We all knew it was coming. Hell, even LG had revealed details of its upcoming phablet on its own website, but now the LG G Pro 2 has now been officially launched.
The LG G Pro 2 succeeds last year's G Pro, bringing with it a larger 5.9-inch full HD display (1920 x 1080), the same 2.26GHz quad-core processor you'll find in the LG G2, 3GB of RAM, 16GB/32GB of storage and the addition of a microSD slot.
These specs put the G Pro 2 up there with the top phablets around, and the likes of the Galaxy Note 3, One Max and Xperia Z Ultra now have a new contender to worry about.
Snap happy
Round the back the G Pro 2 sports a 13MP camera with OIS+ technology, and LG has stuffed in some nifty tricks for you to enjoy.
You'll be able to record video as 120fps, allowing for one-half slow motion, one-fourth slow motion and original speed playback, plus there's the option to record in Ultra HD, 4K - much like the Galaxy Note 3.
The G Pro 2 also features "magic focus", allowing you to choose the depth of focus after you've taken an image - something we saw Qualcomm show off during its Uplinq conference in 2013.
Jumping on the selfie bandwagon the G Pro 2 uses less of the screen to show your ugly mug when in front camera (2.1MP lens) mode, providing a white glow to bring out all your best features.
More, more more
LG has further developed its "Knock on" screen wake function, with the G Pro 2 allowing you to tap out a little sequence to unlock your handset.
There's good news when it comes to the operating system with the latest flavour of Google's platform on board - Android 4.4 KitKat - and of course LG has overlaid this with its own UI.
A 3200mAh is in charge of keeping you going throughout the day, while 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC will keep you connected.
Unfortunately though the press release states that the G Pro 2 has only been introduced to the Korean market, while "availability of G Pro 2 in markets outside of Korea has not yet been determined."
The handset will be at MWC 2014 however, and so too will TechRadar, so keep an eye out for our hands on LG G Pro 2 review in the coming weeks.
Oppo already confirmed that the Find 7 will sport a 2K display
Chinese electronics maker Oppo was more than happy in December to confirm that its Find 7 smartphone will sport a 2K resolution display, but now it seems like there may be a standard HD version in the works as well.
After all, QHD 2K screens pack a lot of pixels in - 2,560 x 1,440, to be precise - and the benefit to consumers has yet to be demonstrated. Having a cheaper version with a 1080p display sure makes a lot of sense.
Now Oppo has posted on the Chinese social and blogging network Weibo saying that multiple Finds are coming - "are," not "is," as CNET points out.
And the site claims that benchmark leaks early in February pegged the Oppo Find 7 with a 1080p display, a spec that's known to be inaccurate - at least for the version of the Find 7 that's been announced.
Doubling down
Either clue might be an error or a mistake in phrasing, but combined they could point to something: a 1080p Find 7 being released in addition to the 2K Find 7.
Oppo may not want to bet all in on 2K screen tech for its next flagship, and having two SKUs would allow it to cover multiple price points while still nailing the wow factor of 2K.
Besides this speculation about the display, little else is know about the Oppo 7, but it's expected it might debut at 798 Art Zone in Beijing on March 19.
The pixel race
Oppo is far from the only company gearing up for the 2K phone race, though.
Samsung confirmed in January that it's working on not only 2K smartphone displays, but absurdly dense 4K smartphone screens as well.
The Moga Ace Power iOS 7 controller has an advantage when it comes to Made For iPhone (MFi) controllers: it's the one that looks most like something a gamer might actually want.
It has everything important to gamers: two triggers and two shoulder buttons, two analog sticks (though they're really more nubs than sticks), and extra juice to power players' phones when they run out of batteries.
With its plethora of buttons, it's already at an advantage against one of its main competitors, the Logitech Powershell, which lacks a second analog input and has only two shoulder buttons.
But despite its obvious advantages, the Moga Ace Power iPhone controller is far from perfect, and it has some major flaws when compared with its other main rival, the SteelSeries Stratus.
Let's break it down.
Design
The Moga Ace Power may have everything that gamers need in a modern controller, but it's probably not going to win any design awards.
Its cheap-feeling plastic body is one big part of the problem. Unlike the Logitech Powershell, the Moga doesn't have any fancy textures or rubberized grips. As a result it feels somewhat like a toy, despite its more robust capabilities.
Of course, that's something the average iOS gamer may or may not care about. As long as it works, who cares if it feels a little cheap? But at $80, consumers might balk.
