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Techradar |
- Catch up: this week's most popular posts
- No Wii price cut for Christmas, says Nintendo
- HTC Desire HD fails to knock original Desire top spot
- Cheaper Wi-Fi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab revealed
- 3G internet now available at Mt Everest base camp
- 3G internet now available at top of Mt Everest
- Mass Effect 2 picks up 'Ultimate' Golden Joysticks prize
- Office 2010 beta expiry date is this Sunday
- Office 2010 beta expiry date is this Sunday
- Mobile batteries set to improve ten-fold
- Review: MSI GeForce GTS 450 Cyclone
- Review: Toshiba 750GB 2.5-inch HDD
- Buying Guide: Top netbook: 10 budget models
- iPhone 5 to ditch SIM cards for online account?
- iPhone 5 to ditch SIM cards for online account?
- iPhone 5 ditch to SIM cards for online account?
- Buying Guide: 10 best camera phones for 2010
- Updated: 10 best 32-inch LCD TVs in the world today
- ViewSonic launches budget 3D camcorder
- Acer Liquid Metal: faster with Froyo
- Buying Guide: Best motherboard: 10 top choices
- Buying Guide: Best motherboard: 10 top choices
- Rumour: PSP2 is codenamed 'Veta'
- Rumour: PSP2 is called codename 'Veta'
- Microsoft announces record profits
| Catch up: this week's most popular posts Posted: 30 Oct 2010 12:00 AM PDT  This week saw the first pictures of the PSP Phone emerge, while Virgin announced its 100Mb broadband service. HTC leaked a new Android handset, codenamed the HTC Mecha, and Sky formally announced Anytime+ arrival. Android proved popular, too, this week, with roundups of Android apps in our most-read in-depth articles. Read on for this week's most popular stories on TechRadar… Top five news stories First pictures of Sony PlayStation Phone emerge Possible first pictures of the much-rumoured Sony PlayStation Phone prototype have been leaked onto the internet. Sony is rumoured to be planning to launch the PlayStation Phone in 2011, with an apparent PlayStation Phone prototype having been obtained by Engadget this week, which is the device you can see pictured here. Vodafone offer us Nokia N8 and HTC Desire HD Vodafone has confirmed that it is now offering the Nokia N8 and HTC Desire HD – two of the most desirable handsets around, with the former available in an exclusive green hue from the network. In a short statement Vodafone stated that it would be carrying both the N8 – Nokia's new flagship phone and HTC's Desire HD – a follow up to the immensely popular Desire. "Vodafone customers can now buy two of the hottest new smartphones on the market, the HTC Desire HD and the Nokia N8, both of which are available now on the UK's best network," said Vodafone, Virgin Media uses supercar taxis to promote 100Mbps Virgin Media is celebrating the announcement of its 100Mbps broadband by offering a fleet of ultrafast taxis – giving Londoners the chance to hitch a ride in a Ferrari, Porsche or Aston Martin. Gimmick it may be, but Virgin Media's decision to pimp out three supercars as Hackney Carriages will give the public the chance to ride in style on Thursday – free of charge. Jon James, executive director of Broadband at Virgin Media said, "With today's announcement of our new 100Mb service, we wanted to do something fun and iconic to celebrate." HTC Mecha set to be next Android superstar? HTC looks like it's readying a new Android handset, codenamed the HTC Mecha. The phone is showing up in the 'Choose your phone' section of the account creation screen for HTCSense.com, the company's new phone portal to keep track of your phone's content and location. Listed under the Desire HD and Desire Z is the Mecha - with a picture showing an HTC Hero next to it. Sky formally announces Anytime+ arrival for next week As revealed on TechRadar yesterday, Sky's Anytime+ VOD is coming next week, with the broadcast giant confirming that the service will begin to roll out on Tuesday. Although a lack of HD streams and the exclusion of all other ISPs apart from Sky have picked up criticism, Early Sky Anytime+ reviews have been largely positive. Anytime+ adds to the already established Anytime push VOD (which does bring HD programmes) to add SD streaming and download video, and the movie section alone bring a wealth of goodies. Top five in-depth articles Top 10 best tablet PC iPad alternatives Apple hasn't just rekindled interest in tablet devices, it has created the kind of hysteria that only Apple can. There's no denying that the iPad is a beautifully crafted device that's a joy to use, but not everyone wants to buy into Apple's design and marketing hype. With that in mind, we've rounded up ten alternatives to the iPad and put them in descending order to prove that Apples are not the only fruit. Best Android phone - which should you buy? There's one key way in which Android is massively different from its Apple-branded smartphone competition - the number of phones out there running Google's hot mobile OS. Samsung makes loads of them. Sony Ericsson makes a few. Then you've got Android-powered phones from Acer, LG, Huawei and many others, while HTC releases more in a month than all the rest added together manage in a year. The many variations in screen size, processor power, software features and design makes finding the best Android phone for you extremely tough. Do you physically and emotionally need a QWERTY keyboard? Are you the sort of oddball who prefers the rough pressing needed to make resistive touchscreens work? Do you actually like Orange widgets? As Android phones have increased in popularity the number of apps available for the platform has rocketed. And that means more free Android games. There's a lot of junk out there, but fortunately, there are gems within the junk. We've worked our way through a whole load of Android games to reveal the ones you should download to your phone. 25 Windows Phone 7 tips and tricks If you've just bought yourself a snazzy new Windows Phone 7 handset, no doubt you're keen to get to grips with it and explore all the new features. To help you get the best from your new handset, we've compiled 25 handy Windows Phone 7 tips and tricks. While Android doesn't feature the same volume of apps in its Marketplace as iPhone users are used to, there are still loads of great apps to download. Whether you're after the best free Android apps or the best paid ones, we've compiled our favourites. Top five reviews The Samsung Galaxy Tab is the first major tablet release since the Apple iPad launched about five months ago. Running Android 2.2 and some decent hardware specs, can it compete? After the success of the HTC Desire, HTC is looking to take smartphones to the next level with the super-sized HTC Desire HD. But is it a super-sized effort too far? With its £1,300 price tag and an extensive secondary feature count this Samsung 50-inch plasma TV has the potential to become the first bona fide 3D bargain Acer Aspire 5745PG 5464G32Mn review Nvidia' s Optimus technology, which allows the laptop to automatically switch between basic integrated graphics and powerful dedicated graphics, makes this lappy a bit of a steal Make no mistake, Office for Mac 2011 is a big improvement over the previous iterations. Across the board, it's noticably faster and feels more at home on the Mac than before. Also reviewed this week Audio systems Leema Stream III and Pulse III review Camcorders CD players Meridian 808.3 Signature Reference review Graphics cards Laptops Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13" review Packard Bell EasyNote TM98 review Acer Aspire 5745PG 5464G32Mn review Toshiba Satellite L630-13M review Software MicrosoftOffice for Mac 2011 review Tablets TVs 
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| No Wii price cut for Christmas, says Nintendo Posted: 29 Oct 2010 10:48 AM PDT  Shoppers hoping to pick up a cheap Nintendo Wii this Christmas amid Kinect and PlayStation Move fever can forget about it, according to the company's president. The Wii remains the cheapest console on the market, but sales have slumped in recent years after Nintendo failed to capitalise on the phenomenal success of the first couple of years. Now with Microsoft and Sony outing motion gaming add-ons, you might think the Wii would send out an 'hello! over here!' message with a price cut this season? However, President Satoru Iwata told the AP: "Of course, we cannot say it will never happen, but we are not thinking of it for the near future. Declining sales Instead Iwata is keen on identifying potential buyers who have yet to get in on the action. That might not be enough to rescue Nintendo's fortunes after it posted a $24m loss for the last six months, with declining Wii and DS sales playing a role. Indeed, it's unlikely that we'll see good news for the company until the the delayed Nintendo 3DS eventually launches in Japan on February 26th 2011. 
