Microsoft Arrow Launcher

Microsoft Arrow Launcher

 

What is Microsoft Arrow Launcher

Arrow Launcher is a new Android launcher made by, of all people, the folks at Microsoft. Like other launchers it replaces the homescreens and app draw of your phone to provide a fresh route into the rest of the handset's features

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Microsoft’s twist is that Arrow Launcher aims to make your Android-using life easier by bringing to the fore the apps you use most, and pushing aside the least used features. And rest assured it doesn’t push any Microsoft apps or features onto you, except for the wallpaper being provided daily by the Bing search service, if you so choose

Arrow Launcher – First Impressions

Upon launching Arrow Launcher for the first time the app will analyse and rank your existing apps, picking out up to 16 that it thinks are your favourites. You can confirm which of these are indeed your favourites and then the launcher will fill up your homescreen with these apps

What’s immediately obvious is that upon doing this you lose all your app folders. The whole point of the app is that it curates the layout of your apps for you so using folders is counter to this

That's all very well but if you’re like me and you normally have a dozen folders each containing half a dozen apps, suddenly going back down to a grid of just 24 is something that, at the very least, will take time to get used to and at worst will be a deal breaker for this launcher

The setup process analyses your apps and picks out the top 20 to go on your homescreen

What's more, although I like the idea behind the curation, the app didn’t seem to do all that good a job of guessing which are the most used apps on my phone. While it got a few correct, most were pretty obvious standard apps anyway – Google Maps, YouTube, Hangouts, etc – and a few were outright wrong

For instance I’ve not played Punch Quest in over six months, I very seldom use the Contacts app and have never used OneNote

What’s more, as the launcher does learn what you prefer it’s actually really annoying that it then moves your apps around. That is the core principle of the launcher but it's also anathema to those that like to keeps things organised and know exactly where everything should be, which of course is one of the basic tenets of good app design

Original layout on the left, after about an hour's use on the right

After longer use there will likely be fewer changes as apps firmly establish themselves as favourites, unless a new very popular app is installed. But, at least initially, apps are moving all over the place and it’s not to my liking

The overall layout of the launcher consists of three pages, with Apps in the centre, People (contacts) on the right and Recent activity on the left. Underneath all three screens is a fixed set of four apps and the App Drawer button, all but the latter of which can be rearranged or made into folders, at least giving some way to bring some arganisation back into this interface

Swipe up from the bottom and you get an iOS-style quick settings area that also houses an extra five apps (again, these can be made into folders). This makes it much easier to access quick settings that would otherwise require you to reach to the top of the screen to swipe down the notifications menu.

A swipe up menu provides really convenient access to common apps and settings

It’s a great feature and one that I’d encourage other launcher developers to mimic, though I’d like to see Microsoft let you choose which quick settings are available

Both the People and Recent pages have their uses too. People seems to do a good job of highlighting who you most often contact and puts them in easy reach. Likewise, the Recent page I can see being useful as a one-stop solution for things like jumping straight to that file you just downloaded or the specific photo you just took, as well as showing you who called and who you just messaged

I’m not entirely convinced both features work best as dedicated pages on a homescreen but the functionality definitely has potential

Jump into the Edit Page screen from the swipe up menu at the bottom of the page and you can also choose to add a further two pages to the launcher. One is a Notes and Reminders tool that allows you to type notes right onto the page. It’s actually pretty slicky done and certainly is more convenient than opening up a notes app

The other page is called Widgets, and it’s just a blank page which you can place standard Android widgets on

The final main feature is the App Drawer itself, which is arranged in an alphabetical list, with a search box at the top and a recently used section below. The strict at-least-one-line-per-letter layout doesn’t feel as efficient as a more conventional continuous list, but the search function does in part make up for this. I wouldn’t say I’m totally convinced by the change but neither does it totally put me off

One final thing to note about Arrow Launcher is that it’s nice and fast. One of the topics not discussed enough when it comes to Android phones is just how transformative a new launcher can be when it comes to phone performance and sure enough the Arrow Launcher so far feels faster than the default Galaxy S6 one

