Acer Aspire V 13 review: classic budget laptop offers better wireless, faster storage and solid performance with good battery life

Most laptops that cost under £400 tend to be quite large and clunky. Not so the Acer Aspire V 13, a lightweight cheapie of an ultrabook. Confusingly Acer names this laptop both as the V 13 and V3-371. (For more, see: Best budget laptops 2014.)

Whatever you'd like to call this budget laptop, it's not much thicker than 20 mm and weighs just over 1.5 kg. And as a new model from the budget brand, it ought to be in circulation for a while too.

The chassis is made from a not-unattractive matt plastic, and our sample was issued in a snowy white colour, lending it more than a flavour of Apple design. On the back of the display lid there's a hard textured finish, rather like wood grain but which catches the light to give a kind of pearlescent effect. Meanwhile the sculpted bottom that tapers the body edges is reminiscent of the original MacBook Air, but finished in similarly tough-feeling matt white plastic.

In the tradition of modern ultraportables, the battery is not accessible from the underside, nor is the storage drive or memory reachable through separate doors. Ambitious upgraders that wish to expand the 4 GB of memory or 500 GB hard drive will benefit from experience of tearing down a laptop's chassis. Also see: How to choose a budget laptop.

Acer Aspire V 13 review: memory and performance

While 4 GB memory may look stingy, it should be enough for the kind of lightweight tasks run by a typical user of this ultraportable. And while hard-disk based storage is often the slowest link in the budget notebook chain, Acer has juiced this component by selecting a Seagate SSHD – a 2.5in 500 GB laptop hard disk with an added 8 GB of fast flash, which helps accelerate performance. It's far from the level of performance of a real SSD, but a strong step in the right direction that did make programs launch faster, for example.

?On the left thin edge of the V 13 is an SD card slot and headphone jack. To the right are two USB ports – one each version 2.0 and 3.0 – and HDMI for connecting to a screen or projector. We were most impressed to find that Acer has also found a way to include a proper gigabit ethernet port on the narrow edge here too, with a spring-loaded flap that prises open to accommodate the RJ45 plug of a network cable.

Lifting the lid reveals the relatively clean deck around the keyboard (once you've peeled off all the POS stickers). The trackpad is a decent size at 105 x 65 mm, a buttonless design that pivots to allow left and right clicks. Unfortunately this hardware, perhaps abetted by the software that drives it, are of mediocre quality and control of the mouse cursor is not as precise as we'd hope. We also found the trackpad surface stopped responding to our fingers on more than one occasion, requiring us to plug in a mouse to continue operation.

The Qwerty keyboard is quite serviceable though, a minimal-travel Scrabble type with an easy action. Crucially there's precious little bending in the centre when pressing here, allowing heavy-fingered typing without disconcerting flex. It's a full-size keyboard that fills the deck without the need for a numberpad to fill the space, as we see on 15.6-inch Windows laptops. If you do need to tap out numbers with one hand, pressing Fn and F11 engages the number lock, with many keys on the right side (illustrated in light blue) doubling up as number keys.

A single fan draws air in from vents on the underside, and exhales through a grille behind the screen hinge. In use the Acer remained usefully cool and quiet.

Another feather in the Acer's cap is the best Wi-Fi adaptor in this group. It's still limited to 11n performance but while most cheap laptops sneak in the most basic of wireless cards, the V 13 is fitted with a dual antennae and dual-band capability.

Acer Aspire V 13 review: Lab report

At 2.0 GHz the Aspire V 13 may not look the fastest but in lab tests it proved to have the quickest overall performance, and the longest battery life.

The Geekbench 3 score of 1988 points was the least worst on test, which means it trails the benchmark's reference PC by only 26 percent in single-core mode; and 22 percent behind in multi-core mode.

In both PCMark 7 and PCMark 8 tests, the Aspire V3-371 also got top marks in this class, helped here not just by the relatively quick Intel chip but the additional flash in the main drive.

And so to the less welcome news. Like most budget laptops Acer has elected to fit a low-grade display, which here returned the joint worst results among a uniformly bad bunch. With only 55 percent coverage of the least demanding sRGB standard, and a contrast ratio of just 80:1, this is not a display that gives a close resemblance of reality. And like its budget brethren, viewing angles are very limited.

Gaming is also tricky in spite of the Intel Iris Graphics. This graphics solution is a step-up from older Intel chips but should not be confused with Iris Pro, which is a match for many dedicated discrete processors. Here the Acer could manage 34 fps in Tomb Raider 2013, but only at very low resolution and detail settings. Move up to Normal though, and the game averaged a stuttering 19 fps.

Battery life was found to be more respectable than any other here, at 6 hour 35 mins, making this laptop the best choice for portable use. Also see: Best laptops 2014 and Best gaming laptops 2014.

Acer Aspire V 13 review: Test scores

Runtime    6 hr 35 min
Contrast ratio    80:1
Colour gamut sRGB    55 %
Geekbench single    1988
Geekbench multi    4188
PC Mark 7    3420
PCMark 8 Home    2358
PCMark 8 Work    3396
Batman: Arkham City 1280 x 720, Low    29
Batman: Arkham City 1366 x 768, Med    24
Tomb Raider 2013 1280 x 720, Low    34
Tomb Raider 2013 1366 x 768, Normal    19

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Fresh Paint for Windows 8 review

Fresh Paint is very simple, and it really requires a touchscreen - ideally a Windows tablet - to be of any use. But it is fun and beautifully built, and it shows off the creative possibilities of the tablet format. If you're looking for an equivalent of Paint, however, this is not it. For a start it is a much more sophisticated creative environment. And secondly, in Windows 8 you can - drum roll - take screenshots without having to paste them into Paint in order to create a file. (Hit Windows+PrtScn and a PNG appears in your Pictures file.) See all: Windows app reviews.

No, Fresh Paint is a nicely rendered painting simulator for Windows 8 that is great for casual fun use - kids will love it - but is sophisticated enough to let you create art. Open the app and you'll see a gallery of your previous masterworks - anything you work on is saved automatically. Hit the new button and you see a pristeen canvas, with a simple but brilliantly intuitive painting view. (See also: Windows 8: the complete guide.)

Fresh Pain for Windows 8: UI

At the top of the painting screen when you first get there is a range of brushes, crayons, a pencil, a blender and an eraser. Choose one of those, select a thickness of stroke, and mix up a colour from the palette at the top right of the screen, and you are good to. The palette is brilliant, with a selection of swatches, a bowl of 'water' and a mixing area with which you can mix up colour for use with the brushes.

Cleaning your brush in the water is fun, as the 'liquid' turns the colour of the paint you dumpred in it. Select a pencil, however, and the palette becomes a selection of whole colours in a series of squares arrayed over three rows. That's the frivolous fun side. Should you wish to be more exact you can choose a shade from the colour picker wheel.

Also in the top pane of options is a selection of canvas styles and a link to the Gallery. The latter is self explanatory, the former offers access to various types of canvas and paper in a selection of colours. You can also use use a photo as a base for your opus.

