6.3in Samsung Galaxy Mega smartphone launched

Samsung has extended its variety of Galaxy smartphones with the Mega, a 6.3inch mobile phone handset that fills up the gap between the leading Galaxy S4 and S-pen packing Galaxy Note 2.

The product, which had been stated to exist for a while before being made official in March, uses LCD screen technology instead of AMOLED, which is reserved for premium handsets like the Galaxy S4. It also has decreased features in order to hit a lower cost when it releases later in the year.

Ongoing Samsung’s design cues of curved edges and a plastic backside, the Galaxy Mega does not have the modern squared off edges of the S4, but it is still a beautiful headset. Its 1,280×720 resolution display may not be capable of match the 1080p S4, either, but at 6.3in it has a significantly bigger surface area.

Operated by a dual core 1.7GHz processor and 1.5GB of RAM, the Galaxy Mega should easily be fast enough to work Android. Samsung has used the most recent 4.2 Jelly Bean version of the os, together with its own Touchwiz personalised user interface running on top. The usual suite of apps are integrated as well, including MyFiles, S Memo, S Planner and S Translator.

An 8-megapixel backside camera is placed on the back and a 1.9-megapixel web camera faces forward for making video calls. The mobile phone includes either 8GB or 16GB of internal memory based on the model, but both have a MicroSD card slot for additional capacity later. To maintain the massive display screen and 4G modem juiced up, the Mega uses a powerful 3,300mAh battery, which should make it get through the day without requiring a top-up from a mains socket.

“We are aware about an excellent potential in the larger display screen for multimedia, web surfing and more,” Samsung’s CEO JK Shin mentioned of the new mobile phone handset. “We are excited to offer another choice to meet our consumers’ various lifestyles, all while keeping the top quality features of the Galaxy series.

The Galaxy Mega will be for sale from May onwards, although Samsung has yet to resolve a firm release date or declare pricing. We are hoping that it costs less than a Galaxy S4 when it goes on sale later in the year, although the large screen size could bump up the selling price.

Panasonic unveils Lumix DMC-GF6 Micro Four Thirds camera

Lumix DMC GF6 300x200 Panasonic unveils Lumix DMC GF6 Micro Four Thirds camera

Panasonic has released the Lumix DMC-GF6 Micro Four Thirds camera. The winner to the Panasonic GF5, the GF6 is targeted at people that want a step-up from a small camera or enthusiasts searching for something more compact to carry around.

The GF6 is a little bit squarer and a bit chubbier than the GF5, which should make it much easier to grip. The silver and black case is unique more than the pure black GF5, and there is also a white model available. Managing has also been enhanced, with a new feature Lever up top close to the shutter button.

With 23 scene settings in intelligent Auto (iA) and 19 creative filters to process your pictures automatically, the GF6 is mainly targeted at users upgrading from a small camera. However, with a 16-megapixel Live MOS sensor and Venus Engine image processing, the GF6 can capture at ISO 3200 in Auto mode and up to ISO 25600 in Extended mode. When it obtains too dark, there is a small pop up flash on the top of the camera, together with Night shot AF, which reduces the auto focus system from 120fps to 15fps, increasing performance while maintaining accuracy.

The 1040k-dot display screen can flip out 180° for creating self portraits or awkward high and low shots, and has In Cell Touch capacitive touch technology. By removing the traditional air gap in between the touch layer and LCD, Panasonic has built the display screen thinner and more power efficient than the GF5′s. Colour reproduction has also been enhanced by around 20 %, and reflections are clearly reduced. Panasonic has included NFC as well as Wi-Fi to the GF6, which makes it the first CSC to include the function. You can use it to tap the camera to a tablet or smart phone and automatically exchange pictures. You can manage the camera using your phone as a remote viewfinder, or to geotag your photos.

A new 14-42mm kit lens is being launched together with the GF6, which has a smaller footprint sized than the past version. However, it is not particularly compact; the slimline Power X 14-42mm would have been a better selection, helping keep the overall sizes of the GF6 down and making it more comparable with a compact camera.

The GF6 will consist of a single 14-42mm lens for £499 or with two lenses for £649.