The Moga's issue problems stem from its split design. The controller is two halves, which slide apart so you can put an iPhone in, but lock together only minimally when it's not in use. This means that the two plastic halves are constantly sliding and rattling loosely against one another, creating noise and moving around inside your bag or pocket.
Not to mention that garish orange hue, which is just brutal on the eyes.
Things get better when it comes to actually getting your iPhone inside the Moga Ace Power. The controller's halves slide apart easily, and then the left side ratchets just a little further, creating ample room to snap your phone into the lightning connector.
Once the iPhone is in, a switch on the back of the controller prevents that left side from sliding away again, ensuring the phone stays in place and doesn't fall out while you're using it.
But another downside is that the Moga Ace Power is the biggest of the three main MFi controllers by far. The Logitech Powershell is much slimmer, while the Stratus is positively tiny. If you're worried about portability that may be an issue.
Controls
The controls are where the Moga Ace Power blows its competitors right out of the water, especially the Logitech Powershell. And for many players who are willing to drop this much money on an iPhone controller, that's going to be the most important factor.
It has a full suite of buttons: dual analog sticks, two triggers, two shoulder buttons, four face buttons (A, B, X, Y), a directional pad, and a pause button. There's also a battery status button that lights up four LED lights to show how much power the Moga has left, a switch that turns the controller's device-charging ability on and off, and a small button on the front-left that activates your phone's lock button.
The dual analog inputs are arguably the most important part, and luckily the Moga Ace Power's nubs are excellent. If you've ever used a Nintendo 3DS you'll know what to expect, and it's high praise to say that the Moga's nubs are close to Nintendo's in terms of quality.
Sadly the same can't be said for the rest of this iPhone controller's buttons. The d-pad is mushy and feels cheap, and the triggers have a bit too much depth, requiring too much time and force to push inward completely.
The face buttons are workable, though they're certainly not exceptional. Same goes for the shoulder buttons, which are perfectly adequate but unremarkable. And the pause button is rather awkwardly placed on the left, whereas most players are probably used to having it on the right or closer to the center.
Unlike the Logitech Powershell, with its awful analog D-pad, the Ace Power won't make your hands tired, even after hours of playing. Likewise you won't feel cramped, unlike with the tiny SteelSeries Stratus.
Connectivity and battery
Like the Logitech Powershell, the Moga Ace Power controller connects easily to your iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, or 5th-gen iPod Touch. Unlike the Powershell, the Ace Power is also compatible with the iPhone 5C.
Unfortunately, any older devices, including the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, are left in the dust. And given the form of the Moga controller it's also not compatible with the iPad or iPad mini, unlike the SteelSeries Stratus.
But if you have a device that does work with the Moga Ace Power, you'll find it simple and intuitive to slide the controller apart, snap your phone in, and get gaming. Whereas the Stratus requires a sometimes lengthy and often confusing Bluetooth pairing process, the Ace Power, like its competitor from Logitech, is pure plug-in-and-play.
Moga's official documentation claims the Ace Power's battery lasts over 18 hours if you don't use it to charge your phone. We didn't test it for that long, but after about three hours of play and several minutes of charging all four of the controller's battery status LED lights lit up still.
Moga concedes that battery life will vary if you're using the Ace Power to charge your device while you play.
Games
It's difficult to find a comprehensive list of all the games that are compatible with iOS 7 MFi controllers in general, much less for specific controllers. Even the lists put out by the controllers' makers aren't updated frequently and rarely actually include all the games that are compatible.
There is, however, a helpful third party iOS app called Game Controller Apps that lists exactly which games are compatible with MFi controllers.
Using the app it's easy to see all the high profile games that support the Moga Ace Power, including Angry Birds Go, Anomaly 2, Asphalt 8, Bastion, Call of Duty: Strike Team, Dead Trigger 2, Edge, FIFA 14, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Jet Car Stunts 2, Limbo, Minecraft, Oceanhorn, Real Racing 3, Knight of the Old Republic, Sonic 2 and Sonic Racing, The Wolf Among Us, Tomb Raider, The Walking Dead season 2, and dozens of others.
Games that require two analog inputs to be properly played show off the Moga Ace Power's strengths. Playing Minigore 2: Zombies and Dead Trigger 2, two very different zombie shooters that share the need for a second analog stick, is great with the Ace Power.
Playing first-person shooters has never felt right on a touch screen, but thanks to the Ace Power (and its SteelSeries rival, which also has dual control sticks), that's no longer the case. Dead Trigger 2 feels even closer to being a full console game when you're using physical controls, and the Ace Power is perfect for it.
