4G at no additional cost, but a couple of new price hikes in its One Plan has got us wondering if that's actually going to be the case.
The network has increased both its monthly and 30-day One Plans, increasing the £15 a month (on 12 month contract) deal to £20 and upping its 30-day deal from £18 to £23. That's an additional £60 a year you'll be forking out.
However, Three has told TechRadar that the price increases are nothing to do with 4G, despite the convenient timing ahead of Three's 4G rollout, which is believed to be happening early this year.
"There is no extra cost for 4G on Three," said a spokesperson. "We do not charge different prices for 3G and 4G services."
Upping the Gs
Three added that it reviews its pricing from "time to time" and will not differentiate depending on what data customers are using.
"Other operators have opted to have 4G-specific tariffs at higher prices, regardless of whether their customers are using 4G, 3G or 2G," said the spokesperson. "We do not differentiate."
Google saw the back of its Motorola division this week
Shock news from Google this week: it's selling Motorola, the smartphone firm it bought for billions, for a fraction of the price it originally paid. The lucky buyer is Lenovo, which promises to make Motorola "even more successful" and says that layoffs and cutbacks aren't in Motorola's future.
More expensive phones probably are in Moto's future, though: as Gareth Beavis says: "without Google's magic supply of money, we aren't going to be seeing devices like the ultra-cheap Moto G any time soon." Looking on the bright side, more tablets and phablets should be on the horizon too.
Google's acquisition of Motorola may look like a failure, says our columnist Gary Marshall, but it isn't. "Motorola is the pawn Google's sacrificing to save a much more important piece: all of Android," he says, noting that the news comes hot on the heels of Samsung agreeing to share patents and to stop messing around with the Android UI.
A stunning phone for very little money Moto G review
"It isn't hard to imagine the two sides having a conversation of the 'we'll get out of the phone business if you stop buggering around with our OS and share some of your patents' variety," Marshall says. By getting Samsung closer to the mothership and giving Lenovo a boost, "Android is stronger and more focused than ever before."
Is Nintendo still in the game?
Focus is something Nintendo's trying to do too, and it's helping its execs concentrate by slashing their salaries: president Satoru Iwata and other board members will be taking pay cuts ranging from 20% to 50% while they get the company back on track.
Profits are down 30% and sales forecasts for the quirky Wii U have been cut by more than two-thirds, and while the firm has ruled out bringing its games to smartphones it is apparently working on iOS and Android apps that complement its consoles and games.
Sony is giving the slimmed-down Vita a second chance
It's facing an uphill challenge: even Sony's PS Vita Slim looks more like a swansong than a device that's going to take gaming by storm in a market where the Xbox One and PS4 dominate console gaming and smartphones dominate the casual gaming market.
The answer might be in health monitoring: during this week's strategy briefing, Iwata promised that Nintendo "will attempt to establish a new platform business [that] is independent from our video game platform business", which will "enable people to monitor their health". That doesn't mean wearables, though, and while the platform won't be part of Nintendo's gaming business it will connect to the games in some fashion. Nintendo says it'll tell us more later this year.
Changing channels
Good news for anybody who thinks Sky's EPG is looking a bit dated: there's a new one imminent, and it'll reflect the changing way we approach TV. As Patrick Goss explains: "on-demand is brought to the fore, with Catch Up TV, TV Box Sets, Sky+ Planner and Sky Store as well as the rather necessary TV Guide." It's due in the Spring.
Sky's renewed HBO deal means more Game of Thrones in the UK
Sky has also been chucking some money at programme makers. It's signed a new deal with HBO to continue showing the US cable channel's Emmy-hogging programmes until at least 2020, and it's also been partnering in making new programmes. The rise of rivals from the likes of BT, not to mention Netflix, has been squeezing Sky's profits, and the deal shows that Sky is keen to pay for exclusive content to keep its customers loyal.
Who doesn't have a picture of the Nokia X these days?