Facebook Home application puts social network up-front

Facebook Home 300x200 Facebook Home application puts social network up front

Facebook and HTC have got together to release Facebook Home, the social network’s new Android application that totally replaces the default interface towards one that puts status updates, images and comments just a number of swipes or taps away.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg made the statement in New York, revealing Facebook’s goals to become a larger part of the smartphone world by software instead of hardware. The application changes Android’s home screen, lock screen and application drawer with Cover Feed, which fills up your phone with full screen images culled from your friends’ added photos, allowing you to comment or like them immediately, or swipe to see extra content.

Text messaging and Facebook Messenger threads are built-in into Chat Heads, which keep all your interaction in one place. Friends show up as circular icons, popping up together with any incoming messages, then sitting at the top of the display screen when you reply back.

To coincide with the release, HTC unveiled the First mobile phone, an aptly named Android product that is the first smartphone to deliver with Facebook Home preinstalled. With a 4.3in 1,280×720 screen, a dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and a 5 mega-pixel camera with LED flash and support for 1080p Full HD video record, the 4G ready mobile phone is a highly mid-range product, but it is not the hardware that will make it special.

Running Facebook Home, all Facebook messages, announcements, wall posts and shared photos will appear directly on the phone with no need to release a dedicated Facebook app. For those who mainly use their smartphones to surf and post to the social networking website, that is a tempting proposition, but it will likely confirm unpopular with others who use third party launchers downloaded from the Google Play store. Unusually for an HTC gadget, the First is running stock Android under the Home interface.

The First is currently unique to the UK on EE and its Orange and T-Mobile subnetworks, while at the time of writing costs had yet to be verified.

Facebook Home is a major departure from standard application design, which is likely to appeal to anybody who’s regularly updating their social networks, although we will have to wait to see how popular it proves to know if other companies like Twitter will take an equivalent approach.

If you are happy with your current phone but want to try Facebook Home, the application is also available from Google Play to install on the Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 2, along with the HTC One, HTC One X and HTC One X+.

Epson Expression Premium XP-605 Review

Epson Expression Premium XP 605 300x168 Epson Expression Premium XP 605 Review

The Epson Expression Premium XP-605 is designed to appeal to the home user who needs a small multifunction printer that majors on photo prints, but can also turn out high quality text documents at an affordable rate.

Its glossy white slimline look is attractive. The printer stands just 138mm tall, thanks to wafer thin input trays. These hold 100 standard and 20 photo sheets. While these easily slide into place, provided the confined space their removal can be awkward.

Epson has made intelligent use of the pull out output tray, and a CD/DVD printer stored in the base of the unit snugly slots into the top of the tray when needed. The output tray must be manually extended before the XP-605 will print, though.

Most features centre on the touch sensitive control panel, which is dominated by a 2.5in colour LCD. Navigation is very easy, and the entire panel can be tilted by 90 degrees to help viewing.

Connectivity options consist of USB and Wi-Fi, but there is no ethernet.

A mobile application permits effortless printing from tablets and smartphones, and you can also directly print data from a USB stick, camera or SD card. Configuring the scanner is not as straightforward, however. The Epson’s scanning component unsuccessful to find a wirelessly connected laptop, causing us to resort to USB.

Epson’s Claria Premium inks (5 cartridges, which include two black) put in a good showing in our tests. We found amazing sharpness and detail in colour photographs, and solid blacks in text documents. Colour graphics printed on standard paper prevent the overly dark tones often created by more costly multifunction printers, too.

We tested text only print speeds of 4 pages per minute (ppm) in the normal duplex mode, and 11ppm in standard mode. We found 4x6in photos averaged 22 sees to finish, while A4 prints needed 1 min 5 sees. Note that these results do not include the start-up time.

The use of standard cartridges leads to running costs of 4.5p per mono page and 9p for colour. With high yield tanks these costs are reduced to 3p and 6p respectively.

Conclusion

This elegant and well featured multifunction printer from Epson delivers good quality photos and duplex documents, but you will pay a premium for the ink cartridges.

Specification
Colour multifunction inkjet printer; 5760×1440 print resolution; 1200×2400 scan resolution; 32ppm specified speed; 120-sheet standard input capacity; 802.11b/g/n; USB 2.0; 390x341x138mm; 7.1kg

Archos 80 Titanium Review

Archos 80 Titanium 300x199 Archos 80 Titanium Review

The Archos 80 Titanium is an 8inch tablet that, save for its low cost and Android based OS, is in numerous ways a duplicate of the iPad mini.

