Android Smartphone of The Year: Samsung Galaxy S III

The Galaxy S III is the only real candidate for phone of the year. For the first five months of the year it was the mostly hotly anticipated Android phone ever. Since then it has been everywhere. At last count the S III had sold 30 million units in just five months since its launch, a feat its predecessor the S II took nearly three times as long to match. Its success did not come as a surprise. The S III was a ruthlessly efficient piece of

smartphone technology. It overloaded on the specifications (4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD screen and 1.4 Ghz quad-core processor), packed in some useful software enhancements (TouchWiz was perceived to be a great success) and even managed to deliver on its promise of a sterling battery life.

The resulting momentum was unstoppable, with the phone becoming the de facto alternative to the iPhone and the most high profile device at a time when other manufacturers were struggling. Whether Samsung's dominance is a good thing for the Android fraternity in the longer term remains to be seen, but so long as the company continues knocking out devices like this we doubt anyone will really care.

Software Innovations

Samsung's TouchWiz skin is packed with innovations that change how you interact with the phone. These include the S Voice feature that enables you to search the web just by speaking, and a stay awake function that keeps the screen turned on for as long as you're looking at it.

The Complete Package

Samsung Galaxy S III with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is the most complete example of what a flagship smartphone is in 2012, and going into 2013. It includes just about every modern feature and its performance excels in every area.

Superfast speed

With its powerful quad-core processor the SIII rivals any phone on the planet for speed. Coupled with its large screen it transforms the device from mere smartphone to full-on mobile computer.

Also Recommended:

Samsung Galaxy Note II.  If you saw the S III and thought, "that's great, if only it were bigger" then the Note II is the perfect device for you. With its added S Pen, the phone was an innovation that really worked.

HTC One X.  With the best design and the best screen, the One X really stood out from the crowd. It didn't take off as well as it might have, though, especially once the S III emerged.

Best Android Apps in 2012

BEST PRODUCTIVITY APP

Google Drive

Free

Google Drive is one of the most refined cloud storage apps on the Play store, offering a combination of simple design with deep functionality. The app itself uses a stripped back menu system, and everything you need can be accessed in just a few presses and swipes of the screen. The same can be said about the content uploader, which cuts out the fuss of having to manually go through several menus to upload just a single document, and instead allows for painless bulk uploads of files.

What makes this particular cloud storage app stand out from the strong competition is how it integrates with other Google apps. All your Google Calendar appointments can be added, music purchased through Google Music can be uploaded, and you can also create, edit and upload documents through the Google Docs integration. To be a fantastic application, you don't need fancy design and cutting-edge features, and Google

Drive is living testament to that theory. Performing a function that people need, and repeatedly doing it well, is the sole reason why Google Drive is one of the best apps you can add to your tablet.

BEST SOCIAL APP

Pinterest

Free

Although Pinterest, as a social media site, is still playing catch-up with the likes of Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest is one step ahead in creating a superb official app. All the main features have been ported over to the tablet version of the app, with a few tweaks and modifications along the way. As well as creating your very own pinboard, in which you can add your own posts, including audio and video, you can view other pinboards, leave comments and also sync your account with the main desktop version.

BEST READING APP

GameQ

Free

Despite heavy competition from both the Kindle and Dark Horse Comics apps, GameQ wins for one very key reason - design. From the team at GameFly, GameQ is an interactive gaming magazine that offers a great mix of original content. Features are varied, reviews are thorough and comprehensive and every issue is completely free to download. Text is easy to read, and can be resized and customized to help. Although it's a rather niche subject, GameQ should be celebrated for displaying what magazines should do on Android tablets.

BEST MULTIMEDIA APP

FilmOn TV

Free

FilmOn gives you access to 120 high-quality TV channels in the UK, USA and Europe, which you can watch on your Android device. Channels are quick to buffer, and streaming quality is great compared to similar apps. The planner feature lets you make a schedule of every programme you want to watch in the future, and then alerts you to them when they're a few minutes from starting. With the latest update you’ll automatically be taken to your scheduled programme when it's about to start. With several overseas channels supported, you'll also discover new content that you might enjoy.

BEST CREATIVE APP

Adobe Photoshop Touch

Although it isn't as thorough as its desktop counterpart, Photoshop Touch is a class above any photo and image editing app on the Play store by a clear distance. The level of editing is phenomenal, and no matter what kind of changes, big or small, you'll find an answer within the app. There's a steep learning curve to get started with the app, and people with little knowledge about design may struggle at first, but once you get used to it, you'll find one of the most engaging and useful apps available on the Play store.

2012 Android Tablet Awards

To borrow the catchphrase from Google's arch nemesis, the Nexus 7 changed everything. Until the summer, Android had been proving as unpopular in tablets as it had been popular in phones. It wasn't for the lack of trying, but no matter what combination of specs, price, design or manufacturer, it was looking for all the world like Apple had the tablet market sewn up.

