Techradar - All the latest technology news

Gary Marshall: Why it's the end for public Wi-Fi

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:45:00 GMT

If you haven't seen it already, Richard Gale's fake trailer for The Horribly Slow Murderer With The Extremely Inefficient Weapon is wonderful and hilarious.

The trailer is also a pretty good illustration of what the government's doing to our internet freedoms, so you might want to watch it before you read the rest of this.

Done that? Good.

The Extremely Inefficient Weapon isn't a particularly good weapon, it has to be said, but over time it drives its victim crazy. The government's a bit like that.

Boink! Insane plans to monitor everyone's online activity. Boink! Plans to slow down alleged file sharers' connections so they struggle with email, let alone anything useful. Boink! Forcing ISPs to spend between £360 million and £420 million per year on pointless anti-piracy systems.

And then the government swaps its Extremely Inefficient Weapon for a rocket launcher. WHOOOOOOOOSH! BWAAAAAAP! Bye-bye, public Wi-Fi!

We're not exaggerating. Public Wi-Fi is already under threat. This week it was reported by ZDNet that a British pub with a wireless hotspot had been fined £8,000 for customers' illegal downloads, and while the story seems odd - details are sketchy, but it's much more likely that the sum is an out of court settlement rather than a fine handed down by a court - the prospect of open Wi-Fi operators being sued silly by cash-happy legal firms isn't hard to envisage.

But that's nothing compared to what the Digital Economy Bill is up to.

Under the proposed new regime, Wi-Fi will work like this. You can choose between one of two options: either you're essentially an ISP, in which case you'll need to become a copyright cop and police the connections of anyone using your network at great expense, or you're not an ISP, in which case you're responsible for any dodgy downloads.

Placing impossible demands on providers

As Lilian Edwards, professor of internet law at Sheffield University, puts it in The Guardian, the intention of the Bill "is to ban open Wi-Fi so that it cannot be used as an excuse when (whenever that is) the opportunity comes to repel the unfounded allegations of infringement which generate the warnings."

Edwards suggests that the law would place impossible demands on closed Wi-Fi providers, too: identifying alleged infringers "will be fiddly and expensive though and the cost of Wi-Fi to [places such as] McDonalds would probably go up so much it would be uneconomic to supply. Bang goes a free service which has proved a public boon and a remarkably popular enticement to customers in the ongoing recession."

Mandelson pushes ahead with 'three strikes' policy

Maybe it's that the Bill is badly drafted, or maybe it's that the government still doesn't understand the internet - which, given its importance to our economy, is a pretty terrifying thought. Or maybe it's a global conspiracy that involves everyone from the Freemasons to The Nolans.

Whatever the reason, what we've got here is a War on Piracy, which we're sure will be as cost-effective, as precisely targeted and as successful as the War on Drugs and the War on Terror - and it's a war in which public Wi-Fi looks set to be an early casualty.

Report: PS3 ended Andy Murray's relationship

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:15:00 GMT

Tennis star Andy Murray's relationship reportedly ended because of his addiction to his PlayStation.

Sears and British number one Murray split at the weekend, with an announcement that the parting of ways was amicable and mutually agreed.

However, a report in The Sun suggests that the real reason was lengthy Call of Duty sessions on his PS3.

What more?

The source told The Sun: "He would spend all his time glued to them. In the end she just got fed up with it. She wanted more out of the relationship."

The player's agent has already pointed out that Murray doesn't play computer games any more than the average 22-year-old.

TechRadar is choosing to use the news against anyone who suggests that computer games are retarding sporting genius.

In fact, perhaps those winning shots from the baseline are as a direct result of hours of virtual practice with a controller.

Microsoft 'investigating' Black Screen of Death

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:03:00 GMT

Microsoft is investigating the so-called 'black screen of death' problem that was highlighted by security firm PrevX following its latest round of updates for Windows 7.

The PrevX blog highlighted a problem it had seen from users of its software, where running some programs following the Windows 7 update would cause the computer to go to a black screen.

Microsoft has confirmed to TechRadar that it is indeed 'investigating the problem'.

Statement

"Microsoft is investigating reports that its latest release of security updates is resulting in system issues for some customers," said Microsoft in a statement.

"Based on our investigation so far we can say that we're not seeing this as an issue from our support organisation.

"The issues as described also do not match any known issues that have been documented in the security bulletins or knowledge base (KB) articles.

"As always, we encourage customers to review the security bulletin and related KB articles and test and deploy security updates. If customers do encounter an issue with security updates, we encourage them to contact our Customer Service and Support group for no-charge assistance.

"Customers can contact CSS using the information at http://support.microsoft.com/security."

The inevitable Black Screen of Death moniker obviously references the infamous Blue Screen of Death seen when Windows PCs went catastrophically wrong.

Lock down of registry keys

"…the cause of this recent crop of Black Screen appears to be a change in the Windows Operating Systems lock down of registry keys," says Dave Kennerly, the PrevX engineer that blogged about the problem.

"This change has the effect of invalidating several key registry entries if they are updated without consideration of the new ACL rules being applied. For reference the rule change does not appear to have been publicised adequately, if at all, with the recent Windows updates.

"In researching this issue we have identified at least 10 different scenarios which will trigger the same black screen conditions. These appear to have been around for years now. But our advice is try our tool first. If it works great. If it doesn't you are no worse off."

BT Vision does VOD deal with NBC Universal

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:40:00 GMT

BT Vision has announced that it has done a deal with NBC Universal International Television Distribution to bring its key US titles like Heroes and House to the UK for its on-demand service.

The deal represents a key milestone to the sputtering BT Vision service, which will need to have a good year in 2010 to stave off the arrival of services like video on demand through Freesat, Freeview HD and the continued rivalry of Virgin Media and Sky.

