Samsung Galaxy S Advance Full Review

Announced: March, 2012

 

Released: April, 2012

 

Price: Rs 23999/-

 

Hype: 3/5

 

Alternatives: Sony Xperia P, Motorola Atrix 2, Lava Xolo X900, Galaxy S2

 

Chipset: STE NovaThor U8500

 

Processor: 1 GHz Dual Core Cortex A-9 Processor

 

GPU: Mali 400MP

 

Battery: 1500 mAh

 

Primary Camera: 5MP, Auto-focus with LED Flash

 

Secondary Camera: 1,3 MP

 

Weight: 120 g

 

Dimensions: 123.2 x 63 x 9.7 mm

 

Main Display: Super AMOLED, 4 Inches, 480 x 800 Pixels

 

In-Built Storage: 8GB

 

RAM: 768MB

 

SAR Value: 0.540 W/Kg

 

Manufacturer: Samsung

 

Type: Smartphone

 

OS: Android, Gingerbread 2.3

 

Price Category: Rs. 20,000-30,000

 

We Like ! :

Screen, Build quality, Audio quality

 

What we Don't Like !:

Camera, Pricing

 

The Bottom Line

Overall, it is an excellent device from Samsung, sturdy and solid with great features and functionality. The only letdown is the 5MP camera and the 720p video recording.

by Shivaank Rana

FULL ARTICLE

Build Quality and Design 

The Samsung Galaxy S Advance is quite similar in looks to the Galaxy S2 from the front and has a very premium feel to it. It has a curved gorilla glass display and the fine texture on its back feels nice to the touch and adds a bit of extra grip. Furthermore, it is slightly thicker and heavier at the bottom, which makes it a bit more comfortable to grasp. The handset is made entirely out of plastic, but that doesn’t spoil its otherwise pleasing looks. It has 2 touch capacitive buttons and one physical home button.

 

Hardware

The S Advance has a  4-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 480 by 800 pixels and uses a PenTile pixel arrangement which delivers crisp colours and great outdoor visibility. 

It is powered by a NovaThor U8500 chipset made by STE  with 2 cores humming at 1GHz with with 768MB of RAM and a Mali 400MP GPU, has a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash which records 720p video, a 1.3 MP front facing camera, a 14.4Mbps 3G radio, and 8 or 16 GB of on-board storage with up to 32GB microSD support. We tested the 8GB version.

Camera

The handset sports a 5-MP auto-focus camera with LED flash which records 720p video (BIG letdown). Images aren’t bad, but nothing spectacular. It has a shutter lag which is prolonged when shooting images in low lighting. There are various shooting modes  to play with. 

Display, Audio and Internet

The Super Amoled display is crisp and vibrant. Outdoor visibility is decent and the touch response is excellent. It comes with Samsung’s Touchwiz UI 4.0 and all the latest iterations. 

The Audio quality of the phone is excellent. It delivers loud and clear audio and the overall multimedia experience was great. Videos up to 720p run smoothly on the device.

The browser on the S Advance is one of the best in this price range. It is fast, smooth and even Flash content doesn’t slow it down. Pinch to zoom and kinetic scrolling work well. 

 

Phone, Messaging and Network

Being a Samsung device, the phone and network quality are great. No calls were dropped and the quality of both the speaker and the headset were great. 

Messaging on the device is excellent. The keyboard is responsive and well laid out. Though the keyboard feels slightly crammed in portrait mode.

Conclusion

Overall, , the Samsung Galaxy S Advance is a phone hard to flaw. The only drawbacks we could find were the camera and the pricing of the phone. For around the same price, you can purchase the Galaxy S2, which to be honest is a better phone than the S Advanced. Though, the build is excellent, the screen is crisp and the audio quality brilliant. Definitely one of the best in this price range along with the Xperia P. 