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| HTC Desire HD fails to knock original Desire top spot Posted: 29 Oct 2010 09:00 AM PDT  Whether you consider the HTC Desire HD to be the sequel to the original HTC Desire or another in the family, it's not a better phone. That's according to TechRadar's 20 best mobile phones in the world buyer's guide, which looks at every smartphone around and brings you the cream of the crop. Reviewers found that the while the original Desire had battery issues, the new Desire HD has got the same problem - but thanks to a 4.3-inch screen, the drain is even harder, so with the best combination of all-round excellence, the original has hung on to the top spot. Apple presses on In fact, the Desire HD only made it to number three in the list, with the power of the iPhone 4 good enough to see it sticking to the number two position. Three Windows Phone 7 handsets have made the top ten, with the LG Optimus 7 the highest ranked at number five, beating the HTC HD7 and Samsung Omnia 7 thanks to a better set out of applications out the box. The Orange San Francisco also came crashing into the top ten at number 8 - earning that spot thanks to a superb set of features for less than £100. Check out 20 best mobile phones in the world today to see the full run down - and let us know if you agree in the comments below. 
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| Cheaper Wi-Fi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab revealed Posted: 29 Oct 2010 08:53 AM PDT  As we approach the launch date of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet PC, it looks like we could soon be seeing a cheaper, Wi-Fi only version of the new slate. A cheaper Samsung slate on the, err, slate, is clearly good news for those of us that were considering buying Sammy's iPad-alternative, but don't really want to shell out for a costly 3G contract. Cheaper Tab for the home-bird The FCC page details the Samsung Galaxy Tab GT-P1010. No further official details on the pricing of the machine has yet been issued by Samsung. Samsung's WiFi-only Galaxy Tab GT-P1010 will run Anroid Froyo, just like its 3G big brother. US pricing for the 3G version is rumoured to be $499.99. Again, this is still to be confirmed by Samsung. The Galaxy Tab listed on the FCC page under the model number GT-P1010 has also been certified by Bluetooth SIG. 
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| 3G internet now available at Mt Everest base camp Posted: 29 Oct 2010 08:37 AM PDT  A Nepalese firm has successfully brought high speed 3G internet services to Mount Everest's base camp. The private telecoms company launched the world's highest 3G service this week. Wi-Fi going underground The news follows earlier news that you can now get Wi-Fi underground on London's tube. For those that used to celebrate those contemplative moments of disconnection from the matrix, it increasingly seems that nowhere is safe anymore! Still, while commuters busily emailing away on the northern line might be some people's idea of a whole new type of hell, the 3G service at the top of Everest may well help to save lives. The installation should be invaluable to assist the tens of thousands of mountain climbers and trekkers who visit Everest region in Nepal's Solukhumbu district every year. Massive investment in Nepal's mobile networks Nepali telecom company Ncell is the firm responsible for the new service, 80 per cent owned by Nordics telecoms giant TeliaSonera. "This achievement is as mighty as the altitude as 3G high speed internet will bring faster, more affordable telecommunication services to the people living in the Khumbu Valley, trekkers, and climbers alike," said Lars Nyberg, chief of Nordic telecoms firm TeliaSonera. Ncell chief Pasi Koistinen added, speaking at the launch of the new 3G service: "Today we made the (world's) highest video call from Mount Everest," - a VoIP call made from an astounding 5,300 meters (17,388 feet) up. Ncell said TeliaSonera plans to spend over $100 million to expand its facilities in in 2011, with the aim of providing mobile coverage to over 90 per cent of the population. 
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| 3G internet now available at top of Mt Everest Posted: 29 Oct 2010 08:37 AM PDT A Nepalese firm has successfully brought high speed 3G internet services to the base camp near the summit of Mount Everest. The private telecoms company launched the world's highest 3G service this week. Wi-Fi going underground The news follows earlier news that you can now get Wi-Fi underground on London's tube. For those that used to celebrate those contemplative moments of disconnection from the matrix, it increasingly seems that nowhere is safe anymore! Still, while commuters busily emailing away on the northern line might be some people's idea of a whole new type of hell, the 3G service at the top of Everest may well help to save lives. The installation should be invaluable to assist the tens of thousands of mountain climbers and trekkers who visit Everest region in Nepal's Solukhumbu district every year. Massive investment in Nepal's mobile networks Nepali telecom company Ncell is the firm responsible for the new service, 80 per cent owned by Nordics telecoms giant TeliaSonera. "This achievement is as mighty as the altitude as 3G high speed internet will bring faster, more affordable telecommunication services to the people living in the Khumbu Valley, trekkers, and climbers alike," said Lars Nyberg, chief of Nordic telecoms firm TeliaSonera. Ncell chief Pasi Koistinen added, speaking at the launch of the new mountain-top 3G service: "Today we made the (world's) highest video call from Mount Everest," - a VoIP call made from an astounding 5,300 meters (17,388 feet) up. Ncell said TeliaSonera plans to spend over $100 million to expand its facilities in in 2011, with the aim of providing mobile coverage to over 90 per cent of the population. 
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| Mass Effect 2 picks up 'Ultimate' Golden Joysticks prize Posted: 29 Oct 2010 07:47 AM PDT  Bioware's Mass Effect 2 was the 'Ultimate' prize winner in the esteemed Golden Joysticks awards for 2010 – with the sci-fi game pipping rivals like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin's Creed 2 to the crown. The Golden Joysticks, organised by TechRadar's publisher Future, are officially the most popular gaming awards – at least according to the Guinness Book of Records – and a highlight of the UK gaming calendar. The Ultimate award is obviously the headliner – but some of the other major gaming titles also picked up gongs, including Call of Duty: Black Ops – which won the 'one to watch' award for forthcoming games – and another CoD title Modern Warfare 2 taking the esteemed 'Shooter' award.
Jagex took the crown for UK developer of the year, Fifa 10 picked up the Sports crown and Guitar Hero 5 the Music game of 2010. The Golden Joysticks have been running for a staggering 28 years – and have looked on as the games industry has changed beyond recognition in nearly three decades. Winners list: Action: Assassin's Creed II 
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| Office 2010 beta expiry date is this Sunday Posted: 29 Oct 2010 07:30 AM PDT  If you've been wondering when the Office 2010 beta expiry date is, wonder no more. Your copy of Microsoft Office 2010 Beta is set to expire on 31 October 2010. That's this Sunday. Microsoft is still taking feedback on the Office 2010 beta as well as Microsoft Office Online. The public beta became available last November as Microsoft sought widespread public testing of its new version of Office in the wake of a successful Windows 7 beta program. Office 2010 was fully released in June. However, as with all beta software, it only has a limited life - in this case, you'll have been able to use it for nearly a year for free. The versions of Office 2010 available in the shops are: Office Home and Student Edition, Office Home and Business version. Price-wise, the cheapest version of the software – other than the free web version – is Office Home and Student which retails for £109.99. This includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. The Professional suite is £429.99 and includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Access, and Publisher. 
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| Office 2010 beta expiry date is this Sunday Posted: 29 Oct 2010 07:30 AM PDT If you've been wondering when the Office 2010 beta expiry date is, wonder no more. Your copy of Microsoft Office 2010 Beta is set to expire on 31 October 2010. That's this Sunday. Microsoft is still taking feedback on the Office 2010 beta as well as Microsoft Office Online. The public beta became available last November as Microsoft sought widespread public testing of its new version of Office in the wake of a successful Windows 7 beta program. Office 2010 was fully released in June. However, as with all beta software, it only has a limited life - in this case, you'll have been able to use it for nearly a year for free. The versions of Office 2010 available in the shops are: Office Home and Student Edition, Office Home and Business version. Price-wise, the cheapest version of the software – other than the free web version – is Office Home and Student which retails for £109.99. This includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. The Professional suite is £429.99 and includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Access, and Publisher. 