TV Pack

BT Vision customers will get NBC Universal programmes as part of their subscription to BT Vision's TV Pack. They will also be available to viewers on a per-episode basis via video-on-demand.

Marc Watson, CEO BT Vision, said: "We are delighted to sign a deal with NBC Universal, so that we can offer some of the most successful US drama series all in one place and available for TV pack customers to watch whenever they want."

Major studios, of course, can do deals with multiple broadcasters for on-demand content, but BT Vision customers will be pleased with a major addition to their service.

In Depth: The best Xbox 360 deals for Christmas

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:35:00 GMT

The Xbox 360 has fast become the best value console on the market, and there are some fantastic deals around for this next generation console.

With competition steep between the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii, it's not difficult to grab some bargains on bundles, games and peripherals.

If there's one Xbox 360 bundle which stands out this Christmas, it's this Xbox Elite with Modern Warfare 2 and Forza 3, two of the hottest tiles at the moment. The sub-£200 price point from Game - together with some of the finest games in terms of graphics and gameplay - shows why the Xbox 360 is such a dominant force.

Cheap Xbox 360 games

If you already have the excellent Rock Band kit then you won't be able to resist Tesco's £17.87 with free delivery for the Beatles edition of the game. Beatles Rock Band is packed with the band's biggest hits, fantastic animations, and is genuinely the most fun you can have with a plastic drum kit.

Alternatively, if you don't already have the kit and you're looking to get the family to Come Together this Christmas, this pack from Amazon gets you the basic Beatles Rock Band kit for under £80. Now that's what we call (Dear) Prudence.

Those who sit on the Guitar Hero side of the gaming fence can enjoy two player music battles for just £20 with this Les Paul styled guitar. Being able to thrash Grandma at Guitar Hero on Christmas Day rather than make her watch you complete AC/DC on medium for the 9th time is almost as attractive as the price tag. If Guitars aren't your cup of tea, then why not pick up the brand new DJ Hero, which has put the gaming charts into a spin for the extremely reasonable £69 from Tesco.

Staying with top peripherals, there's a fantastic deal on the Wireless Entertainment Pack over at Zavvi. The price of this pack is astounding, and is half the price advertised on Amazon. £23.95 gets you a wireless controller, as well as the addictive Lego Batman and Pure. Who said the recession was all bad?

This Christmas we've been blessed with the release of the finest games in recent memory, and thanks to the selfless acts of our bankers, retailers are giving them away.

Strategy fans should look no further than Civilization Revolution to get their megalomaniac fix this Christmas, and no aspiring warmonger would turn down a £10 price tag at Play.com.

If there's one game which makes us feel more Christmassy than a turkey stuffed with mince pies it's Fable II. This fantastic role-playing fantasy takes you to Albion, a land where magic, farting dogs and adventure are in abundance. One of 2008's shining lights, and it's just £12.95 from Zavvi.

FIFA 10 is the most refreshing football game which has graced the console for years, and it's the first edition of FIFA which has toppled Pro Evo's dominance of the TechRadar office. The football is fast and slick, and the gameplay feels natural. What's more, you can play Plymouth Argyle vs Tranmere Rovers, and it's a snip at £22.99 from Amazon.

When we spotted Rainbow Six Vegas 2 for under £10 we had to check it wasn't a George, Zippy and Bungle knock-off. Rest assured, this is the terrorist-busting original, and anyone who can refuse this amazing price deserves to have a swat team rappel through their window and flash bang their face.

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City brings the two new episodes of GTA IV into one super package, and is a must-have for any Grand Theft Auto addict, or unbalanced loner with a fascination with guns, cars and violence. Perhaps not, but still worth the £23 price tag from Amazon.

Spotify denies console player 'any time soon'

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:16:00 GMT

Spotify has moved to deny rumours it's bringing its service to games consoles in the near future.

Inc Gamer said an 'anonymous tipster' had said that Spotify was 'working on it [console based streaming] for some time now', but the company has since moved to dismiss such speculation:

"We've always said that we want to be on as many devices as possible so that we can bring music to wherever our users are, but there's no truth to these 'anonymous' rumours about Spotify coming to game consoles any time soon," said a spokesperson for Spotify.

Microsoft rival

Microsoft is developing a rival to Spotify in the UK, although this is only in limited beta at the moment and through MSN. However, the company is 'into' streaming at the moment, with the likes of Zune Movies offering instant access to content.

But that hasn't stopped the likes of the Sony and Nintendo forging partnerships with BBC for the iPlayer on their consoles in the absence of Microsoft, so such a deal could still be feasible, although not in the near future it seems.

DRDB anger at talkSPORT owners' statement

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:08:00 GMT

The Digital Radio Development Bureau has reacted furiously to a statement by UTV – the owner of TalkSport – that Digital Radio is in decline.

Following the announcement that digital radio sales had topped 10 million, UTV's Scott Taunton suggested that sales growth was 'in reverse' something that has immediately sparked a war of words with the always-vociferous DRDB.

"Managing Director Scott Taunton says sales growth is in reverse, pointing out that in 2008 2.2 million DAB sets were sold (in fact it was 2.1 million), but in 2009 to date, only 1.3 million sets have been sold," said the DRDB.

No Christmas

"Scott seems to have taken a full year's sales in 2008, including the big Christmas period, and compared it with 10 months in 2009.

"If you compare like for like, i.e. 10 months sales in 2008 versus the same 10 months in 2009, you get almost the same figures. To whit: Sales to end October 2009 are 1.36 million. Sales to end October 2008 1.37 million."

It's an argument unlikely to be resolved quickly – with digital radio still battling for the recognition it feels it deserves.

