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APP OF THE DAY: Tom Daley Dive 2012 review (iPad / iPhone / iPod touch)
Splooosh!
Yep, after all the shouting, the London 2012 Olympic Games are almost upon us. The thought will have some running for the hills, others frothing with excitement, and it is the latter that app developers are hoping to cater to with a swarm of applications, practical, whimsical and playable.
Today's Pocket-lint App of the Day is from the playable gaming camp, but features no less than Team GB poster boy and the youngest person to have represented his country at an Olympics since 1960. It is, of course...
Tom Daley Dive 2012
- Format
- iPad (version tested), iPhone, iPod touch
- Price
- Free (+69p in-app purchase to unlock more dives)
- Where
- iTunes
There's one thing you can absolutely guarantee every two years, summer and winter alternating, and that is that there will be a host of videogames that feature some form of Olympics-themed sporting events. Ever since Track and Field back in 1983, there have been button mashers and joystick wagglers that share the same gameplay DNA.
However, while Tom Daley Dive 2012 shares some of the play mechanics of such titles, it delves far deeper into the teenager's own sport, diving, than any before it.
The game has been developed by the London-based Chelsea Apps Factory which has previously focused on enterprise applications, so comes at it from a unique angle. Its experience outside of the games industry is certainly apparent in this particular app's presentation, and there's plenty of content and features to explore.
Core gameplay is a gesture-controlled diving simulation, where strokes of the finger equate segments of a dive, successful or otherwise, but splashing down into the water isn't the only goal. To begin with, most of the individual dives in the game are locked, with well-received and executed ones needed to make others available.
There's a tutorial to help you learn the basics, and each dive can be viewed beforehand with the virtual Tom showing you the perfect positioning and timings needed. A multitude of camera angles are on offer too, so if the timing is hard to get from one viewpoint, you can always switch to another to see if that helps.
The practice/qualification levels allow you to take on individual dives in order to unlock others. And, when you've opened up enough of them you get the chance to compete in championship mode too, with new locations to compete in: Beijing, Barcelona and London.
Photos of Tom Daley can also be unlocked through completing different achievements, and the whole app?links up to Game Center for you to log your scores.
Tom Daley Dive 2012 is free to download, and is a universal app, so runs on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Not all the dives are available in the free version, however, and to access them all, you'll have to pay 69p as an in-app purchase (which pops up when you try to perform a paywalled dive). This is extremely cheap though, and at least by that point you'll know whether you liked the game or not.
We certainly do.
Tags: Apps iPad apps iPhone apps iPod Touch apps App of the day
APP OF THE DAY: Tom Daley Dive 2012 review (iPad / iPhone / iPod touch) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 18:00:00 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 7:00 pm
Cisco Linksys X3000
One for basic users
We're on the hunt for the best domestic router we can find. Why? Because routers play a huge part in your home these days, and too many of them are utter rubbish.
Cisco is one of the biggest names in networking hardware, and its name carries a gravitas that not many other consumer network brands have. That's almost certainly why it's slowly but surely phasing out the Linksys brand after buying the company some nine years ago.
But even so, these routers have little to do with Cisco hardware. They don't have the same complexity - that's a good thing - but they also don't offer the same quality and that's a price thing.
But is the X3000 the perfect router for your home?
Design
The X3000 is certainly a sleek and pretty little thing. It's easily one of the smallest routers you can lay your hands on in the domestic market. On the front, there are lights that indicate what machines on your network are on, connected and using data. There's also a WPS security button, for adding devices in a hassle-free way.
At the back, you'll find the usual ports. There are four gigabit Ethernet sockets here, which is great news. Sadly, although most computers support Gigabit, it's all too easy to get routers which don't.
There is also a DSL socket, which is designed to connect straight to your phone line if you're an ADSL subscriber. But if you're a cable subscriber, then you'll be using the socket marked "Ethernet" next to it, to connect to your cable company's hardware. We're using a Virgin Media single port cable modem, so the Linksys takes that signal and distributes it to our other computers, either wirelessly, or via the aforementioned Ethernet ports.
There is also a USB port here, which can be connected to a hard drive or memory stick, to act as a sort of mini fileserver, or NAS.
It's quite interesting that, despite being a Wi-Fi router, there are no external antennas on the X3000. This helps it look amazing, but makes us wonder if there will be any negative effect on the wireless abilities.
Setup
Routers can be a pain to set up. You only need look at a proper bit of Cisco kit, the qualifications needed to operate it, and the salary you can earn from so doing to see that. Happily, the X3000 is aimed at normal people like us, so there are no great challenges.
Like all routers, there is a webpage configuration system that allows you to make various configuration changes. Depending on your network, you may need to get in here and make some changes, but many will be able to plug it in and go. ADSL subscribers may need to enter their username and password here, depending on what broadband provider they use.
The configuration options are simple, but like so many routers we've seen, it's a bit slow and ponderous to navigate, and we can rarely work out where the option we're looking for is located.
If you're mainly a wireless user, then use the WPS function, which allows you to get devices on the network without remembering a password. Just hit the WPS button on the front of the router, and sign on with whichever device you want online. It's all automatic, and very easy.
Our network is also a little more complex than most and we prefer to run it in the 192.168.0.X range. The X3000 comes set up for the 192.168.1.X instead, hardly a disaster, but if you're slotting it in to an existing network, it does mean you'll need to change that, and this is often where things can go wrong. If, for example, you turn off the DHCP server, there's a chance you won't be able to re-connect to the router. We did this, and although it's annoying, there's a reset switch that can get you back to the defaults.
Aside from that, setup is really no great trauma.
One extra we like is the ability to use the USB socket to host a hard drive or USB stick. Files on these devices can then be shared out on your network. This gives you a sort of simple NAS system for little or no extra cost. It won't set the file storage world on fire, but for simple things it can be helpful.
Performance
We don't have ADSL, so, unfortunately we can't tell you about how the router performs on lines that use that technology. The beauty of the X3000, however, is that it can be used in addition to the router your ISP provides. So you may buy it to add to, rather than replace the hardware you already have.?
Copying files using the Gigagbit connection was very impressive. Normal transfers to our 100mbps network max-out at around 7-10MB/s. Moving data around the Gigabit network, we were seeing speeds that were four to five times faster. If you move a lot of large video files around, this is really very useful indeed.
In the time we used it, the Cisco never had any significant problems. We didn't have any lock-ups or freezes and it didn't need to be restarted at all. We'd expect this, but having been burnt by a D-Link that needed daily restarts, we're not keen to revisit that type of networking.
We have encountered one problem, and it's serious enough to give us concern. Since swapping out our DD-WRT router for this Cisco, we've had a lot of problems with Plex streaming video from our desktop to a laptop. Getting the computers to talk to each other seemed to take a long time - more than five minutes - and even when they were talking, we couldn't get our previously fine Android app to find the player (our laptop). This is hardly likely to affect most people, but a hunt around the internet does show some other reports of trouble with this router "seeing" various devices on your network. If you're an advanced user, it's an issue to be mindful of.
And, the built-in, invisible Wi-Fi antennas might be good for style, but they do have a massive impact on the quality of the wireless signal. Since testing the X3000, we've moved on to another router from TP-Link that has three large external antennas. It's an ugly beast in that regard, but we're seeing much better wireless performance than with the X3000.
None of this render the Cisco unusable, but it does make us question the value of paying for this, over one of the other types of routers on the market.
Oh, and the Cisco can't take DD-WRT either, and for us, having the ability to swap the OS for something with more options and great functionality is worth its weight in gold.
Verdict:
For undemanding users who want something fast at a sensible price, we think the Cisco Linksys X3000 will be a bit of a hit. It's a simple enough router to set up, seems to have very good reliability. It also looks very good, and has a small footprint, especially if you nail it to a wall.
The problems allowing traffic around, and the Wi-Fi signal mean we're not utterly in love with this. But undemanding users in small houses won't have problems.
Tags: Routers Cisco Linksys Cisco Linksys X3000
Cisco Linksys X3000 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 17:03:25 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 6:03 pm
WIN: Tickets to Ibiza Rocks to see Maverick Sabre and Labrinth live
Epic prize courtesy of Sony
Win tickets to Ibiza Rocks to see Maverick Sabre and Labrinth live!
Courtesy of our friends over at Sony we have a great competition up for grabs. After a wet start to the summer we’ve got a great way to turn it into a scorcher - you and a friend could win a trip to Ibiza to enjoy the sea, sand and sounds of Maverick Sabre and Labrinth at Ibiza Rocks.
To celebrate the launch of the new Sony MDR-V55 headphones?- which landed our much lauded "Hot Product" award - Sony has teamed up with Ibiza Rocks to give music fans the opportunity to bask in the sun of the party island and enjoy the best music that Ibiza has to offer.
The prize includes:
- A pair of the new Sony MDR-V55 headphones
- Flights and accommodation at the Ibiza Rocks Hotel for the winner and a guest (fly out on Wednesday 13 June from London and return on Saturday 16 June)
- Hotel transfers in Ibiza
- A pair of tickets to Ibiza Rocks on Wednesday 13 June (featuring Maverick Sabre and Labrinth)
- Entry into Ibiza Rocks Official Afterparty at Es Paradis on Wednesday 13 June
- A pair of tickets to Ibiza Kicks on Friday 15 June (screening of the England v Sweden Euro 2012 match) followed by a DJ set from Kissy Sell Out
To be in with a chance of winning:
All you have to do is follow both @Pocketlint and @SonyUK on Twitter and retweet any Pocket-lint story of your choice. Be sure to include the hashtag #PLSonyIbizaRocks otherwise you’ll slip through the radar.
But be quick! The competition will close at 5pm, 25 May, after which time we will draw the winner and inform him or her via Twitter.
Please ensure that you read Pocket-lint's terms and conditions, and we must point out that this competition in open only to entrants aged 18 and over, that hold a UK or Irish passport, and can commit to the outlined travel dates.
You’ll also need to get yourself to and from the airport on the London side and take your own spending money. We also advise taking out travel insurance as Pocket-Lint and Sony UK are not liable for your wellbeing during the trip.
Best of luck music fans!
Tags: Sony Sony MDR-V55 Competitions Headphones
WIN: Tickets to Ibiza Rocks to see Maverick Sabre and Labrinth live originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 16:39:00 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 5:39 pm
Canon EOS 650D coming in June - specs leaked
About time and all
Canon has been rather tardy with the release of its 2012 mid-level DSLR, the EOS 650D (Rebel T4i in the US and other regions). Its predecessors, the Canon EOS 600D and EOS 550D, were released in March 2011 and April 2010 respectively, but this year's spring has passed and there's still no sign of the new model.
It is believed, however, that Canon-ites won't need to wait much longer: sources claim its launch will be next month. As dedicated website Canon Rumours states: "An announcement is slated for June."
The same site has also heard some leaked specifications for the 650D, including the adoption of an 18-megapixel CMOS sensor that may or may not be the same as in last year's 600D. Also listed is a 9-point AF (again, the same as found on the 600D) and the very welcome continuous auto focus in live view and video recording modes.
Perhaps the most tantalising rumour is that the EOS 650D will come with a touchscreen LCD screen. After the superbly large one on the 550D and swivel version on the 600D, this comes as the next evolutionary step.
That's about all that's come out for now, but if the June announcement is correct, Pocket-lint fully expects the speculation to ramp up in volume over the next couple of weeks.
Tags: Canon Cameras DSLRs Canon EOS 650D
Canon EOS 650D coming in June - specs leaked originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 15:29:00 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 4:29 pm
Olympic diving hope Tom Daley gets own iOS game
Tom Daley Dive 2012
Team GB diver and Olympic medal hopeful Tom Daley stars in Tom Daley Dive 2012, his own iPad, iPhone and iPod touch game, released today. The app, which is free to download, allows you to use gesture movements in order to perform Olympic-standard dives from a variety of locations.
Several of the dives are available in the free version of the application, while others can be unlocked through a one-off in-app purchase of 69p.
Pocket-lint has been told that 17-year-old diver Daley was involved in the game's approval process throughout its development. London software company Chelsea Apps Factory worked closely with the teenager, and have highlighted the fact that he has a staggering one million Twitter followers in China alone as good cause to get a dedicated title out there.
There are plenty of features in Tom Daley Dive, including Game Center-based leaderboards, Practice and Championship modes, an unlockable photo gallery,?achievements, and a chance to view the virtual Daley perform each dive perfectly before you attempt it. There are also several camera angles to play in, including one from above.
"Apps are one of the best things about having a phone, and I jumped at the chance to create my own," said the Olympian.
"There are no good diving games out there and I love how this game has turned out: it looks great and feels very realistic – although I’m a bit nervous my own score won’t make the online leader-board!? If the game helps raise awareness of diving and gets people excited about the Olympics this year, I’ll be really pleased."
You can download the universal Tom Daley Dive 2012 from iTunes for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch now.
Tags: Apps iPad apps iPhone apps iPod Touch apps Tome Daley Dive 2012 London 2012
Olympic diving hope Tom Daley gets own iOS game originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 14:15:00 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 3:15 pm
Want to transfer Android apps to a Windows Phone? Microsoft would like to help
Showing App-titude
It’s emerged that Microsoft has applied for a patent on a service that enables applications from rival platforms such as Android and iOS to be migrated to Windows Phone.
The service would at first suggest similar Microsoft endorsed applications to the ones Android and iPhone users have on their phone. If there are none - let’s be honest, the current selection is pretty barren - then similar third-party applications will be suggested.
However, should neither prove fruitful, the migration service would then aim to transfer apps from rival operating systems to a Windows Phone, meaning consumers who purchased a Windows Phone for the first time wouldn’t lose their apps.
As great as this is in theory, a number of questions about the perspective service remain.
Firs, the technology would surely rely on Android, Apple and any other OS platform for that matter agreeing to the migration, something neither currently allows. Second, would the consumer be expected to pay for the apps a second time around?
The fact the patency was applied for in November 2010 suggests these are just some of the hurdles Microsoft is trying to overcome, but it’s an interesting take on how Microsoft is trying to combat the perceived notion that it doesn’t have enough apps available on its Windows Phone platform.
Tags: Apps Microsoft Windows Phone Android iOS
Want to transfer Android apps to a Windows Phone? Microsoft would like to help originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 13:49:00 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 2:49 pm
Sony Vaio E Series pictures and hands-on
Everyday laptops
The Sony Vaio E Series laptops are designed as everyday laptops, with a fresh new "wrap around" design for 2012. This reminds us slightly of the folded design of the Sony Tablet S and it's a design we like.
Separating the E Series from models higher up the Vaio range, like the S Series, these are finished in plastic. It's a noticeable difference, but the plastics look and feel like good quality.
There are 14, 15 and 17-inch models available of the new E series, with black, white and silver colours. We played with the white version and we like the contrast between the white surfaces and black sides; it's slightly reminiscent of a Stormtrooper's uniform.?
The keyboard has a very nice action to it and seems well supported, with flex not being a problem, from the time we spent playing with the notebooks on show.
The display of the 17-inch model we played with offers a resolution of 1600 x 900 in a 16:9 aspect. The screen is nice and vibrant, offering good viewing angles.
Elsewhere, you'll find a choice of hardware available, with the option for AMD graphics, which you'll need in place if you want to opt for the Core i7 model with Blu-ray player.?
Otherwise, the large chassis means you have plenty of space for connectivity, with 4x USB, Ethernet, HDMI and VGA around the sides, with card readers on the front edge.
Overall we like the design of the new E series and the new sizes mean plenty more options for a more affordable Vaio notebook. Expect to pay from ?410 depending on the size you opt for.
Tags: Hardware Laptops Sony Sony Vaio E series
Sony Vaio E Series pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 13:22:00 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 2:22 pm
ICANN and the dot anything: do we care about domain names?
The web is changing
Do we still care about .com and .co.uk? Does anyone even bother with www.? Well thanks to ICANN, a body in charge of licensing new top-level domain names, the way we search for a website might be about to change.
Most people who type Google into an address bar are going to be looking for one thing: Google. So why overcomplicate matters with jargon at the beginning and the end when the formatting is now a thing of legacy? Google Chrome did a lot to change the way people search and browse the web by combining search and URL into one bar. Stick on Google Instant and just typing the word Facebook, for example, will take you straight to that website.
As we speak the web is in danger of becoming an even more complex place. Thanks to ICANN, the internet corporation for assigned domain names and numbers, we may have to change the way we go to a website entirely. ICANN is about to release a set of unique domain names away from the traditional .com or .co.uk. or dot-whatever other country.
The likes of Google.com could now also exist at an address such as search.google, or a person's Twitter page could be pocket-lint.twitter for example.?These new addresses are known as generic top-level domains and are currently up for grabs to most of the major internet players.?
ICANN's chairman, Peter Thrush, was quoted as saying:?“Today's decision will usher in a new internet age. We have provided a platform for the next generation of creativity and inspiration. Unless there is a good reason to restrain it, innovation should be allowed to run free.”
The problem is that this creativity Thrush talks about costs $185,000 and a further $25,000 a year to keep. That limits those who can bid to the more substantial web players.?But is it really going to inspire any creativity at all? Speaking to Stephen Ewart, the marketing manager at names.co.uk, one of the UK's biggest domain name registrars, it seems otherwise.
“This is more about brand protection” says Ewart. “Personally I don't think .coms are going to disappear, it's more about what you get in addition to .coms”
The idea is that these new top-level domain names give increased flexibility in how people access your website. Using Google as an example, again, it might make it easier for it to clarify each of its?separate?services. So that would mean unique addresses like maps.Google or plus.Google.
We wont know exactly how things have changed, if at all, until ICANN starts releasing details. Even then, it's likely that a lot of the major internet players will be simply purchasing the domain names to stop others getting hold of them. After all, we can't imagine Facebook.com or Google.com being anything other than what they already are, their domain names being utterly fundamental to their web identity.
“What we might see is people searching for things like '.Wales .London or .Scot'” says Ewart, adding “We expect a little more specialisation around different extensions.”
One idea is that the top level domain names will have more impact at a local level. Having forums or websites ending with .Sanfrancisco or .skate, for example, could indicate to those searching for them exactly where and what they're about.
“In Ireland, they want to know a lot about people who are taking an .ie domain name," says Ewart
"It's actually quite hard to get an .ie domain name, contrasted with .com where it's actually very easy to get and there are no restrictions.”?
So, at a country code level, specialisation of domain names could mean a filtering to make sure that the sites associated with a certain suffix really are relevant to that nation.
In the end, though, the concept of changing domain names still seems backward. In fact, bothering the user with an ending protocol of any sort is starting to feel pointless.
There is already a Chrome-style search bar implemented into Safari with Mountain Lion. Similarly, things like the Xbox, with its Kinect controlled Bing search, make getting to a website a much more fluid experience and the web would probably be a better place for the user with domains only the concern of the goings on behind your browser's GUI.
The other side of the argument is that the generic domains might increase the relevance of your surfing experience. Take eBay, for example. Navigating to eBay.shop and then having it redirect to your local version of the site using your IP address would be better than going to eBay.co.uk or .co.jp.
“You could have shop.google or apps.google. The point is it gives them much more flexibility,” says Ewart.
“One of the things they might do is that they might choose to give away a load of free domain space to customers.”
And that brings us to what can be seen as the logical, and perhaps best, use of all these domain names - creating a personalised web space on social networks. Pocket-lint's Facebook page, for instance, could become pocket-lint.facebook and so a much easier page to navigate to.
In the end we can't know until ICANN releases details, but it is entirely possible some of the most browsed websites out there might be accessible in more ways than one. In the end, though, perhaps the fact that the dot anything revolution barely appears as headline news is what really speaks volumes here. But, if you can't find Pocket-lint some time in the future, gadgets.pocket-lint is probably worth a try.
Tags: Internet Web browsers Facebook Google Search engines Features Interviews
ICANN and the dot anything: do we care about domain names? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 12:55:00 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 1:55 pm
Twitter suggests who to follow according to your web history
Separate the 'tweet' from the chaff
Twitter is changing the way it recommends to its users who to follow, based on the websites they frequent.
Previously, when a new tweeter signed up the suggestions tend to be the likes of Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian and Rihanna. In other words those with mammoth amounts of followers.
However, the new approach aims a making suggestions that are more relevant to you and your tastes. For example, if you spend a majority of time visiting travel sites, you’ll be recommend accounts that deal with that particular industry, along with people who share a similar interest, complete with preview of their latest tweets.
The revamped recommendation section will also appear on current Twitter users' accounts as well as those of ?newbies. New users will be able to receive recommendations through the “Tailor Twitter based on my recent websites visits” option, whereas seasoned pros can select the “Personalization” option in the account settings.
The information is gathered from websites that have integrated Twitter buttons or widgets, which Twitter in turn uses to recommended users with similar interests to each other.
Twitter has vocally supported the "Do Not Track" (DNT) motion when it comes to web browsing, so if you don’t like the idea of Twitter monitoring your web movements you can always switch off the setting.
Tags: Twitter Social networking Tweet Online
Twitter suggests who to follow according to your web history originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 12:54:00 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 1:54 pm
Steve Jobs dreamt of creating an iCar
What might have been
There are many "what might have been" questions surrounding the sad passing of Steve Jobs, with the latest possibility being that of an iCar.
Apple board member and J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler has revealed that the late Apple boss used to daydream about breaking out beyond the tech industry.
Talking at Fast Company’s “Innovation Uncensored” conference, Drexler said: “Look at the car industry; it’s a tragedy in America. Who is designing the cars? Steve’s dream before he died was to design an iCar.”?
Drexler went on to say how the innovator liked to rethink ways of designing yachts, staircases and even the medical equipment he came across while in hospital.
Jobs never got beyond the conceptual stage of an iCar – though the possibility of one has been talked about in the past - but Drexler did hint at one product that Jobs aspired to create as being far more of a reality.
“You know, Apple had 10 products,” said Drexler. “The living room they’re dealing with at some point in the near future.”
Living room hey? An Apple iTV perhaps?
You can see below a snippet of Mickey Drexler addressing the conference, where he also pokes fun at the difficult job Tim Cook has at heading up Apple.
Could an Apple iCar be down the road?
Tags: Apple Steve Jobs Apple TV Cars iStream
Steve Jobs dreamt of creating an iCar originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 11:49:00 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 12:49 pm
Diablo III collector's edition pictures and hands-on
Diablo III marks the return of one of the all-time great PC game series. Ten years in development, the game is now live and ticking along nicely on PCs the world over.
It's available in several different versions, but for the true fan there can be only one choice; the collector's edition. Pocket-lint has got one of the epic boxes and has put together a hands-on for you, so you can decide whether the ?170 set is worth it.
So what’s in the box? First, there's a full version of the game for either PC or Mac. We have been getting our teeth stuck into it for a while now and will have a review once we get closer to tackling the vast gameplay load it contains.
The collector's edition also throws in some exclusive in game items in the form of angel wings, an exclusive banner and special dye with which to colour your armour sets. For World of Warcraft fans, you get a special Diablo III style pet called a fetish shaman. If you play Starcraft II, then there are unique battle.net portraits based around Diablo characters.
Just as the collector's version of Starcraft II came with a rather awesome USB key, Diablo III takes it one step further. A rather hefty Diablo skull, with a 4GB USB soulstone rammed inside it, is included. This is cool enough by itself, but it goes one better, as the soulstone USB comes preloaded with Diablo II and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction.
Satisfying your Diablo lust even further is a two-disc behind-the-scenes DVD and Blu-ray set which features more than an hour of interviews with the folks at Blizzard who put the game together. We've watched it, and for the hardcore fan there's nothing better. Adding to the Diablo III media is a CD with the entire game’s soundtrack, should you want to listen to its sounds while away from your PC.
The real highlight, apart from the actual game, is the game artwork book. At 208 pages it is a fairly meaty read. It goes all the way from pre-development concept art to 3D renderings of characters that appear in the game. The majority of it is seriously impressive and would take pride of place on any Diablo fan’s mantlepiece
That’s it, plenty to play with in the collector's edition as well as it being one of the best PC games released in a long time. For the true Diablo obsessive the collector's edition seems more than worth it and will retain a lot of its value should you plan on selling it later. Otherwise, just go and grab the game: we can see the allure of a huge Diablo skull USB key in terms of looks, but for practicality, there is no chance it’ll fit in your pocket.
Tags: Gaming PC gaming Diablo III
Diablo III collector's edition pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 11:23:00 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 12:23 pm
Samsung Galaxy S III receives 9 million pre-orders
Are you one of the crowd?
Reports suggest more than 9 million customers have already pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy S III before its official arrival on 30 May.?
The Samsung Galaxy S III, which was unveiled at a glitzy soiree in London, has already received rave reviews from the tech industry and, if the reports are to be believed, it’s hit the right note with consumers too.?
The Korea Economic Daily newspaper which published the figures has also been told by an unidentified Samsung official that the manufacturer’s smartphone factory in South Korea is producing units at a rate of 5 million a month.?
Samsung propaganda? Maybe, but there’s no denying the Korean outfit is enjoying a boom period of late, having overtaken Nokia as the world’s largest mobile manufacturer and published impressive financial figures in April.
The Samsung Galaxy S III officially arrives in the UK on 30 May, though some retailers will have the phone available a day early to customers who pre-order the device.
That should help Samsung hit the 10 million mark.
Tags: Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Samsung Android Ice Cream Sandwich
Samsung Galaxy S III receives 9 million pre-orders originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 11:18:00 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 12:18 pm
Pocket-lint Podcast #85 - Motorola RAZR Maxx, Panasonic and E3
The hottest tech topics of the week
In this week’s podcast the Linters look at the impact Panasonics' poor financial results for the last fiscal year will have on the plasma TV market, and wonder whether it will be able to continue to fend off cheaper alternatives.
Plus, we get our hands on the Motorola RAZR Maxx handset and talk through a few key features, then turn our attentions to E3 and the games we’re hoping to see and play there when we visit the enormous videogames conference at the beginning of June.
Chatting about these things and more are former Gamesmaster presenter and editor of news Rik Henderson, editor of features and BBC radio pundit Dan Sung, and our own resident mobile phone expert and contributing editor Danny Brogan.
Ensure that you listen below or subscribe via iTunes in order to get your all new and improved Pocket-lint Podcast hit from every Friday morning at 8.30am...
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Tags: Pocket-lint Podcast Podcasts Online podcast Motorola Motorola RAZR Maxx Panasonic E32012
Pocket-lint Podcast #85 - Motorola RAZR Maxx, Panasonic and E3 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 08:30:00 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 9:30 am
WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Lend With Care
Lend a few quid and change a life
How often do you lend your mates money? Quite often? Good on you if you do. It’s what friends are for.
And what did they do with the money? Buy a round of drinks? A CD maybe? Do you really care?
Possibly not. But at lendwithcare.org you could actually change somebody’s life forever, by lending them a few quid.
It’s a fantastic scheme, run with help from the Co-operative that lets those people "with" help those without.
You can lend as little or as much as you like and it will go towards a fund to help somebody in the developing world to get their life on track. It might be a start-up loan for a business, or cash to rebuild a workshop.
A few pennies here can make a massive difference there.
These aren’t hand-outs though; these are loans and the recipients are entrepreneurs in the very purest sense of the word.?These are people who are trying to make things better for themselves, their families and communities, and all they ask is the price of a round of drinks to get them started.
And the best bit? You get your money back.
Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online
WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Lend With Care originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 18 May 2012 01:00:00 +0100
Posted on 18 May 2012 | 2:00 am
Facebook sets IPO share price, now worth $104 billion
Are you going to buy?
Facebook has set its share price for its stock market launch on Friday, valuing the company at $104 billion.