Even games that don't require two analog sticks benefit from the Moga controller's responsive analog nubs. It's easy to steer in driving games like Angry Birds Go and Asphalt 8, and even a smaller game like Death Worm benefits from the physical controls.
When the analog inputs are this good, they're the best option in any game, from Joe Danger Infinity to the classic Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Every game we played with the Moga Ace Power felt better than playing with touch screen controls.
We liked
The Moga Ace Power iPhone controller has every button that modern gamers expect, and its dual analog control nubs in particular are impressively responsive and useful. Every game feels better with the Ace Power than with touch screen controls.
In addition the ability to charge your phone while you're using the controller is great, and the Moga's battery life appears to be impressive as well. And it's nice that your device's lock button is still easily accessible and that the Ace Power is compatible with the iPhone 5C.
There are plenty of games available for it as well, and more and more are being updated with MFi support all the time.
We disliked
Unfortunately Moga skimped a bit on the Ace Power's build quality, and its rattling, jangly plastic will likely get on some players' nerves. In addition, some of the buttons, including the directional pad and the triggers, are not up to snuff. That makes it hard to part with a $80 for this controller.
It's also a shame that the Ace Power is only compatible with iOS devices equipped with lightning connectors, though you can't really fault it for that against its competitors since that's true of Logitech's and SteelSeries' options as well.
However, the SteelSeries Stratus is also compatible with iPads and iPad minis, which gives it a leg up compared to the Moga Ace Power.
Final verdict
The Moga Ace Power is ultimately a solid choice for iOS gaming enthusiasts who don't mind jumping on the MFi bandwagon a bit early. It's certainly a much better choice than the Logitech PowerShell, and now that Moga has dropped the price from $99 to $79 it's a no-brained if you're choosing between the two. As of this writing not every outlet has this updated price, so make sure to shop around so you don't overpay.
However, if you can get over the SteelSeries Stratus's minuscule size, that controller provides many of the same benefits as the Ace Power, with the added bonus of iPad and iPad mini support. So it comes down to this: would you rather have a larger, plastic controller that turns your iPhone into a Game Boy, or something with bluetooth for greater iOS versatility?
First come the whispers, then the spec, size and release date rumors. Now, seemingly right on schedule, come the photos.
Sonny Dickson, who gave us pics of the iPad Air and iPad mini 2 before Apple announced them, is back with what he claimed are photos of the iPhone 6's back casing.
The rear backing is in space gray, stamped with Apple's signature black bitten fruit. It's hard to make out dimensions from the images, but Dickson claimed the new iPhone will have a screen bigger than 4 inches.
He described the iPhone's design as a cross between the new iPad and the iPod touch, and there certainly appear to be elements of each in the limited sample size he's provided us.
Could future Surface tablets run Android apps too?
Microsoft may have a solution in the works for its Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 app deficit, but some inside the company reportedly aren't on board yet.
It's simple: Microsoft's desktop, tablet and smartphone operating systems lack the bustling app ecosystem of a platform like, say, Android - so why not enable Android apps to run on Windows and Windows Phone devices?
That's exactly what the company is considering, according to The Verge, which supposedly spoke with "sources familiar with Microsoft's plans." But these sources report that Microsoft executives are torn, with some of the mindset that the long-term risks might outweigh the benefits.
Besides, as The Verge points out, this has been tried before - by BlackBerry - and it didn't work then. Why would it now?
Forking Android over
Of course, Microsoft is not BlackBerry. That much is obvious.
And if Microsoft is really letting Nokia, which it bought in 2013, go ahead with the Finnish phone maker's "Normandy" Android device, then the Windows company is clearly not totally repulsed by the idea of using Android for its own means.
Of course, the most recent report suggests that the Nokia Android phone will ship without many of the Google apps and services typically found on Android devices - including the Google Play store itself - in favor of Nokia- and Microsoft-built alternatives.
But The Verge's sources say Microsoft doesn't want to deal with the hassle of creating its own "fork" of Android, and that simply enabling Android apps to run on Windows might be an easier solution in the short term.
To that end the site suggests Microsoft might work with BlueStacks, a company that for years has been enable Android apps to run on Windows devices.
Whatever happens, it seems Microsoft is at least considering taking drastic measures to solve its app deficit, which may be a sign of just how desperate things have become for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.
Here's what TechRadar thought of Microsoft's latest OS update, Windows 8.1