A much thinner ribbon at the bottom of the canvas screen allows you to 'dry' or 'center' your artwork, as well as offering 'Undo' and 'Redo' (remember that you are unlikely to be using a keyboard here, so Ctrl-z would be awkward). Finishing off the interface, at the bottom right there are 'New' and 'Save as...' options. When you click into the Fresh Paint canvas to actually, well, paint the options disappear, but you can call them up any time by swiping from the top or from the bottom of the screen.

Fresh Paint for Windows 8: who's it for?

There's a mixture of fun and serious artistic capabilities about Fresh Paint that appeals. Colour and texture are taken very, very seriously, so that you can just pick up a brush and slap some paint about, or mix and stain exactly the right shades. The way that colours interact is very realistic - you'll get a tiny thrill the first time two strokes run in to each other and smear together into a different shade. With a bit of practice such multicolour streaking is a useful artistic tool. It's also where 'Dry' comes in. Hit this and the colour you just laid on the page dries instantly, so that it won't run into the next colour layer you apply.

Used by hand Fresh Paint is fun, but a stylus does add precision. Mouse use is possible, but really this is an app for touchsreen devices such as our Samsung Series 7 Slate. The way brush strokes are rendered is very realistic, allowing talented artists to achieve precision in their work, and useless hacks to have fun (see my screenshots to see which one I am...)

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Sony SmartEyeglass and SmartEyeglass Attach hands-on review: Sony now taking pre-orders for SmartEyeglass Developer Edition

The Developer Edition of Sony's SmartEyeglasses first seen at CES 2015 are now available to pre-order from Sony for £540 plus VAT. Here's our hands-on review.

Sony has been developing head-mounted displays to rival the Google Glass for a while now, but during CES 2015 the company showed off the most advanced prototypes of its SmartEyeglasses yet, as well as a new idea called the SmartEyeglass Attach, which, as the name suggests, attaches to your own glasses or sunglasses. We spent some time with both wearables to bring you a hands-on review of the company's progress in the smartglasses market so far. See also: 12 best wearable tech products 2015

Sony SmartEyeglass hands-on review

The SmartEyeglass prototype being demoed at CES 2015 was the Developer Edition of the smartglasses, designed for developers to enable them to create apps that work with the device. It'll become available in March, so from then on you can expect to see lots more apps that bring new capabilities and uses for the SmartEyeglass.

Right now, the SmartEyeglasses have thick frames that house two lenses that act as the displays in front of both eyes, unlike the Google Glass, which has a prism that's situated in front of your right eye and doesn't actually require any lenses to be fitted into the frame. They're currently so thick and chunky that they look pretty ridiculous, as you can see below, modelled by yours truly.

Also different from the Google Glass is the way you control the Sony SmartEyeglass. The Google Glass has a battery, microphone and touchpad housed inside a suitably small chassis that is attached to the right of the glasses themselves, but the SmartEyeglass prototype currently requires a small, puck-shaped device that is attached to the glasses by a wire and can be clipped onto your clothing. It's less than ideal, but we're sure Sony will eventually come up with a better way to provide the battery, microphone and gesture control system to the glasses.

You'll also need an Android smartphone or tablet to connect to the SmartEyeglasses via Bluetooth.

When wearing the Sony SmartEyeglass, you'll see reasonably large, transparent green text and graphics layered over the world around you that can help you achieve various tasks – there's no colour display for the SmartEyeglass prototype yet.

The glasses themselves have a camera, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope and brightness sensor built-in, tracking when you move your head from side to side to help you navigate, use the facial recognition technology and more. Among the apps being shown off by Sony as part of the SmartEyeglass demo were an AR Shooting Game, a clever speech translation app that we imagine could come in handy while travelling, and the aforementioned factional recognition and navigation/map app too.

Sony SmartEyeglass Attach hands-on review

The SmartEyeglass was interesting and fun to play with, but what really caught our eye as a potentially successful consumer product was the SmartEyeglass Attach, which is a device that attaches to your own glasses or sunglasses to turn them into head-mounted displays.

Unlike the SmartEyeglass but more in-line with the way the Google Glass works, the SmartEyeglass Attach features a tiny prism that floats in front of your right eye, creating a discreet display that can be easily ignored until required. Also similar to Google Glass is the fact that the battery is attached to the side of the glasses rather than in a separate part like the SmartEyeglass.

You can find out more about Google Glass in our full review and video.

The prototypes shown at CES 2015 were already attached to Sony-provided glasses, so we didn't get to test how easily it can be removed or attached, but it felt light and certainly looked a lot better than the SmartEyeglass while being worn. In addition to a normal pair of glasses, Sony demonstrated that the Attach could be clipped to goggles while snowboarding or skiing, perhaps.

If Sony brings the SmartEyeglass Attach to market, it'll be primarily aimed at the sport and fitness market, as it works well with sports-related apps. The demo showed how the Attach could be used to map out a run and follow it without needing to regularly check a map or your smartphone, and how it could be used to provide hole information while golfing, for example. It's not independant, though, so you'll need to carry smartphone in order to use it.

However, Sony will be allowing third-party developers to create apps for the SmartEyeglass Attach, so we could see a huge variety of different uses if the developers start getting imaginative and experimenting with other ideas.

There's no word yet on a release date or pricing for the Sony SmartEyeglass Attach, but it could be an exciting new entry into the wearables market. As far as smartglasses go, the SmartEyeglass Attach makes the most sense to us in terms of practicality and mass appeal, so we're looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this new product.

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Google Chromecast vs Amazon Fire TV comparison: how to know which is best for you

 

Google's Chromecast caused a mini storm in the media streamer world when it was announced earlier this year. The inexpensive HDMI 'stick' works quite differently to the Amazon Fire TV set-top box, so here we explain which is best in our Chromecast vs Fire TV comparison.

See also: Amazon Fire TV review and Google Chromecast review

(If you're looking for the Amazon Fire TV Stick, see the release date and price information here.)

Chromecast vs Fire TV comparison: price

The Chromecast costs £30, but can be found online for as low as £15. If you buy one from Google, you'll get 90 days of free access to Google Unlimited Music. See our music streaming services comparison

Amazon charges £79 for the Fire TV, which doesn't include a Prime subscription - that costs either £5.99 per month if you want only the video service, or £79 per year if you also want one-day delivery on Amazon Prime goods, plus Kindle benefits such as the Lending Library and a free book each month.

Chromecast vs Fire TV comparison: design

Amazon's Fire TV is a small set-top box, much like the Apple TV. It comes with a remote which you can use for voice searches instead of trying to use an on-screen keyboard. Optionally, there's a Bluetooth gaming controller for playing a variety of games from the Amazon Appstore, although for some you can use the bundled controller.

The Fire TV connects via an HDMI cable (which isn't included in the box), and requires a separate power supply.

The Chromecast looks like an over-sized USB flash drive, but plugs into one of your TV's HDMI inputs. It still requires power, but many modern TVs have a handy USB port which can be used for this.

