Hands-on review: MWC 2013: Nokia 301

The Nokia 301 is bringing a simple, affordable mobile phone experience to Europe as the Finnish firm looks to hone in on the companion device market.

While the 301 will be sold in emerging markets as the primary handset for users, in developed regions this feature phone won't be on children's Christmas wish lists.

Set to touch down in Europe during the second quarter of 2013 the Nokia 301 will be priced at a reasonable 65€ (around £56), although it's worth noting the Android-equipped ZTE Blade 3 will only set you back £70.

There's currently no word on whether the Nokia 301 will make it to stores in the UK, and we wouldn't be surprised it British networks decided against carrying the handset.

In terms of looks the Nokia 301 borrows styling from the firm's Lumia range of smartphones, with rounded corners, minimalist design and a colour palette which is now well known.

You'll be able to snap the Nokia 301 up in the standard black and white variants, or if you're feeling a little more adventurous you can also choose from cyan, yellow and magenta.

There's no touchscreen on the 301, instead you get a low resolution 2.4-inch display which sits above the classic 12-button keypad and menu keys, giving the handset a proper retro look and feel.

On top is a 3.5mm headphone jack and microUSB port, while down the left hand side there's a covered microSD card slot.

The plastic cover is easy to whip off and clip back in, and if you plump for the dual-SIM Nokia 301 on the opposite side you'll find a similar setup for the second SIM card.

Like its cheaper brother, the Nokia 105, the 301 is noticeably plastic in the hand, but it does feel pretty solid and capable of taking a few knocks.

The second SIM slot is only good for 2G connectivity which means internet access is out of the question, but the main SIM slot, located under the easy to remove plastic rear and battery has support for the 3.5G network.

Nokia promises a great imaging and internet experience on the Nokia 301, and has added some additional features to the camera app on the handset.

The 3.2MP senor round the back is acceptable for an entry level device and as well as being able to take standard photos Nokia has also added panorama, burst and self portrait modes to the 301.

It's the self portrait mode which piqued our interest as the Nokia 301 will give you verbal instructions (up, down, left, right and ok) to ensure your cheeky mug is in the centre of the image.

The technology works remarkably well, although you'll need to be a little patience as the feature phone processor housed inside the Nokia 301 isn't particularly powerful, or quick.

There's no flash on the 301, so you'll need to ensure you're in a well lit area before you start snapping away.

In terms of internet browsing you're not going to get the same experience as you'd find on today's smartphone, with the 301 coming equipped with Nokia's Xpress Internet browser.

This delivers compressed websites stored in the cloud to the handset, which cuts down on the amount of data which needs to be transferred, and also helps the processor inside the Nokia 301 cope.

To aid browsing Xpress Internet offers up a homescreen of quick links to favourites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as well as content tailored to your location.

It's not a particularly quick way of browsing the web, but at least it's functional and allows you to do the basics.

There's support for Mail Exchange so you can keep up to date with your emails as well as sync contacts and calendars, plus Wi-Fi is also onboard which will give your mobile data allowance a break.

HD voice support means that call quality should be excellent on the Nokia 301, as long as your network supports it, while onboard Bluetooth allows you to share content easily between other Nokia devices which have the Slam Share app.

Slam Share is very much like the Bump app some of you may be familiar app, and sees you "slam" your phone against another compatible handset with the motion initiating the file transfer via Bluetooth.

The easily accessible battery hidden under the rear cover will apparently give you up to 39 days of standby before it requires another charge - which makes the Nokia 301 an ideal choice if you're going to be away from a power source for an extended amount of time.

As with the 105, the Nokia 301 will likely do very well in emerging markets, but with the advent of low-cost and feature packed Android handsets in Europe it will probably struggle to break through.

If you're looking for a low cost handset you can pick up an Android smartphone for under £100 these days which offers vastly more features than the 301.

The Nokia 301 is a back up device, perfect for festival trips or emergency situations but it will never have the same appeal or desirability as today's smartphones.