Virgin Media announces 7.2Mbps mobile broadband

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:40:00 GMT

Virgin Media has announced its new high-speed mobile broadband service – offering 7.2Mbps through a USB dongle.

The company's 3.6Mbps service has proven to be a success, prompting a new higher speed service.

Flexible one-month rolling or 18-month contracts are available, and Virgin Media's makes a point of suggesting that it is ideal for use with the BBC iPlayer, YouTube or downloading, so presumably the network can take a bit of a pummelling!

Limits

Of course, you should perhaps bear in mind that the packages come with either 1GB or 3GB limits - so don't watch or download too much inside a month.

Graeme Oxby, Executive Director of Mobile at Virgin Media said: "We're thrilled to be offering this faster mobile broadband to our users.

"If you're not at home or near a wireless connection, mobile broadband is the best way of staying connected on the move and we're delighted to be making this a speedier, more pleasant experience for our customers."

Review: MyHeritage Family Tree Builder 4

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:30:00 GMT

Most serious family history software supports a detailed approach to chronicling your ancestors. Popular examples are Family Historian, RootsMagic and the program we have chosen to review, Family Tree Builder 4.

Unlike these, though, you won't find Family Tree Builder in shops – it's only available by download, as are other respected programs such as Ancestral Quest, Genbox and Master Genealogist.

Just like its peers, Family Tree Builder offers several advantages over drawing family trees on rolls of wallpaper and keeping your creased notes in hidden away in a box.

You only have to enter names, dates and places once, and you don't have to redraw diagrams and rewrite notes to accommodate new family members. Both of these factors save a lot of time and help eliminate copying errors.

Read all about it

The beauty of using family-tree software is that after entering as much information as you can lay your hands on – including relationships, events, images and facts – you can use the PC to produce detailed reports.

These are much more interesting to share with other members of the family than dry spider diagrams. Reports fall into four categories: ancestral, descendant, statistical and administrative. Each type of report concentrates on different things.

Narrative descendant reports, for example, track all of a person's descendants (and their spouses), printing all associated facts, events, notes and photographs. Other types of report include things like family group sheets and timelines.

Family Tree Builder can produce professional-looking PDF reports, though the wizard-driven process has been licensed from The Complete Genealogy Reporter (and thus sadly has fewer options). But despite the limitations, this immediately elevates Family Tree Builder up several levels for those for whom presentation of their research is important.

The contents can include lists of all relations, family trees, your notes and sources, plus indices of places, dates and people. However, there's no room to add existing pre-printed material, and unfortunately you can't edit sentence construction.

The application can produce a similarly varied range of charts. Standalone charts include drop-line trees (the type of cascading format everybody visualises when you say 'family tree'), as well as 'waterfall' and 'fan' variants, a 'close relatives' tree and an all-in-one tree. All of these can be displayed on-screen, though printing your work out can be a little challenging.

As you can imagine, it often involves using reams of paper that then have to be glued together.

Roots in the cloud

The free basic Family Tree Builder program comes with access to private MyHeritage web pages where you can publish your own family history. This will cope with up to 250 individuals and 250MB of photos.

The app can also export your data in the industry standard GEDCOM format, which can also be uploaded to MyHeritage to produce a full online family tree. Be aware, though, that the GEDCOM format can sometimes lose data, so using Family Tree Builder's own format is often preferable.

MyHeritage pages let you share your family tree with other family members, who can upload their own photos and comments. Your data is only visible to you and the people you invite to view it, though information on deceased ancestors can optionally be made available to all so that relatives can find you online.

Being tightly integrated with Family Tree Builder, your online tree is fully graphical (instead of the collection of HTML reports you may get elsewhere). And unlike some other site operators, MyHeritage doesn't lay claim to your uploaded data.

Related Links

Review: Heritage Key VX

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Before the web came along, virtual environments seemed like the next big thing in interface technology. We now have the processing power to do everything those old-school futurists dreamed about: telepresence, immersive filesystems, cyberspace applications… yet it's still gamers that make most use of virtual worlds. Heritage Key VX may end up changing all this, though.

It's a mainstream application of a once niche feature that reminds us why we all thought it was such a good idea. While Heritage Key is predominantly an educational website aimed at amateur historians and fans of archaeology, its heart is the 3D virtual exhibit.

Peppered through the pages are buttons exhorting you to 'Go Virtual'. Take up this invitation, and the site launches an external application that connects you to a 3D museum. There you can create an avatar, communicate with other users in real-time and explore.

Heritage Key's virtual component is built using technology pioneered in Second Life, though developers Rezzable are careful to distance themselves from Linden Lab.

The worlds on offer have been developed on OpenSimulator, a hosting platform for virtual worlds that's compliant with Second Life protocols for client-to-server communication. Environments are viewed using a custom version of the open-source SL Viewer application, right down to the pop-up box saying 'Loading Second Life' as it loads.

When exploring Heritage Key's virtual world, you have a very pervasive feeling that you're in Linden Lab's infamous alternate reality. It's a cut-down version, but it's still recognisably the same software with the same control system, features and level of detail.

It shares the same strengths and weaknesses as the Second Life protocol platform that it's built on, too. That includes a control system that's counterintuitive when compared with modern first-person shooters or MMOs and a glitchy rendering system. For example, sit down in the tutorial area and you'll end up knee-deep in the floor.

Walk with the kings

You're not actually in Second Life, though – the world's running on its own, standalone OpenSimulator grid. Heritage Key currently offers just one themed world, King Tut Virtual, though further 3D environments are planned.

You can tour a virtual archaeological dig, take a walk round simulated museum exhibits and even sneak a peek at Egyptian artefacts in their proper historical setting. It's churlish to be too critical of the platform when there's true innovation in the kind of content offered.