It relies on another device to control it and act as a remote. This could be an Android smartphone or tablet, an iPhone or iPad, or a PC or laptop. For the most part, the remote control device simply begins the video stream, rather than beaming a video to the Chromecast. With certain apps, though, you can do this or display photos and videos directly from a phone or tablet.

Chromecast vs Fire TV comparison: What's on?

Although the Fire TV can be used with an Amazon Prime Video subscription to watch movies and TV from that streaming service, it's not necessary. You could, for example, use a Fire TV to watch BBC iPlayer and YouTube and never use Amazon's services. It wouldn't make a huge amount of sense, though.

As well as Amazon Prime Instant Video, you've access to a huge range of on-demand films and TV shows which you can rent or buy. This is exactly how it works with iTunes content on the Apple TV.

The Fire TV comes with certain apps pre-installed for Netflix, iPlayer, Demand 5, Vimeo, Sky News, Spotify, Flixter and more, but you can install from the somewhat limited selection on the Appstore. You can't watch Blinkbox or movies from Sky NOW, and there's no access to Google Play Movies and TV. You can search for Fire TV apps and games on Amazon's website.

It's also similar on the Chromecast, which lets you watch Netflix, YouTube, Blinkbox Movies, NOW TV, BT Sport, Google Play Movies & TV and more. There are omissions, though, such as 4oD and - of course - Amazon Instant Video. You can search for Chromecast apps here

You'll find a comprehensive list of which services are supported by each device in our Fire TV Stick vs Chromecast vs Roku Streaming Stick comparison

Chromecast vs Fire TV comparison: Which is best?

As we've said, the two devices are quite different even though they're both video streamers. The Chromecast is inexpensive, but requires you to have a compatible device to control it. Realistically, that should be a smartphone or tablet rather than a PC or laptop, since a handheld touchscreen device is much better suited to being a remote.

There still aren't as many apps with Chromecast support as we'd thought there would be by now, which is a bit of a problem if you want the full range of UK catch-up TV.

If you want to play your own collection of videos, both devices support the Plex app, but here the Fire TV is your best bet as it's way more powerful than the Chromecast and won't have any problems with large media libraries.

If you want to watch content you've bought or rented from Google or Amazon, then you'll need to use the respective hardware as neither offers access to its rival's content.

Currently, the array of games on offer via the Fire TV is small, and some are really suitable as they're designed for touchscreens, so don't be persuaded that it will double as a games console just yet.

 

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How to install WhatsApp on iPad or Android tablet: use WhatsApp on a Wi-Fi-only tablet

According to WhatsApp, you can't install and use its instant-messaging service on a Wi-Fi-only tablet. Yes, you can. Here we show you how to use WhatsApp on an iPad or an Android tablet with no 3G or 4G connectivity. Also see: Android Advisor

Updated 22 January: As of today Android users can benefit from WhatsApp on the web, which lets them sync their WhatsApp account on their phone with their PC, laptop or tablet via the Chrome browser. See how to get WhatsApp on your phone, tablet, laptop AND PC for more details, or read on for advice on how to physically install the WhatsApp app on your Android tablet or iPad.

How to install WhatsApp on an iPad

The process of installing WhatsApp on an iPad and an Android tablet is very different. With an iPad you need to download the app to your Mac or PC, then use iFunBox to install it on your iPad. For detailed instructions on how to install WhatsApp on an iPad, head over to our sister site Macworld: 'How to install WhatsApp on iPad'. 

How to install WhatsApp on an Android tablet

Below we'll concentrate on how to install WhatsApp on an Android tablet with no cellular connectivity, and then how to bypass WhatsApp's phone verification system.

How to install WhatsApp on a tablet: Download the WhatsApp APK file 

If you're browsing Google Play on a Wi-Fi-only tablet WhatsApp won't be presented in the search results because it's not officially supported on your device. To get around this you simply need to download and install the WhatsApp APK file - just Google 'WhatsApp APK' and you'll find loads of download sites. Also see: 25 best tablets 2014 

How to install WhatsApp on a tablet: Tweak your security settings 

Before your Android tablet will allow you to install the WhatsApp APK file you've just downloaded you'll need to enter your tablet's Settings menu, scroll down to and select Security, then enable Unknown sources under Device Administration.You can go back and disable this option once you've installed WhatsApp. Also see: How to add Flash to Android, including Android KitKat

 

You should now be able to simply click on the WhatsApp APK file-download notification in your tablet's notification bar, then click Install. Once the app is installed press Open.

How to install WhatsApp on a tablet: Bypass WhatsApp phone verification 

The next challenge is to bypass WhatsApp's phone verification system. Enter your usual phone number, then click OK. You will receive a text message on your phone, but of course it won't be detected on your tablet.  

After five minutes WhatsApp will report that SMS verification has failed and you should try voice verification. Tap Call me, then answer the phone call on your smartphone to get the verification code you need.

You can now enter this code on your tablet and get started using WhatsApp. 

Note that WhatsApp will ask whether you want to restore your message history from its backup, but this didn't work for us - presumably because none of that data is stored on the tablet.

How to install WhatsApp on a tablet: Using WhatsApp on a phone and a tablet at the same time 

The only real down side to this method of installing WhatsApp on a Wi-Fi-only tablet is that as soon as you verify your account on the tablet WhatsApp will stop working on your smartphone. That's because a phone number can only ever be associated with one WhatsApp account. This might not bother you - after all, you don't really need to view your messages on both your phone and your tablet, and you could simply verify the service on whichever device you'll have to hand that day. 

However, you can get around this and use WhatsApp on a phone and a tablet at the same time by using a different mobile number. If you have a second mobile number used for business then you're laughing (also see: Best dual-SIM smartphones). You could also take advantage of the free PAYG SIMs routinely offered by UK mobile operators, although these will expire after a few months if you don't use them, and as soon as someone else registers that same number with WhatsApp you'll have to start over.  

It doesn't matter which number you use for verification, as long as it is a mobile (rather than landline) number and that you have it to hand in order to answer the call and get the code. 

If you live in the US it has been suggested that you can use a Google Voice number. I'm unable to verify this, since only members with full accounts can receive calls using Google Voice, and that service isn't available in the UK. If this works for you, please let other readers know in the comments section below. 

Another one for US readers is TextPlus, a free Android app that lets you send and receive texts and make phone calls on a tablet. Just send your phone a text from the tablet to find out what phone number you need to enter into WhatsApp. Again, however, as I'm in the UK I can't verify this one. 

You could also try a service that creates a disposable alias to your mobile number. There are a few free versions out there, but the two Android apps we tried created US numbers that weren't recognised by WhatsApp.

Follow Marie Brewis on Twitter.

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Android update battery problems: How to fix poor battery life following Android 5.0 Lollipop update

No longer exclusive to the Google Nexus line-up, Android 5.0 Lollipop is rolling out to 2014 flagship phones such as the HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5. Unfortunately, many owners of those devices are now seeing issues with poor battery life. Here are some steps you can take to fix the problem. Also see: When will my phone get Android Lollipop? 

