BUYING GADGETS GUIDE

Matt Weinberger Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s Xbox chief. Microsoft’s Xbox boss admitted “we’ve lost our  way” on PC gaming, but the company wants another chance. At the Game Developers Conference on Wednesday, Phil Spencer took the stage and reaffirmed that the company sees Windows 10 as the company’s big chance to get back its shine and its market leadership. He also committed to building games for HoloLens , the futuristic augmented reality goggles that Microsoft promised would be out in the Windows 10 time frame.   “We see this as a full Windows 10 device,” Spencer said.  Microsoft also announced it was giving game makers their first look at a toolkit for integrating Xbox Live into Windows 10 games. PC gaming used to be synonymous with Windows — games were played on Windows, using the DirectX APIs for graphics, and often controlled with Microsoft mice, keyboard, and hardware. Then, 15 years ago Microsoft rolled out the first Xbox and everything changed: Suddenly, all of Microsoft’s vi...

AP Microsoft gave us a quick glimpse at its next web browser  —  codenamed Project Spartan  —   back in January , but a new video shows some of the web browser’s newest features in action. The folks over at WinBeta have managed to get their hands on an early copy of Project Spartan, according to The Verge , and their video walkthrough demonstrates how the browser will see close integration with Cortana, Microsoft’s own Siri-like virtual assistant. In an effort to make browsing the web more efficient, Cortana will be able to glean important information from websites like store hours, phone numbers, and addresses. Cortana lets you know if she’s been able to pull any helpful information by jumping up and down in your search bar. Click on Cortana’s circular symbol, and a side bar is brought up that presents what she found in a tidy format. WinBeta Cortana can also easily pull up directions without even leaving the current web page, which could end up being handy when you’re in a rush and d...

AP It’s been the same story for the last few years. Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system is universally accepted as a solid alternative to iOS or Android, but it’s still missing the key apps people love to use. And because of Microsoft’s tiny market share in phones, a lot of important developers pretty much ignore the platform. But, Microsoft still believes in Windows Phone, and its next answer comes with Windows 10, the new operating system that will run on all Microsoft gadgets from the Xbox and tablets to PCs and phones. Windows 10 will also allow developers to write an app once that can run across all devices, no matter what the screen size is. This, in theory, will give a boost to the quality of Microsoft’s app store for phones. “We’re coming into a world where people aren’t thinking about a disconnected category of devices, just about what they want to do,” Greg Sullivan, a senior director for marketing in Microsoft’s devices division, told Business Insider at the Mobile Wo...

Last week we heard about the new Sony Xperia M4 Aqua smartphone and now Sony has unveiled the handset at MWC 2015. The Sony Xperia M4 aqua is a mid range Android smartphone that comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop and the device features a 5 inch HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. Processing on the new Xperia M4 aqua comes in the form of a eight core 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor and 2GB of RAM plus a choice of either 8GB or 16GB of storage and a microSD card slot which takes 32GB cards. The handset is equipped with front and rear facing cameras, on the front of the device there is a 5 megapixel camera for selfies and video calls on the back there is a 13 megapixel camera for photos and videos, there is also a 2400 mAh battery. The handset is designed to be waterproof and it comes with an IP65 and IP68 rating, it also comes with , WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC. The device will go on sale in April, there are no details on pricing as yet.  “Xperia M4 Aqua represents our...

After months of leaks and speculations, HTC has finally unveiled their latest flagship device, the HTC One M9, at the Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona. The handset comes with a similar metallic design as its predecessor, but there are quite a few notable changes in the internals. “HTC has built its reputation on challenging expectations in the mobile industry,” said Cher Wang, Chairwoman, HTC. “The HTC One M9 accomplishes this once again with stunning elegance and design, combined with smart features that help bring your world to life, connecting you in a deeper way to the things you consider most important. So much more than just a phone, the HTC One M9 is an extension of who you are.” The handset features a 5-inch display sporting a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels, which is a little surprising as most recent flagship devices are equipped with a QHD display, even the latest Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. But, there are some notable changes in the internals. The new HTC One M9 is powe...

HTC has launched a new wearable device at Mobile World Congress, the HTC Grip which is designed for sports and fitness. The HTC Grip comes with a 1.8 inch PMOLED display with a resolution of 32 x 160 pixels and it has 90 pixels per inch and it features a 100 mAh battery. HTC, a global leader in innovation and design, today unveiled its first high-performance, smart fitness tracker, the GPS-enabled HTC Grip™. Powered by UA Record, the new health and fitness network from Under Armour designed for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, Grip fuses HTC’s renowned design with powerful, accurate tracking across a range of sports and activities, allowing athletes to set personal goals, then smash them. Compatible with Android and iOS devices1, as well as Bluetooth-enabled accessories like heart-rate monitors, Grip extends its functionality, providing additional performance data to the Under Armour Connected Fitness™ platform. The device is designed to be waterproof and comes with an IP57 certificat...

The Mobile World Congress 2015 kicked off, and as expected Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge at the press event yesterday. The more interesting of the duo is the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge which offers users with a curved display on both sides of the screen. “With the all new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, Samsung is offering what’s next in mobility, along with a new standard to drive the global mobile agenda,” said JK Shin, CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “By listening to our customers, and learning from both our success and missteps, we continuously push forward new technologies and ideas. With a reimagined design, robust partner network and novel services, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge offer users the ultimate experience in smartphone options.” Both handsets offer top-of-the-line specifications, and a different design, offering users a premium look. There’s a 5.1-inch display sporting a resolution of 2,...

At MWC 2015 several companies will be making announcementsfor their new and upcoming products. Microsoft is one of them, however it looks like the announcement was made a bit earlier than expected. The Redmond company announced on their website (it has since been taken down) two new handsets – the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL. Oops. Stuff happens. It wouldn’t be the first time an announcement has jumped the gun. I think we can safely assume that these handsets are the successor to the Lumia 635. But what can we expect from these two handsets? Well, the leaked specifications for the Lumia 640 claim that it will come with a 5-inch display, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of onboard storage. It is also said to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 400 processor which would make this one a low-end device. It will have an 8MP rear-facing camera, and a 1MP front-facing camera too. The Lumia 640 XL is a mystery at the moment, but we can assume that it will have a larger display, hence the XL. We don’t know i...

HTC has launched a new wearable device at Mobile World Congress, the HTC Grip which is designed for sports and fitness. The HTC Grip comes with a 1.8 inch PMOLED display with a resolution of 32 x 160 pixels and it has 90 pixels per inch and it features a 100 mAh battery. HTC, a global leader in innovation and design, today unveiled its first high-performance, smart fitness tracker, the GPS-enabled HTC Grip™. Powered by UA Record, the new health and fitness network from Under Armour designed for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, Grip fuses HTC’s renowned design with powerful, accurate tracking across a range of sports and activities, allowing athletes to set personal goals, then smash them. Compatible with Android and iOS devices1, as well as Bluetooth-enabled accessories like heart-rate monitors, Grip extends its functionality, providing additional performance data to the Under Armour Connected Fitness™ platform. The device is designed to be waterproof and comes with an IP57 certificat...