Amazon has finally updated its app to bring several new features that are sorely missed on the iOS platform.

The first is the high-resolution display; wait what? That’s right – previously, iOS users could only view Prime Video content in standard definition.

Netflix has been offering mobile HD viewing for a while, so it’s good that Amazon has finally caught up with its biggest rival.

The online retail giant has also changed its streaming policy to allow content to be downloaded over a cellular connection.

Before the update, iOS users had to be connected to a Wi-Fi network, which often made mobile Instant Video viewing feel a little redundant.

However, thanks to the latest app update, users can now enjoy the full speed of their 4G connections.

Don’t forget about data limits, mind you; Streaming high-definition footage over a cellular connection is a surefire way to incur serious expenses if you exceed your monthly allotment.

Related: Netflix vs Amazon Instant Video

Luckily, Amazon has set up a number of quality settings to help you get the most out of your data.

First up is the Best setting, which you don’t want to use unless you have unlimited data. An hour of streaming apparently uses up a whopping 5.8GB of data.

Next is the “Better” plan, which drains you at a rate of 1.8GB per hour. Closely followed by “Good”, which consumes a downright frugal 0.6 GB per hour.

The update is live, so iOS users can update to the new software now.

advantages

• Looks good and is well made
• Room-filling sound
• Splash proof

disadvantage

• No play/pause button
• Limited support for music services

key specifications

• Built-in WiFi
• Multiroom support
• 95 mm midrange driver
• iOS and Android app
• Splash proof
• 4 preset buttons
• USB port
• Ethernet connection

What is the Raumfeld One S?

There was a time when you only looked to Sonos for wireless home audio controlled by your smartphone, but that’s no longer the case. Raumfeld is the newest kid on the block offering quality wireless speakers. The One S is the smallest of the series and competes against the Sonos PLAY:1.

Raumfeld may be new to the wireless speaker game and a new company on these shores, but it’s a renowned audio manufacturer with decades of experience in Germany. It has now spread its wings and is offering its products in more countries. That is a good thing.

With solid build quality and style, the Raumfeld One S wireless speaker should look at home in almost any setting, and offers surprisingly punchy sound for such a small cube. And while it doesn’t have as comprehensive a list of compatible streaming services as some of its competitors, it does have one unique feature – it’s water resistant (splash and steam resistant, and not fully submersible). This makes it ideal for the kitchen, bathroom or when barbecuing under threatening clouds.

ALSO SEE: Best wireless speakers: Sonos and other multiroom alternatives

Raumfeld One S – design

The One S is small and light enough to be portable, but doesn’t have a built-in battery, so you’ll have to keep it plugged in – it’s not like those Bluetooth speakers you can take on a picnic.

ALSO READ: The Best Portable Speakers

Instead, Raumfeld’s little powerhouse is a perfect bookshelf speaker for those who don’t want anything too flashy to mess up their home decor. Available in either black or white, the One S looks great and remains unobtrusive thanks to its somewhat serious demeanor – only two small lights and a round button on the front draw attention to it. One light indicates the Raumfeld is powered on, the other indicates it is connected to your wireless network.

Although the One S is slightly larger than the Sonos, its cube-like shape makes it easy to put on a shelf if that’s what you plan to do.

Raumfeld’s speaker is just as well made as its better-known rival. The front and sides are covered with a fabric mesh over an aluminum cover. A small metal plate on the front houses the lights, a power button, and a logo. The rest of the speaker is a combination of thick, high quality matte plastic and rubber. The latter serves two purposes. It gives the One S some support on the bottom while remaining waterproof on the back and top.

This is still a mains speaker. If you intend to use it in a bathroom you should seek advice from an electrician, place it in a ‘safe’ zone and plug it into an RCD protected track rather than a traditional outlet. If you have a small bathroom, consider a waterproof, battery-powered Bluetooth speaker instead. The sound quality won’t be nearly as good, but it might help avoid a Don King hairstyle.

There’s no play/pause button, which would be useful, but you do get silicone-coated volume buttons and four preset buttons to use with wet and lathered hands. These can be preset with your favorite internet radio stations.