The?shares, priced at $38 (?24) a pop, will go on sale on the Nasdaq exchange, giving you a chance to own a piece of the social network.
The news means that Facebook?will raise some $16bn to invest in making the site even better and makes it one of the biggest stock market launches in American history.
"Facebook today announced the pricing of its initial public offering [IPO] of 421,233,615 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $38 per share," a company statement said.
"The shares are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on May 18, 2012, under the symbol 'FB'.
"Facebook is offering 180,000,000 shares of Class A common stock and selling stockholders are offering 241,233,615 shares of Class A common stock. Closing of the offering is expected to occur on May 22, 2012, subject to customary closing conditions."
Many in the industry have voiced concerned over how the shares will perform on the opening day and how the company will perform in general in the future as it tries to make money from its 900 million users. Car manufacturer GM announced this week that it was pulling its $10m advertising spend from the site because it wasn't very effective.
That's unlikely to deter investors keen for a piece of "the facebook" who will no doubt charge the stock exchange tomorrow to snap up a piece of the internet giant that buys $1bn companies at the drop of a hat over a weekend business meeting (yes, we are talking Instagram).
Still a quick straw poll over almost 500 people (at time of writing) at facebookipodayclosingprice.com suggests those investors shouldn't have anything to worry about. The general consensus there is that the share price will end the day at $54, meaning if you can get in quick you could stand to make quiet a lot of money if the prediction pans out.
Mark Zuckerberg is expected to make $18bn from the IPO.
Tags: Social networking Online Facebook
Facebook sets IPO share price, now worth $104 billion originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 22:05:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 11:05 pm
APP OF THE DAY: ubiCabs review (Android & iPhone)
Minicab?
Travel apps are all the rage, especially when it comes to getting around in the Big Smoke. There are bus checkers and train finders coming out of our app store ears, but the most recent trend has been for getting about in the privacy of a car hired just for you. Yes, we all know about the executive car app for Addison Lee, we very recently met the Hackney Carriage end of the equation with GetTaxi, but today it’s all about minicabs.
ubiCabs
If there’s one thing that ex-Googler Jay Patel and his co-founders at ubiCabs hate, it’s inefficiencies. Minicabs are stationed by a local controller and, when you hire one, it’s either going to pick you up from, or take you to, an area where it’s not going to be able to get another fare. Worse still, in cities like London, the transport agency forbids minicabs getting customers off the streets, so the drivers and the companies that dispatch them end up having to pay for the petrol of one leg of the journey on their own, ie, without a passenger in the car.
That’s where ubiCabs comes in, according to Patel. The service acts as a booking agent for as many minicab firms as it can get. The idea is that customers then request taxis through either an Android or iPhone app, or by using a web interface. The ubiCabs system will then instantly search and access all the minicab controller information to assign the nearest, available and - most importantly - the cheapest car for your needs.
The app itself is fairly familiar to the others we’ve seen. As with most of these systems, ubiCabs tracks your position by GPS or you can add your pick-up point manually. The selection of what kind of car, how much luggage you have and how many passengers is nicely handled, as well as the way you can track your cab’s journey to you on a live map. So, no more waiting around and wondering.
While the main idea behind it all is obviously to get taxis at your convenience without having to pay Black Cab prices. One would also hope that both the added petrol efficiency and the behind-the-scenes price bidding system might result in minicab costs going down. Sadly, this doesn’t yet seem to be the case with all the journeys we’ve been quoted so far being pretty much what we’d expect to pay normally.
Still, with the added convenience on top, it’s well worth a try. Sure, it’s not much different from picking up the phone if you’re looking to get from your home to a night out, but it’s just the answer for those tedious queues when you’re on your way back from the middle of town.
At the moment, ubiCabs covers just London within the M25 but, so long as it can stay ahead of the competition, expect to see the service rolling out to a town near you soon.
Tags: Apps Cars and GPS iPhone apps Android apps App of the day Ubicabs GetTaxi
APP OF THE DAY: ubiCabs review (Android & iPhone) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 18:21:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 7:21 pm
Lego creates exclusive Team GB Olympic minifigs
Going for gold
The Great Britain Olympic team has been bestowed with a prestigious honour even before the London 2012 games has kicked off. The athletes have been immortalized as Lego minifigures.
There are a total of nine Team GB Lego minifigures to collect. These include a brawny boxer, a stealth swimmer, relay runner, judo fighter, tactical tennis player, flexible gymnast, wondrous weightlifter, horseback rider and agile archer.
The commemorative range will be sold from 1 July for ?1.99 each in John Lewis, Argos, Tesco, WH Smith, Smyths and Toys R Us.
Each figurine has its own accessory such as bow and arrow, boxing gloves and weights.
The Great Britain Olympic team joins the likes of The Lord of the Rings, Transformers and Marvel Superheroes as just some of the characters to have been given the Lego treatment.?
The 2012 Olympic Games kick off in London on 27 July, with the Paralympics finishing on 9 September.
Tags: Lego Toys London 2012 Olympics
Lego creates exclusive Team GB Olympic minifigs originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 18:18:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 7:18 pm
Is China the new Japan?
The phone in front is a ZTE
"By 2015 China will have more than 650 million people connected and online.” ?These were the words of HP's CEO Meg Whitman at the company’s recent conference in Shanghai.
“China is just below the worldwide average at about 200 PCs per 1000,” one in five with a computer, if you want to look at it more sensibly.
As emerging markets go, it seems that China has well and truly now emerged. All the telltale signs are there, from Apple’s vast store in Shanghai to the wall-to-wall adverts for mobile phones and laptops all backed by department stores and shopping malls devoted entirely to technology.
All that demand is forcing companies to reconsider their approach. Once it was the Asian nations, such as Japan, designing products with a Western market in mind. Now, it’s the Western-owned companies looking to to service China with their hardware.
HP's CEO explained that China was well and truly on her radar when it came to product research and development. The company has a huge presence there with one of its most significant facilities, second only to that of the US, based in China.
They aren't the only ones either. Take Foxconn, Apple's ever-talked-about manufacturer. Foxconn employs a staff of approximately 1.2 million to keep consumers' insatiable demand for iPhones and iPads sorted, as well as other products.
All across China the numbers continue to grow. PC adoption and internet availability, in particular, is increasing at an astonishing rate. Just as Sony rose from nowhere to release some of the most iconic pieces of consumer tech in history, the same could be inbound from any number of Chinese tech companies with the likes of Asus, Huawei and ZTE ?at the forefront. And how about some you haven’t even heard of yet - like Meizu and its MX smartphone.
The Chinese gadget market demands cutting-edge technology, just like the Western one. The difference is that, rather than importing it, a lot of Chinese manufacturers are producing it themselves. The MX is no slouch either. It packs a 4-inch qHD screen, an 8-megapixel camera and a 1700 mAh battery - all specifications you would expect to see in a flagship piece of kit on the high street. Currently there is a dual-core version of the handset out on the shelves but a quad-core MX is set for release in June.
And Meizu isn’t alone. ZTE might be relatively small in Europe but is actually a vast smartphone manufacturer with a bigger market share than Apple globally. The company manages just under 5 per cent of the world market share of mobile phones and is predicting a doubling of sales in 2012 with the United States aimed as its primary point of sale by 2015.
Korea is, of course, also a hot topic for smartphones and televisions. Samsung and LG have run an aggressive takeover of that market from the likes of Sony and Toshiba. So how does China shape up against them?
The first manufacturer that springs to mind is Lenovo. Originating in Beijing’s Zhongguancun district, the Chinese equivalent to Silicon Valley, it has rapidly established itself in the laptop market, even acquiring IBM’s PC business in 2005. In China, Lenovo Mobile ranks third in terms of unit share in the smartphone market, and that’s a bigger deal than it sounds when you consider the country has a roughly 1.3 billion population.
Still though, in terms of the West, it’s Samsung that dominates. The Korean giant overtook Sony in 2005 as one the most popular consumer electronics brands in the world. It’s now ranked number 19 and sits ahead of Apple in terms of smartphone manufacture.
So, China still has a fair way to go if it is to conquer the traditional technology giants. With the likes of Foxconn, the huge manufacture bases, the infrastructure and the traditions in factory work, the conditions are all there for the country to begin to dominate consumer demand. Similarly, if companies on the scale of HP are viewing China as number one priority for product investment and sales, then the future looks set in stone.
We might not know what the next big thing will be in the technology world but, whatever it is, you can pretty much guarantee it will involve China.
Tags: Phones Televisions China Japan HP Laptops Features
Is China the new Japan? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 17:50:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 6:50 pm
Sony Vaio S Series pictures and hands-on
13-incher fondled
The updated Sony Vaio S series ushers new Intel hardware into a body that's constructed from premium materials giving you a slim and portable powerhouse.
The starting price sets it close to the asking price of the Sony Vaio T13 Ultrabook, but the S series offers a lot more potential for customisation and configuration. For starters there is a wide range of colour options and 15 and 13-inch screen sizes. We looked at a black 13-incher.
Rather than presenting the slick lines of the Vaio T13, the S Series models offer more connections and more buttons. That might only really amount to an additional USB (along with the optical drive, of course), but it also means you get things like a fingerprint scanner and a switch to change power modes.
Importantly you'll be able to get up to an Intel Core i7 under the skin, along with an optical drive, a Blu-ray even, as well as the option of a higher resolution display and Nvidia graphics display if you pick the right model.
The finish is very good, with the backlit keyboard offering a nice action, even if there appears to be a fair amount of flex there. The wide trackpad makes it easy to get around the display and the palm rest feel luxurious when you get down to serious typing.
The display is bright and vibrant and offered great viewing angles from the time we spent peering at it.
Starting at about ?600, there are 15 and 13-inch versions of the Sony Vaio S Series available, with a choice of processors, as well as plenty of other options to choose from.?
Tags: Hardware Laptops Sony sony vaio S Sony Vaio S Series Photos
Sony Vaio S Series pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 17:38:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 6:38 pm
Motorola RAZR MAXX pictures and hands-on
"Longest talktime of any smartphone"
Just how important is a good battery life on a smartphone to you? Very according to Motorola. With that in mind its been busy working away at its Motorola RAZR MAXX, a smartphone that doesn’t skimp on features, but most importantly won’t die on you before the day’s out.
The Motorola RAZR MAXX is no shrinking violet. It’s got a huge 4.3-inch display with a thick border surrounding it, meaning you almost have to stretch you hand around the device when making a call and you’ll certainly be aware of it while it’s in your pocket.
Yet Moto has managed to keep the waistline down to an impressive 8.99mm, which helps explain why it feels far lighter than it looks – 145g.
There’s a slight chin at the top of the rear of the phone in order to accommodate the 8-megapixel camera and LED flash. The power button is located on the right hand side of the phone - as you look at the display - just around the point your forefinger would rest when taking a call in your left hand. Perhaps we’re being pernickety but we have concerns that we might inadvertently switch the phone off mid-conversation.
There’s no removable back cover with the SIM, micro at that, being inserted in the bottom left side of the phone. The protective door, which also leads to the microSD card slot, felt a little flimsy especially as you need to pull it right back to access either port.
Found on the top of the phone is an HDMI, microUSB and 3.5mm headset jack neither of which comes with cumbersome pullout door, so despite Motorola protecting the phone with a splashguard coating we wouldn't recommend putting it in too much proximity to any fluid.
A headset jack positioned at the top of the phone is always preferable because it makes it easier to take the phone out of your pocket without damaging your plugged in headphones.
Fire up the phone and an impressively vibrant Super AMOLED Advanced display greets you. It’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and has a resolution of 540x960 pixels. It really is quite stunning, especially when you turn the brightness to full, which you can afford to do thanks to the mammoth battery life, right?
So far so good. Now for the not so good. Once switched on it’s immediately apparent that this is no Android Ice Cream Sandwich phone. Well not yet anyway. Running on Gingerbread 2.3 from launch, Moto hopes to upgrade the phone to ICS by the end of Q2 2012.
The processor is also only dual-core 1.2GHz. It seems ridiculous to baulk at a processor of this magnitude, but the truth is with more and more smartphones featuring quad-core processors the bar has been raised. To be fair when playing with the phone it was a far from lethargic experience, though it did take a while for images to appear on any shortcuts we set.
Motorola has also included its innovative "Smart Actions" feature, also found on the previous RAZR. You can set the RAZR MAXX to administer specific functions depending on where you are and what you’re doing.
For example, have a meeting scheduled in your Google Calendar and the RAZR MAXX will automatically put itself in silent mode. What’s more should you have... erm…. a wife who’s about to go into labour for example, you can set a VIP number (ie, your wife’s) which will overrule the Smart Action and ring as normal. There are plenty of other actions to have a play with, such as automatically firing up the music player as soon as a pair of headphones are inserted.
The MotoCast app is also on board which enables you to access music, documents and photos from a remote computer either by streaming or downloading it to the Motorola RAZR MAXX. The files will then be stored locally on the phone, meaning you can access them even when offline. The remote computer will have to be switched on in order to access the files originally, but it makes for a useful alternative to cloud storage.
In terms of memory we’re looking at 1GB RAM and 16GB ROM, with a 16GB microSD card also included, though it can support cards of up to 32GB, which we’d recommend investing in especially if you plan to use the MotoCast app.
Yet, as Motorola kept telling us, the Motorola RAZR MAXX is all about a long battery life. So all that’s left to say, according to the manufacturer, is that the 3300 mAh capacity battery should provide up to 1,056 minutes talktime, the "longest of any smartphone" according to Moto, and over 25 days standby.
We’ll be bringing you a full in-depth review of the Motorola RAZR MAXX before you have time to run one out of juice.
The Motorola RAZR MAXX is available now from Clove, Expansys and Amazon.
Tags: Phones Motorola RAZR Maxx Motorola Android Ice Cream Sandwich
Motorola RAZR MAXX pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 17:33:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 6:33 pm
Sony Vaio T13 Ultrabook pictures and hands-on
Sony's first Ultra
Sony is setting a trend by not jumping on the bandwagon as soon as it starts rolling. It was slow off the mark with its Android tablet, for example, and it has been relatively slow to bring out its first Ultrabook.
But with time comes the chance to take a slightly more considered approach. The likes of Toshiba, Acer, Asus and Dell have shown their hand and now it's Sony's turn.
The Sony Vaio T13 is a slim and portable notebook, impressively lightweight at 1.6kg but doesn't try to strike out and claim the slimmest profile. It's 17.8mm thick and unlike many rivals, it doesn't ape the style of the MacBook Air by tapering into a point at the leading edge.
With that, comes a style that some might say is all the more utilitarian and it wouldn't be unfair to liken the Vaio T13 to the company's new S series notebooks, especially the smaller 13.3 model.
But in the flesh, the Vaio T13 is an impressive looking and feeling notebook. In reality, the lack of a tapered leading edge doesn't detract from it. Instead you get a base that's impressively solid.
You also get a base that lets you lift the screen easily without rocking backwards. Like some previous Sony Vaio models, we like the hinge detail, dropping down the screen to sit on little rubber feet at the rear.
Finished in magnesium and aluminium, it feels great in the hand; it feels like a premium notebook and starting at ?679, it's not outrageously expensive either.
The metal construction benefits the keyboard, which offers a great typing action and is surprisingly free of flex. Many slimmer-profile laptops lack support behind (or across) the keyboard, but the T13 doesn't seem to suffer.
There are a range of configurations available, the model we played with was running an Intel Core i3-2367M processor, 4GB RAM with 320GB HDD. The 13.3-inch display offers a typical 1366 x 768 pixel resolution and is nice and vibrant, with what looked to be good viewing angles.
Naturally there is the system SSD, as offered by Ultrabooks to enhance performance, and an SSD option is available if you'd rather have the solid drive, although it bumps the price considerably.
In terms of connectivity, the flanks of the Vaio T13 offers 2x USB 3.0, including one which will charge USB devices, which is always handy. You also get HDMI and VGA, a proper Ethernet port and a memory card reader.
First impressions of the Vaio T13 are good. It feels solid and looks like it could be a great portable companion.
Tags: Hardware Laptops Ultrabooks Intel Sony Sony Vaio t13 Photos
Sony Vaio T13 Ultrabook pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 16:47:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 5:47 pm
HTC Evo 4G LTE
Pro Evo?
The HTC Evo 4G LTE is the new flagship device for the USA’s Sprint network. It’s an Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone with, as its name suggests, the capability to hop aboard Sprint’s ultra-fast LTE data network.
Unfortunately, as we write this the LTE network is yet to be rolled out, so we weren’t able to test out the phone’s 4G capabilities. We should also note that its Google Wallet NFC abilities were not activated as we were reviewing it, but bear in mind that these things should be operational soon - LTE has been announced as coming to several US cities in "mid-2012".
Build quality and design
What we can assess is the Evo 4G LTE’s hardware, and very impressive it is. The phone sports a huge 4.7-inch screen, yet is just under 9mm in depth and weighs a feathery 134g.
From the front it looks like many other HTC smartphones: the screen dominates and there are three touch buttons at the bottom for back, home and multi-tasking; there’s also a 1.3MP front camera.
A sliver of brushed aluminium runs around the edge of the phone, which looks good and more importantly provides stability - despite its size, it’s a very solid, non-creaky phone. Elsewhere around the sides you’ll find a USB port, camera button, volume rocker, 3.5mm headphone socket and power button.
We’re not huge fans of the back of the Evo 4G LTE, which is shiny at the top and rubbery at the bottom. It just looks a bit odd to us - we’d rather they go with one or the other. Dividing these two sections is a red metal strip that can be prised out to provide a handy kickstand (this works in both portrait and landscape mode). There’s also the 8-megapixel main camera and an LED flash.
The Gorilla Glass-fronted 4.7-inch Super LCD screen is vibrant, bright and wonderfully sharp, boasting a 1280 x 720 resolution (so it’s ideal for watching 720p HD videos). That’s a pixel density of 312ppi, almost as high as the iPhone 4’s 326ppi screen.
Camera and storage
The camera is a beast, boasting 8-megapixels and an F2, 28mm equivalent lens. The dedicated button brings it up instantly if you don’t fancy tapping the icon, and can be used to trigger the shutter too. Stills are lovely, demonstrating good clarity even in gloomy conditions, and HD video (in up to 1080p) is as impressive as anything we’ve seen from a phone. The camera’s also blindingly fast, booting up and autofocusing swiftly, and uploads shots automatically to a Dropbox account - up to 25GB of them!
There’s 16GB of storage inside, plus a microSD slot allowing you to add another 32GB. Both the SIM and 2000mAh battery are embedded and non-removeable, which, let’s face it, isn’t ideal if you plan on doing anything with the phone other than use it on Sprint. Speaking of the battery, it’s got a decent bit of stamina considering the amount of power-sapping stuff going on inside the phone – but you’ll probably want to charge it once a day.
The phone runs on a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and features 1GB of RAM, and it runs very fast indeed. It racked up a whopping score of 6667 in the AnTuTu Benchmark test, putting it slightly above the Samsung Galaxy Note and Nexus. You can throw pretty much any app at this phone or ask it to multitask and it’ll oblige.
Beats
As has become HTC’s signature, there’s Beats Audio tech inside, which is essentially a big old bass booster for whatever is playing. It doesn’t ensure you get top quality sound - your headphones contribute to that a lot more - but it’s a welcome addition.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC Sense 4 work in much the same smooth fashion as they do on the HTC One phones. There’s minimal lag when flicking between homescreens, and Sense is a very pleasant UI to use for the most part.
Verdict:
While we couldn’t test the HTC Evo 4G LTE at its speedy best, it’s a very high quality smartphone even without 4G.
The build quality, screen, camera and processor are all top notch, the kick stand is a useful feature, and most other aspects are well above average. We’re not so keen on the embedded SIM and battery and the unsightly backside of the phone, but neither of these are deal-breakers.
If you’re happy to sign up to a long-term contract with Sprint and live in a US city where the carrier’s LTE network is incoming, you should definitely give the Evo 4G LTE a lot of consideration. It’s a very solid high-end smartphone.
Tags: Phones HTC HTC Evo 4G HTC Evo 4G LTE
HTC Evo 4G LTE originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 15:00:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 4:00 pm
Sony: The 4K video revolution is at tipping point
EXCLUSIVE: Content will follow home tech
Sony is taking a brave gamble on the future of home entertainment technology by releasing its VPL-VW1000ES 4K projector before there's native content to view on it.
Sure, you get a code for the 4K version of PlayStation 3 image software PlayMemories with every purchase of the ?17,000 behemoth, and its Reality Creation 1080p upscaling prowess is simply mind-blowing, but there's not much in the way of 4096 x 2160 video for it to project.
So, in an effort to encourage the next stage in the evolution of home video quality, the company has decided to get its technology on the shelves before content is widely available. It is hoped that this move will prompt studios to look at ways to get its 4K movies into the hands of consumers.
"4K is rapidly gaining momentum in the distribution community, as evidenced by releases from studios such as Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures.?So while many people complain about the lack of content, it can’t be made without the technology and it can’t be seen in the home without this technology," Sony told Pocket-lint exclusively in a one-to-one chat.
"It’s not just something we talk about; the camera’s there, the projector's there. We’re ready to go."
Even massive movie blockbusters are being currently created in UHD (Ultra High Definition). "Sony Pictures is behind The Amazing Spider-Man, which is in 4K," Sony said.
"And M. Night Shyamalan is using Sony F65s to film his next project [After Earth], so it’s getting there. It’s at the tipping point now.?It’s a really interesting time for 4K."
Sony Europe's own home cinema expert and product technical specialist Kin Loong Chit agrees, but also emphasises that it's not the lack of content per se, but how to get it into the home that's the biggest issue. "Shooting-wise, there is a lot out there already, it’s just delivery," he told us.
"Delivery is the most important thing at the moment, because there is no way to deliver 4K [to the home]. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [David Fincher's English-language version] was shot in 4K, and The Hobbit, but how do we deliver? A home server? A BD disc player? Only then will it be possible."
But Sony does believe that there is plenty of interest out there for the next generation of high definition video. And definitely more so than with 3D.
"With 3D, there seemed to be a lot of divided opinion," we were told. "But with 4K it’s just positive."
And from our extensive viewing experience of the VPL-VW1000ES, we have to say we thoroughly agree.
Tags: Sony Home Cinema 4K Projectors Sony VPL-VW1000ES
Sony: The 4K video revolution is at tipping point originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 14:41:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 3:41 pm
HTC Desire C pictures and hands-on
Could sell like er, wildfire
The HTC Desire C is the newest addition to HTC's 2012 line-up of Android devices, joining the HTC One series and seeing a diversion from what we thought was going to be a clean and simple approach to naming.
We can't quite see the logic behind dragging the Desire name, once synonymous with HTC's flagship devices, down to the entry level. But what can you do, eh? Perhaps we should be calling this the HTC Wildfire C or X, or something.
But let's not let this brief moment of etymological confusion get in the way of our quick play with HTC's latest smartphone.
The HTC Desire C is compact in the hand, measuring 107.2 x 60.6 x 11.95mm. It isn't the skinniest of phones around, but it's unlikely to offend anyone either. It nestles nicely into the palm of your hand and, thanks to the tactile finish, feels secure there too.
The layout of controls is totally conventional, with three touch buttons across the bottom of the display offering your standard Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich navigation: that's back, home and recent apps.
The display measures 3.5-inches on the diagonal, so even though this is a diminutive device, there is actually a fair amount of room to play. The resolution of 320 x 480 is a little on the low side, so that will impact on some of the wow factor, but colours seem vibrant enough.
Launching on Android 4 and Sense 4, this phone is at least up to date, so you won't be waiting for updates as soon as you take it out of the box. It is, however, very much about entry-level specs, with a 600MHz processor sitting under the hood.
The devices we played didn't come with final build software, so we can't determine exactly what the user experience will be like. It's a low-power phone, with only 512MB RAM sitting in there with that processor, so we'll have to examine this in our HTC Desire C review when we get the phone in our labs.
There is 4GB of internal memory, but you do get a slot for expansion, so you can bung in your own microSD card.
Harking back to the HTC HD Mini, slip off the back cover and you'll find it finished in red, including a red 1230mAh battery. Okay, it's a small detail, but such things appeal to us and we like the way the red coloured innards encircle the Micro-USB port on the left-hand side, hinting at that gory core.
Perhaps surprisingly, the HTC Desire C is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera, although video is limited to 640 x 480 capture. The devices we snapped are also NFC equipped, so you're ready to roll with contactless payments and whatever else NFC finds its way into.
On the media front this is a Beats Audio device, so you'll be able to enjoy your wubwub with meaty bass.
We're looking forward to giving the HTC Desire C a proper plan very soon. We reckon this phone could sell like wildfire. Snark.
Tags: Phones Mobile phones HTC HTC Desire C Photos
HTC Desire C pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 14:02:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 3:02 pm
HTC Ville C specs leaked: Cheaper alternative to the HTC One S?
Another ICS money saver
HTC looks to be working on another “affordable” Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone, after specs for an HTC Ville C were leaked on the net.
Described as being an “ultra-slim PDA phone”, sources are proclaiming the HTC Ville C to be a cheaper alternative to the HTC One S, which itself was called the HTC Ville in pre-production.
Whether it will have quite the same venom in terms of speed as the One S we will have to wait and see, but with regard to processing power we’re looking at a Qualcomm MSM8260 dual-core 1.7GHz chipset.
Something that is worth noting is that the leaked document also suggests the phone will run on HTC Sense 4.5. No word on what this upgrade might bring, but we were rather taken with 4.0 so a tweak here or there could make for an even better UI experience.
Slap bang in the middle of the handset is a 4.3-inch qHD AMOLED touchscreen and 16 million LCD display.
HTC looks set to kit the phone out with an eight-megapixel camera with the same BSI sensor as found in the One S, as well as a 1080p HD video recording and a VGA front-facing camera for video calls.
In terms of memory, the specs state there will be 16GB of onboard storage and 1GB RAM. There’s no mention of whether this can be topped up via a microSD card.?
HTC’s insistence that consumers would rather a slim phone than one with a long battery life looks set to continue with the Ville C fitted with a lower-end 1,650mAH capacity battery.?
Yet overall there’s enough here to get us hoping this rumoured handset becomes a reality.
One cheaper alternative to the Ice Cream Sandwich experience that will definitely be arriving on these shores is the HTC Desire C.
Tags: Phones HTC HTC Ville C HTC One S Ice Cream Sandwich Android HTC Sense
HTC Ville C specs leaked: Cheaper alternative to the HTC One S? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 12:08:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 1:08 pm
New in-browser experience for Netflix
Video player gets lick of paint
Netflix subscribers have been treated to a new, tasty in-browser video player that adds a feature or two and simplifies the viewing experience. It allows users to select other episodes of a TV show from within the player itself and adds an information overlay when video is paused.
Using Microsoft Silverlight, the new player also offers an option to switch on or off the high definition version of a stream - if available - and the control bar allows you to skip to the next episode of a show at the press of one icon.
All of the new features can also be used when the video is in full-screen mode.
One word of warning though, OS X Chrome is not supported on all Macs. Some users have been getting a message advising them to use Safari or Firefox instead.
GigaOM received an email from Netflix explaining why: "Chrome on Mac support is a limitation of Microsoft Silverlight, not Netflix," it said. "It works on some Macs but not on others, so we allow it and give users a warning."
We have to say though, OS X Chrome issues aside, this new version of the player is a massive improvement on the last.
Tags: Netflix Media streaming Online Browsers
New in-browser experience for Netflix originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 11:18:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 12:18 pm
Google starts to roll-out the Knowledge Graph - instant related information
US first
Google has started to offer its Knowledge Graph aided-search results to US English users, with a global roll-out on the cards later. It is a new technology that understands and uses associations between people, places, events and "things" in the world to present relevant extra information during each search.