Early Verdict

Arrow Launcher is a slightly odd venture for Microsoft with there being no clear benefit to the company. Regardless, it’s an interesting twist on an Android app launcher that has a few key features I do like and some I'm less keen on. The iOS style swipe up menu is great and the launcher is fast, but its headline feature of choosing your app layout for you hasn’t convinced me yet. However, with an eye-watering price tag of zero pounds and zero pence, it’s worth giving a try

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HTC One M9 Dot View case review

 

 

What is the HTC One M9 Dot View case

The Dot View case is HTC’s official folio-style case specifically designed for the One M9. Like last year’s One M8 Dot View case, it features the same perforated cover to display notifications in a retro, dot matrix UI

HTC has now added a raft of new case colours and more functionality such as the ability to play games, use live themes and control music playback. It’s still pricey at £35 and while it provides good protection, it’s still not an essential accessory for One M9 owners

HTC One M9 Dot View case – Design

The Dot View look is largely the same as last year. The harder plastic cover clips onto the One M9’s metal back leaving space for the charging port and headphone jack. It also leaves the camera sensor exposed so you can take photos without taking the case off. HTC also offers some Dot View cases with a transparent plastic back, although having used both kinds, it’s certainly the cheaper-looking of the two options

The second part is the soft-touch plastic flap, which sits over the screen and uses a similar magnetic technology to Apple’s smart iPad cover to automatically wake up the phone’s screen when lifted. The dot matrix-style holed design is still there with the small HTC logo halfway up the case plus a cut out for the microphone so you can still take calls

Covering that gorgeous aluminium body with a layer of plastic still feels very odd to us, but it’s not particularly chunky and offers decent everyday protection. While it seems like a reasonably rugged and well built case, a fellow Dot View case user has found that the spine wears away quite badly after less than month’s use simply sitting inside their jeans pocket.

While we’ve not encountered the same problems, we do have some of the same niggles as we had with last year’s model. It’s still tricky to take photos with the rear camera, especially for landscape images just because of how flimsy the lid is. That lid also leaves smudges on the screen, so you’ll need to give it a good wipe down every now and then.

You can grab it in a multitude of colours with a choice of both loud and low key options. The grey and blue versions we tried certainly sit in the second of those categories, but if you want something a little louder, then there’s Candy Floss and Turquoise to choose from as well

HTC One M9 Dot View case – Features

One of our biggest issues with the Dot View case is that it wasn’t all that useful. It’s still largely based around notifications and the gesture support but now those notifications are a little more customisable

To set up Dot View preferences you’ll need to head to the Personalize section in the phone settings menu. Here you can decide how long the Dot View display remains turned on, which notifications can be viewed and the ability to bypass the security screen. Notification support now extends to Facebook, Gmail, Google+, Hangouts, Skype and Twitter

There’s also a new Themes section following HTC’s decision to introduce a similar feature to the latest version of Sense. You can pick from around 30 themes, which include five holiday themed ones and a series of live animated themes options. You can also create your own from photos in your gallery. Not all images work well, so it’s good to keep things simple

A very purposeful double tap on the front of the case or pressing the standby button will display the time and current temperature on the dot matrix display. If someone has sent you a message on Facebook and you haven’t already spotted it, a big app icon will appear on the front of the case. You can now swipe left or right on those icons to see multiple notifications or swipe up to open it. You will however still need to open the case to view those messages

One of the best new features is the music playback support. Whether you’re using Spotify or HTC’s own music application, media controls appear on the case including track names letting you swipe to skip tracks and turn the volume up with a swipe

This time around, HTC is also adding two new apps you can download for free from Google Play that support the Dot View and expand its uses. Once you’ve installed them both, they’ll appear inside the Dot View menu within the settings. The Dot Design app lets you sketch your own themes, whether it’s a free sketch using existing templates or doodling over your own smartphone pictures. Similarly, there’s a Dot View message option where you choose words instead of images to appear across the front of the Dot View case

Dot Breaker is where you get to have some fun. Here you can play a version of the classic Breakout tilting the phone to move the paddle. You can pause and resume although playing this game uses the highest brightness display setting so it will put a dent in battery life

Verdict

The Dot View still feels a little gimmicky but in its latest guise it’s a lot more fun. There are more ways to personalise and if you like your themes you’re well catered for. The notification support has improved and we really like the addition of the music control support