It has a similar wide bezel and bevelled sides, even the same 8in in-plane switching (IPS) display screen with 1024×768 pixels and a 4:3 aspect ratio. As with the iPad mini, watching angles are large in all directions, and colours are realistic. Only an off centre front side camera and the Archos logo provides its true identity.

The 80 Titanium is heavier than the iPad mini, but it seems lightweight and well made. It does not rattle or twist, thanks to the comfortable aluminium backside shell. Around the edges you will find a volume rocker, home button, headphone jack, Micro-USB, mini HDMI, individual charging jack and microSDXC card slot – handy, since storage is restricted to 8- or 16GB. Note that the Archos will not charge via USB.

There is integrated Wi-Fi, but no Bluetooth, GPS or cellular connectivity. You get front side and backside cameras, but both provide low quality images. Video is disappointing, both low resolution and jerky.

In most of our lab testing the Archos 80 Titanium bested the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, Google Nexus 7 and even the iPad mini with its 1,472 point score in Geekbench. The iPad mini provides far superior graphics, though, and we recorded 24fps against the Archos’ 15fps. In general use, we were satisfied with the Titanium’s speed.

The Archos operates standard Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, to which it provides its own video and music applications. We recommended these to Google’s counterparts, although there are many such applications to select from in Google Play. The video player has short cuts to screen brightness, rotation lock and bookmarks, and allows you loop videos.

Battery life is weak. While the Apple and Google mini tablets lasted in between 7 and 9 hours in our video looping test, the Archos mustered only half that. Some users have also revealed troubles with the Wi-Fi.

Conclusion

If you are after a low priced Android tablet with decent display screen, the Archos 80 Titanium is a bargain. It is a shame it cannot be charged over USB, given the short battery life. The processor functionality and construction are impressive for the price.

Specification

1.6GHz ARM Cortex-A9. dual-core; Android 4.1; 1GB RAM; 8/16GB storage; 8in (1024×768,163ppi) IPS touchscreen; Mali 400 MP4 quad-core GPU; 802.11b/g/n; 2Mp, 0.3Mp cameras; 3.5mm jack; Micro-USB; mini-HDMI; microSDXC slot; 16.3Wh, non-removable battery; 200x154x10.2mm; 430g

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 Review

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 300x220 Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 Review

Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 8.9 tablet is now readily available in the UK, with a near similar design and specs to its 7in brother.

As with former Kindle Fires, it operates a customized OS based on Android 4.0. It is smooth and easy to use, but locked down. Amazon’s slate was made to motivate consumers to purchase its applications, games and digital books and magazines.

At your own risk it can be hacked to perform third party applications. Amazon’s own application store is limited.

A monthly subscription allows you stream HD movies from Lovefilm Instant, but there is no option to download for offline watching.

Reading e books on the large display screen is a happiness – but, if you are moving from a standard Kindle, you will notice the additional weight. Designed to function in landscape mode, a web camera sits above the screen. Your hands can simply muffle the two speakers.

On the base are Micro-USB and -HDMI for synching, charging and hook up to a TV. The volume level and power buttons lie flush to the case, and are tough for the fingers to discover without looking.

The construction is amazing, but this 567g tablet is heavy – and heavier still with its case. Thicker black borders around the display screen make it seem to be oversized.

A highlight is the full-HD display with 254ppi density. This sharp IPS panel provides wide watching angles, deep colours and great contrast.

There is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but no GPS or NFC. While the Fire HD 8.9 has a faster dual core processor than Amazon’s 7in model, it does not feel as zippy as a Nexus 7.

In our benchmarks, the new Fire hit 1,398 points in Geekbench 2, 12fps in Egypt HD, and 1,376ms for Sunspider JavaScript, putting it on par with the Nexus 7. Although the web browser loaded pages easily, it experienced annoying delays when scrolling and loading images.

We recorded 7 hours 15 mins of video playback at full brightness. No mains charger is supplied, and the Fire HD took a foot tapping 14-plus hours to charge over USB.

Conclusion
The Fire HD 8.9 is a good value tablet for those happy to live in Amazon’s world. Performance and the display screen are excellent for the money.

Specification
1.5GHz Tl OMAP 4470 dual-core CPU; Android 4.0.4; 770MB RAM; 16GB/32GB storage; 8.9in (1920×1080) IPS touchscreen; Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX544 GPU; 2.4GHz/5GHz dual-band 802.11b/g/n; 1.3MP front camera; micro HDMI; Micro-USB 2.0; 39x163x9mm; 567g

Samsung Series 5 Laptop Review

Samsung Series 5 300x225 Samsung Series 5 Laptop Review

Samsung’s Series 5 is not the most unique looking laptop range. We found the smooth curves and metal effect finish of the 13.3in model strongly similar of the Apple MacBook Air.

