The alaTest Blog

A few weeks ago, we spoke about some of the best gaming laptops available in the market. Undoubtedly, gaming laptops belong to a well developed niche, one where there is immense competition giving way to some high quality laptops. However, it will be some years before the same can be said of gaming smartphones. While there are a few smartphones designed especially for gaming purposes, there is ample room for improvement as of now. Nvidia, the leading chipmaker announced that smartphone graphics would definitely beat Xbox 360 by the year 2014. As a matter of fact, Nvidia also declared that the current quality of graphics on smartphones was quite comparable to gaming consoles like Play Station3. Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to smartphones, the competiton between major operating systems is as intense as it can get. Countless comparisons have been made between Android and iOS, the apps they support and how smoothly they run. Recently, another big player entered the niche making it a three way competition. With the release of Windows Phone 7, Microsoft announced its entry into the smartphone niche. Even before it was launched, both people and critics had high hopes from the software giant. And Windows 7 did not dissapoint at all. Read the rest of this entry »

The powerful combination of performance and functionality has ensured the dominance of smartphones in the cellphone market. One doesn’t have to be a gadget guru to figure out that smartphones are here to stay. The one possible area where there is ample room for improvement is their physical resilience. The most popular of smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy SIII and HTC One X are rather fragile and can be damaged quite easily. All of us know someone who has a broken or a water damaged smartphone. Read the rest of this entry »

Smartphones have been presenting a lot of competition to dedicated GPS units lately. The iPhone has plenty of apps that offer turn-by-turn directions. Microsoft’s WP7 is still a little rough around the edges when it comes to navigation, but it certainly gets the job done. Google Maps on Android is an extremely polished suite of navigation tools. Still, dedicated GPS units do offer a few benefits you won’t find in a Smartphone. Read the rest of this entry »

Barely more than a year ago, tablets were little more than overpriced Netbooks without keyboards, and there were plenty of arguments against buying a tablet, favoring laptops and Ultrabooks. Those tides are starting to change, and there are now quite a few compelling arguments in favor of tablets. So if you’re in the market for a new tablet, what are your best options? Read the rest of this entry »

Recently reaching a 51% market share, Android is undoubtedly the most popular smartphone platform. Its latest versions always offer innovative and compelling features, but unlike Apple’s iPhone, there is a disconnect between those who develop the Android OS and the manufacturers who build the devices.

Google develops Android such that anyone can build a device that runs it, but it’s up to the manufacturer to modify it and tailor it to run on the hardware they’re using. This process can take months, and it means that most Android devices out there are generally one or two versions behind. To get the most out of a new Android device, it’s important to know which are the most likely to be updated quickly. Read the rest of this entry »

Buying a new cell phone is a lot like buying a new car – you have to find something that fits your needs and your lifestyle. Our list of cell phone reviews is great for finding the top ranked smartphones on the market, but it’s not so useful if the top ranked phones aren’t they type you’re looking for.

That’s exactly why we created the Interactive Cell Phone Buying Guide. It lets you select the criteria that are most important to you and get a custom-tailored list of the perfect phones for your needs. Read the rest of this entry »

The U.S.’s top cellular providers are often referred to as the “Big Four.” They consist of Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile, and odds are, you’re one of their subscribers. If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, you probably already know that they don’t all carry the same devices, and if you’re stuck with a particular carrier, you might like to know which devices are the best they have to offer. Read the rest of this entry »