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Nokia exec says Lumia 520 isn't the cheapest the range can go

The Lumia 720 is one of Nokia's just-announced cheaper Windows Phone 8 devices

The rumors were true - Nokia seized the global stage at Mobile World Congress this week to announce a new line of super affordable phones, including the Lumia 520.

But one Nokia executive on the convention floor revealed that even cheaper Lumia devices are a possibility.

Nokia's Hans Henrik Lund, vice president of smart devices marketing, spilled the beans to CNET.

The Lumia 520 was announced at the start of MWC at a cool €139 (US$183, UK£121, AU$178) price point, but Lund reportedly said that's "not the lowest price point we can get to."

With its onset of Windows Phone 8 smartphones like the Lumia 820 and Lumia 920, Nokia has been focusing on the high end of the price spectrum.

But that changed on Monday when the Finnish phone company introduced the Lumia 520, Lumia 720, Nokia 105, and Nokia 301 to the world.

Astute readers will notice the lack of a "Lumia" in those last two names, and that's because they're not part of the Lumia line at all - they're not even smartphones, in fact.

Between the new Lumia devices and the ultra-cheap feature phones (the Nokia 105 is only €15 [US$20, UK£13, AU$19] and lasts a month on one charge), Nokia is trying to bring Windows Phone to the masses and put the fun back in feature phones.

It's unclear from the statements reported by CNET exactly what Lund was referring to when he said that the price could go lower, but given the context and the site's other details it does seem he was referring to cheaper Lumia devices.

Lund did explain that Nokia will likely stick with the multi-hued, polycarbonate motif for the time being.

As far as future devices, he didn't offer anything concrete, but said, "We see our future in having a family including devices at all price points." That's certainly been evident in its MWC announcements so far.

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Updated: webOS finds new home with LG and its Smart TVs, phone a possibility

Among the flurry of news gusting out of MWC 2013 in Barcelona today, LG and HP announced an inked deal to transfer ownership of the open source webOS, opening a whole new world for the largely left for dead OS.

In a joint press release, both companies confirmed LG's purchase of the Palm-created operating system from HP in an agreement of undisclosed details.

After ditching the webOS-based TouchPad, HP is allowing the system to live on with a new owner, though perhaps not in the guise consumers would have expected.

LG's plans for its purchase, at least to start, will center on the living room.

"To support its next-generation Smart TV technology, LG has entered into a definitive agreement with HP to acquire the source code, associated documentation, engineering talent and related websites associated with webOS," the press release read.

In addition to the aforementioned, LG will also pick up licenses under HP's intellectual property, including patents from Palm that cover the fundamental operating system and user interface technologies.

TV is LG's first focus, but according to Samuel Chang, vice president/general manager of Innovation and Smart TV at LG, the company isn't ruling out other options, including phones.

"We see usage in things like digital signage and digital display technology, but we will keep our eyes open on other device opportunities," he told TechRadar.

Chang said that among the benefits of webOS for TV, the card user interface will likely make its way into LG's Smart TV technologies. While there won't be a webOS-based TV from LG this year, it will come very soon, Chang said.

HP, meanwhile, retains ownership of Palm's cloud computing assets, including talent, infrastructure, source code and contracts. Senior Vice President Martin Resau told TechRadar on the same call as Chang that HP will be able to utilize LG's webOS advancements.

"We even hope to co-innovate on certain parts," Resau, who also ran HP's webOS unit, said.

While LG has a new system to play with, the SVP explained that strategically, it makes sense for HP to focus its energies on cloud for enterprise use while LG develops webOS.

LG has enjoyed a tight relationship with Google when it comes to developing Android-based televisions, so the webOS agreement is, on the surface, somewhat curious.

However, Chang explained the purchase and use of webOS won't change the LG and Google TV dynamic.

"We will continue to support that product, and our relationship does not change with [the purchase] of webOS," he said.

Instead, the move is part of a multi-platform strategy that LG plans to continue implementing.

With the deal, which the execs said has been in the works for about six months, LG plans to add Sunnyvale, Calif. and San Francisco locations to its existing R&D cites. It's already set up shop in the U.S. in San Jose, Calif. and Chicago.