The packaging has the word ‘ultra’ covered all over it: it is ultra light, ultra slim; the only thing missing is the term ‘Ultrabook’. That’s because this Samsung runs an AMD instead of Intel processor.

The Series 5 is definitely an ultraportable, though, just 18mm thicker and 1.4kg in weight. The case is made out of plastic, but it feels strong enough to handle with the odd bump. Overall quality is good, given that the Series 5 expenses around half the price of the 13in MacBook Air.

The display screen is bright and, fortunately, non gloss to reduce glare. The 1366×768-pixel resolution is less than that of the Air, but it is good for casual video or image viewing. Brightness drops off quickly as you move your location relative to the display screen, with the Samsung providing poor watching angles. We’d recommend connecting it up to a TV or monitor via HDMI or Mini DisplayPort to prevent these issues.

The loudspeakers sound tinny, and the laptop does not have an optical drive. But the keyboard and trackpad feel firm and comfortable in use.

The Samsung operates Windows 8 on a 2.1GHz AMD A6-4455M dual core processor. You also get 6GB of memory space and a 500GB hard drive. AMD’s built-in Radeon HD 7500G chip manages the graphics.

The Series 5 is no speed demon, and we recorded just 1,445 points in PCMark 7. This minimal score is partly due to a slow hard disk drive dragging down the overall performance scores. The laptop should be simply adequate for routine jobs such as web surfing and word processing.

It’s no gaming machine either, and the Radeon GPU could barely handle 9fps in Batman: Arkham City at its native display screen resolution.

Conclusion

Creating an ultraportable below £500 will certainly involve some compromises. The Series 5 manages routine computing jobs well, and it is light and strong enough for portable use.

Specification

2.1GHz AMD A6-4455M; Windows 8 Mbit; 6GB DDR3 RAM; 500GB HDD; 13.3in (1366×768,118ppi) LCD; AMD Radeon HD 7500G; 802.11a/b/g/n; gigabit ethernet; Bluetooth 4.0; 1x USB 3.0; 2x USB 2.0; SD slot; stereo speakers; 1.3Mp webcam with built-in mic; combined headphone/ microphone socket; lithium-Ion battery; 314x218x18mm; 1.4kg

Canon EOS M Complete Review

Canon EOS M 300x225  Canon EOS M Complete Review

Last to the compact system camera celebration, Canon has finally launched its EOS M. We examined its attempts with a 22mm pancake lens, and were satisfied with the fantastic picture quality taken by its 22.3×14.9mm CMOS sensor.

Our test pictures exposed crisp focus and pleasingly low noise levels throughout. Photos display a significant level of detail and sharpness, even at high ISOs. Colour reproduction is also great, with photos vibrantly rendered.

Recorded video provides a similarly high quality. We found no proof of jerkiness, and the Canon managed brilliant sharpness and excellent colours. The major problem we encountered was camera shake that was due to adjusting the focus point on the 3in LCD touchscreen.

Sadly, simplicity of use is not the EOS M’s strong point. When compared to the user-friendly nature of cameras such as Panasonic’s K-01, Canon’s first project into this classification takes some getting used to. Some features are controlled by a couple of simple physical buttons, while others are conducted via complicated menus on the touchscreen.

We found the camera would sometimes freeze, especially when reviewing photos. We also had some issues with the autofocus – at times it could be slightly sluggish and annoying.

The camera itself is small at 109x67x32mm and 298g without its lens. In most respects this is a great thing, but its lightweight chassis also makes new difficulties. When using big lenses the camera becomes uncomfortable and front heavy, somewhat unsafe and complicated to hold, especially without the support of a decent side grip. This is a very common problem with the smaller compact system cameras.

As is normal with mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, the EOS M has no optical viewfinder. Photos are instead composed on the backside touchscreen. This functions an anti smudge coating, but it still advantages from a cloth wipe to free it from fingerprints.

While there is a physical shutter release button, you can also touch the display screen to focus straight and take photos.

There is no integrated flash, but a hotshoe lets you to add one. All the different lens kit models are provided with a Speedlite 90EX flash as standard.