The design still throws up some issues. It’s still very difficult to view notifications in bright sunlight and it still gets in the way of taking photos. Better third party support would help justify what is still a lot of money to spend on a phone case. Shop around and you can get it for close to £25

If you liked the idea of the Dot View case last year, and you’ve bought the One M9, then you’ll appreciate the new features

Thanks to Mobile Fun for providing us with the Blue Official HTC One M9 Dot View case used in this review

 To buy from ebay

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Ultimate Briefcase review

 

Available on iOS and Android

I'm in two minds about why Nitrome's latest is called Ultimate Briefcase. It could be because it's a game about defending yourself from falling bombs by holding a briefcase above your head for protection as the streets around you are blown to bits. Or, it could be because, for the first few runs if not more, play offers a very brief case of action. Okay, that sounded a lot better in my head. I might have been right the first time

Nevertheless, Ultimate Briefcase is an unashamedly short little adventure until persistence – or, if you're so inclined, a little bit of cash – helps things along their way. The question is whether the simplicity of the action is enough of a draw that you'll keep on playing after those first few deaths, or whether the whole affair so throwaway that coming unstuck again and again at the start of play is followed by a hasty uninstall. For me, Ultimate Briefcase skates quite a thin line between the two



Taking charge of an office worker on his way home from the big smoke – with a mightily impressive beard, it has to be said – your immediate survival suddenly becomes top priority when bombs both big and small start falling from the sky. Your only input from this point onwards is to dart left or right by holding down your finger on the associated sides of the screen. With ammunition raining down in a constant stream without mercy, keeping on the move is the only way to stay alive, with the slightest bit of contact – at least initially – bringing about your demise

Some of the objects darting towards the ground can be of use, however. Some specially indicated bombs let loose either coins or energy when they hit the floor – the former enabling you to buy items in the game's shop without actually parting with real cash, the latter filling up a gauge that, when topped up, unlocks the aforementioned briefcase power up. Like all of the game's power ups, its effect – offering a shield against the falling bombs – is only temporary, but the short and sharp nature of your safety only helps add to the feeling that your death is only a matter of milliseconds away



And that's because, on the whole, it is. Coins you pick up in play (or pay for with your wallet) can be used to unlock additional power ups that drop at random for as long as you stay alive, though reaching them before getting hit by a bomb remains a challenge no matter how much money you splash on the game. Of course, knowing that your doom is just around the corner but managing to survive for a few seconds...and then a few seconds more...and then a few seconds more is Ultimate Briefcase's bread and butter, but there's a question of just whether play is deep enough to keep those who find its explosions a little hard to bear to begin with playing on until the power ups make things a smidgen more bearable

There's a distinct feeling that, despite Ultimate Briefcase's edge-of-your-seat approach to touch-based play, there's nothing here that we haven't seen before. The beat behind what Nitrome has served up here is essentially the same beat that fires some of mobile's best endless runners, from Jetpack Joyride to Canabalt, with the knowledge that a wrong move will bring the game to an end – unless you're willing to watch a video or ad or, latterly, spend increasing amounts of in game currency. The problem is, the kind of thrill those endless runners were able to deliver has, somewhat ironically, come to an end
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Jetpack Joyride is almost five years old now and Canabalt even older, and though it can be argued that the arcade nature of knee-jerk games like Ultimate Briefcase is universal and never really grows old, it's equally true that Nitrome hasn't really taken the genre anywhere new. Which leaves it in the awkward position of being fun for what it is, but perhaps not doing enough to be a keeper long term. This is one bomb with something of a short, if spectacular, fuse then

Verdict
Focusing almost entirely on your reactions, Ultimate Briefcase is an arcade style adventure where dodging falling bombs from start to finish is the order of the day. Though it's fun while it lasts, it ultimately doesn't bring anything to the table that hasn't already been covered several times over by endless runners of old

Downloadable

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8Bitdo Zero review

 

What is the 8Bitdo Zero

Billed as the world's smallest Bluetooth gaming controller, the 8Bitdo FC Zero is compatible with Android, iOS, Windows and Mac devices – basically anything which supports third-party Bluetooth devices. It has an 8-way digital pad, four face buttons and two shoulder buttons, and is powered by a 180mAh rechargeable battery