Under the agreement, LG will assume stewardship of the open source projects of Open webOS and Enyo. And Palm users need not fret they'll be left in the lurch: HP will continue to support them.

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Hands-on review: MWC 2013: LG Optimus F7

Possibly the worst-kept secret in midrange mediocrity, the 4G LG Optimus F7 was officially announced by LG last week. It's a midrange handset that comes packing some useful features in a handy size.

Amusingly, this midrange smartphone comes with a very similar spec sheet to the supposedly high-end Motorola Razr HD – namely a 4.7-inch 720p display, dual-core 1.5GHz CPU and an 8MP camera. The Optimus F7, though, packs 2GB of memory to the Razr HD's 1GB.

That may actually be an unfair comparison, because the F7 looks and feels like a lower-tier handset in exactly the same way that the Kevlar-backed Motorola does not. Its plastic shell positively screams compromise, though there is some lovely chrome trimming to be found on the edges. We like chrome trimming.

The LG cannot match the HD's AMOLED screen either, but that doesn't mean it's bad - it's the same resolution but was noticeably less vivid. Viewing angles weren't as nice but with the price difference we're probably talking here, it isn't half bad.

The F7 throws Jelly Bean around easily enough and there wasn't much sign of that 'just OK' CPU holding it back. We were able to swoosh in and out of all the menus without any sign of delay and the camera was fast and responsive too. Apps loaded quickly and it was able to switch between them easily enough,

The F7 will go on sale later this year - certainly before the summer - though word is that it might never make it to the UK shores at all.

It looks like a decent midrange effort that wouldn't be out of place at a tech show - just don't expect leading features.

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'Hands on reviews' are a journalist's first impressions of a piece of kit based on spending some time with it. It may be just a few moments, or a few hours. The important thing is we have been able to play with it ourselves and can give you some sense of what it's like to use, even if it's only an embryonic view. For more information, see TechRadar's Reviews Guarantee.

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Review: Chillblast Fusion Stealth

Practically silentPretty quick120GB SSD with 2TB HDD16GB of RAMBy Dave James from PCFormat Issue 276  February 25th 2013

The Chillblast Fusion Stealth is a machine that's been specced and built from the ground up to be the quietest gaming PC you can put together while still nailing high performance.

I was stunned the first time I pressed the power button - the only way I could tell that it was drawing any juice was the little blue light that shone from around the button, and the monitor bursting into life. This machine is practically silent.

Sure, if you stick your ear to the chassis you can sense the thrum of active cooling and a power supply, but there's little indication of that activity on the clean lines of the Fractal Design case's serene exterior.

At idle that's pretty much what you would expect from a machine called 'Stealth', but I'd expected things to get a bit louder as I started stressing the components. Not so. Even with the CPU doing heavy video encoding, or the GPU tessellating the ever-living excrement out of Heaven's cobbled streets, the Fusion Stealth remains whisper-quiet.

Chillblast has remained faithful to the top gaming CPU on the planet right now, the Core i5 3570K, and has even seen fit to overclock it to a solid 4.3GHz.

The Tranquillo CPU air-cooler from Gelid is a chunky beast, but that means the fans don't have to spin as fast to keep it chilled. And, with the chip topping out at around 63ºC under full load, it's not like it's heating up to the point at which its life is going to be shortened.

Chillblast has dropped in one of Asus' brilliantly cooled GTX 670 cards as well, which chews through gaming benchmarks with little concern. You'll be happily gaming up to 2,560 x 1,600 without your PC sounding like it's going to take off at any moment.

CPU rendering performance
Cinebench R11.5: Index score: Higher is better
FUSION STEALTH: 7.08
WIRED2FIRE HAL: 7.46

DirectX 11 tessellation performance
Heaven 3.0: FPS: Higher is better
FUSION STEALTH: 35.2
WIRED2FIRE HAL: 33.7

DirectX 11 gaming performance
Max Payne 3: FPS: Higher is better
FUSION STEALTH: 28
WIRED2FIRE HAL: 24

This machine isn't just a bit of a gaming beast. With the 16GB RAM, 2TB of storage and powerful, overclocked quad-core CPU, you'll have no problem using this as a relatively cheap, almost silent workstation too.

