Life In The Old Droid Yet

We look at how to put an old Android phone to use, rather than trashing it or selling it

Just got a new phone? Well, then you're probably aware that in 24 months, you'll be popping out or heading online to find another new one. Yes, you might be excited about having the latest technology in your pocket right now, but after two years, your amazing new gadget will inevitably look a bit rubbish.

So what do you do with your old phone when the time comes to upgrade? Do you just sling it in the nearest bin, while trying to silence the nagging voice in your head, scolding you for doing something so environmentally unfriendly? Probably not, unless it's damaged beyond repair (the phone, not your head).

You could sell it, of course, and you'd no doubt find plenty of takers on eBay, assuming it's a decent handset and in good condition. Or you could try to trade it in, to get some money off whatever new deal you end up signing. If you're feeling more generous, you could even just give it away, whether that's to a family member or friend, or just some stranger from Freecycle.

Android Lollipop And Material Design

David Briddock investigates what’s different about Google’s Android Lollipop

Recent figures confirm that these days it’s Android devices that dominate the smartphone and tablet marketplace. In fact, Google’s Android operating system has secured over 80% of the total smartphone space, dwarfing iPhone sales, and Android smartphone shipments for 2014 are expected to top the one billion mark. This year’s sales will be equally strong.

Meanwhile, Android tablet shipments exceeded 120 million in 2013 and are far higher still for 2014. Once again, Apple’s iPad came a distant second, and other platforms hardly feature at all. And to cap it all, Google’s Play store now has as many apps as the Apple App Store.

Gigabyte BRIX S

Hold up, Hold up. We know this is essentially a desktop machine and, yes, it has a Broadwell i5 processor in there, but this doesn’t mean that Intel’s newest CPU generation has actually made its way out of the low-power, mobile mindset. Gigabyte’s latest BRIX S is rocking a new fifth-generation Core processor, but this is from the mobile U-series that Intel launched at January’s CES.

The Core i5-5200U is a dual-core Broadwell chip with a TDP of just 15W, making it a great chip to fit inside a mini PC like Gigabyte’s BRIX S. Despite that lowly TDP, you’re still getting an impressive amount of performance from this wee chip – it may be dual-core but thanks to the magic of Hyperthreading you do get that split out into four threads of processing power. It’s not going to be winning any medals for top frequency, but at a steady 2.5GHz, the 5200U manages a decent rate of knots considering its low-power status. The processor is rated to Turbo up to 2.7GHz, but testing just the singlethreaded performance didn’t help us raise those extra 200MHz of Turbo power.

Asus G751JY

In the face of powerful desktop parts powering other laptops, can Asus’s mobile gamer compete?

The clash of the desktop replacements. That’s how we’ve started this month’s reviews and it’s a proper battle royale. Except without the screaming kids, the fountains of blood and ‘Beat’ Kitano. First we had MSI’s new take on the hybrid laptop – all gaming dock, upgradeable GPU and floaty-light notebook fun – and now we have Asus’s beefy trad gaming laptop, the G751JY.

And it’s a hulking great beast of a machine. We’re not just referring to it being a hefty 17.3-inch notebook weighing nearly five kilos – it’s also packed full of the best mobile hardware money can buy. Which is lucky, considering how much it costs.

MSI GS30 2M Shadow

A laptop with a desktop GPU? What voodoo is this?

There are laptop PCs, and there are desktop PCs. And never the twain shall meet. Or at least that’s how it’s traditionally been. This hasn’t, however, stopped the industry from trying to see if there’s any way to bash the two things together and see what sticks. The MSI GS30 2M Shadow, with its GPU-toting Gaming Dock, could be the closest we’ve come to seeing a marriage of these two disparate gaming houses.

Evolve

There’s no ‘I’ in team, but there’s a whole lot of swearing

Hell is other people. You hear me, Godzilla_70991? Running your Medic off to god knows where while I’m bleeding out? Or how about you, Trapperwho-hasn’t-used-a-single-Trapper-ability-this-round? And cooldude69, what are you doing all the way over there? You’re ultimately diminishing the value of what occasionally reveals itself to be a tremendous co-op multiplayer experience, that’s what. Harumph. If you’re looking for the monster in Evolve, look in the direction of your teammates.

Turtle Rock, a studio whose name is built on the firm foundations of the Left 4 Dead series, has been characteristically ambitious with this asymmetrical, five-player co-op shooter. Essentially, Evolve is about turning the traditional videogame boss fight into a roundlong multiplayer experience, enabling you to team up with three others and combine your very specific skills to prevail, or – the really progressive part – letting you be the boss…

The Order: 1886

A historical werewolf in London – and it proves to be a howler

Come join me in the cupboard of hack games journo devices while I pull out the ‘stunningyet-vacuous bimbo’ cliche. Last seen some time in the ’90s, when it was still de rigueur to allude to Lara’s back problems, it was used to illustrate the dilemma of being seduced by something on a purely skin-deep level while being aware of its more profound flaws. Would you date them anyway, you bloody bloke you? Phwoar. Etc.

However, there have been far fewer examples of that disparity between graphics and gameplay in recent years. The prettiest games have also tended to deliver the goods mechanically, with such consistency we now have a Pavlovian reflex towards visual fidelity as an indicator of overall excellence. In the case of The Order: 1886, it’s a misleading reflex indeed.

Back In Black

After almost a full decade of waiting, Matthew Pellett goes hands-on with the most ambitious RPG ever created, Final Fantasy XV

Welcome to Final Fantasy XV. After what’s been an excruciating ten-year wait, during which the game has transformed from Final Fantasy Versus XIII on PS3 to a mainline FF title on PS4, you’ll be able to play it this very month courtesy of the free demo doled out exclusively with Final Fantasy Type-0 HD.

Ignore all the rumours you’ve seen on the internet: barring any last minute hiccups you’ll be able to download Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae to your PS4 using Type-0 HD’s voucher on day one (17 March in the US or 20 March in Europe). And, despite what some news sites may claim, Episode Duscae won’t magically wipe itself from your console when you’ve finished it. You’ll be able to play its three-hour story over, and over, and over again. It’s a vital feature, because you absolutely should be playing it over, and over, and over again. I speak from experience…

Leica X (Typ 113)

A Leica is always an event, but what kind of impact does the new X (Typ 113) seem set to make?

Leica cameras are their own breed and very much in a class of their own. Physically, the camera is every bit as beautiful and classic looking as you’d expect from the German manufacturer. If you like your car or your clothes to attract admiring glances, then this is probably the sort of camera for you. It’s not, however, a camera for blending into the crowd, so if you’re planning on travelling around any of the world’s livelier environs you’d be right to conclude that this is not the camera to accompany you.