8Bitdo Zero: Design and Build

8Bitdo's boast isn't a hollow one - this is easily the tiniest joypad I've ever used. It's 73mm wide, 35mm tall and 13.7mm at its thickest point, and slips so effortlessly into your trouser pocket that you'll forget it's even there. It even comes with a lanyard that allows you to tie it to your keys, making it a portable control option that's always with you

The pad is plastic, yet the build quality is decent enough. The D-pad is responsive and comfortable to use, despite its diminutive nature. The buttons are also high quality, and click reassuringly when pressed – no annoying sponginess to be felt here

The small size of the 8Bitdo Zero might lead you to assume that it's awkward to use for prolonged periods, but I didn't find that myself. I've got quite small, Hobbit-like hands which probably helps, but the controller is comfortable to use and never feels too tiny. If you're used to pads which fill your palms like the Xbox One and PS4 pads then it might take a while to become accustomed to the Zero's miniscule stature, and the lack of grip can cause problems - you're essentially gripping the device with your fingers rather than your hands - but these are acceptable trade-offs for such incredible portability

8Bitdo Zero: Connectivity and Battery

Pairing the Zero with a compatible device is straightforward. In the case of Android, I had the controller connected in seconds and was able to use it to navigate through my phone's user interface and control various games and emulators. Once paired, the pad connected automatically with my phone whenever I turned it on. A light on the bottom edge of the Zero shows you if it's on, visible to other devices or charging

Linking to non-Android devices requires you to input a special button combination - for example, the Zero can be placed in "iCade" mode by holding down the Start and A buttons together, or can emulate a keyboard on iOS by holding down Start and B. You can even use the device as a remote shutter for your phone's camera by holding down the Select button - a feature that is useful when taking group shots you want to be a part of

While Android games with physical controller support should automatically detect the Zero and map buttons accordingly, I discovered a few examples where the software refused to recognise the presence of the pad. The excellent OutRun tribute Horizon Chase was perhaps the most noteable; while it has full pad-and-button support on the Nvidia Shield handheld, it failed to recognise the Zero's face buttons and was therefore unplayable. Thankfully, this isn't a common problem and most games work happily with the device.

The pad's 180 mAh battery charges in around an hour, and is advertised as offering 20 hours of gameplay on a single charge. The pad has a Micro USB connection for charging so you can use your phone's charger (assuming your phone doesn't have a fancy new USB Type-C port, of course) but 8Bitdo has kindly included a small cable in the box that can be used on any USB socket.

Should I buy the 8Bitdo Zero

If you're already partial to indulging in a spot of retro gaming on your phone or tablet then the the 8Bitdo Zero comes highly recommended. While it doesn't do anything special when compared to the hordes of other Bluetooth pads on the market, its small size makes it far more portable and therefore more likely to accompany you out of the house. Performance wise, the excellent build quality means it's a joy to use and if you're used to gaming on Android devices, the pairing process is effortless.

While nothing beats the elegance of built-in physical controls, we're unlikely to see another Xperia Play any time soon so the 8Bitdo Zero is perhaps the best bet for serious mobile gamers.

Verdict

Well-made, comfortable to use and eminently pocket-sized, the 8Bitdo Zero is highly recommended to all serious mobile gamers

Thanks to Willgoo for supplying the 8Bitdo Zero used in this review

To buy from Amazon

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Intel Core i5-6400 review

Intel Core i5-6400 review

 

What is the Intel Core i5-6400

The Core i5-6400 sits squarely in the middle of Intel's mainstream desktop processor range. Packing the latest Skylake architecture and 14nm manufacturing process as the company's flagship Core i7 6700K it has everything you need to make a powerful and power-frugal PC

It will be a touch slower but then that's reflected in its far more palatable £140 price

Intel Core i5-6400 – Specs and Design

The Core i5-6400 is the most affordable standard chip from the Skylake Core i5 range. That means it’s still got most of the assets that pricier Core i5 parts have: it's got four physical cores, 1MB of L2 cache and 6MB of L3 cache

