Galaxy Note 2 Smart Dock - exclusive first look video review!

I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of these very cool pieces of kit over the last couple of days, check out the video for a detailed demonstration of what it can do. I have to return it to Samsung very quickly, so if you have questions please ask them at the YouTube channel as quickly as possible.

ASUS Transformer Prime: ICS video walkthrough and important information regards Root

Quick post just to alert you to our video demo of ICS running on the Prime, catch the video below.

Also an important piece of news for fellow owners - if you want Root on ICS then you need to follow these simple steps:

1. Root your Prime before the update using viperMod from XDA, every thing you need to know is here (this is the easiest Root method I've ever used so I won't produce a full guide)
2. Install OTA Rootkeeper from the Market, it's a free app by awesome dev Supercurio
3. Run through Rootkeepers set up
4. Install the ICS update
5. Restore Root with Rootkeeper
6. Show your gratitude to Supercurio by making a donation to keep him caffienated

ASUS Transformer Prime: Video playback shootout (and bonus update on the evolving Inisoft saga!)

So does the Tegra 3 have your back for video playback,
or do we have another failed generation of Android
tablet video playback to look forward to?

...a new day, a new Transformer Prime video. Sounds fair right?

This time we're bringing you our standard video playback test, running our wide gamut of test files at the Transformer Prime. While you'll see many other reviews saying "yeah this played everything we threw at it", the truth is many of them have a pretty narrow spectrum of test files to try out. We've tried to gather a range that encompasses a wide variety of resolutions, bitrates, subtitle types, and video and audio encoding formats - our hope is that if there is an archilles heel in the video playback capability of a device we'll be able to uncover it.

This shapes up to be a pretty big test for the Transformer Prime, since the video playback deficiencies of the Tegra 2 based Android tablets (AKA virtually all of them) are quite well known. If that sentence has you scratching your head, here's a precis: Tegra 2 devices can't play high profile video files, support a small range of codecs natively, and can't play 1080p files smoothly. The result? Video transcoding hell, where you have to convert all your space-preserving MKVs into something the Tegra 2 can get on with.

So the big question on my mind is can the Tegra chipset handle video properly this time around? The spec sheet suggests yes, since high profile video is clearly mentioned...             ...but then up until today the spec sheet also said the Prime has GPS, so I guess we'll just have to see now won't we?

ASUS Transformer Prime: Unboxing, hardware tour, brief UI demo

Hi everyone and welcome to 2012!

Obviously at this juncture I'm more or less obliged to make the same clichéd promises you're seeing every where else about being back bigger and better than ever in 2012, so take that as read.

Now that we've dispensed with those formalities, here is our first piece for the new year - another cliché - the ubiquitous unboxing video. This time around the block we're breaking open the ASUS Transformer Prime, Android's latest hot new tablet (arguably Android's first hot tablet, if we're being honest).

Rest assured we'll have much more content pushing out to you over the next few days, and hopefully bring you something a little less formulaic to pique your interest. For now though, whet your appetite with like the fifteenth unboxing you've watched in the last week or so:

Ice Cream Sandwich spotted on the ASUS Transformer Prime

With the impending release of the ASUS Transformer Prime, I can definitely say it is up there on my christmas list. The Tegra 3 processor, ultra-thin design and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich are all features that I've been longing for.

The original Transformer was notable for its keyboard docking station which essentially turned the tablet into a netbook, whilst also adding extra battery life.

To quench some of your Prime thirst, NVIDIA has released a video showing off the power of the Tegra 3 processor in gaming, video and overall usage. Check out the video below and if you're anything like me, you'll agree the performance looks buttery smooth.

The Galaxy Note "Real-user" Review: Part 3 - GPS and Telephony

Here we are, part three of the Galaxy Note review to rule them all. This time I'm covering GPS and 'Reception', which covers not only WiFi and network reception, but also telephony aspects since they are inextricably linked to the signal strength attained by the Note.

You might recall that Samsung's flagship device of last year was lambasted for serious GPS issues - here is what I had to say of these previously at the Clove Blog: "You see, the first Galaxy S had problems with its GPS, rather large problems as it happens. While it could get a lock in an adequate timeframe, albeit slower than nearly every GPS-enabled handset I’ve owned since the N95, it just couldn’t hold it well enough to be relied upon. As a consequence, navigation was a rather painful experience at times. This was particularly evident in areas with densely packed and winding streets – your position would jump from street to neighbouring street continuously, triggering route recalculations each time. The result? Garbage voice guidance, confusion, frustration. Trying to do GPS-based tasks like sports-tracking, or geocaching that require even more accuracy? Forget about it." 

When I reviewed the Galaxy S II earlier this year for the Clove Blog, questions regarding it's GPS performance were far and away the most prominent question in the minds of prospective buyers. With the Galaxy S II things were a definite improvement, and for navigation at least I adjudicated it adequate for most users needs. Not exactly a ringing endorsement is it? Certainly the S II's GPS performance was not enough in the minds of many to cast the spectre of the Galaxy S's dreadful GPS firmly into the past. 

So then, is the Note the device that will finally put paid to Samsung's GPS shame, or will it yet again draw the ire of buyers? Answers after the break...

Can the Galaxy Note reproduce this kind of accuracy regularly???