This year’s smartphone headlines have been shared out across a variety of subjects, from Samsung’s rise to power, to the revamp of Windows Phoneand Android’s inexorable march.In between the big stories there were plenty of minor developments along the way with processors getting faster, screens getting bigger and new apps coming along that do things we never even imagined possible. Here we take a look at ten of the best smartphone features that were introduced during 2012.
1.Chrome
Chrome has taken the desktop world by storm, with figures form web-based research firm StatCounter showing it to be the world’s most popular web browser.
While its mobile counterpart hasn’t had quite the same impact yet, the smartphone browser’s performance cannot be beaten. Forming a link between your computer and mobile, tabs can be synced between devices along with a whole host of other features only looks set grow over time.
2. Windows Phone 8 Live Tiles Interface
There are lots of interesting features in Windows Phone 8, other than those introduced by the handsets which run the platform, but the most striking is the reworking of the Live Tiles interface.
Live Tiles looked great on Windows Phone 7 but Microsoft’s design team has pulled out all the stops for its new platform, allowing users to resize the tiles and fit even more of them on the homescreen.
With the UI now also expanding to fit the entire width of the display, Windows Phone 8 has possibly the best looking user interface in the mobile world, with an incredible amount of information accomodated without any of it looking squeezed or squashed.
3. 3000mAh+ Batteries
Motorola’s revamp of its RAZR handset, the RAZR Maxx, saw an excellent upgrade which fattened out the previously slim device and filled the resulting space with a 3000mAh battery.
The manufacturer claims that the power source provides up to 17 hours of talk time and while this is hard to test we have no reason to doubt it, judging by the way the handset performed in our tests.
Samsung hasn’t stood idly by while this went on, moving to include a even bigger 3100mAh battery in the Galaxy Note II.
While the Korean manufacturer claims a slightly less impressive 16 hours of talk time for its handset, the fact that such powerful batteries are becoming more common can only be a good thing for mobile users frustrated with smartphones that won’t last a day on one charge
4. Google Now
Google’s mobile services have taken a huge leap forward with Google Now, introduced alongside the latest version its mobile platform, Android Jelly Bean.
The search engine can now learn about you, your habits and tastes and direct information to you automatically. With a level of accuracy that can even be a little unsettling, Google Now will tell you what the traffic is like on your route to work, what the weather is doing in your area, and whether or not your team is losing as a match takes place.
It’s a brilliant innovation which is indicative of the tech giant’s move away from its traditional web-based search services. No doubt Google Now will only expand upon this, bringing even more personalisation and information in the future.
5. Samsung Galaxy Note II’s 5.5-inch Display
Measuring only half an inch smaller than a Kindle, Samsung’s latest Galaxy Notedevice is an incredibly powerful phone that pushes the limits of smartphone design in more ways than just its size.
However, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the device is the effect it has had on the smartphone world – what was once termed a ‘phablet’ is now thought of by many as just a regular smartphone. Whereas devices with displays larger than 5-inches were once freakish and unusual they are now accepted as the norm.
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