Then came the Nexus 7. Google took matters into its own hands, teamed up with Asus, a company with an already prestigious track record and produced a tablet that tore up the rule book. Tablets so far had either been powerful but expensive, or cheap and mediocre. The Nexus 7 combined the best of both - a fast quad-core processor, a near Retina resolution display, and premium design and build quality, and then priced it at a level that was affordable to just about everyone, and peilously close to the kind of impulse buy point that had caused the eReader market to rapidly explode before it. The result was the best-ever Android tablet - the best value, the best design, the best Android experience and the best for operating system updates. No surprise then that it became the best-selling Android tablet in the world.

There can be no doubt that the Nexus 7 is a game changing tablet. It stands alone as the best Android tablet, and arguably the best tablet of any kind.

Superior design

The Nexus 7 showed seven-inch tablets in a different light. With excellent design and build quality it was an altogether friendlier form factor.

Pure Jelly Bean Android

The Nexus 7 was the first device to run Jelly Bean and will be the first to get subsequent OS updates too. It shows off the power and leanness of Android without any clutter.

Incredible value

Nexus 7 tablets were no longer expensive toys. The incredibly aggressive pricing put it within reach of everyone without needing to justify the purchase.

Also Recommended:

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Combining the best bits of Samsung's pen-based Note devices, with the company's clever software tweaks and great hardware, the Note 10.1 ranked among the best of the larger screened tablets

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity. The Transformer Pad Infinity was nothing more than a major spec splurge from Asus. The highest res screen this side of an iPad 3 (and now, a Nexus 10), outstanding design and a battery that lasted the best part of a week, it was an amazing device.

Top five trends in tablets, in 2012 (source):

1.       Less money, more power. The combination of high quality at affordable prices revolutionised the tablet market. Whether it starts a race to the bottom in 2013 remains to be seen.

2.       Two devices in one. Adding extra functions gave tablets a real purpose. Asus Transformer range replaced the netbook, while the Galaxy Note 10.1 made pen and paper obsolete.

3.       To Retina and beyond. Pixel density is now one of the hottest topics for spec  hounds. Devices like the Nexus 10 and the Nook HD have taken tablets to Retina display levels and further.

4.       The new eReader. With the eReader market saturated, content was king. Budget tabs from Google, Amazon and Barnes & Noble were built for selling music, video and books.

5.       Great for gaming. The arrival of quad-core processors turned tablets into a viable gaming platform, and the number of A list titles increased massively as a result.

Android Game of The Year 2012

And The Winners Is…Mass Effect Infiltrator

Mass Effect is known to all console gamers, with the popular series being one of the most successful on Xbox and PS3. It's a game that bursts with detail. When it appeared on iOS, then, it was with a certain

amount of trepidation. How would it play? Would it match up to the blockbuster releases that helped push home consoles to their limits? It appeared it could. Then it came to Android and it did it all over again. The sights and vistas which burst from the screen when playing Mass Effect Infiltrator on an Android device is enthralling and, yes, the control system is nowhere near as good as its big brother, but that can soon be rectified by using an external Bluetooth controller. 

The game puts you in the shoes of Commander Ezno, darting around, aiming, shooting, ducking for cover, being hit by the enemy and, on newer models, it works like a dream. The same gritty story that made the console version so popular is in full force here, and there's enough longevity to keep you coming back for more. If you look back to this time last year, the chances of this level of gaming would not have been imaginable, but Mass Effect is a true example of the power your smartphone can potentially handle.

The Most Addictive Game:

New Star Soccer is an engaging little football simulator, with a host of RPG elements thrown in for good measure. From the very start the sheer depth of the game becomes clear. You need to choose the country you're based within, and sift through the array of details you can customise. As well as playing football, you must also manage your character's lifestyle, with the ultimate aim to have him signed up by one of the biggest clubs in the country.

Best Android Graphics

Dead Trigger (free)

It is often said that games tend to fall into one of two camps: casual and hardcore, but when you play Dead Trigger you realize that gaming isn't such a dichotomy. Although the graphics of this app could have been taken straight from a console, the fact that it runs on an Android phone is unbelievable. At its heart, it is a straightforward zombie shooter where blasting the undead in the face earns satisfaction. It is well-polished, looks utterly amazing and the gameplay is fast and fluid.

Best Retro-Styled Game

Organ Trail: Director's Cut

Organ Trail is a Kickstarter-funded project that has already got a cult following in its thousands. The game itself boils down to a retro-styled zombie survival game, which sees you trek across America with a handful of friends. You have to keep said friends alive for as long as possible, and not feeding them or leaving them to be ravaged by zombies can lead to them dying. To succeed, you'll need to plan ahead, and the amount of strategy involved, alongside the brilliant graphics, means it's a must-have app for any Android user.

