Sony Tablet P: Is a dual-screen Android tablet worth the bother?
This week we've looked at Sony's new dual-screened Tablet P - it's a clamshell Android tablet that's seriously different from anything else on the market. Read on for what we made of it.
Then we've got our definitive verdict on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, plus the super speedy Intel Core i7 2700K processor and the entry-level Nikon D3100 DSLR.
Plus there's plenty more besides - read on to see all of this week's reviews.
The Android tablet is diversifying by the day, and here's one that… folds in half. Yep, the Sony Tablet P has dual screens and folds closed into something resembling a large glasses case. The slick lines and thin body of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and even the Sony Tablet S are nowhere to be seen, this is a device aimed at a different money-clad consumer.
The clamshell design means it's ideal for keeping in a bag, with little or no chance of damaging the screens, and it's relatively light, too, at 375g. However, movie fans will likely prefer a single-screen tablet such as the Sony Tablet S, and we reckon gamers will wait for the PlayStation Vita instead.
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The lines between consumer and prosumer is becoming increasingly blurred in the camera world, with entry level DSLRs equipping themselves with the type of features you would normally see on a camera hitting the £1,000 plus mark. The Nikon D3100 is the latest feature-rich entry level marker from Nikon and is a replacement to last year's D3000.
The camera has a refined sensor - now offering 14.2MP CMOS - Full HD movie shooting and some nifty new AF modes. And while it has a number of new features, it still retains the simplicity that the D3000 oozed. This makes the camera range a perfect one for those who have never tried a DSLR but want to give one a go.
We'll jump right out and say it: Ice Cream Sandwich is the step forward Android has been crying out for. And in terms of how good you'll think Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich is, it all boils down to personal choice.
We're excited to see how manufacturers will customise it and extol the virtues to improve media or the home networking options, but others will simply be huge fans of the simplicity - our score is a mixture of the tools Google has offered up and the base level of performance on show. But make no mistake - Ice Cream Sandwich is the most accessible and easy-to-learn OS from Google, and that's going to be key in the wars against Apple and Microsoft.
The bundled headset that comes with the Xbox 360 is not really built for game-sound. It's for communicating with other gamers on Xbox Live, and that opens up a market for third party headsets which do both jobs at once. But while this Sennheiser headset sounds great, all the wires are an unwelcome addition to an otherwise wireless world.
The 2700K is the new de facto king of Intel's line of LGA 1155 models. For us, it's the LGA 1155 socket that's really relevant to PC enthusiasts and gamers, not the high-falutin', server-derived LGA 2011 platform and its quad-channel silliness. The 2700K, then, is the fastest chip any mere mortal is likely to run in his PC any time soon. But it's still hardly any better than the 2600K and was thus barely worth Intel's bother bringing it out.
The TechRadar hive mind. The Megazord. The Voltron. When our powers combine, we become 'TECHRADAR STAFF'. You'll usually see this author name when the entire team has collaborated on a project or an article, whether that's a run-down ranking of our favorite Marvel films, or a round-up of all the coolest things we've collectively seen at annual tech shows like CES and MWC. We are one.
