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EE Kestrel review: a good low-cost 4G phone, but with a Moto on its back
The adjectives "affordable" and "budget" often allude to something of inferior quality -- a questionable substitute for something more premium. Something out of financial reach. A few years ago, I would've assumed the same, having set up enough low-end Samsungs for family members to want only high-end handsets, extortionate contracts attached. Thanks to devices like Google's Nexus range and, most recently, the OnePlus One, we've never been more aware of value for money. The Moto G, in particular, proved that a solid smartphone could be an absolute bargain. It's this newfound, positive connotation of affordable that EE's aiming for with its first own-brand smartphone, the Kestrel. Launched earlier this month for £99 on pay-as-you-go, or free from £14 per month on contracts, it's EE's play for the 4G-curious, money-conscious consumer. The Kestrel's LTE radio and inviting price tag aren't the sum of its selling points, either; there's also expandable storage and a very capable processor. Components such as the display and cameras are understandably more modest, but on paper, the Kestrel still ticks the value box. In the increasingly competitive area of low-cost handsets, however, the question isn't just whether the Kestrel is a worthwhile purchase, but whether you'll see it the same way a month later.
EE's homegrown Kestrel smartphone now available for £99
EE announced at the end of March it would be taking its first stab at own-brand hardware with the Kestrel, a 4G handset for thrifty speed merchants. Well, the Android smartphone is now available to buy online or over the phone for £99 on pay-as-you-go, or from £14 per month on EE's new entry-level 4G tariffs. Aside from its price, the Kestrel has a few other things going for it, like a capable quad-core Snapdragon 400 heart and Cat 4 LTE radio which can, in theory, handle the maximum 150Mbps download speeds of EE's "Extra" plans. It's now the cheapest way to jump on EE's ever-expanding 4G network, and we have one in our possession, so keep an eye out for our full review in the near future.
UK's EE to launch own-brand LTE smartphone for just £100 off-contract
We got wind that EE was cooking up an own-brand smartphone for its 4G network a couple of weeks ago, and now the UK operator's ready to come clean about the device. It's called the Kestrel, and as we suspected, it'll offer the cheapest ride on EE's LTE network at £100 on pay-as-you-go (PAYG), or free from £14 per month on the new entry-level tariff, when it launches towards the end of April. Now, being £30 less on PAYG than Alcatel's One Touch Idol S (which is also free from £14 per month), a mixed-bag of specs was to be expected. On the plus side, it's packing a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 and as a Cat 4 handset, it's capable of maxing out the theoretical 150Mbps download speeds of EE's "Extra" plans. Not so enticing is the 4.5-inch qHD display (960 x 540), and beyond that, we're looking at 1GB of RAM, 8 gigs of storage (with a microSD slot for expansion), a 2,000mAh battery, 5-megapixel main camera and 1-megapixel front-facer.
Captain's Log: The 2800: Of Bajor is as immersive as it gets
If you have not yet played the newest episode in Star Trek Online's The 2800 series and you do not appreciate spoilers, then hold off reading this column. At first I thought I was going to split this column and discuss two different things: the new DS9 Bundle offered by Cryptic Studios in the Star Trek Online C-Store and the newest featured episode, The 2800: Of Bajor. Although there still is a lot to talk about the bundle, after playing today's episode, I realized that it would be impossible to write about both and that I needed to concentrate on one. To that end, if you consider yourself a Deep Space Nine fan, you owe it to yourself to check out the bundle that caters to your tastes. It includes the new Vedek robes and Admiral uniforms as well as a completely new environment for the Defiant class ship (including a bridge, crew, engineering, mess, sickbay, and many other rooms). Also included are two new Bajoran weapons, three unique duty officers, and a playable shuttlecraft which makes it a really good deal for 1800 C-Store points. But first, let's concentrate on the newest featured episode, Of Bajor...
EVE Evolved: Getting into your first PvP frigate
In last week's EVE Evolved, I encouraged new players to grab a few friends and charge head-first into PvP with guns blazing from day one. Whether you join a faction warfare militia, form a corp to declare war on other corporations or head out to lowsec or nullsec, starting your PvP journey is an important part of enjoying EVE. Several readers requested help with picking a ship, putting together a viable ship fitting and finding the funding for it. So many players asked for help that this week's column is entirely dedicated to the messy business of putting together your first PvP frigate and learning to fly it. Although the ship of choice for most newbies is the agile Minmatar Rifter, each race has a range of frigates that can perform well in PvP groups with minimal skills. In this article, I'll suggest fittings for two frigates from each race that new players with as little as one day of trained skills will be able to fly. One of the core concepts of EVE Online's PvP that often discourages new players is the idea that your ship is irreversibly destroyed when you die. While this may seem like an extremely harsh death penalty, deciding how much you risk in PvP is part of the game's tactical gameplay and even the best active PvP enthusiasts lose at least one ship per week. Death in EVE is essentially a financial loss followed by the inconvenience of having to buy and fit a new ship. Most of the financial penalty can be countered by using cheap and effective tech 1 equipment and insuring your ship, and the inconvenience of death can by bypassed by building up a stockpile of disposable PvP ships. With that in mind, this week's absolutely massive EVE Evolved is dedicated to getting you and a few friends into your first PvP frigates after as little as one day in the game and helping you mitigate the financial loss of death.
Apple sews up carbon fiber whiz, could lighter devices be in the works?
The aircraft industry is in the midst of a major change from building large passenger airplane structures from metal alloys to building those same structures out of composite materials like carbon fiber. The result? Aircraft that are much lighter (like that Boeing 787 Dreamliner pictured above) but just as strong as those made completely of metal. Apple might be looking at mimicking the aircraft industry by making future mobile devices out of carbon fiber, as MacStories is reporting that the company has hired a new Senior Composites Engineer by the name of Kevin Keeney. What makes this so interesting is that Keeney has not only worked with Apple previously, supplying expertise on a carbon fiber shell patent in 2009, but he is the CEO of a company -- Kestrel -- that made waves by creating the first carbon bicycle frame in 1986. While the idea of thinner, lighter carbon iPad, iPhone and Mac cases might be attractive, there are still technological barriers to be overcome. Carbon fiber doesn't conduct heat as well as aluminum does, and it has other differing characteristics that will affect product design. Keeney's expertise, both in engineering of the material and in supply chain management, will serve Apple well for any products that might be in the works. The TUAW archives are chock-a-block with rumored carbon fiber Apple products. Back in 2004, we reported on rumors that a carbon fiber G5 PowerBook was in the works. Last fall, initial rumors about the new MacBook Air were speculating that the device would be crafted from carbon fiber for weight savings.
EVE Evolved: Making the most of your EVE Online free trial
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/EVE_Evolved_Making_the_most_of_your_EVE_Online_free_trial'; Like many MMOs, EVE Online offers a free trial to let players try the game out before they buy it. While this lets you see if you like the gameplay before committing, the sheer scope of EVE makes it practically impossible to experience everything the game has to offer within the trial period. Additionally, since the learning curve is relatively steep to begin with, it's very easy to become overwhelmed in a short trial period. These factors can make it hard to experience what EVE is really like, meaning it's hard to make an informed decision.In this guide, I explain how you can maximise your time and fun with the EVE free trial and help make an informed decision on whether it's the game for you.