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| Mobile batteries set to improve ten-fold Posted: 29 Oct 2010 07:22 AM PDT  A French research team is developing new nanotech which will hopefully improve the efficiency and battery-life of mobile phones and mobile computers ten-fold. The Swiss team at The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne is aiming to develop new nanotech as part of a project called 'Steeper' which will also allow computers and gadgets on stand-by to consumer almost zero energy. Eco-bonus! The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne's Adrian Ionescu said the plan was to use the latest nanoscience and nanowires to close up leaky transistors, noting the "vision is to share this research to enable manufacturers to build the holy grail in electronics, a computer that utilizes negligible energy when it's in sleep mode, which we call the zero-watt PC." The US spends $4 billion each year on lost electricity, according to the Department of Energy. The Steeper project hopes to make the millions of wasteful gadgets and phones and computers across the world a thing of the past within the next decade. Steep slope transistors are so-called because of the abrupt changes they make when switching between on and off, compared to today's 'leakier' transistors, which are incredibly inefficient in stand-by mode. The European Commission's Joint Research Center notes that around 10 per cent of all energy used in European homes and offices is used by appliances on stand-by. 
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| Review: MSI GeForce GTS 450 Cyclone Posted: 29 Oct 2010 06:54 AM PDT  It's not so long ago that the first graphics card touting Nvidia's GTS 450, the Asus GTS 450 TOP, passed through the TechRadar labs. When we first checked it out we quite liked it but as we said at the time: "we'd have hoped for a price tag a little closer to the £100 mark". Well, someone was listening, because MSI's overclocked N450GTS Cyclone is within a tenner of our target. It runs at 67MHz above stock speed for a card of this ilk, with a healthy 434MHz boost to the memory speed, but the main feature is the wide windmill-like cooler. It's whisper quiet and drops the temperature down to just 27 degrees Celsius when idle. The card itself is small and requires just a single six-pin power connector, and is more or less still price comparative with AMD's HD5770. How does it perform? We pitched MSI's overclocked and highly cooled N450GTS Cyclone against a stock Radeon HD 5770, which costs only a little more. It also manages to outperform the more expensive still HD 5830 too. All these tests were carried out at the full HD resolution of 1920x1080 with anti-aliasing set to four times.
The MSI GeForce 450 Cyclone lives up to expectations. It's a healthy step up from a vanilla GTS 450 in terms of performance, and is excellent value for money. Even with completely maxed out settings, it got every game we tried on it running at a playable speed at the key full HD resolution of 1920x1080 barring Just Cause 2. But there's a lot of competition in the less-than-£150 price bracket, and it's not quite an outright "must buy". Regardless of fans and overclocks, the basic GeForce GTS 450 is still just about half of a GeForce 460 with a higher clockspeed and a narrower memory bandwidth. Given that stock versions of the 768MB version of the GeForce GTX 460 are available for just £125, that extra £20 is well spent. The GTS 450 has the advantage over the GTX 460 of being smaller and requiring less power, which makes it a strong candidate for an SLI set-up, but it can't really compete in benchmarks. It is, however, now pitched directly up against the HD 5750 in pricing terms thanks to the on-going Nvidia/AMD graphics card price wars. And that is a card the GTS 450 happily beats into submission in any benchmark you throw at it. We liked It delivers top performance for a card costing just a bit over £100, and narrowly beats the AMD HD 5770 into submission by three falls to one or more and hammers the price-comparative HD 5750 on all counts. It's also quiet, small and only requires one power connector, making it a flexible option for SLI or an HTPC. We disliked As big an improvement as it is over the stock GTS 450 though, you don't have to spend much more to get a clearly superior card like the GTX 460 768MB. It's hard not to believe that won't have more longevity and be better value in the long run. Related Links
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| Review: Toshiba 750GB 2.5-inch HDD Posted: 29 Oct 2010 06:48 AM PDT  Toshiba has launched a huge 750GB capacity 2.5-inch drive in the shape of the MK7559GSXP which you can snap up for around £80. To put the £ per Gigabyte argument into some sort of perspective, for the same amount of money you might just be able to buy an 80GB SSD if you shop around. Even just a couple of years ago a 750GB 2.5-inch drive would have been nudging the £200+ mark. With this tiny 750GB drive, Toshiba has a drive that should help address the data capacity needs of today's multimedia notebook aficionados. It's interesting to see how the MK7559GSXP with its latest mechanical drive technologies outperforms the previous generation MK5055GSX. The MK7559GSXP loses out to WD Scorpio Black in the random access results due to its slower 5,400rpm spin speed, WD's drive spins at a much faster 7,200rpm and has a massive16MB buffer.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the MK7559GSXP is the technologies Toshiba has used in the platter (disc) design. While many people see SSD's as the future, traditional hard disk companies haven't been hiding their collective heads in the sand, but rather have been looking at ways of increasing capacity in the traditional formats by introducing new disc technologies. In the MK7559GSXP Toshiba uses something called Advanced Sector Formatting (ASF). Traditionally, hard drives have used the legacy 512 byte per sector format which uses Sync/DAM (lead in) blocks, Error Correcting Code (ECC) blocks and also more importantly leaves gaps between sectors which wastes storage capacity. ASF is a technology that uses 4K bytes per sector and removes the Sync/DAM blocks and closes the gaps between sectors. The larger sector size also brings improved ECC, leading to better formatting efficiency and data integrity. The closing of the gaps also allows for increased areal density which is the key in getter larger capacities per platter (disc). Toshiba are not alone in using ASF, but with an areal density of 541.4G bit/in^2 (which Toshiba claim is the industry's highest) it's the reason they only needed two platters to give the MK7559GSXP its impressive storage capacity. Unfortunately Toshiba has matched all the good stuff with a relatively slow spindle speed, 5,400rpm and a small buffer with 8MB cache. Still, that's pretty standard for a standard notebook drive but it would have been nice to see them push the envelope a little more. The MK7559GSXP is also pretty quiet in operation thanks to Toshiba's Silent Seek technology which aims to make every seek operation as quiet as the drive is when in idle mode. We liked Huge capacity combined, with a seriously low price tag, makes the MK7559GSXP almost a no brainer for anyone that uses a multimedia notebook to download normal and HD content. It will also appeal to mobile workstation uses that need capacity over performance. We disliked A conventional hard drive is never going to be as fast as a SSD but it would have been good to see Toshiba raise the anti in the standard disk market by giving the MK7559GSXP a faster 7,200rpm spindle speed. Related Links
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| Buying Guide: Top netbook: 10 budget models Posted: 29 Oct 2010 06:40 AM PDT  The cheap end of the market for laptops has seen an explosion recently, with netbooks becoming all the rage. These cheap, compact machines mean that computing on the go no longer has to involve a physio-inducingly heavy laptop, and additions like 3G mean that you don't even have to be near a WiFi connection to browse the internet. We've rounded up netbooks under £300, and we found that there's a lot of variety for penny-pinching portable PC purchasers. We also recommend you check out our guide to the 15 best netbooks in the world today, which will give you the rundown on the latest and greatest. 1. Acer Aspire One A110 - £139
Acer's Eee-contender, the Aspire One A110, may not have the teeth to take on more fully-fledged network, but we've included it for one reason: the price. Ditching Windows for Linpus Linux Lite has shaved considerable amounts off both the cost and boot times: it's ready to go in just 22 seconds. The only let down is the SSD, which can be frustratingly slow at times. But if you're prepared to ditch Microsoft, you'll find a sturdy and handy little machine. Read our Acer Aspire One A110 review 2. Acer Aspire One 531 - £210
