The bootloader is a tool that not only loads the system software when you turn on your device, it also determines the priorities and apps that will run in the ‘boot up’ process. The code makes sure that upon loading your device up, everything will run smoothly.

Did you know?

HTC recently released a utility allowing its users to unlock the bootloader on all their new HTC devices. This process does alter the warranty on these devices, but ultimately opens them up for developers to start hacking and rooting them.

Bloatware

Software that requires a considerable amount of disk space and RAM. Pre-loaded software and apps that can’t be removed from the device are common sources of bloatware. However, there are apps now available which can help detect bloatware on your device.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a common feature in Android devices, allowing its users to exchange data over short distances over its open wireless technology. Bluetooth uses radio-based technology to chop up data being sent into manageable chunks, allowing a quick transfer process.

The techie bit

The radio technology behind Bluetooth is called Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS). This particular method of transmitting radio signals is done by continuously switching between various frequency channels, using a psuedorandom sequence (a process that appears random, but actually isn’t).

Imagine Publishing has launched a new digital-only, Multi-Touch ebook, iCloud For Beginners, specifically designed for Apple’s iBooks 2. Featuring slideshows, interactive images and more, it is one of the first ebooks of its type in the world.

Using iBooks Author’s revolutionary Multi-Touch technology, iCloud For Beginners teaches everything users need to know about iCloud, the free new back-up and sync service. From how to set-up your free iCloud account to sharing your information across your Apple devices, the ebook uses cutting-edge technology to deliver enhanced, easy-to-use tutorials.

“At Imagine, we’re always excited by cool new ways to deliver our world-leading content.” said Editor In Chief Aaron Asadi “iBooks Author is another great opportunity for us to create more products we love for a whole new type of audience. It’s this sort of game-changing innovation that makes us do what we do. ”

“With the speed that the publishing industry is changing, there’s nothing more exhilarating than grabbing hold of new technologies and seeing how we can get the most out of them to serve-up the content we’re so passionate about” added Ross Andrews, Head of Design “What could be better than going from saying ‘we should try that’ to a fully published product in just a few days? It’s hard to think of a more exciting time for the industry.”

iCloud For Beginners is available now on iTunes and iBookstore worldwide for just £0.99 in the UK and $1.99 in the US.

Imagine Publishing is one of the UK’s fastest-growing multimedia content producers. Formed in May 2005, Imagine now publishes 20 regular print magazines, 30 digital apps, 25 websites and thousands of articles every month in the technology, videogames, photography and knowledge/science markets. An Imagine magazine is purchased every ten seconds.

T-Mobile has unveiled a new phone plan it is calling ‘The Full Monty’ – the UK’s first truly unlimited plan.

The plan launches on 1st February with four different price points, promising users an all you can eat service with no faiar use policy.

The two-year plan starts at £36 per month, for which you’ll get your choice of phone, including a free Samsung Galaxy S II or a 16GB iPhone 4S for £99. The top price of £61 per month includes a free 32GB iPhone 4S.

The South Korean company has racked up a total profit of £2.9 billion for the last quarter of 2011.

Figures from Strategy Analytics suggest that Samsung’s range of Galaxy phones have been a major factor in the profits, with the Galaxy SII and Galaxy Note being two of the more popular devices of last year.

Strategy Analytics report estimates that a staggering 36.5 million Samsung handsets were sold in the last quarter of 2011, leaving them just behind Apple’s figure of 37.04 million handsets, and well in front of third-place Nokia’s 19.6 million handset.

The brand new issue of Android Magazine has gone on sale. This month we’re showing you how you can get started with hacking and tweaking your Android phone or tablet, with an amazing collection of hacks that anyone can try.

We also a look at the best futuristic apps, put some BlackBerry-style Android phones head to head, and show you how you can get fit for the new year with help from your phone.

Inside issue 7

30 amazing hacks and tweaks every user must try
The complete beginner’s guide to hacking Android.

Apps of the future
Use the apps of tomorrow today!

HTC Sensation XL
The super sized phone on test.

Customise your phone
The best launchers for Android phones rated.

Plus
- Android security
- Ten things to know about travelling
- Get fit with your phone
- Asus Eee Pad Slider
- Huawei MediaPad
- Messaging phones head to head
- Music masterclass
- Master the ICS interface
- Avoid traffic
- Get to grips with Google Books
- Upload videos to YouTube
- Sleep apps on test
- Readers’ problems solved

Android Magazine issue 7 is on sale now from all good newsagents, and you can also buy online.

Or to ensure you never miss a copy of the world’s best Android magazine subscribe today!

Size

Xperia S: 128 x 64 x 10.6 mm, 144g
iPhone 4S: 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm, 140g

The Xperia S is noticeably taller than the iPhone 4S, and a little wider too, to accomodate its larger, widescreen display. The Xperia S also breaks from the recent trend of high-end smartphones being less than 10mm thin, which will hopefully result in longer battery life. The weight of the two handsets is essentially the same.

Processor and memory

Xperia S: 1.5GHz dual-core, 1GB RAM
iPhone 4S: 1GHZ dual-core, 512MB RAM

On paper the Xperia S appears to be the clear winner, with a processor 50% faster and double the RAM. However in practice the difference may be less discernible, if at all, due to the fact that the devices run different OSes with different power requirements. The Xperia S should be as fast and responsive as any Android handset, though.

