Tech World

Microsoft acquired Nokia earlier this year to bolster the Windows Phone platform, but it's thus far refused to snuff out Nokia's flirtation with Android, the Nokia X series. In fact Microsoft's devices group announced the latest addition to the Nokia X series of Android phones on Tuesday, the Nokia X2—the fourth entry in the Nokia X line, but the first announced under Microsoft's watch. Like the three previous Android handsets bearing the Nokia name, the X2 is really more of a "gateway device" to the hardcore Windows Phone experience than a full-fledged Android handset. The device runs the Android Opens Source Project (AOSP) version of Android that doesn't include any Google services or apps, re-skinned with a Windows Phone-like feel. The main screen is also loaded with Microsoft services including OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook.com, and Skype. Nokia services like HERE Maps are also present in place of their Google counterparts. But un...

If getting rid of superfluous apps on your smartphone doesn't solve the problem, reinstalling factory stock software likely will. Like rehab -- or the drunk tank -- for our lethargic, wrong-side-of-the-tracks smartphone inhabitant, this operation may sound like a big deal and a lot of work, and unfortunately it is, because you have to reconfigure your apps. One of the disadvantages of retaining a phone after the expiration of a two-year contract -- as many of us do -- is that those older phones have accumulated a few years' worth of digital gunk. They're clogged up like an aging sewer on the wrong side of town. Just like on a PC, bits of app and OS code become discombobulated -- orphaned from the parent program. Onboard digital debris becomes disoriented like a drunk stumbling out of a favored hole-in-the-wall; jumbled lethargy sets in, and the device can take forever to start or become sticky in operation. Well, just like a PC -- or a run-down apartmen...

Determine where best to free up space. Take a look at the Pictures and Videos space used in particular. Look for the numerical value next to the descriptive label. Video and images, unlike music, often don't need to be stored on the device and can be moved. HD video is a major memory hog. Photographs and music are other forms of media that take up a lot of space. It's a good idea to prune an Android device periodically, for a few reasons. A mishmash of apps, some aging, have all kinds of on-device routines running that can negatively affect performance. Worse, some are continually accessing the Internet and eating into your data cap -- unlimited wireless Internet on mobile devices is practically nonexistent these days. Plus, the accumulation of apps and their associated data hogs now limited storage memory. It's common to see no expandable storage options on may current phones. I've written about ways to speed up a slowing phone before. In "Ho...

Best smartphones, mobile phones, phones. Whatever you call them they all share the same thing. They’re the hottest kind of tech. They sell millions, and make billions and there's plenty more to come in 2014, but which should you choose if you're buying right now? The first thing is to decide the platform you want to side with. There’s the iPhone and its easy to use iOS mobile operating system, an army of Android phones powered by Google, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 and – new kid on the block – BlackBerry 10. iOS offers the best apps and games, Android the most fiddling potential. Windows Phone 8 is the slickest and BlackBerry 10 is on hand for those who want something a bit different. 2013 was another big year for smartphones with the iPhone 5C and the iPhone 5S joining the Nokia Lumia 1020 and Android phone greats like the Sony Xperia Z1 and Nexus 5 as standout newcomers. We should of course not forget about the TrustedReviews Product of the Year the Motorola Mo...

With a wide and varied pool of Android apps at your disposal, the Nokia X family of smartphones have something for everyone. Here are our highlights. Vine Available on Nokia Store Developed by Twitter, Vine enables you to create short, looping videos that you can share online via Twitter and Facebook, as well as your Vine profile. With the ability to pause and edit your video at any time, it opens up a whole world of creativity, particularly when it comes to stop-motion videos, such as this one from Ian Padham demonstrates. HERE Maps Available on Nokia Store The same reliable HERE Maps that’s available on Nokia Lumia and Nokia Asha is also built right into the Nokia X family. HERE Maps helps you explore what’s around you, new places you’ve never been to and then helps you get there as stress-free as possible. Car, pedestrian, and public transport routing are included in this one app, as is the in-car voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation and all free...

iPad vs Android Tablet The release of the iPad has spawned considerable interest in tablets and a lot of companies are aiming to have a pie of the iPad market. More recently, Android tablets are also gaining popularity as possible iPad replacements. What most people do not know is that Android tablets are not the same, unlike the iPad, and is just a common name for a wide variety of devices with different specs from different manufacturers. The biggest difference between the iPad and Android tablets is the operating system since the iPad runs on iOS while Android tablets run on Google’s Android; both starting on smartphones and are now being used in tablets. Since the specs of Android tablets vary from one device to another, there is no point in comparing them as they would not hold true for all devices. Let’s just point out the things that are common to all android tablets. The biggest selling factor for the Android tablets against the iPad is Flash. Flash is the most po...