Acer dominates the lower end of the netbook market, and the Aspire One 531 shows why. It's not an exceptional netbook, but it's very well made and offers a stylish and slim chassis, as well as a surprisingly bright and colourful screen. It's got the all-essential 3G built in, too, so you can slot in a Sim and surf in Starbucks. Battery life isn't all that great, but at this price everything else is a winner. Read our Acer Aspire One 531 review 3. Packard Bell Dot S2 - £230
Considering the low, low price, Packard Bell's Dot S2 is an excellent netbook - particularly in regards to battery life. We were able to use the netbook for 463 minutes on the road, which is all thanks to the six-cell battery; a great-value addition to such a cheap netbook. It also comes with Adobe's excellent Photoshop Elements, which allows basic photo editing. It's one of the best-looking netbooks we've ever seen, and it's highly recommended. Read our Packard Bell Dot S2 review 4. Asus Disney netbook - £230
We know what you're thinking - a Disney netbook? It's bound to be rubbish! Asus has basically taken one of its excellent Seashell netbooks and kiddified it. You'll find pink or blue Disney graphics on the chassis, a Mickey Mouse-shaped webcam and a customised Windows XP installation. It's easy to set up to protect kids from unwanted content and time their online sessions, and what's more is that it's a surprisingly fully-fledged netbook for adults. Just don't get it out in an important sales meeting. Read our Asus Disney Netbook review 5. HP Compaq Mini 702EA - £231
If you're a keen typist, you can't go wrong with the HP Compaq Mini 702EA - it boasts one the best keyboards we've seen on any netbook, with a responsive action that makes typing a pleasure. It's also got a lovely curvaceous body, and it's reasonably well-specced. Battery life is slightly below average but still not that bad. The screen is wonderful, but we did find we had to turn the brightness up in sunnier conditions, which impacted battery life. Read our HP Compaq Mini 702EA review 6. Samsung NB30 - £249
It's not quite as ruggedised as some specialist netbooks we've seen, but Samsung's NB30 will still withstand quite a bashing. It's resistant to spilt liquids, and includes a smart scratch-resistant coating so it doesn't accumulate scratches and scuffs. Samsung has also included an all-essential freefall sensor, which stops the hard drive being damaged in the result of the netbook being dropped. Battery life is incredible, too, and we got a whopping ten hours from the machine. Ideal if you've got kids. 7. Samsung NC10 - £275
The best just got better. Samsung's NC10 was our favourite netbook last year, and the new "Plus" model (which doesn't mean it's fat) comes with a host of handy new features: Windows 7 Starter, Bluetooth 3.0 and a 250GB hard drive. Even with the new additions, the basic specs still impress, such as an epic six-cell battery, and Samsung's own Battery Manager and Recovery Solution software. It's solidly built, too, and the screen and keyboard are among the best we've ever seen. 8. Asus X58C - £275
It's unusual to find a decent full-size laptop for less than £300, but bargainmaster Asus has managed just that with its X58C, which includes a 15.4-inch panel. It's the build quality that really impresses, though, and it's got a patterned chequered finish that puts more expensive laptops to chame. It does struggle with multi-tasking and 3D gaming, but that's understandable given the price point and the bargain basement SiS graphics chip. It's perfect for simply day-to-day computing, though. 9. MSI Wind 12 U200 - £266
Boasting the kind of innards you'd find on a laptop rather than a netbook, MSI's Wind 12 U200 is the follow up to the U100, one of our favourite netbooks of the last couple of years. In addition to the U100's functional but solid build, the U200 has a consumer ultra low voltage (CULV) processor, which means it's capable of multi-tasking without draining the battery. Its battery life is impressive, too - we got 403 minutes out of it. The only real let down is the keyboard, which is a tad too bendy for our liking. 10. Asus Eee PC 1000HE - £287
Asus' latest version of the all-conquering Eee PC is sold on its battery life - the netbook giant reckons you can get 10 hours out of it. We managed seven in day-to-day computing, which is not to be sniffed at. Add to that the Mac-esque keyboard, which is apparently only 8% smaller than a standard keyboard, and Asus' reputable styling and build quality, and you've got the ideal netbook for that trans-Atlantic plane trip. Read our Asus Eee PC 1000HE review 
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| iPhone 5 to ditch SIM cards for online account? Posted: 29 Oct 2010 05:39 AM PDT  Apple could be bringing out the iPhone 5 with a SIM card that can be accessed on any network - effectively bypassing the carriers' distribution networks for selling the phone. GigaOM is claiming that Apple is working with SIM-card manufacturer Gemalto (which is coincidentally suing Google over Android) to create a special card that would allow users to buy a phone directly from Apple, and then connect to any network they chose. The idea is that a network-specific ROM would contain data to 'activate' the phone on whichever network the user chose. Control freakery It would wrest control of the distribution from the networks, with Apple the one that spells out how the iPhone 5 is pushed into the hands of the consumer, much like Google did with the Nexus One. It would eradicate the ability to simply swap out your SIM though for future phones, or if your phone becomes broken - although the same could be said for Apple's current micro SIM model. It would be an odd choice for Apple to go down this route, and also be interesting to note if the carriers accept the loss of revenue - it didn't really work with the Nexus One, but if anyone can convince consumers something weird is a good idea, it's Apple. 
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| iPhone 5 to ditch SIM cards for online account? Posted: 29 Oct 2010 05:39 AM PDT Apple could be bringing out the iPhone 5 with a SIM card that can be accessed on any network - effectively bypassing the carriers. GigaOM is claiming that Apple is working with SIM-card manufacturer Gemalto (which is coincidentally suing Google over Android) to create a special card that would allow users to buy a phone directly from Apple, and then connect to any network they chose. The idea is that a network-specific ROM would contain data to 'activate' the phone on whichever network the user chose. Control freakery It would also wrest control of the distribution from the networks too, with Apple the one that spells out how the iPhone 5 is pushed into the hands of the consumer, much like Google did with the Nexus One. It would eradicate the ability to simply swap out your SIM though for future phones, or if your phone becomes broken - although the same could be said for Apple's current micro SIM model. It would be an odd choice for Apple to go down this route, and also be interesting to note if the carriers accept the loss of revenue - it didn't really work with the Nexus One, but if anyone can convince consumers something weird is a good idea, it's Apple. 
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| iPhone 5 ditch to SIM cards for online account? Posted: 29 Oct 2010 05:39 AM PDT  Apple could be bringing out the iPhone 5 with a SIM card that can be accessed on any network - effectively bypassing the carriers. GigaOM is claiming that Apple is working with SIM-card manufacturer Gemalto (which is coincidentally suing Google over Android) to create a special card that would allow users to buy a phone directly from Apple, and then connect to any network they chose. The idea is that a network-specific ROM would contain data to 'activate' the phone on whichever network the user chose. Control freakery It would also wrest control of the distribution from the networks too, with Apple the one that spells out how the iPhone 5 is pushed into the hands of the consumer, much like Google did with the Nexus One. It would eradicate the ability to simply swap out your SIM though for future phones, or if your phone becomes broken - although the same could be said for Apple's current micro SIM model. It would be an odd choice for Apple to go down this route, and also be interesting to note if the carriers accept the loss of revenue - it didn't really work with the Nexus One, but if anyone can convince consumers something weird is a good idea, it's Apple. 