Check out our hands-on and video review here : 

Read more: Samsung Galaxy S Advance Review, Price in India, Features http://igyaan.in/Mobile_Phones-detail/samsung-galaxy-advance-full-review#ixzz22sarAMml

Lenovo launches StudyBook, ThinkCentre Tiny, Classmate Convertible Tablet and More!(PR)

Acknowledging the importance of the right kind of knowledge, skills and experience to enhance the learning experience, two tech giants Lenovo and Intel have joined hands. According to latest chunk of information, Lenovo has introduced a new range of PCs – the Lenovo Classmate + and ThinkCentre TINY. 

The latest offerings by Lenovo are touted to be based on the Intel Learning Series reference designs and incorporate the remarkable Intel Learning Series suite for using e-reader, web camera and digital writing features. Intel Learning Series suite is actually specialized educational software that includes an extensive range of teaching resources. 

By connecting education with smarter technology, Intel offers a look into the future of K-12 education. Students use technology to collaborate with peers and industry experts to build a bridge model, from the initial design phase through the final structure testing. Intel’s education solutions help teachers provide innovative, personalized and secure learning environments to prepare students for successful futures in the 21st century.

The Lenovo Classmate + demonstrates how mobile computing fits into any learning environment without considering location and budget, while the other product ThinKCentre TINY is claims as an ideal choice for all the students as it consumes 40 percent less energy and is just 1 litre in size.

Commenting at the time of launch Rahul Agarwal, Executive Director, commercial Business Lenovo India has stated, the education industry worldwide as well as in India, is rapidly evolving to become more student-centric and this is an opportune time for solution providers to leverage this opportunity. 

Besides these devices, Lenovo and Intel also share their solutions with key educational service providers in Delhi where they offer a perspective on the challenges, trends and usage models of the Indian education segment. 

Lenovo Intel ClassmatePC – Convertible or Clamshell

Robust student computer’s based on Intel Atom Processor N2600, optimised for ease of use and anywhere,anytime learning.

Specifications:

• Intel® Atom™ processor and up to 10 hours battery life
• 10 inch screen and enhanced connectivity
• Software Suite enables content creation and consumption

Rugged, student-friendly design

• 70 cm drop resistant and 200 cc water resistant
• Rugged DC jack, rubber feet and retractable handle
• Enhanced security and theft deterrence

Enhanced educational features for collaborative learning

• Includes educational software and utilities
• Dual audio jacks and enhanced camera

Lenovo Intel Studybook Tablet

Versatile, robust student tablet based on the Intel Atom processor Z650, with educational software that supports student engagement and anywhere, anytime learning.

Specifications:

• Intel Z650 Atom Processor
• 7 Inch Multi-Touch Capacitive Screen
• Resolution – 1024:600(16:9)
• 0.3 MP Front Facing Camera
• 2 MP Rear Facing Camera
• Integrated Audio
• Windows 7/ Android Honeycomb 3.0
• 1 GB DDR2 RAM
• 4 GB internal storage, expandle up to 64 GB using MicroSD card
• Classroom management software - classroom management, LabCam applications that support scientific inquiry, and an optimized e-reader

Lenovo Think Centre M92p Tiny 

Lenovo THINKCENTRE M92P TINY

Specifications:

• Up to3rd Generation Intel Core vPro processor i5-3470T – 2.9GHz
• Intel Processor Graphics
• Height:Width:Depth = 182:34.5:179
• Total Volume: 1123
• HDD (320/500/750 GB)
• SSD (128 GB)
• Opal (250 GB)

All the above videos were recorded on the new Samsung Galaxy SIII, and to our surprise the quality was not up to the mark. The phone made strange sounds while focusing during a HD movie recording

Read more: Lenovo launches StudyBook, ThinkCentre Tiny, Classmate Convertible Tablet and More!(PR) | iGyaan.in http://igyaan.in/2012/07/26932/lenovo-launches-studybook-thinkcentre-tiny-classmate-convertible-tablet-morepr#ixzz22saBaLlr

Google’s Nexus tablet launching in India in October

Nexus 7, the tablet made by Google in partnership with Asus, will launch in India in October this year. The 7-inch tablet is first Nexus branded tablet and hence runs Google’s unmodified Android operating software. It was announced at Google I/O on June 27.

The model with 8GB internal storage is priced at $199. It will be available in the US and three other countries in the coming weeks. The one with 16GB has been priced at $249.