I was also hugely impressed by the aptly named BeQuiet PSU. Normally the power supply barely gets a mention in my PC reviews, but the fact that it too is practically silent makes a huge difference to the overall sound of the rig. I know from my home PC that you can have all your fans finely tuned and still have an annoying whine from the PSU.

The Fractal Design armour around all those performance components is also clad in sound-dampening material, with incredibly well-tuned case fans enabling effective airflow without the tell-tale noise.

Hopefully you can tell just how impressed I am with this Chillblast machine. It may not be the absolute fastest we've seen, but it's definitely the quietest.

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Nokia's maps and navigation apps spread to more Windows Phones

What took so long? Did the maps get lost along the way?

Nokia announced it's spreading the app love by making its trio of map and navigation apps available across all Windows Phone 8 devices.

Previously only available on Nokia's own Windows Phones, all users can now download the Here Maps, Here Drive Beta, and Here Transit apps.

The three free apps are integrated together to offer users maps, turn-by-turn directions, and public transportation maps, both online and when disconnected from a network.

Offline maps are available for 94 countries, along with interior maps for select locations like airports, stadiums, and malls in over more than countries.

Curiously, despite Nokia's commitment to Windows Phone last year, the company launched its trio of Here Maps apps as a single download on iOS.

The iOS arrival conveniently came as Apple's own maps app suffered a rocky start, though it was quickly overshadowed by the launch of Google Maps not long afterward.

While there is still no official Google Maps app for Windows Phone to compete with Nokia's offering, last month the search giant revealed that it will at least optimize the mobile Google Maps site to run in the Internet Explorer mobile browser.

Users looking for a new navigation option on Windows Phone 8 can download the Here Maps, Here Drive Beta, and Here Transit apps from the Windows Store starting today. They are available in the U.S. and U.K. along with Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Spain.

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Review: Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan

The fastest single GPU card outClever power and heat management system6GB of GDDR5Very expensiveSome older dual-GPU cards have it beat

The Cray Titan awoke at the end of October last year, benchmarking at 17.59 petaflops it's the fastest of the current generation of supercomputers.

Why would you care about a supercomputer when we're meant to be talking about a big graphics card? Well, Nvidia supplied 18,688 Tesla K20 cards to pack out the Titan and in exchange has nabbed the name to stick on its gaming-focused versions with the same GPU.

There was always the feeling that the GK104 GPU at the heart of the GTX 680 wasn't the fastest implementation of Nvidia's Kepler architecture way back when I first got hold of our test unit back in March of last year. That was confirmed a few months later when we saw those Tesla K20 professional graphics card, home to the full-fat Kepler core, the GK110.

The instant that card was confirmed though we were all here taking bets on how long it was going to take before Nvidia took the plunge and dropped the GK110 into a proper gaming desktop card.

None of us thought we would have to wait this long, however, to a time in the year when we were half expecting a new generation of graphics cards to hit.

Sadly it looks like the great graphics powers-that-be have decided we don't need a new generation right now. AMD has announced it's sticking with the current range of HD 7000 cards right through 2013, and we're only likely to see a new lineup right at the end of the year. And with the launch of Nvidia's GTX Titan I would bet that the next line of GTX 700 series cards, based on the upcoming Maxwell architecture, aren't going to be tipping up until the late-summer at the earliest.

Whatever happens with the next generation of graphics cards though it's going to be incredibly difficult for any new GPU to be able to best the power available to the GK110 silicon.

And as such this is probably going to be the fastest single-GPU card we'll see until Nvidia itself decides to pull the top chip out of the next-gen Tesla cards and offer it up to the desktop gaming crowd. Well, unless AMD does something completely unprecedented with Sea Islands.

So, for the foreseeable this is the fastest single-GPU card around. And that's exactly what Nvidia was after as Tom Petersen, Nvidia's Director of Technical Marketing, told me a few weeks before launch: "this is without doubt the biggest, baddest, fastest graphics card we've ever built.