Poor battery life since Android update: Should I install Android Lollipop? 

Well, so much for Lollipop improving battery life. 

Before we begin we should point out that not everyone running Android Lollipop is dealing with battery drain - some are really quite happy with the new OS, particularly those with devices that run Lollipop out of the box. (Some are also dealing with Wi-Fi problems but, honestly, there are a lot of happy Lollipop users out there.)  

You should also know that every new operating system comes with a few bugs that are gradually ironed out through updates as they become apparent. There is nothing inherently 'wrong' with Android Lollipop. 

If an Android Lollipop update is available for your device then it's up to you whether you should install it. No-one is holding a gun to your head. If you go ahead there are many perks, as you'll learn from our Android Lollipop review, but you should be aware that there may also be a few bugs at first. 

Poor battery life since Android update: Samsung Galaxy S5 

I came across a Samsung Galaxy S5 running Android 5.0 Lollipop on the Vodafone network this weekend with such poor battery performance that it was down to 95 percent within seconds of unplugging it from the mains. The owner was carrying a spare battery with him at all times, and still he would run out of power by early evening. He also complained that his S5 was running so hot in his pocket that it was burning his leg. 

If your battery performance is this bad it's quite possible that there is something wrong with it. But the phone was functioning fine until he downloaded the latest Android update, and he is far from alone in reporting battery life issues following the installation of Android 5.0 Lollipop. 

On checking in the Battery settings what had been using his battery I found Android OS was greedier than anything else, including the display. 

It's not an issue specific to the Samsung Galaxy S5, however, so we expect to hear from more users running into battery life problems as Lollipop continues its rollout. 

Poor battery life since Android update: Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update 

Many Nexus 5 owners who upgraded to Android 5.0 Lollipop at launch were also plagued with battery life issues, although we've seen fewer reports of problems with those phones running the later Android 5.0.1 update which is in essence a collection of bug fixes. Google has also said the problem is fixed in the latest builds. If you haven't received an OTA update to 5.0.1 the file is available from Google; you can then check our instructions on how to install Android Lollipop on the Nexus 5. 

Unfortunately, this update won't yet be available to owners of Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG or other smartphones, which in the UK are delivered OTA by the network operator, slowing down the process. It could be two months before Samsung releases Android 5.0.1 for the Galaxy S5, for example. Even then, we can't guarantee it will solve battery life problems. However, you should double-check you are running the latest version of Android now. 

So what can you do in the meantime? 

Poor battery life since Android update: How to fix poor battery life 

The first thing you should check is what is actually consuming the battery. Open your Settings menu and look for a Battery or Power option; within this you should find Battery usage. Here you'll see battery consumption broken down into the various apps and services running on your phone. 

If there is a particular app that is consuming a lot of power - which can be the case with older third-party apps that haven't been optimised for newer OSes - kill it. If things don't improve following its uninstallation then you can always reinstall it.

Thanks to the tips below this article we know that many users are reporting excessive battery drain being caused by frequent Wi-Fi scanning. It's worth turning off your Wi-Fi when you aren't using it to see if this extends your battery life at all. 

Going back to that Galaxy S5 I spoke of earlier, those who have called tech support have been told a factory reset may solve their problem. And in (some) cases it has improved things, but I sympathise with those for whom a factory reset is the last thing they want to do, losing all their personal settings and customisation options in the process. Be sure to back up anything on your phone before you take this step, if you choose to do so. 

Poor battery life since Android update: That didn't work. What can I do to improve battery life? 

If all that fails then your only option to solve the problem is to wait for a bug fix to roll out to your phone. But that doesn't help you out in the meantime if your phone is all but unusable. Here are some tips to extend your smartphone's battery life. 

• Remember to restart your phone every so often. Sounds simple, but it could just be the fix you're looking for. 

• Turn down the screen brightness and adjust the screen timeout. You'll find both options in the Settings menu. 

• Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when not in use. Look for toggles in the notification bar or find these options in the Settings menu. 

• Close apps running in the background. You don't need to install a Task Manager or other app to achieve this, just tap the square button at the bottom of the display to bring up an 'Overview' or recent apps list. Running apps are shown as cards, and you can simply swipe them off the screen to close them. 

• Turn off haptics. Your phone's ability to vibrate to warn you of a new call or notification is useful, but it has to use enough power to make your whole phone shake.  

• Take advantage of power-saving modes. Some phones even have Ultra Power Saving modes that, in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S5, can make 10 percent of the battery's capacity last 24 hours by turning off inessential features and screen colours. 

• Carry a spare battery or, better yet, a power bank. Your spare battery offers a single charge for that specific handset, while you can buy a power bank that costs less and offers more charges - to any phone. Check out the Best power banks 2015. 

• Read our advice on how to charge your phone or tablet faster. 

Please add your own power-saving tips to the comments at the bottom of this article. 

Follow Marie Brewis on Twitter.

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How to set up parental control on Android: restrict Android app permissions

Kids are increasingly tech-savvy these days, and even a toddler will manage to use your Android smartphone or tablet in ways you didn't know were possible. Apart from running up a heavy bill in app and game purchases, this means your children may also be at risk from online predators and adult content. Here we show you how to set up sensible parental controls, and explain the new restricted profiles feature added to Android Jelly Bean 4.3.

Restricted profiles: restrict app permissions and create a safe environment in Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

Released only last week, Android 4.3 and its restricted profiles feature adds a new dimension to the user profiles feature that appeared in version 4.2. Tablets running Android 4.2 or later can be configured with multiple user accounts, allowing you to turn your Jelly Bean tablet into a family PC with unique environments for every member of the household. In Android 4.3, restricted profiles lets the device administrator control the app permissions of each user profile, which could help you to keep your child safe. See Android Advisor.

Before you can start using restricted profiles, you'll need to ensure your Android device supports it. The Android 4.3 update is currently available only to Google's own Nexus tablets, the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10, with other manufacturers expected to roll out the upgrade over the coming months. We show you how to upgrade your Nexus device here. Also see: Everything you need to know about Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

Step 1. First, from the Android home screen, pull down from the top right and tap on Settings. Scroll down to and select Users, then tap 'Add user or profile'. You can create either a normal User profile, or a Restricted profile. Tap on the latter. (Click on the screenshots below to enlarge them.)

 

Step 2. If you haven't done so already, you'll be prompted to set up a screen lock for your device. Tap Set lock, then choose to use either a pattern, PIN or password lock and follow the instructions. Also see: How to unlock an Android phone or tablet.

Step 3. Tap the settings icon next to the 'New profile' to give it a name.

Step 4. You'll now see a list of apps installed on your device, with on/off toggles to the side. By default, the restricted profile is unable to access any of these. Go through the list and toggle on only the apps you are comfortable with your child accessing. The list includes any web browsers installed on your tablet, so leave these switched to off if you're worried about what harm your child may come to online. You can also click on the Settings icon next to Settings to allow apps to use location information, which is switched off by default.