An Asus spokesperson told the TOI that the tablet would be available in India in October.

We hope to complete the process to bring the tablet to India by the end of September. Once we have the sufficient stock, we will launch it here,

said the spokesperson.

Asus did not reveal the details about price.

Price and other details, including exact configuration of the tablet, will be decided in September,”

the spokesperson said.

Given its relatively low price in the US,Nexus 7 may turn out to be one of the most affordable high-end tablets in India.

The Nexus 7 announced by Google is powered by a quad-core 1.3Ghz processor. It has 1GB RAM and a 1.2MP front camera. The device runs on Jelly Bean, the latest version of Android that was also announced at Google I/O.

Many companies, including Samsung and Asus, are selling Android tablets since the beginning of 2011 but they have not made much headway against iPad, which continues to be wildly popular with consumers. Google hopes that with its own tablet, it will be able to entice consumers better. Also, the company believes that the Nexus tablet in the market will prompt app developers to write more tablet-specific apps for Android.

Nexus devices are Google branded products. Unlike a customized users interface that Samsung and HTC put in their Android devices, Nexus devices are powered by ‘pure’ Android and receive updates as soon as Google pushes them out. This makes these devices particularly attractive to power users, who don’t want to wait to get latest software updates.

Even though Nexus products are considered to be Google’s own devices, their launch is handled by the hardware partner. This means that Google has little say in whether a Nexus product will get launched in India or not. For example, Galaxy Nexus, which is Google’s flagship phone, has not been launched in India by Samsung even though it went on sale in several countries last year.

With Nexus 7, Google is not only attempting to take on the iPad but also aiming for Kindle Fire, a 7-inch tablet made by Amazon. In India, Kindle Fire is not sold officially. But there are other 7-inch tablets that may feel the heat once Google’s tablet hits the market here.

Read more: Google’s Nexus tablet launching in India in October | iGyaan.in http://igyaan.in/2012/07/26197/googles-nexus-tablet-launching-india-october#ixzz22sZRMnal

Top Windows Phone App of the Week

Nokia City Lens 

Nokia City Lens for Windows Phone works as an augmented reality browser to discover surrounding points of interest via the phone’s camera.

Using the camera viewfinder view, restaurants, hotels, shops, and other areas of interest are displayed on the device’s screen in typical augmented reality style, but Nokia has also added in a list and maps view for use when the device is in portrait mode. Apart from highlighting what’s nearby, Nokia City Lens also provides reviews, directions, opening hours, and other useful information for points of interest. The application is available now for Lumia Windows Phone owners through Nokia’s beta labs site.

Read more: Top Windows Phone Apps of the Week http://igyaan.in/iG_Recommends-detail/top-windows-app-week#ixzz22sZCv46g

Samsung begins manufacturing of ultra-fast 64GB NAND chips for smartphones

Samsung has begun manufacturing of ultra-fast eMMC NAND memory in sizes of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. The new chips will significantly improve read and write speeds for internal memory in smartphones, with speeds of 150MB/s and 40MB/s respectively.

According to Sammy Hub, “the new eMMC Pro Class 1500 uses 64-gigabit (Gb) NAND with a toggle DDR 2.0 interface fabricated with 20 nanometer class process technology and is the first to support JEDEC e-MMC v4.5 specification.”

It was rumoured earlier this summer that Samsung had cancelled the 64GB version of the Galaxy S III, as the 16 and 32GB versions were the only ones to come to market. The company has ensured us that the phone is still on track for a launch later this year, though we don’t know whether it will include these new ultra-fast chips.

Samsung Galaxy S3 : Top Tips, Tricks and Features

The Samsung Galaxy S3, the phone which has been designed for humans, packs quite a few features, some new, some old, some unique. Here are the tips, tricks and little-known features that every S3 owner should know.

1. S-Beam

   A function found on the Galaxy S3 which is similar to the Bump application on smartphones using iOS and Android operating systems to share information and files by simply knocking two devices together. In the S3, theS Beam works with NFC and Wi-Fi Direct to exchange information between two S3s by tapping them together.