The big difference between the Core i5-6400 and pricier chips in this range comes is clock speed – the key department where Intel cuts back in order to make cheaper processors. The i5-6400 runs at a standard 2.7GHz and can use Turbo Boost to improve two of its cores to a top speed of 3.3GHz. The Core i5-6600K, meanwhile, starts at 3.5GHz and has a Turbo peak of 3.9GHz

The other noticeable differences comes in power consumption. The i5-6400 is rated for 65W, which is the same as other standard Core i5 Skylake parts – but the i5-6600K, which has a higher speed and is properly unlocked for overclocking, demands a peak of 91W from the PSU

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The i5-6400 isn’t a K-edition chip unlocked for overclocking - the chance to tweak is only limited to certain boards with the right BIOS - but its more modest power demands means it’ll be absolutely fine beneath Intel’s stock cooler – something that can’t always be said for overclocked K-edition models

The Core i5-6400 deploys Intel’s HD Graphics 530 integrated core. In this chip the GPU runs at between 350MHz and 950MHz, which means it’s the weakest of any standard-power Skylake Core i5 part – the rest have top speeds of either 1,050MHz or 1,150MHz

The new core supports DirectX 11.2 but not DirectX 12, and it’s got 48 shaders and 8 ROPs to produce pixel and texture fillrates of 2.8Gpixels/s and 5.6Gtexel/s. That’s a leap over older integrated cores, but it’s still some distance short of even the most modest current-generation AMD and Nvidia discrete graphics cards

The Core i5-6400’s main competition comes from that i5-6600K, which is pricier but only by £50, and it is more powerful and has serious overclocking potential. Alternatively there's AMD’s FX-8350 Black Edition. That chip is a few pounds cheaper, and it still has four cores that can handle eight concurrent threads. Its clock speeds are faster, with stock and Turbo speeds of 4GHz and 4.2GHz, and it’s got 8MB of cache – two more than the i5-6400

AMD’s chip has a higher power requirement of 125W, which is poor, but those chips do use the same socket as older AMD parts – so upgrades are potentially more affordable

Intel Core i5-6400 – The Skylake Ecosystem

Skylake doesn’t just herald a new range of processors – Intel has released a new socket and chipset alongside these chips. The wealth of new hardware is a double-edged sword: it means upgrading to the new processors is more expensive, but it ushers in a range of new features

The Z170 chipset makes several key changes designed to future-proof PCs. It has many more PCIe 3.0 lanes than previous chipsets – twenty in total – which means there’s more bandwidth available for graphics cards, PCIe-based storage devices and Thunderbolt peripherals

There’s more support for USB 3.0, better networking options, and Thunderbolt 3.0 debuts here – along with better overclocking options

There are other chipsets that have more restrictive feature sets. Parts like H170, B150 and H110 don’t support multiplier-based overclocking, and include fewer USB 3.0 connections. They also have lesser support for PCIe 3.0 slots, with fewer lanes – and some don’t support RAID options for storage

The arrival of a new socket and chipset also means the market is flooded with new motherboards. Even the cheapest new boards have more features than older models, from PCIe 3.0 slots to M.2 SSD connectors, and they tend to have more USB 3 and SATA connectors too – perfect for taking advantage of Z170’s bandwidth improvements

Z170-based boards aren’t cheap. The most affordable start at just over £80, and for that money you’ll get a more basic feature set: fewer PCIe slots and USB connectors, less likelihood of M.2 storage support, and a more modest backplate. At the top end of the market are extreme gaming and overclocking boards that cost over £200 – they come with every port, slot and connector imaginable, as well as on-board buttons, displays and overclocking features

Boards with the H170, B150 and H110 chipsets are far more affordable. Slabs with the H110 chipset cost less than £60, and most boards with H170 and B150 come in under £10

To buy from Amazon

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Triggertrap Mobile review

Triggertrap Mobile review

 

Intro

If you’re into your digital photography, you’re likely to know what a remote trigger is. Essentially, this puts the shutter release button – the one you press to take a snap – on a wired or wireless remote, so you can take photos without being close to your camera. This is handy for all kinds of situations, but usually these remote triggers are proprietary and - at least for the ones offering more advanced features - somewhat expensive, easily costing close to £100

UK company Triggertrap has an alternative that will work with most cameras using an adapter cable and offers a neat array of features using your Android or iOS smartphone, media player or tablet, all for under £25. Can its Triggertrap Mobile offering match more expensive solutions

Originally a Kickstarter project, Triggertrap Mobile has been around a while and has constantly been evolving. First it was an iOS exclusive, but Android support has since been added. The ‘advanced’ version of the app used to make you pay extra, but now it’s available for free. And the Triggertrap team has added wireless triggering over Wi-Fi, though this gets a little complicated as you need at least two tablets/smartphones or a combination there-of.