Best Multiplayer Game

Minecraft: Pocket Edition

Minecraft allows you to create anything you can imagine with a series of different blocks and accessories. The terrain on each _ game world can be customised, with the opportunity to dig in to the ground, and add water to a sandy beach. The possibilities are endless, and this is undoubtedly why the game has been so successful and grown such a strong following. Where Minecraft really shines, however, is with its various multiplayer aspects, which allow you to connect with several friends and play the game how you want to play it.

Best Android Camera Phone and Best Design: 2012 Rewards

Sony Xperia T is the best camera phone.

The last couple of years have seen some major advancements in camera phone technology, to the extent that the phone in your pocket is now a more than adequate replacement for a dedicated device. The camera phone scene on Android in 2012 was dominated by three companies. Samsung, whose Galaxy S III camera was super-quick and produced great shots almost every time, while HTC's One series featured a fast lens and dedicated image chip, as well as the best camera software on any device. But our winner is Sony, whose Exmor R sensor delivered clean shots in all but the dimmest lighting conditions to its wide dynamic range, speedy performance and a number of usability enhancements, ranging from the simple (a dedicated camera button) to the ingenious (the ability to take photos even when the phone is locked). The combination came together perfectly in the Xperia T, our camera phone of the year.

Other recommended Devices:

HTC One X. Unrivalled for speed, and the shots look great on the One X's stunning display. But the colours tended to be oversaturated and the images generally noisier than you might expect.

Samsung Galaxy S III. Fast and highly functional, as you’d expect from the S III. The dynamic range was limited, but with low light, performance was good, making this device a good choice for the casual snapper.

BEST DESIGN.

Android phones in 2012 stuck doggedly to the rectangle-with-large-screen form factor – even physical keyboards barely got a look in. But while that meant there was little variation in how phones looked, it didn't prevent the manufacturers with the greatest design chops from producing some beautiful handsets. Chiefly, that meant HTC. The company started the year with a new focus on creating a smaller, higher quality range of devices and it achieved that with the One  series. The One X was the standout.

Carved from a single piece of polycarbonate, housing a huge screen that looked like it had been literally painted onto the front glass, it was a bold statement about the company's determination to start competing with the likes of Apple and Nokia in the build and design stakes.

The One X was a striking piece of industrial design, and one that stood apart from the legions of ‘me-too' phones that pushed the limits in certain areas, without ever actually taking any risks.

Other recommended devices:

HTC One S. Considered by some to be an even better design than the One X, the S had a remarkably thin form factor, was the perfect size and featured a unique and appealing ceramic coating.

HTC One V

A throwback to the company’s golden days, the One V showed that HTC could even do budget phones with more style than its rivals had managed with their flagship models.

Android 2012: Review of TheYear

We take a look back at the best phones, tablets and apps of the last year.

2012 saw more than 50 different Android devices launch, more than a million being sold every day and the OS account for more than three out of every four smartphones being sold. Over the year the number of apps in the Play store nearly doubled to over 700,000, while the number of app downloads continued to grow exponentially, from 10 billion last December to over 25 billion just nine months later. It has, it,s fair to say, been a pretty extraordinary year for Android. Over the next nine pages we review the highs and lows of 2012, and reveal our choices for the best phones, tablets and apps of the year.

This year has seen massive growth in the Android market. The number of devices being activated on a daily basis has now topped one million and there are as many apps on the Play store as there are for iOS. We look back at some of the most notable moments for Android in 2012.

January: 400,000 aps in Android Play Store. The ’Android Design' website is launched to give guidelines to budding developers looking to design Android apps. It proved to be a massive influence on how the year's apps looked. Hugely popular PC game distribution software Steam releases an Android app. Although it was a closed beta at first, the popularity of the beta was soon made in to a full release of the app.

February: For the first time in history, more smartphones are shipped worldwide than the desktop computers.  Just under a million Android devices are confirmed to be activated every day, worldwide. Mobile World Congress brought up some interesting new phones, tablets, and a vision in to the future. Who can forget the fabled Samsung flexi-screen prototype.

March: Ice Cream Sandwich begins a long and protracted rollout process that will still be ongoing as the year comes to an end. Among the first to get going is Sony, who delivers updates to all of its 2011 and 2012 models. iOS hit Temple Run finally hits the Android Market, and allows everyone to get their free-running fix. The game quickly passed a million downloads.

April: Google's very own cloud-storage service is released, named Google Drive. Not only does it allow a great solution for storing files, it also integrated with Google Docs allowing you to create and edit documents within it. HTC One X released. Instagram launches for Android... and is promptly bought by Facebook.