We can only think of a handful of successful enterprises of a similar ilk. Twinity – an attempt to model real cities, with virtual versions of Berlin and Singapore already up and running – is one that comes to mind. But though Twinity models genuine streets, buildings and even people, it doesn't offer what Heritage Key VX can: a close-up view of Tutankhamun's Gold Death Mask.

The real artefact is too fragile to move from the Egyptian museum in Cairo, but here you can look at an in-world 3D model (built from images taken by award-winning photographer Sandro Vannini) from any angle. It's just one of many rare items you can explore in the exhibit.

Rezzable is responsible for several similar worlds in Second Life, including online shops, clubs and galleries. It's a brave attempt to harness the state of the art and appropriate it for the mainstream.

In the context of the Heritage Key site, it's an interesting diversion and a clever and involving way of presenting historical and archaeological data. Is it a compelling virtual world, though? For the moment, it's too small to take up too much of your time.

Samsung S5560 and B3410 launch at Carphone Warehouse

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:50:00 GMT

The Carphone Warehouse has announced that it will begin exclusively selling the new Samsung S5560 and B3410 in the next week.

These new phones have been well publicised by Samsung, as it attempts to make its touchscreen phones affordable to the general public.

Korean rival LG has been doing the same thing for some time now with the likes of the LG Cookie and the new Pop, but this move from Samsung shows the budget touchscreen market is set to heat up this Christmas.

Yule love these

The S5560 has a 3-inch touchscreen with Wi-Fi connectivity (to make up for the lack of 3G) and a 5MP camera with LED flash. It also offers microSD expansion to improve the measly internal 78MB memory too.

The B3410 is even less painful on the wallet, although does bring features to match. A full QWERTY keyboard is the main selling point, with a 2.6-inch screen and a 2MP camera bolted on too. As you can imagine there's no Wi-Fi or 3G on this puppy, although stereo Bluetooth headphones are supported.

The Samsung S5560 will cost £149.95, and the little brother B3410 coming in at £99.95.

Review: Netgear Stora MS2110 1TB

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:30:00 GMT

If you're looking for a high-end, expandable and fully configurable NAS device, this isn't it. The Netgear Stora MS2110 1TB is all about ease of use and keeping things simple.

For example, there are several simple ways to access your Stora box. It pops up as a regular Windows or Samba share on the LAN, has a Windows desktop app and is also available from anywhere in the world via a straightforward web interface.

Simple sharing

Setting up a web server for sharing photos and movies with friends and securely storing work documents isn't an overly complex task, especially when there are dedicated OSes like Windows Home Server that do it all for you.

However, nothing beats the simplicity of the latest generation of network attached storage (NAS) devices, though. These boxes have everything you need for sending photos and streaming videos to trusted friends built in to their web-based front ends.

NAS devices are aimed at the non technical audience, simplifying a process that has long been possible, but just a little tricky.

Their biggest advantages over cloud services for file sharing is in their speed, flexibility and security. One-touch copying and backup from PC to NAS across your gigabit home network is much less time-consuming than trying to upload a dozen high-res shots via ADSL.

Because the interfaces are Flash-driven, all movie content is optimised for streaming too. It's like having your own personal VPN with guest access and a DLNA server included for shunting entertainment around the home, too.

Logging in through a browser means going through Netgear's www.mystora.com site rather than directly to your own box. Once you're in, the Flash interface takes a little getting used to, partly because right-clicking icons doesn't work and partly because the theme is very dark.

The Stora's biggest problem is that to access the Flickr utility or view your files on a web-enabled phone, you need to pay a monthly subscription of $19.99. That could have been a killer feature if it had been free.

Feeding the cloud

At just under £160 for a terabyte NAS device, the brand-new Stora isn't terrible value, either. It's worth pointing out that Buffalo's LinkStation Live II is cheaper, but you can't access your backups from anywhere in the world with that.

The only real limitation of the Stora as a NAS device is that only one extra drive can be added in a RAID 1 mirrored array, effectively limiting your capacity expansion options to a USB drive plugged into the front.

If you really can't wean yourself off the Facebook or Flickr habit, the Stora also has a one-click upload button for copying albums to either online service.

It does rather defeat the point of having all that simple sharing tech built in, but in reality you're still going to want to share photos via social-networking sites rather than going round instructing your friends to log in to your home network.

That, coupled with the low upload bandwidth of the average domestic ADSL connection, is why devices like the Stora and Media Hub aren't likely to have much impact on the advance of cloud computing.

Providing access for multiple users is something that will always be better done in the cloud. The strength of these devices isn't that your Gran can log in from a cruise ship in the Caribbean, but that you can.

They don't replace Flickr or Facebook, but they're a lot better and cheaper in the long run than, say, shelling out monthly for a service like Dropbox or SugarSync.

Overall, though, the Stora is a great, secure alternative to cloud services like Box.net.

Related Links

Toshiba creating Freeview HD Blu-ray box

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:19:00 GMT

Toshiba has confirmed to WotSat that it will be producing a set top box with integrated and recordable Blu-ray and Freeview HD with the service due to arrive in the UK this month.

The lack of equipment for Freeview HD – which needs new DVB-T2 tuners – is a concern across Britain at the moment, although there will be a raft of announcements at CES from major manufacturers.

And Toshiba, it seems, is keen to combine Blu-ray – something they have only started making recently – with the latest in free-to-air HD.

"In the works"

"Meanwhile, Blu-ray and DVD group manager Hideki Fujii, unveiling Toshiba's first Blu-ray player, also announced that a Freeview HD recorder is in the works for 2010," said WotSat editor Alex Lane on the blog, reporting from Japan.

"Yep, DVB-T2, HDD and recordable Blu-ray in one box. It might even arrive for the 2010 World Cup, but maybe that's hoping for too much."

So good news – although we very much doubt that it will be the last Freeview HD product that we hear about in the next month.

