630
Latest
Nokia Lumia 630 review: An affordable phone you can live without
The Nokia we used to know is no longer. In late April, the handset maker was finally folded into Microsoft's Devices and Services business after more than six months of courtship. Nokia wasn't ready to be assimilated without once last hurrah, however: It announced a trio of new devices at its new owner's developer conference, Build. The Finnish company had always tried to cater to every demographic, so it was fitting that its last in-house handsets were the top-end Lumia 930 (a global version of the Icon) and the entry-level Lumia 630/635. The 630 and 635, 3G and 4G variants of the same device, are joining an already-crowded lineup of affordable Lumias. They're distinguished somewhat by launching with Windows Phone 8.1, the latest version of Microsoft's mobile OS, but in the coming months, other WP8 handsets will catch up. That's if curiosity hasn't already driven you to update manually using the developer-account loophole. The 635 is yet to be released, but for now we have the almost identical Lumia 630. Other than offering the newest software, then, is the 630 Nokia's best budget device? A worthy sendoff for the company? A save-the-best-'til-last-type deal? Spoiler's in the headline.
Nokia Lumia 630 and 635 bring Windows Phone 8.1 to budget seekers (hands-on)
Nokia may not be an official part of Microsoft yet -- that should finally happen later this month, if you ask either company -- but that doesn't stop the phone maker from cranking out more devices at the software giant's developer conference. This morning at Build, Stephen Elop announced three new Lumia devices, although two of them are about as close to twins as you can possibly get: the Lumia 630, which is a 3G device that comes in single- and dual-SIM flavors, and the 635, which adds LTE. Both are sub-$200 smartphones aimed squarely at both emerging markets and anyone else who just wants a Windows Phone 8.1 device without spending a lot of money in the process.
AMD pops out sub-$100 quad-core Athlon II X4 CPU: review roundup
AMD has always been one to play the pricing card in its never-ending tussle with Intel, but we get the feeling this introduction may pack more of a punch than any before it. It's a simple concept -- the $99 quad-core CPU -- and given just how in love we Americans are with value menus, you can bet new PC builders will at least give the new Athlon II X4 620 ($99) and 630 ($122) a look. Reviews around the web essentially came to the same conclusion: it's not the fastest quad-core chip around, and the lack of L3 certainly doesn't make it the most attractive, but the 620 somehow manages to compete with all of the processors in its price range while being the cheapest. The "cut-down Phenom II," as HotHardware calls it, suffers a bit on the gaming side due to the L3 removal, but in general scenarios it was plenty potent. Hit the links below if you feel like digging in way, way deeper.Read - HotHardwareRead - TechSpotRead - MaximumPCRead - PC PerspectiveRead - TweakTownRead - PC ProRead - AMD Zone
Samsung unveils latest Series 6 Touch of Color LCD HDTVs
Samsung treated us to a few new HDTV lineups just last week, but apparently one of the fresh families managed to slip through the cracks. The all new Series 6 -- not to be confused with the widely available 650 Series -- consists of the 40-inch LN40A630, 46-inch LN46A630, and the 52-inch LN52A630. Each set provides a 1080p panel, 120Hz technology, the outfit's Touch of Color bezel design, three HDMI 1.3 ports and a USB socket for accessing digital photos and the like. Expect the trifecta to ship sometime next month for $1,699.99, $2,099.99, and $2,699.99, respectively.