The key thing about it is that it does crush all other single-GPU cards we've ever built and it crushes all other single GPUs anyone's ever built."

That assertion about its single-GPU credentials is really the key to the GTX Titan. That's because it's not actually the fastest graphics card anyone's ever built, in fact both the EVGA GTX 690 and Club3D HD 7990 we're putting it up against are faster cards out of the blocks.

But is overall straight-line performance the be-all-and-end-all? Nvidia would say no, AMD would say absolutely yes.

Who's right? Well, as Obi Wan would say, you will find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view…

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Hands-on review: MWC 2013: Nokia 105

A glance up at the picture above and with the word "Lumia" missing from this device's name you may think we've travelled back in time, but oh no the Nokia 105 is very much part of the here and now.

While smartphones having been ruling in the roost in places such as Europe and the States, feature phones still play massive part in the mobile phone ecosystem in developing countries where demand for low cost, basic handsets is high.

The 105 takes over from the Nokia 1280 as the entry point into Nokia's mobile world, and it's got some pretty big boots to fill as the 1280 managed to shift 100 million units in three years.

There is a twist though. Nokia isn't just targeting the emerging markets this time round, it plans to bring the 105 to Europe as a companion phone which can offer rugged, cheap functionality and standout battery life.

When we say cheap, we mean it as the Nokia 105 will set you back €15 (which is around £13) and will be available in some European countries by the end of March, although it hasn't been confirmed for the UK just yet.

Unsurprisingly the Nokia 105 is completely plastic and its chunky frame reinforces the fact that this handset is incredibly basic in the functionality department.

It's very light meaning that its bulbous shape isn't taxing on the wrist and the dust- and splash-proof keypad is a handy touch, especially if you're considering the 105 as a festival phone.

While colour displays are nothing new, the 105 is Nokia's first entry-level feature phone to sport one, although we'll warn you now it's about the size of a postage stamp at 1.45-inches.

The Nokia 105 may not carry the Lumia name, but there are hints of the smartphone range's design when you inspect its body with rounded corners and simplistic finish.

Available in black and the rather more psychedelic cyan - which has become synonymous in the Lumia range - Nokia hopes the brightly coloured 105 will stand out among the sea of black slabs currently on the market.

In terms of features there's not much to write home about, with the Nokia 105 sporting early 2000 classics such as FM radio, built in flashlight and a talking clock.

There's no camera, app store or social network integration, but what you do get is a phone which will make calls, handle text messages and even boasts a headphone jack if you fancy listening to some tunes.

Operation is a little on the slow side as the weedy feature phone processor takes several seconds to work through some tasks - you won't be winning any speed tests here.

An 800mAh battery may not sound particularly special, but Nokia reckons it will provide you with up to 35 days standby, and it should easily see you through a two week period of relatively intensive usage without needing a top up.

The Nokia 105 is a funny proposition for the European market as people won't be buying it as their main device and possibly not even as their second handset.

It's very much a back up, emergency phone which is capable of taking some knocks and deliver a battery life which can last you a month, but it won't be able to offer the experience we've come to expect from our mobile phones today.

A feature phone still makes a lot of sense in the developing world, but in markets such as Europe expectations are very different and the Nokia 105 seems destined to spend the majority of its life in the kitchen draw.

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Hands-on review: MWC 2013: LG Optimus G Pro

There's a new king at the top of the mobile tree over at the Korean firm as the LG Optimus G Pro struts its stuff at MWC 2013.

Taking over from the LG Optimus G, the Optimus G Pro was officially announced back in January but this is the first chance we've had to get hands on with the new flagship device.

LG says the Optimus G Pro will be available in global markets, although it's bad news for anyone living in the UK as the Korean firm has already confirmed it won't be heading that way.

The LG Optimus G Pro comes equipped with an excellent 5.5-inch full HD IPS display which delivers an eye popping 400ppi, meaning everything looks stunning.

This puts the Optimus G Pro firmly in competition with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Huawei Ascend Mate and ZTE Grand Memo in the ever evolving phablet war.

That screen is backed up by a beefy 1.7GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM which sees Android Jelly Bean zip along at a rate of knots making for a pleasing and efficient user experience.

