Tech Tools

A tech tools roundup

Samsung Galaxy S II

The Galaxy S hasn’t been with us all that long, but already the smartphone’s successor has been announced.

Unveiled this week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the S II is powered by a dual core processor, which should make it run faster, and runs on Android’s latest phone system, Gingerbread.

The camera has been bumped up to eight megapixels, now comes with an LED flash and is capable of 1080p video capture. The secondary camera is two megapixels.

The screen, meanwhile, has been increased in size to almost 4.3 inches. It uses Super Amoled Plus technology to make it not only thinner, but also better on colour performance.

The storage, which ranges from 16GB to 32GB , is expandable with a Micro SD card, giving you up to 32GB of additional space on each card.

All in all, the S II is impressive.

The screen is responsive, the operating system works quickly and the improvements Samsung has made to the handset in terms of the power, screen and overall aesthetics made it one of the most talked about handsets of the past week.

samsung.com

Sure Signal

Bad mobile coverage is an annoyance, but even more so when it is your only method of contact. The Sure Signal from Vodafone is a device intended to help increase its customers’ mobile phone signal, using your broadband line.

You may wonder why you would want to spend money on a device to boost mobile coverage – surely that’s the responsibility of the networks? It’s a valid question.

There are many reasons why mobile coverage is bad. Even the type of building you’re in can sometimes be responsible. Sure Signal can be a quick fix to an annoying problem, provided you are with Vodafone, of course.

The device attaches to your broadband line and uses this infrastructure to increase your mobile signal strength. It will only work with DSL or cable though, so no satellite or mobile broadband. If there isn’t a physical line, forget it.

You register up to 10 Vodafone numbers that can access the boost provided by the device; if you move house, Sure Signal can also move with you.

vodafone.ie

Canon Powershot G12, €649

A compact yet high-powered camera, the Powershot G12 combines some of the advantages of powerful manual controls with the convenience of a point and shoot. The new camera uses Canon’s HS System, combining a 10.0 megapixel CCD sensor and high-performance Digic 4 processor.

The Hybrid IS technology boosts the effectiveness of the optical Image Stabiliser when shooting at close range, helping guard against camera shake when shooting macro images. You can also record movies in 720p HD on the G12.

The LCD screen rotates and can be angled to help you capture difficult shots. There are full manual controls too, with important settings such as ISO on an easy-to-access dial.

canon.com