An Ethernet and a USB port are hidden behind a rubber flap. The first is required to set up the One S and the second allows you to play music from a USB-connected device with simple plug-and-play technology. Unfortunately, plugging in your phone won’t work, but any simple USB stick or drive with music on it will.

If you want to mount the One S on a wall, you can purchase a wall mount accessory for £12.99.

Raumfeld One S – furnishing

How tricky setting up your Raumfeld One S is depends entirely on the location of your WiFi router. That’s because you need to connect the One S to it via an Ethernet cable (included). There’s no Bluetooth or NFC pairing here. Our router is hidden behind a TV, which means we had to spend a short while trying to reach it. The process isn’t all that different from setting up a Sonos, though, and you only have to do it once.

After connecting it to your router, you need to complete the setup via Raumfeld’s nifty smartphone app. It takes a few minutes after you unplug the little speaker from your router, and there are a few moments where you’re like, “Did it/didn’t it work?” trembles before the app comes back to life and you pump out the music.

The One S works with Wi-Fi streaming. So if you plan on placing it miles away from your router, or if you have general Wi-Fi issues in your home, you may need to get a Wi-Fi extender to be hassle-free tunes.

ALSO READ: Best WiFi Extenders

Raumfeld One S – user interface and app

Once you’ve completed the simple setup, the Raumfeld One S is a breeze. The app is robust and we didn’t encounter a single issue connecting via the iOS or Android app in the weeks we tested.

It’s also really easy to use. The icons are clear and connecting to music on your phone, tablet or server is a breeze. Simply select the DNLA or UPnP servers you want to use in the Music Resources section of Settings or select the music on your device.

In terms of audio quality, the One S supports sample rates up to 192kHz and is compatible with a wide range of formats including ASF, MP3, WMA, WAV, ACC, FLAC, OGG and Apple Lossless. It can play pretty much anything you throw at it.

The Raumfeld app is compatible with most of the music services you’ll want to use with the One S, but the selection isn’t as comprehensive as Sonos. That won’t be a problem for most people, especially if you only listen to internet radio, Spotify, and locally stored content. However, if you’re a Deezer or Pandora fan in the US, you can’t quite use the Raumfeld One S just yet.

Compatible services include Spotify, TuneIn, Tidal, WiMP, Napster and Last.fm, with more to come.

Instead of packing Spotify into its own app like Sonos, the Raumfeld One S is Spotify Connect-compatible. This means you can use the actual Spotify app instead of a revamped one. In theory, that’s a good thing – the Sonos app can lag when Spotify updates its app. In practice, however, we’ve found that we occasionally need to restart Spotify for Connect to work on the One S. However, this rarely happens and is easily fixed by stopping and restarting the app.

Those preset buttons we mentioned earlier can be assigned to a radio station, so you can get started without having to unlock your phone and open the app. It’s a nice feature, especially if you plan on using the One S like a DAB radio.

You can also use the Raumfeld app to set up “rooms” if you have multiple speakers. This means you can have multiple One S speakers for stereo coupling, or combine the One S with its bigger brother, the One M, in the same or separate music zones.

Raumfeld One S – sound quality

The Raumfeld One S is an impressive sounding speaker, especially considering its small size. In some ways, it’s even better than the current leader, the Sonos Play:1.

It uses the same two-way coaxial system as the excellent Raumfeld Stereo Cubes we recently reviewed. The 90mm midrange driver, 25mm tweeter and dual woofers deliver the solid sound you’d expect from something much, much larger.

We don’t expect hi-fi quality sound from a speaker of this size and price point, but the music is clear, detailed and impresses at higher levels. The One S can certainly fill a medium-sized room with rich, distortion-free sound.

Where the Raumfeld falls a bit short is in the low-end. Bass is somewhat limited, even more so than the smaller Sonos Play: 1. However, unlike the cheaper, TrustedReviews Award-winning Samsung M3, the sound never gets muddy on bass-heavy tracks. It remains balanced and clear throughout, if a bit weak. Listening to some tricky and hip hop albums lacked the low end drive that brings this genre to life. The highs can also be a little harsh at peak levels, but the midrange offers plenty of detail and clarity.