It's looking increasingly more likely that we will see the Nokia X Android smartphone land at MWC 2014, and in true Nokia style it's tipped to arrive in a number of colors.
Fresh images claiming to show off the Nokia Normandy device depict an orange handset - apparently one of six colors the Android-toting smartphone will arrive in.
The images were picked up by French site nowhereelse, and while the handset does seem to follow the design of previous leaks, there's no guarantee the phone in question is actually running Android.
In fact, the French site goes as far as to say the "authenticity [of the images] is far from proven" - so take this latest leak with a sizeable pinch of salt.
The Normandy just got Tango'd (credit: nowhereelse)
The Nokia X is rumored to sport a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 4-inch display, 512MB of RAM and 5MP camera.
TechRadar will be out in force at MWC 2014 to bring you the latest on any Android toting Nokia which may show up.
Think Google is destined to tinker with neat hardware that no one ever buys, surviving on the fat of its vast and profitable advertising business? Think again.
In reporting the company's quarterly financials today, Google CFO Patrick Pichette repeatedly called the Nexus 5 a "very strong" performer for Mountain View.
There's "strong interest in Nexus hardware," said Chief Business Officer Nikesh Arora, noting the Nexus 5 saw loads of reception, particularly during the holiday season.
Now, neither provided sales figures for the new Nexus, so just how it stacked up to other Android handsets is unknown. However, it is likely customers responded well to its stock Android KitKat carriage and low, no-contract price point.
Word on the street is Google may kill off the Nexus line next year, but if these company crows are to be believed, that tip may have missed the mark.
Chromecast no castaway
Turns out, the Nexus 5 wasn't the only hardware to get a shout out. Pichette also chatted up the company's $35 (£23, about AU$39) streaming stick, Chromecast.
"Play hardware sales drove a big chunk of quarter-over-quarter growth," he said. "Nexus 5 was very strong for us, and the Chromecast was a best seller all quarter."
Again, no hard figures, but the dongle that streams content from a mobile device or laptop to a TV was clearly a winner for the company. Pichette said both it and Nexus 5 saw "great momentum."
A hardware tale
Hardware, coupled with strong content and apps sales in the Play Store, helped drive Google revenue over the last three months.
Google won't give up its traditional breadwinner (ads) in favor of consumer-sold devices and services, but as long as hardware and content/apps continue as some of the company's fastest growing segments, the company should continue supporting and improving them.
The latest signs that Apple may be using a sapphire glass screen in its next smartphone come from a new patent that illustrates the extra-resilient material being used on an iPhone.
Its "Sapphire Windows" filing, discovered today by AppleInsider, details methods of growing, harvesting and polishing transparent sapphire wafers, then cutting them with advanced lasers.
Apparently the hardness of sapphire is so great that high-powered lasers are required in place of conventional glass cutting tools that would otherwise wear far too quickly.
That sounds like exciting news for clumsy iPhone owners everywhere, especially if you don't want to spend money replacing a shattered screen in the Apple Store.
The company has had success using sapphire for the camera lens cover starting with the iPhone 5 and added the laser-cut crystal to the outermost layer of the iPhone 5S fingerprint sensor.
Sapphire glass iWatch?
The text specifically calls out the "iPhone made by Apple, Inc." but it also goes on to suggest that the sapphire window shaping techniques could be implemented in other devices.
The patent mentions obvious Apple product categories including tablets and computers, which suggests the iPad 6 and future MacBooks screens could withstand extra brute force with this material.
It steers clear of mentioning wearables, but speculation has been focused on the unconfirmed iWatch ever since Apple confirmed its involvement in manufacturing sapphire crystal glass.
Apple is said to be aggressively pushing to take its Arizona sapphire manufacturing facility live in February, according to a report by 9to5Mac, so we should find out what that glass is being used for soon enough.
Making a dramatic appearance soon? (credit: Vietnamnet.vn)
Looks like the mysterious scarlet Nexus 5 will arrive during a month appropriate for its hue.