Thanks to that 5.5-inch display the Optimus G Pro is a pretty large device measuring 150.2 x 76.1 x 9.4 mm and weighing in at 160g.

LG has taken steps to make it more manageable for one handed use with a slender bezel running down each side of the display helping you wrap your fingers round the device.

Something which detracts from the Optimus G Pro from a design perspective is the use of plastic, as we're seeing premium handsets such as the iPhone 5, HTC One and Sony Xperia Z sporting classier materials these days.

The gloss finish of the plastic also means that the Optimus G Pro is a pretty slippery customer in the hand offering up very little in the way of grip and we would be concerned about dropping this behemoth.

It's also tricky to hit the power/lock key on the right and the volume rocker and quick key buttons on the left side of the G Pro when holding it in one hand, and we found ourselves employing both mitts when it came to adjusting the volume or unlocking.

The responsive touchscreen meant we were able to merrily skip through homescreens and app list without issue and applications opened up almost immediately on the Optimus G Pro.

LG has added a few touches as part of its Android overlay including quick settings toggles in the notification bar allowing you to easily control Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC.

QSlide also makes an appearance on the LG Optimus G Pro, allowing you to have multiple applications open at the same time on the expansive 5.5-inch display, which is prefect it you need to read a document while replying to an email, or need make a quick calculation in the middle of a text message.

Video playback on the Optimus G Pro is very impressive and HD movies look excellent on the large screen which also boasts decent viewing angles allowing your friends to huddle round and watch the action.

Battery fans will be pleased to hear that the LG Optimus G Pro comes with a removable 3,140mAh juice pack, which will be in high demand thanks to the HD screen and 4G network capabilities.

The Optimus G Pro is also blessed in the camera department boasting a 13MP lens and single LED flash on its rear, while round the front you get a 2.1MP camera for video calls and self portraits.

As with the rest of the handset, shutter speed is rapid and there's a decent range of modes and settings in the camera app to keep budding photographers busy.

Google Chrome and the stock Android browser both make an appearance on the Optimus G Pro, offering up a slick, fast and visually impressive web experience which you can take on the road thanks to the LTE compatibility.

The Optimus G Pro is an impressive handset offering up super slick Android Jelly Bean and a top notch range of features.

It gives the likes of the Galaxy Note 2 and Xperia Z some serious food for thought and it could go on to be a pretty decent success as LG looks to turn its ship around off the back of a successful Nexus 4 period.

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Hands-on review: Nikon D7100

When the Nikon D7000 was announced it had the highest pixel count of any Nikon APS-C (DX) format DSLR, but by the company's own standards a 16.2MP device looks quite dated now. So it's no surprise that the new Nikon D7100 has a 24.1MP CMOS sensor.

However, this isn't the same sensor as we have seen in the Nikon D5200 or the Nikon D3200 - in fact it's a completely new device that has been built to Nikon's specification. But the surprise twist in this little tale is that there's no low-pass (AKA anti-aliasing) filter over the sensor, so it should be capable of recording sharper detail than a comparable sensor with a filter.

Unlike the Nikon D800, which is available in two varieties - the D800 and D800E, with the only difference between the two being that the D800E doesn't have a low-pass filter - there is only one version of the Nikon D7100.

Most DSLR manufacturers use an anti-aliasing filter to reduce the risk of moiré patterning, which can occur when photographing subjects with regular fine detail that is close to the resolving limit of the sensor.

According to Nikon, the pixel density of an APS-C format sensor with 24.1-million effective pixels is such that the risk of moiré patterning is much reduced in comparison with that of lower pixel-count cameras. Consequently, the company feels that the benefits of omitting the filter outweigh the detriment, and it anticipates very few occasions where moiré patterning may be seen. This appears to be borne-out by the lack of moiré patterning seen in images from the D800E.

The other big news for the Nikon D7100 is that has a higher build quality than the Nikon D7000, with weather sealing that enables it to be used in a wider range of situations than the older camera.