Step 5. From the lock screen, you'll now find your own account is protected with a pattern, password or PIN, while your child can instantly access their own account - but only the apps you deem appropriate. Although the Google Play Store icon appears, trying to access this will bring up a notification that you do not have permission to use the Google Play Store.

Restrict in-app purchases on an Android smartphone or tablet

If you aren't using a tablet running Android 4.3, there are other things you can do to protect your child and set up parental controls on an older Android tablet or smartphone.

Kids love games, and Google Play is brimming with casual titles aimed directly at them. It can be all too easy for busy parents to leave their child unsupervised with what would appear to be a harmless game while they get on with things. But, as you'll no doubt have seen in the news, some parents have unwittingly found themselves with outrageous credit-card bills as their blissfully ignorant child purchases all manner of expensive in-app extras. See Best Android Apps.

Protecting your wallet is incredibly simple: open the Google Play Store app on your Android phone or tablet, then open the Settings menu and scroll down to User controls. Tick the box next to Password, which will request your Google account password whenever someone tries to download a paid app or purchase in-app extras.

In this same menu is an option to set up Content filtering. Within this you can allow all apps, or only those rated as low, medium or high maturity, or for everyone. Tick the appropriate boxes and click Ok. Note that you'll need to create a password to stop a tech-savvy child from altering this setting.

Restricting app purchases in Google Play is worthwhile only if you ensure that apps can't be downloaded from other app stores. Open the Settings menu, scroll down to Security, and make sure the option to allow installation of apps from other sources is disabled. (You may previously have enabled this setting if you followed our workshop on adding Flash to Android, for example.)

Restrict only certain apps on an Android smartphone or tablet

If your child is slightly older then you might trust them to use your device unsupervised, but aren't keen on the idea of letting them loose on your Facebook or email account. Or perhaps you want to let your toddler run riot with games, but not get online or into your messages. We like AppLock, a third-party app that lets you password-protect certain apps without locking down access to the entire device. Read our walkthrough on how to password-protect Android apps with AppLock here.

A quick solution for restricting access to the web, call and messaging features on the fly is to enable Flight mode. If there isn't an option to do this from the power-off menu, you should find this in Settings, More Networks, Flight mode. Be warned that it's just as easy for your child to disable Flight mode, however.

You will also find in Google Play several apps that allow you to restrict access. Consider the free Kid Mode app. This provides something similar to Windows Phone 8’s Kid’s Corner. It lets kids play their favourite Android games, read stories and paint pictures, but there’s no way to accidentally buy anything, delete your emails or access another app.

There are also lots of parental-control apps in Google Play, many of which are free. We recommend those from Kaspersky, Norton and the popular Funamo.

Follow Marie Brewis on Twitter.

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Nuance Power PDF Advanced review: quality PDF editor that's cheaper than Acrobat Pro

Many PDF editors and converters are aimed at either home or art markets Nuance's Power PDF Advanced is instead aimed at the business user so it provides several features for professionals that you won't find in home packages. As such, it’s not exactly cheap and if you don’t need the professional features, as most home users probably won’t, you can buy a PDF editor for much less. However, if you do need to archive a lot of electronic documents or send proofs around for comment or correction, it is well under half the price of Adobe Acrobat XI Pro. (See also: best PDF tools.)

First impressions are favourable. Power PDF Advanced adopts the 'ribbon' interface first popularised by Microsoft Office, which many users will now prefer as it avoids having to work down through several levels of menus. This isn’t universal among PDF editors, Acrobat being the most obvious alternative to have stuck with the more conventional menu-based interface similar to its other graphics products including Photoshop and Illustrator. This makes a lot of sense if your target audience is graphic designers, but in a small business, the ribbon-style interface is more familiar.

The ribbon can make it a lot easier to do certain things within the program. For example, to scan a document for optical character recognition (OCR) and turn it from an image PDF to a searchable one in Acrobat requires you to click Tools / Text Recognition / In this file, if working through menus. With Power PDF Advanced, it's a single button in the Home tab of the ribbon – just one click.

This is just the icing on the cake, though, and Power PDF offers features which, at first sight, are exactly what you’d expect of a business-oriented PDF editor. In particular, you can create PDFs, either using a pseudo printer driver from any Windows software or you can use the toolbars provided in Office applications.

You also have full facilities for editing PDFs although certain restrictions do exist, as a result of the format of PDF files. Accordingly, the scope for editing will always be limited compared to the facilities offered in the software used to create the original document. More business-oriented features include digital signatures and ID certificates for security purposes, tools for collaborative review, the ability to create forms that can be filled in later, batch processing for converting several PDFs without continual human supervision, and provision for embedding multimedia content.

The OCR engine in Power PDF Advanced is from OmniPage, and in our tests produced good results, as long as the original documents were in fair-to-good condition. Once you're working with a searchable PDF, Power PDF Advanced's search facilities include Look Like Search, which includes ready-made templates for credit-card numbers, dates, emails and phone numbers, as well as scope for crreating custom ones. This can be very useful for extracting data from multiple files. See all software downloads.

Nuance Power PDF Advanced review: batch mode

Working in batch mode and automating file conversion to PDF is not as comprehensive as in Acrobat XI Pro, which has more operations available for its batch scripts. Power PDF Advanced partly compensates by offering a ‘watch folder'. Designate a folder and any files copied into it will automatically be converted to PDF.

We tested the software by trying to compile a PDF from a variety of different files, including a Microsoft Word document, a JPG photo, other PDFs and a brochure produced in Microsoft Publisher. We were pleasantly surprised when Power PDF Advanced got to the Publisher file, opened Publisher, loaded the document, printed it to PDF and added it to the combined PDF we were building.

Document compilation and adjustment is made simple by the use of drag-and-drop thumbnails. You can mix and match documents, photos, spreadsheets and graphics of different sizes into the same PDF Package, the older standard, or PDF Portfolio, the new.

Conversion can be carried out well in both directions and the software supports Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and also WordPerfect, without the need to run those applications to convert. If you are running them, Power PDF Advanced tabs are added to the ribbons of all the main applications, so you can convert in-situ.

As well as its OmniPage OCR, Nuance has incorporated another of its technologies. Dragon speech recognition is brought to bear as Dragon Notes, so you can dictate sticky notes, to comment on the content of a PDF document. This is handy if you already use speech recognition in other parts of your work, although no headset is supplied.

Also read: How to edit PDFs for free; How to modify a PDF using free and online tools.

Nuance Power PDF Advanced: bottom line

Overall, we found Nuance Power PDF Advanced to be intuitive and easy to use. We have little doubt that most users will be able to quickly get up and running with it. We found the reviewing features particularly comprehensive, proving means of commenting, marking text in various ways and drawing attention to parts of a document.

Given that it's so much cheaper than Acrobat, it makes a lot of sense for small business use.

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Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 is the first big update to Windows 8. This update includes important improvements, not just in terms of performance, but also in terms of design, usability and features.