A sneaky leakster posted an image of an internal memo from Sprint which plainly states that February 4 is when the red Nexus 5 will appear in Google Play Stores.
With February filled with all things red and pink for Valentine's Day, it makes sense that Google would want to show off its own blushing beauty.
Follow the bread crumbs ...
We've seen various clues sprinkled here and there mentioning the red handset will likely drop in late February or March.
The latest trail leads to a fuzzy red Nexus box, which may nip the rumors in the bud - if it didn't look so suspicious.
But we'll only have to wait less than a week to see if we've sniffed out the right date.
The iconic Apple iPod has got at least one more update cycle in its future before being sent to the glue factory, according to new job postings on the company's website.
This week's revelation of falling Christmas sales saw many media outlets eagerly pronounce the iPod's death, but Apple, it seems, is getting on with the task of planning for the next wave of devices.
The company is seeking to fill vacancies for a 'New Product Operations Program Manager - iPod' and a 'Technical Program Manager - iPod' and a 'Product Quality Engineer - iPod' among other positions.
If the company is really winding down the iPod era completely, rather than accepting its diminishing role, then it really has a funny way of showing it.
Life in the old dog
The company is due to revamp its iPod line at some point in 2014 after only adding the space grey colour to its line iPod nano, touch and shuffle lines during last September's iPhone launch event.
The iPod classic, complete with its click wheel UI, hasn't been updated in over 4 years, but the chances of it getting a hardware bump appear to lie somewhere been slim and none.
Apple's line of media players, first introduced in 2001 have been on a downwards sales trajectory since 2008, partly cannibalised by the media capabilities of the company's own iPhone and iPod devices.
Sales for the three months leading up to December 31 2013 fell to six million, a 52 per cent fall year on year. CEO Tim Cook admitted the market is declining for the iPod, during the company's earning's call.
He said: "The way we look at it, our business is a sell-through point of view less iPod -- all of us have known for some time that iPod is a declining business."
What life is left in the old dog? We're likely to find out sometime later this year.
Apple could put pressure sensors in an iPad's corners
Phones' and tablets' bezels up to now have mostly just taken up space, but Apple could change that in the future.
The iPhone maker has been exploring the idea of making the bezel sensitive to pressure, thereby opening up all kinds of possibilities, a newly published patent has revealed.
The patent, titled "gesture and touch input detection through force sensing," describes placing pressure sensors around a device's bezel, in the corners or elsewhere.
These would theoretically provide more opportunities for UI navigation and other functions.
What is it good for?
For example, an iPad game played on a device with force sensors in the bezel might let users control the action by tapping on the bezel rather than the screen, and thus not obscure what's taking place in the game with a thumb or finger.
In addition devices could become better at reading users' inputs, like swiping to the right or left, a gesture that is often inadvertently begun just off the pressure-sensing touch screen surface.
There's yet another example in iPad users being able to use the right-hand bezel to scroll up and down. In this example the virtual buttons under the bezel's surface aren't precise, but the device will react as a user's finger or thumb gets closer to the "up" zone or the "down" zone.
The saga continues
Clearly there are a lot of applications, but this isn't the first time Apple has toyed with smart bezels.
Another patent for a sensitive bezel surfaced in July 2013, and it was thought it could be a clue that an Apple iWatch was in the works.
And back in 2011 yet another patent suggested that the iPhone 5 might feature bezel controls, though obviously that didn't come to pass.
It doesn't have smart bezels, but Apple's iPhone 5S is an impressive device nonetheless - don't miss TechRadar's review!
We're currently testing the updated version of the Galaxy S4 software now Android 4.3 has landed - stay tuned!
The Samsung Galaxy S4 was the most hotly anticipated smartphone ever from the Korean brand, but how has it stood the test of time given that we're expecting to see a Galaxy S5 in the next few months?
One of the most impressive things about the phone is the fact the size hasn't changed from its predecessor - the Galaxy S4 comes in at 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm (5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches), meaning there's no extra heft to try to work with in your palm.