2.  Smart Stay 

   A simple yet a very smart feature on the Galaxy S3 which keeps the screen from dimming even when a task is being done on the phone. If the smartphone senses the hand of the user in front of the screen and even if it detects the user looking at the screen, the screen will automatically remain sufficiently bright.

3. Direct Call 

   A tremendously effective function. Direct Call allows the user while he or she is typing a text message to instead call the recipient by just lifting the phone. The Galaxy will automatically call the person by recognizing where the text message was going to be sent.

4. Buddy Share

   Photo sharing to the next level even after you stop taking pictures. The smartphone groups people together depending on the tags and faces so to ensure multiple persons can be marked as    family and they will be grouped together and then it does more. Click on the images and you

5. Best Photo 

   Another very smart feature on the Galaxy S3 which takes just a few seconds to complete. The camera on the smartphone, after a zero shutter lag, clicks 20 pictures at one go and the Best Photo selects eight pictures which it senses are the best and allows the user to select what he or she thinks are the pictures they want to keep.

6. S Voice

   Siri-like feature in Galaxy S3. To launch this feature just double tap the Home button.

7. Pop Up Play 

   For now smartphones are good for only one-app-one-window use. This means that unlike on a computer, it is not possible to use two or three windows at the same time on a smartphone. Galaxy S III takes a tiny step towards a future where these devices can open apps in different windows and allow people to multitask in a better way.
   It  allows users to watch a video in small window while they are working inside some other app. For now, the Pop Up Play window cannot be resized. Also, the feature is just restricting to video playback.

8. Smart Alert 

   Keeps a track of the missed calls or messages. Once you pick up the phone, it vibrates a bit to tell you that there are missed calls and you ought to check them.

9.  Tap-to-Top

   Allows the user to quickly jump from anywhere in your e-mail inbox, contact list or within an e-mail message to the top of the list or message, which can save you time. To jump to the top of your e-mail inbox, contact list or the start of a message simply double tap the top of your Galaxy S3 device, just above the ear-speaker–tap the top of the device, not the top of the display.

10. Customize the Lock Screen - 

    Want superfast access to your favorite apps and widgets? On the S3, you can completely customize your lock screen with shortcuts to apps, widgets, and the camera. But first, a heads up: you must disable your screen lock (PIN, pattern, face unlock, etc.) to get these features. Trading security for convenience will be up to you. If you decide to live without the security, keep reading. To customize your options, go to Settings > Security > Lock Screen Options. From there, pick and choose the items you want to appear on the lock screen. You can also change the app shortcuts by tapping  ”Shortcuts” in the Lock Screen Options settings.

11. Set data usage limits 

    If you have a limited data plan, keep a close eye on usage (and prevent overage charges) with your S3′s built-in data-monitoring tool. To get started, go to Settings > Data usage. First, check the box next to “Set mobile data limit.” Next, define your billing cycle. If you’re not sure, you can check your bill or call your service provider to find out. Finally, tap and drag the red line to set your data limit, and use the orange line to decide when your phone will warn you about your data usage.

12. All Share Play

    Another way to Share content on various Devices. It’s called AllShare Play, and it lets you share with everyone, Access Documents and Multimedia even when you’re away from your Computer. It lets us work together through the magic of DLNA and Wi-Fi Direct, giving us Remote access to Documents and Multimedia files when we Work on a different Screen somewhere else.

