An entry-level handset that has a less than groundbreaking array of specs
Update: We've altered our review to reflect improved
pricing on the Optimus L3 - does that make it any more worthwhile as a
smartphone though?
Some way off becoming a leader of the
smartphone scene, LG's Optimus L3 is an entry-level handset that
counteracts a less than groundbreaking array of specs, largely
uninspiring styling and a less than fluid user experience with an
impressive performance in the area that is arguably most important to
its intended market, pricing.
Lining up for as little as £79.95 on
a pay-as-you-go basis or from £7.50 per month on a monthly contract,
the L3 is one third of the Optimus L series and lines up as the smaller,
lower-end sibling to the mid-market L5 and higer-end L7.
Banking
on its wallet-friendly price point to separate it from the expansive
range of entry-level smartphones, the latest LG offering faces stiff
competition from a flurry of more aesthetically pleasing, specs
impressive and desirable devices from more coveted brands of the
pocketable handset sector, such as Samsung and HTC. While
the handset's sub £100 price tag will appeal to many, the minimalist
price point comes at a cost with the handset's dated array of specs
seeing the device line up with a number of its core elements, such as
the screen and inbuilt camera, falling below the expected standards. Despite
its widespread limitations, thanks to the device's 800MHz processor and
few hardware demands, the LG Optimus L3 is rather zippy, with the
sub-sized smartphone enabling you to freely scroll through the selection
of Android 2.3 Gingerbread-enabled home screens and menus with ease,
tackling the transitions in a simple, albeit low resolution manner. On
first impressions the handset is largely disappointing with an
extremely low-resolution touchscreen display providing heavily grained
images and far from impressive visuals. These first impressions are only
further compounded the deeper you delve into the handset's core. On
the compact side of the smartphone spectrum, the 3.2-inch LCD TFT
capacitive touchscreen offering found on the LG Optimus L3 is a frankly
pitiful inclusion. Far from responsive, the QVGA feature boasts just a
320 x 240p image resolution with the low quality images further depleted
by the minimalist 256K colour contrast ration and poor 125
pixels-per-inch image density.
Although sure to attract many
thanks to its extremely low pricing, the LG Optimus L3 features fewer
bells and whistles, and a lower array of hardware features, than a
number of its similarly priced rivals, with the £79.99 priced Orange San Francisco
offering a superior 800 x 480p resolution display. Elsewhere the
Alcatel OT-602 manages to utilise the same 320 x 240p resolution screen,
albeit on a smaller scale, and the HTC Desire C runs the more current Android 4.0 operating system. Not
all doom and gloom, there are areas of the hardware wars where the LG
Optimus L3 comes into its own and manages to gain some much needed added
credit. In a section of the market increasingly dependent on the use of
microSD cards for any workable amount of internal storage, the L3
boasts 1GB of memory inbuilt.
While the device can still be
expanded up to 32GB via microSD, this full gigabyte base is a marked
improvement on many of its sub 256MB touting rivals. Fulfilling
its role as a smartphone, the LG Optimus L3, like virtually all modern
devices, offers you the standard collection of connectivity options with
the now customary 3G and Wi-Fi abilities further enhanced by Bluetooth
3.0.
In terms of internals, while Google's Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS is no longer at the fore of software potential, with no Android 4.0
ICS update to be made available, LG's decision to skin the L3 with its
own Optimus 2.0 Lite user interface could be seen as a mistake. A less
than fluid experience helps create a device that through a period of
long-term use would quickly transform multiple small niggles into a
series of massive molehills
The cheapest Windows Phone available, but does it sacrifice too much?
Updated: We've taken
another look at the Lumia 610, with a new price drop making it much
cheaper - but does it make it better than the still-cheaper Nokia Lumia 710?
The
Nokia Lumia 610 has placed itself squarely at the low end of the
smartphone market, with just 256MB of RAM and a single-core 800MHz
processor.
Alongside the new stripped down Windows Phone Tango
operating system and a new, more wallet-friendly UK price tag of only
around £125 on Pay as you go, or free on contracts starting from just
£13 per month.
This oddly puts it at a higher price than the better-specified Nokia Lumia 710 - we're not sure what's going on here, especially in the UK market.
Although
the Nokia Lumia 610 is broadly competing with every other low spec and
low price handset, its real competition will come from other Windows
Phone Tango handsets, such as the ZTE Tania.
