The Kindle Fire HD is a cracking little tablet, but it’s very much Amazon’s way or the highway (the highway in this case being the Google Nexus 7) — you’re stuck with Amazon’s customised interface, Amazon’s choice of apps, and Amazon’s favourite services (like Lovefilm and the Amazon Cloud Player). If you want to install …

Android 4.2.2 has arrived, but has it stopped your phone from randomly restarting? The latest version of Android Jelly Bean software is now available for the Google Nexus 4 and Galaxy Nexus smart phones, as well as the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets, but we’re still having problems. The new software landed on the Nexus devices last week. It …

China is surpassing the U.S. as the world’s largest market for active smart devices, according to new data released today. A year after becoming the fastest-growing market for smart devices, China is expected to account for 246 million active Android and iOS smartphones and tablets at the end of February, compared with 230 million in the U.S., according to mobile …

The telco has begun early tests of its 4G network in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, showing off speeds up to 67Mbps. (Credit: Vodafone) According to a post on Vodafone’s blog, the battered telco has begun testing its LTE network in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, hitting up to 67Mbps in speed. Alexandria, Bronte and Randwick were the three suburbs used for …

If you’re one of the lucky few who’s successfully managed to secure a Nexus 4, the first thing you should do is allow yourself a rather smug feeling of satisfaction, due to its maker LG seemingly unable to keep up with the incredible demand. Thankfully, that situation seems to be easing a little. The second thing you should do, as …

Contrary to what it would have you believe, Apple didn’t invent the tablet — but it did have some promising concept designs sketched up as early as 1982. The snap above, which shows an Apple tablet design decades before the introduction of the iPad, is one prototype gadget detailed in a recently published book of design written by Hartmut Esslinger. …

Using a smartphone can be tough for seniors, so Fujitsu and Orange have teamed up to make the Stylistic S01, an Android smartphone that respects its elders. Sold by the France Telecom-Orange network, the 4-inch, water- and dust-resistant S01 is Fujitsu’s first major smartphone to go on sale outside Japan. It’s loaded with features designed to make things easier for …

There are plenty of complimentary things you can say about the Kindle Fire HD. “It has a stellar collection of apps,” unfortunately isn’t one of them. Amazon has customised Android to within an inch of its virtual life and banished Google Play in favour of its own Amazon Appstore. Take a stroll down its digital aisles and you’ll find the …

The next version of Apple’s mobile operating system could launch next week, according to a report, and will fix the bugs found in iOS 6.1.1. German blog iFun cites checks with different mobile networks as evidence iOS 6.1.2 will touch down before Wednesday. That might not be concrete proof, but 9to5Mac says the same site nailed the launch of iOS …

Another day, another HTC One leak. This time we get a look at the handset in black, courtesy of Unwired View. Design-wise, it looks identical to the silver model we already spied. The images on the screen are different too, with this one listing New York as the home city, whereas the silver one had London. HTC will hold events …

After some earlier teasing, LG Electronics fully detailed its Optimus G Pro Android phone today, a high-end model with 5.5-inch screen, LTE networking, and a quad-core 1.7GHz processor. LG often sells its phones first in its home market of South Korea, and it looks like that’s the plan for the Optimus G Pro, too. But it’ll arrive in other areas, …

Sprint has quietly flipped the switch on its 4G LTE network in some areas of San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C., suggesting an official launch may be close at hand. While confirming a report that first appeared in The Verge, a company spokesperson did not specify which sections of the cities would have access to the speedier network. “During …

At CES in January, Sony announced several LCD TVs with “Triluminos,” a new backlighting method that they promise offered “rich, authentic color, and excellent red and green reproduction.” Digging deeper, it turns out Triluminos includes an optical component produced by QD Vision, Inc. called “Color IQ” which uses quantum dots to help create light. OK, so what are quantum dots? …

The high-end networked speaker dock from Marantz has hit Aussie stores for AU$1650. (Credit: Marantz) Marantz has been making high-end audio devices for 60 years now, and the Consolette is part of its anniversary celebrations. With a design that takes cues from the original Audio Consolette for LP records, the dock is made of solid walnut, with its stereo speakers …

The Apple Shop in Hoveton, Norfolk, can’t help you with queries about your iPhone or iPad. That’s because it sells a different kind of produce altogether, namely local cider. Unfortunately, since the Apple Store opened in Norwich in 2009, the cider-seller has been inundated with tech queries, so much so that the owner has decided to change the name to …