These issues are minor – most people who aren’t obsessed with audio quality will be consistently impressed with the performance and sound quality of Raumfeld’s little marvel.

Overall, we slightly prefer the One S to the Sonos and Samsung in terms of both balanced sound and top volume levels. However, if you’re into bass-heavy tracks, Sonos or Samsung might be better choices.

Should I buy the Raumfeld One S?

If you are looking for a small loudspeaker for the kitchen or bathroom, then the Raumfeld One S is the right choice. It’s a little more expensive than the Sonos Play:1 and Samsung M3, but it has water-resistant silicone buttons and great acoustic performance for such a small package.

If you’re looking for audiophile-quality music playback, you need to go for something bigger and dig a little deeper. That’s not what the Raumfeld One S is about. This is a great little speaker for quick and easy room-filling tunes after a hard day’s work.

ALSO SEE: The 10 Best Portable Speakers of 2015

verdict

There are cheaper options, but the One S’ splash resistance, looks and sound quality make it a great addition to a stylish kitchen or bathroom.

points in detail

• draft 9

• sound quality 9

• functions 8

• value 8

• Ease of use 9

audio codecs

Physical Specifications

The Apple Watch has now been taken apart, revealing the guts that power Apple’s first wearable.

The teardown comes courtesy of ABIResearch’s TeardownIQ team and offers new information about the fledgling smartwatch.

The biggest surprises are centered on the manufacturers behind many of the Apple Watch components.

For example, the accelerometer and gyroscope were developed by STMicroelectronics. Before launch, it was predicted that InvenSense would produce these components.

Also surprising was that the touch controllers were made by ADI and the wireless charging chip came from IDT.

ADI has struggled to integrate its components into mobile devices for the past three to five years, so an Apple Watch listing is a huge win for the company.

At the heart of Apple’s S1 system-in-package is the main processor, which we now know has the model number “APL 0778”.

Bundled on top of the processor is a 512MB SRAM chip built by Elpida, a major Japanese memory manufacturer.

Next to the processor is an 8 GB flash memory chip provided by SanDisk and Toshiba. There are no surprises there.

We also get a glimpse of Broadcom’s Wi-Fi/NFC module, located at the top center of the Apple Watch.

The left side houses the STM-built accelerometer and gyroscope we mentioned earlier, while the right side carries the NFC controller and NFC signal booster built by NXP and AMS, respectively.

Related: Apple Watch vs Android Wear

“The design is an obvious departure from Apple’s smartphones, with many high-end features/chips not typically found in a basic watch,” said Jim Mielke, VP Engineering of ABI Research.

He continued, “Judging by the complexity of the circuit board and the number of parts on the circuit board, you might think the Apple Watch is a full-fledged cellular-connected watch, but actually the connectivity is on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC.”

The Apple Watch was made available for pre-order on April 10th and began shipping to customers on April 24th.

Unfortunately, alleged problems with the Taptic motor’s vibration motor have meant that many customers have suffered delivery delays.

MS Research’s R&D team has demonstrated a prototype keyboard that not only allows you to type normally, but also can track your hands for gesture support.

The system uses an array of infrared sensors placed between the keys and enables what Microsoft calls “high frame rate natural motion data”. Basically, the resolution of the data is quite low, but it is captured at 300 Hz, which allows the keyboard to track your hand well.

The keyboard is thin and compact, and according to the video, the additional hardware doesn’t seem to have had much of an impact on the design at all. It looks a bit like a slightly larger version of Microsoft’s own wedge keyboard.

In many ways this seems like a more sensible take on the Leap Motion controller, which was a good idea but didn’t execute brilliantly. Here, Microsoft seems to have limited itself to a set of gestures similar to what you might use with a trackpad. However, the keyboard can recognize both moving gestures, like pinch-to-zoom, and static gestures, where forming an O with your thumb and forefinger over the keyboard starts a search.

Microsoft even says it can isolate enough information to track your fingertip accurately enough for the keyboard to know what you’re typing.