When you search for a particular subject - for example, Simpson's creator Matt Groening - the Google results will list the usual links on the left-hand side while the right now includes an information box, which will list other associations, biography and details. Or, as with Groening, links to his work. It will, Amazon-style, present a snapshot of other things searched for by people who also typed in "Matt Groening".
At first, the new tech is design to work closely with many of the familiar information resources, such as Wikipedia, Freebase and the CIA World Factbook, but Google has also been building its own resource.
It currently recognises?500 million objects, and includes more than 3.5 billion facts about and relationships between these different objects. And, because it learns from users and their search queries, the Knowledge Graph will become more expansive and accurate over time.
Amit Singhal,?Google's senior vice-president of engineering, believes that the Knowledge Graph adds a whole new layer of "intelligence" to search results. "We hope this added intelligence will give you a more complete picture of your interest, provide smarter search results, and pique your curiosity on new topics," he posts on?the company's blog.
"We’re proud of our first baby step - the Knowledge Graph - which will enable us to make search more intelligent, moving us closer to the 'Star Trek computer' that I've always dreamt of building.
"Enjoy your lifelong journey of discovery, made easier by Google Search, so you can spend less time searching and more time doing what you love."
The Knowledge Graph will also be used to improve mobile and tablet search.
Tags: Google Online Search engines Internet Google Knowledge Graph
Google starts to roll-out the Knowledge Graph - instant related information originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 10:16:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 11:16 am
Toyota releases car navigation remote system for Nintendo DS
In Japan, where else?
Toyota has launched a piece of software that turns the humble Nintendo DS games console into a remote control for its Smart Navi satnav system.
Called?Kuruma de DS ("DS in the car") the game card contains Bluetooth connectivity that hooks up to the company's proprietary in-car kit, allowing the DS to set and store destinations, view maps and get tourist information along the journey.
Designed for a passenger, in front or back, Kuruma de DS talks aloud through an on-screen Mii and even has quizzes about the immediate surroundings to keep kids and adults alike entertained during the journey. Its sound can be piped through the car's own speakers too.
As with standard DS games and software, the interface is cute and cuddly,?so, as Toyota Marketing Japan told 4Gamer.net, it's really been designed for families who want to keep their kids away from just staring at an in-car TV screen when travelling.
Currently planned just for Japan, Toyota's Kuruma de DS will cost?7,329 Yen (?57) on its release on 1 June. It will work only with the company's own system,?Smart Navi NSZT-W62G, which will be launched at the same time.
Tags: Toyota Car And GPS Gaming Nintendo Nintendo DS
Toyota releases car navigation remote system for Nintendo DS originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 09:24:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 10:24 am
BlackBerry Curve 9320
A BB for beginners?
There hasn't been a huge amount of change in the world of BlackBerry in recent years. A design tweak here and nip and tuck to the user interface there, but that's about it. While the top-level devices have seen a little more change - integration of touch operation, for example - down at the bottom end of the Curve line things are little different.
The BlackBerry Curve 9320 is very much the baby of the BlackBerry family, both physically and in terms of specs. Fortunately, that also means that entry-level Curve models can be had for very little cash, but provide you with a range of smartphone features that take you beyond your typical feature phone.
But has the BB Curve had its day? With rising choices in affordable Android smartphones, does the lure of a glossy touchscreen make the future of RIM's cheap Qwerty communicator questionable?
Design and keyboard
With diminutive dimensions, the BlackBerry Curve 9320 does little to differentiate itself from previous devices of the same family. It replaces the popular 9300, advancing the body detailing slightly to make this a more attractive device.?
Of course the Curve 9320 isn't the only Curve in the 93xx family. It doesn't hit the high points of the Curve 9360, which remains the slimmer and sexier device, while walking away with better headline specs.
The Curve 9320 measures 109 x 60 x 12.7mm which makes it relatively fat in modern terms, with many devices slipping in under 10mm thick. In reality, it makes little difference, because this size of device is easily pocketable.
The curved back nestles down nicely in your hand and, at this size, using one or two thumbs to work the keyboard is possible. The keyboard is naturally smaller than the Bold family, but we didn't have a problem rampantly bashing out BBM messages, even with man-sized hands.?
And that says something for RIM's keyboard design. We prefer the Bold's flat keyboard with flush keys, but find that the Curve's keyboard is good enough. It is a clicky keyboard though, so hardcore messagers will have to get used to the constant clickety-click of the button presses.
One downside of this keyboard design is that debris and finger grease will collect between the keys over time, so cleaning with a cotton wool bud and a dab of alcohol might be in order to keep things clean.
The back of the Curve, unlike the 9300, is now glossy. It attracts fingerprints to some extent, although they're easily removed with a wipe on your jeans. Despite the smooth finish, we didn't find it slippery like some phones: the size makes it easy to grip.
In terms of controls the waistband across the middle of the phone sees a central navi-key, as you'll find on all other BlackBerry models. This is flanked by the common arrangement of calling keys, menu and back. Unlike other models, on the Curve 9320 these are physical buttons although in practice that makes little difference to their operation.
Down the left-hand side of the Curve 9320 is the Micro-USB port for charging, along with a convenience key. This is labelled as "BBM", so you can dive straight into RIM's instant-messaging service. There is a second convenience key on the right-hand side too which defaults to the camera; both can be reassigned to different functions if you prefer.?
One change towards the conventional is the positioning of the 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the handset. This is much more convenient than previous side positioning, which always left the headphone plug sticking out awkwardly in your pocket.?
There is perhaps little remarkable about the Curve 9320 when it comes to design, but if you follow the tried and tested route, then arguably there was little to modify on a device at the bottom of the pile.
Hardware and cameras
RIM isn't as forthcoming with the full hardware specs on its lesser models, but that perhaps doesn't matter, as each device fits fairly well into a hierarchy. In the Curve 9320 you get 512MB RAM and 512MB of internal memory, but the 800MHz processor isn't formally disclosed.?
Numbers alone mean nothing but, naturally, as RIM's entry-level device, the performance isn't the snappiest. It does perform most tasks in isolation fast enough to feel like you are getting things done, but it is no match for better devices like the Bold.
The lack of internal memory means a microSD card is essential – essential for any content you want to carry around with you like photos or music. You might find yourself limited in terms of app space, although to be fair, most of the core apps come preinstalled and BlackBerry App World isn't as appealing as Google Play or Apple App Store when it comes to exciting new apps.
The camera sees itself settle at 3.2-megapixels, which might not sound like a lot in modern terms, but in reality the results are well suited for mobile sharing. Unfortunately the camera is fixed focus, so you can't achieve the same results as you can with autofocus models, but they're good enough.?
Video tops out at 640 x 480 pixels and again this is fixed focus. It might not hit the headlines for resolution or sharpness, but for social video again, it's good enough.?
Software
Of course the hardware and software work together, but one of the more irritating things about the Curve 9320 isn't unique to this device and that's the awkward slowdown you experience when upgrading or installing apps.
Update something like the Twitter or BBM apps and you'll find that during the install process, you're essentially locked out of the rest of the phone, followed by a restart. This isn't unique to the Curve 9320, it's something we've experienced across BlackBerry devices, and something to be aware of.?
The Curve 9320 lands running BB OS 7.1, the latest version of the BlackBerry software, the biggest new addition to which is a mobile hotspot feature so you can share your connection with other devices, such as an iPod touch for example.
Elsewhere, the user interface is very much as it was on the last iteration of devices, with the next big change coming later this year in the form of BlackBerry 10. As it is, BlackBerry 7.1 works well enough, although there is obviously a profusion of menus and menu button presses to get things to happen, something that the likes of iOS or Android have for the most part streamlined away.
One of the interface issues here is that the Curve 9320 isn't touch enabled. As a result you lose some of the convenience that other models offer where you can tap an icon and be on your way, but that said, the navi-key is sensitive enough to make operation fairly slick and fast.
There's no denying that BB7 lacks some of the sex appeal of rival smartphone platforms and although this device is going to be available for very little cash, the likes of Samsung and HTC are pushing out ever cheaper Android phones with ever better performance.
As a multimedia device, the BlackBerry Curve 9320 doesn't really shine by comparison to those touchscreen rivals. It lacks the screen size and software diversity to be really exciting, but that's not the key focus of this type of device.?
Communication is what BlackBerry is known for and that's what you get in the Curve 9320, by the bucket load. BB7's integrated inbox will pull your messages and alerts into one stream so you don't have to be skipping around different apps to see what's going on.
You also get your core apps preinstalled, so your Curve 9320 is ready to roll out with Twitter, Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk right out of the box. Of course, you also have BlackBerry's excellent Messenger service, BBM, which will likely be one of the most popular features of this device and can be connected in to Facebook and Twitter to keep things uber social.?
And that's where the Curve 9320 really finds its feet. The design isn't much different from older devices, the user interface can be slow and cumbersome and the hardware specs won't get anyone excited, but once you're flicking out messages with scant regard for anything else, those things really don't matter so much.?
Of course email remains excellent and with RIM offering quick and easy connection to your Exchange or third-party email provider, such as Google, you'll never feel out of the messaging loop.?
Media and browsing, battery
As a media device, the 2.44-inch display of the Curve 9320 will never be as glorious as an equally affordable but larger Android handset. The resolution, at 320 x 240 (164ppi) is pretty low by modern standards. The size and the resolution mean that things are small and the phone can't reproduce fine detail very well.?
For straight photos or video this doesn't really matter, but it's a huge problem for the browser, where you'll need to spend a lot of time zooming and scrolling to read text. If web browsing is one of your primary pastimes, then this isn't the device to do it on.
Other media is handled well enough however, and despite not offering HD capture, it would play some low-rent 720p video we'd recorded on other phones. Playback is one thing, but the notable freeze when you back out of a video returns us to the low power processor holding things up.
You can also share media via Wi-Fi, turning your device into a media server, so long as you have compatible hardware.
On the music front, the BlackBerry Curve 9320 doesn't sound too bad, with the EQ options giving you the scope to change the sound to your liking. The external speaker doesn't sound great, better for voice than music.
Sitting between the volume controls is a pause/play button, making music control a little simpler, should you need a moment of quiet. There is also an FM radio if you need a bit of Kiss FM to get you going in the morning.?
Finally you have a large 1450mAh battery in the Curve 9320, which will see you through an average day relatively easily. In our tests, the battery easily made it through 24 hours, although this does depend on what you do with it, of course.
Verdict:
Overall, there isn't much that the BlackBerry Curve 9320 doesn't do. Apart from the lack of NFC, now a feature of high-end BB handsets, and a touch interface, you pretty much get everything that Blackberry offers. Sure, you don't get the best hardware, the device isn't the best when it comes to build and specification, but this is a very affordable smartphone.
The small display does limit some of the excitement and BlackBerry App World also lags a long way behind Android and the iPhone, not helped by the dependence on buttons and menus for interaction and a general lack of screen real estate.
But when it comes to social or business interaction, then this BlackBerry will deliver, much like any other handset in RIM's range. It might not be fashionable to praise RIM for its BlackBerry handsets at the moment, but if you are a fan of messaging, have friends using BBM and are on a budget, then you can't go far wrong.
Tags: Phones Mobile phones BlackBerry BlackBerry Curve 9320 RIM
BlackBerry Curve 9320 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 09:00:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 10:00 am
Leica X2 pictures and hands-on
Premium compact, premium price
There's something about Leica cameras; it's hard to quite put a finger on it. So when Pocket-Lint had the chance to play with a brand new Leica X2 we rushed at the opportunity.
Announced last week, the Leica X2, which will replace 2009's X1, adds a new 16.2-megapixel APS-C sensor, among some other more subtle changes.
The fixed-lens compact has a Leica Elmarit 24mm f/2.8 ASPH lens, which equates to a 36mm lens in full-frame (or 35mm) equivalent. This medium-to-wide focal length is often touted as the perfect match for street photographers and the near-silent function makes it a discreet snapper.
From the outside, the X2 looks to be much the same camera as its predecessor. The body shape is one and the same, yet the leather-style grip has a different texture than before. The pop up flash is now activated from a switch to the rear, unlike the push-down and pop-up cylindrical flash found in the X1. A crucial change, which isn't apparent from just looking at the camera, is that the rotational aperture and shutter dials are now much stiffer - no accidental knocks will send your settings down the pan, a known complaint from existing X1 users.
Flip the camera around and the inclusion of a rear port means it's possible to accommodate a new electronic viewfinder in combination with the hotshoe. The 1,440k-dot resolution EVF2 will be sold separately for ?360 at launch, and ought to tick a box with those looking for a finder that can relay camera settings and autofocus confirmation right back to the eye. But, if you're the more traditional type, then the 36mm optical viewfinder, priced at ?269, may be more up your street - and ideally matched to a fixed lens camera such as this.
Despite apparent similarities to its predecessor, the X2 is the superior camera. An upgraded autofocus system is notably faster, now able to zip into action and identify a subject in a fraction of the previous time. However, the same optical construction - however grand - isn't capable when it comes to close-up focusing.
So how much will this slice of compact elegance set you back? A hefty ?1,575 will buy either the all-black or mock-silver camera. Should you choose to add the optional grip (?92), leather hand strap (?25), brown ever-ready case (?135) and one of the aforementioned viewfinders then it'll quickly rack up to a yet pricier piece. It's enough to make any wallet ache.
Leica X2 pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 08:58:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 9:58 am
Sony NEX-F3 pictures and hands-on
The newest CSC in town
In addition to the Sony A37 also announced today, the company has refreshed its entry-level NEX-series compact system camera. The NEX-F3, the camera to replace the NEX-C3, continues down the alphabet soup name-change line - but is a refresh with some subtle yet important changes.
The camera comes loaded with a 16.1-megapixel APS HD CMOS sensor, able to capture images from ISO 200-16,000. That's half a stop more sensitivity than its predecessor, but there's still no ISO 100 setting, which is a shame - the Sony Alpha SLT models are capable of this, so we see no reason why the NEX-series continues to omit a lower sensitivity.
As well as easy USB charging where the camera can be plugged into a laptop or other device to charge up, the F3 has an improved battery life compared to its predecessor. Now able to capture 470 shots per charge, that's an extra 70 shots per charge compared to its predecessor - although we haven't been able to test this thoroughly, if it proves true it will be most welcome. Most, if not all, compact system cameras suffer from poor battery life, so for Sony to take charge in changing this gets a thumbs up from us.
It's out with the old and in with the new too: the NEX-F3 includes a built-in pop-up flash, not the fiddly screw-on flash of its predecessor. Now this we like.
Movie mode also takes a step forward to a higher resolution. The full-HD 1080p mode captures at 25 frames per second, up from the C3's 720p capture.
As per the recently announced Sony A57 camera, the NEX-F3 takes advantage of both Auto Portrait Framing and Clear Image Zoom. The former is designed to auto-crop your shots for optimum framing, while the latter is akin to a digital zoom, except the image output size remains at 16-megapixels, despite the additional 2x magnification. The preview doubles the lens's focal length, which not only makes framing easy but is an extra trick that effectively doubles focal length when desired.
New picture effect modes open up a variety of in-camera adjustments. There are 11 types and 15 variations that range from posterisation to retro and black and white to toy camera. It's all the rage.
The bulk of the NEX-C3's features carry over to the latest F3 model. The same 3-inch, 921k-dot, tilt-angle LCD remains, and there's still no viewfinder - but it is possible to attach the FDA-EV1S electronic viewfinder (sold separately) to the smart accessory terminal - meaning it's possible to have both flash and viewfinder, unlike previous entry-level NEX models. 5.5fps burst shooting in speed priority mode also remains.
We like the way Sony's tinkered with the NEX-series. The NEX-F3 looks like a batch of little changes that will combine to make a big difference. And we anticipate it to launch at close to the ?500 mark. Affordable stuff.
Tags: Cameras Sony NEX-F3 NEX-C3 Compact system cameras
Sony NEX-F3 pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 05:00:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 6:00 am
Sony Alpha A37 pictures and hands-on
Alpha beta psychedelic funkin' at 7fps
Sony's refresh of its Alpha range continues with the brand new Sony Alpha A37. The replacement for last year's A35 model, the A37 further strengthens Sony's SLT (Single Lens Translucent) lineup and shows the company's ongoing investment in the technology.
The Alpha A37 is the entry-level SLT model, its main focus is on fast shooting but at an affordable price.
It looks and feels much the same as its predecessor, though the screen size has shrunk from 3-inches to 2.7-inches, and drops from a 921k-dot to 230k-dot resolution, but it gains the benefit of being mounted on a tilt-angle bracket to move the screen up or down for more unusual shooting positions.
The 16.2-megapixel sensor is now able to shoot from ISO 100-16,000 - increasing half a stop of sensitivity at the top end compared to its predecessor.
As per the recently announced Sony A57 camera, the A37 takes advantage of Auto Portrait Framing - a mode designed to auto-crop your shots. It works well sometimes, but can crop in at undesirable places. More gimmick than great.
Elsewhere it's very much business as usual. The 5.5fps burst shooting mode can snap away at an improved 7fps when in the Tele-zoom Continuous Advance Priority AE mode, making it extremely fast for the money. There's sensor-based image stabilisation, 1080p HD movie capture and a 15-point (three cross type sensors) autofocus system.
The main reason for the camera's fast burst speed is the SLT design - as the mirror is translucent it needn't move out of the way to expose the sensor. The result? Light can simultaneously reach both the sensor and phase detection autofocus system for non-stop focusing. It's impressive stuff for both stills and movie capture.?
However because of the design the camera inherits an electronic viewfinder, not a traditional optical one. Some will love it, some won't - it's down to personal taste. We think it's rather cool, and the "what you see is what you get" 100 per cent field of view makes it stand out above other entry-level DSLR cameras. The 1440k-dot resolution also trumps its predecessor and makes for detailed viewing. But it does seem to be a case of pinching resolution from the rear LCD and squeezing it into the viewfinder however. But you can't win at everything, right?
Anticipated to launch for around ?500-530, the A37 is a tempting prospect on the value front. We'll be reviewing a final sample model in due course. Keep your eyes peeled.
Tags: Cameras Sony Alpha Sony A37 DSLR cameras
Sony Alpha A37 pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 05:00:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 6:00 am
WEBSITE OF THE DAY: BT Art Box
Boxing clever for a good cause
If you’re in the UK this summer, you’re going to see lots of things.
You’re going to see the pomp and ceremony as we celebrate a massive royal occasion. (We do those rather well.)
You’re going to see the eyes of the world focused on our capital city as the greatest sporting occasion on the planet comes to these shores. (Remains to see how we’ll do with that one.)
You’ll see all that our green and pleasant land has to offer, which is a real treat when the weather holds. (We offer no guarantees whatsoever on that one I’m afraid.)
What you won’t see so much of any more, and more’s the pity, is some of the iconic and classic designs that have adorned our streets for generations,
Our beloved Routemaster buses are only seen ferrying wedding guests around these days and the humble red telephone box is now a treasured collectible.
One group probably quite glad of that is Childline, the charity set up 25 years ago to help children with nowhere else to turn. For a quarter of a century, kids in trouble have been able pick up a phone and get straight through to somebody who would listen, no matter what.
At btartbox.com they’re celebrating that 25 years of support for the vulnerable by getting artists to decorate the old BT phone boxes.
They’re design classics in their original state, but these are now true works of art. They’ll be auctioned off to raise funds for Childline and they’ll be dotted around the city during the busy summer ahead.?
?
Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online
WEBSITE OF THE DAY: BT Art Box originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 17 May 2012 01:00:00 +0100
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 2:00 am
APP OF THE DAY: Strava cycling review (iPhone)
Get fit
Sometimes free apps can be better than their paid-for equivalents. The world of fitness on the iPhone is undated with all sorts of accelerometer and GPS-integrated applications designed to help you lose the pounds. Problem is, the majority of them cost.?
Strava cycling is different, it offers a comprehensive smartphone based aid for the hardcore cyclist, be they road, off-road or indoors.
Strava Cycling
- Format
- iPhone
- Price
- Free
- Where
- iTunes
First up you are going to want to sign up with Strava. We opted for the direct Facebook linkage approach, which sped up the process no end. Either way it costs nothing. From there you are sent straight to the app's home screen, which works like most iOS apps in that it has a menu selection laid across the bottom.?
You can opt for a new ride, which will record just your timing, speed and distance. It can be paused at any time and, once finished, will build up a big set of details on your ride. A large map view of the exact route you took is recorded, as well as things such as average speed and elevation. A full-screen map of the exact route is also obtainable and integrates itself with Google Maps on iOS.?
A particularly nice touch is a sort of Xbox-style achievements list. Things like best times for individual segments will show you when you do your quickest section. You can even compare your times with others who have done the same route.?
Adding even more value are the built-in routes. The explore option will show you different cycle routes based on your location, even listing things such as elevation and distance. On top of all this, a global stats page with all your running and cycling efforts overall is kept constantly updated.?
A lot to get stuck into with Strava and especially given it's free. Serious cyclists in particular will find it hugely useful as it is a very comprehensive training aid.?
Tags: Apps App of the day iPhone Apple
APP OF THE DAY: Strava cycling review (iPhone) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 18:01:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 7:01 pm
Mophie Juice Pack Universal Powerstation Pro means you can leave your phone charger at home
Festival essential
The Apple Store has begun selling a waterproof Mophie power pack that has enough juice to charge an iPhone three times over.
The Mophie Juice Pack Universal Powerstation Pro should go down a treat with festival-goers this summer as it means you won’t have to fight for that one electrical output.
With dual USB ports the Mophie Juice Pack Universal Powerstation Pro can charge up to two USB-compatible devices simultaneously, thanks to a 6000-mAh capacity, and will even be able to top up an iPad.
So long as the ports are closed, the powerstation is both water and dust resistant to a rating of IP65 - meaning it should be able to withstand that inevitable downpour, or worse. Its rugged shell made up of rubber, aluminium and steel should also be able to withstand various knocks and bumps.
The Mophie Juice Pack Universal Powerstation Pro is available now from the Apple Store for ?79.95.
Tags: Phones Mophie Chargers iPhone iPad iPhone accessories iPad accessories
Mophie Juice Pack Universal Powerstation Pro means you can leave your phone charger at home originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 18:00:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 7:00 pm
LG Optimus UI 3.0 goes head-to-head with Samsung TouchWiz and HTC Sense
LG ups the UI ante
LG is upping its game in the user interface stakes by upgrading its custom Android menu system to the Optimus UI 3.0.?
The new user interface will debut on the LG Optimus LTE II when it arrives in Korea, but will also be preloaded on the LG Optimus 4X HD, which will be arriving here in the UK from June.
The LG Optimus UI 3.0 will enable users to launch specific features with preset gestures on the touchscreen once the phone has been unlocked; something the manufacturer is calling “Pattern Lock”.
The UI will also make it easier to fire up the phone from sleep mode, unlocking the phone by swiping a finger anywhere on the display.
However, our favourite feature is “Voice Shutter” which gives the user the ability to take photos by simply using their voice. Shortcuts to specific photos can also be set to the various homescreens, while applications will be ordered according to how frequently they are used.?
The “Quick Memo” function is another quirky addition, which allows the user quickly to jot a note anywhere on their screen with a finger or stylus before, using the scribble in a text, email or social network post. Hmmm haven’t we seen that somewhere else before?
LG is hoping its Optimus UI 3.0 will rival Samsung’s TouchWiz UI and HTC’s Sense 4.0 found on the Galaxy S III and One X respectively.
Tags: Phones LG LG Optimus 4X HD Android
LG Optimus UI 3.0 goes head-to-head with Samsung TouchWiz and HTC Sense originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 17:12:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 6:12 pm
Renault Grand Scenic Dynamique TomTom 1.5 dCi
A nice place for all the family
When it first appeared in 1996, the original Scenic broke ground as the first "small" people carrier to hit our roads. It did without the seven seats of existing people carriers such as its big brother Espace, but brought all that was loved about that format of car such as flexible, removable seats, great versatility and loads of storage options to a smaller package. Generation two continued to set the class standard with a distinctive look borrowed from the second generation Megane but even smarter versatility. It also introduced a longer-wheelbase, seven-seat "Grand variant to tackle competition from the likes of Vauxhall’s Zafira.
Now, well into its third generation, the Scenic has been given a cosmetic makeover and gained some new technology to keep it class competitive. It may win the prize for the longest name of any car we’ve reviewed recently, but how does this (deep breath): Renault Grand Scenic Dynamique TomTom 1.5 dCi 110 Stop & Start measure up?
Design
The third-generation Scenic’s never had the individual style that characterised the car it replaced. We think that’s a shame. Still, in Damask Red and on optional 17-inch Bari alloy wheels, the Scenic’s hardly a bad looking thing - the longer wheelbase and longer third-light window of this seven-seat "Grand" model helping the looks in our view.
But cars in this class - and the Scenic in particular - have always been about the interior. In this regard, the Scenic still presents a case for itself as class-leader. You get the impression that the design team who worked on the Scenic all have kids.
That’s why you’ll find storage pockets and boxes all over the cabin - including in the floor, below the boot, under the seats. Airline picnic-tables are standard for those in the second row, there’s a vast, slide-able storage bin between the front seats, and a second fold-out mirror from the roof to keep an eye on kids in the back. Oh, and you get integrated sun blinds and isofix points in all three second row seats. The only real quibble is that the centre row of seats doesn't fold fully flat into the floor like some cars in this class.
Tech
The "everything and more" story continues on the tech front. This is one of Renault’s TomTom models, which means you get a TomTom Live Nav unit integrated into the display ahead of driver and passenger. It’s controlled either by a joystick unit mounted on the front of the centre bin, where it falls neatly to hand, or via a remote control. And it works... just like every other TomTom - which means a lot better than many manufacturer-fit Nav systems. A 3-year TomTom Live subscription costs ?125.
This is just the start of the dizzying amount of technology kit that’s standard. Presumably you’ll be keen on keeping your family safe? So how do eight airbags with deactivation on the front seat, stability control, hill start assist, cruise control, automatic headlights and wipers and - with our car’s Luxe pack (?1500) - lane departure warning sound?
Worried you’ll have your hands full of kids and shopping and might get distracted every now and then? The hands-free door entry/start system, parking sensors, automatic parking brake, speed limiter and tyre inflation/puncture detection kit should help you out.
And if it’s entertainment you need, there’s an aux and USB connector on the radio, Bluetooth for your phone which plays music too, reading spotlights for those in the rear and, again as part of the Luxe pack, a Bose sound system with nine speakers. However, nowhere on the options list could we find an option for integrated TV/DVD players for the second row seats though, which means you’re into the land of Halford’s accessory range, which is a shame.
Of course, like the previous generation Scenic, the gauges are all digital. This new car features a multi-colour "EcoDrive" display which allows you to vary how it shows revs, what gear you’re in and the usual array of tricks to try to get you to drive economically. Just remember that, sitting where it is, everyone travelling in the car will be able to see when you choose to have that "red-mist dad" moment on the A49.
Driving
It always confuses us when magazines test people carriers and start placing importance on how happily the thing behaves when you drive like Sebastian Vettel. In our experience, most people who buy this kind of car place such things far down their list of priorities.
All you really need to know is that the Scenic drives generally fine. In this 1.5 dCi guise, the engine is fairly stretched. It’s humping around a big lump of car and if you add six passengers it starts to labour quite a lot. So if you’ve a brood of growing teenagers, we recommend upgrading to the 130 bhp engine, which is ?1100 more. Though those watching the pennies will want to stick with the incredibly competitive 105g/km CO2 and super-cheap roadtax of this 1.5 dCi.
