These days, movies cost a lot of money so it’s not uncommon for them to have some promotional product tie-ins. While this can make a movie seem like a commercial, there’s usually a line between what’s acceptable and what isn’t. For example, it would be a sham if Gandalf used a AT&T phone to call Frodo in the Lord of the Rings movie.

Then we have the Sony Xperia T. The phone of choice for James Bond in the new Skyfall flick. If I were to guess what kind of phone James Bond actually uses my guess is that it would be something waterproof, but then again, the T’s a slick device - I could see him using one.
...

Verizon and HTC just announced the DROID DNA. The DNA has a 5" 1920x1080 display with a pixel density of 440 PPI. The retina display on the iPhone and other high definition phone displays hovers around 320PPI.

It will have Qualcomm's Quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with support for LTE. Other specs include a 8MP camera with a f/2.0 lens and a front-facing f/2.1 camera - better take down all your embarrassing posters! The headphone jack has a 2.55volt amplifier, I have no idea what kind of power other phones give you. It also comes with Android 4.1 Jellybean.

I'm extremely disappointed that the DNA appears to only have 16GB of NON EXPANDABLE storage. If this is the case the DNA will only have around 11GB of storage available. I'm also annoyed that it's only available with a 2020mAh battery. Quad-core + a 5" display with a 2020mAh battery is a recipe for disaster.

What is it with HTC and small amounts of non-expandable storage? Is it some scheme from carriers to put HTC out of business?

...

While it’s been awhile since I’ve reviewed a pair of Bluetooth headphones but I jumped at a chance to try a pair of Parrot Zik’s.




They’re designed by Phillip Starck and are packed with goodies that make the phone nerd inside me drool! Besides Bluetooth, they also have NFC, a removable battery, touch sensitive controls, sensors that can tell when you’re not wearing them and upgradable firmware. Those features are all great but the Zik’s Pièce de résistance is that the Zik comes with its own app. I’ll talk more about the app later.

I haven’t even mentioned the design yet. Unlike all the colourful headphones you see these days, the Zik has a slick modern design. The plastic surfaces are all soft to the touch while the metallic pieces are actually metal. They look really cool and don’t shout “My mom bought me these headphones” like a pair of Beats headphones. ...

*EDIT* The Nexus 4 became available around 11:35 and was sold out around 5 minutes later. Did you snag one?


Just wanted to remind you all that Nexus 4 orders start tomorrow on Google Play.

The Nexus 4 will be available with 8GB or 16GB of non expandable storage. If you're thinking of a Nexus 4 do yourself a favour and get the 16GB version. 8GB doesn't cut it if you plan on using the camera, listening to music, storing videos and most importantly, downloading apps. Some games can weigh in at 100's of MB if not GB's.

It will be unlocked and will cost either $299USD ($309CAN) for the 8GB or $349USD ($359CAN) for the 16GB.

The Nexus 4 comes with a 4.7" 1280x768 IPS display, 2GB of RAM, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 pro processor, 2100mAh battery and built-in wireless charging. While it lacks any LTE support it has penta-band HSPA so it will be compatible with all North American HSPA frequencies along with some international ones as well.

Hardware-wise it's very similar to the LG Optimus G which I reviewed recently (great phone btw).

One thing to keep in mind is that Google Play charges around $20 for shipping plus they screwed up the Nexus 7 launch badly. I had a friend who pre-ordered his Nexus 7 from Google Play like a good fanboy and he ended up getting his N7 DAYS after I got mine. I pre-ordered mine from Futureshop a while after he did. I was also able to get a N7 the day of the launch from the store. I also didn't pay for shipping.

Personally I'm not sure if I'll order via Google Play and pay the extra 20 bucks or wait to see if a more reliable retailer sells it.

The Nexus 10 Tab with an eye-popping 2560x1600 10" display and a state-of-the-art dual-core ARM Coretex A-15 processor will also be launching tomorrow in 16 and 32GB versions. It will be $409CAN for the 16GB and $509 for the 32GB. Take off $10 for USD pricing.

Who's going to order one? ...

Blackberry 10 will be launching January 30th. It will launch in multiple countries simultaneously. There will be 2 devices at launch.

Who's excited? ...

Here’s the Xperia Go. An entry level Smartphone that’s waterproof.

I’m impressed that it comes with a dual-core NovaThor U8500 processor and a microSD slot (the Xperia U didn’t) plus you get Android 4.0 (this is a Sony phone). I’m not surprised that it comes with 512MB of RAM has a 5MP camera and 8GB of storage (probably 4GB available). I’m a bit annoyed that it has a 3.6” 430x320 display and a 1305mAh battery. ...

I got a chance to play with the Sony Xperia T. The T is known as the James Bond Phone because he uses one in the new Bond Flick that’s launching soon.

Spec-wise the T is similar to the Galaxy S III and HTC One X (the LTE versions). Dual-core 1.5Ghz Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB built-in storage plus a Micro SD slot, 1850mAh battery, 4.6” LCD display and 12.8/1.3MP cameras. It also supports Mira-cast (video out via WiFi). It ships with Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich).




It’s launching on Rogers, TELUS, Bell, Mobilicity, Videotron, MTS plus they mentioned Wind too (though I’m not sure if they got confused). Kudos to Sony for getting it on most carriers!
...

So the UPS driver dropped of my iPad mini today. I actually order both a white and black iPad mini. My black one showed up while my white one is back-ordered for 2 weeks.



When I first opened the Mini I couldn't help noticing that the finish feels fantastic. The edges of the bezel are like the iPhone 5 while the back is metal that feels kind of satin-y.



Before I even turned it on I thought that the Mini feels substantially larger than my Nexus 7. The Nexus 7 has a 7" 16:9 screen while the Mini's is 7.9" with 4:3 aspect ratio. In my hand the Mini is a lot wider and not comfortable at all to hold unlike my Nexus 7. ...

It’s been a bit of a boring year for LG. Aside from a few mid and entry level handsets, the last really interesting phone that LG brought out was the Optimus LTE.

During that time, we've been treated to phones like the HTC One S, One X, Motorola RAZR HD LTE, ATRIX HD LTE, Sony Xperia ION, and Samsung Galaxy S III. One similarity between all those phones are that they all have similar Qualcomm dual core processors.

One thing I’m sure many manufacturers hate about Android is that they all have access to similar hardware so they all end up having to play the hardware game. I was a little surprised that LG didn’t join the party with their own similar offering.

Now, LG is launching their new flagship phone. The LG Optimus G. It actually shares the same guts as the upcoming Google Nexus 4 with a few changes that I'll discuss later.

What’s special about it is that it ups the stakes in the hardware game with it’s new Qualcomm processor that doubles the core count plus adds a new more powerful graphics processor: The Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro. While I’m sure it’s going to become quite ubiquitous for now it makes the G unique. ...