(YouTube)Y3dUeGNIX4M(/YouTube)

At the moment it seems like the hardware needs to expose the IR sensors and on the keyboard’s surface, resulting in a sub-optimal typing experience. Presumably, the sensors could be hidden in the keys themselves in the future. When something like this happens, gesture controls will surely take off.

Continue reading: Microsoft Surface 2 in review

key specifications

• Evaluation Price: £139.99
• 7 inch screen with a resolution of 1,280 x 800
• Android 4.2

Down with the kids

A 7 inch tablet is perfect when you want something you can take almost anywhere. Budget tablets like the Acer Iconia One 7 at around £130 offer even more accessibility as they’re not devices you’re afraid of breaking.

It might not be a Nexus 7 smasher, but the One 7 looks like a solid little tablet for the kids.

SEE ALSO: Best cheap tablets

Acer Iconia One 7: Design

Color is what really sets the Iconia One 7 apart from much of the competition. It’s available in a range of light shades, 10 in all, that make ordinary black tabs as boring as a service manual.

The brighter ones are eye-catchers, but the Iconia One 7’s build is otherwise pretty simple. The back is made of hard plastic with a grippy embossed structure. It doesn’t have the soft finish of several other tablets, including the Nexus 7.

However, it is fairly slim and light – 8.95mm and 330g. This isn’t a tablet that requires two hands to hold. There’s also a memory card slot, something you don’t get with a Nexus 7.

Acer Iconia One 7: screen and features

However, the Acer Iconia One 7’s screen is a few notches below the best. It’s a 7-inch IPS panel with 1,280 x 800 pixels. While it’s not super sharp, it’s an IPS screen, so it doesn’t experience the serious contrast shifts seen on some of Acer’s previous budget tablets.

Colors are a bit weaker than the Asus Memo Pad HD 7, which is a shame. They look a little dim and the contrast is less than great. However, let’s not forget that this is a very cheap tablet.

The core specs are pretty modest too. The Iconia One 7 features a dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz, the same one used in some versions of the Asus Fonepad.

It’s not a very powerful chip, but it will be enough to play high-end 3D games. You might just be missing out on a few graphical effects that you would get with a high-end GPU.

The Iconia One 7’s interface is fairly similar to vanilla Android, but for some reason it sticks to Android 4.2 rather than the latest Android 4.4. We’re not sure why – its brother, the Iconia Tab 7, has Android 4.4.

Along with all the core Android features, you get a bunch of Acer apps and some “recommended” third-party apps preinstalled. It’s a little overboard as you only get 8/16GB of internal storage, but you should be able to uninstall at least some of it.

There are two other major compromises with the Iconia One 7 – the cameras and the battery life.

Some ultra-budget tablets choose to have a camera or none at all. But the One 7 has two. However, both are not of particularly good quality. The front is a VGA camera, the rear is a low-end 2-megapixel camera. You will not make masterpieces with this.

I have a feeling Acer decided to include them because the tablet is aimed at a fairly young audience who aren’t sophisticated enough to care too much about camera quality.

Perhaps the more serious issue is battery life. We haven’t been able to test it yet, but the Iconia One 7 is expected to only last seven hours. The Nexus 7 lasts a few hours longer in most conditions, and the iPad mini even longer.

First impressions

7 inch tablets have a tough time these days. It’s hard to recommend many when the Nexus 7 can be bought for under £150 these days. The Acer Iconia One 7 is not a Nexus distractor, but the given bright case should please the kids.

Next, read our roundup of the best tablets

How we test tablets

We thoroughly test every tablet we test. We use industry standard tests to properly compare features and we use the tablet as our primary device during the review period. We will always tell you what we find and we never accept money to rate a product.

Learn more about how we test in our Ethics Policy.

Used as our main tablet during the period

Verified against recognized industry benchmarks

Ongoing real tests

Tested with various games, apps and services

The 2014 Call of Duty game will be announced in May, according to a new report.

Activision is expected to officially release the next installment in the Call of Duty franchise next month, according to a new report from PSU.