According to Jeremy Gilbert, Nikon UK's group marketing manager, the D7100 is built to the same standard as the Nikon D300s, although it doesn't replace either the Nikon D300s or the Nikon D7000.

In another improvement over the Nikon D7000, the Nikon D7100 has the Multi-Cam 3500DX AF module with 51 AF points, the central 15 of them being cross-type. This should help improve both speed and accuracy of the AF system.

Sport and wildlife enthusiasts will also be pleased to learn that the Nikon D7100 is the fifth DSLR in Nikon's lineup to feature an AF system that is sensitive down to f/8. This means that the system will still function when telephoto and teleconverter combinations result in an effective maximum aperture as small as f/8.

In an unusual move, Nikon has given the D7100 a 1.3x crop mode. When this is selected the imaging area is almost completely covered by the 51 AF points, and the maximum continuous shooting rate is boosted from a respectable 6fps to 7fps.

This crop mode can be used in still or video mode, and it enables you to shoot Full HD movies at 50i or 60i for smoother recording of action or slow-motion playback. When shooting videos in DX format, the frame rate is limited to a more common 30, 25 or 24p.

Some of the Nikon D7100's other features are a little more predictable. The metering, for example, is handled by the same 2,016 pixel sensor as the Nikon D7000, and image processing is courtesy of the Expeed 3 engine that we have seen in Nikon's more recent DSLRs.

Unsurprisingly, the native sensitivity range is ISO 100-6400, but it can be expanded to ISO 25,600 if required.

When the Nikon D7100 goes on sale in March, its price will be £1,099.99 (around US$1,682/AU$1,635) body only, or £1,299.99 (around US$1,988/AU$1,932) with an 18-105mm kit lens.

Although it has a more durable construction, at just 675g (23.8oz) the Nikon D7100 is a little lighter than the Nikon D7000, which weighs 690g (24.3oz). It also feels more solid, and textured coatings on the front and rear grips make it comfortable and secure in the hand.

Nikon has added a lock button to the mode dial, and while this prevents accidental exposure mode changes, it may take existing Nikon D7000 users a little while to get used to it.

Another change in comparison with the Nikon D7000 (but like the Nikon D600) is that the Live View switch is near the bottom of the back of the camera and there are two settings; one for stills and the other for video Live View mode. Pressing the Lv button at the centre of the switch activates the Live View feed.

This change to the button layout means that the video activation button has had to be relocated and, as with Nikon's other recent DSLRs, it is near the shutter release button.

Nikon has also introduced a new 'I' button at the bottom-left of the back of the D7100, and pressing this gives you quick access to some key features such as the 1.3x Crop mode, Picture Control mode and HDR mode. It's a useful addition that complements the healthy collection of direct controls.

On the subject of the screen, this has been boosted to 3.2 inches and has 1,229,000 dots. We were only able to use a pre-production sample of the camera indoors, but the screen seems a good performer and it doesn't suffer excessively from reflections when used near a bright window.

That high dot count also means that there's plenty of detail visible, which is especially useful when focusing manually in Live View mode.

Naturally we will look into it more closely when we get a full production sample in for testing for our full review, but our first impressions are that the Nikon D7100's contrast detection system is a little quicker and more decisive than we have found with cameras such as the Nikon D5200.

Despite the changes mentioned above, we think that most Nikon D7000 users will quickly find themselves at home with the Nikon D7100. The menu layout will also be familiar territory for existing Nikon DSLR users, and is logical.

So far we have only been able to use a pre-production sample of the Nikon D7100, and while the early signs are good, we will have to wait for a full-production model before we can comment on the quality of the images it produces.

Because it doesn't have an anti-aliasing filter, it will be particularly interesting to see how much detail the Nikon D7100 can resolve. We will also scrutinise the darker mid-tones and shadows of high sensitivity images and check for signs of banding like those exhibited in some shots from the Nikon D5200.

Nikon has created a small yet solid camera that has plenty to offer the photography enthusiast. The weather sealing is a particularly nice touch that enables you to carry on shooting when others have to pack up and head home.

Given the Nikon D7100's high pixel count, the decision to include a 1.3x crop and omit the anti-aliasing filter seems sensible.