It remains to be seen how they'll fare, since the Nokia Lumia 610 has
beaten them to market, so as a pioneer of the new budget-conscious
operating system, how does the Nokia Lumia 610 stack up? Based
on physical impressions, it isn't likely to stand out in a crowd, with a
plastic body and a dinky 3.7-inch 800 x 480 TFT screen. The sides have a
metallic gleam to them but it's never likely to be mistaken for real
metal, and the illusion is lost altogether once you actually hold the
phone, which feels plastic through and through. It's
not flimsy, though, with a reassuringly sturdy back cover and a
generally solid feel. At 131.5g, it weighs about what you'd expect for a
phone of its size, which is to say that it's light, but given its
relatively small dimensions of 119 x 62 x 12mm, the weight feels about
right. This
all serves to give the Nokia Lumia 610 a feeling of surprisingly high
quality for such a cheap phone. Especially when compared, for example,
to the substantially more expensive Samsung Galaxy S2, which has none of the density or solidity to it that the Nokia Lumia 610 has. Sticking
to the trademark bright and bold colours of the Lumia range, the Nokia
Lumia 610 comes in magenta or cyan, or if you're feeling more
conventional, black or white. The
phone features several hardware buttons, all of which are positioned on
the right-hand side. There's a volume rocker near the top, the power
button in the middle and a dedicated camera button at the bottom. The
layout isn't totally ideal, since - depending on how you're holding the
phone - the camera button can be awkward to reach without using two
hands. And having the power button so close to the volume rocker means
it's easy to press the wrong button.
We can't help but feel that
having the power button opposite the volume rocker and moving the camera
button slightly further up the body of the phone would have worked
better, as it requires some thumb movement to turn the phone on when
held naturally in the hand. In
addition, the Nokia Lumia 610 has soft key buttons just below the
screen for home, back and search. These are intuitive and feature
pictures of each function, making their use obvious even to someone
who's never used the phone before. The
ports, meanwhile, all sit along the top of the phone, with a 3.5mm
headphone socket in the centre, and a micro USB connector on the right.
There's also a wrist strap hole on the top-left, while the microphone
sits alone at the bottom of the phone. There's
no microSD card slot, which is especially disappointing given the
paltry 8GB of internal storage. The battery cover requires a slide down
from the main chassis to remove - something that can be hard for those
used to popping a backplate off. Thankfully,
for most users it's a problem they'll only have to face once, since as
soon as the SIM card is in there's little reason to remove the cover
again. Although it's good to know that if you ever want to replace the
battery, the option is there, even if it is a little fiddly to get at. The
Nokia Lumia 610 sports a respectable 5MP camera, the lens of which lies
flush with the back cover of the phone. This is always cause for
concern, because scratches and smudges can play havoc with photos,
although in our time with the phone, while it's certainly seen its share
of smudges, the lens has thankfully remained scratch-free. Ultimately,
while it's not going to win any design awards, the Nokia Lumia 610 is a
reasonably attractive and well built handset.
Sony's small Android smartphone offers a dual-core processor and plenty of charm
The Sony Xperia U sits at the cheaper end of Sony's range of Android smartphones, using similar styling to the much larger Xperia S and the slightly larger Xperia P and Xperia Miro, setting it apart from Sony's rounder phones, including the rugged Sony Xperia Go and budget Xperia Tipo.
The
Sony Xperia U is the smallest of the three handsets, offering a
3.5-inch TFT display inside the same angular, black case as the Xperia S
and Xperia P, and an odd transparent plastic strip acting as part
design feature, part information panel and part silly light-up novelty.
Prices
are relatively modest for a modern smartphone that says "Sony" on it,
with the Xperia U popping up for £189 in the UK, or $340 in the US,
SIM-free. But can you really get the style of the Xperia S on a budget? It's
pretty close. The Sony Xperia U is small and solid, offering much the
same in balance and build quality as last year's excellent Sony Xperia Ray, with Sony putting three capacitive touch buttons beneath the display, indicated by tiny silvery dots.
There's
an explanatory icon embedded in the transparent strip, telling Android
newcomers these buttons are, from left to right, Back, Home and Menu.
The
touch areas are big and very sensitive to presses, meaning it's easy to
use the phone without thinking too much about your actions or having to
aim your button stabs.