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| Buying Guide: 10 best camera phones for 2010 Posted: 29 Oct 2010 04:52 AM PDT  These days, a phone isn't worth having if it doesn't have a top-notch snapper strapped to its back. We've rounded up the crème de la crème of camera phones and delved a little deeper than simple megapixels to establish what handsets should be on any self-respecting mo-pho's (mobile photographer's) wishlist. Here are our recommended 10 best camera phones for 2010. 1. Nokia N8
Nokia is fond of using a snazzy Carl Zeiss lens to lend credibility to its camera-phones and the Nokia N8 is no exception. Its massive image sensor (the biggest of any smartphone currently on the market), f/2.8 aperture and 5.9mm focal length produce photos that are almost film-worthy. Unfortunately, there's no optical zoom, just a disappointing 2x digital option - but the good quality optics, Xenon flash and manual controls for everything from the white balance to ISO settings make it an excellent choice for the photography-conscious. Read our full Nokia N8 review 2. Samsung Pixon 12
The Samsung Pixon12 offers a 30mm wide-angle lens, which gives us a wider field of view than the majority of the handsets examined here. ISO settings range from 50 to 1600 and with the option to manually set the ISO as well as controlling white balance, resolution and exposure compensation, so you can exert a measure of control over the final image that's missing from, say, the Sony Ericsson Satio. For all those 12 megapixels, however, we'd like to see a better image sensor on board the Pixon12 to make the most of what's in front of the lens. That said, the handset is quick to focus and handles colour admirably. Read our full Samsung Pixon 12 review 3. Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
When the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 finally launched, we described it as one of the best around – and we stand by that assessment. Although the LED photo light is a poor substitute for a flash, Xenon or otherwise, day-lit photography is not bad at all. The 8-megapixel camera has a 4.7mm F2.8 lens – it doesn't sound very impressive on paper but in practice it makes for a good little point-and-shoot provided you're not trying to win Wildlife Photographer of the Year or anything. The fixed lens means we've only got digital zoom to play with (16x) but the sharpness of images is quite impressive and we can adjust the metering and white balance settings to tweak image capture based on conditions. Read our full Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 review 4. iPhone 4
Apple doesn't give you a great deal of control when it comes to the iPhone 4's camera. You're stuck with the handset's automatic white balance and metering, and the iPhone 4 will set its ISO anywhere between 80 and 1000 depending on the subject. The LED flash offers the option to be always on should you need it for fill lighting – just as well, as the auto-flash tends to be a little shy. Some measure of exposure tweaking is offered by the HDR setting, which combines three shots with different exposure settings to provide a more detailed final product - this can work well if you have a steady hand. The result is that images often look great on the iPhone screen, but loses some clarity and gains some noise when viewed at full size. Read our full iPhone 4 review 5. Motorola Milestone XT720
There is a plethora of shooting options on board the Motorola XT720, from standard face detection to self-portrait and six-shot burst shooting. The abundance of ways to tweak the settings mean you can really get the best out of most shooting situations, from adjusting the white balance to touch-focus to ensure your intended subject really is the subject of your shot. What's more, the touch-focus tool also controls the shot metering so images tend to come out well balanced even with the Xenon flash deployed. With a short focal distance, you can also eke nicely detailed macro shots out of the XT720 too. Read our full Motorola Milestone XT720 review 6. Samsung i8910 HD
With a digital zoom, LED flash and auto-focus now standard fare on camera phones, we always appreciate a bit of extra control in the photography department – and that's what the Samsung i8910 HD gives us. We can set the white balance, metering and ISO ourselves – anywhere from 100 to 1600. By changing settings to suit our shots, we managed to coax the best from the camera, particularly in low light situations where the auto settings let it down. The other feature that gives the Samsung i8910 HD an edge is the option to take continuous shots - although it's not the fastest mechanism in the world. Read our full Samsung i8910 HD review 7. HTC 7 Mozart
We had grand hopes for the HTC 7 Mozart's photography capabilities, given that its 8-megapixels gave it the highest resolution of all the Win Pho launch handsets. Sadly, it's not top five material for our test. Although the image quality is pretty good, the only element we had any control over was metering – but we couldn't see any difference whether we instructed the camera to take the reading from the centre, spot or an average of the image. The camera particularly struggles with brightness which indicates a poor ISO/shutter speed combo, neither element of which you have any control over. Given its sRGB colour profile, shots taken with the HTC 7 Mozart lean towards the primary colours so mid-tones tend to get a little lost. Read our full HTC 7 Mozart review 8. Sony Ericsson Satio
Sony Ericsson may have shouted about the Satio's 12.1-megapixel snapper, but this handset proves that megapixels aren't everything. The lack of manual settings (you've no control over ISO settings other than by swapping pre-set scenes, for example) will frustrate, and the Satio's tendency to opt for a slow shutter speed often results in blurry images. The handset performs slightly better in low-lighting conditions with the Xenon flash providing even images, but there's often something a bit lacking in the contrast department. However, when you do manage to capture a steady, well-lit shot, the quality is good and translates well from small to large screen. Read our full Sony Ericsson Satio review 9. Sony Ericsson C905+
On paper, the Sony Ericsson C905+ sounds great – CyberShot branding, Xenon flash, 8-megapixels to play with, exposure metering, smart contrast and macro mode – but its let down by lag and a lack of user control. The handset offers up to 400 ISO but there's no manual setting, you'll have to rely on auto settings and various scenes. It's a similar story with smart contrast but you can sometimes add a level of control by fiddling with the metering. We'd appreciate an always-on flash mode but this is, sadly, absent. Although you aren't handed a great deal of control, the image quality coming from the C905+ is good, with auto-settings generally offering quality good enough to compete with a traditional point-and-shoot. Read our full Sony Ericsson C905 review 10. Nokia N86
Like its successor, the N8, the Nokia N86 features Carl Zeiss optics with a Tessar lens. Its focus range is satisfyingly wide, from 10cm to infinity, so the macro setting offers crisp results where many other handsets struggle. We wouldn't necessarily rely on it for long distance shots, despite the wide angle optics and 20x digital zoom. The variable aperture is a real boon – you can opt for F2.4, F3.2 or F4.8, making the N86 an excellent choice for low-light shots. But for all its control and 3264 x 2448 resolution photos, the N86's outdated 18-month-old hardware makes it tough to compete with the new breed of camera phones. Read our hands on: Nokia N86 review 
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| Updated: 10 best 32-inch LCD TVs in the world today Posted: 29 Oct 2010 04:50 AM PDT  Our constantly updated list of the best 32-inch TVs in the world. Which is the best 32-inch TV?Most living rooms can't physically take a TV much bigger than 32-inch, making this size by far the best for a lot of people in the UK. But within this size division, there's plenty of choice. A basic HD-ready set can be found for less than £300 is you search hard, though it's just as easy to spend over £2k. There's only one certainty at this size - your new TV will be a LCD TV. If you're lucky it could have LED backlighting, but it won't be a plasma; LG used to make plasmas at this size, but there's not one on sale currently. A typical circa £500 purchase will sport a Full HD screen, have at least three HDMI inputs, and some kind of 100Hz scanning, though the latter feature varies so much in effectiveness that you've simply got to see it in action in the shop before you shell out any extra cash. Full HD, media streaming and even built-in Freesat HD or Freeview HD - it's all possible on these small TVs. Freeview HD is on some of these TVs, but not all. If you've got Sky or Virgin, of course, a Freeview HD tuner is mere frippery, and worse, will add unnecessarily to the cost. And besides, if you're not among the 50 per cent of the UK population that can receive Freeview HD broadcasts yet - and are set on finding a subscription-free hi-def solution - you're better off going for a TV with a built-in Freesat HD tuner. So what's the best 32-inch LCD TV for you? Read on to find out...
