TechTalk: Exploring the Latest Technology News, Updates, Reviews, and Gossip

SONY Xperia Z1 Compact For a while now smartphone manufacturers have been trying to reflect some of the hype and glory bestowed on their flagship models onto lesser brethren – usually by adding the suffix Mini. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and HTC One Mini are prime examples, they’re not just smaller versions of their illustrious siblings, they also has cut-down specifications and prices. The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is a little different, for this is truly a flagship phone specification, just packed into a less massive shell than the Sony Xperia Z1 proper. The chipset is the same speedy 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 and it’s very fast indeed. The camera has the same 20.7-megapixel sensor and an identical lens and software. The design is the same too, not just a look-a-like, with the same metal frame and waterproofing.

Samsung’s newest 8MP camera phone that we spoke of just a few days ago has now been officially launched as the Pixon. According to the reports and a press release the handset is the world’s slimmest full-touch 8-megapixel camera phone. The Pixon has a 3.2-inch WQVGA touch screen display and features that include x16 digital zoom, auto-focus, fast-shutter, face detection and geo-tagging since it comes with internal GPS. Other features include a media player that supports Samsung's DNSe for audio, an FM radio, Bluetooth with A2DP and microSD card support for external memory. The handset also has a dedicated website called - The Photographic Adventures of Nick Turpin. "Now everyone will be able to ‘get their pics on’ so much more quickly and easily. For the first time you will have a camera on your phone capable of delivering the quality of image of a regular camera. The big benefit is not just the ease with which people will now be able to capture and share camera-phone shots, b...

Long weekend coming up, so why don't I sign off with a bang? The latest LCD TV models from Samsung and LG have already been reviewed by us, and while they proved competent, neither was perfect in all respects. So it should be fun to play god and pit the 42-inch LG Scarlet against the 40-inch Samsung Series 5. On we go... Aesthetics and Form The LG Scarlet has become quite famous for its red back panel, which no doubt looks beautiful, but it’s at the rear! Are any consumers going to fall for this? There's no sensible explanation for putting the most striking design element where it's least likely to be seen. It must be some inside joke on LG’s part. The on/off button on the Scarlet is an awesome piece of work – no doubt about that. It’s a hole carved through the bezel’s bottom panel, which has a transparent ridged rim. It is touch-sensitive, and lights up subtly when on. On the other hand, the Series 5 is basic, with the high gloss black finish all over and a thin metallic s...

Samsung has revealed their M150 entry level mobile handset. This simple yet seemingly good looking handset is equipped with a 1.77-inch LCD display that sports a 128 x 160 pixel resolution. It comes with 20MB of internal memory and a VGA camera that also supports MPEG4 video recording. Other features include an integrated FM radio and a music player that supports MP3, AAC, AAC+ and WMA audio file formats. If you think that those are all the features the phone has, you’d be wrong as the M150 also supports Bluetooth v2.0 and WAP. The price and availability of the M150 has not yet been disclosed although the worldwide launch of the handset will be sometime next month.