The smaller 3.5-inch display makes the Sony Xperia U fit the hand well, so one-handed use is possible with ease, too. Above
the screen sits the front-facing VGA camera, which can be toggled and
selected within the camera app, producing low-res images that emerge
from the camera at 640 x 480 resolution. There's also a proximity sensor up here so the phone knows if you're holding it to your head and can dim the screen accordingly.
The
sides are black with rather flimsy and plasticky buttons, with the
3.5mm headphone jack up top and the USB connector top left. The
right-hand side of the Sony Xperia U is where the party starts, because
this edge houses the power button, which is nice and easy to find at
the top right, along with the volume up/down rocker in the middle, then
the camera button bottom-right. The
chunky power button's easy to find and the physical camera shutter
button is always a useful thing to have, especially since the latter
brings up the camera app when held down for a second or two, even when
the phone's in standby.
The camera button is quite flat and well
recessed into the Sony Xperia U's case, meaning you have to press it
pretty hard to make it focus and register. We tended to end up using the
on-screen button to take shots instead, because it's just easier. And
there's your big, exciting design feature - the strip lights up. In
more than one colour. It's quite cool, especially when viewing photos in
the gallery, because the Sony Xperia U detects the most prominent
colour in the shot, then alters the colour of this strip accordingly.
It's hard to take a photo of. The strip's much brighter and more colourful to the human eye, more so in the dark. And
if you're even more colour obsessed, the black plastic beneath the
see-through strip can be unclipped and replaced with something brighter.
White. Or Pink. Or yellow. Which is great, if you're a child. Removing
the back is a rather hard and worrying experience. You have to press it
down and push it up, which means squeezing the phone quite tight and
putting a lot of pressure on the display.
We were quite worried
we'd end up breaking the display from the pressure. But we didn't. We
should probably stop worrying so much.
Inside
the Sony Xperia U sits a full-size SIM card slot, although there's no
SD support in here, so you're stuck with the relatively tight 4GB of
accessible storage space Sony has put in here.
That's a bit of a
shame, but at least the battery is replaceable, which will earn the Sony
Xperia U some brownie points in this age of sealed, non-accessible
phones, such as the iPhone. All
of this comes together to give the Sony Xperia U a quality, well-made
feel, that apes the design of the high-end Sony Xperia S well.
It
feels tough and durable, the display and buttons are sensitive, while
the smaller 3.5-inch screen is bright and clear, so much so that it
could be considered a worthy replacement for many bigger, more costly
Android models. Thanks to Three for sending us the phone
Update: We've
now spent a few months living day in, day out with the Samsung Galaxy
SIII, so check out our findings. We've also got the latest version of
the software, so we've updated the review with all the fancy new
features as well.
With the latest version of Android, a whopping
4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD screen and a whole suite of Apple-beating
features, is the new Samsung Galaxy SIII the greatest phone ever?
Samsung
has made a big deal about this new phone, not only choosing to launch
it at a big and glitzy standalone event in London as well as a huge
media blitz during the 2012 Olympics but also claiming nearly 10 million
pre-orders before it's even launched.
The price is pretty
palatable for a top-end phone – in fact, every major US service provider
is expected to carry the phone. Simply put, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is
already much, much cheaper than any iPhone would ever launch for.
The
Samsung Galaxy S3 is, according to Samsung anyway, 'inspired by nature –
it sees, listens, responds, and allows you to share the greatest
moments'. While this is all a little hyperbolic, the nature theme is certainly present when you handle the phone for the first time.
Brushed
polycarbonate – you've got a choice of 'Marble White' and 'Pebble Blue'
– adorns the large device, which runs in with dimensions of 136.6 x
70.6 x 8.6mm, despite still having to pack in a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD
screen. We'll
lay it out right now: the plastic feeling of the Galaxy S3 won't appeal
to all. It feels very lightweight (despite tipping the scales at 133g)
in the hand, and some people will read this as feeling a little cheap.