Toshiba 32LV713B - £310Temptingly low-priced workhorse LCD TV 32-inch flatscreens account for around a third of total TV sales, with models from Toshiba in particular becoming rapidly ubiquitous in UK homes. It's at the chunkier end of the spectrum, but excellent picture quality and a friendly OS make this Toshiba an improvement on some of the brand's previous efforts; there's no 100Hz or online frippery, but it competes well at the budget end of the market. Read: full Toshiba 32LV713 full review
Panasonic TX-L32S20 - £370A Freeview HD tuner largely compensates for a lack of other frills Aside from a built-in Freeview HD tuner there;s little to get excited about on this run-of-the-mill Panaonsic TV, so why is it in our top ten? Using a Full HD IPS alpha LCD panel, this set does a good job of flattering standard-definition content such as DVDs and Freeview broadcasts, but really stretches its legs with HD; blacks still aren't at the level of those on the company's own plasma screens, they're pretty impressive by LCD standards. Read: full Panasonic TX-L32S20 full review
Sony KDL-32NX503 - £600Stylish LCD TV with clever online functions and Freeview HD Boasting a new 'Monolithic' design that constitutes a single-layer fascia, boldly chunky black surround and a tilting desktop stand. The 32NX503's other big selling point, its networkability, kicks in with its connections. For alongside four HDMIs you will find an Ethernet port and a USB input, both capable of multiple talents. Sony's new Bravia Internet Video service (LoveFilm, Demand Five, YouTube and Eurosport video news) and DLNA are the result, making this the perfect 'network' TV. Elsewhere, the set carries Sony's latest Bravia Engine 3 video processor and Live Colour processing for richer saturations, and a mode for boosting whites, though its pictures aren't the highpoint - instead, this is a TV for anyone after standout style and comprehensive multimedia features. Read: full Sony KDL-32NX503 review
Samsung UE32C6000A super Freeview HD TV with added multimedia functions The so-called 'entry-level' model in Samsung's premium C6000 range of 2D Full HD LED panels is not cheap. And there's nothing budget about its features, which comprise a Freeview HD tuner, a broad range of picture and sound enhancement technologies and some handy multi-media capabilities – although not Samsung's internet TV portal (see the step-up UE32C6600 for that). With its premium qualities the 32UC6000 feels like a shrunken version of a larger screen and rather over-specified for a 32in model; this is a statement TV. Read: full Samsung UE32C6000 review
LG 32LF7700 - £500Freesat HD and value-busting pictures No 100Hz, but an integrated Freesat HD satellite tuner is decent return for less than £400. Keenly priced, the 32LF7700 doesn't do anything to undermine LG's reputation for competitiveness in the flatscreen market, though Panasonic m's latest crop add a Freeview HD tuner. Nor is there a TruMotion 100Hz mode on this TV, which features on larger screens in the LF7700 range, but its absence won't be missed on a 32in screen and helps keep the price down. Even without a Freesat tuner and Full HD panel this would be considered a good 32in deal, but considering it packs some higher-level processing and overall does a superb job, it should be considered a bargain. Read: full LG 32LF7700 review
Sony KDL-32EX703Superb 32-inch LCD TV boasting internet widgets and Freeview HD After a lacklustre couple of years, the 32EX703 represents a stunning return to form for Sony. It's done an admirable job of squeezing as much as possible into this panel, with Freeview HD capability, an Ethernet port that enables access to a host of internet widgets (such as YouTube and Dailymotion), four HDMIs and Edgle-lit LED backlighting. The latter prives the headline act, with the set delivering eye-popping levels of detail and forensic precision within a wholly cinematic picture. Read: full Sony KDL-32EX703 review
Philips 32PFL9604Net TV, WiFi and 100Hz star on this delectable - and peerless - Full HD LCD Having produced some of the best TVs at this size in the past year or so, Philips is looking to capitalise on its new reputation with this feature-packed - and unusually, aluminium-clad - 32-incher. The 32PFL9604 can access the Net TV portal using WiFi and even browse the internet at large. Further digital niceties come in the form of DLNA networking (wired or wirelessly) from a PC, a USB port that plays video files and a stunning five HDMI inputs. But it's this LCD TV's advanced 100Hz picture processing that makes for outstanding Blu-ray pictures, with the added bonus of Ambilight - it's a fabulous HD picture and unbeatable at this size, though you'll need to look elsewhere for Freeview HD. Read: full Philips 32PFL9604 review
Panasonic TX-L32D28BP - £1,000Purple pro LED with Freeview HD and Freesat HD Also available in silver and white, the purple framed TX-L32D28BP marks Panasonic's first ever LED TV. It's not the only radical design change for Panasonic; the TX-L32D28BP features a hefty steel desktop stand that the screen itself slips onto. The end result of adding this 5kg stand is a TV that leans back slightly, while its subtly purple frame appears to dip away from the front; it doesn't - it's merely a clever 3D design. Freeview HD may be all the rage, but the TX-L32D28BP adds Freesat HD, too, along with its broadband entertainment portal, Viera Cast. The latter now includes widgets for Eurosport and Daily Motion news clips, though YouTube remains the highlight. Skype video calling, meanwhile, is now available - just add a Panasonic HD Communication Camera, the TY-CC10W, for £129.99. Most of the constituent parts of a reference Blu-ray picture are present on the TX-L32D28BP, though a touch more contrast and shadow detailing would take it alarmingly close to LED perfection. The TX-L32D28BP may be expensive, but it's got a load more talent than your average 32-inch LCD TV. Read: full Panasonic TX-L32D28BP full review
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ViewSonic launches budget 3D camcorder
Posted: 29 Oct 2010 04:50 AM PDT
If you have ever fancied yourself as something of a budding James Cameron, then ViewSonic's new budget 3D camcorder could well be worth putting on your list to Santa this year.
The ViewSonic 3DV5 is a mere £150, which makes it easily one of the cheapest options for getting into 3D home movie-making.
720p, YouTube 3D
Not only that, the ViewSonic 3DV5 is also capable of shooting 720p HD video, and will let budding movie mavericks upload their efforts directly to YouTube's 3D channel.
You can check out your efforts with ViewSonic's supplied anaglyph glasses, which are cheap and cheerful and pretty basic – but hey, what do you want for £150?
The 3DV5 has a 2.4-inch autostereoscopic display so you can watch your movies back without glasses, for those that don't like the 3D specs look.
User-generated 3D content
"The ViewSonic 3DV5 makes it easy for anyone to create future-proof, high quality 3D home movies and also shoot in standard 2D," said James Coulson, European product marketing manager, ViewSonic.
"Everyone has watched 3D movies at the cinema, and lots of people are considering purchasing a 3D compatible display, whether a TV, monitor or projector. However, there is a lack of available 3D content, and people want to create 3D content that they will be able to watch for years to come."
"The ViewSonic 3DV5 is simple to use, featuring a one-touch recording function and the ability to quickly switch between 2D and 3D recording modes.
"Once users have recorded their content, then they can either plug the camcorder into their computer via USB, or plug it directly into a 3D TV using the included HDMI cable," adds ViewSonic's 3DV5 release.
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Acer Liquid Metal: faster with Froyo
Posted: 29 Oct 2010 04:09 AM PDT
The Acer Liquid Metal has finally been announced: the company's attempt at keeping up with the big boys in the Android smartphone market.
The new Liquid Metal comes with Android 2.2 right out of the box, as well as Acer's Breeze UI, which offers additional widgets even from the lock screen - first seen on the Acer Stream.
Spec wise it's (sort of) up there with the best, with a 3.6-inch capacitive LCD screen and a 5MP camera with AF and LED flash on the back - also capable of capturing video at 720p HD.
The processor is only a Qualcomm 7230 800 MHz offering, which we'll be interested to see if it can live up to Acer's promise of 'lightning fast navigation'.
Signal booster
To that end, 3G signal has been boosted to HSDPA 14.4Mbps and Wi-Fi to include 802.11n (where the connections allow, this means browsing up to five times faster than other devices, according to Acer).
We're hoping the battery holds on better than the others in the Acer Liquid series, as the rest of the family was notoriously poor in this area.