13. Motion Features 

    With a host of unique features on the Galaxy S3 such as S Voice and AllShare, Samsung is looking to stand out from the rest of the Android crowd. Less documented among them is motion control, which allows you to do various activities through tilting your handset and making use of shortcuts.
    To activate motion control, navigate to :  Settings > Motion, and toggle the switch to enable it. As there are a lot of motion features available, you can choose to use individual ones and leave others that you’re less interested in disabled.
    Here are a few that you should look out for.
    Palm swipe to screenshotTaking a screenshot on Android phones is an effort at the best of times. There’s no built-in screenshot function in the operating system, so it’s up to third-party manufacturers to implement it themselves. Samsung has chosen to do this using what it calls a hand gesture. Simply take your hand and swipe it across the screen and your phone will take a screenshot.
    Palm touch to pause musicIf you use the Galaxy S3′s built-in music player, there’s a really easy way to quickly pause the track you’re currently listening to. Take your palm and place it on top of the screen and anything that’s currently playing will stop straight away.
    Turn over to mute incoming callsIf you’re in a meeting and want to make sure that your phone is on silent, this is a great little shortcut. Simply place your phone on a surface, screen down, and all incoming calls and sounds will be muted until you turn it back over again.
    Pan to move iconIf you’re cleaning up your home screen and want to move some items around, you might want to enable the “Pan to move icon” feature. With this enabled, you can tap and hold an icon and switch home screens by tilting your phone left and right. As you can see from the picture above, there are more minor motion features available that might be useful to you, including shaking your device to check for updates or tilting the phone to zoom in or out of photos and Web pages. 
    Samsung Galaxy S3: Camera quick launchYou can also use the motion control to quickly open the camera app. From the lock screen you just have to tap and hold the screen with one finger, then rotate the handset into landscape mode and the camera app with open.

14. Security

    We’ll kick off with security because a lot of the handy features on the S3 are only available if you don’t engage some of the tougher security lock options. It’s an unfortunate trade-off between convenience and security. Although, you can always just set up an unlock pattern or password and only turn it on when you go out.
    Go to Settings > Security to begin and select Screen lock. Motion is the handiest option as the phone will unlock when you tap and hold the screen and tilt it towards you. Swipe is equally easy but neither offers any real security. The gimmicky options are Face Unlock and Face and Voice. To set them up you use the front facing camera to record your face and if you want the voice too then you record a phrase or command. If someone looks or sounds similar they can unlock your phone and it can be fooled by a photo as well, but more often you’ll find it doesn’t recognize you and it’s annoying to have to run through the process every time you want to unlock your device. Pattern unlock is still the best option for a mixture of security and convenience. For real security nothing beats a PIN or password. You can make the pattern unlock a little more secure by going to Settings > Security and turning off Make pattern visible. That way if anyone is peeking over your shoulder it won’t be quite so easy for them to see your pattern.

15. Sound

    By default, your S3 will be noisy, emitting a tone every time you touch the screen. Go to Settings > Sound and tap Touch sounds. You can decide when you want sounds to play and how much vibration feedback you want in here as well. If you go to Device vibration you can select Create at the bottom and make your own vibration pattern. There are a range of sounds to choose from in Default notifications and you’ll find a few ringtones in Default ringtones. The chances are good that you’ll want to use your own sounds and ringtones. It’s easy to set a general ringtone, a ringtone for a specific contact, or an alarm. Just find the track you want and long press until the menu pops up. Select Set as and choose Phone ringtone, Caller ringtone, or Alarm ringtone. If you pick Caller ringtone you’ll be taken to your list of contacts to select one. If you want to set your own notification ringtone for the Samsung Galaxy S3 then you will need to put the track or sound you want in the right folder.
    Go to Apps > My Files and then navigate to wherever you put the file you want to use. Long press on it and choose Copy or Move then go to Apps > My Files > sdcard > media > audio > notifications and click Done at the top right to place it. Now when you go to Settings > Sound > Default notifications you should see it in the list.

16. Contact 

    If you end up with multiple entries for a single contact then long press on the one with your preferred photo or name and select Join contact then tap on the entry you want to merge.

17. Light Flow

    The Galaxy S III is the first handset in the Galaxy series to come with a notification LED. The RGB notification LED has been beautifully hidden at the top left of the handset. By default, the LED will blink blue for any missed notifications, and red when the battery is low.
    However, using an application called Light Flow, users can customize the LED color according to the notification. The application does not work properly with the Galaxy S3 at the moment though. A temporary issue floating around the Internet is to revoke the Accessibility access from the app.

18. Flip

    Place the phone screen down to mute ringtones, pause media playback, or mute the FM radio.