However, it's exactly the same sensation as we found on the Galaxy S2,
and given the silly numbers of sales that had, we think there's more
than a market for a phone that you'll barely notice in your pocket most
of the time. But
we'll be very clear on this - the Galaxy S3 is not a cheap-feeling
phone. It's got a really solid Gorilla Glass 2 front, a well-packaged
interior and a more robust battery cover. It's polycarbonate rather than
bog-standard plastic, although we're not sure some people will like the
more rounded nature of the design. However, despite being made of similar material, there's no doubt that the One X
feels more premium in the hand thanks to being a touch more weighty…
there's something about something so large being so light that some will
find disconcerting. Amendment: the HTC One X is
actually 3g lighter than the S3, but despite carrying both around at
once, the S3 still felt lighter, which shows the way texture can affect
the way a phone feels in the hand.
There's no doubt in our minds
that the Pebble Blue offering is the much more attractive option, as the
Marble White looks similar to a low-end Galaxy Mini or similar – the brushed effect is really necessary. Compared to rest of the Galaxy line, the S3 has more in common with the original Galaxy S
than the S2, with curved edges the theme in the design language. The
home button has also been elongated, although the same menu and back
buttons remain from the prequel. Overall, the effect is much more like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus than anything else – rounded edges, HD screen but with a more minimal bezel to really accentuate the larger screen in the hand.
The
button design around the phone has been well thought out in our opinion
- for a phone this big it's very difficult to make all the keys
accessible, so putting the lock button on the right-hand side rather
than the top makes a large degree of sense.
The addition of the
lozenge-shaped home button, and its softkey 'Back' and 'Menu' buttons
are great additions in our eyes, as it means contextual menus can be
found easily without needing to mess around looking for the on-screen
icon.
The volume up and down button is parallel to the lock key on
the left-hand side of the phone, and also within easy reach when
holding the Galaxy S3 in the hand. The
microUSB slot is placed at the bottom of the phone - easy to find with a
charger but it will be interesting to see how it's used when placed in
docks and car cradles. The
battery cover is also made of the same polycarbonate material as the
rest of the body. Yes, you read that right - the battery cover is
removable! This
means that not only can switch the battery in and out - a key
consideration for many people - there's also a cheeky surprise in the
shape of a microSD slot next to the microSIM port. Expandable memory?
This just gets better and better.
This means that theoretically
you'll be able to have a 128GB-capacity Samsung Galaxy S3 if you combine
the top spec of internal memory (64GB) with the largest microSD card
around at the moment (64GB)... making it a mouth-watering prospect for
those that love a spot of media. Sure,
there are stats that say only 10% of users regularly go over 16GB of
storage, but there's always the lower end version of the Galaxy S3 for
that... but with HD movie downloads becoming far more prevalent, plus
the influx of HD apps, we're thinking more space is an excellent idea.
But
overall, in the hand, the Samsung Galaxy S3 feels superb. The design
contours well against the palm, and while the screen size may be a
little big for some (you'll need a bit of shuffling to reach the upper
section of the screen) it's definitely useable in the hand.
So in
short: if you don't mind a slightly lighter-feeling polycarbonate shell
and you like big HD screens in your pocket, this is a phone definitely
worth checking out.
Our definitive look at the final release of Windows 8
Note: This review
has been completely revised for the Windows 8 RTM release and we'll be
updating it as we learn more about the Windows 8 apps and also about
Windows RT for ARM devices.
The final, Release to
Manufacturing (RTM) version of Windows 8 is now available to developers,
IT professionals and (soon) businesses with volume licences (or to
intrepid testers who don't mind an evaluation version that expires after
90 days and can't be upgraded, downloaded from here).
The rest of us will have to wait until October when Windows 8 upgrades, new Windows 8 PCs and Windows RT devices
will be released - but this is the final version that you'll get then,
so we can finally review the full, finished Windows 8 operating system. Get some work done and keep your social network handy in the People appIf
you've been following Windows 8 through the development process,
especially if you've tried the Release Preview, Windows 8 won't surprise
you. The changes between the Release Preview and RTM aren't major,
except possibly the removal of Aero Glass transparency from desktop
windows and turningDo Not Track (DNT) on by default.
New to Windows 8?Windows
8 represents a fundamental shift in the way Windows works and is far
more touchscreen-orientated for use on tablets as well as traditional
PCs. If you're completely new to Windows 8 and haven't used a preview
version, we'd recommend you check out our guide to the new features
you'll find in Windows 8 compared to Windows 7
The
real difference is that Windows 8 is finished; it's polished and
smooth, with even better performance than in the previews, and none of
the rough edges left.
