The alaTest Blog

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 »

There once was a time when BlackBerry devices dominated the smartphone market, but as the market started branching out from enterprises and professionals to general users, RIM began losing ground to iOS and Android devices – even Windows devices have stolen some of the thunder with WP7. Rather than throwing in the towel, RIM has just announced BlackBerry 10, a new version of its BlackBerry operating system that completely revamps the product line (and hopefully saves the company). Read the rest of this entry »

Our March numbers are in, and we’ve looked over the top 10 products for the last month. Think you can guess what they are? Digital cameras were quite popular (both SLR and Compact) holding both first and second place. A total of four HDTVs also made the cut as well as three smartphones (all Android). Here’s the breakdown: Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to smartphones, it’s very easy to classify them by their operating systems, mainly Android, iOS, and WP7. Often times, the operating is the first criteria a person chooses when hunting for a new smartphone. So, have you ever wondered which phone is the best choice for each operating system? Read the rest of this entry »

CES 2012 has just wrapped up, and just like every year, there were more than a handful of innovative products that will be hitting store shelves soon – if they haven’t already. Here our favorites in a few popular categories this year. These products are definitely worth checking out when they are released. Read the rest of this entry »

Every year, Las Vegas plays host to one of the biggest technology-related trade shows there is: the Consumer Electronics Show, more amicably known as CES. Even though CES is only half way through, we’ve already seen some pretty spectacular stuff – things like super thin OLED TVs and custom molded earphones – but it seems that this year, the spotlight is on mobile computing with smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Read the rest of this entry »

As it would seem, the most popular devices of 2011’s holiday season weren’t tablets or laptops or even Rokus, but in fact, smartphones. On Christmas day, a staggering 6.8 million smartphones were activated, more than double last year’s 2.8 million unit figure. So just which smartphones deserve the spot light here? Read the rest of this entry »

It’s no secret, tablets are on a lot of wish lists this year, and even if they aren’t, they make some pretty great gifts when what you’re after is that wide-eyed look of surprise along with the accompanying smile from ear to ear. But out of all those tablets on the market, which one should you get? Well, here’s alaTest’s top five favorites. Read the rest of this entry »