But we're impressed with the UK price: a top end smartphone for £299? It might not be beating the Orange San Francisco for budget-friendliness, but that still means it's a cheaper option than a lot of the others on the market right now.
The Acer Liquid Metal will be offered in two variants: brown, with a UK release date of mid November, and silver, which is set to land in December.
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Buying Guide: Best motherboard: 10 top choices
Posted: 29 Oct 2010 04:05 AM PDT
It's an interesting time for motherboards. As we await Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture, manufacturers are trying to squeeze the best performance from the two-year-old Nehalem-based Core processors.
On AMD's side it's the polar opposite, with 2009's AM3 socket processors being backwards compatible with AM2 motherboards. That situation is looking unlikely to change.
As ever, if you want a cheap PC, it's better to roll with AMD, but if you want more power you should stick to Intel.
So we've herded 10 of the best motherboards (five from Intel, five from AMD), ranging from under £70 to almost £270.
1. MSI 870A-G54 - £68
MSI's Socket AM3 board may be on the cheap and cheerful side, but it's full to the brim with useful extras. USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps are present and correct for quick data transfer, and it includes a top-spec southbridge. It also comes with MSI's OC Gear for quick and easy overclocking at the flick of a wheel, as well as the OC Genie tool for more precise clock speeds. The way MSI has made this so cheap is by ditching onboard graphics - but who really needs that?
2. MSI 880GMA-E45 - £75
MSI's Socket AM3 board is of the titchy micro-ATX form factor, but that doesn't stop it packing a rather powerful punch. There's a whole host of overclocking options here, including the ability to unlock AMD chips' extra cores. Given its tiny size it - naturally - only supports a single graphics card, and its onboard graphics aren't the best. If you want to build a highly connectable home theatre PC that'll do more than just movies it's ideal.
Read our MSI 880GMA-E45 review
3. Asus M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 - £120
Admittedly, we had our doubts about Asus' AM3 board, but we were pleasantly surprised. It's got an in-built DirectX 10.1 AMD HD 4290, which was no great shakes when it came to gaming, but was able to deliver stunning high-definition Blu-Ray playback. With its HDMI and DVI ports it's immediately connectible, too. Two 16x PCI-Express ports offer numerous graphics card options, and it's also got AMD's Core Unlocker tech, which lets you find those cheekily-hidden processor cores.
Read our Asus M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 review
4. Gigabyte X58-USB3 - £133
A relatively inexpensive X58 board, in fact it's the cheapest in this round-up to support Intel's chipset. That doesn't stop it being a rather decent investment, though. As the name suggests, it supports USB 3.0, although it lacks a speedy 6Gbps SATA connection. Crossfire and SLI are supported, too, for all the graphics fiends out there. Where it really impresses is in the overclocking stakes, where it delivered 4GHz on the cheapest Core i7 chip with no fiddly voltage tweaking.
Read our Gigabyte X58-USB3 review
5. Asus P6X58D-E - £137
Asus' Intel board packs many of the same features as MSI's X58-USB3, with one key difference: it sports 6Gbps SATA. Like MSI's board, it's a great little overclocker, too, and we were almost able to push it into the realms of Asus' own £325 Rampage III Extreme. Add to this the 16 +2 power phase design - which allows you to reach those beefy overclocks - and it's a king amongst mobos.
6. Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Rev.2 - £143
"Loaded" is how our reviewer described Gigabyte's Intel Motherboard. It's got all the latest features, such as SATA 6Gbps and two USB 3.0 ports, but it also packs four PCI Express slots for gaming heaven, and a nifty quick-charging feature for iPods and iPads, which is said to charge devices 40% faster - even when the system's turned off. Overclocking performance is good if slightly limited, but the overall package is, indeed, "loaded".
Read our Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Rev.2 review
7. Asus Crosshair IV Formula - £167
The big selling point of Asus' AM3 motherboard is that it makes a six-core AMD processor perform about as well as a vastly more expensive Core i7 chip. It achieves this milestone with AMD's Turbo CORE technology, which works like Intel's TurboMode, only not quite as well. Even so, we experienced a 10 per cent boost in the taxing Dirt 2, and we hit the 4GHz mark without even touching the voltage settings. That Asus has achieved this at a comparatively low price puts it head and shoulders above its rivals.
Read our Asus Crosshair IV Formula review
8. MSI Big Bang XPower - £210
Above the £200 mark lurk the X58 motherboards dreams are made of. MSI's Big Bang Xpower includes just about everything: six DIMM slots supporting up to 24GB of triple-channel DDR3 memory, dual Gigabit Ethernet, six PCI-E slots (two x16, two x8, two x4 speeds) and advanced Quantum Wave audio. The build quality is incredible, too, and it just begs to be decked out with a pair of beefy graphics cards and a dozen sticks of DDR3. One for those who want to build the ultimate gaming machine.
Read our MSI Big Bang XPower review
9. Asus Crosshair IV Extreme - £242
Lucid's HydraLogix 200 makes its first appearance in our round up; it's the technology that lets you plug in two different graphics cards and enjoy the combined power of both. It's present and very correct on the AM3-based Asus Crosshair IV Extreme, and it's a very good motherboard, too. The board is also packed with features, such as 6Gbps SATA and USB 3.0, as well as an incredibly handy Bluetooth module that allows you to overclock from another PC. Pricey, yes, but definitely worth every penny.
Read our Asus Crosshair IV Extreme review
10. Asus Rampage III Extreme - £266
As the price tag suggests, the Rampage III Extreme is something of a niche product. Designed from the ground up to cope with extreme cooling of the liquid nitrogen variety, it even includes a special mode that stops the CPU not posting on because it's just too darn cold. As you'd expect, it includes all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a high-end overclockers board, including the Crosshair IV Extreme's Bluetooth overclocking feature. One for enthusiasts - or extremists - only, then.
Read our Asus Rampage III Extreme review
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Buying Guide: Best motherboard: 10 top choices
Posted: 29 Oct 2010 04:05 AM PDT
It's an interesting time for motherboards. As we await Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture, manufacturers are trying to squeeze the best performance from the two-year-old Nehalem-based Core processors.
On AMD's side it's the polar opposite, with 2009's AM3 socket processors being backwards compatible with AM2 motherboards. That situation is looking unlikely to change.
As ever, if you want a cheap PC, it's better to roll with AMD, but if you want more power you should stick to Intel.
So we've herded 10 of the best motherboards (five from Intel, five from AMD), ranging from under £70 to almost £270.
1. MSI 870A-G54 - £68
MSI's Socket AM3 board may be on the cheap and cheerful side, but it's full to the brim with useful extras. USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps are present and correct for quick data transfer, and it includes a top-spec southbridge. It also comes with MSI's OC Gear for quick and easy overclocking at the flick of a wheel, as well as the OC Genie tool for more precise clock speeds. The way MSI has made this so cheap is by ditching onboard graphics - but who really needs that?
2. MSI 880GMA-E45 - £75
MSI's Socket AM3 board is of the titchy micro-ATX form factor, but that doesn't stop it packing a rather powerful punch. There's a whole host of overclocking options here, including the ability to unlock AMD chips' extra cores. Given its tiny size it - naturally - only supports a single graphics card, and its onboard graphics aren't the best. If you want to build a highly connectable home theatre PC that'll do more than just movies it's ideal.
Read our MSI 880GMA-E45 review
3. Asus M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 - £120
Admittedly, we had our doubts about Asus' AM3 board, but we were pleasantly surprised. It's got an in-built DirectX 10.1 AMD HD 4290, which was no great shakes when it came to gaming, but was able to deliver stunning high-definition Blu-Ray playback. With its HDMI and DVI ports it's immediately connectible, too. Two 16x PCI-Express ports offer numerous graphics card options, and it's also got AMD's Core Unlocker tech, which lets you find those cheekily-hidden processor cores.