Even the previously disappointing Modern UI-style
apps such as Mail, Calendar, Messaging and People are slick, sleek and
far more functional. Even though Microsoft says it will carry on
updating them, they're now useful and engaging rather than frustrating.
This is Microsoft putting it all together.
Running Windows 8 RTM
First of all, it's worth noting that the Windows 8 RTM is still only for x86/64 PCs; there isn't a version of Windows RT for ARM devices that you can download and try out, since there aren't any ARM devices that will run it.
That's
because of the extremely custom way that ARM devices are built, where
not even the way to control a physical button is standard. Microsoft
isn't supporting tablets built to run Android or WebOS, either.
Much
of what we're seeing in the RTM will be the same on Windows RT systems
as it is in Windows 8. Most features - from the Start screen user
interface to the touch gestures, to the Windows desktop and built-in
Windows tools such as File Explorer and Task Manager - will be
practically identical (although we don't have a definitive list of which
built-in tools will be built in with Windows RT).
The vast
majority of apps in the Windows Store will run on both. Microsoft has
even confirmed it will offer Flash functionality for IE on Windows RT
(at least on what it calls the "initial delivery of Windows RT PCs").
But
until we see it in action, we don't know what Windows RT performance
and battery life will be like (although the promised battery life for
Connected Standby and HD video playback looks impressive, at up to 409
and 13 hours, respectively). Windows
8 doesn't include the desktop Office apps that will be bundled with
Windows RT either - although you can still install the Office 2013
Customer Preview - and of course it runs all the x86 desktop apps that
won't work on RT. It also has the optional Windows Media Center, which
we don't expect to be available for Windows RT.
Along with the
final release, we have the final system requirements for Windows 8; much
the same as for Windows 7, with some added requirements for WinRT apps.
You
need a 1GHz or faster CPU (it also needs to support PAE or PAE-NX
Physical Address Extension for new security features in the Windows 8
kernel), 1GB of RAM (or 2GB for 64-bit systems), 20GB of hard drive
space and a DirectX 9 graphics card with WDDM driver.
If you want
to use the Windows Store to download WinRT apps, you need a screen
resolution of at least 1024 x 768, and if you want to snap two WinRT
apps side by side, that goes up to a minimum of 1366 x 768.
The iPhone 5 release date is upon us. Here are our thoughts on the phone
The Apple iPhone 5
release date is upon is, with the latest arrival boasting a 16:9,
4-inch screen, new smaller port, thinner, lighter design and 4G LTE.
Last year's iPhone 4S
always felt like an incremental upgrade rather than a true step
change, and although it sold wonderfully for Apple and brought some
interesting additions, few would argue against the suggestion that it
opened the door for competitors.
As a result, this year's iPhone 5 launch was perhaps most important for Apple since the very first iPhone arrived back in 2007.
If you're looking for iPhone 5 price details or what the best iPhone 5 deal is for you, then check out our article iPhone 5 price: deals and prices compared. For
anyone following the rumors over the past year, the iPhone 5 features
won't bring any major surprises, with many of the new features expected –
including the new dimensions and the improved A6 chip.
The
iPhone 5's camera is smaller, hardier and enhanced by the more powerful
chip, and the front-facing camera is bumped up to a 720p version. Wi-Fi
is improved and the inclusion of 4G is a must have in the current phone
world. But
it is the size, design and shape that will win the most admiring
glances. The all glass and aluminium chassis can claim to be the
thinnest smartphone, at 7.6 millimeters "thin."
The 4-inch screen
keeps the retina resolution despite the added length, which Apple has
brought in to make the iPhone 5 more movie-friendly. The
added real-estate is welcome, especially given the growth of its
rivals, and apps will apparently be easy to move onto the new screen
size for developers.
In the hand the Apple iPhone 5 certainly
feels comfortable. You can see why Apple decided to keep the width the
same, since it fits the hand nicely – just as its predecessors have.
The
most relevant comparison for many is with its predecessor the iPhone 4S
and, for those on the now common two-year contracts, the iPhone 4.
The
new phone certainly feels different – and although there will be the
odd naysayer, the overwhelming majority will feel that the iPhone 5's
design is a good step up from the now ageing chassis of both the 4S and
4. The move away from glass is a welcome one, and the aluminium manages to bring a premium feel in a notably lighter device.