Ebay handed another LVMH fine

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:06:00 GMT

A French court has handed auction giant eBay a £1.55 million fine for breaking an injunction on selling LVMH goods on the site.

You might have imagined that a £37 million fine back in May would have ended Ebay's argument with LVMH, the company who owns brands such as Christian Dior, Givenchy and Kenzo but it has proven not to be the case.

Appeal

The court's decision will be appealed by Ebay which believes the fine is unnecessarily harsh.

"The injunction is an abuse of 'selective distribution,'" Alex von Schirmeister, general manager of Ebay in France, said in a statement. "It effectively enforces restrictive distribution contracts, which is anti-competitive."

"We believe that the higher courts will overturn this ruling," he added.

Review: Cambridge Audio iD50

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Apart from iPod-enabled products including the One and Sonata mini-systems, Cambridge makes two iPod docks, the utterly basic iD10 and the present candidate, the iD50.

It is quite comprehensively featured, but Cambridge makes particular play of its audio abilities, which rely on 'quasi differential noise cancelling' circuits and audiophile-grade output buffers.

Connections include audio output on phono sockets, composite video and S-video, and RS232 for multi-room installations.

Two modes of operation are available, Simple Mode using the iPod's display, while Advanced Mode uses an attached TV as the display device.

A remote control is supplied, which is rather larger and considerably heavier than most of its kind and we found that this makes it much nicer to use, though the feel of the buttons is a bit uncertain.

Output level is two volts, the same as most CD players.

Sound quality

Bucking preconceptions, this dock really brought out the best in our iPod and produced sound that we can honestly say deserves the term 'hi-fi'. More than with any other dock we've tried, the Audio iD50 can extract music from the diminutive players and make it bloom.

There's real bass extension with very impressive grip and definition too, while midrange and treble are open and detailed. Images are well spaced out and have good stability; maybe not quite on a par with a good CD player, but not so very far behind.

The overall presentation has poise, but also plenty of bite and attack when needed. Lest you think we're imagining things, we also measured the performance and got figures that wouldn't disgrace any CD player.

Related Links

LG eXpose pico projector phone outed

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:45:00 GMT

LG has announced the arrival of its first-ever 1GHz smartphone – the LG eXpo, which comes packing a optional pico projector add-on.

The eXpo features a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, a 3.2-inch touchscreen, 5MP-megapixel camera, a microSD slot, and a removable projector courtesy of Texas Instruments.

While it's not quite an integrated projector phone as Samsung is promising, it does point to which way the smartphone market is moving, now that cameras and camcorders on handsets are now ten-a-penny.

Although the eXpo is only slated for a US launch at the moment (AT&T has snapped up the distribution) the phone has also been announced as the LG IQ in Canada, so it will be interesting to see what catchy moniker the company give the device when it eventually reaches UK shores.

Future proofed

The optional pico projector allows projection up to a distance of eight feet, with LG hoping that the addition of the technology makes the device into a "future-proofed smartphone."

Other features include Smart Sensor finger-print recognition and support for up to 16GB memory, via microSD.

Out in the US 7 December, the LG eXpo will set you back $199.99 (plus contract) and the optional pico projector add-on is $179.99.

Via Gizmodo

iPhone gets Palm Pre-like multi-tasking

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:42:00 GMT

A new utility allows jailbroken iPhones to get multi-tasking in a similar fashion to the Palm Pre.

The Multifl0w project has managed to make things super-simple to allow multiple applications to co-exist on the iPhone, all displayed in an easy to swipe set of windows.

Of course, it doesn't have the Palm Pre's 'swipe up to exit' functionality, but we still like it a lot.

Simples

Simply put, you choose an application; hold the home button and it will add it to the 'background'. Then double tap that same button to see all your open applications all in a row... how pretty.

Of course, Apple is making the point that this will drain the battery, kill the processor etc, but given every other phone can do (and with Flash as well, while we're on the point) and it would be nice to think the next iPhone will be able to multi-task.

But a video makes things a lot easier, so check out this little set of moving images to see how it works (although we don't know why so many examples have to be set):

Via Engadget

In Depth: Behind the scenes with Sky 3D TV

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:51:00 GMT

When Sky first showed off its efforts at screening 3D TV back in December, TechRadar was there, feeling impressed but a little concerned that, with no firm commitments, it amounted to little more than a publicity stunt.

3D, after all, has been the 'next big thing' for decades, and although the latest round of polarised stereoscopic 3D is a world away from the anaglyphic coloured lens disappointments of the past, nobody would deny that it's going to take a massive push to convince the public that 3D is more than a gimmick.

But then Sky backed up the sports footage that it had shown that day with a commitment to bring a dedicated 3D channel to its satellite platform by the end of 2010, and continued spending huge amounts of money learning just how to take the lessons learned from the new raft of 3D movies and take them to the sport and arts coverage that has established it in the UK.

Next big step

It is a decision that many would describe as brave, and some as foolhardy, but as we watched the company film the ATP Masters tennis at the O2 with modified 3D rigs, and then beam that footage live through one of its boxes, it's difficult to deny that Sky may just have a point; 3D could well be the next big step for television.

The intent of everyone within Sky to make 3D TV a success is clear; special permission was required from the ATP just in order to allow a television in one of the executive boxes so that the service could be shown to journalists. An entire second outside broadcast (OB) van was present so that the action could be filmed and shown live.

Within that OB van was not only the usual suspects – all bedecked in 3D glasses – but also three convergence experts, people just responsible for manually adjusting the field of vision, backed up by three specialist 'stereographers' that are in place to make sure that it's all working.

Well-rounded personality

Some of the lessons learned in the past 12 months are immediately obvious; in the original footage we were shown a year ago the 3D suffered greatly from feeling like a load of 2D pictures on rails – like flattened sprites in a computer game.