19. Shake 

    Shake your phone to search for Bluetooth devices and to update the list of email messages or information from Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, or AccuWeather

Take a look at the complete list on your Galaxy S3 and play around with the ones you think will regularly come in handy. If you have any favorites I haven’t mentioned, let me know in the comments below.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy S3 : Top Tips, Tricks and Features | iGyaan.in http://igyaan.in/iG_Recommends-detail/samsung-galaxy-s3-top-tips-tricks-features#ixzz22sYQ2F9O

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 launches this month

Today, Samsung announced the launch of the Galaxy Note 10.1, an extension of the Galaxy Note category. The Galaxy Note 10.1 offers the functionality and precision of a pen and paper on a 10.1-inch large display. It is armed with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor and 2GB RAM. We have no confirmation on the pricing yet. Finally here! The Galaxy Note 10.1 incorporates intuitive features and capabilities such as side-by-side multitasking. This is thanks to its 'Multiscreen' on a 10.1-inch large screen; S Pen with a variety of S Note templates, and productive tools (Shape Match and Formula Match); Learning Hub for accessing educational curricula and Adobe's Photoshop Touch. With the Multiscreen feature, it's possible to use two different applications simultaneously. So web pages and videos can be viewed, or applications launched using one half of the screen, at the same time as the other half is used for writing or sketching ideas with the S Pen. You can also capture and crop images, and paste them onto the other screen to make personal notes. Featuring its advanced 6.5 mm S Pen, the Galaxy Note 10.1 is optimised for the creation of personalised and expressive content in the most natural and intuitive way. The S Pen's feel and functionality are specifically designed for an optimal experience on the 10.1-inch screen. The S Pen is embedded directly in the device and, when removed, automatically launches specially optimised applications, including S Note, S Planner, Crayon physics, Adobe Photoshop Touch, and Polaris Office. The specs Samsung is also pitching the new tablet as an interactive learning tool. Students can take notes directly on an eTextbook during lectures, or research the Web at the same time as writing an essay. Samsung's Learning Hub service is optimised for Galaxy Note 10.1 allowing owners to access extensive multimedia educational content, whatever their age. This content includes eTextbooks, video lectures, interactive coaching and much more, and can be shared with multiple Samsung devices. Furthermore, Learning Hub comes with a learning management system providing schedule management, performance management, and achievement management tools, so students of any age can learn at their own pace. The Galaxy Note 10.1 also includes a 5-megapixel main camera and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. The tablet will be available in 2 versions: Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi with 3G HSPA-Plus connectivity. Both versions will be available at launch, and a WiFi-and-LTE version will be available later this year.

Review: London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games (PS3)

Deserves a respectable silver medal.

Reviews

The Banat, 10 hours 44 min ago

RATING

 

?

Pros:Looks great; Some events are genuinely fun; Playing with friends is a blast.

Cons:Lots of missing events; Surprising lack of official teams; Occasionally glitchy controls; Name is way too damn long.

London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games (PS3)
Developer: SEGA Studios Australia
Publisher: SEGA
Genre: Simulation \ Sports
Platforms: PC, PS3, X360
MRP: Rs 2600 (Store Locator)
Street Price (As On 7-Aug-2012): Rs 2100 (Game4u.com); Rs 2300 (Flipkart.com);  Rs 2500(Homeshop18.com)

So, here's the thing about the Olympics: apart from the 50+ crowd of oldies that grew up with running, jumping, and throwing things around as the only means of entertainment, it's hard to find a group of people that is genuinely excited about the games, or really cares for its significance. Perhaps the Greeks would disagree with me, but the Olympics lacks that spark of excitement that European football, theNBA, or — dare I say it — the IPL possess in abundance. Most of this, I believe, is down to how short (and uninteresting) most Olympic events are. Then again, that's probably why we don't do so well in that arena.

Nevertheless, for those who still buy into the allure of the Olympics (yes, all three of you) and wish you could be a part of it, SEGA Studios Australia has put together the official video game for London 2012, and surprise, surprise. It isn't that boring.

Allow me to point out, right at the offset, that London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games— god, what a mouthful! But L2012-TOVGOTG is even worse! All right, London 2012 then, is not by any means a hardcore sports simulator. It is a wholly casual game (hence the PEGI 3+ rating) and is just meant to while away the time when you have a half-hour or so at home to kill.
 