Besides needing a bit more power, we wish the ride was more settled - admittedly it’s better with more people and stuff aboard. At times the Scenic shows up its use of a cheaper, less sophisticated torsion beam rear suspension and crashes around on rough roads.
Yet other than that the stop-start worked well, the Scenic is quiet at speed and the finger-light power steering is perfectly judged for the typical use this car will get.
Verdict:
It’s unlikely to answer your heart's desire in every way, like the Tesla we tested last week, but in the real world where you’ve space for just one car and have to juggle the stresses of bringing up a family with a busy work live, the Scenic hits the mark.
It doesn’t drive with the sophistication of a Ford S-Max, nor offer the lounge-like interior quality of the new Vauxhall Zafira Tourer, but it’s interior feels like greater thought’s gone into it. It not only works well, but somehow, sat inside the Scenic, the world seems a nice, happier place.
While the facelift can’t disguise the fact the Scenic is older than some of the competition and while it’s price isn’t far away from the Ford, Vauxhall or VW competition, Renault offer you much of the kit for standard that costs thousands extra on those cars. For instance, you’d probably not tick the ?200 option box for sun-blinds on the Ford S-Max, but here they’re standard and a total boon.
Add in the value and reassurance of Renault’s new 4+ (4 years warranty, servicing and finance cover) and we think that, as family cars go, there’s still little that can touch the Scenic.
Tags: Car And GPS Renault Renault Grand Scenic Renault Grand Scenic Dynamique TomTom 1.5 dCi
Renault Grand Scenic Dynamique TomTom 1.5 dCi originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 17:07:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 6:07 pm
ITV Digital website offers split screen Euro 2012 experience
Game footage and news feed on one page
Football fans will be able to enjoy (or commiserate as the case made be) this summer's European Championship via a split-screen facility on ITV Digital’s dedicated Euro 2012 website.
Optimised for both smartphones and tablets, the site will broadcast any games being shown on the ITV channel at the top of the webpage while below will be a rolling real-time news feature.
Here viewers will be able to get updates to other games including goal highlights, match reports and social media activity such as Twitter updates.
Stat fans will have access to group details, goal scoring charts and match data on the right-hand side of the page providing multiple ways of covering the tournament from one webpage all the way up to where England lose on penalties and beyond.?
ITV Digital’s Euro 2012 website follows the launch of the ITV News site earlier this year and again sees ITV partner with Made by Many, a digital innovation and service design company.
The website is live now and can be reached by visiting?www.itv.com/sport/football/euro/.
Tags: Football Sport Television ITV Euro 2012 Phones Tablets
ITV Digital website offers split screen Euro 2012 experience originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 15:55:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 4:55 pm
Apple's next iPhone to house bigger screen to compete with rival smartphones
At least 4-inches
According to reports, Apple’s next-generation iPhone will have a screen that measures at least 4-inches as it looks to compete with rival flagship phones.
Apple has been rumoured to be considering increasing its display size since the iPhone 4S arrived with a conservative 3.5-inches, the same dimensions as all previous models.
However, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the manufacturer has already begun ordering larger screens from its Asian suppliers.
The exact size of these displays is unknown but are said to be “at least 4 inches diagonally”.
With the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S III (4.8-inch), HTC One X (4.7-inches) and the LG Optimus 4X HD (4.7-inches) all sporting larger displays than the iPhone 4S, Apple looks set to rethink its approach.
It’s not just the iPhone’s dimensions that Apple’s said to be examining. Speculation that we could be seeing a 7-inch iPad this October is gathering momentum as the Cupertino company looks to monopolise the tablet market.
Tags: Phones Apple iPhone 5 iPhone 4S Screens Displays
Apple's next iPhone to house bigger screen to compete with rival smartphones originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 15:12:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 4:12 pm
Leica M9 Hermes pictures and hands-on
A snip at ?18,000
As well as the Leica M9 Monochrom, Pocket-Lint was also lucky enough to get a hands-on, well a "gloves-on", with the latest Leica M9-P Edition Herm?s.
Limited to just 300 products, each etched with its own unique number code, boxed with a book and a 50mm f/1.4 ASPH lens, the M9-P is, clearly, a snip at just ?18,000.
Those with fatter wallets may opt for one of the 100 products to come boxed with three silver-anodised lenses - the 28mm f/2 ASPH and 50mm f/0.95 and 90mm f/2 ASPH - priced at a mere ?36,000. Fortunately VAT is included.
Unlike the standard M9, the Herm?s?edition has been designed by Walter de'Silva. As such it comes without a hotshoe, though with that uber-bright f/0.95 lens it's quite possible you'll never need - nor want - a flash.
The shutter dial and multi-function dial have also been completely designed to give this special edition that extra special feel. The obvious tie-in with Herm?s, the camera is also dressed in Herm?s?Veau Swift calfskin leather. Very chic.
We're suckers for pricey kit. Rich fashionistas and Arabian princes pay attention - this is the hot ticket right here.
Tags: Cameras Leica Leica M9 Hermes Hermes Leica M9-P
Leica M9 Hermes pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 14:43:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 3:43 pm
Panasonic Viera TX-L55WT50B
Top of the range LED-backlit LCD TV
Panasonic’s top of the range LED LCD TV – the Panasonic TX-L55WT50B 55-inch Smart Viera LED-backlit LCD TV to give its name the full dues – is one grand home cinema screen. And by grand we mean it looks a treat; price wise you’ll need to multiply that grand by almost three. The ?2700 list price for the 55-inch version isn’t exactly easy on the wallet, but it is in line with its nearest competitors. So what do you get for the money and is this monolith-like screen worth it?
Go large
We like things to be that extra bit showy, hence selecting the largest WT50-series model to test. There are also 47-inch and 42-inch sizes that offer up the same technology as we’ll outline in this review, but at cut down sizes and, therefore, cost.
If you are going to go all out for that home cinema screen then the L55WT50B is certainly a way to do it in style. The screen is just shy of a true 55-inch diagonal, but only by 0.4-inches.
What’s most impressive about this beast is how much of the unit’s front is display – there’s a 10mm black bezel that surrounds the screen’s edge, topped with a silver edge that’s barely visible from front-on view, plus a slightly larger transparent extra to the screen’s base. But that’s it, it’s a very elegant set that really lets the picture dominate.
Despite the mammoth box that the set comes packaged in, the TX-L55WT50B is anything but wide - an advantage of the LED-backlight technology system. The screen itself is a mere 18mm deep, which tots up to approximately 27mm when including all of the extra equipment found on the unit’s rear.
A boomerang-shaped stand comes as standard and although it holds the screen steady we did find a fair bit of wobble when plugging various HDMI cables in and out.
Always connected
There’s no shortage of connectivity either. Four HDMI 1.4 inputs, three USB ports, an SD card slot, a LAN port for wired connection and built-in Wi-Fi. There’s provision for both S-video and SCART devices via included adaptors too, so your Nintendo Wii can be dusted down and plugged in no problems. The only frustration of these is the SD card slot – getting the card back out again is a right fiddle.
But far from just being a series of inputs and outputs, the "Smart" aspect of this Viera set is an important factor. In this day and age TV has to be smarter to provide multiple ways of viewing content. And key to the LX-55WT50B’s is its Wi-Fi connectivity.
Install Panasonic’s Android app on a phone or tablet and it’s possible to swipe video, stills and websites over to the big screen. Literally, with the push of a finger.
It’s quite cool, though some may see it as a rarely used gimmick. There’s no W7 phone support and, furthermore, the Panasonic doesn’t have a desktop app able to stream media direct to the TV – as per the forthcoming Sony Bravia HX850. That’s not to say there isn’t media server and DLNA support, as there is, but we’d liked to have seen some further innovative use of this TV’s tech.
Streaming fans wired up to Netflix, Lovefilm or other services can easily access content through the TV’s menus without issue. A quick tap of the internet button on the remote opens a screen with various app widgets, with the likes of YouTube available.
Face-to-face banter via Skype is also possible, but it needn’t interrupt your viewing pleasure, thanks to the WT50’s dual core processing power the TV can display multiple images, rescaled to display simultaneously. The main image morphs into a slanted box out, met with a little pop-up in the corner to see your caller. Powerful stuff.
Complete control
As well as the usual, "classic" remote control, the WT50 comes with an additional trackpad remote. It’s one of the features that separates this model from others in the series.
But far from feeling like a smartphone-inspired, Star Trek-esque responsive piece, it’s just a bit, well, needless. Its circular pad centre responds to swiping gestures; it begs to be used like iPods of old, but that’s not the case. Some people may love it - and it’s certainly a showy piece - but it doesn’t bring much to the party in our view.
Also packed into the box is not one, but two sets of 3D glasses. This is a key reason to buy this set instead of the Viera DT50 - the latter screen offers much the same picture quality, but without the 3D glasses included.
What about the picture?
Whether all the connectivity and control quirks suck you in or not, there’s no getting away from that fact that TVs are all about display. And when forking out more than three grand on a prime bit of kit, expectation is high. Good job then that the LX-55WT50B delivers aplenty in this department.
The depth to blacks is most impressive – it more or less matches the bezel surround, which makes for a seamless display from edge-to-edge of the screen. This is on account of the local dimming of the LED backlight that can control the image based on the content. There’s some slight excess dimming towards the screen edge, but for an IPS LED LCD panel this is impressive uniformity.
Although the spec sheet reads "1600Hz", the WT50 instead has a 200Hz native LCD panel with LED backlighting that flickers an additional eight times per second to give the impression of extra smooth motion. It’s how most TVs have been "upselling" themselves for years now.
There are pros and cons to this refresh rate: on the one hand it’s about as good as it gets for 3D playback where a high refresh is necessary to avoid stuttery, ghosted blur in movement and irritating crosstalk.
The LX-55WT50B performs well here. But when it comes to movies the 200Hz playback doesn’t divide equally by the 24p source material. The TV can adjust for the frame rate, but this can "smooth" movies into looking more like live action or what others describe as video-like (or "the soap opera effect").
We fired up a copy of last year’s hit Drive on Blu-ray and tinkered with the WT50’s "24p Smooth Film" mode. It works really well in playback, and whether you select off, min, med or max will depend on what footage you’re watching and how fazed you are by the effect. It’s decent performance, but diehard movie buffs may still prefer a traditional plasma screen, in particular on account of the cost of this Panasonic.
All in all, this large screen makes for impressive viewing whether in a dark room or with some daylight streaming in. Auto brightness adjustment will take care of the output, and those all-important blacks remain deep.
Sound as a pound
When it comes to sound the WT50’s output is good, but not spectacular. Proper movie buffs will invest in a decent surround system for the ultimate audio experience. A variety of surround sound options are available.
As well as on-board bass and treble adjustment, the WT50’s outage can be adjusted to optimise sound whether the TV is wall-mounted or further than 30cms from a surface. As with any speaker technology, there are limits to what can be achieved based on size and depth, though the WT50’s output is rounded and covers all the important ranges.
Verdict:
There’s a bit of a toss up between the WT50 and DT50 series. If 3D is your thing and you want two sets of 3D glasses included, the fancier stand and trackpad remote then the WT50 will be right up your street. But that does come at extra cost.
In this hotly contended category the likes of the Sony Bravia HX853, LG LM960V and Samsung ES8000 all fight for space - and the Panasonic nestles in among with the best of them. All these sets have their merits, for sure, but Panasonic has really delivered with this LED-backlit telly.
This is a darn good TV that not only looks great, but offers excellent picture quality with rich colours and deep blacks and there are bags of features to take advantage of. It’s fantastic, we love it, but it is unavoidably pricey - that's the price to pay for a 55-inch whopper.
UPDATE: 18 May 2012:
Panasonic contacted us about the WT50 series regarding its pricing in the UK. Due to a "guide price" on the official Panasonic eShop being far higher than the official launch retail price, we have amended our review. The official Panasonic Store quotes a ?2699.99 price for the 55-inch version - we phoned them up to double check and you can do the same for yourself. As this cuts some ?692 from our original citation, the WT50 is set to be far closer matched to its nearest competitors and its score has been adjusted accordingly. At least it's a lower price, it looks like the TV gods are shining down on home cinema fans...
?
Tags: TV Television Panasonic Viera Smart TV Panasonic Viera TX-L55WT50B
Panasonic Viera TX-L55WT50B originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 14:13:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 3:13 pm
Android fragmentation report suggests app developers should test on Samsung phones first
681,900 devices studied
Mobile network coverage site OpenSignalMaps has created a report on the state of Android and its often bemoaned fragmentation by looking at the statistics of the smartphones that have downloaded its app over a six month period. And it seems that, yes, of course there's fragmentation, but to the benefit of choice.
The study looked at 681,900 devices - phones and tablets - logging each one's manufacturer, model, API (version of Android) and screen size, and while there are some obvious findings, there's a few surprises too.
It comes as no shock that the Samsung Galaxy S II is by far the most prolific smartphone. Of the 3,997 distinct devices more copies of the OSM app were downloaded using a GT-I1900 (SGSII) than any other - 61,389 of them in total (9 per cent).
Amusingly, there were a few unique devices too - not including those that showed up as such due to custom ROMs. One Concorde Tab (a Hungarian 10.1 tablet) was listed, as was a solitary Lemon P1 (an Indian dual SIM phone).
Considering the popularity of the Galaxy handsets per se, it also comes as no surprise that Samsung is the manufacturer listed the most (40 per cent). It's followed closely by HTC, Sony (Sony Ericsson) and Motorola. And, as for Android itself, the fact that the most recent version of Gingerbread 2.3.3+ is the OS installed on the majority of devices (55.4 per cent) is a no brainer, especially as plenty of smartphones are still awaiting an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0).
Perhaps the biggest challenge for app developers however, is the hugely variation in screen resolutions. Where the non-rigidity and diversity of screen technologies (3D included) and pixel count are one of the Android market's major selling points, it can be hellish to ensure that a certain application works on a vast majority of devices.
OpenSignalMaps though, with all of the stats in hand, has a simple solution: developers should make sure they test their apps first on Samsung and HTC devices. That way, they can't go far wrong, certainly in appeasing the largest number of owners.
And, without such fragmentation and variety in handset/tablet price points, there'd be less of an opportunity to get an application into the hands of all, young or old, rich or poor. And that can't be bad.
Tags: Android Phones Tablets OpenSignalMaps Samsung HTC
Android fragmentation report suggests app developers should test on Samsung phones first originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 14:09:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 3:09 pm
Belkin gearing up for 802.11ac debut meaning three times faster Wi-Fi speeds
The future of Wi-Fi is here
Belkin has announced that it is pressing ahead with plans to be one of the first technology solutions to tackle the 802.11ac Wireless Networking Market.?
Its wireless dual-band router will mean Wi-Fi speeds three times faster than existing 802.11n technology thanks to Broadcom’s fifth generation or 5G Wi-Fi chips.
Still very much in its infancy, the 802.11ac?technology is set to revolutionise the Wi-Fi world with faster streaming, downloads and file synching while ensuring there’s less drainage on battery life – particularly relevant to smartphone and tablet devices.
Of course it’s far more complex than that, and you can read more about what 802.11ac will mean by reading Pocket-lint’s feature on the technology here, but Belkin’s strides make for existing times.?
As Michael Hurlston, Broadcom’s SVP of Wireless Combo Connectivity, beams:?"By incorporating Broadcom's 5G Wi-Fi chips, Belkin's new products will improve home wireless performance, provide faster video streaming, enable simultaneous connection of multiple devices to the network, and deliver broader coverage-all with a longer battery life."
Belkin’s ac router range will begin rolling out through Europe in August 2012. Expect other technology outfits to follow suit.
Tags: Internet Wi-Fi Belkin Networking Downloads Streaming
Belkin gearing up for 802.11ac debut meaning three times faster Wi-Fi speeds originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 13:28:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 2:28 pm
Leica M9 Monochrom pictures and hands-on
Will you beat your wallet black and blue?
A flurry of Leica launches last week caught our attention, not least thanks to the addition of the Leica M9-M Monochrom - the first rangefinder camera with a dedicated, full-frame black and white sensor. Heck, from what we can recall it's the first non-medium-format camera with a dedicated black and white sensor.
The Monochrom - that's right, drop the "e" and say it in a very German accent for extra coolness - shoots files in black and white. That means its Raw files are true black and white renders.
Specialist? For sure. But it's clever stuff. Based on the same sensor as the original M9, at least in terms of its full-frame size, the M9 Monochrom doesn't need the usual colour array found in most, if not all, digital cameras. This means no interpolation - the process of the camera "educatedly guessing" accurate colours at each pixel site - is required, instead a super-accurate greyscale reading is taken for precision tonality.
The print we saw on fibre paper in the Leica studio - printed by Whitewall in Germany, a company offering an exclusive digital-meets-wet process for Leica M users - looked like a stand-out example of how classic black and white photography should look.
Lovely though all this may sound, its ?6,120 price tag will leave many jaws on the floor. Oh, and that's without the 50mm Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH lens that you can see in our hands-on pictures - that'll set you back a further ?5,400.
Tags: Cameras Leica Leica M9 Monochrom leica m9 Photos
Leica M9 Monochrom pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 13:15:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 2:15 pm
TDK's Life on Record portable speaker range provides a musical punch for your smartphone
Music on the go
With summer just around the corner (allegedly) TDK has wasted no time in unveiling its range of portable audio products, great for annoying the neighbours with those outdoor BBQs you have.
TDK has introduced five products to its Life on Record range, all of which are compatible with the iPod, iPhone and any smartphone that sports a 3.5mm headphone jack.
TDK App-Enhanced Rechargeable Travel Speaker
With its folding design and svelte features, the App-Enhanced Rechargeable Travel Speaker can be tucked away in a picnic hamper for a day out while the built-in rechargeable battery should ensure you don’t run out of juice before sunset.
Take the device back home and using the various alarm clock apps you’ll able to select what dulcet tunes to wake up to.
Retailers will be selling the App-Enhanced Rechargeable Travel Speaker for ?84.99.
TDK App-Enhanced Portable Stereo Speaker
The TAC App-Enhanced Portable Stereo Speaker is more suited for the home rather than lugging around in a bag. This is due partly to its delicate concave speakers, though it’s light enough to move from room to room with a hidden handle to assist you. There’s a built-in FM radio as well as an alarm clock.
The TDK App-Enhanced Portable Stereo Speaker will cost around ?69.99.
TDK Ultra-Portable Travel Speaker
Slightly smaller than the App-Enhanced Rechargeable Travel Speakers, but with a smaller price too, the Ultra-Portable Travel Speaker can again be used as an alarm clock or as a boom box. With a universal line-in jack, devices with a 3.5mm headset jack can be hooked up to the device, as well as any iPod or iPhone.
The TDK Ultra-Portable Travel Speaker is available from selective retailers for around ?59.99.
TDK Dual Charging Alarm clock
What’s the most important thing on an alarm clock? The snooze button of course. Well the TAC4221 Dual Charging Alarm clock has a snooze mode, sleep function and a dimmer. As for the alarm functionality, choose between the FM radio or any tunes you have stored on your iPhone and iPod.
With an additional USB port you can charge a second device as well as your iPhone or iPod.
Various retailers are selling the TDK Dual Charging Alarm Clock for around ?69.99.
TDK Space Saving Alarm Clock
Smaller than the Dual Charging Alarm Clock, the Space Saving Alarm Clock offers the same functionality only with not as much vigour. That said, you can still wake up to a preset track on your smartphone, use the FM radio app or simply choose from a range of wake-up calls.
And yes that all important sleep mode’s there too. The TDK Space Saving Alarm Clock will set you back around ?49.99.
All of TDK's Life on Record range is available to buy now.
Tags: Audio TDK Music Stereos Alarm clocks
TDK's Life on Record portable speaker range provides a musical punch for your smartphone originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 12:38:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 1:38 pm
Three unveils details of cheaper MiFi device for Wi-Fi on the go
Cheaper, we just don't know by how much
UK operator Three has again joined forces with Huawei to launch a new value MiFi device, enabling you to get Wi-Fi anywhere you can get a Three phone signal.
Okay caveat first, despite Three informing Pocket-lint that it will be cheaper than the previous Huawei E586 MiFi device, Three has no official pricing yet for the Huawei E5331 Value MiFi.?
What we do know is that the newer “more affordable” MiFi device will be easier to use with a single one-button connection.
It will also sport an LED screen rather than OLED, with Three conceding that the Huawei E5331 will only display basic information such as battery life and signal strength, whereas its predecessor also included the number of devices that was connected, the date and usage.
There’s also no charging dock either. But this is value remember and you’ll still be able to enjoy HSPA+ download speeds of up to 21.1 Mbps and up to 5.76Mbps HSUPA uplink speeds as well as connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices.
As well as pricing we’re still in the dark about when the Huawei E5331 Value MiFi will be arriving but it will be available from both Three stores and from Three’s website in the near future.
Tags: Phones MiFi Huawei three Wi-Fi
Three unveils details of cheaper MiFi device for Wi-Fi on the go originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 12:10:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
Somerset House venue map marked on Bing as Microsoft's mobile search focus goes local
INTERVIEW: Bing UK talks to Pocket-lint
You’ll be able to get a much closer look at Somerset House?from today without even needing to set foot in London, thanks to Microsoft and its increasingly popular Bing Maps. Head over to the service on either desktop or mobile and you’ll find a detailed floor by floor and interactive plan of this famous centre for the arts down to the level of cafes, restaurants, studios, rooms, terraces and landmarks, and soon with what events are going on in each of them at the current time.
It didn’t take Pocket-lint too long to work out why the idea of venue maps is not a bad one when we caught up with Kevin Stagg from Bing UK Mobile at the Fernandez & Wells cafe in Somerset House to take us through the details.
"Just walk in there and you’ll find it" is an all too often used phrase when it comes to navigational tips for meeting places. Pocket-lint walked into the central courtyard at Somerset House. We didn’t find it. In fact, it took quite a few minutes of wandering around in yet another unseasonable May. Did Microsoft plan this to prove a point?
“We’ve got a bunch of research where we know that up to 50 per cent of mobile search has some kind of local intent and so is very contextual,” says Stagg, outlining the reason for Bing Mobile’s push on venues as we shake off our dripping coat.
“From a smartphone perspective, there’s a core local piece to it. That’s where we try to push some major attention - to make sure we have a really good local offering, a really good maps offering - so that you can find things, you can understand things and you can get to things. So you’re always getting things done. That’s part of the ethos of Bing. Bing is for doing.”
There are currently about 1,000 venue maps live on Bing with 60 or so relevant to the UK. They’re not rendered in 3D as you might find on some of the more detailed sections of Google Maps but they are more informative. Move your mouse over the different rooms and buildings and you’ll get dedicated information on each which is set to go far deeper than just name and phone number as the service matures, and the point of such a break down of information, as well as locale, is all about planning and discovery.
“We have an audience target and we understand how they’re using it," explains Stagg.
"Venue maps is one of our key elements. You can plan in advance. You can see exactly where you want to enter the building and exactly where you’re going. And, once you’re there, what else can you do?”
The changing events side of the equation is the next step for Bing. To work out exactly where in the Somerset House courtyard your friends are sitting with their picnic to watch the film is one thing, but discovering other exhibitions going on around the building for when you’re done is where Stagg wants the experience to go next.
“We want people to get the most out of the things that they’re currently doing and we want them to find out a little bit more. This is our audience. They want to find new places, they want to find new things, they interact with their smartphones a lot and they want to know what smartphones to get next and what it can do for them. And they want to come to venues like this because there’s the the ice skating in the winter, the films in the summer, fashion, exhibitions and things like that.”
“It becomes an extension of social tools more than anything else, and the more people use Bing Maps, the more that those social extensions become available to them.”
For Somerset House itself, the tie-up with Bing Maps is a no-brainer. The institution is no stranger to advances in technology with a recent exhibition project with augmented reality specialist Aurasma using AR on site as well as having just developed its first iPad app used as a taster for the Pick Me Up graphic art fair recently held at the venue.
“We’re hoping it will bring people in here that normally wouldn’t come in, as well as those that come here all the time,” confirms Visitor Service coordinator at Somerset House, Daniel Roberts.
“It’s taken less than a month from our talks with Bing to come up with the venue map and it’s launching at the same time as our Time for Tai Chi two-month long programme.”
Somerset House is only one of two venue maps listed under Buildings on Bing Maps - the other being the Barbican. The bulk of the other 58 are made up of shopping centres, airports and a handful of football stadia but it’s more of the “historical, trendy venues that are always changing” that seem to be highest on Stagg’s hit list for this next wave.
Bing, of course, has been facing an uphill challenge ever since it decided to take on the dictionary definition of a search engine that is Google, but it’s a challenge that Microsoft seems to be taking on with quite some relish and success to boot. Bing search and maps are baked into the Windows Phone experience and the desktop versions are doing well, but it’s a harder sell for those on other mobile platforms. So, what’s the angle?
“Our search results are not heavy in terms of their UI. We don’t pull lots of graphical assets. It’s very clean, it’s very crisp and we can show all the information instantly because it’s all text based,” convinces Stagg.
“As well as the local results, we also have beautiful homepages with little bits of information you get each day about them. It’s a nice thing to see. We give you something more attractive in the initial experience and we get you to doing things quickly.”
Speed, minimal data use and touch of class are certainly all welcome but while that might wash on iOS with the dedicated Bing app, there’s an awful lot of Android users out there stuck with a browser version of the offering. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely the bottom of the Bing mobile pile, and, as much as Microsoft would like Android users to know that there is an alternative to the out of box Google experience, perhaps, for now, that’s a search too far.
Nonetheless, the venue maps are well worth a look in. Whether it's finding your way to the right turnstile of a football stadium or working out the fastest route to your gate at the airport, Bing is leading the way.
Tags: Phones Software Mapping Software Bing Bing Maps Microsoft Somerset House Features Interviews Aurasma
Somerset House venue map marked on Bing as Microsoft?s mobile search focus goes local originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 11:59:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 12:59 pm
Google to take on Apple by giving early Android access to other smartphones
No more Google Nexus
Google’s next version of Android could arrive on as many as five different manufactured smartphones as it changes its approach to launching new operating systems.
In the past Google has tested the water by partnering with one manufacturer to produce the first smartphone on a new Android platform, as part of the Nexus range, before slowly rolling it out on to others.
However, the internet giant hopes to take on Apple by working closely with multiple manufacturers so that it’s in a position to release an array of Android smartphones and tablets from launch.
As well as putting pressure on Apple, it’s also thought the move will appease other manufacturers who had become concerned at Google's potential move to buy Motorola Mobility Holdings – with fears that Motorola would be given preferential treatment in terms of when they received new Android software.?
It’s also thought Google’s new approach will mean the operators would have less of a say at what services run on each device as well as how they are sold.
Google is said to be keen to implement this new approach to Android in time for the next major upgrade, Android 5.0 Jelly Bean, which is expected to roll out before the end of 2012.
Tags: Phones Tablets Google Android Jelly Bean Apple
Google to take on Apple by giving early Android access to other smartphones originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 11:38:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 12:38 pm
Retina display could be coming to MacBook Air too
Entire family to get makeover
It is already being touted that Apple's next MacBook Pro, an ultra-thin 15-incher, will come with a Retina display and could even be announced at WWDC in the middle of June. Now, reports suggest that the high pixels per inch screen technology will also be adopted for the next wave of MacBook Airs.
Sources in the supply chain have told 9to5Mac that the overall design aesthetic of the 2012 MacBook Air family refresh will be largely unchanged, but they will each sport the Retina display technology used on the iPhone 4, 4S and new iPad.
They claim that there will be new 11.6 and 13.3-inch versions, which will be powered by Intel Ivy Bridge processors and faster graphics chips than before. The battery demands will be higher with the Retina displays, they say, so that issue will also be addressed.