Here are some top tips and tricks to get you started on your Samsung Galaxy S4:
However, despite this fact, the screen on the S4 has been increased once more, to a whopping 5-inch display with Full HD resolution. This means the same amount of pixels you'd have seen on a TV that cost well over £1,000 four years ago is now riding around in your pocket. OK, it's no longer a big deal, but that doesn't mean it's not a greatly impressive screen.
Let's not pretend that Samsung is a pioneer in this area either: like a great many features of the Galaxy S4, the phone borrows a lot from the other top smartphones of the moment. Both the Sony Xperia Z1 and the HTC One have screens that rock the same resolution, but neither of them have the jaw-dropping clout of the Super AMOLED HD screen on offer here.
On top of that, there's a much faster processor packed under the hood, ample storage space for media thanks to an expandable memory card slot, and the likes of 4G, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and pretty much any other connection you care to mention on board.
Samsung has tried to supplement this with a tranche of software upgrades too, meaning a more powerful camera, a better way to communicate with your friends and consume media, and interestingly a big push into health through dedicated apps too.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 costs the same as the HTC One, give or take a pound or two, on contract. This now puts it down around £29 per month, which isn't too bad for such a high-end model.
It can now also be had for just £420 on PAYG with EE, which makes it a much better proposition... and is much cheaper than the equivalent iPhone 5C too.
But before we dissect all the possibilities the phone has to offer, let's look at the design. As we mentioned, it's impressive in its form factor, thanks to the sub-8mm thickness, and at 130g it manages to still be light without shaving off so much heft that you feel like you've got a flimsy piece of plastic.
That's probably the biggest compliment we can pay the Samsung Galaxy S4 - where its predecessor felt a little bit cheap in the hand, the S4 manages to bring a much more solid build and better construction to boot.
So while the "faux metal" band makes a comeback on this model, it looks a lot more premium. And there's very little flex in the chassis when you hold it tightly, which was another problem with the Galaxy S3 at times.
It can get dented very easily though, and be careful not to crack your screen if you do so - we've heard of a few instances where this has happened to S4 users, although that can be said of many other polycabonate smartphones.
That doesn't mean that the phone is completely remodelled from the S3 - it's very similar in appearance, so much so that a number of people asking to see it during our review thought we were palming them off with our old S3. The polycarbonate chassis remains, but that brings with it the faithful battery cover, which conceals a removable battery and microSD slot.
We're not so fussed about the battery being able to drop out of the phone - so few people carry around a spare battery, and nowadays portable charging blocks are becoming so cheap and light that they make much more sense too.
We'd almost prefer something like the Sony Xperia Z1, which has a refined and packaged chassis but doesn't need a removable battery: it makes use of a slot instead for the memory card. This integrated nature would make for a slightly more premium feel to the phone.
However, it's a small gripe with the S4, as while the cover feels flimsy, it's better than it was on the S2 and the S3, and they both sold like hot cakes.
In the hand, the Samsung Galaxy S4 feels much better than any other Samsung phone we've held (apart from the gargantuan smartphones the brand used to make - the i8910 Omnia HD might have been built like a brick, but it felt wonderful to hold). The screen's spread towards the sides of the phone means a much narrower bezel, and the effect is certainly impressive.
It might look very similar to the S3, but when you take the Samsung Galaxy S4 up close, you really start to appreciate the nuances.
We'd say it feels a lot more like the LG Optimus G range now - when we first picked it up, we were struck with how similar it felt in terms of sturdiness and the polycarbonate construction to the LG Optimus G Pro.
It's since been mimicked once more by the LG G2, which is a real competitor to this handset - it's got the same uglier plastic case, but much improved innards at the same price.
That's no criticism, as the device is well built, but it has a similar rounded feel. This is intriguing given the history of the two companies, and shows more of a leaning towards the plastic shell from the Asian brands in general.