Run, Forrest, run!

Let The Games Begin!
Given that London 2012 is a licenced product, you would expect a certain pedigree to the game's presentation, which is very much present. The menus are crisp and clearly organized, and it's easy to find your way around. The title constantly reminds you to take tutorials for events you haven't mastered, and the loading screens with London 2012's trademark geometric artwork look very pretty indeed.

The game consists essentially of three modes: The Olympic Games, Party Play, and Online. In the former, you have to take charge of a country of your choice, then play through an entire roster of Olympic events. It's a decent format that allows you to pick and choose in which order you want to go about things, and you can run through all the events in just under three hours. A lot of countries are missing from the available list, including India of course (no Saina Nehwal heroics for you, I'm afraid), which I find very surprising for a licenced product. This could be down to issues with individual sporting federations, but either way, rabid fans may find it a deal-breaker.
 

The in-game Olympic venues look pretty spectacular.

A Polished Product
It's clear from the moment you get into the game that this is no shoddy production. The visuals look fantastic, with detailed character models and great depth to the Olympic venues. Everything looks exactly the way it should, and even the physics have been polished to a great degree. Of course, almost all the celebration animations and presentation ceremonies look the same, but that's easily forgivable.

To complement the visuals, the audio and commentary in London 2012 are surprisingly good. There's a great deal of depth to the dialogue, and in my five hours with the game, playing through select events several times, I found very little repetition. The commentary seems to have the requisite degree of excitement for each situation, which is appreciated.
 

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the… AARRGH!

Pedal To The Medal!
The core gameplay of London 2012 is fairly simplistic. Most events require a combination of simple button presses or timed analogue stick movements in the right direction — think God of War boss battlemini-games. Swimming and track-and-field events come down to nothing but good old-fashioned button mashing; or if you're using the PlayStation Move controller, a whole lot of goofy gesticulation (more on that later).

The archery and shooting events use basic first-person mechanics: getting the target in your sights, tracking, and firing. Other events, such as the pole vault, triple jump, javelin throw, and discus, combine several phases of inputs and are reasonably challenging. There's a decent amount of satisfaction involved in getting a good score, although it can be a bit too easy once you learn the ropes. The only event that I simply couldn't get my head around was kayaking. The tutorial wasn't great, and the controls just didn't seem to work the way they should. Or more likely, maybe I just suck at it.

There are around 30 events by my count, with football, basketball, and boxing being absent. However, these are rather complicated sports that franchises like FIFA, NBA Live, and Fight Night already have nailed down, so it makes sense to give them a skip. Table tennis is present though and genuinely fun, although I don't see why badminton didn't make the cut (sorry, Saina).
 

Look ma, I won!

Olympic Party, Anyone?
The single player mode's allure doesn't last longer than a few hours, but Party Play adds a competitive multiplayer element with support for up to four gamers. Given how the title's mechanics are easy to grasp, I can see this being pretty fun for a group of friends, or a family that doesn't take gaming too seriously.

PlayStation Move support, for some reason though, is only present in Party Play and is decently optimized. Around 20 events are playable using the motion controller, including table tennis (which isthe pick of the lot), swimming, archery, and track-and-field. Again, while this is something that would be fun in a group, I don't see the logic behind leaving it out of the single-player mode.

There is an online mode in the game as well, with all the events on offer. You have leaderboards, records, and challenges, but I honestly don't think anyone would actually be bothered with breaking Olympic records in a video game and bragging about them online.
 

Skeet shooting may be fun, but isn’t quite Battlefield 3.

Podium Finish!
Overall, London 2012 is a well-rounded title. It's reasonably entertaining, has a large variety of events, and the Party Play mode seems like a lot of fun. The package is slick and looks great, and there's very little wrong with the title from a technical standpoint. It's best played with two or more players though, so if you're looking for some family entertainment with the kids, or just a game that a few friends can jump into without any prior training, London 2012  is just what you want. Let the games begin!


Gameplay And Design: 4/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 3/5
Mojo: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4/5