The former will enable tighter framing of the subject (although this can be achieved by cropping) and a faster continuous shooting rate, while the latter should ensure sharper details straight from the camera and less time spent with post-capture sharpening.

Although Nikon has given the D7100 a pretty extensive feature set, it would've been nice if the company had pushed things a bit further and perhaps included Wi-Fi connectivity to enable remote control via a smartphone or tablet. At £649.99 (around US$993/AU$967), the WR-1 wireless remote introduced at the same is far too expensive for most users.

It would also have been good to have seen a touch-sensitive screen - preferably articulated like the Nikon D5200's - that is designed to complement rather than replace the physical controls.

On balance, however, we think the D7100 will find favour with the Nikon faithful, and it should win the manufacturer a few new fans.

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Hands-on review: MWC 2013: LG Optimus L5 2

The LG Optimus L5 2 is another new addition to the Korean's firm entry-level smartphone range, and sits just above the Optimus L3 2.

Replacing the original Optimus L5 which launched at MWC last year, the Optimus L5 II looks to build on the L-Style brand with updated software and bumped up features.

LG says the Optimus L5 2 will be available on a global scale sometime during the second quarter of this year, with the UK already confirmed to receive the handset.

The Optimus L5 2 is expected to retail for around £120 (around $180/AU$175) which will probably equate to £10 - £15 per month on contract.

A number of improvements have been made on the Optimus L5 2 over its predecessor, with the 4-inch screen now sporting a HVGA 480x800 IPS display (up from WVGA) with a pixel density of 233ppi.

The battery has also been given a boost to 1,700mAh, which LG reckons should last you two full days before requiring another charge.

The L-series of handsets is LG's budget offering and therefore plastic is very much the material of choice on the Optimus L5 2, but the metallic looking rim which runs round the edge of the handset does make it look more premium than it actually is.

The lightweight design is sturdy and at 117.5 x 62.2 x 9.2 mm the Optimus L5 II is easy to hold, while the buttons below the screen and on either side of the handset are well positioned for finger manipulation.

Android Jelly Bean is the operating system of choice on the Optimus L5 2 and LG has applied a basic overlay adding features such as quick settings in the notification bar, but leaving a lot of the Android settings as they are.

Slightly disappointingly the Optimus L5 2 rocks the same processor, RAM and internal storage as the smaller, cheaper Optimus L3 2, with a 1GHz single-core chip, 512MB of RAM and 4G of memory at your disposal.

Although considering the low cost of this handset those specifications aren't particularly poor.

Jelly Bean runs well on the Optimus L5 2 and although it might not be winning any speed races, we didn't experience lag issues.

There's a handy button on the left side of the handset above the volume rocker which you can programme to launch an app of your choosing, plus it can also be set as the shutter button in the camera app.

This quick button will come in useful if you find yourself using one particular app on a regular basis and we can easily see this become a Facebook or Twitter launcher for a lot of people.

The 4-inch display is pretty good with reasonable definition, although we found it could be a little on the dark side - especially when watching videos.

We didn't have any trouble with responsiveness however, with the Optimus L5 2 responding merrily to all our various pokes and prods.

Apps generally loaded up in good time, but more demanding applications such as Google Maps did take a few extra seconds to gather images and nail down our location.

The 5MP camera on the back of the LG Optimus L5 2 is accompanied by a single LED flash to aid you in low light, but there's no front facing camera here.

LG's new "Chesse Shutter" is present on the Optimus L5 II, which lets you snap a picture via a voice command, but the shutter does take a second or two to sort itself out.

Image quality is more than acceptable for a handset at the bottom end of the market, although the VGA video recording option is probably best avoided.

The on screen keyboard is a relatively decent affair, with the larger 4-inch display of the Optimus L5 2 making it easier to type on than the Optimus L3 2.

The LG Optimus L5 II is another promising, affordable smartphone from the Korean firm which is looking to strengthen its position at the low-end of the market.

It's a stylish and well equipped proposition and we look forward to getting the Optimus L5 2 in for a full, in-depth review.

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