There's no word as to whether Apple will be looking to add USB 3 connectivity to the new MacBook Air, something believed to be being considered for the MacBook Pro. However, the same sources say that higher resolution iMac display panels have been turning up in the supply chain. There's no word on what those resolutions are, but the current 21-inch model is 1920 x 1080, while the 27-incher offers a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1440.
It is not expected that the new iMacs or MacBook Airs will be unveiled at WWDC. Apple will most likely stick to revealing the new MacBook Pro and is expected to announce iOS 6.
Tags: Apple Laptops Computers Retina display Apple MacBook Air
Retina display could be coming to MacBook Air too originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 11:38:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 12:38 pm
Apple working on a steering wheel remote for handsfree control of your car stereo
Handsfree track changing
Apple has applied to the US Patent and Trademark Office to patent a steering wheel remote control that it's working on.
Get caught playing around with your car stereo while driving and at best you’ll face a stern talking to from the boys in blue; at worst you could be looking at points on your licence.
Though many high-end vehicles have similar contraptions built-in, Apple’s steering wheel remote control will be attached manually and will remain wireless. We assume it will then pair with the car’s media system via Bluetooth or FM transmitter.?
Resembling the navigational click wheel found in Apple’s iPod collection, the device will attach to the top of the steering wheel at the ten to two position (remember your driving test?) depending on whether you’re right or left-handed.
You’ll then be able to skip or pause a track without taking your hands off the steering wheel.
Tags: Apple Cars Car Stereos Stereos Handsfree
Apple working on a steering wheel remote for handsfree control of your car stereo originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 10:20:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 11:20 am
The Social Network writer, Aaron Sorkin, to adapt Steve Jobs biography for movie
Not the Ashton one
Aaron Sorking, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of The Social Network and Moneyball, has been signed by Sony Pictures to adapt Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs. The book has sold more than 2.25 million copies since its publication in November 2011, and Sorkin has long been rumoured to be the man targeted by the studio to handle its big-screen version.
As well as adapting Ben Mezrich's story of Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook and that of baseball coach Billy Beane, Sorkin also wrote the screenplays for A Few Good Men, Charlie Wilson's War and TV series The West Wing, a show on which he was also credited as executive producer.
The Sony Pictures version of the late Apple CEO's story is a rival movie to Jobs: Get Inspired, the indie flick currently being shot with Aston Kutcher in the lead role. It is not expected to hit the screen until 2013 and there have been no announcements about casting or directors.
If you can't wait for either film to be released, you can always check out the 1999 effort, Pirates of Silicon Valley, which never made it to the UK, but may be found on region 1 or Spanish region 2 DVD (which has the original English soundtrack) on eBay.
Tags: Movies Home Cinema The Social Network Steve Jobs Sony Pictures
The Social Network writer, Aaron Sorkin, to adapt Steve Jobs biography for movie originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 10:04:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 11:04 am
Samsung Galaxy S III available a day early for customers who pre-order from flagship Westfield store
Early bird catches the phone
Customers who pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S III from the Samsung Brand Store at Westfield Stratford City will be able to pick up the phone a day before the official release date of 30 May.
Pre-orders must be made with the store before 6pm on 29 May and Samsung has stressed that there will be no devices to buy in-store, apart from those being picked up from pre-orders, until the following day.?
However, customers who pre-order the phone from other retailers might also be able to pick up their Galaxy S III early after Samsung said it was giving its retail partners the option to begin fulfilling pre-orders an hour later from 7pm on 29 May.
All other major networks and high street and online retailers will be selling the Samsung Galaxy S III in store from 30 May.
You can read our hands-on look at the Samsung Galaxy S III by clicking here.
Tags: Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Samsung Ice Cream Sandwich
Samsung Galaxy S III available a day early for customers who pre-order from flagship Westfield store originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 09:39:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 10:39 am
WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Cowbird
Welcome to the next generation of storytellers
Since even before the time when Neolithic man started to scrawl on the walls of his cave, there has been a human tradition of telling stories.
From campfire tall tales to elaborate operatic sagas, throughout the ages we have loved to tell each other what we’ve been up to.
The internet has made it much easier for millions of stories to be told, almost simultaneously.
And that’s the problem, isn’t it?
There is so much out there, that it all starts to become noise. There’s no real narrative without a degree of filtering.
Take Twitter. If you followed everybody you’d be bombarded by a raw feed of human consciousness and switch it off within seconds. No, you choose who to follow, and you develop tastes and habits. You will also see trends start to form each day, and often these change within minutes.
It’s a similar story (pun intended) at cowbird.com, a sumptuous multimedia site which draws together the cream of the new generation of storytellers who bring to life the events that affect us all, with numerous voices and from various points of view.
This is the finer side of citizen journalism and it’s a literary and visual treat to spend time here.
You will love this site.
Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online
WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Cowbird originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 16 May 2012 01:00:00 +0100
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 2:00 am
APP OF THE DAY: GO SMS Pro (Android)
Hit me baby one more time
You might use the default Android SMS app, you might use one provided by your handset manufacturer. The problem is, there's no consistency in Android SMS clients, and most of them are ugly and don't have much in the way of functionality.
GO SMS Pro is different, and that's a really good thing. It's got a lot more going on than just sending SMS messages. There are add-in apps, which extend the functionality, and lots of online services too, such as group chat and Facebook integration.
GO SMS Pro
- Format
- Android
- Price
- Free
- Where
- Google Play
Perhaps the most important feature, however, is integrated backup and restore of your SMS messages. If you, like us, horde your past text messages then you'll want to be able to keep them safe and sound. Backups are stored to your SD card, and it just takes a couple of button pushes to make a backup, or restore from one. There is also an automatic service, which offers to make daily, weekly or monthly copies of your messages.
If you like to keep secrets, or you're worried about losing your phone, you can set up a private box. This allows you to keep password protected messages on the device, which will be inaccessible if your phone gets nicked or left in a pub. This should be a must for celebrities, especially if they're in the habit of sending naked pictures of themselves to friends.
There are downloadable themes too. The default one is pretty naff, but there are some that ape the iPhone look and feel, and some nice dark themes and even one in the style of Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
If you're a Facebooker, there's also access to its chat service, directly from the app. This - along with some other apps - requires that you install an extra plugin, but it takes mere seconds to do. You authorise the app via the Facebook API, so there's no real security risk here. The chat works well too, and is as simple to use as you imagine.
If you're prepared to sign up for another service, there's a GO Chat app included too. Here you can share doodles with your group as well as voice messages. This is all well and good, but obviously requires all your contacts use GO SMS. Something we think would be great, but a little unlikely.
We like the fact that you get a folder list too. Here you can see your inbox, outbox and sent messages along with drafts, MMS messages and even make your own folders. This is a nice feature, and will appeal to high-volume texters, we're sure.
GO SMS Pro costs nothing, and adds loads of functionality to your text message system. We love it, and have been using it for a long time now. It makes sense, especially with the amount we change phones, but we're pretty sure everyone will get some benefit from this handy app.
Tags: Apps App of the day Android apps GO SMS Pro
APP OF THE DAY: GO SMS Pro (Android) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 20:31:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 9:31 pm
Porsche Cayman S
Brash and brilliant fun
"Would you like to drive a Porsche around the south of France?" is the kind of question which - like, "Would you like either a kick in the crown jewels, or this gold ingot?" ?- doesn’t require a lot of thinking about. "Yes," we replied, and a couple of weeks later we’re picking up the keys to a German fun wagon.
The Cayman is sort of the answer to the potential criticisms of the 911 range. For a start, it's a mid-engined car, which is arguably a lot less likely to try and kill you than a rear-engined one, and the number of options in the range is a lot less confusing than the 911 – four, as opposed to 21 for the 911. We drove the Cayman S, which costs around ?48,000, but the vanilla Cayman starts at ?39,000, only a little more than the Boxster.
Price
It is, however, worth remembering that as with all German cars, the price is a fluid thing. While the base car is ?48,000, you can spend an awful lot more on various bits and bobs for it. You can pay ?90 for a aluminium "look" fuel filler cap. Or ?5500 on ceramic brakes – overkill unless you're intending to use it on a track. There are also some very worthwhile additions. You can take an upgraded stereo for ?2,137. Go for the Bose here, the sound quality is far better than the Porsche system. Also, we think the 3G option, and sat nav are must-haves. You can have a TV tuner, but why would you ever stop to watch TV when you could be out driving. It's probably worth getting parking assist too, for ?348.
We configured a car to this spec, and included the Porsche automatic, double clutch gearbox and Sports Chrono package, and ended up with a price of ?54,708. We do have some mixed feelings about the automatic gearbox. It is very good, but we're also lovers of manual transmission, and that gives us some conflict. The speed, flexibility and addition of launch control would probably win us over though. And, at least with the PDK gearbox, you never lose full manual control.
Design
The interior of the Porsche is both the best, and worst thing about it. It is in every sense a luxury car. The leather is beautiful, the instruments clear and easy to read and everything is in a sensible place. It is very German indeed. But it's devoid of any personality. This is not the sort of car that needs nannying, nor is it poorly made or temperamental. Like all Porsche vehicles, you can drive it every day.
Externally, too, the Porsche Cayman doesn’t look as pretty as the 911, or even the Boxster. It’s not an ugly car, but it looks bigger and its huge wheel arches dominate the style. It’s a more distinctive look than the Boxster - which apes the 911, to some extent - but it won’t appeal to everyone. The long boot, with a sort of kink put us off slightly, but who are we kidding, it's still a Porsche, with Porsche looks, and we still think it's terrific.
The Cayman is also an easy car to get in to, and it's super-comfortable once you're in. The seats are grippy, and keep you in place when you're driving hard and you can see all the instruments, all the time. This is something that cannot be said for some other cars.?
Boot space isn't a disgrace. You can store items behind the engine, and there's enough room for a couple of weekend bags here. But you also get under-bonnet storage too. And there's more capacity here for your various gubbins. The 911 might have fractionally more space, but while having the engine in the middle might deprive you of rear seats, there's still enough room for two people to have a nice weekend away. ?
Driving on mountain roads does make you appreciate just how wide the Cayman is. There were certainly times when we longed for a more traditional, narrow, sports car, even if it would mean that you'd be sitting almost on top of your passenger. Still, no matter how wide or narrow your sports car, you're always going to worry constantly about it, so the key is just to keep a watchful eye on other drivers and their nasty habit of driving to close to you.?
Declare yourself a driving god
Porsche makes it easy to look good in the Cayman. It’s an easy car to drive, especially in automatic mode. You get manual control, if you need it, but you might as well not bother. The automatic box is so quick, that it makes driving the car a stop and go affair. On a straight stretch of road, you bury the accelerator in the floor, and the car roars in to life.
There are three modes to choose from in a car with the PDK automatic, double-clutch gearbox. In standard, the car is fast, but it changes up quickly and the engine noise is suppressed. For most driving, this is how you probably want the car set up.
Switching to the “sport” mode changes things, with the car changing up later and making significantly more noise in to the bargain. This is still an easy enough mode to drive the car in, however, and while it’s fast, you’re still getting a lot of help from the car to keep it on the road.
If you’re on a track – or just fancy hearing your car enjoy itself - then “sport plus” is where it’s at. Here, the car doesn’t change up until its near the red on the rev range. With all of the modes, you can get to the top speed in sixth, with the seventh gear being provided for economy. If economy isn't too laughable a word to use in conjunction with a sports car.
Of course, all of these modes really just make up for the fact that you're driving an auto, rather than a manual. There is no trick this automatic box can pull off that you can't with some driving experience. So it's a tricky one. Certainly, saving ?2,000 is worth considering, especially if you invest the money in some Porsche driving days, to get the hang of your new car...
Performance
The Cayman is a little bit slower than both the Boxster S and the 911 Carrera, in both acceleration and ultimate top speed, but we really doubt you'll notice. It is, very fast indeed. It's also solid and feels rigid when you're throwing it along country lanes or around French mountains.
With Sport+ engaged, you can make use of launch control too. Put your left foot on the brake, push the accelerator down fully, then release the brake and the car will propel you forward with the maximum speed it can muster. It's handy for getting off the lights, but it's probably more useful if you're a fan of track days.
So, what happens when you put your foot down? Well, there's noise and lots of it. The Cayman isn't shy about yelling about how good it is. But it has the rasp of a 40-a-day smoker, it's a metallic croak that seems too harsh at first, but then becomes something you want to hear as often as possible. Tunnels will become your very favourite place to be.
And in terms of comparison with the 911, the Cayman holds up well. It's only a modest amount slower than Porsche's flagship model – at least, the lower end of that range – but the money sayving is significant enough to make it worth considering.
Verdict:
There's no doubt about it, the Porsche Cayman is a delight to drive. It's properly bolted together. The cabin is a nice a place to be as any luxury car, and it's comfortable too. Switches, buttons and controls all fall in to your hand, and the stereo/sat nav combination works better than many built-in systems.
The mid-engined nature of this car means you get less boot space than in a 911. There, you at least get the notion of a rear seat. And while you lose the "boot" that you find in the Cayman, you do get the under-bonnet capacity. Although, none of these cars are going to set the world alight with their ability to haul cargo.
What the Cayman does brilliantly though, is offer amazing performance for thousands of pounds less than a 911, and significantly bettering the handling of the convertible Boxster. But for a modest price increase. It's bundles of fun, noisy and stylish and if you've got the cash to spare, it's almost a no-brainier.
Normally, we wouldn't struggle so much with the choice of auto or manual transmission. Annoyingly though, the Porsche double-clutch double-gearbox arrangement is so good, and so fast, that it muddies the water. Drivers who love driving will, almost certainly, want to go for the manual car.
Tags: Car And GPS Porsche Porsche Cayman S
Porsche Cayman S originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 17:59:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 6:59 pm
Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs: First photos of actor portraying late Apple CEO
Filming's begun
Two and Half Men actor and the former Mr Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher has been photographed making his way to the set of his new film about the late Steve Jobs.
Not without controversy, both in terms of the subject matter as well as the casting of Kutcher, there’s no denying the 34-year-old actor bore more than a passing resemblance for the former Apple CEO, complete with black turtle neck jumper and trademark beard.?
Filming has only just begun in Los Angeles and is currently going under the working title of “Jobs: Get inspired.” The biopic is said to focus on Jobs’s “hippie years” in the lead up to his forming Apple. It’s pencilled in for a 2013 arrival.?
Kutcher’s portrayal of Steve Jobs is not the only film in the pipeline with Sony Pictures also working on a movie based on Walter Isaacson’s biography.?
In 1999 a film entitled Pirates of Silicon Valley”was also released, though of course back then the world had never heard of an iPod, let alone an iPhone or iPad.
Tags: Apple Movies Steve Jobs Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs: First photos of actor portraying late Apple CEO originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 17:12:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 6:12 pm
Sony upgrades its VAIO S Series laptops with quad-core Ivy Bridge processors
Portability and power
Not content with enhancing its VAIO E Series array of laptops, Sony has now added to its S Series range too.
Consisting of a 13.3 and a 15.5-inch display models, both laptops feature an uber-svelte waistline which Sony claims makes them ideal for people who work on the move.
Despite the skinny waistline the Sony VAIO S Series sports a robust shell as depending on the model it’s made up from the likes of magnesium, aluminium and carbon fibre. The choice of materials means Sony has been able to keep the weight of the devices down, with even the larger S Series 15 model weighing in at less than 2kg.
Both Sony VAIO S Series laptops will feature a slot-in optical drive for either Blu-ray Disc or DVD playback, as well as a large "button-free" touchpad to navigate the mouse pointer.
The S Series 13 model boasts a VAIO Display Premium screen, while the S Series 15 laptop offers a more advanced Full HD VAIO Display Plus.
Sony has kitted out the S Series 15 models with third-generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processors for some much needed power, with Sony saying some future S Series 13 devices will be too.
Sony is also introducing two accessories to accompany the S Series range. A docking station with an integrated 500GB hard disk drive that will enable users to back up any files will also be sold, as will an optional sheet battery that will provide power for an additional 14 hours.
As with Sony’s latest additions to its VAIO E Series range, plug your smartphone into the S Series laptops, even when switched off and you’ll be able to charge your mobile accordingly.?
Both Sony’s 13.3 and 15.5-inch VAIO S Series models will be available in the UK from early June, though there’s no word on pricing.
Tags: Laptops Sony Sony Vaio S Series Netbooks
Sony upgrades its VAIO S Series laptops with quad-core Ivy Bridge processors originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 16:58:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 5:58 pm
Sony adds 15 and 17-inch displays to its VAIO E Series range
Bigger is beautiful
Sony has added a few extra inches to its VAIO E Series range with a 15.5 and 17.3-inch display models.
Following in the footsteps of the Sony VAIO E Series 14, both laptops feature the same "wrap-around" design while the 15-inch model sports a VAIO Display and the 17-inch model ups the game with a VAIO DISPLAY Plus Full HD screen.
Sony’s bundled in the hand gesture control as seen in the E Series 14 that allows users to control their laptop by moving their hands in front of the HD web camera that's powered by "Exmor for PC".
Both come with Intel processors, a backlit keyboard and Sony’s Rapid Wake + Eco facility that enables you to close the lid of your VAIO E Series laptop, which will in turn keep all your data and start position secure for up to ten days.
The larger model also comes up trumps with a built-in Blu-ray Disc player, while both have the facility to charge you smartphone via the USB output even if the laptop is switched off or in sleep mode.
Both the Sony VAIO E Series 15 and 17 will be available from early June in white and black, while the 15-inch model will also come in silver. Pricing for either model is yet to be confirmed.
Tags: Laptops Sony Sony Vaio E series Sony Vaio Netbooks
Sony adds 15 and 17-inch displays to its VAIO E Series range originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 16:06:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 5:06 pm
Panasonic TX-L32E5
Where the smart money is
It might not manage three dimensions, but this 32-inch LED edge-lit LCD telly boasts both decent smart TV antics and digital file networking – all wrapped-up in a slinky chassis. Entry-level it may be, but this particular Panasonic helps redefine the budget TV genre.
Ins and outs
The first clue that the TX-L32E5B is spec'ed up to the nines comes not in its full HD resolution or edge LED backlighting - which helps achieve a respectable, though hardly brain-blowing 40mm depth - but in its almost exhaustive connectivity. Capping it all is a stunning four HDMI inputs perched high-up on a heavily recessed side panel, which ought to please even the highest-definition dude, though personally we like the inclusion of an SD card slot just as much. All happy snappers will agree.
Not so the USB count, which at a meagre two means some hard choices have to be made if you intend on taking advantage of the TX-L32E5B's three reasonably high-end features; recording programmes from the Freeview HD tuner to a docked USB stick, video calling via a Skype app using an optional extra USB-powered mic-cam, or VIERA Connect.
The lack of a Wi-Fi module sees this so-called smart TV relying solely on a wired Ethernet LAN port on its rear, unless an add-on Wi-Fi USB dongle is purchased. It makes both VIERA Connect and home networking that little bit trickier, or pricier, to achieve.
If that seems pretty poor show, then we should mention that having a smart TV dimension at all is still unusual on TVs of this price. We are also not happy about having to use proprietary adapters to get component and composite video sources into the TX-L32E5B, especially as that's usually a get-around for achieving super-slimness - something that's not evident here - though they're for legacy gear only.
The back also includes an optical digital audio output, a headphone socket and mini connections for both Scart and a D-sub 15-pin PC.
While we're on hardware it's worth mentioning that the standard Panasonic remote remains, albeit with a slight slimming-down of the numbered buttons. We are also graced by a new smartphone app. Downloaded to an iPhone, it's a nicely gesture-dominated home screen that's a cinch to use, though we did have trouble firing-up VIERA Connect.
VIERA Connect
Netflix! BBC iPlayer! YouTube! Err, iConcerts! All human life is here on VIERA Connect, which makes a strong argument for being the slickest and quickest of all the smart TV hub services.
Okay, so some of its apps - we're thinking Euronews, CNBC Real-Time and Dailymotion - aren't the sharpest on the box, but it's got something few of its rivals can muster; shopping.
Sign-up for an account and register a credit card and it's possible to buy a few games, as well as compatible, Logitech-made, controllers, Skype cameras and keyboards. The latter can be used with the TX-L32E5B's interesting new web browser, though after downloading - it's not present on the VIERA Connect home screens by default - it soon becomes apparent that the scrolling is so slow it won't ever get close to a smartphone for sheer ease and speed of use.
Facebook and Twitter are also on VIERA Connect, though with these social networks racing now primarily towards smartphone apps we're not sure there's a significant need for them on a TV.
Networking
Hit the VIERA Tools button on the remote and a drop-up list appears. After choosing music, video or photo you're immediately engaging with digital fare stored on whatever USB stick is parked. The media server option also links with a DLNA-compliant PC on the same network.
From the USB the TX-L32E5B's software supports all common file types but WMA music, though over a network MKV video support disappears. Common to both is support for FLAC files, which though handy to some does raise the question: if Panasonic was set on supporting lossless music files, why didn't it choose the more common WAV format?
Freeview HD
The TX-L32E5B has a Freeview HD tuner - and that's where the excitement ends. It's reasonable enough in purely functional terms, with some rudimentary record-to-USB features joining excellent picture quality, but the whole treatment of the digital platform is surprisingly poor.
Press the "guide" button and an eight-day electronic programme guide is displayed, though in doing so both pictures and sound from the channel you were watching cease. Why Panasonic can't include a simple thumbnail in the EPG screen of a live TV channel is beyond us: all other TV manufacturers do so. It's pretty archaic.
Picture quality
If you think this review has highlighted a few niggles, that's all they are, and the picture performance is enough to convince us that the TX-L32E5B is comfortably one of the best 32-inchers available from the 2012 crop.
We'd advise leaving "vivid colour creation" switched-off. Some will like the extra pizazz it brings to the otherwise muted colour tones, though to our eyes it's spot-on and natural-looking to start with.
Sticking with the excellent "cinema" picture preset, and with the clear cinema 100Hz mode activated at all times, the TX-L37E5B proved free from blur and judder, sharp with hi-def sources and leaving standard definition material looking thoroughly spick and span. Using a Virgin Media TiVo box, a swap between Sky's hi-def feed and the BBC's regular transmission of the Formula 1 Grand Prix in China revealed a clean and pristine former and a surprisingly watchable latter, with races of low bitrate information nicely glossed over without the appearance of any picture noise.
Contrast and black levels are better than we'd expected, too, and it's possible to look at the screen from well off-centre before any richness to colour or black tones starts to drain.
Verdict:
A good value TV whose pairing of the slick VIERA Connect with some nifty digital file handling put this a few rungs in front of the competition, though it's the sterling and ultra-versatile picture quality that truly convinces despite a lacklustre Freeview HD interface and a lack of Wi-Fi.
Tags: Televisions Panasonic Panasonic Viera TX-L32E5 LCD televisions
Panasonic TX-L32E5 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 15:51:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 4:51 pm
GoPro Dive Housing will maximise your HD Hero performance underwater
For snorkelling or diving
GoPro has announced a Dive Housing for its HD Hero line of action cameras. The new accessory will enable you to get the best possible results at depths down to 60m.
If that depth sounds familiar, that's because it's the existing rating of the GoPro waterproof housing that comes with the camera.
The new accessory is really an enhancement on the existing housing, offering a large flat-glass lens, rather than the domed lens on the regular waterproof housing, designed to offer you the best-quality results from your camera.?
The new accessory is compatible with all models of the HD Hero, as well as existing mounts and accessories.
It will set you back ?49.99 and you get the Dive Housing, lens cap (with string) and mounting accessories in the pack.
It is available now.
Tags: Cameras Camcorders GoPro GoPro HD Hero
GoPro Dive Housing will maximise your HD Hero performance underwater originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 15:45:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 4:45 pm
Nike Max Transitions pictures and hands-on
Now athletes get light-optimised lenses too
Those old enough to remember a time when something called the "Sun" shone on our great nation will remember the need for things called "sunglasses" to prevent being overwhelmed by light. Sadly, the gods of water, including Thames, Veolia, Sutton and East Surrey, banished the glowing sphere from our skies, and replaced it with rains that would last until the end of time. Now, sunglasses are, for most British people, little more than a fashion accessory.
For those who live in countries that aren't vying to be the next Atlantis, you might want to check out one of the two new pairs of sunglasses from Nike and Transitions, which will adapt to changes in light levels, and which are designed to help runners and golfers see better than with traditional glasses.
The golf tint models are designed to make the contours of the green more visible - the lenses have a purple hue - while the white golf ball will be much easier to see. All of this happens, of course, while the glasses adjust to the amount of light. This means, the firms say, that you should always be able to see perfectly. A very handy trick indeed, as anyone who wears sunglasses will be able to tell you they are often more if a hindrance than a help.
Likewise, the outdoor tint running lenses, which have an orange tint, aim to brighten dark areas, while dimming the sun to prevent glare. No one wants to trip over things that are hidden in dark woodlands while cross country running, and this is what the Nike Max outdoor tint glasses claim to prevent.
Both sets block 100 per cent of UV, keeping your eyes safe and offering minimal distortion, obviously very important in any sport. There are two designs available for the frames, too. The Show X2 are supposed to offer maximum grip and comfort, while the SQ frames give wide coverage with as little obstruction as possible.
We tried on both pairs - in the south of France, obviously - and not only are they incredibly comfortable, there's little doubt that these lenses are fantastic. Although, we warn you now, taking of the running-optimised set renders your normal vision most unsatisfactory. It's quite impressive how much these change your perception of the world, and we can certainly see the advantages of them.?
So, if you live in a country where there's still a sun. Do give it our warmest regards, best wishes and ask if it has any plans to visit the United Kingdom any time soon. We're all waiting to test out these reactive sunglasses...
Tags: Sunglasses Nike Transitions
Nike Max Transitions pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 15:22:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 4:22 pm
BBC announces Olympics coverage plans for tablets, smartphones, connected tv and online
Going for gold
The BBC has announced ambitious plans for its Olympic coverage, with no fewer than 24 HD streams available and full video of every single sport across the Games.?
On top of this, the BBC will launch a dedicated radio channel, Radio 5 Live Olympics extra, just for the games. Now on to the juicy part - there is also to be a totally bespoke desktop player with HD playback, an Android and iOS app, new mobile versions of the BBC Sport site and apps for connected TVs.?
It all forms part of the BBC's four-screens strategy, which will allow you, in theory, to watch the Olympics live just about wherever you are. Even feature phones haven't been left out and will be getting downscaled, simplified versions of the BBC Sport website.
On Android and iOS custom-built BBC Sport apps will allow you to watch live video as well as choose from various highlights packages. No HD playback yet. unfortunately, but the apps will support streaming over 3G.
The BBC is going all out with the Olympics, with an all encompassing coverage strategy that will result in more than 2500 hours of recorded footage. For those wanting to watch the app on conventional television, BBC One and BBC Three will form the backbone of all video. Broadcasts will switch to BBC Two once the news comes on. There are even plans for a 3D broadcast and Digital Hi-Vision 4K content.?
Full red button support and a custom app for smart TVs along the lines of the currently available Virgin Media TiVo app will also be launched. There is no mention of anything on YouView yet, but then the service is miles ready from launch.
Pocket-lint has had a lengthy play with all of the BBC's Olympic apps and the new desktop player and smart TV app. Expect a hands-on very soon.
Tags: BBC Olympics Smartphones Tablets iPlayer
BBC announces Olympics coverage plans for tablets, smartphones, connected tv and online originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 15:07:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 4:07 pm
BBC Sport iPhone, Android, desktop and connected TV pictures and hands-on
Olympic overload
The Olympics is coming. Many will be glued to the TV watching as Usain Bolt goes for another world record. Others might be on the edge of their seats as Jamaica's bobsleigh team crashes out dramatically … no wait, that's a movie and the Winter Olympics.