Screen

Xperia S: 4.3″, 720 x 1280 pixels
iPhone 4S: 3.5″, 640 x 960 pixels

The famed Retina Display in the iPhone used to be the standard by which all phone screens were measured. Not any more. The 720p display in the Xperia S, over 4.3 inches, amounts to a pixel density of 341ppi – better even than on the iPhone 4S. The display is arguably the one area most in need of an upgrade when it’s time for the iPhone 5 later this year. The 4.3″ size of the screen on the Xperia S is becoming the norm; some users may find it a little large to use one-handed.

Camera

Xperia S: 12.1 megapixels, f/2.4, 1080p video
iPhone 4S: 8 megapixels, f/2.4, 1080p video

The iPhone 4S is recognised as having one of the best cameras in any smartphone today. Sony Ericsson (now just Sony) has traditionally equipped its phones with impressive cameras itself, so we have high hopes that the Xperia S will be a top performer in its own right. The bump in resolution, up to 12.1 megapixels, sounds impressive, although in reality increasing the resolution on a small sensor can actually degrade image quality, so that is something that will need to be analysed in full when the device becomes available. The f/2.4 aperture should ensure reasonable low light performance on a par with what the iPhone 4S can achieve.

Battery

Xperia S: 1750mAh
iPhone 4S: 1432mAh

The Sony Xperia S has a larger battery than the iPhone 4S, but any potential benefits may be offset by the larger screen size and faster processor. In truth, a day is probably the best you can hope for from either device.

OS

Xperia S: Android 2.3 (upgradeable to Android 4)
iPhone 4S: iOS 5

The Xperia S will launch with Gingerbread, Android 2.3, and will receive an update to Android 4 some time in the second quarter of 2012. Sony does customise the OS but in a fairly minimal way, adding a few extra widgets and useability tweaks, without ever completely changing the way the phone works as, say, HTC does. The number of apps is comparable to the iPhone, and both handsets have a comprehensive – if different – feature set, including the excellent Google Maps app on the Xperia S and the popular Siri speech recognition tool on the iPhone.

Verdict

The Sony Xperia S is looking like being one of the most powerful and exciting new smartphones of 2012. On paper it has the specs and features to match and even surpass the iPhone 4S in most areas although, as ever, what looks clear on paper does not always turn out to be so in practice.

We’ll find out when the Xperia S goes on sale in March.

Now, we don’t usually report on TV’s here on LGR, but what makes this TV special is that it’s to be powered by the latest Android OS update, Ice Cream Sandwich.

The TV will include a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage for your favourite shows. Smart TV’s, such as the Lenovo K91 look to cross the lines between computers and TV, offering the functionality of your laptop on the big screen.

There’s no news on how the Android OS will be implemented as of yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as we have more details.

Digital Photographer is celebrating its 10th anniversary starting in issue 117, which marks the beginning of a yearlong schedule of special celebratory events. To kick off the birthday celebrations, UK readers will receive a beautiful photo tips calendar inside issue 117.

Digital Photographer Editor, Rosie Tanner said, “We want to thank our readers for 10 fantastic years of photography by bringing them extra special editions and gifts throughout the year. We’re so proud to remain strong in such a populated photography market and this big birthday reinforces our heritage within the industry. It proves we’re a trusted, respected and inspirational magazine for so many photographers.”

As part of the celebrations, Digital Photographer is offering readers the chance to win a sensational prize of over £10,000 of professional photographic kit. “The prize contains everything you need to set up as a pro photographer,” Rosie Tanner said, “The winner will receive a brilliant course on how to go pro, plus an expert Sony DSLR, top of the range printer and a host of pro-grade accessories to help them launch their career with a bang.”

Since 2002 Digital Photographer has emerged as a successful global brand, with translated editions in Brazil, Philippines, Spain, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. It now dominates in the digital arena too thanks to impressive download figures on the Apple Newsstand, enabling readers to access their favourite photography magazine on their iPhone and iPad.

The Digital Photographer brand also extends to an extensive range of collectible bookazines and the popular ‘Digital Photographer of the Year Awards’ competition generates a massive global following, receiving thousands of entries from photographers every year.

As well as 10 years of the magazine, 2012 is also the fifth year of its highly successful gallery based website, DPhotographer.co.uk, which recently celebrated reaching 200,000 user-uploaded images.

Imagine Publishing is one of the UK’s fastest-growing multimedia content producers. Formed in May 2005, Imagine now publishes 20 regular print magazines, 30 digital apps, 25 websites and thousands of articles every month in the technology, videogames, photography and knowledge/science markets. An Imagine magazine is purchased every ten seconds.

The company took a sample of just over 5,000 sales taken from over a hundred independent sites delivering mobile phone sales to dozens of leading mobile phone retailers and networks in the UK, including Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U, to achieve the figures. It puts the Samsung Galaxy S II as the leading handset for the last month.

The UK’s largest parent and school community, ParentMail, is set to get a new Cloud-based  iPad and iPhone app, as part of a 2 million pound project.

ParentMail has been registered with 500o scholls to help give parents the low-down on school trips, dinner money payment and other school necessities.

The app aims to give parents the chance to communicate directly with other parents, and their child’s school, without the need to visit the school in person.

The Cloud platform makes it perfect to cope with a demand for the app, and acts as a secure way to back-up all content.

With over 3.5 million registered parents, the app will allow parents to share information quickly and effortless while on the go. ”ParentMail’s success over the last ten years has been to streamline and simplify communication of all information in an easy to digest and manage format. The Cloud-based software platform makes our offering scalable and resilient to drive future growth” states Paul Hughes, Managing Director at ParentMail.

ParentMail are working with developers Answer to create the app; although no release date has been confirmed.