But, this has now been adjusted to allow for a much improved rounded feel; it adds a level of solidity that really helps make the 3D less tiring on the eyes because, we felt, your brain settles down and accepts this much quicker.

When we interviewed Sky's 3D guru Brian Lenz earlier in the year he suggested that filming live sport in 3D changed the game in a way that past improvements never really had.

For instance, when HD first arrived on the scene for Sky, people suggested that it would fundamentally change the way that sport was filmed, but the truth is that – aside from the cameras – much of the expertise and knowledge that had been honed over years was still entirely relevant.

With 3D that is not necessarily the case; new angles, new techniques and the abandoning of old tried-and-tested practice is necessary.

Take something as simple as the DOG (digital on-screen graphic) – the graphic displaying the channel name that traditionally sits in the top right corner on all Sky Sports channels. In two dimensions it is largely unobtrusive, but we happened to witness one of the first tests of the DOG on the tennis and it's, frankly, a little odd because it sits well forward of everything else on the screen; it literally stands out in a way that it shouldn't.

The setup used to film the tennis included three 3D rigs, which have been greatly improved in the past few months – not least to make them a little more robust and suitable for outside broadcasts rather then the controlled environments of the movie sets where 3D cameras have more usually been used.

These cameras were backed up by 2D cameras – but transitions between the two were perfectly palatable because the flatter pictures could be processed in real time by a computer chip which created the impression of depth.

Perhaps the biggest lesson that has been learned, at least from TechRadar's perspective, is subtlety. As the first 15 minutes of Avatar footage showed, overwhelming camera movement and gimmicks such as having things flying into the camera (and towards the viewer) are not helpful – and Sky's Tennis coverage was a study in restraint.

The majority of the action was kept from the traditional camera position behind one player, and although the line judges occasionally felt a little more imposing than is ideal (they are, of course, positioned at the back of the court nearest the camera) this made it much less tiring to watch.

Some issues

Of course, there are still the age old issues with glasses and the occasional jarring transition or, at this still early stage, malfunction that makes it sometimes difficult to watch – but this was the first extended 3D session on a smaller screen that TechRadar had gone through without ending up with a headache.

One of the most enlightening moments actually occurred in the tennis when there was one of the problems with the main camera (camera one in television parlance).

This left us for a few minutes with all the action coming from a 3D camera that was sat half-way down the court on one side looking diagonally across the net.

It should have been a horrible few minutes, but a wonderful rally and missed drop shot that bounced past the field of vision was genuinely fabulous. Much more visceral than the traditional view and far closer to how it feels watching a tennis match from courtside.

The future

It was a small part of a big day for Sky – but it is becoming increasingly clear that this is not a technology that is going to disappear if the likes of such a major satellite broadcaster are prepared to commit this kind of effort to perfecting it.

With Avatar on the 3D horizon, a dedicated Sky 3D channel on offer in late 2010 and CES in January likely to bring a whole new raft of 3D televisions that will launch through next year – this is a very, very interesting area of entertainment and technology.

HTC Hero pops up with Android 2.1

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:17:00 GMT

After the HTC was confirmed as not getting the 1.6 Android firmware upgrade, it appears the phone has been jumped up to the cutting-edge 2.1.

While these numbers might not mean a lot to some people, essentially this is all about what the phone is capable of doing.

Android firmware version 1.5 is the OS you'll get out the box when buying the Hero, and many assumed the phone would automatically get the 1.6 update, which brings elements like a faster camera and detailed power meter.

Leapfrogging

But HTC has confirmed it wouldn't be going to the 1.6 upgrade, instead optimising the Sense user interface for Android 2.0, which brings even better features like integrated social networking for contacts.

It seems that things have gone one step further now, with an HTC Hero being shown on Be Geek as having the 2.1 upgrade, which hasn't even been released yet.

So if you're a Hero owner, (or probably a Tattoo user as well) you can hopefully expect the latest and greatest Android update to land on your device - just don't hold your breath.

Digital radio tunes into 10 million sales mark

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:35:00 GMT

The DRDB (Digital Radio Development Bureau) is reporting that sales of digital radios have hit the 10 million mark, with 5 million of those devices sold after 2007.

Digital radio manufacturers seem to be laughing in the face of the recession at the moment, with sales of the devices outperforming the rest of the consumer electronic market both in 2008 and 2009.

The industry has seen a 12 per cent increase in home audio systems being sold and a whopping 60 per cent increase in digital radios for the car. The market is now said to be worth around £170 million a year in the UK.

Delivering firsts

One manufacturer who seems to be reaping the benefits of the digital audio upturn is Pure, who has announced that it has sold three million units worldwide.

Being that it's a British company this is great news for the UK, with Paul Smith, General Manager at Pure explaining: "Pure has consistently delivered firsts in the digital radio market. We were the first manufacturer to sell half a million digital radios, then one million, and now we're the first to sell three million.

"We'd like to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of retail stores that stock Pure radios and, of course, all Pure radio owners. Pure's drive in the growing digital radio market continues with an ongoing strong roadmap for 2010 and beyond."

Digital disappointment

Not everybody is happy with Scott Taunton, UTV Media (GB), Managing Director, pointing out that despite the 10 million sales mark reach, DAB digital radio sales are in decline, with a mere 1.3 million sets sold this year, compared to 2.2 million sold last year.

"Today's disappointing DAB sales announcement is a resounding 'no' vote for the government's proposal to switch off analogue signals in 2015," explained Taunton.

"While cumulative sales of 10m digital sets prove that DAB is here to stay, there are 120 million analogue radios currently in circulation in the UK. At this rate of sales, it would take up to 60 years to convert them all to digital."