Seriously though, there is going to be a whole lot of TV watching to do. The BBC knows this and has outdone itself in ensuring that every single licence-payer can watch Olympians compete somewhere and on some sort of device. Bear with us on this one because there's a lot to get through.
First, an app for connected TVs based around what we have seen from BBC Sport on TiVo. Think of the application a bit like iPlayer on the Xbox with a similar tile-based UI. Live feeds of various sports are offered and can be clicked and streamed instantaneously.
There is also a coming-up section, which shows what to expect from the BBC's coverage of the event. The feeds are curated, so the Beeb will be populating the home page with what it thinks you might want to watch.
There will be up to 24 live streams of events going on at once, ensuring that it is impossible to miss out on any event. You can theoretically watch every single part of the Olympics live using just the connected TV app alone, all of it in HD of course.?
At the moment the application is going to be running on Sony smart TVs, Virgin Media TiVo via the red button and the PlayStation 3 via an app. No Xbox sadly. From what we were shown, the experience will be identical across each of the players, although obviously controlled differently.
It was very smooth and quick to load streams of the various BBC channels. A carousel of live streams can also be popped up while video is playing in the background, should you want to switch sports.
Next up is the desktop browser-based BBC Sports. This is where the real beef of the BBC's digital tech lies. A proper 3.5Mb HD video feed is available, if your broadband connection can handle it, the player simply defaulting to it once you send it full screen.
The newly designed video player has also had a much more robust and formidable skin placed on it compared to what iPlayer currently offers. This means you can do things such as switch to highlights packages with a single click or change sports instantaneously.
Amazingly you can even rewind live coverage just like you would with Sky+ or Virgin Media. It is also possible to scan through chapter markers which show key moments in an event - say a gold medal win, for example. Live data and stats will all be pumped into the desktop player so you can learn a bit about the sport while you watch it. These can be switched off if you just want to view the event.
On the mobile, the desktop site has been slimmed down but still provides a similar experience. Just as on the computer, every single athlete and sport will be given its own web page with self-populating news feeds.
The BBC has even announced a feature phone version of the site which will show just low-res images and basic text news stories so you can keep up with the core of what's going on. We weren't shown that.
But the real Olympic treat comes in the BBC Sport app, which is one of the best thought-out applications we have seen in a long time. Just like in the iPad music player, you can drag and drop various items to a quick select bar at the bottom. Except that instead of being music or artists, it is the names of sports. The result is an instantly customisable way of keeping track of your favourite athletes.
A news-based home page can download content and store it locally offline, should you get on the Tube or go out of an area of reception. There is also the ability to switch to live video straight from within the application. Medal tables based on country are also shown, as is a range of other stats.
Unfortunately, application-based content isn't going to be running in HD, nor will it be matching the display resolution of the new iPad, although the BBC did tell us this was something it was looking into for future events.
All this specially designed Olympics kit is also an important deal for the BBC in terms of future plans on the mobile and connected TV. It could mean a redesigned iPlayer, a new way of handling live events and different ways of covering sports. Wimbledon Tennis and the Formula One, for example, ?will both be getting connected TV coverage using the same app.
There are all sorts of other uses of course, with the ?BBC telling Pocket-lint: “You don't need to be a genius to work out that Glastonbury would be a good example.”
In the meantime keep those eyes peeled for all the new BBC Olympic tech, which should be launching in the months ?before the Games. ?
Tags: BBC Sport Tablets iPhone Android iPad Connected TVs Smart TV
BBC Sport iPhone, Android, desktop and connected TV pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 15:02:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 4:02 pm
HTC Desire C: Ice Cream Sandwich on a budget
From ?169.99 PAYG
HTC has launched its Desire C, a handset it bills as entry-level, but with a spec list that suggests otherwise - which may suggest why it's been bumped up from the Wildfire C.
For starters, HTC has kitted the Desire C with Ice Cream Sandwich from launch. It’s also fitted with Beats Audio technology, as seen in the manufacturer’s flagship phone the HTC One X. ?
HTC has skinned the Desire C with its own Sense 4.0 UI, which is showcased via the 3.5-inch HVGA display which itself is engulfed by a durable metal frame. There’s a five-megapixel camera with the standard one button sharing to the likes of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. ?
Consumers who buy the HTC Desire C will also receive up to 25GB of free online storage for two years through Dropbox which should help ease the burden on the 4GB of internal memory and 512MB RAM, though there is a microSD card slot too.
Powering along proceedings is a 600MHz processor, we know, we know, but remember “it’s entry-level” .?
It might not have the same pizzazz as the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S III, LG Optimus 4X HD or even it sibling the HTC One X, but for an entry-level handset, the HTC Desire C has a stack of features to get excited about. ?
The HTC Desire C will be available on all the major networks in black or white, with operators having the option of stocking an NFC or non-NFC enabled version of the phone. ?
Orange has told Pocket-lint that it will have the phone from June, offering the handset for ?169.99 to PAYG customers and for free from ?20.50 a month on a 24-month contract. ?
T-Mobile has also announced their pricing details, saying it will be selling the phone, again from June, on PAYG for ?169.99 with a ?10 top up and for free on a range of 24-month contracts, starting at ?15.50 a month.
Tags: Phones HTC HTC Desire C T-Mobile Orange Ice Cream Sandwich
HTC Desire C: Ice Cream Sandwich on a budget originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 14:10:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 3:10 pm
Spotify and Last.fm join forces for Kopparberg festival app
Stay mud free this summer
Kopparberg cider is introducing a new music app that means you can enjoy this summer’s musical festivities direct from your computer ?
The Kopparberg Festival Player utilises both Spotify and Last.fm to produce playlists of musical acts which will be playing at this year’s UK festivals, before being played via Facebook. ?
Through Last.fm, the app will provide a who’s who of festival performers this summer, from the headliners to relatively unknown acts. Users can then choose up to three artists before a playlist formed of their music is automatically created from Spotify’s library. ?
Any playlist you create will be posted on Kopparberg’s Facebook page so visitors can share and discover new music with each other as well as help them plan what festivals they should attend and who to see. ?
The Kopparberg Festival Player app will also give users a chance to win tickets to a host of UK festivals, including Field Day, Secret Garden Party and Reading & Leeds. ?
The Kopparberg Festival Player can be downloaded from the Kopparberg UK Facebook page from 16 May.
Tags: Apps Facebook Kopparberg Spotify Lastfm
Spotify and Last.fm join forces for Kopparberg festival app originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 12:42:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 1:42 pm
LG Optimus 4X HD set for June arrival
Flagship phones ahoy!
LG will begin rolling out its 2012 Android Ice Cream Sandwich flagship phone, the LG Optimus 4X HD, throughout Europe (including the UK) from June. ?
The phone, LG’s first Quad-Core smartphone, was officially unveiled at Mobile World Congress in February and after months of behind-the-scenes tweaking it’s finally ready for shipping. ?
With Samsung unveiling its own quad-core smartphone in the form of the Galaxy S III, LG is hoping the Optimus 4X HD’s NVIDIA 4-PLUS-1 Quad-Core processor, the Tegra 3, will be able to compete in terms of speed, power and the ability to run multiple applications and features simultaneously. ?
Tegra 3 will run on all four cores, until the phone reverts to standby, when it will power down to battery-saving mode. ?
LG has already begun talking about a future upgrade - ?called Eco-Mode - that will enable users to ?shut down any of the Tegra 3’s cores manually, thus giving some more oomph for the remaining open cores. While this is an attractive idea in theory, we’d like to think the quad-core processor would be able to handle our needs without reverting to this. ?
The high-definition display is big, 4.7-inches big in fact, which bodes well for the nifty multimedia features LG has bundled into the Optimus 4X HD. ?
"Live Zooming" enables users to zoom in and out of a video, using the pinch-and-pull method, while it is playing and "Thumbnail List Play allows you to scroll through thumbnails of your videos while playing another video in full screen. ?
Specific video frames can be selected by touching the progress bar, while clips can also be played in all manner of playback speeds. ?
The camera itself has an 8-megapixel sensor that will take shots both before and after you’ve completely pressed or let go the shutter button, providing a choice of what snaps you keep. ?
LG has also kitted the Optimus 4X HD with a Mobile High Definition Link and DLNA allowing you to play any content you have stored on the phone to a TV or other compatible home entertainment system. ?
LG is remaining tight-lipped on both pricing and which operators will be taking the phone, but Pocket-lint will be sure to keep you posted when we hear anything.
You can read our hands-on and see more photos of the LG Optimus 4X HD by clicking here.
Tags: Phones LG LG Optimus 4X HD Ice Cream Sandwich
LG Optimus 4X HD set for June arrival originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 11:49:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 12:49 pm
Kindle with front-lit display could be here by July
Nighttime reading
Amazon could begin selling a Kindle eReader with a front-lit display as early as July, according to reports. ?
A prototype of the monochrome device, which runs on E Ink’s display, was spotted in April and according to a source that has seen it, Amazon is preparing to release the final model. ?
A front-lit display has been on the wish list of eBook readers since it will enable them to use the device in dim-lit environments and even the dark. However, it’s feared that it could also have a detrimental effect on battery life. ?
“I do see demand for a front-lit Kindle,” said Jennifer Colegrove, who monitors trends in display technology in her role as vice-president of emerging display technologies at DisplaySearch. ?
“(However) front-lit will consume battery power and (it’ll) run out … quicker.” ?
It’s thought that a front-lit display will first be seen in a touch 3G and touch W-Fi version, with the increase in cost on previous Kindle readers to be marginal. Perhaps as little as $10.
Tags: Kindle Amazon ebooks eBook readers
Kindle with front-lit display could be here by July originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 10:45:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 11:45 am
Lenovo unveils the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook
"World's lightest 14-inch Ultrabook"
Lenovo has been showing off its new ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptop - and adding some bold statements, to boot.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the follow up to the original ThinkPad X1 only bigger and lighter. That may sound like a contradiction in terms, but though Lenovo has increased the screen size to an inch bigger than its predecessor the ThinkPad X1 is the “world’s lightest 14-inch professional Ultrabook” .
The clue to how the ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s impressive 1.36kg weight is achieved is of course in the name. The laptop is made from carbon fibre, a material that though light remains sturdy and non-flimsy. It’s also enabled Lenovo to keep the ThinkPad X1’s breadth down to just 18mm. ?
Lenovo hasn’t skimped on the features under the chassis either. The keyboard is backlit while the display has a 1600 x 900 resolution panel with 300 nits brightness. Power-wise, and Lenovo has kitted the ThinkPad X1 Carbon with an Intel Ivy Bridge processor, though its keeping shtum as to which one.
In terms of connectivity, there are two full-size USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack, a Mini DisplayPort socket, SDcard slot and a SIM card slot. ?
There’s also a fingerprint reader for added security, while the bodywork itself has been coated with a fingerprint-resistant matte rubber finish. The manufacturer is also promising that you’ll be able to charge the laptop up to 80 per cent in just half an hour. ?
No word on pricing (it won’t be cheap), but Lenovo says it will begin shipping the ThinkPad X1 Carbon before the end of July.
Tags: Laptops Lenovo ThinkPad Hardware Ultrabooks
Lenovo unveils the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 10:05:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 11:05 am
AMD rolls out Trinity APUs for laptops and desktops
Sleekbook time
AMD has given its processor line up a significant refresh with the newly launched Trinity APU. The new processors, just like Intel's recently announced Ivy Bridge, do a lot to extend battery life, boost speed and increase graphics capabilities.
Without getting bogged down in technical details, the real juicy facts about Trinity are what it means for ultra-thin laptop fans. Not being Intel, these sleekbooks, as HP calls them, boast quad-core chips, a touted 50 per cent graphics performance boost on competition and up to 12 hours battery life when in resting state.?
AMD is claiming up to 8 hours of straight web browsing with the new Trinity APUs, a particularly impressive figure and one we will definitely be testing once we have some Trinity-toting hardware to play with. So far the only two pieces of kit Pocket-lint has seen with Trinity inside have been a Toshiba Portege Z835 laptop - which was an empty demo shell at the time - and the HP Envy sleekbook, which appeared last week in Shanghai.?
On top of the performance boost, Trinity also adds a few clever software tweaks only possible with the new processor grunt. First up is automatic image stabilisation and the ability to have multi-person HD video chat. AMD is also claiming a clever piece of tech called Quick Stream, which will divert the majority of network bandwith to video streaming, so you get smoother playback on low-speed connections.?
Something to look forward to in the future is AMD's hardware acceleration of Windows 8's Metro UI and Metro style apps. There is also out of the box Direct X 11 compatibility and instant readiness for Windows 8 on its arrival.?
Photoshop CS6 gets itself another 30+ hardware accelerated features on Trinity, as does Winzip, which allegedly performs better using the APUs. AMD is saying that Trinity will be appearing in the hardware of "leading manufacturers". So far we know HP, Samsung, Toshiba, Acer, Asus and Sony?are on the cards, but expect plenty more to be joining the party. The Trinity desktop chip will be arriving in June with ultra-thins and laptops carrying it appearing in July.?
Tags: Laptops AMD AMD Trinity
AMD rolls out Trinity APUs for laptops and desktops originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 05:01:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 6:01 am
WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Wolfenstein 3D
For first person shooters, this was Genesis
If your weekend started like ours, with a cursory glance at the TV schedules just to confirm that there really was absolutely naff all on, you might’ve done what we did.
We ignored the crappy karaoke and the dancing dogs (literally) and instead plunged into the glories of modern gaming.
A couple of us got back into full-on, pumped-up, high-fiving, hard-shooting Call of Duty mode. What with the next instalment being teased already, we felt it was time to brush up and do some prep work for the next chapter.
And that’s when this surfaced, as if to remind us that all good things have a logical starting point, and Wolfenstein 3D was almost certainly it for the first-person shooter. It defined the genre and it's hard to believe it's been two decades since it did.?
At wolfenstein.bethsoft.com you can play stalk the halls and kill the Nazis, just like you could 20 years ago when this game first hit screens.
For those of you too young to remember, it’s a valuable history lesson. For those old enough to have played it the first time round, be ready for a serious blast of nostalgia.
Tags: WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online
WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Wolfenstein 3D originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 15 May 2012 01:00:00 +0100
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 2:00 am
APP OF THE DAY: Cinemagram review (iPhone)
The common GIF goes arty
Apps that make it easy to do something clever will always be popular. Plenty of apps have picked up on the retro imaging trend and that doesn't appear to be slowing up.
Today we're looking at an app that might achieve great success, but its very nature requires a little more creative input than its similar-sounding namesake Instagram. Today we're looking at moving pictures.
Cinemagram
- Format
- iOS
- Price
- Free
- Where
- iTunes
Cinemagram, as the name suggests, is all about movement. But before you think this is a video app, it isn't, even if video is a large component of what Cinemagram is all about.
Anyone who has spent any time on the internet will know that the right GIF, at the right time, is worth it's weight in gold. Perhaps not real gold, but certainly comedy gold. The surprised cat, the panda on the slide; a short animated clip can do things that a picture can't.?
Cinemagram isn't all about creating comedy memes, however. It has its sights set very much on the community feel of Instragram. It wants to provide a platform for creation, sharing and community appreciation, with comments, followers and sharing.
?
Of all these things, we're more interested in the sharing than the community, because we know more people in the wider world, Facebook or Twitter, for example, than we do in other services.
So how does it work? Well, it uses a clever system of video capture and masking to allow you to create an image, or a "cine" that has some still elements and some moving elements.
You simply capture a short piece of video, mask the elements where you want to keep the movement and the remaining areas are frozen. You end up with a hybrid photo and video.
The results are somewhat alluring and very clever. Importantly, it opens the doors for a huge amount of creativity and the imagination of the creator can shine through, more so than you get from a straight set of vintage filters.
?
Naturally you get those vintage filters too, so you can have retro effects applied to your cine if you wish, and many do, judging by the selection showcased within the app.
Browsing through other users' work can be both amusing and inspiring. This isn't just a showcase of images, it's something more. Some are amusing, some are clever, some are very creepy. People are really thinking about how they can use Cinemagram to create something engaging, so it's great just browsing.?
The creation process is easy, but you soon learn that some scenes don't work well, which will keep you coming back for more. We'll bring you some of our own creations shortly...
Importantly, Cinemagram is free. Because of its creative nature, it might never be as widely used as Instagram, but it's definitely worth playing with.
Tags: Apps iPhone apps iOS apps App of the day Cinemagram
APP OF THE DAY: Cinemagram review (iPhone) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 18:00:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 7:00 pm
Audi set to unveil its W?rthersee e-bike - a push bike motorcycle hybrid
Useful for those steep hills
A bike that can be used either as a regular push bike or has an electric-powered motorbike is about to be revealed by Audi.?
The German manufacturer will officially unveil the prototype W?rthersee e-bike with a stunt and street bike demonstration next week in Carinthia, Austria.
The bike can be switched into three different modes via the touchscreen controls. The “Pure” mode enables the driver to use the W?rthersee e-bike as you would a pushbike, that is to say it is operated purely by the power of the cyclist's legs.?
Switch to “eGrip” mode and the W?rthersee e-bike will run purely on the electric motor, reaching a top speed of 31mph. Momentum is controlled using a grip shift built into the handle bars, while the amount of power used is set by what the driver enters into the bike’s computer.?
Finally “Pedelec” mode uses both the electric motor and the cyclists pedalling power to reach speeds of up to 50 mph.
The bike can also be set to different modes when performing tricks such as wheelies. These modes can be entered directly on the e-bike or via an app on a smartphone.?
Made from carbon fibre-reinforced polymer, the Audi e-bike weighs a mere 24lbs and takes only 2.5 hours to fully charge the lithium-ion battery.
Audi will wait to see how the prototype performs before deciding whether to continue with the concept.
Tags: Bikes Motorbikes Motoring Audi Bicycles
Audi set to unveil its Wörthersee e-bike - a push bike motorcycle hybrid originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 17:43:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 6:43 pm
Samsung Galaxy S III official TV advert debuts
We prefer the phone
Samsung’s official Galaxy S III advert has been unveiled, as the mobile world prepares for the phone’s arrival on 30 May.
The 60-second commercial - which is sure to appear on every advert break for the foreseeable future -concentrates more on what kind of person will use the phone, rather than the specs themselves.
Indeed, there’s no mention of the phone running on Android Ice Cream Sandwich, of it’s 8-megapixel camera or even its powerful 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad processor.
Nope, instead we get two star-crossed lovers separated by a pane of glass, a wedding shot and a string quartet before finishing with the slightly sinister text “waits till you’re asleep” .
While we’re not the biggest fans of the advert (can you tell?) there have been enough column inches donated to the handset to ensure there’s a big enough buzz surrounding its arrival and once people get the simply stunning device in their hands it’s sure to take off.?
You can read about just how great we think the phone is by clicking on our hands-on here. Or check out the advert for yourselves below.
Tags: Phones Samsung Galaxy S III Ice Cream Sandwich Android Samsung
Samsung Galaxy S III official TV advert debuts originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 16:50:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 5:50 pm
O2 customers to decide what deals occur on Priority Moments
What do you want?
O2 is turning to crowd sourcing as it looks to bring its customers the deals "they" want through its Priority Moments scheme.
The operator is inviting its customers to tell them on which brands they would like to receive discounts and deals via various social platforms.
Previously, customers have been able to take advantage only of deals selected by O2 and while, ultimately, this will still be the case, customers will be able to have more of a say in what they want from the free downloadable application.
O2 will use the crowd-sourced results to approach the brands most popular with its customers.
Suggestions can be made by tweeting the name of the brand or deal you would like to see offered, with the hash tag #o2prioritymoments or by writing a suggestion on the O2 Facebook page.
Since being launched in July 2011, O2 says, Priority Moments has saved its customers more than ?7.5 million.
Priority Moments can be downloaded for the iPhone or any Android smartphone, while O2 customers with a WAP-enabled device can access the service via O2’s mobile website.
Tags: O2 Apps Priority Moments Facebook Twitter
O2 customers to decide what deals occur on Priority Moments originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 16:13:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 5:13 pm
Starhawk
Michael BayStation
An early PlayStation 3 classic, Warhawk introduced many console gamers to the idea of proper online multiplayer. It has been a good few years since the game was released and the entire multiplayer landscape has changed drastically, thanks to the likes of Modern Warfare and Battlefield 3.
Now comes Starhawk, the spiritual successor to Warhawk. Different characters, a different game world and a drastically updated graphics engine ensure it feels modern. But can the gameplay style still hold its own or are there other multiplayer delights to be had elsewhere?
Story time
Starhawk is based around a sort of amalgamation of modern video game cliches. Take a bit of Borderlands, a touch of Rage and then add a trickle of Red Faction and you have most of Starhawk's style.
The entire game is driven by something called rift energy. It forms the backbone of the storyline and acts as an in-game currency with which to purchase items. You play as rift miner Emmet Graves whose rift mine has been attacked by a group called the Outcasts. These chaps have been infected by rift energy and become mutated, they act as the main bad guys throughout the game and the opposing force when playing online.
Charged with rift energy himself, Emmet and his brother end up entangled in a battle against the Outcasts. That’s about it really, the single-player story is fairly forgettable and more just a training ground for the title’s much beefier online content.
It’s a looker
Starhawk may look like a lot of other games, but that doesn’t mean it's not easy on the eye. Rich colours, varied environments and some awesome character design on the Outcast side of things ensure it is one of the best-looking titles on the PS3 in recent memory.
Particularly special mention has to be given to the Starhawks themselves, which put even Optimus Prime to shame when they transform. In fact a lot of the game would make Michael Bay jealous, its explosions in particular, which tend to be frequent and rather on the large side.
Gameplay
Gameplay in Starhawk is split up into three different formats: vehicle-based combat on the ground, in the air and combat on foot. The flying element alone is a game in itself - add in the rest and you have a very substantial package.
Starhawk’s magic lies in its skill at balancing battles between the three. Never does it feel like an unfair fight, even when you are on foot and up against a huge flying metal transformer. Things like the rocket launcher, which easily locks on to any Starhawk up above, keep you protected on the ground. Doing so however could leave you susceptible to attack from a Sidewinder, a sort of low flying hoverbike.
This kind of gameplay triangle is consistent throughout and keeps you wanting to come back for more. Mastering only one vehicle will leave you weak when you can’t get hold of one, so it requires practice in other fields in order to succeed.
On top of this all this the game has a sort of tower defence element to it, which sees you constructing bases and vehicle spawn points in order to further your team’s efforts. Every building requires a set amount of rift energy, which you can grab either by destroying enemies or hanging around your base.
Online gameplay combines every element in Starhawk’s arsenal to make one of the most enjoyable multiplayer experiences of recent times. It’s refreshing to see a game as unique as this played out online when the likes of Call of Duty have become so ubiquitous. The single player might be a bit throwaway, but with a multiplayer element this strong, it is easily forgivable.
One thing we particularly like is the ability to pause the game and jump around its various menus without exiting gameplay. You can’t access character customisation but the server browser and quick-match options are available, should you not like the game you are playing.
On the character customisation side, skills can be unlocked which act as small perks when playing online. It is also possible to change character skins and alter the look of various body parts. Very little has an effect on the core gameplay experience, which is a good thing as the balance is nigh on perfect.
This is also maintained with the weapons available, none of which is particularly overpowered. They're also all in keeping with the razor-sharp art style of the game and as such look, and sound, great.?
Verdict:
Playing Starhawk online is extremely fun, rewarding and different. It has had us coming back for more since the moment our review copy arrived and will likely do so for a long time still.
Warhawk clearly laid out a strong set of foundations on which Starhawk could build, but the game has taken the concept so much further and added such a degree of polish that it has become a must-have title for the PlayStation. This is the multiplayer exclusive that the console needed.
Tags: Gaming PS3 Sony PlayStation 3 SCEE
Starhawk originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 16:01:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 5:01 pm
Pocket-lint and Sports Interactive team up for Football Manager Awards
Voting now open
It's the end of the English football season (bar the Football League play-off finals) and as such, footy managers up and down the country are looking at their respective trophy cabinets, either in pride over a glistening new pot or with feather duster in hand to wipe away the cobwebs.
However, there's still one more chance to win something this season, a prize bigger and better than the piddly Champions League trophy. Yep, it's time for the Football Manager Awards 2011/12 - a series of rewards for a hard fought season for those who deserve them the most.
And Pocket-lint is one of the chosen partners to Football Manager developer Sports Interactive's annual awards jamboree this year. Alongside such journalistic luminaries Talksport, Mirror Football and Teamtalk,com, PL is the partner for one of the 2011/12 categories and we hope you'll all head over to the dedicated webpage to vote.
Our category is the "By Mutual Consent award", celebrating the most baffling of managerial dismissals for the last year. The nominees are Simon Garyson (ex-manager of Leeds United), Lee Clark (ex-Huddersfield boss), Gary Megson (sacked by Sheffield Wednesday even though they were third in the league), Sean O'Driscoll (ex-manager of Doncaster), and Antoine Kombouar??(fired when Paris Saint-Germain were top of the French first division).
There are other categories too, including Manager of the Season, Young Manager of the Season, and Most Successful Transfer.
So head over to SI Games' voting page now and click on your favourites. Your votes have to be in by this Friday, 18 May. The winners will be announced on 19 May.
And don't forget, you can still better all of the nominated managers on Football Manager 2012 or Football Manager Handheld yourself, which is now out on Android as well as iOS.
Tags: SI Games Gaming Football Football Manager Sports Interactive Football Manager Awards
Pocket-lint and Sports Interactive team up for Football Manager Awards originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:42:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 4:42 pm
Virgin Atlantic to allow mobiles to be used in flight
"Where are you?"
Virgin Atlantic passengers will soon be able to use their mobile phones while flying with the airline, thanks to its new Aeromobile initiative.
Rather than use the onboard satellite phones that tend to put a serious dent in your credit card, passengers will be able to use their own mobiles for around the same price as it costs to roam abroad.?
Initially being trialled on Virgin Atlantic's Airbus A330s, mobiles will automatically connect to the aircraft's own network, which ensures there’s no interference to its onboard electronics.?
Passengers will need to activate international roaming on their handsets and the device must be switched off for takeoff and landing. As well as making calls and texts, BlackBerry users will be able to receive emails for little extra charge, though the airline recommends other smartphone users turn data roaming off so as to avoid racking up the pounds.
Virgin Atlantic is adamant that there’s no risk to the aircraft – though we’d like to think that goes without saying – and hopes to have Aeromobile in place on 13 aircraft by the end of 2012.
Virgin Atlantic recently showed off its new Upper Class Suite with its virtual reality Planeview tour.
Tags: Phones Virgin Atlantic Roaming Data roaming
Virgin Atlantic to allow mobiles to be used in flight originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:28:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 4:28 pm
Apple opts for Retina display and ultra-thin design for new MacBook Pro
Say sources in supply chain
Apple is readying a new 15-inch MacBook Pro which will feature a Retina display screen, ultra-thin design and USB 3.0 ports. Sources in the company's supply chain say they have handled prototype components and casings, and that the new laptop is undergoing production test rounds at present.
The claimants, which 9to5Mac calls "trusted sources", have also revealed that the new MacBook will be coming this summer.
It's reported that the casing of the new computer will be similar to that of the existing late 2011 model, but thinner and won't feature the taping synonymous with the MacBook Air (as other reports would have you believe). In addition, 9to5Mac writes that there will be no optical drive on the new Pro, in order to keep the newly svelte waistline.