Buttonry has barely changed from before - the power button has been shifted slightly on the right-hand side, and is now much easier to hit. Samsung has clearly taken some lessons from the Galaxy Note 2, which has a really well positioned power/lock button.
The volume key is less easy to hit, and could be lower down in our eyes, but the travel on both of these buttons is satisfying, and you'll always know when you've hit them.
The plastic used on the home key has been upgraded too, with a more solid feel under the thumb when you press down to get back to the main home screen. The two buttons flanking it give you access to menus or take you back from whence you came, and while both are easily hidden, they light up nicely with an even glow when called into action.
There are loads of sensors on the front of the phone above the screen, including cameras to track your eyes, a 2MP camera for HD video calling and a proximity sensor for knowing where the phone is in relation to your ear. On the white review unit we had, their presence looks rather ugly either side of the generous earpiece, but on the darker models this is less of an issue.
The other notable addition to the design of the Galaxy S4 is the infra red blaster on the top of the phone. This enables you to control your TV, satellite box, DVD player, amp and even air conditioner. Again, this isn't a new feature, but it works well in practice, and despite being small is powerful enough indeed.
Other than that, there's not a lot more to say about the design of the phone, as it's just a little underwhelming. We know it's unfair to lambast a brand for not overhauling the design every year, but in the One X and the One, HTC has proven that it is possible to offer up a new design each time around and still keep things attractive.
Looking so similar to the Galaxy S3, you can't help but feel Samsung has gone a little too Apple and created something more in keeping with the Samsung Galaxy S3S - a minor update to a great phone to keep those coming out of contract happy that they have a premium phone to upgrade to.
We do implore you to get the phone in your hand before making a judgement though - while it's not got the best design on the market when it comes to materials, it's a big step forward compared to the Galaxy S3 and allows for a grippy and easy-to-hold phone, with a whopping screen inside.
It still feels cheap as chips compared to the iPhone 5S and HTC One though.
But to just dismiss it for being plastic would be doing the S4 a disservice as it has so much more going for it than that, but it's worth remembering that to a lot of people, the way a phone looks is as important as how much RAM it's got on board and how fast the CPU is - if not more so.
A mini handset has, inexplicably, come to mean a smaller, lower-spec version of a popular big screen device, which does nothing for those that want a slightly smaller display.
So kudos to Sony for taking a stand, crushing down the powerful Xperia Z1 but losing almost nothing on the spec list, giving the Compact a real chance to fight fight in a fierce market currently dominated by the HTC One Mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, two devices that launched to critical acclaim but with a poorer spec list.
Eagle eyed readers will have noticed that the Sony Xperia Z1's baby brother hasn't adopted the traditional "Mini" moniker but rather comes with the title of "Compact".
Yes, Sony has given the Z1 Compact the smaller screen, but it has kicked diminutive RAM and lesser cores to the mobile kerb. Sony has even allowed the Xperia Z1 Compact to keep the waterproof nature of the Z1.
A SIM free launch price of £450 (around $740, AU$850), and seen free on contracts starting at £27pm leaves the Xperia Z1 Compact more expensive than the S4 and One Mini, but also allows the inclusion of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.2GHz quad-core CPU backed up by 2GB RAM - for the price it's comparable to a Samsung Galaxy S4.
The "Compact" name also alludes to more than just the smaller size; it can be no coincidence that the Xperia Z1 Compact shares its name with the style of camera that it is looking to replace. A 20.7MP Exmor sensor housed behind an award-winning G Lens aims to be the final nail in the compact camera coffin.
Design
Unsurprisingly, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact follows in the same design language that was started with the Xperia Z1.
A full frontal glass assault is joined by an all glass rear that gives the Xperia Z1 Compact a really clean feel. The choice of four colours (black, white, pink and lime) means that the business feel can be a little offset if you wish.
While the glass helps add to the industrial feel, I found that it also meant I became a little obsessed with keeping it clean. Those that find they are forever trying to clean the screen to remove pesky fingerprints will find that that feeling transfers identically to the back.