Google announces UK's 2009 search trends

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:29:00 GMT

Google has announced the biggest trends in UK search for the year, with celebrities, and swine flu joined by Facebook, Ebay and Spotify in the British search zeitgeist.

Bing has just released its US-centric search trends, but Google has published UK searches to give us a more British look at exactly what has caught our interest.

"Britons had mixed feelings as they headed online this year to search for their favourite online tools, to learn about celebrities new and old, and to find a good bargain," said Google spokesperson Anthony House.

"People searched about new sensations like Lady Gaga and Susan Boyle, but they also turned to the web to learn about the deaths of Stephen Gately, Jade Goody and Michael Jackson."

Top searches and fastest rising

The top searches for 2009 are dominated by websites – with many people using the search engine as a quick way to get to the sites that they love.

Thus, the top searches for 2009 included Facebook, BBC, YouTube, Hotmail, Ebay, Google itself (which is just strange), Yahoo and Bebo – along with 'games' and 'news'.

Swine flu, Britain's Got talent winner Susan Boyle, Stephen Gately and Google Maps all made it into the most searched for news items, along with the likes of the tragic deaths of Stephen Gately and Michael Jackson.

Interestingly, in among the fastest rising searches was Microsoft's new search engine Bing – which stole ninth spot – although 'Facebook Login' was the top of that particular list, followed by Jogos, Ebay UK and Yahoo Mail.

You can check out the lists in more detail at anytime through google.com/insights/search but we'll repeat them below anyway.

Top searches 2009
Facebook
BBC
YouTube
Hotmail
games
Ebay
news
Google
Yahoo
Bebo

What was hot this year (fastest rising search queries in 2009)
Facebook login
Jogos
Ebay UK
Yahoo mail
Hotmail
BBC iPlayer
Hi5
Stephen Gately
Bing
Spotify

The biggest stories (fastest rising news searches in 2009)
swine flu
Susan Boyle
Jade Goody
Robert Pattison
Rihanna
Michael Jackson
Google Maps
Twitter
Stephen Gately
Iran

How is Britain feeling? (top searches for "i feel..." in 2009)
I feel love
I feel alone
I feel fine
I feel good
I feel sick
I feel fat
I feel ill
I feel pretty
I feel ugly
I feel free

The hottest tickets (fastest rising ticket searches in 2009)
Lady Gaga
Michael Jackson
Taylor Swift
Whitney Houston
pixies
JLS
Beyonce
Green Day
Tinchy Stryder
U2

In Depth: 10 Windows Mobile apps worth paying for

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:50:00 GMT

Windows Marketplace for Mobile has generated the expected rash of cheap apps from the useful (TubeRun shows live departure boards for the London Underground, Calendar To Map opens a map of the next appointment in your calendar) to the pointless (do you need your phone to test your stress?) to the questionable (there are two fart apps already).

With so many great free apps for Windows Mobile, are there really apps worth spending your money on? Actually, yes.

1. Co-Pilot, £27

You can get it for iPhone and Android but Co-Pilot for Windows Mobile is the original and best. Detailed maps (in multiple styles, including night mode so the screen doesn't glare at you) with full route planning and turn-by-turn directions in your choice of voices with street names.

It also provides all the other features of a dedicated navigation device such as lane assist and real sign display. The walking directions know about footpaths as well as roads while you can save favourite places and navigate to addresses from the Windows Mobile address book.

Plus, as well as searching for thousands of points of interest (near you, along your route or in a specific place) you can Bing for local businesses and attractions, get petrol prices for nearby garages, look up the weather or turn on traffic alerts, get warnings about speed limits and speed cameras and send your location to friends as you travel. If you've got a geotagged photo, Co-Pilot can navigate you to it.

The only drawback for this excellent app (which is fantastic value at £27) is that the on-screen keyboard in this version is alphabetic rather than QWERTY (and Co-Pilot says its working on that).

2. Voice Command, £31

Some Windows Mobile phones include this full voice control software; if not, buy a copy to launch programs, play music, change the ringer volume, open your calendar or a specific contact and yes, make calls, including redialling and returning the last call.

You can ask Voice Command to tell you your next appointment or what you're doing tomorrow (or just the time); it can read out new text messages and the subject and sender of incoming email. And it does it all without any training and with remarkable accuracy. You have to assign a button to it, so it won't try to recognise random conversations and it works with Bluetooth headphones so you don't even need to get your phone out.

3. Callligrapher, £18 ($30)

Apart from the HD2, every touch Windows Mobile phone works with a stylus; make it useful by adding real handwriting recognition with Calligrapher. You can write anywhere on the screen, rather than just in a tiny box, and you can teach it which letter shapes you use most to improve recognition.

You can't teach it new letter shapes, though, and it takes some time teaching it shapes and making your handwriting tidier to get good recognition, but you can get there with patience.

4. PhatPad, £24 ($40)

PhatPad on its own is an excellent note application that lets you sketch, handwrite, create voice notes, add reminders to notes – and sync it all to and from the almost-identical PhatPad application on your PC, so you can have one to-do list and take it with you. But if you use it with Calligrapher (above), you can write notes in ink like jotting things down on paper in a hurry – and turn them into text when you have time, giving you the best of both worlds.

5. WMWifiRouter, £18 (£22)

You can use your Windows Mobile phone as a modem with your notebook by turning on connection sharing, but if you want to share that connection with multiple PCs, or with something that's not a PC, WMWifiRouter does that and more.

It can share out your mobile data connection over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB; that gives you much wider range than Bluetooth and it means you can connect any device – so you could upload photos directly to Flickr from a digital camera with an Eye-Fi card via your phone. Obviously it takes a lot out of the battery (so plug your phone in) and if you share the connection with multiple devices they only get a share of the bandwidth, but it's both easy to use and has plenty of advanced configuration options.

