After making all sort of interesting “hybrid” Android devices, including the Transformer Prime, a tablet that can turn into a laptop, and the PadFone, a phone that can turn into a tablet, what’s next for Asus? Well, there’s the FonePad, a tablet that you can make phone calls, and the Tech65 crew was there to check it out.

The Tech65 crew was invited to check out the brand new Samsung Galaxy S4, the successor to the popular Samsung Galaxy S3 Android smartphone, and find out what’s new, and what’s cool.

On this episode we take a look at another one of Asus’ unique transforming Android device, this time one that changes screen size from phone to tablet!

Link: Asus PadFone 2

We take a close look at Google’s first 7-inch tablet, the Nexus 7, part of Google’s late 2012 Nexus line up.

Link: Google Nexus 7

N.B. It’s the 23rd of October today. NOT the 22nd!

Background Music for 65Bits is courtesy of spinningmerkaba.

1. Windows 8
   • LG
   • Dell
   • Skype
   • Microsoft Design Style
   • Profits, We don’t need no stinkin’ Profits!
2. ALSO in this week’s news: Apple and Android Events!
   • Apple Event Rumours
   • Maybe a 13 inch retina MBP?
   • Android Event
3. Falling SSD Prices
4. Wii U Advertisement
5. Enhancing Photo Enhancement
6. Virtual Graphics Cards

The first thing that strikes you about this phone is the beautiful expense of screen that captures your attention straightaway. It is bright and the colours pop. However one of the issues I’ve noticed with the phone’s screen is the lack of performance under bright sunlight. The brightness setting has to be pushed to the maximum before you can clearly see the screen. Half brightness is too dim under these conditions.

The other thing one notices is the surprising lightness for a phone if this size. Whilst the raw numbers do not bear me out with the Samsung Galaxy S3 weighing the same 133g, this phone feels quite comfortable in my hand. Although I should point out that my dear friend Daniel has complained about the size of these new phones being simply too large to reach across the screen comfortably. An inconvenience you have to weigh when you choose your new phone.

This is an exceptionally thin phone. It does draw your attention with the textured backing and chrome strip running down the side. But it is unfortunately a little generic looking as modern smartphones go. And as an aesthetic point, the disappearing capacitive touch buttons on the bottom of the screen are a design point that not everyone will like.

LG has lightly skinned Android 4.0 to include certain additional functions such as a slide from lock screen to directly to an app function and does make some pleasing additions without distracting from the simple functionality of Android, some may object to the LG Keyboard as opposed to the very good standard Android keyboard but I have found it quite easy to get used to. The performance of the phone is quite good but I noticed that YouTube performance stutters occasionally and it is not a completely seamless experience but a highly enjoyable one and one which by and large is problem-less.

If one was to be perfectly honest, this is about as much phone as one would ever need. And anything above and beyond is merely frosting on top of an already very delicious phone. However one cannot view this phone in isolation and whilst this is a good phone, it is merely a good phone in a field of good phones. And where it is priced, it sits solidly in the middle of the pack and if you are looking for a very competent phone that is not too expensive, it is the quietly competent, and well made flagship phone you may be looking for that will suit your needs.

The Samsung Galaxy Note is back! This time bigger than ever! Literally. Samsung brings the S-Pen technology to its 10.1 inch tablets with their second product under the Galaxy Note brand.

Samsung Galaxy Beam will be retailing in Singapore this Saturday, July 7th 2012, at the price of S$648 (inclusive of 7% GST/without contract).

Here’s a quick run through on the specifications.
1Ghz Dual-Core Processor
768MB RAM + 8GB Internal Memory, MicroSD slot (up to 32GB)
Android 2.3 Gingerbread (as Winston Goh mentioned on the video, it is upgradeable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich)
4.0″ 480×800 (WVGA) TFT
2000mAh Battery

If you missed it, here is our Gear65 episode where we take a look at the Samsung Galaxy Beam.

http://www.tech65.org/2010/07/27/gear65-60-samsung-galaxy-beam/

We take a look at Motorola’s second Android tablet, a successor to the original tablet Google used to introduce their tablet-friendly Honeycomb Android device.

Link: Motorola Xoom 2

On this episode, we take a look at the other Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone sibling in HTC’s One line, the smaller and cheaper HTC One V.

Link: HTC One V

We are taking a look at an interesting device here: the next generation Walkman device powered by Android Gingerbread and a pretty interesting custom user interface developed by Sony. Too bad it’s not a phone.

We get our hands on the brilliant new HTC One X, a brilliant new flagship phone from HTC. With the growing focus on well made devices, good hardware as well as great customisations, we believe that the HTC has managed to strike an interesting balance that few other phone manufacturers have managed to strike. We are excited to see what this heralds for the coming Android phones as this has truly upped the ante for all Android 4.0 phones.

We visited Samsung’s offices today to spend some more time with the Samsung Galaxy S3 to bring you a more detailed look at the phone.

Link: Samsung Galaxy S III

We take a first look at the HTC One X. With enhanced camera functionalities, beats audio enhancement throughout the phone, cleaned up HTC Sense 4, this is an Android phone to be impressed with.

Retailing in Singapore from 2nd April 2012 at a suggested retail price of SGD$898.