It also hoovers up dust from the pocket, making it a real eyesore when you're just trying to look at a quick text.
The chassis, measuring at 127 x 64.9 x 9.55mm, curves slightly at the edges allowing the screen to be protected from side impacts, as well as allowing it to sit comfortably in the hand. I found that the metal and glass feel often left the Xperia Z1 Compact feeling cold when left out, but the material combination also leaves it feeling premium.
It's this combination of materials that leaves the Z1 Compact sitting on the scales at 137g, although I found that I still needed to check my pocket occasionally to see if it was still there. There is no doubt that the phone feels a little heavy at first, especially when compared to the almost impossibly light Galaxy S4 Mini, but this feeling disappears as quickly as it is noticed.
The smaller frame made using the Xperia Z1 Compact easy to use one handed, and didn't suffer the same problems of grip that beset the original Xperia Z1. The power key in particular was pretty easy to hit.
The curved edges also meant that I found it was more comfortable in one-handed use than the iPhone 5S, retaining the same business feel but without the sharp edges. However, the feel in the hand is one of a chunkier device - it doesn't have the same smooth stylings of the HTC One, for instance, and does feel quite hefty compared to other, better-balanced, phones.
Behind all that glass sits the first clue that the Xperia Z1 Compact isn't quite a fully-fledged flagship; a 720p 4.3-inch screen.
Many may scoff at the lower resolution, but Sony has given the screen a lot of attention, certainly more than was provided to the original Z1.
Pure stats show that the Xperia Z1 Compact has enough to compete, as its 340ppi outstrips that of the four-inch iPhone 5S, but the level of attention goes deeper than that as Sony looked to address issues that were found with the Z1.
Gone are poor viewing angles thanks to the inclusion of IPS technology to join the Bravia and Triluminos tech that were found in Sony's largest handset, the Xperia Z Ultra.
However, coming to this from looking at a 1080p screen and you will be able to see the drop in level of sharpness - it's not massive, but the Z1 Compact doesn't have the best screen on the market when it comes to resolution.
Making the Xperia Z1 Compact dust and waterproof (to IP55 and IP58 standards) can't have been easy with the number of ports that the modern smartphone requires. Thankfully, Sony has managed this well, leaving me impressed with the way they are securely covered.
All bar one of the ports comes with an attached bit of plastic that stands up to some rigorous pulling, with Sony having fully waterproofed the 3.5mm headphone jack. Even the external speaker that runs across the base of the Xperia Z1 Compact has been given the treatment.
The microUSB port and microSD slot (the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact supports up to a further 64GB of storage) are housed at the top of the left side, with the microSIM tray sat at the base. I found that this tray was rather flimsy, as well as being difficult enough to require tweezers to remove. Popping in a microSD card was a lot simpler.
With all the ports in the left side, Sony has left the right-hand edge to be populated with a couple of buttons. Amongst these is the standard volume rocker sat just below Sony's round and imposing power/lock button, as well as a TechRadar favourite: a dedicated camera shutter button.
This serves a few purposes as it allows the Z1 Compact's 20.7MP camera to be loaded (and even have the photo shot right away) in one touch, as well as allowing photos to be taken underwater as the screen doesn't have to be pressed.
It also allows the camera app to function more like a fully fledged camera, with focussing and snapping being really easy.
The top and bottom edges contain only the waterproofed 3.5mm headphone jack and external speaker, respectively.
As with every smartphone, the back of the phone contains the camera sensor and LED flash. Elsewhere, only the Sony and NFC branding break up the solid glass rear.
The Xperia Z1 Compact may come a higher price tag than its 'Mini' counterparts but also packs a smarter more professional feel backed up with whizzier insides that warrant a second and third look.
Along with the new live video support, the app fixes a niggling issue of waking up the main system every time users wanted to do something. Now the app allows mobile devices to queue up downloads or accept friend requests.