Apparently the game is being developed under the codename “Blacksmith”, but whether that is related to the game’s official title is currently unknown.

When Activision launches the first COD game developed by Sledgehammer Games next month, it would be around the same time as last year’s Call of Duty Ghosts announcement, which lends a little more weight to this latest report.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was developed by Infinity Ward with a little help from Sledgehammer games, but this title is being developed entirely by the latter.

According to a leak from an industry insider and a mention on a developer’s LinkedIn profile, the game appears to be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 rather than a new Call of Duty title.

Earlier this month, the first Blacksmith screenshot of Call of Duty 2014 surfaced, showing a highly detailed character.

The next Call of Duty game marks the beginning of a new three-year development cycle between Sledgehammer, Infinity Ward and Treyarch.

It will also be the first COD title to be developed first for next-gen PS4 and Xbox One consoles, with current-gen editions as a secondary development goal.

“Of course, anyone who made a cross-gen game over the past year had to deal with the console transition year, the technology of the next-gen platforms was still coming into focus and changing quite a bit during the development process,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing.

When the game is announced next month, don’t expect it to be released before Q4 2014 as is the usual COD release cycle, but Activision will undoubtedly give us plenty more details at E3 in June.

Read more: Best Games of 2014

We all might soon be enjoying movies in a whole different way; with DreamWorks boss Jeffrey Katzenberg proposing that films move to a “pay by the inch” system.

Well, that’s not as rude as it might sound at first. As film download and streaming rates continue to increase and the time between theatrical release and digital releases shrinks, Katzenberg has hinted that films will soon be sold at prices dependent on the screen size of the device on which they are viewed.

Additionally, the head of DreamWorks has claimed that films will soon be available for digital download within just 18 days of their first theatrical release.

“I think the model will change and you won’t pay for the availability window,” Katzenberg said of the changing film industry.

“A movie comes out and you have 17 days, which is exactly three weekends, which is 95 percent of the revenue for 98 percent of the movies.”

During a conference on corporate leadership in the US, he added: “On Day 18, these films will be available everywhere and everywhere, and you’re paying for the size.

“A movie screen costs $15. A 75 inch TV costs $4.00. A smartphone costs $1.99. This company will exist all over the world. When that happens, and it will happen, it will reinvent the enterprise of film.”

For those of you worried about spending more money to watch movies on your Smart TV, no worries. According to Katzenberg, this new film model won’t be introduced for another 10 years, by which time we’ll all have 150-inch home theaters with 8K projection, right?

The DreamWorks boss has yet to detail how film publishers plan to ensure cheaper smartphone downloads aren’t simply ported to the larger screens at home.

Continue reading: Best TVs 2014

About: diversity

The LG G3 leaks are coming tight and fast with new LG G3 images appearing online; presents the revised design of the upcoming phone.

With confirmation earlier today that the phone is heading towards a May 27th reveal, the newly leaked LG G3 images have once again shown off the handset’s refreshed design, with a dual LED flash coming into the mix alongside updated rear volume controls was thrown.

Images of the LG G3 that have surfaced on the Ortud forums show the handset in a pair of oversized rubberized cases, so we can’t see exactly what the back of the phone will look like.

What is visible, however, is that the phone’s rear-mounted volume/power controls have been refined, with a more pronounced power button to match previous leaks. In addition, the phone’s IR receiver has been relocated to make room for the expanded dual LED flash.

Another novelty on the back of the phone is a mysterious sensor in the lower left corner. Although the LG G3 has been widely rumored to house an integrated fingerprint reader, the snapped-in sensor looks more like a heart-rate monitor to us. We should find out for sure when the handset launches on May 27th.

On the front, the G3 has revealed, like the LG G2 before it, has an oversized screen with a really narrow bezel.

Although the phone’s specs have not been discussed in the latest leaks, recent rumors suggest that the rival Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 will be powered by a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 2GB RAM and 16 GB of internal storage will end up.

The phone’s party piece seems to be its display, however, with a 5.5-inch QHD panel said to be shot at a stunning 2560 x 1440 pixels.

Continue reading: Samsung Galaxy S6 release date