Triggertrap Mobile – Design and Setup

The first component in the Triggertrap Mobile system is the physical part, or rather, parts. These consist of a £15 dongle and £15-ish cable, which come bundled for most popular advanced compacts and SLRs (including Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic and Sony) for around £25. Currently just over 280 cameras are supported

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The dongle is a small black box around the size of a pencil sharpener attached to a short 20cm red cable (the older model sports a black one). This sports a 3.5mm plug that plugs into your phone/tablet’s headphone/microphone jack. Into the other end of the dongle you plug the appropriate adapter cable, which in turn plugs into your camera’s trigger port. Setup is all pretty easy, though if we’re being picky the instructions could have been a little better on which end to plug into which bit for the less technically minded

The coiled camera cable is thankfully a bit longer than the dongle’s and will stretch to over a meter, which is still a little on the short side. However, you can use a regular 3.5mm extension cable and Triggertrap is looking at adding matching extension cables to its store. Non-proprietary connectors are gold-plated on the cable, though not on the dongle, and build quality of both hardware bits feels solid.

Triggertrap Mobile – App for Android and iOS

Initially, the Triggertrap app was only available on Apple’s iOS store in a limited free version and fully-featured edition that set you back £3 – not a great feeling when you had just splashed the cash on the hardware, even if the combo was still miles cheaper than alternatives

Thankfully, Triggertrap has now made the premium version free too – initially only for the Christmas period, but TrustedReviews has confirmed with the company that its apps will remain free from now on

Unfortunately, the Android version, which was released later for free, doesn’t offer as many features as the iOS freemium app yet – for example, it lacks sound/motion/facial recognition triggering, a shutter lag meter, and multi-device wireless capabilities (your Android tab/phone will work as a Slave, but you need an iOS device as a Master). However, we’ve confirmed with Triggertrap that they’re working on bringing the Android version up to speed

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All three versions of the app are visually attractive and pretty easy to use. It’s also worth noting that when not connected to an external camera using the dongle, you can still use them to control the phone/tablet’s own integrated camera, so they’re worth getting regardless.

Triggertrap Mobile – Features

The Triggertrap app offers a range of features that far out-does what most traditional remote trigger cables and intervalometers bring to the table. First off there’s a number of advanced Timelapse functions in addition to the standard deal. For those wondering, Timelapse in this context refers to firing at a set regular interval to create a movie-like sequence of shots

Getting to the Triggertrap’s offering, Timewarp uses mathematical algorithms to create a dynamic sequence according to your preferences; HDR Timelapse lets you mix HDR into the… mix; Bulb Ramping gets you exposure-based shooting; while Triggertrap’s unique DistanceLapse uses distance travelled rather than time as a measurement of when to take snaps – great for documenting road trips

On the iOS version of the app, you also get multiple triggering methods in addition to touching the screen, including sound (clap your hands or whistle to take a pic), vibration (handy for shooting earthquakes as they happen), magnetism, motion and facial detection (always nice for portraits). Even multiple and metered exposures are available

Triggertrap’s more exotic features can be a little temperamental but generally work, and they can be carefully controlled. For example, for sound activation you can set a decibel level, while with facial recognition you can decide the number of faces that will set off your shutter

We just the modes didn’t sport silly names like Bang (sound activation) and Pikaboo (facial recognition). Also, for now Android users are stuck with touch as the only way to part-a-y

You can really dig down into the advanced micro-settings of Triggertrap’s app in general too. Even on Android, you can adjust Shutter and Focus settings by deciding lag, trigger pulse length, and delays before and after triggering