With Windows 8.1, Microsoft is ushering in a new cycle of updates that, instead of the big, once-every-three-years updates of previous editions, opts for more frequent, smaller updates.

User-requested improvements

Windows 8.1 is completely free for those who already own Windows 8.

In terms of changes, and leaving the classic "bugfixes and performance improvements" to one side, Windows 8.1 offers the following improvements:

Start Screen: The Start Screen includes two new tile sizes. The first is an extra large tile and the second is extra small.

App organization: Until now, it was a little messy searching for the app you wanted from the list of "All apps". In Windows 8.1, you can sort them by category, date installed, most used, and of course alphabetically.

Snap views: One of the least-used options in Windows 8 was the option to have apps share the screen - you could only snap to left or snap to right. Now the feature will offer much more freedom, with preset intelligent ratios, as well the option to manually set snap parameters.

Search improvements: The search was already powerful, but now it's even better. You don’t have to select a category any more: all of the files, apps, settings, and web suggestions will be laid out together. More importantly, you can play media files such as music directly from search.

Better syncing with SkyDrive: you no longer have to open the app to sync content.

Redesigned Windows Store: This one was really necessary, as both the design and usability of the store left a lot to be desired.

New apps: Bing Food & Drink, Bing Health & Fitness, Movie Moments, SmartGlass, Fresh Paint, Recorder, Alarms and Calculator. Also, updated are: Mail, Calendar, People, SkyDrive, Camera, Photos, Music, Skype, etc.

As well as these new features, Windows 8.1 brings us 2 new additions that are the talk of the town:

The return of the Start button: One of the biggest criticisms levelled at Windows 8 was the fact that the classic start button disappeared. In Windows 8.1, the start button is making a comeback, but not in the classic format. Now it's just a bridging point between the Modern UI interface and the Desktop. Whether this will silence the critics remains to be seen.

Boot to the Start screen being included in Windows 8.1: If you've got no interest in seeing tiles when you start your PC, now you're able to choose.

A more attractive, more usable Windows 8

Since Windows 8 was launched, Microsoft has spent its time collecting together user opinions. They've used them to create an update that aims to improve the Windows 8 user experience. In this sense, the new version seems spot on.

Windows 8.1 gives users more options, at both a personalization and feature level. More importantly, it lets the user decided if he or she wants a more tactile, Metro experience, or to keep to a more classic path.

A step in the right direction

Windows 8.1 is proof that Microsoft has embarked upon a new strategy based on listening more closely to user feedback and offering more regular updates. We think it's great.

Even so, we just can't shake the feeling that Windows 8.1 is for many what Windows 8 should have been from day one.

Notes

Note that if you proceed to install Windows 8.1 from the Store, you cannot return to Windows 8.

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Windows 10

Microsoft's Technical Preview of its new Windows 10 operating system (OS) marks a major turning point for the company. For the first time, the Windows OS will be available for free - for a year after its release for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users.

Microsoft is also promising to fully support Windows 10 for the entire lifecycle of the device (whether it be PC, laptop, tablet or phone), which is a major shift from the previous strategy of only offering support for an OS for a limited period.The is a major part of the Seattle-based company's increasing focus on providing services rather than merely a platform.

The best of both worlds for mobile and desktop

By skipping the Windows 9 moniker, Microsoft hopes to make a fresh start and move on from the much-maligned Windows 8. There are a whole raft of major changes and minor tweaks available in the preview.

The Start Menu
The Start Menu is one feature that keyboard and mouse users sorely missed in Windows 8, and Microsoft will please its legion of Windows 7/XP fans by reintroducing (and redesigning) it in Windows 10. The new Start Menu is a kind of hybrid, incorporating the traditional Windows menu (a list-style view) with the Live Tiles Windows 8 style. It is completely customizable; you can chose to run it with a different sizes of Live Tiles (small, medium, large) or with none at all. There is also the option to see your most used apps or list them alphabetically, as well as a full screen mode, which makes most sense when you are switching between tablet and desktop view on a hybrid device.

Continuum
This isn't the only enhancement Microsoft is making to push the use of hybrid 2in1 devices. A new feature called Continuum will mean that Windows 10 will adopt a particular look and feel on these devices according to the mode you are using (keyboard and mouse, or touch input). While Microsoft execs have demoed this publicly, it's not yet available in the Technical Preview.

Cortana
Microsoft has brought its virtual assistant Cortana (the Siri equivalent for Windows/Windows Phone) to the Windows 10 Technical Preview. The idea is to allow a more natural interaction with your device, as well as provide intelligent recommendations based on search history and manually-inputted preferences.

Project Spartan
Project Spartan is a new browser that has been built especially for Windows 10. While it isn't available in the Technical Preview, Microsoft has revealed that its features will include the ability to annotate by keyboard or pen directly on a webpage and easily share that with friends; a distraction-free reading view; and a simplified article layout.

Windows Store Beta
While you can still access the old Windows Store, Microsoft has opened up feedback for its new and redesigned Windows Store Beta. This appears as a greyed-out icon on the Task Bar and currently has limited functionality.

Accessing your apps

Apps that are consistent across all devices continues to be a major focus. The company is working on touch-friendly versions of the Office suite to be ready for Windows 10 general release, as well as a range of Microsoft apps that will have the same look and feel as each other no matter what device you use.

Windows 10 Technical Preview users can create multiple virtual desktops to group apps or programs together. To add desktops, users need to click on the Task View button on the desktop. This allows you to see all the apps running in your virtual desktops, as well as easily switch between both the desktops and apps. The Snap Assist feature allows you to snap four different apps into place on your screen enabling you can see them all at once.

Other new additions to Windows 10 include an option to search not just your system, but also the internet. PC settings have also been made clearer, simpler, and consistent across all devices; connecting to audio and wireless has been made easier (either click the “Connect” button in the new Action Center, or use the Windows + P keyboard shortcut); and you can easily choose which apps you get notifications from.

When will Windows 10 be available?

Windows 10 is much more user friendly than Windows 8 and will not be such a shock to the system for those upgrading from Windows XP or Windows 7. With the decline in PC sales, Microsoft is shifting its focus to 2in1 devices that can switch between keyboard/mouse and touch modes (think full screen Start Menu and the Continuum feature). There is also a strong focus on delivering a consistent experience for all parts of the OS across devices (such as the universal apps and the Windows Store Beta). With this strategy, Microsoft will hope to push further into the hybrid device/tablet market, while boosting sales of its mobile devices.

It's important to note that this is still a test build and Microsoft is continuing working on features and enhancements that it will incorporate before the final release. The Windows 10 Technical Preview is available to download, but you must join the Windows Insider Program first.

The general release date for the operating system has not been announced yet, but it is expected to be available by late 2015.

Notes

Clicking the Download link will take you to a page on the Microsoft site where you can join the Windows Insider program and download the Technical Preview. Please note that Microsoft recommends that you don't install the preview on your primary home or business PC.

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Spotify Free vs Premium: What's the difference?