Construction is very good. The Canon is made out of a matt black magnesium alloy, and does not feel plasticky or inexpensive. It is neat and quietly beautiful, without being overly showy. That said, the plastic external flash is not particularly in maintaining with its sleek design.

A three point wheel sits on top of the camera, enabling you to switch in between auto stills, creative stills and video mode. This wheel has a fair amount of resistance; while this is guarantees that it is not accidentally knocked, it can be challenging to turn with small or cold fingers.

Conclusion

This attractive camera has a lot going for it. The Canon EOS M will surprise if you are on the lookout for brilliant photo and solid construction. It has a smooth design and a small, lightweight body. An integrated flash would be helpful to save fiddling with external adaptors, and we found the autofocus fairly slow. A high price of £529 indicates it is a top quality camera, but the EOS M does not completely live up to expectations.

Specification
Interchangeable-lens compact camera; 18.5Mp CMOS, 22.3×14.9mm; 22mm pancake lens; ISO Auto (100-6,400), 100-12,800 in 1-stop increments, expandable to 25,600; 3in LCD touchscreen; PAL/ NTSC video output (integrated with USB port); mini-HDMI output (HDMI-CEC compatible); 3.5mm stereo minijack mic input; 108.6×66.5×32.3mm; 298g (body only)

Asus Padfone 2 Complete Review

The Padfone 2 300x243 Asus Padfone 2 Complete Review

The Padfone 2 is not your common smartphone: it comes along with the dumb Padfone Station, a 10in tablet shell that is powered by the phone.

One benefit of using two units with a single brain is that you have to log into your accounts only one time, preventing multiple notifications for the same alert.

You can use the phone as typical, but when you want a bigger display screen you just dock the Padfone 2 into the Padfone Station’s backside and it will become a 3G tablet.

With the phone docked you can still send and receive calls and texts, and you need only pull it from its slot to detach it. The front side seems like most other phones, but with a bigger ‘chin’ to house the touch control buttons. We like the pointed shape, which has an iPhone-style metal band running around the edge.

Specification
2.6GHz Intel Core i5-3230M (3.2GHz with Turbo Boost); Windows 7/8 64bit; 8GB DDR3 RAM; 1TB Seagate HDD with 8GB flash; 11.6in (1366×768,135ppi) matt LCD; Intel HD 4000/ GeForce GT 650M, 2GB VRAM; 802.Ha/b/gAi; gigabit ethernet; Bluetooth 4.0; 1x USB 2.0; 2x USB 3.0; SD slot; stereo speakers; 1.3Mp webcam with built-in mic; headphone socket; microphone socket; 62Wh lithium-ion battery; 287x207x37mm; 1.8kg

The Padfone Station looks like a typical 10in iPad, but with a broader bezel. On the backside is a large hole for the phone, which is held in place by barbed rubber grips.

The construction is a let down. The phone seems solid, but we do not like the textured plastic backside. The docking station has a smooth plastic finish, which does not really feel well built – it is too flexible, while the plastic cover is too easily unclipped.

Asus’ specifications mirror those of the Google Nexus 4. There is a 1.5GHz Oualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor and 2GB of memory. In Geekbench 2 the Padfone 2 scored a high 2,196 points, and its 43fps result in GLBenchmark is the best we have seen yet. Docked, this framerate decreased to 40fps.

JavaScript overall performance is less impressive, and in SunSpider we measured 1,865ms.

You get 32GB of storage space, which is twice that of most Google phones, but there is no expansion slot.

The cell phone has a bright 4.7in Super IPS+ display. Its 720×1280 pixel count is under the new wave of full-HD phones, but it still provides a decent density of 312ppi. The 10.1in tablet’s IPS panel has a 1280×800 (150ppi) resolution.

The Padfone 2 is bundled with connectivity solutions, which includes dual band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, aGPS and support for 4G LTE.

Cameras total three: two on the cellphone and one on the tablet. The latter replaces the phone’s front side camera when it is docked.

The 13Mp backside camera functions well. We like its touch to focus function, and our test photos using auto configurations looked good. Noise is a problem in low light, however.

Full-HD (1080p) video can be recorded at 30fps, but the default is 720p, 60fps. The front side cameras are typical: 1.2Mp and 1Mp for the phone and tablet respectively.