Another obvious design change, according to the sources, will be a new power button on the keyboard, which replaces the disc eject key. The sides of the prototype unibody casing that is going through testing feature a?charging port, two USB ports, two audio in/outs and a battery meter on the left-hand side,?two Thunderbolt ports, an SD card slot and another USB port on the right. There's no room, it is said, for an Ethernet port.
Other than "summer", no release date has been touted, but we do know that WWDC12 is coming up in June, so who knows? Could we see a public unveiling then?
Tags: Apple Laptops Computers Apple MacBook Pro
Apple opts for Retina display and ultra-thin design for new MacBook Pro originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 14:36:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 3:36 pm
T-Mobile reveals Samsung Galaxy S III pricing
NOT free on contract
T-Mobile has finally announced its pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S III before it arrives on 30 May.
The operator is the last of the main UK networks to reveal its price plans and unlike its competitors the phone won’t actually be available free on contract.?
Available on a 24-month Full Monty plan at ?36 a month, T-Mobile customers will also need to shell out ?49.99 for the handset itself.
The Full Monty tariff includes unlimited data, texts and calls to other T-Mobile customers, as well as 2,000 minutes every month to any other networks.?
Vodafone claims to be offering the Samsung Galaxy S III on a 29 May, a day before its official release on 30 May, while O2, Three and Orange have also confirmed their pricing of the much anticipated Ice Cream Sandwich handset.?
Customers can register their interest at T-Mobile’s website allowing the operator to keep them up to speed with pre-orders and availability.
Pocket-lint managed to get some extensive hands-on coverage with the Samsung Galaxy S III prior to launch. You can read our take by clicking here.
UPDATE - T-Mobile has now begun taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S III by visiting www.t-mobile.co.uk/galaxysiii
Tags: Phones Samsung Galaxy S III T-Mobile Android Ice Cream Sandwich
T-Mobile reveals Samsung Galaxy S III pricing originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 13:00:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
Jamie Oliver and Victoria Pendleton on hand to launch Samsung Hope Relay app for Android and iPhone
Charities earn pounds as you shed 'em
Samsung has teamed with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and British Olympic gold medallist Victoria Pendleton to launch an application for Android, iPhone and Samsung Wave handsets that donates ?1 to a host of charities every time you run, walk or cycle a mile.
The Samsung Hope Relay app is free to download and uses the GPS in a smartphone to register how far you have travelled, posting the figure on Facebook or another social network (if required). Samsung, as a worldwide partner of the London 2012 Olympics, is then committed to adding ?1 to a pool of money that will be distributed among the?London-based Kids Company, London 2012's international sports legacy programme, International Inspiration and an IOC-designated charity.
This, as Pocket-lint was told by UK managing director of Samsung, Andy Griffiths, could raise up to $1 million. "We're hoping to raise a million," he said.
Ambassador for the Samsung Hope Relay, Oliver told us that the initiative is a way of getting everybody around the UK involved in the Olympics. "It's really important to get people to take part in the Olympic Games in some way," Oliver said.
The application allows you to create an avatar of yourself - using a photo of your face stuck on top of a runner's body. This figure will then appear in any social networking communications and could even, if you opt in, appear on the side of the Olympic Torch Relay coach or on Samsung advertising billboards.
You can also form a team of runners who can gee each other on, and can record messages of encouragement. There are also portals in the application to find out more about Samsung's other initiatives for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
There are some rules to using the app. For starters, you can't go more than 25 miles per hour or the mile will not count, so don't try using it on a car journey. Also, there is a limit to how many miles you can register per run - 26, according to Griffiths.
The Samsung Hope Relay application is available on Google Play (for Android) and Samsung Apps (for the Wave, Wave II and Wave 3) now. It will be available on iOS later today. You have until 12 August to register your miles. It will be released on a wider, more global scale - 18 countries in total - in the coming weeks.
Tags: Samsung Phones Apps Charity London 2012 Olympics Samsung Hope Relay
Jamie Oliver and Victoria Pendleton on hand to launch Samsung Hope Relay app for Android and iPhone originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 12:25:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 1:25 pm
Wi-Fi blocking wallpaper to paper over security concerns
Cellular and radio signals allowed
A wallpaper that blocks Wi-Fi signals is being developed to help protect people’s networks, whether at work or in the home.
Although the paper will stop skinflint neighbours from jumping on board your Wi-Fi signal, the wallpaper has been designed in such a way as to still enable both mobile phone signals and radio waves through.
The technology is the brainchild of French researchers at the Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble who have been working with the Centre Technique du Papier. It’s thought that as well as preventing strangers accessing people’s Wi-Fi networks, the wallpaper will be able to be used in hospitals and theatres to help block external sources.
Despite the research that has been invested in the technology, the development team claims the wallpaper will cost the “equivalent to a traditional mid-range wallpaper.”?
The wallpaper is being licensed to a Finnish manufacturer for production and it’s hope it will be available to buy from 2013.
Tags: Security Wi-Fi Internet Online
Wi-Fi blocking wallpaper to paper over security concerns originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 12:09:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 1:09 pm
Apple drops the 4G from UK iPads, now Wi-Fi + Cellular
Now Wi-Fi + Cellular
Apple will no longer be referring to the new iPad as a 4G version in the UK, after succumbing to pressure from customers and watchdogs.
The manufacturer’s UK website is now taking orders for “Wi-Fi” and “Wi-Fi + Cellular” enabled iPads, whereas previously customers could order a 4G variant despite the United Kingdom having no such network.?
Though O2 and Everything Everywhere are conducting LTE trials in the UK, both operators told Pocket-lint back in March that the new iPad 4G would only be able to use 3G connectivity.
When customers in Australia began to complain about being misled over the iPad’s 4G credentials, Apple started issuing refunds. Pocket-lint at the time spoke to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) which confirmed it had begun to receive similar complaints from UK customers.
Apple appears to have taken pre-emptive action by removing the 4G branding so as to not mislead potential customers.
Tags: iPad Apple Tablets 4G O2 Everything Everywhere
Apple drops the 4G from UK iPads, now Wi-Fi + Cellular originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 11:11:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 12:11 pm
Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale incoming: Get that beach bod now
Share your goals online
Unveiled at CES, Fitbit’s Aria Scales, which posts information about your weight on to the internet, will be available for ?99.99 from the end of May.?
Along with your weight, the Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale also monitors your body fat and BMI automatically uploading your stats to your online Fitbit profile.?
Should you wish to keep your weight to yourself, you can of course change the privacy settings on your profile, or alternatively you can share with all and sundry, perhaps giving you the motivation you need. If that’s not enough encouragement, you’ll also receive Fitbit rewards badges for hitting certain targets.
The scales themselves can recognise eight different users by their weight, automatically logging in to their Fitbit account, so an entire household can get into shape together.?
Fitbit profiles can be tracked on the web, but also with the free iPhone and Android smartphone app, with various graphs and charts helping you achieve your fitness goals.
Available in black or white from fitbit.com, Amazon.co.uk and Firebox.co.uk, the Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale will be out just in time to help shed those pounds for that summer beach holiday you’ve got planned'
Tags: Sports Fitness Sports Fitness equipment Health Fitbit Fitbit Aria
Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale incoming: Get that beach bod now originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 10:39:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 11:39 am
Sony a37 and NEX-F3 camera specs leaked
May 17 arrival
Sony is set to officially unveil the a37 and NEX-F3 cameras later this week, though details of what kind of specs we can expect have already emerged on the internet.?
The cameras are to be announced officially on 17 May, with Sony also using the platform to showcase a new 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 SAM lens that will be available for around $500.
The Sony a37 has a 16.1-megapixel sensor and ISO range of between 100 and 16,000. There is 15-points autofocus with three cross sensors and 2.5-4 stops of image stabilization.?
The a37’s LCD can be tilted while Sony has also equipped the camera with 1080 24p HD video recording, complete with face detection.?
Weighing in at 448g, the Sony a37 will begin shipping in June with an 18-55mm lens for $599. However, for $799, Sony’s new f/3.5-5.6 SAM lens will also be included with the a37.
The Sony NEX-F3 mirrorless camera again has a 16.1-megapixel sensor, an ISO of 100-16,000 and 1080 24p HD video. It also has the latest Bionz processor, 180 degree LCD, making it easier for self-portraits and a built-in flash.
Available in three colours, silver, black and white, the Sony NEX-F3 will again start shipping in June with an expected retail price of $599.
Tags: Cameras Photography Sony Photos
Sony a37 and NEX-F3 camera specs leaked originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 09:49:00 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 10:49 am
Tesla Roadster
The spark of attraction
We find people fall in to two categories: those who love electric cars, and think they're the future, and those who don't want to give up on petrol. It is, perhaps, unsurprising that we, as gadget and technology lovers, find the idea of electric cars brilliant.
If you look at it logically, once battery technology improves – and it's going to over the next few years, in leaps and bounds – electric cars will have a range similar to a petrol burner and be chargable far faster than they are now. Of course, we know that the technology isn't perfect yet, but it's getting there, and that's something that both Tesla Motors, and the Roadster prove easily.
The roadster is available in two models. The standard car, tested here, and the S, which is a little faster.
Design
Tesla won’t thank you for drawing a comparison between its car and a Lotus. But there are significant style parallels between the two cars. The Tesla is very pretty – as Lotus cars are - and certainly attracts a lot of attention, even before you’ve set up on your virtually noiseless journey.
The Tesla is convertible, but this isn’t a high-tech affair. You unclip the roof, and chuck it in what passes for a boot. Once you’ve done this, you won’t be taking much in the way of luggage. You can fit in a couple of small rucksacks, and that’s about it. But hell, who needs luggage when you’ve got an electric supercar, you can just buy more pants when you get where you’re going.
The Tesla is also very low, which makes getting in to it a little more of a challenge. Once you're in though, you're sitting on the ground, with your legs out in front of you. It's a great driving position. The car feels planted, stable and there is oodles of grip, no matter what speed you're doing.
The whole thing is made of carbon fibre. This is good, in that it's very light and keeps the car as efficient as possible. It also means the body panels are bit more bendy than in most cars.
Electric power
Electric cars have a bad rap as being joyless, slow and lacking any real range. That may be true in the ?30,000 cars, but up here in the heady Tesla region of ?90,000 things are a lot more interesting. Of course, this car is far less accessible than the excellent Nissan Leaf, and some people might question the value for money. But like anything, the first generation is always expensive, and generally it is people wealthy enough to invest in this hardware that will make it affordable for the rest of us.
Where the Tesla scores over every other car we’ve driven is the incredible power it is able to put down, thanks to its electric motor. Unlike petrol or diesel engines, the Tesla puts its power down in one huge lump. Planting your foot on the accelerator makes it feel like the world is going to end. The g-force is incredible, and a combination of almost no noise, and being close to the ground, make it a slightly unsettling experience - thought not a bad one.
The biggest problem we noticed with the Tesla is that the brakes aren’t anywhere near as responsive as the accelerator. That’s something worth bearing in mind, because assuming that this car can stop as quickly as it goes is a mistake that could end up costing you a lot of money.
We could also complain about the heavy steering. But we won't, because in practice, it isn't a problem when you're moving. If you're going very slowly, you can certainly feel the weight, and parking is a little harder than it is in most modern cars. But for us, it gives the felling of being in control of the car. Aggressive power steering is great for a city runaround – see the small Fiat city cars, like the Punto, for examples of this – but in a sports car, it feels more authentic. Besides, it didn't bother us zipping up big hills in the south of France, so it's not likely to cause much of a problem on the A3 at Guildford either.
There are no gears here. You get buttons to put the car in neutral, drive, park and, of course, reverse. This is simple, and the single gear is far better than an automatic gearbox. No changing means no lag, and no flappy paddle gearbox to mess about with. As much as we love the idea of gear changing, and would always pick a manual over an auto gearbox, having no gears at all just makes sense. The Tesla does, however, have a modest top speed in comparison to most sports cars, but that never matters – after all, the speed limit is always going to be 70mph.
Great range
The Tesla has a decent range. With some judicious driving, you’ll be able to get further than in any other electric car currently on the market. Tesla claims up to 245 miles per charge, but, as with petrol, the heavier your right foot, the less travelling you can do. Even assuming 200 miles though, that's still twice what the Nissan Leaf can manage, and it does it with more fun and style than the Nissan too.
Charging varies on two things. How flat it is when you start recharging, and what sort of power output you have available. With a fast charger, you can fill it in about four hours. On a slow charger, a 100 per cent depleted power pack can take two days to recharge. Mostly though, people will probably get by just charging the car overnight. Which is what we did, during our test.
Equipment
The Telsa now has a CD/DVD-based sat nav and entertainment system. Don’t expect great things from this system, it’s functional, but you’ll have a much more pleasant experience with a TomTom, or even a phone with Google Maps. There’s a reversing camera though, so you won’t bump in to anything when you’re backing up.
In addition to the navigation and stereo screen, there’s also an information panel. Here you’ll get updates on how full your battery is, your maximum range – if you drive like a saint – and various information about how much g-force you’re pulling, the torque output and horsepower the motor is producing. This is lovely, but you’ll never be able to look at it, because it’s in a ludicrous place – by the “gearbox” and any time this screen is showing something interesting, you’ll need to keep your eyes on the road.
Those screens for the sat nav, and information should really be combined – as in a Prius – so you have fewer things to look at, and fewer distractions. Ideally, it would be nice to have some more information on the sparse dashboard. As it stands, here, you get only a small amount of information about the battery charge and range along with speed and gauge that tells you how much power you’re draining – or in regenerative braking, how much is going back in to the batteries.
Verdict:
We don’t want to lapse in to stupid clich? here, but the Tesla will make you feel happy in a way that you won’t be expecting. Right now, it’s enough of a unique experience to feel special, but that’s something that will fade as electric cars become more commonplace. We've walked away feeling like a 16-year-old who has just fallen in love for the first time. ?
In the cabin, the Tesla feels like a bit of a compromise. The driving position is good, but with the roof on, it’s cramped and the view outside is bad. With the roof off, it’s lovely, and the lack of visibility out of the windscreen matters less. You also have quite a lot of intrusion in to the cabin from the structure of the car. This is not a spacious place to spend your time, frankly. The stereo is reasonable, but could be far slicker, especially in a car this expensive.
If you’ve got the money, and you’re looking for a fun car, then the Tesla is that. You won’t be able to drive from London to Scotland in it, but you’ll have a lot of fun zipping around making yourself weak at the knees with the awesome power of this amazing electric car. Let’s hope this, not the G Whiz, is the future of electric travel. And let’s hope it gets a lot cheaper.
Most of all though, once you've driven one, you won't ever be able to stop thinking about it.
Tags: Car And GPS Tesla Tesla Motors Tesla Roadster
Tesla Roadster originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 14 May 2012 09:17:45 +0100
Posted on 14 May 2012 | 10:17 am
Apple rumoured to be buying German TV manufacturer Loewe
UPDATED: Apple iTV?
News that Apple?is about to buy German TV maker Loewe?has appeared on the internet over the weekend, with unnamed sources claiming the deal will happen as early as next week.
According to AppleInsider.com: "Word of the negotiations was exclusively revealed to AppleInsider, and although the offer has yet to be accepted, a source claims that Loewe 'has been advised by its financial advisor to accept the offer and a final decision is scheduled to be announced internally before 18 May 2012'."
The site's source says Apple will pay around $112m for the company.
Such a move, if true, would help Apple create the much-rumoured Apple iTV?that it is supposedly working on.
Loewe, pronounced Lur-ver, makes minimalist-looking TVs but is a fairly small player in the global TV market dominated by Samsung, Sony, LG and others.
Appleinsider is claiming that the news could be wrong, so don't get your hopes up too much.
"The accuracy of the information provided could not be initially verified, but AppleInsider has shared it in the interest of discussion, particularly as rumors continue to swirl that Apple is preparing to launch its own full-fledge high-definition television set," it said.
Apple has been rumoured for some time to be working on a television that includes the company's Apple TV set-top box.
According to Walter?Isaacson, Steve Jobs's biographer,?Jobs claimed to have "cracked" what was wrong with the TV industry and how to solve it. He didn't. however, elaborate at the time on what that solution was.
Could it be by buying the German TV maker?
Aside from making TVs, the almost 100-year-old manufacturer has recently ventured into iPhone speaker docks with AirPlay support, and iPad apps to accompany the luxury speakers.?
UPDATE: Loewe is reportedly denying the news. We have contacted the company for a quote.
UPDATE: Loewe has given us the following statement:
"There are some rumours on Loewe and Apple within the social media world. Our official statement is: Loewe does not take part in any rumours in the market. Therefore Loewe will not comment any news on Loewe and Apple. Thank you."
Tags: Home Cinema Television Loewe Apple Apple iTV
Apple rumoured to be buying German TV manufacturer Loewe originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sun, 13 May 2012 11:01:00 +0100
Posted on 13 May 2012 | 12:01 pm
Leica V-Lux 40 pictures and hands-on
Playtime with the Leica compact
This week’s Leica event in Berlin launched so many products it was easy to miss one if you blinked. The most affordable item, the Leica V-Lux 40, was brushed over so quickly that even the keenest of Leica watchers may have missed it.
This is a shame, because it’s a handsome compact with a lot going for it. Pocket-lint had rare hands-on time, while everyone else was distracted by the big guns.
The Leica V-Lux 40 is the latest compact to continue the relationship with Panasonic, a company which Leica Chairman Dr Andreas Kaufmann described as "our respected partner".
So it’s similar to the Panasonic Lumix TZ30, an impressively capable machine, as you can read in our review. This model, however, costs over ?200 more. Of course, Leica cameras aren’t known for being bargain basement, but what do you get for your ?550?
Well, to start with, the look is pretty special. The metal body feels coolly solid under the finger, with the curvy form of the Panasonic straightened and moderated to give a gorgeous result. The iconic red logo stands out as ever in the top left corner and will make Leica lovers drool a little.
High-end design stands or falls on detail. Here, there are plenty, from the lens cover which is now black (on last year’s V-Lux 30 it was silver) which adds to the demure, authoritative, look of the camera, to the Leica logo which briefly appears on the LCD screen as you turn the snapper off.
That LCD is a 3-inch touchscreen, making it easy to pick where you want to focus. This is Leica’s first touchscreen, though it was made clear to us that it may not be the last. Bigger Leicas, it was hinted, may make use of the technology in coming seasons.
The sensor’s resolution is unchanged from last year’s model, with 15.3 megapixels (14.1 effective). There are extra features such as GPS built in so you can easily geotag your snaps. The V-Lux 40 comes with a DVD of maps for major cities which can be uploaded to the camera and used to guide you if you’re in unfamiliar surroundings. Perhaps it’s cool to struggle your way around squinting at the screen on your camera, but be warned it’ll be a juice-sapper.
But as always with Leica, it’s all about the lens. The spectacular glass now comes with a whopping 20x zoom, 24-480mm in 35mm terms. Combine that focal length with the improved low light capabilities of the sensor and this suddenly becomes the perfect gig camera, for once offering images of your favourite band where you can actually recognise who’s on stage.
In fact, the powerful zoom has a lot of uses, so a casual glance at a distant block of flats, let’s say, may surprisingly reveal that it’s always worth getting dressed properly before watering window boxes. I mean, maybe not shirt and tie, but would a T-shirt really have been beyond this Berlin balcony gardener?
Of course, accidental voyeurism may not be your thing. Whatever, the zoom is fast, butter-smooth and appealing. We've included the wide angle of this shot below so you can judge the extent of the range. Naturally, we’ll be testing it comprehensively in our Leica V-Lux 40 review when we have a sample in the office.
There’s a copy of Photoshop Elements 10 and Premiere Elements 10 bundled with the camera which adds to the value, and the 2-year warranty is boosted by the Leica UK Passport – an accidental damage cover policy which lasts for 1 year. And Leica is known for spectacular customer service from a complimentary demo or training session to technical support by telephone.
Add these together and this doesn’t seem like bad value compared to the Panasonic. Plus, how can we put this? It’s a Leica.
Actually, ?550 seems great value to have an iconic camera brand in your mitts.
Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Leica Leica V-Lux 40 Panasonic Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30 Photos
Leica V-Lux 40 pictures and hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sat, 12 May 2012 10:39:00 +0100
Posted on 12 May 2012 | 11:39 am
Nikon D3200
The mighty megapixel machine
The Nikon D3200 set tongues wagging when announced last month. Its headline-grabbing 24-megapixel sensor promised to be unlike anything the entry-level DSLR market had seen before.
But in a world where the megapixel isn’t always king, can the D3200 deliver across the board, and, more importantly, is it what beginners truly need?
The might of megapixels
There’s no denying it, high megapixel counts have been used to sell cameras for years now. But most users don’t have the need for such resolution, in particular at the beginner or "entry-level" end of the market.
Arguably the D3200 isn’t just aimed at those newcomers. It is, after all, the highest-resolution DSLR in its class, and certainly the most affordable 24-megapixel camera on the market today. That resolution may speak volumes to landscape or portrait photographers that want a budget option capable of outputting huge file sizes for optimum quality prints - but these are people that, most likely, already know what they’re doing.
For the beginner, the megapixel count may be almost inconsequential to their work, yet it does present the option to crop into shots without overall quality loss. This is an appealing prospect, bettered by the camera’s in-camera crop function.
But Nikon has missed a trick here, one that Sony has had in its Alpha line for some time now: the ability to magnify the preview and, therefore, final image, by using less of the sensor’s real estate. A 2x magnifier, for example, would double a lens’s telephoto reach and, in the case of the D3200, still output images at 12-megapixels without quality loss - but that beginner-friendly approach hasn’t made it into the Nikon model.
Guide-ing light
Ease of use is at the forefront of the D3200. Its guide mode, as adapted from the D3100, is an illustrated walkthrough guide that helps to achieve certain types of shots. For example, "capture red in sunsets" will adjust the camera’s white balance. Text and an accompanying image show that "color temperatures 5000K or more bring out reds most effectively". Change the settings within the guide mode and the corresponding image shows how the final result will differ. So it’s a learning process that’s well suited to newcomers that might know the desired result, but not know the camera mode or settings to use.
It’s not infallible though and there are always other settings that can have knock-on effects, or conditions might not suit the desired shot. For example an auto?ISO sensitivity is available, but is switched off by default - a little menu digging will find the option, but newcomers may not know to head here, nor understand its relevance.?The auto modes also have a tendency to pop the flash up at the drop of a hat and, while it is possible to turn this off from within guide mode, it can become a nuisance.
More advanced users will use Nikon's longstanding i-button to jump into a quick menu that displays on the rear LCD. Although the "info" name may not make perfect sense to newcomers, this Nikon staple is an essential to the camera's design and a key way to access the important settings. To further speed things up there's also a programmable function (Fn) button towards the front left side of the camera, which is well placed to adjust in use in combination with the rear thumb dial.?
Performance
It’s possible to shoot using either the D3200’s viewfinder or the rear LCD screen set in live view mode.
The 3-inch, 921k-dot LCD screen may sound like it delivers on paper, but its playback is too cold/cyan which makes accurate colour balance tricky. This isn’t isolated to our review sample either, as we checked multiple camera bodies.
Live view uses a user-positioned focus point that can be placed anywhere around the screen from edge to edge and, although not as fast as autofocus when using the viewfinder, is standard for this level. Just don’t expect to use it for action shots - it's more one for still life shots and can be useful for unusual framing when it's not possible to have the viewfinder to your eye.?
Burst speed comes in at four frames per second. Paired with the Expeed 3 processor the camera can crunch through images at pace. Although 4fps may not sound fast, consider that the 6016x4000px JPEG files can exceed 12MB each and the Raw files are around 25MB and it’s an impressive statistic. With a Class 10 SD card loaded up in the camera it was possible to shoot eight consecutive raw and JPEG files, or 23 JPEG "fine" shots in one burst. Good show.
It's worth mentioning there's also a wireless transmitter unit available, priced at ?55. The WU-1a?is only compatible with the D3200 (to date) and is a fun way of transmitting images or controlling the camera using your Android phone.?
The camera’s autofocus system is the same 11-point multi-CAM 1000 system that’s been used for many years by some Nikon product lines. It works well in good light and there’s an AF-assist lamp for when things get a bit too dim, yet the overall speed isn’t lightning fast. It’s an entry-level performance, though the camera’s price tag might suggest it would have stepped things up a gear or two in this department –?a potential oversight when considering what else is available on the market.?
Price wars
So, is the D3200 worth it?
The ?649 launch price is more than the (mostly) better-specified Nikon D5100 - the model which is supposed to sit above the D3200 in Nikon’s DSLR range.
While the D3200 adds the high-resolution sensor to its features arsenal, it doesn’t add any extras in the autofocus performance department.
Then there’s the Sony Alpha A65. This mid-level SLT uses the very same 24-megapixel sensor, but has a more advanced feature set which includes a faster autofocus system. But it also have a heftier price tag, at around ?755 with a kit lens.
Megapixels to marvel at?
But then the D3200’s images are great.
Despite the 24-megapixel resolution the entirety of the ISO 100-6400 sensitivity range is usable to some degree. A feat even more impressive when considering just how high resolution this camera is.
Critical detail is more visible at the lower ISO settings, though processing does render JPEGs softer than their raw counterparts. ISO 100-200 hold the most detail, while ISO 400-800 show more evidence of processing - these middle sensitivity settings look slightly softer yet grainier but are still of good quality.
At the higher settings ISO 1600 is where colour noise becomes noticeable and there’s a steeper turn to softness, while ISO 3200 is yet softer, colour is more muted, and although detail isn’t as prominent as at lower ISO settings there’s room to get a decent shot. ISO 6400 lacks detail but will be useful for some scenarios, and the inclusion of a Hi1 (ISO 12,800) setting pushes the limits of usability, yet isn’t awful.
Hyper-critical eyes will see some evidence of colour noise in gradient areas at any ISO setting upwards of ISO 100. This is negligible until ISO 400 where it has some presence, though won’t be to the detriment of most images.
Overall exposure is accurate, as is auto white balance - even if, in the case of the latter, the camera’s rear LCD screen isn’t the best at displaying the true colour balance.
Resolution hounds, take note, the D3200 has got this one in the bag.
Movie maestro
It was only a matter of time before an entry-level model went out all guns blazing in the moving image department. The D3200 is exactly that model: it includes a 1080p movie mode with 30, 25 or 24 frames per second capture using the H.264 codec to output MOV files.
As well as an onboard mono microphone there’s also a 3.5mm microphone input. This is particularly useful as Nikon AF-S lenses will, in general, create autofocus motor sounds that will be picked up in recordings. But that’s little to no problem when a third-party microphone is attached.
Continuous or single autofocus are both available, as is manual focus. Metering, however, is automatic - there's no manual control to be found here.
Verdict:
There are two ways to think about the D3200: as a souped-up D3100 with ultra high resolution, great quality images; or as a camera that’s purporting to be entry-level when it’s straddling the mid-level DSLR market.
The latter is a view to take seriously, as the Sony Alpha A65 - which shares the same sensor as this camera - is roughly ?100 more, yet offers both faster autofocus and burst modes and similar, if not the very same, 24-megapixel image quality. In fact the D3200 is pricier than either Nikon’s higher spec D5100 model or the Canon EOS 600D.
But when every penny counts, the D3200 does pull out the image quality stops. This already proven sensor produces fantastic images and ushers in a new era of quality to the entry-level end of the market.
Guide mode is a great tool, as proven by the D3100, that will help first timers to develop their understanding of photography. But then the budget D3100 has the same mode (bar a couple of changes) and costs far less.