If you want your Triggertrap to act as an advanced wireless trigger, things get a little complex. Basically, you need two devices - a Master and a Slave, one of which must be running iOS – that are both hooked up to a Wi-Fi network. However, with many people owning a tablet and smartphone, this scenario isn’t too unlikely. For example, you could plug your Nexus 4 into your camera as the Slave, and then use the iPad 4 as the control and voila, wireless triggering is yours

Of course, the sound-activated mode can also act as a basic wireless mode for pure triggering

Triggertrap Mobile – Value

Compared to a traditional remote trigger, the £25 Triggertrap Mobile solution offers more features for a fraction of the cost. As such, it represents superb value for money, especially as the premium iOS app is currently free and the dongle part of the hardware will work with any camera - though you do need a compatible cable adapter, this also means that making Triggertrap compatible with a new camera system will only set you back £15.

Verdict

Triggertrap Mobile is a nifty addition to any photographer’s toolkit, providing a genuine alternative to traditional triggers that not only offers more features, but does so for a fraction of the cost – as long as you have a smartphone, MP3 player or tablet running Android or iOS. Currently the Google app is rather limited compared to its Apple counterpart, but this is being rectified.

To buy from Amazon

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Sony BDP-S5500 review

 

What is the Sony BDP-S5500

The BDP-S5500 is Sony’s latest mid-range Blu-ray player. It's part of a five-strong line-up that also includes the top-end BDP-S6500 (£149) and three cheaper models, the BDP-S4500 (£89), BDP-S3500 (£89) and entry-level BDP-S1500 (£75)

Although the BDP-S5500 lacks the 4K upscaling found on the S6500, it offers a generous range of other features for the money, making this an affordable entertainment hub for any room in the house

Sony BDP-S5500 – Design and Connections

The trend among budget Blu-ray decks is for compact, space-efficient units, and the S5500 is no exception. It measures only 230mm wide and 39mm high, making it an ideal companion to your current setup

Looks-wise, Sony has abandoned the angled "Sense of Quartz" design of last year’s players. Instead, it has opted for simple, straight lines – inspired by "pure geometric shapes" – and a black finish that won't look out of place alongside our other AV kit. It’s not showy, but the mix of textured panels on the fascia (dappled, glossy, hairline) is a jazzy touch

As you’d expect for the money, build quality isn’t great – the unit is super-light and plasticky in places – but the aluminium back-end is solidly bolted in place. On the front are two buttons – on/off and open/close – and a USB port for media playback from pen drives

The rear panel offers the bare minimum – HDMI output, Ethernet and coaxial digital output for older AV receivers. You don’t really need much more on a player such as this as the HDMI pipes audio and pictures to your receiver or TV, but an optical output might have been more useful.

The BDP-S5500 features Advanced Super Wi-Fi with upgraded MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) technology to offer a faster and more stable signal for online streaming. This fast and consistent connection allows you to stream online video instantly and reliably.

Sony BDP-S5500 – Features

Connect to the internet and the BDP-S5500 offers a terrific range of online apps, including catch-up TV (BBC iPlayer, Demand 5, BBC News, BBC Sport, Sky News); movie and video streaming (Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube); social networking (Facebook); and content from Sony Entertainment Network

Although it lacks some of the popular apps found on players from Samsung (ITV Player, 4OD) and LG (Now TV, Spotify), the selection is still impressive and will keep you entertained in between watching Blu-rays

The Wi-Fi connection also lets you access files stored on PCs and NAS drives on the same network as the Sony, and the range of supported video, music and photo files is wide. During our test, we were able to play hi-res FLAC tunes, MKV videos, MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, AVCHD, AVI, 3GP, MOV. In fact, the only files we couldn’t play were ALAC and DivX. You can also play these formats from a USB stick connected to the front port

Other features include screen mirroring, which allows you to view a compatible smartphone on your TV, 3D, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio support, and Sony’s Triluminos colour-boosting technology. It's also possible to upscale DVDs to 1080p, but there’s no 4K upscaling

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LG’s BP550 allows you to stream music from CD or USB to its networked audio systems – but there are no multiroom capabilities here. In fact, none of Sony’s new decks offer this feature, despite the company launching a range of multiroom audio products.