Read our Asus M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 review
4. Gigabyte X58-USB3 - £133
A relatively inexpensive X58 board, in fact it's the cheapest in this round-up to support Intel's chipset. That doesn't stop it being a rather decent investment, though. As the name suggests, it supports USB 3.0, although it lacks a speedy 6Gbps SATA connection. Crossfire and SLI are supported, too, for all the graphics fiends out there. Where it really impresses is in the overclocking stakes, where it delivered 4GHz on the cheapest Core i7 chip with no fiddly voltage tweaking.
Read our Gigabyte X58-USB3 review
5. Asus P6X58D-E - £137
Asus' Intel board packs many of the same features as MSI's X58-USB3, with one key difference: it sports 6Gbps SATA. Like MSI's board, it's a great little overclocker, too, and we were almost able to push it into the realms of Asus' own £325 Rampage III Extreme. Add to this the 16 +2 power phase design - which allows you to reach those beefy overclocks - and it's a king amongst mobos.
6. Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Rev.2 - £143
"Loaded" is how our reviewer described Gigabyte's Intel Motherboard. It's got all the latest features, such as SATA 6Gbps and two USB 3.0 ports, but it also packs four PCI Express slots for gaming heaven, and a nifty quick-charging feature for iPods and iPads, which is said to charge devices 40% faster - even when the system's turned off. Overclocking performance is good if slightly limited, but the overall package is, indeed, "loaded".
Read our Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Rev.2 review
7. Asus Crosshair IV Formula - £167
The big selling point of Asus' AM3 motherboard is that it makes a six-core AMD processor perform about as well as a vastly more expensive Core i7 chip. It achieves this milestone with AMD's Turbo CORE technology, which works like Intel's TurboMode, only not quite as well. Even so, we experienced a 10 per cent boost in the taxing Dirt 2, and we hit the 4GHz mark without even touching the voltage settings. That Asus has achieved this at a comparatively low price puts it head and shoulders above its rivals.
Read our Asus Crosshair IV Formula review
8. MSI Big Bang XPower - £210
Above the £200 mark lurk the X58 motherboards dreams are made of. MSI's Big Bang Xpower includes just about everything: six DIMM slots supporting up to 24GB of triple-channel DDR3 memory, dual Gigabit Ethernet, six PCI-E slots (two x16, two x8, two x4 speeds) and advanced Quantum Wave audio. The build quality is incredible, too, and it just begs to be decked out with a pair of beefy graphics cards and a dozen sticks of DDR3. One for those who want to build the ultimate gaming machine.
Read our MSI Big Bang XPower review
9. Asus Crosshair IV Extreme - £242
Lucid's HydraLogix 200 makes its first appearance in our round up; it's the technology that lets you plug in two different graphics cards and enjoy the combined power of both. It's present and very correct on the AM3-based Asus Crosshair IV Extreme, and it's a very good motherboard, too. The board is also packed with features, such as 6Gbps SATA and USB 3.0, as well as an incredibly handy Bluetooth module that allows you to overclock from another PC. Pricey, yes, but definitely worth every penny.
Read our Asus Crosshair IV Extreme review
10. Asus Rampage III Extreme - £266
As the price tag suggests, the Rampage III Extreme is something of a niche product. Designed from the ground up to cope with extreme cooling of the liquid nitrogen variety, it even includes a special mode that stops the CPU not posting on because it's just too darn cold. As you'd expect, it includes all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a high-end overclockers board, including the Crosshair IV Extreme's Bluetooth overclocking feature. One for enthusiasts - or extremists - only, then.
Read our Asus Rampage III Extreme review
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Rumour: PSP2 is codenamed 'Veta'
Posted: 29 Oct 2010 03:25 AM PDT
The PSP2 is currently being given the codename 'Veta' with Sony Computer Entertainment, with multiple sources claiming that the machine will rival the Xbox 360 in terms of its power and processing grunt.
A number of un-named sources are also claiming that Sony will drop the UMD drive with PSP2, something that was always expected to happen, following the experiment with a disc-free console that was PSPgo.
Sony PSP Veta?
Kotaku's sources claim to have verified the multiple rumours that the PSP2 will mark the end of the UMD drive, a development on PSPgo.
One source claims users will be able to store games on memory sticks, while Sony is still considering various options for media storage.
Multiple sources have also confirmed to VG247 that PSP2 is currently codenamed "Veta".
The PSPgo uses a Memory Stick port and a 16GB internal flash drive for storage.
The PSP2's games are likely to require much more internal storage than the current range of PSP titles from Sony and its publishing partners.
The PSP2 will also be considerably more powerful than the current PSP hardware, rivalling the Xbox 360 in terms of pure processing grunt – with rumours pointing towards 1GB of RAM in the PSP2 (twice that of the Xbox 360, and considerably more than the 64MB of RAM in the current PSP).
PSP2 is rumoured to be ready in time for a late 2011 launch. Pictures of a rumoured PlayStation Phone also leaked onto the internet earlier this month.
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Rumour: PSP2 is called codename 'Veta'
Posted: 29 Oct 2010 03:25 AM PDT
The PSP2 is currently being given the codename 'Veta' with Sony Computer Entertainment, with multiple sources claiming that the machine will rival the Xbox 360 in terms of its power and processing grunt.
A number of un-named sources are also claiming that Sony will drop the UMD drive with PSP2, something that was always expected to happen, following the experiment with a disc-free console that was PSPgo.
Sony PSP Veta?
Kotaku's sources claim to have verified the multiple rumours that the PSP2 will mark the end of the UMD drive, a development on PSPgo.
One source claims users will be able to store games on memory sticks, while Sony is still considering various options for media storage.
Multiple sources have also confirmed to VG247 that PSP2 is currently codenamed "Veta".
The PSPgo uses a Memory Stick port and a 16GB internal flash drive for storage.
The PSP2's games are likely to require much more internal storage than the current range of PSP titles from Sony and its publishing partners.
The PSP2 will also be considerably more powerful than the current PSP hardware, rivalling the Xbox 360 in terms of pure processing grunt – with rumours pointing towards 1GB of RAM in the PSP2 (twice that of the Xbox 360, and considerably more than the 64MB of RAM in the current PSP).
PSP2 is rumoured to be ready in time for a late 2011 launch. Pictures of a rumoured PlayStation Phone also leaked onto the internet earlier this month.
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Microsoft announces record profits
Posted: 29 Oct 2010 03:03 AM PDT
Microsoft has announced record financial results, with Steve Ballmer announcing $16.20 billion in revenue for the first quarter of its 2011 fiscal year, with $5.41 billion in profit.
Ballmer and co. are citing Office 2010 and the sustained 'PC refresh cycle' as the key drivers behind these record financials, in addition to solid growth in the Xbox 360 gaming side of the business.
Microsoft is in the money
Microsoft notes that overall revenue is up 25 percent over the same quarter in 2009, with a concurrent 51 per cent gain in profit.
Most of the company's other divisions showed significant growth over the same quarter, with some particularly interesting results including:
- Revenue at Microsoft's Windows division rose to $4.8 billion from $2.9 billion, with a profit of $3.3 billion.
- Revenue at the company's business unit, which includes Microsoft Office, rose to $5.1 billion from $4.5 billion. Profit was $3.4 billion.
- Revenue at its Entertainment and Devices Division rose to $1.7 billion from $1.5 billion. Profit was $382 million.
"This was an exceptional quarter, combining solid enterprise growth and continued strong consumer demand for Office 2010, Windows 7 and Xbox 360 consoles and games," Microsoft CFO Peter Klein said in a statement.
"Our ability to grow revenue while continuing to control costs allowed us to deliver another quarter of year-over-year margin expansion."
You can see all the details on Microsoft Q1 2010 earnings online
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