A
new chip definitely brings a snappier feel. Many people with an iPhone 4
will be all too used to the lagginess when trying to do anything even
slightly complex with the devices, and the Apple iPhone 5 manages to
take things on as far as you would expect in more than two years.
What
is perhaps more suprising is just how much snappier this feels than the
iPhone 4S. The A6 chip clearly has significantly more grunt power under
its smaller hood – but what is surprising is that you can immediately
tell when you use the device alongside its predecessor.
Practically
speaking, this probably isn't enough to make you want to leave a 4S
unless you're a hardcore fan, but it will convince many iPhone 4 users
to stick with the Apple ecosystem for another generation – and you get
the impression that this is goal number one for the company. The
added length could have made the phone unwieldy, but the loss of
thickness ensures that it maintains its balance and premium feel.
Those
people who were used to the iPhone 4 and 4S will certainly notice the
difference that the new iPhone 5 design brings. It served to make the
device feel more modern, and the materials used keep that premium feel
that Apple has put so much stock in. Thinner, lighter and more screen were always on the cards, and the fans' desires are understandable.
The
aluminium backplate feels lovely – just textured enough to feel very
different from its predecessors and, to our taste, preferable to the
glass. The
iPhone 5 screen is bright and colorful, although it's difficult to
truly appreciate the small upgrade that Apple has made in the bright
lights of the show room. The
camera is also more difficult to test properly, but it certainly seemed
to take a photo faster, something that can be a frustration on older
iPhones. From a software perspective, iOS 6
brings with it a wealth of new features that will certainly make a
major difference to not only the way the iPhone 5 feels, but also its
predecessors the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S when they get the updated
software.
Maps, for instance, is significantly altered after
Apple ended its longstanding agreement to use Google Maps and pushed
forward with its own offering, in conjunction with sat nav giant TomTom.
The
new maps certainly look the part, with some beautiful 3D renders and
snazzy looking new vector graphics. We really want to take some time to
tell you just how well the new offering performs in the wild, when we
get a handset in for our full iPhone 5 review, coming soon.
The
showcased flyover mode was great for the riverside of London, but as you
would expect fell flat pretty quickly once you left the tourist
districts and got to residential areas.
Early indications
elsewhere are good, however, as the "Apple designed" tag is pushed to
the forefront. The tilt and rotate view functionality looks gorgeous,
and the turn-by-turn navigation is likely to attract praise with a
simple and intuitive interface. However
Maps is by no means perfect, and those of you who are used to the
wealth of information offered up by Google Maps may be disappointed with
Apple's solution, especially as there isn't a Google Maps app in the
App Store yet.
Apple Maps seems to be missing key details, as for
example, we found certain train stations didn't exist in the Cupertino
firm's world.
Still, the whole Maps experience flows very well,
with the smooth zoom and slick image rendering making it a joy to use –
with hardly any waiting around for new areas of the world to load,
something which can take its time on Google's version.
Safari has
also received an overhaul and the boost in speed is apparent from the
word go, as the iPhone 5 zips through pages like a hot knife through
butter – the famous TechRadar.com took just four seconds to load in a
usable form, and an additional two to fully display all the banners.
We
still prefer the Android way of doing bookmarks, with small thumbnails
of your favorite sites offering a more visually pleasing experience, but
Safari's list does the job.
The offline reading function keeps
the URL links live on the save paged, allowing you to click through to
other areas of the website when you regain signal – something most
Android offerings don't do, instead saving the page as a PDF like
document.
Siri has been given a major, and frankly much-needed,
overhaul with the voice "companion" functionality extended into new
languages and new territories in an attempt to turn the iPhone 4S's
overhyped and under-featured personal assistant up to a useful level.
It
coped better with the noise of the press room than its predecessor –
presumably due to the new microphone set up in the new iPhone 5, and
could answer the two or three stock questions we asked it.
However,
drilling down for information on lower-league sports teams was not easy
for Siri - having to resort to a Google (haven't quite ditched your
rival completely, have we?) search for the answer. Given
the obsession with Facebook, the need for better integration was a key
addition for Apple in its latest operating system, and the iPhone 5 and
its older brothers will benefit from a major overhaul of the way in
which the social network links up with your handset.
The Facebook
(and Twitter) functionality feels much more central to the experience
this time around, and having the ability to post from the notifications
screen feels like an obvious inclusion that works well.