May: The hotly rumored Samsung Galaxy S III is released to the masses. The device sports a 4.8-inch display, 8-MP camera, and is the flagship device for the Android OS. The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is among a glut of new tablet launches. 500,000 apps are available on the Play store. Orange unveils the San Diego, the first Android phone based on an Intel processor. Google's acquisition of Motorola is completed, allowing Google to take advantage of the 17,000 patents that Motorola currently holds on their phones, tablets and other electrical devices.

June: 20 billion downloads on the Play store. Popular news aggregation app, Flipboard comes out of beta for public release on Android. The app collects content from various websites and blogs, presenting it in a functional magazine format. New Google products The Google I/O event brings several big announcements. Android 4.1 , Nexus 7, and the Nexus Q were all officially announced here. LG announces the Optimus G, one of the most powerful quad-core phones and the forerunner to the Nexus 4.

July: Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) is launched alongside the Nexus 7 tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is the first phone to get the OS update. Android-based games console Ouya becomes the second highest earning project in history on Kickstarter. The $99 console raised $8,596,475 in less than a month.

August: Android's issues with Flash come to a conclusion, with the app being pulled from the Play store after months of speculation. Android cameras make their debut thanks to Samsung and Nikon.

September: The Google Play store celebrates 25 billions downloads, and puts a variety of apps, books, movies and albums on sale at a bargain price. As Of Q3 2012, there were 500 million total Android devices activated and 1.3m new activations taking place. A security flaw is found in both Samsung and HTC handsets, allowing hackers to remotely wipe devices. The problem is quickly identified and fixed soon after. The official Jelly Bean update begins rolling out to Galaxy S3 owners.

October: The Kindle Fire HD goes on sale in the UK, followed shortly by the Nook HD. Both affordable devices aim to bring tablets to the eReading crowd. Galaxy Note II is released.A s Of Q3 2012, there were 500 million total Android devices activated and 1.3m new activations taking place every day.

November: The Galaxy S III surpasses 30 million sales worldwide. Rovio and Lucas Arts join forces to produce Angry Birds Star Wars.

Android vs iOS: Specs War Between Nexus 10 and iPad 4

The on-paper specifications for Nexus 10 look like this:

With the latest Jelly Bean release, 2GB of RAM, a dual-core A15 Eagle processor, Mali T604 GPU and a great 1.9-MP front camera, there is no denying the Android device is an impressive machine that packs a punch in the spec stakes.

Display:

The Super PLS LCD display beats the iPad 4. The 2,560 x 1,600 pixel resolution and pixel density of 300ppi is mightily impressive. What also edges it is the fact that the super-clear screen is larger too, coming in at a brilliant 10.1 inches.

Android Nexus 10 Ecosystem:

If there is an issue with the Nexus 10, then it's the range of apps. Anyone with a Nexus 7 will know that there are fewer tablet apps around. There are not that many apps - in comparison - which are taking advantage of the 10.1 inch screen. That will change, though.

Value:

It is tricky to equate value but when you consider the price point of the Nexus 10, then it becomes a very attractive proposition. You could argue that Apple has set the pricing parameter. So to get the Nexus for just £319 is amazing.

Storage:

You can buy the Nexus 10 in two forms: one with 16GB of storage and the other with 32GB. This is absolutely fine for the vast majority of people. It is a shame that you cannot plug in extra external storage, although cloud services are available for use.

iPad 4 is quite an opponent. Let’s take a look at its characteristics:

Specs:

The processor is also dual-core, but the 1GB of RAM and the 1.2-MP front camera is inferior to the Nexus 10. Coupled with a heavier build and a smaller form factor, not even the smooth iOS 6 update (with its dodgy Maps application) can really make up for it.

Display:

The iPad's display has long been seen as a flagship feature for Apple. The Retina technology means it can pack in a 9.7-inch IPS LCD multi-touch screen with 2,048x1,536 pixel resolution and a pixel density of 264 pixels-per-inch. It is impressive.

Ecosystem:

The iPad is firmly established and it is very well catered for with plenty of apps available for it. But then it's been going for a lot longer and it also took a short while to get going. Given that there are as many Android apps as Apple nowadays, it won't be long before the Nexus catches up.

Value:

An iPad 4 costs £399 forthe 16GB version. If you want to get anything around the price of the Nexus 10, you're looking at the inferior and older iPad 2. The iPad mini is actually the closest in price to the Nexus 10 for a modern machine, but this is better compared to the Nexus 7.

Storage:

This is where the iPad edges things, although, like the Nexus 10, it too doesn't allow for external storage (even though cloud services are also available from Google Drive to Dropbox). You are able to buy a 64GB version of the iPad 4. It is expensive, though.