6. Kinoma Play, £18 ($30)

When you're listening to music or watching video on your phone, you're more likely to be interrupted; Kinoma Play remembers where you were, in everything you've watched or listened to. That's especially handy because Kinoma gives you the same friendly interface for content on your phone and content online; you can browse camera phone pictures and your DSLR shots on Flickr with the same interface, and restart podcasts and YouTube videos where you left off.

Kinoma has a lot of extra features, from streaming Internet radio, playing Last.fm, reading RSS and playing media from Box.net or your desktop computer via Orb to reading Facebook, sending tweets and checking flight times (it even has its own App Store). At heart, it's a good media player and a great way to explore media on your phone and online.

7. Evernote Premium, £3 ($5) a month

The free version of Evernote is excellent; pay $5 a month and you get 500MB of storage. You'll need it because you can upload audio, video, PDFs and Office documents so instead of copying files to your phone you can put them online and access them from anywhere, including your phone. You can search PDFs and you can share notes with a friend, so you can both work on the same note. If you use Evernote extensively, the Premium option is excellent value.

8. RDM+, £24 ($40)

You can get some great apps for Windows Mobile, but how about using the ones on your PC or Mac from your phone? The official Remote Desktop client is one of the optional programs you don't always get on Windows Mobile devices, it only works with Windows and it assumes you know how to set it up and get connected. RDM+ works with Macs as well as PCs and it makes connecting very simple, even through a NAT firewall, by typing in the number it assigns your computer.

You do have to run the RDM+ client on your computer and navigating Windows on your phone screen can be slow and finicky, but you can run your apps, zoom in so you can read them, browse files in a simple file manager or send shortcuts like Start and Paste directly instead of tapping buttons and menus.

9. SPB Mobile Shell, £18 ($30)

Microsoft keeps changing its mind about the Today screen and most phone manufacturers have their own interface on top; if you prefer Android's three desktops side by side, check out the extremely popular Mobile Shell which replaces the Today screen with a short-cut packed layout (swipe left for a desktop and search bar, swipe right for the calendar) plus a custom contact picker, a Start menu with recently-used icons at the top and a 3D carousel interface for switching between all the different screens. It's a little complicated but if you want to put everything in Windows Mobile at your fingertips, Mobile Shell will do it.

10. Shazam Encore, £4.69

Like Evernote, the free version of Shazam works fine but the pay-for version gives you more; instead of five songs a month you can tag and identify as many songs as you like and get suggestions for similar songs you'll like. It's virtually the same app you get on iPhone and BlackBerry so Windows Mobile users aren't left behind. Want to find new music? Shazam makes it easier.

A Christmas Carol gets first-ever 3D subtitling

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:35:00 GMT

For the first time ever in the UK a 3D movie has been given subtitles, allowing those with hearing loss to enjoy movies in the third dimension.

The technology has been added to A Christmas Carol, which is currently playing at IMAX's up and down the country, and is all part of Disney's bid to make their 3D content accessible to those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

"Disney recognises the fact that as we age, loss of some hearing or sight is inevitable. Access to film via subtitles and audio description is something that we all may appreciate, eventually.

"So we are working to ensure that every future Disneyfilm is accessible to people with hearing or sight loss," said Disney Studio's Technical Executive Director, Saul Mahoney.

Same opportunities

Speaking about the addition of subtitles to 3D Disney movies, Ian Noon from the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS), said: "The National Deaf Children's Society believes that every deaf child has the right to the same opportunities as their hearing friends, and this includes being able to enjoy films at the cinema with subtitles. It is great news that deaf children and young people will now be able to enjoy 3D films with subtitles and we thank all those involved for this achievement."

To find out if your local cinemas is showing A Christmas Carol, complete with 3D subtitling, go to http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/christmascarol.html.

'PS3 is a key platform,' says Bioware

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:16:00 GMT

It's already been a good year for the PlayStation 3, but yet more great news has arrived for the console ahead of Christmas with the hint that software giant Bioware will bring development for Sony's platform in-house.

Bioware is one of the biggest names in gaming, and had previously at least partly outsourced PS3 development, but the sales of recent hit Dragon Age: Origins appear to have convinced it that this should change.

Bioware did work on the PS3 version, although they did call in Edge of Reality in producing it.

"We think it's one of the key platforms, obviously, so we're definitely going to be doing PS3," Greg Zeschuk told Joystiq.

Mass Effect too?

Obviously this begged questions of whether stand-out Xbox hit Mass Effect's sequel would be available on the platform.

"You know, I can't say anything about Mass Effect in that regard but you know, I can definitely say Dragon Age and other things we do will definitely be on PS3.

"It was great going through the experience of making Dragon Age, getting familiar with and understanding the PS3. Again, every platform is different, but now I think we're at the position where future PS3 stuff will be really solid," Zeschuka added.

Moto Milestone offered on contract in UK

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:14:00 GMT

Motorola's UK version of the Droid - the Milestone - looks like it could land on T-Mobile after it was offered on contract in this country for the first time.

Expansys is offering the phone for £35 a month, with the phone costing £50 to purchase as well.

Unsurprisingly, there's no estimated release date for the phone as yet, which makes sense seeing as Motorola refuses to confirm it will be releasing the Milestone in the UK at all.

T-No-bile

And the fact it's landing on T-Mobile only adds to the mystery - the network has already told us that it won't be offering the Milestone in the UK, so unless it's changed its mind then this an online-only deal.

But for £35 a month with 700 mins and unlimited data, it's a pretty good deal for a phone that's running the latest version of Android, even if it is sans Google Navigation.

We'll be plugging away at trying to discover a release date for the Milestone in the UK - don't be surprised if it's not this side of Christmas though.