The Padfone 2 operates Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean with an update to 4.2 available for SIM-unlocked models. Minor Asus customisations consist of quick access buttons for Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and display screen settings in the notification bar. The lock screen is simple, and does not allow access to the notification bar.

Pre installed applications include Amazon Kindle, Polaris Office 4.0 and Zinio, along with Asus’ own Asus Studio, Audio Wizard, BuddyBuzz and Web Storage. We are not confident on the Asus keyboard’s tiny Space key, but it does have an awesome freehand mode.

Asus says the two batteries bundled offer 36 hours of talk time. We got three days’ use from the combo when taking benefit of the battery saving mode.

Conclusion
A cellphone and tablet in one, but with some limits. A fast processor and great battery life are the standout features, but plastic construction lets it down.

Chillblast Genesis Mini Review

Chillblast Genesis 300x244 Chillblast Genesis Mini Review

Most gaming notebooks are hulking great beasts with 15 or 17in display screens, back breaking weight, and a cost well over the £1,000 mark. The Genesis Mini from Chillblast takes an absolutely different technique, trying to provide best gaming performance in a cost-effective and portable 11.6 inch laptop.

The Genesis Mini is no Ultrabook. The humble black chassis does not consist of a DVD drive, but it still measures a large 37mm and weighs in at 1.8kg.

The 11.6in display screen packs 1366×768 pixels into a widescreen format. It is small, but bright and clear, with excellent viewing perspectives and a non reflective coating. The Genesis Mini also consists of HDMI and VGA ports, enabling you to hook it up to a bigger screen or monitor.

Regardless of the laptop’s size the keyboard is properly large that our fingers could carry on during action packed gaming sessions. Keys have lots of travel, too. But at 85x42mm, we observed the trackpad small and fiddly. Gamers will almost definitely plug in a mouse, but the trackpad continues to be an irritation for non gaming use.

Chillblast offers many build to order options on its web page. The basic Genesis Mini assessed here costs £699 with your selection of Windows 7 or 8, a dual core Intel Core i5 processor operating at 2.6GHz, 8GB of memory, and a 1TB hybrid Seagate Momentus XT HDD/SSD drive. That fast hybrid drive assisted the Genesis Mini to obtain a very solid score of 4,557 points in PCMark 7.

Gaming is the actual test for the Genesis Mini, and the addition of both Intel built-in graphics and an individual Nvidia GeForce GT 650M GPU guarantees good performance at this price – although it cannot match the raw horsepower of most more costly gaming laptops. Do note that you will not have the ability to upgrade this graphics chip.

Running Batman: Arkham City at the laptop’s own display screen resolution and High details we recorded just 23fps, which is hardly playable. When we decreased the graphics settings we saw 43fps.

Older games, like Stalker: Call Of Pripyat zoomed together, hitting 86fps even with Great detail.

We also attached the Genesis Mini to a TV to see how it would manage at full-HD (1920×1080) resolution. Batman ran at 15fps with High detail, and 34fps with Low detail. Stalker ran at a wholesome 55fps even on the High setting.

You will get only 90 minutes from the battery power when playing games with the GeForce graphics, but you can change to the Intel HD 4000 built-in graphics when performing less challenging tasks.

We recorded 4 hours 45 minutes when streaming iPlayer video over Wi-Fi, and you will get longer still if you are using the laptop only for schedule tasks such as web surfing.

The fan create a low hum throughout our games tests, but it was never loud enough to be intrusive.

The loudspeakers sound slightly tinny, but can generate decent volume.

Conclusion
It is not the all out guns blazing gaming system that Chillblast claims, but the Genesis Mini offers decent gaming performance at £699. The 11.6in display screen will not appeal to everyone, but it does make the Genesis Mini a great option for persons who want a light, portable laptop that still gives enough power for some gaming action.

Price: £699 inc VAT
chillblast.com
Specification
2.6GHz Intel Core i5-3230M (3.2GHz with Turbo Boost); Windows 7/8 64bit; 8GB DDR3 RAM; 1TB Seagate HDD with 8GB flash; 11.6in (1366×768,135ppi) matt LCD; Intel HD 4000/ GeForce GT 650M, 2GB VRAM; 802.Ha/b/gAi; gigabit ethernet; Bluetooth 4.0; 1x USB 2.0; 2x USB 3.0; SD slot; stereo speakers; 1.3Mp webcam with built-in mic; headphone socket; microphone socket; 62Wh lithium-ion battery; 287x207x37mm; 1.8kg