Sony BDP-S5500 – Operation

Sony has freshened up its Blu-ray menu interface this year, ditching the XrossMediaBar it’s been using for years. Although we've always loved the slick, innovative XMB, an upgrade has been long overdue, and we're pleased to say that Sony has done a fine job with the new layout.

The homescreen is friendlier and simpler than before. Two grids of square tiles sit over a blue background, each tile containing an app or menu option. This makes items easier to find; you no longer have to scroll through lengthy lists to find the option you want. On the left are "Featured Apps", which include big-name content such as iPlayer and Netflix, while the "My Apps" menu on the right contains apps you’ve added

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To add apps, select the "+" tile and choose from the full list that pops up. To remove them, highlight the unwanted tile, press the Option button and select "Remove Application" from the pop-up menu. You can also move it around or add it to a list of favourites

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Other options on the homepage allow you to jump to DLNA or USB content, activate screen mirroring or visit the Setup menu, which harks back to last year’s layout but against a prettier blue backdrop. Installation is a breeze, thanks to the Easy Setup menu that fires up on first boot-up and walks you through the basic settings.

The Media Server (DLNA) menu also looks like the XrossMediaBar, presenting all available servers in a list with colour thumbnails. You can navigate through to your chosen album or video quickly and easily – the BDP-S5500 is one of the slickest and quickest DLNA operators we’ve tested. Play a track and the background changes to black with information dotted around the screen and a playback timeline at the bottom.

The deck comes with a typically user-friendly remote, which crams in plenty of buttons without feeling cluttered. The large direction pad is placed exactly where your thumb sits, with frequently used buttons in the immediate vicinity. Buttons for the Home menu and Netflix are coloured blue and white respectively to make them stand out – the Netflix button even bears the company’s logo. The handset is also compact, and sits snugly in the palm. All in all, a top-notch remote, but it’s a shame it’s not backlit.

You can also control the deck using Sony’s SideView app on your smartphone. It provides information about the content you’re watching as well as offering a TV EPG, YouTube videos and access to DLNA content. It’s easy to use and smartly presented, enhancing the user experience as any good remote app should.

Sony BDP-S5500 – Performance

In terms of operating speed, the S5500's Quick Start function boots up the deck in a second and the menu cursor responds immediately to remote commands. Turn off Quick Start and startup is around 15 seconds, but the deck uses less power in standby

Blu-ray disc loading is also speedy – it took 30 seconds to start playing Sony’s own Terminator Salvation and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 discs, while Thor: The Dark World and Star Trek both took 15 seconds

Picture quality is superb. Star Trek looks remarkably punchy and cinematic throughout thanks to the deep blacks, razor-sharp detail and rich, natural colours

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Wide shots of the Starfleet hangar containing rows of finely detailed CG spacecrafts look stunning, as do shots of Kirk bombing along the dusty highway – the fields of wheat and stony banks are dense and textured.

We’re also fans of the deck’s precise, fluid-motion tracking and convincing colours. Dark settings, such as the bridge of Nero’s ship, don’t get lost in a sea of blackness; detail and tonal gradation remain visible, resulting in a punchy image no matter how much light is flaring up JJ Abrams’ lens

We also tried out the S5500's DVD upscaling with the 2006 release of Star Wars, and we’re mightily impressed by how clean and sharp the iconic scenes look. Edges are strongly defined, mosquito and block noise are expertly suppressed, and the interiors of the Imperial Star Cruisers are surprisingly detailed

Should I buy the Sony BDP-S5500

The 2015 Blu-ray players we’ve seen so far – Panasonic’s DMP-BDT370 and LG’s BP550 – have been impressive, but we think the similarly priced Sony BDP-S5500 steals a march on both

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Picture quality is excellent, while the revamped menu system and fast operation – particularly with online and DLNA content – make the deck easier to use than its peers and its predecessors. There’s a better range of smart content than the above players, too, which makes up for the lack of 4K upscaling and multiroom support – neither of which is a deal-breaker

 

For these reasons the BDP-S5500 stakes a claim as the best Blu-ray player at this price point, although Samsung’s similarly priced BD-J5500 might just give the Sony a run for its money.

Sony BDP-S5500 – Verdict

A generous selection of apps, improved menu system and eye-popping pictures make the BDP-S5500 one of the best budget Blu-ray players on the market.

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