In summary it’s all about your imaging needs: If great quality images at high resolution and a decent movie mode to match are a must, or if you’re a newbie, then the D3200 is excellent and outperforms middleweight DSLRs on those fronts.
Tags: Cameras Nikon Nikon D3200 DSLR cameras
Nikon D3200 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 20:24:00 +0100
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 9:24 pm
Nokia Lumia 900
Is big beautiful?
The Nokia Lumia 900 is the new flagship in Nokia's range and, some would say, the flagship of all Windows Phone 7 phones. But can it live up to this mighty accolade?
More importantly, does it have what it takes to challenge the likes of the iPhone 4S, the Samsung Galaxy S III and the HTC One X? We've been living with the new Nokia to find out.
Design
To say the Lumia 900 is identical to the Lumia 800 in design would be a disservice to both. While they are clearly from the same family, there are noticeable differences aside from the Lumia 900 simply being bigger.?The Lumia design is different from the norm, is eye-catching, and people will spot that and comment, so be prepared.
Made from black, cyan, white, and possibly magenta coloured polycarbonate, like the Lumia 800 and the HTC One X, the design is seamless with it a clean curved look void of screws or panels. The phone features a matte finish rather than a soft sheen, and that makes the 900 feel very different in the hand from anything else on the market (excluding the back of the HTC One X).
The design itself is punctured only by the perforated speaker grill at the bottom of the handset and the array of buttons and sockets on the side and top of the phone that let you control the device.
The side, like the Lumia 800, features silver volume and power buttons, as well as a dedicated shutter button for the camera. On the top you have a 3.5mm headphones socket, an open Micro-USB socket for charging and a micro SIM tray, which is accessed in a similar way to the iPhone. You don't have to worry about lifting a flap to charge the phone as you did with the Lumia 800. Phew.
Being picky we would still have preferred the now open micro USB socket to be on the bottom and the speaker grill to be on the top so as to offer docking options and the chance to use the speaker when the phone is standing up. It's not the end of the world though, as we rarely use a docking station with the office iPhone either, opting for streaming services instead.?The back features the camera and dual LED flash.
The 4.3-inch AMOLED screen dominates the front and sits behind Gorilla Glass (flat not curved) that is the same size as the hugely popular Samsung Galaxy S II. That makes it perfect for reading a book via the Amazon Kindle app or watching a movie or TV show via Netflix. Around the screen is a 1-megapixel front-facing camera and the three standard Windows Phone 7 buttons along the bottom.
Surprisingly there is a lot of space around the screen, making the phone perhaps larger than is has to be. For the record Nokia's dimensions are 127.8 x 58.5 x 11.5mm.
The sheer size of the Nokia 900 means that while it will still fit comfortably in the pocket of your jeans, you may, as we have found, have to move it around from time to time so it sits comfortably.
Day-to-day performance
Beauty is one thing, but without a decent bit of tech inside, it's as unfulfilling as dating a shop mannequin. Thankfully Nokia has packed the Lumia 900 with enough kit for you to enjoy the experience.
A 1.4GHz Qualcomm processor gets the ball rolling and means that it's no slouch when it comes to running apps. The phone is fast, and while the HTC Titan and newer HTC Titan II pips it to the post, you aren’t going to notice it in day-to-day running.
Don't worry that the phone doesn't have "quad-core" written all over the spec sheet - the Lumia 900 is fast enough to do all the tasks we asked of it from playing games, to streaming movies from Netflix, or composing an email. The only thing that will slow you down is a lack of a decent internet connection.
Scrolling of your app list whizzes, all of the interactive live tiles - which give you up-to-date info via the home screen - buzz and as we've said before about Windows Phone 7 it's so quick and simple some may find it a little dull. There really isn't the need to press menu buttons every two minutes.
Like the Lumia 800, the phone comes with 16GB of storage space for apps, music, video, and photos and isn’t expandable via microSD, something that is a limitation of Windows Phone. Even so, that should be plenty unless you are a real music or movie hound and with the addition of extra storage on SkyDrive or Dropbox (Box Files for Dropbox is a good app for this) expanding beyond the storage space of the phone is easy. Music-wise you get Nokia's streaming music app called Nokia Music, which is free, or if you are happy to pay WE7 and Spotify both offer dedicated WP7 apps.
Connectivity-wise you get all the usual offerings: there's Bluetooth for pairing speakers or a headset, Wi-Fi for surfing the web, and 21Mbps HSDPA if you are lucky enough to find a signal where you are.
Battery
Good news. It is big, it is powerful, and it has lasted a lot longer than we expected. In our tests we've happily run the phone for a good 15 hours of average daily use before the battery saver feature of Windows Phone 7 kicks in. That means from 7am when we got up right through to way past midnight, more than enough for most people.
In our tests we used the phone as we would do normally, including using it for GPS (on a run for 30 minutes), checking notifications, receiving mail, watching Netflix, playing games, using Spotify, making phone calls, taking pictures and everything else you would expect. Not once in our use have we got to the early part of the evening and needed to panic about charging - we can't say the same about the Lumia 800. It really is a big leap forward for Nokia and one that means you'll still be able to make calls on the way home after a night out at the pub.
Nokia apps
While Nokia works with Microsoft on Windows Phone 8 it has worked to create a number of apps that not only add to the experience, but try to convince you that you want a Nokia Windows Phone 7 phone rather than one from HTC or Samsung.
That means you get access to an ever-expanding list of apps that really add to the experience rather than just being about converting imperial to metric.
At the time of writing Nokia Lumia 900 owners will get a number of apps:?Nokia Drive, a very good turn by turn navigation app; Nokia Music, a fantastic free streaming music service that lets you create radio stations or play curated music around certain themes; Nokia Transport, an app that lets you check transport routes and times around the UK and the rest of the world; Nokia Maps, a quicker and easier alternative to WP7's own mapping software; Creative Studio, an app that adds panorama, burst shooting and creative effects to the camera; CNN, a way of checking the latest news from the international news service; ESPN, for the latest sports news; Tango for video calling; and a few others like a Sesame Street app for kids and Nokia's own take on finding the best Apps on offer. Nokia also offers an Augmented Reality app that lets you find stuff around you.
Considering all this is included at no extra cost, and they aren't just limited time trials, it is very impressive.
Nokia has also added tethering to the Nokia Lumia 900 allowing you to share your internet connection with five other devices. The phone lets you do it automatically and you won't have to contact your operator to turn it on. Turning it on and off is very easy.
Windows Phone 7
If you haven't used Windows Phone 7?before, it's a bit of a Marmite experience. What we mean by that is that it is incredibly easy to use, and for some perhaps a little too easy.?The operating system, as we've discussed on Pocket-lint many times before, juggles and jostles for your attention. It isn't a grid of apps waiting to be pressed, but a living, breathing phone, waiting to interact with you.
Those who like the endless possibilities that Android offers probably won't like the more restrictive nature, and might mean that the OS comes across as rather boring. Aside from changing the colour scheme, there is little in the way of personalisation. You can read all about Windows Phone 7 Mango in our review.
Camera and photography
Like the Lumia 800, the Lumia 900 features a Carl Zeiss 8-megapixel f/2.2 camera and dual LED flash.
There's a dedicated camera button on the top of the device and you get a more camera-like feel than you do with something like the iPhone. That feeling is compounded by a half press to make the camera focus, before you snap the final picture.
Our test shots were on the whole good, but we still got mixed results. Basically the more light you have the better the shots. Inside and the flash can be overbearing if your subject is too close, and without the flash the pictures can be noisy. Get the right lighting and the results are very good indeed.
The experience is pretty much the same as the Nokia Lumia 800 and consistent with the HTC Titan II (a 16-megapixel WP7 camera phone) we've recently reviewed suggesting this could be an OS problem rather than one isolated to Nokia handsets. Let's hope further updates to the OS improve it.
If that sounds downbeat is shouldn't be. The Lumia 900 can take great photos, just don't expect to produce perfect results every time.
On the video front you get 720p resolution at 30fps. The video performance is good, although not hitting the high resolution you'll find on other smartphones, if that bothers you.?The front-facing camera is good enough for video conferencing either via Tango or Skype.
Verdict:
So, should you get the Nokia Lumia 900? We are torn between this and the Lumia 800, enjoying both phones as much as each other.
The Lumia 900 delivers a bigger screen, a front-facing camera, faster surfing speeds, internet tethering, a much better battery, and a easier to charge device than the 800. However all those extras come at the cost of a much bigger device that won't be for everyone. Like the Samsung Galaxy S III, Sony Xperia S, and HTC One X, the Lumia 900 is a big phone and that is likely to put some off.
If you fancy the idea of a bigger screen this is the better of the two. It's more brash than the Lumia 800, but the experience is good. The screen's resolution is stretched to its limit at this size, but that's not enough to push it over the edge as in the Titan series from HTC.
We aren't going to witter on about the merits of Windows Phone 7 over and over again. You either like the OS or you don't.
Nokia has done the best it can to make the most of Windows Phone 7, for us making this a viable alternative to Android and the iPhone. The app scene is still lacking though. It is getting better, but if that's your main want, WP7 still won't deliver as much as the other two main platforms. For us, the success with WP7 is with contacts, the interactive tiles, and how easy everything is to use. The apps will come in time.
We like it, but we know many won't.?
Tags: Phones Mobile phones Nokia Nokia Lumia 900 Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone 7
Nokia Lumia 900 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 18:37:00 +0100
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 7:37 pm
Nokia Lumia 900 is the "best smartphone ever" according to... Siri
Eh?
Ask Apple’s speech-recognition software Sir ?what the best smartphone ever is, and the answer would surely be its own champion handset the iPhone 4S, right??
Wrong! According to Siri the answer is the Nokia Lumia 900,?at the time of writing at least. Go on, try it for yourselves.
Siri’s answers are actually based on results from search engine Wolfram Alpha, which itself takes information from user reviews.
With the Nokia Lumia 900 recently having been launched, it’s perhaps understandable it has so many hits.
That said, we’re sure the folks at Apple won’t be best pleased to hear it’s software is advising people to look elsewhere.
The Nokia Lumia 900 was launched with a huge lightshow in New York’s Times Square in April.?
A white version of the Windows Phone is actually already in stock UK branches of Phones 4u, though its arrival has been far more low-key after some confusion to the official on-sale date.
UPDATE - And just like that Apple appears to have had stern words with Siri who now answers the same question with the much more dutiful answer "The one you're holding". Well it was fun while it lasted.
Tags: Phones iPhone Siri Nokia Lumia 900 Apple iPhone 4S
Nokia Lumia 900 is the "best smartphone ever" according to... Siri originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 18:07:00 +0100
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 7:07 pm
APP OF THE DAY: Leonardo Da Vinci Anatomy review (iPad)
Bodies explored
The new iPad is a seriously sweet piece of kit. No one is going to argue that the crazy resolution of its Retina display doesn't make for some pretty sweet app viewing. None more so than the new Leonardo Da Vinci Anatomy app, which is as good looking as it is educational.
Leonardo Da Vinci: Anatomy
- Format
- iPad
- Price
- ?9.99
- Where
- iTunes
The application works as a sort of extension of iBooks, more like an interactive reading experience and less like turning pages. Snippets of Leonardo's groundbreaking work are combined with 3D anatomical models and as well as interviews with those in the know explaining just how impressive his ideas were.?
More than 250 pages of drawings, split over 11 different chapters, are brought to life using the iPad's lush screen and highly detailed models. You can swipe typesets between the application to read either Leonardo's original Italian writing or have it translated into English on the page.?
A human body is used as an interface to navigate all the different picture collections within Leonardo's body of work. There is tons of content here and just about all of it is fascinating. It also looks fairly incredible, thanks to the whole thing being retina-display compatible.?
At ?10, the application isn't exactly cheap but you are getting a lot to play with for your money. The drawings alone are impressive enough once you really get exploring, but the slick design makes the whole experience that much better.?For those interested, the money is worth it.?
Tags: Apps App of the day iPad Apple iOS
APP OF THE DAY: Leonardo Da Vinci Anatomy review (iPad) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 18:00:00 +0100
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 7:00 pm
Hands-on: BubbleScope 360-degree iPhone camera accessory
Panoramic photography and video
An iPhone accessory that enables you to capture both 360-degree stills and video before sharing them online will soon be available.
Pocket-lint saw the BubbleScope camera accessory in person at the Digital Summer event in London and - after years in the making - it's arrival in July was confirmed by?BubblePix,?the company behind the kit
We say years in the making, as way back in July 2011, BubbleScope creator Tom Lawton spoke in depth about the technology used in the accessory. Then it was simply a device that could capture 360-degree photographs, but Pocket-lint can now confirm that the gadget will also be capable of recording video too.
The BubbleScope accessory is small enough to fit in your pocket and, rather than clip on to the case (included with the camera lens) that encompasses your iPhone, it screws on giving it a tighter grip – particularly useful should you be filming while in a moving vehicle, for example..
The lens itself rises out of the tube-like container before being stowed away once you’ve finished snapping, which should help avoid any accidental scratches to the lens while in your pocket or bag.
The device can be turned to any position, which not only enables you to capture snaps at any angle, but also doubles as a useful desk stand.
Because of the poor lighting in the showroom, it was difficult to get a true feel for how well the BubbleScope captured imagery, but we were treated to a sample shot taken outside earlier which looked great, albeit a tad unusual.
To capture your 360-degree stills and video you only have to press the camera key once, but just be wary of how you’re holding the phone to avoid a sudden close-up of your face.
Once you’re happy with your snaps (or “Bubbles” as they’re known) you can share them online via bubblepix.com (you need to download the free BubblePix app) to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram et al.
Though the BubbleScope accessory will initially be compatible only with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, BubblePix says it is working on other leading smartphones and platforms.
The BubblePix app is available now free from the Apple App Store (it will be updated once the device lands) while BubbleScope itself will be available for ?69.99 from the BubbleScope website as well as other major retailers from July.
Tags: Phones iPhone 4 iPhone 4S iPhone accessories Cameras Bubblescope
Hands-on: BubbleScope 360-degree iPhone camera accessory originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 17:21:00 +0100
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 6:21 pm
Sony conjures up magic with a Doll for UK HX8 Bravia TV launch
Kimberley Wyatt assists
Ex-Pussycat Doll and Got to Dance judge Kimberley Wyatt and world famous?magician?Drummond Money Coutts have been drafted in to help Sony put across the message that its HX8 Bravia edge-lit LED TV offers pictures as good as the real thing.
The set, available in 40, 46 and 55-inch screen sizes, is in stores now and features the Sony Entertainment Network, allowing access to applications for Netflix, BBC iPlayer and a host of other connected TV content providers. Each one has been recognised by the Energy Saving Trust for itsnenergy efficiency.
All of the sizes come with Sony's proprietary picture technologies,?X-Reality PRO and?Motionflow XR800Hz, and are Full HD 1080p and Full HD 3D models. The monolithic design incorporates a Gorilla Glass front screen. Freeview HD is built-in, as is Wi-Fi, and they start at around ?1,199 for the 40-incher.
The HX8 range will soon be joined by stablemates, HX7, EX6 and EX5.
Certainly tasty, we're sure you'll agree.
So's the telly.
Tags: Sony Televisions Sony HX8 Bravia Home Cinema
Sony conjures up magic with a Doll for UK HX8 Bravia TV launch originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 17:17:00 +0100
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 6:17 pm
Huawei launches the Ascend Y 100 and the G 7105 exclusively with O2
Cheap as chips
O2 will be the exclusive vendor for both the Huawei Ascend Y 100 and the Huawei G7105, as the manufacturer again caters for an entry-level audience.
While not of the same calibre as the excellent Huawei Ascend G300, the Ascend Y 100 is again an Android-powered smartphone running on Gingerbread 2.3. The handset sports a 2.8-inch touchscreen and there are both HSDPA and Wi-Fi for efficient browsing of the web.
Kitted out with a 2-megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, Huawei was keen to accentuate the Ascend Y 100’s ability to shoot video at 30 frames per second, twice the speed of other phones at this price point, apparently.?
Talking of which, the Huawei Ascend Y 100 will be available from 1 June for ?79.99 on PAYG or free with a ?10 per month contract. Anyone who buys the phone before 31 August will also received a voucher for a free interchangeable back cover. This cover can either be designed by themselves or chosen from one of the ready-made designs.
The Huawei G 7105 as a back-to-basics feature phone offers very little in terms of functionality. Its focal point is the 2.8-inch LCD touchscreen while the camera is a simple 1.3-megapixel snapper with 4x digital zoom.
Though there’s no Wi-Fi connectivity, Opera Mini, which compresses websites for faster loading speeds, is on board, so hopefully you won't be twiddling your thumbs for too long.?
In terms of battery life and we’re looking at 600 hours standby and 300 minutes talktime.?
Available now in white for ?39.99, a pink variant will also soon be available through selected O2 stores.
Although Huawei has predominantly focused on the lower-end of the mobile market, it will be launching its flagship device, the Huawei Ascned D quad later this year, which the manufacturer is calling the "world's fastest smartphone".
Tags: Phones Huawei Huawei Ascend Y 100 Huawei G 7105 Android 2.3 Gingerbread O2
Huawei launches the Ascend Y 100 and the G 7105 exclusively with O2 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 15:18:00 +0100
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 4:18 pm
Facebook trialling 'pay to promote posts' in New Zealand
Would you shell out?
Facebook users in New Zealand are being given the option of paying to highlight particular wall posts and updates.
Payments of 25p, 50p and even ?1.25 have already been paid to the social network via credit card and PayPal. In return Facebook will promote posts by keeping them at the top of news feeds and highlighting them to other Facebook users.?
When Facebook users in New Zealand first stumbled across the offer, it was initially thought to be a scam.
However, Facebook has since confirmed that the offer is genuine telling the BBC that it is constantly looking at new features to implement on the site.
"This particular test is simply to gauge people's interest in this method of sharing with their friends."
Though Facebook has emphasised that it is only trialling the "pay to promote post" functionality, the move is sure to anger Facebook users who have already complained about the continually changing platform.
Yet like a bad drug, Facebook has such a grip over society, despite complaints over changes to the social network, the number of users continues to grow with an estimated 900 million worldwide.
Facebook recently announced it was set to have its own App Center, a hub for all Facebook compatible applications.
Tags: Facebook Social networking Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook trialling 'pay to promote posts' in New Zealand originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 14:59:00 +0100
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 3:59 pm
The death of plasma? Panasonic sales drop by 41 per cent
Posts ?6.3 billion loss
Panasonic has posted its annual financial results and, like many other Japanese consumer electronics brands, the last fiscal year has not been kind. The firm has posted a loss of 812.8 billion Yen (?6.3 billion).
In addition, the results show an alarming drop in sales of plasma televisions, with Panasonic selling 41 per cent fewer sets from April 2011 to the end of March 2012 than it did the previous financial year. Its smaller screen LCD TVs have fared slightly better, but also saw a dip in sales of 28 per cent.
The posted losses are 30 billion Yen (?233 million) more than the company predicted in February this year, and the report states that the overall sum is partly attributable to several key factors, including the Japanese earthquake and resulting tsunami, and the flooding in Thailand. The appreciation of the Yen has also been a major factor.
However, it is those TV sales, or lack of, that are of utmost importance to the company. It has stuck by plasma TV technologies for its large-screen flatpanel displays through thick and thin, but it now seems that consumer trend is heavily swaying towards LED back-lit televisions. It's going to be a struggle for Panasonic to win them back, so the question is, will it bother?
Tags: Panasonic Home Cinema Televisions Plasma televisions
The death of plasma? Panasonic sales drop by 41 per cent originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 14:29:00 +0100
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 3:29 pm
Samsung launches new Windows Phone in the shape of the Omnia M
It's not just about Android you know
Proving it still very much has its fingers in the Windows Phone pie, Samsung has unveiled the latest addition to its Omnia range.?
The Samsung Omnia M runs on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango and sports a 4-inch Super AMOLED display and 1GHz processor.?
In terms of design, there’s nothing revolutionary here – it’s an impressive 10.5mm thick while Samsung has opted for a contoured back – but it's under the bonnet where Samsung really hopes to conjure up the excitement.
Billed as a social multi-tasker the phone has been kitted out with some interactive apps including Samsung’s ChatON service. This enables users from any phone platform (be it Windows, Android, iOS or BlackBerry) to communicate with each other either individually or as a group.
Though it will need to be downloaded, the Samsung Omnia M also supports Family Story, which uses a cloud-based network to share messages, videos and photos on multiple Samsung devices.
Samsung AllShare is on board, allowing you to play any films, music and games you have downloaded on the Omnia M direct to a compatible TV, while the Music Hub’s Smart DJ feature creates playlists from your music collection depending on your mood.
In terms of Windows credentials, message and contacts from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Windows Live will automatically be synched into one outlet via Windows Phone’s People Hub, while the phone also comes with 25GB of free online storage with Windows Live SkyDrive.
Other specs of note include a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash (there’s also a front-facing VGA for video calling), Wi-Fi and HSDPA connectivity.
In terms of memory, there’s a somewhat measly 4GB of user memory and only 384MB RAM and just to rub salt in the wounds, there isn't a microSD card slot either, as WP7 doesn't support external memory.
Samsung says the Omnia M will initially be rolled in Europe before being shipped to other regions. No word on pricing yet.
Tags: Samsung Omnia Samsung Omnia M Windows Phone 7.5 Mango
Samsung launches new Windows Phone in the shape of the Omnia M originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 11:42:00 +0100
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 12:42 pm
Sony MDR-V55 headphones
DJ style
Thanks largely to a certain brand of celebrity endorsed headphones, wearing proper headphones in the street is now socially acceptable. The Sony MDR-V55 offer themselves up as "DJ style" so, as Sony puts it, you can take your tracks to the street.?
The passing reference to Beats isn't completely lost on the V55 either: on walking into our favourite sandwich shop, the proprietor Mario glanced and assumed we were rocking Beats by Dr Dre. But is there more substance to these headphones? Can the Sony MDR-V55 step away from of the lure of that rival brand?
Design
We like the V55 a lot. The DJ styling in reality means that they offer a great deal of flexibility, less important if you are using headphones while lounging on the sofa, but perfect when mobile.?
The on-ear cups are reversible, so you can flip the rest of the headphones out of the way when holding them to one ear. They also swivel, so you can easily position them on your head, leaving an ear free, whether you're on the decks or ordering a fat chicken and bacon sandwich.?
The earcups themselves have a reasonable amount of padding, but given that these headphones are lightweight at 220g, there isn't a need for a huge amount of padding. The headband is soft enough, but again, doesn't have a huge amount of padding.
This keeps the bulk down, which we like, as these headphones will fold up small enough to slip into your bag when you want to ditch them.
Various colour schemes are available, we tested the black and red. We like the way the flat non-tangle cable carries the colour around the left earcup, matching the foam inside. We also like the big, brash, confident Sony letting across the top of the headband.
Performance
In longer use, the V55 do get a little warm and after an hour of listening, we'd find that we needed to let our ears out for air. Aside from that, we found them comfortable enough for long periods of use.
They sound great too. These come from the "extra bass" side of Sony's line-up of headphones and bass is something they handle well, delivering the meat of a wide variety of dance tracks with real purpose. Stepping away from the bass, we're impressed with the output across genres.
Being critical, if would be fair to say that there could be increased clarity, which you'll get on most expensive 'phones, but at ?89.00 (from sony.co.uk) we can't complain.
An important point for us however, is that the V55 remain distortion free as you move through the volume scale, even at uncomfortably high volumes, the bass retains the precision it has lower down the volume scale. If you like bass-heavy tracks, like dance music, then the Sony MDR-V55 may suit you down to the ground.
Isolation and leakage
The flexibility of the design means that it's easy to get the earcups to sit and seal well against your ear. We found that they blocked out mostly all background noise as a result.
However, on the flipside of this argument, there is a degree of sound leakage from them, so when you're sitting on the train listening to fat beats, the person sitting next to will be as well.
Whether this is going to be a problem depends on where you are and how loud your music is, but it's something to bear in mind: you are not in a soundproof bubble.
Verdict:
We liked the Sony MDR-V55 as soon as we set eyes on them. The plastics used in the construction are perhaps a reflection of the affordable price point, but they've been sturdy enough in the time we've been using them.?
The sound is great too and, combined with the comfort and the relatively low profile of these on-ear headphones, we've been very happy wearing them out and about.
They aren't ideal for mobile use, thanks to the lack of any sort of controls for mobile phones or MP3 players, but that's not the primary focus of these headphones. The 1.2m cable could be a little longer too, but this is perhaps a personal preference point.?
All in all, if you want some headphones, DJ or not, that sound great and pack up nicely, then the Sony MDR-V55 are definitely worth a look.
Tags: Headphones Audio Sony Sony MDR-V55
Sony MDR-V55 headphones originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 11:14:00 +0100
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 12:14 pm
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition sells over 400,000 copies on day one
Hints Markus "Notch" Persson
After Pocket-lint's estimation that Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition has been the biggest launch ever on Xbox Live, Microsoft has confirmed such by releasing a statement that it has, indeed, eclipsed Trials Evolution (the previous record holder) on day one sales. It hasn't actually released any figures, however.
There is more than one way to skin a cat though, as Mojang big cheese and Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson has revealed that - based on the game's dedicated leader board - it looks like the Xbox 360 version has sold more than 400,000 copies in its first day alone.
Posting on Twitter, Persson said: "The number of sales I got is based on leader board participation, so might be off.. But it seems it sold over 400k copies in 24h."
He also revealed that the game was "profitable in an hour".
Microsoft'a own Major Nelson also hinted at similar figures. "It’s official. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition has broken all previous Xbox Live Arcade digital sales records,?selling more than any other title in the first 24 hours on Xbox Live Arcade," he posted on his blog.
"I just looked at the leader boards and there are over 400,000 people playing… so that will give you an idea at how well it is doing."
One developer who's not happy with Microsoft?is Polytron, the studio behind the equally excellent Xbox Live game?Fez. It believes that Mojang has been given preferential treatment over free updates.
"You're also getting free updates, which is something every other developer on the platform is told is simply not an option," it posted on Twitter to Notch.
However, it is not complaining about the release of figures, contrary to reports elsewhere. "Minecraft did not get preferencial treatment regarding sale stats. just for the free updates," it wrote. "Attention journalists: THIS IS NOT A SCANDAL."
Tags: Minecraft Gaming Xbox 360 Xbox Live Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition Mojang Microsoft
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition sells over 400,000 copies on day one originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 11:03:00 +0100
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 12:03 pm
PizzaExpress adds Virtual Chef's Table experience to restaurants
QR codes spark VIP video
Always ready to embrace technology in order to improve customer experience, UK restaurant chain PizzaExpress has added a Virtual Chef's Table service to accompany two new pizzas.
The dishes have been created by celebrity chef Valentine Warner so, after ordering them, customers are invited to scan dedicated QR codes with their smartphones in order to view a video of Warner?creating the pizzas and talking them through their recipes.
Both the Puttanesca and Fennel & Salami pizzas have now been added to the menu at ?10.75 and ?11.75 respectively, and the QR code experience is a free and fun way to add an interactive technology element to the proceedings. It's something that TV cook Warner is particularly excited about as one of his first jobs was at PizzaExpress.
"I’ve been going to PizzaExpress all my life and even worked there as a waiter during my student days," he said. "I’m really proud of the two pizzas we’ve created and am excited to see them on the menu of my favourite pizza place."
The QR codes will work with any smartphone, Android, iPhone, etc, as long as you have a QR Code reading application.
Tags: Phones Tablets Restaurants PizzaExpress QR codes
PizzaExpress adds Virtual Chef's Table experience to restaurants originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 11 May 2012 10:12:00 +0100
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 11:12 am