Spotify is one of the most popular and best music streaming services around but what's the difference between Spotify Free and Premium? Here we explain how they compare in price, features and audio quality. See: Best streaming music services 2015 UK.

We're going to focus on the Free and Premium versions of Spotify here but it's worth noting that there used to be an Unlimited option which is now obsolete. It's also worth pointing out that Spotify offers student discount via Unidays or NUS Extra plus a family package which offers 50 percent off each extra account. See: Spotify alternatives.

Spotify Free vs Premium: Price

As the name suggests, Spotify Free is available to anyone at no cost – we'll explain why below in the features section. If you want to subscribe to Premium then it will set you back £9.99 per month. If you're not sure whether you want to sign up, you can try Spotify Premium on a one month free trial.

Also check out: Deezer vs Spotify comparison.

Spotify Free vs Premium: Features

The reason you can listen to music for free on Spotify is because the service is supported by ads. Every few tracks you play, a short advert or two will be played. It works in the same way as adverts on TV and makes it sustainable for the company. You can use the desktop and web interfaces but the mobile app will only let you listen on shuffle mode or pre-made playlists. See also: Spotify vs Google Music comparison review.

Upgrading to Spotify Premium will remove all adverts so you can listen without interruption – but that's not all you get for your money. You can listen to anything you want, wherever you want (even abroad) via any Spotify interface (desktop, web or app).

Another bonus is the ability download music for offline listening. A Premium subscription allows you to download/sync up to 3,333 tracks on up to three devices.

There's also superior audio quality which we'll explain below.

Spotify Free vs Premium: Audio quality

Spotify uses three different quality settings for streaming, all in the Ogg Vorbis format. 96 kbps is the standard bitrate for mobile, which then jumps to 160 kbps for desktop and web player 'standard quality' and 'high quality' on mobile.

If you pay the monthly fee for Spotify Premium, you'll get 320 kbps which is 'high quality' on desktop and 'extreme quality' on mobile.

Follow Chris Martin and @PCAdvisor on Twitter.

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Samsung Galaxy S6 'Project Zero' UK release date, price and specs rumours: When is the Samsung Galaxy S6 coming out? Best leak yet

When is the Samsung Galaxy S6 coming out? We round up everything there is to know about the Samsung Galaxy S6 'Project Zero' smartphone, including UK release date, price and specs rumours, concept images and leaked case details. Scroll down to design and build to see the most convincing leak yet. Also see: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge UK release date, price and specs, Samsung Galaxy S6 Active UK release date price and specs, and Samsung Galaxy S6 mini UK release date, price and specs predictions

Samsung Galaxy S6 UK release date: When is the Samsung Galaxy S6 coming out?

Samsung, like other hardware manufacturers, has got into a rhythm of launching a new flagship smartphone once per year. As with previous Samsung Galaxy S-series smartphones, we expected the Samsung Galaxy S6 to be unveiled the day before MWC 2015. This has since been confirmed with invites (shown at the top of this page) sent out for a 1 March 2015 Samsung Unpacked event at 18:30 CET. Also see: What to expect from MWC 2015.

PhoneArena has a memo from Samsung suggesting a release date (on sale) of 22 March for the Galaxy S6. Another date, 19 April, looks a likely release date for the Galaxy S6 Edge.

Samsung Galaxy S6 UK price: How much will the Samsung Galaxy S6 cost?

Samsung tends to stick to the same pricing for its Galaxy smartphones, which means we expect the S6 to come in at £549 SIM-free. This price will drop below £500 within months, and this time next year will be closer to £400. According to Android Pit, the Galaxy S6 will start at 749 Euro which is around £565. See below for all the rumoured prices. Also see: Best smartphones 2015 and Best Android phones 2015.

Samsung Galaxy S6 32GB: 749 Euro
Samsung Galaxy S6 64GB: 849 Euro
Samsung Galaxy S6 128GB: 949 Euro

Samsung Galaxy S6: Specs

Plenty of whispers are circulating the rumour mill on what specs and features the Samsung Galaxy S6 will offer. We've listed these below.

Samsung Galaxy S6 screen

The Samsung Galaxy S6 will, in common with all other GalaxyS-series  smartphones before it, feature a Super AMOLED screen. This is expected to get a size and resolution bump to 5.5in and Quad-HD (1440x2560, 534ppi), and the latter is all the more likely since Samsung introduced Quad-HD in its Note 4. Expect it to come protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 4.

A variant of the Samsung Galaxy S6, known as the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, is tipped to arrive with a curved-edge screen. This will be similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, but both left and right edges will have the curved edge. The imagery used on the invitation for Unpacked 2015 seems to back up this curved-screen theory. Read more about the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge here.

Samsung Galaxy S6 design and build

The Samsung Galaxy S5 was slammed by critics with its plastic build, but it appears Samsung is taking steps to rectify this. Both Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Samsung Galaxy Alpha have featured a metal chassis with removable rear covers, and it's likely this is something we'll see continued in the Samsung Galaxy S6 - especially if the image below leaked from CNET picturing the S6 and S6 Edge is anything to go by.

This wasn't the first image we've seen to back up the metal design theory, either. NoWhereElse has been a particularly prolific poster of metal-design Samsung Galaxy S6 photos, some of which are shown below.

Yet another leak gives us the best look at the Galaxy S6 yet with press renders at the same angles which Samsung always uses. The leak comes via underkg which also touts dimensions of 71 x 143 x 6.9 mm. The third image shows how similar the Galaxy S6 looks to the iPhone 6 with rounded sides, drilled speaker holes, a central microUSB port and headphone jack.

A mystery device with slim bezels and a half-metal frame shown in Samsung's own How to set-up Samsung My KNOX video could also be the Samsung Galaxy S6 (source).

AndroidPit claims two Samsung Galaxy S6 designs are in the works - one the aforementioned half-metal, half-plastic device, and the other a metal unibody device similar to the iPhone. If Samsung goes down the unibody road it risks angering fans by making the battery non-removable. And that is a distinct possibility, given that Sammobile says the rear of the S6 and S6 Edge is the same colour as the phone itself.

At the rear expect to find the same heart-rate sensor as on the S5, while the fingerprint scanner at the front will be replaced with a new touch- rather than swipe-style scanner (source). The S6 will, like the Note 4, also feature a UV scanner.

According to GSMArena, the Samsung Galaxy S6 will be available in Charcoal Black, Copper Gold, Electric Blue and Shimmery White.

Samsung Galaxy S6 leaked case designs and what they tell us

Several Samsung Galaxy S6 case designs have been leaked and are already available to buy, some of which are shown below. All seem to reveal that the Samsung Galaxy S6's dual-LED flash has been moved to the other side of the camera, and that the phone will feature separate volume up/down buttons. The headphone port placement also differs, and there are no longer cut-outs at the back of the case for the speakers - have these been moved to the Samsung Galaxy S6's front? 

Assuming the speaker has moved to the front of the phone, this adds weight to the theory that Samsung is targetting audiophiles with its Galaxy S6. The smartphone is also expected to be bundled with Sennheiser earbuds.

Samsung Galaxy S6 concept images and video

Various concept images depicting artists' impressions of how the Samsung Galaxy S6 will look have circulated around the web. We show some of those from 3G.co.uk and vouchercodespro.co.uk below.

Samsung Galaxy S6 processor, memory and storage

The Samsung Galaxy S6 was originally expected to be sold in the UK with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, but overheating issues with the Snapdragon 810 has allegedly led Samsung to shun Qualcomm in favour of its own Exynos 7420 chip in 90 percent of Samsung Galaxy S6 handsets at launch. Once Qualcomm has ironed out problems with the 810 it will gradually replace the Exynos in newer batches of the Samsung Galaxy S6. In its latest earnings call Qualcomm suggested it had lost a big client, which could well be Samsung.

The Exynos 7420 is a 64-bit chip with four Cortex-A53 and four Cortex-A57 cores.

On the storage front, the phone is rumoured to come in 32-, 64- and 128 GB models. Samsung is likely to equip the Galaxy S6 with 3GB of RAM, plus a microSD slot that accepts up to 128GB.

Samsung Galaxy S6 performance

A new leak from Antutu suggests the Samsung Galaxy S6 with a 2.1GHz Exynos 7420, 3GB of RAM and Mali-T760 GPU has scored a staggering 60,978 points in Antutu, which is way higher than anything we've seen from the Snapdragon 810 (source).

Samsung Galaxy S6 cameras

The majority of the rumours suggest the Samsung Galaxy S6 will feature a 20Mp rear camera. Indeed, a Sammobile insider claims to have seen a prototype of the device with a 20Mp rear camera and 5Mp front camera.

Samsung Galaxy S6 other specifications

According to GSMArena, the Samsung Galaxy S6 will also feature dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS and an IR blaster.

Samsung Galaxy S6 software

Samsung is making Tizen products but it's almost certain that the Galaxy S6 will stick with Android. Samsung has now had plenty of time to ready Android Lollipop for the Galaxy S6, and we also expect to find a newly slimmed-down TouchWiz UI.

Business Korea says the Samsung Galaxy S6's TouchWiz interface will be stripped right back, removing unnecessary features to offer a stock Android-like experience as found on the Nexus 6. SamMobile seconds this idea, claiming Samsung will make many of its add-on apps available as downloads rather than pre-installing them - such as S Note, S Health and S Voice.

The site's 'insider' even goes as far as to say it will be "near-stock" and could include Microsoft apps like OneNote, OneDrive, Office Mobile and Skype.

Samsung Galaxy S6 new payment system

According to GSMArena, the Korean media is reporting that Samsung has lined up Visa to work alongside it in creating a new payments system for the Galaxy S6. It will be similar to Apple Pay, but use LoopPay technology. This payments system will also be available on the Galaxy S5 and Note 4.

Samsung Galaxy S6 software: enhanced themes

According to Sammobile, Samsung is prioritising enhanced themes customisation with future devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S6. A Themes Center will let you change system sounds, fonts and Events (such as Christmas or Valentine's Day).

There will also be a Themes Store, which has the following icon:

Samsung Galaxy S6 accessories

Sammobile has leaked the following list of accessories for the Samsung Galaxy S6.

• • EF-CG920B — Zero-F S View Cover Case ‏
• • EP-PG920I — Zero-Flat S Charger Pad Power ‏
• • EF-WG920B — Zero-F Flip Wallet Case ‏
• • ET-FG920C‏ — Zero-F Screen protector ETC
• • EF-YG920B — Zero-F Protective Cover [PULeather] Case ‏
• • EF-QG920B — Zero-F Protective Cover [Clear] Case
• • EF-YG925BMEBUS — Zero Protective Cover [PULeather] Case ‏
• • EF-WG925BSEBUS — Zero Flip Wallet Case PVR
• • EF-QG925BGEGWW‏‎ — Zero Protective Cover [Clear]Case

The Samsung Galaxy S6 will also be sold with Sennheiser earbuds, according to Sammobile, in a bid to appease audiophiles. The earbuds reportedly look similar to those supplied with the Amazon Fire Phone and the Apple EarPods. They will also feature apt-X, which may mean they work wirelessly.

Furthermore, Sammobile says accessories will be the S6's strongest suit. You'll be able to purchase add-ons that let you monitor your blood sugar and upload that data to the cloud for a doctor to view, get a secondary E Ink display for reading books, and there will be detachable lenses that turn the Galaxy S6 into the Galaxy S6 K Zoom. Other accessories in the works are said to include sports equipment such as bicycles and steppers.

Sammobile also claims the S6 and S6 Edge will support Samsung's Gear VR.

Samsung Galaxy S6 model names

Upleaks has published the following list of model numbers for the Galaxy S6:

SM-G9200 – China

SM-G9208 – China

SM-G9209 – China

SM-G920A – AT&T

SM-G920D – NTT DOCOMO

SM-G920F – A lot of countries/regions

SM-G920I – A lot of countries/regions

SM-G920K – KT

SM-G920L – LG Telecom

SM-G920M – Brazil

SM-G920P – Sprint

SM-G920R – US Cellular

SM-G920S – SK Telecom

SM-G920T – T-Mobile US

SM-G920V – Verizon

SM-G920W – Canada etc

SM-G920X – Demo Only, not for public 

SM-G9250 – China

SM-G925A – AT&T

SM-G925D – NTT DOCOMO

SM-G925F – A lot of countries/regions

SM-G925I – A lot of countries/regions

SM-G925J – KDDI

SM-G925K – KT

SM-G925L – LG Telecom

SM-G925P – Sprint

SM-G925R – US Cellular

SM-G925S – SK Telecom

SM-G925T – T-Mobile US

SM-G925V – Verizon

SM-G925W – Canada etc

SM-G925X – Demo Only, not for public

Samsung Galaxy S6 support

According to Sammobile, support pages for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have now appeared on Samsung's Swedish and Finnish websites, confirming their existence. 

Samsung Galaxy S6 to come with StoreDot super-fast-charging technology?

That'll be a no, but it would be cool if it did.

StoreDot's FlashBattery, which is able to fully charge your phone in one minute, is much thicker than same-capacity lithium batteries used in smartphones. Right now it wouldn't be able to get you through the day without several recharges, although StoreDot has given itself a 2017 goal to match the size and capacity of lithium-ion.

Sure, it's interesting to note that the FlashBattery was on show by appointment only at the same tradeshow that the Samsung Galaxy S6 was rumoured to be available for private viewings: CES 2015. StoreDot also used a Samsung Galaxy S5 on which to demonstrate its tech. And it said it was in talks with all the big players at CES 2015. But, let's use some common sense here: it probably just used the S5 because, unlike many of its rivals, its battery is removable. 

So while you will likely see this super-fast charging tech in future Galaxy devices, it certainly won't be in the S6. Check out the video below to see how it works.

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