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Techradar |
- Review: BenQ V2410T
- Review: Acer S273HL
- Review: Hanns.G HZ281
- Review: BenQ EW2420
- Review: Samsung PX2370
- Review: HP ZR30W
- Microsoft confirms Halo movie still on the way
- Review: Dell Ultrasharp U2711
- Hands on: Opera 11 review (Beta)
- More kids want iPads than consoles this Xmas
- Review: Iiyama E2271HDS
- Kinect left open for modders 'on purpose'
- Review: Advent AWP10
- Hands on: Dell Inspiron Duo review
- Reader Offer: Download SafeErase 4 for free
- eBay for iPhone adds barcode scanner
- Apple set to re-release iPad with 'free' data
- Buying Guide: 10 best touchscreen laptops in the world
- Berners-Lee slams Facebook
- Berners-Lee slams Facebook
- In Depth: iOS 4.2: what you need to know
- Updated: Orange and T-Mobile confirm cheaper iPads
- Updated: Orange and T-Mobile confirm cheaper iPads
- Apple iOS 4.2 available today
- Breaking: Apple iOS 4.2 available now
| Posted: 23 Nov 2010 01:00 AM PST  Spare a thought for the BenQ V2410T. Until recently, it was an extremely attractive 24-inch monitor. Not only does it sport a Full HD 1,920 x 1,080 pixel grid, but also packs an LED backlight and a fully adjustable stand. Not bad for around £160. Problem is, BenQ has only gone and launched the even more desirable EW2420, taking the 24-inch plus LED recipe and adding glorious VA panel technology to the mix. Incredibly, the new EW2420 actually sells for a bit less than the V2410T. However, what the V2410T and other TN-powered panels such as the LG E2350 have going for them is superior pixel response. What's more, over the past 12 months TN technology has closed the gap to other panel types in terms of colour vibrancy and contrast. Maybe this TN fuddy duddy can teach its new VA sibling a few tricks after all. Power consumption
With the new VA-powered EW2420 on the prowl, the BenQ V2410T and its TN panel is up against some pretty stiff competition. Unfortunately, the game is up as soon as you hit the power switch. Some of the latest TN panels are good enough to require careful inspection before the origins of the panel can be deduced. The BenQ V2410T isn't one of them. It's immediately obvious that you're looking at a TN monitor. That's not to say it's awful, but the slightly washed out colours and mediocre black levels do give the game away. Making matters worse, the V2410T suffers from some backlight bleed along the top and bottom edges of the panel. This isn't much of an issue on the desktop, but it is distracting when watching fullscreen video. The Lagom test suite reveals a number of further weaknesses. Viewing angles are mediocre at best and there's an awful lot of compression evident in the white saturation test. That said, it's not all bad news. The backlight is very bright and this panel renders very smooth colour gradients. It also packs excellent pixel response. Factor in the 24-inch diagonal and you have an excellent budget gaming monitor. In fact, for gamers who simply can't abide any blurriness, the V2410T actually has the edge over the VA-powered BenQ EW2420. Finally, there's actually quite a bit of contrast on offer and that translates into reasonable detail when playing back high-definition video. We only wish the flesh tones weren't so sludgy and green tinted. We liked Even in the context of the latest developments, £160-odd for a 24-inch full-HD monitor with an LED backlight represents good value. That LED technology certainly delivers plenty of punch, while the TN panel has excellent gaming chops. It's also nice to see a fully adjustable stand on such an affordable screen. We disliked With VA technology now available at this price point, the V2410T's TN-derived shortcomings are all the more obvious. In fact, by the standards of the best TN'ers, this screen is decidedly second string. The colours are a bit dull and the viewing angles are nothing special. Related Links
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| Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:59 AM PST  At nearly £400, the new 27-inch Acer S273HL looks rather lonely. It's much more expensive than budget-oriented 27-inch monitors such as Iiyama's E2710HDS. And yet it's significantly cheaper than Dell's high-end U2711 uber panel. That wouldn't necessarily be a problem if it weren't for the fact that most of the Acer S273HL's specifications place it firmly in the budget camp. Yes, it's powered by an LED backlight. But it also makes do with the standard 1,920 x 1,080 pixel grid. That resolution works well enough on screens up to 24 inches, but the pixels become pretty plump extended over 27 inches. What's more, the S273HL has a TN LCD panel like the cheaper Iiyama monitor, rather than the superior IPS technology found in the Dell. What, then, can possibly justify the premium pricing? Acer has certainly put extra effort into the design and presentation of the S273HL. But unless it has achieved something special in terms of image quality, it's going to be a tough sell.
You usually get what you pay for with a PC monitor. In terms of the chassis and stand design of budget screens, that means cheap plastics, flimsy stands and anonymous looks. Not so with the Acer S273HL. Some serious cash has been invested in the hardware. For starters, Acer has migrated much of the electronics from the chassis to the base of the stand. That includes all the ports as well as the control buttons for the on-screen menu. Overall, the design is crisp, geometric and original. It also feels nicely knocked together. What you don't get, however, is any practical benefit from this attention to detail. The stand remains a tilt-only affair. Height, swivel and rotate adjustments are not on offer. Similarly absent is a DVI port. Instead, you get a pair of HDMI sockets and VGA connectivity. In theory, that's fine. You can use a simple HDMI to DVI adapter should your PC lack an HDMI port. In practice, compatibility can be an issue. Admittedly, S273HL works fine after a little tweaking. But we'd still prefer to see a DVI port on what is unambiguously a PC monitor. As for image quality, the combination of LED backlight and TN panel delivers punchy overall visuals with reasonably vibrant colours. The panel doesn't suffer from edge bleed and offers decent blacks along with adequate viewing angles. Closer inspection reveals significant compression in brighter colour tones, however. A whiff of banding and pixel fizz in gradients further betrays the S273HL's TN underpinnings. We liked With no shortage of budget panels on the market, it's nice to have the option of something slightly more upscale without taking a really big step up to a truly high end monitor. The S273HL's novel chassis and stand design certainly helps it stand out from the norm. The LED backlight is also a welcome feature. We disliked At this price point we want more than just a nice stand and some funky buttons. We want something extra in terms of image quality. Despite its LED backlight, the Acer doesn't deliver. It's not a bad monitor, but for visuals, it's little or no better than the likes of Iiyama's much cheaper E2710HDS. Related Links
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| Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:56 AM PST  In the battle of the big, budget-priced screens there can be only one. One winner, that is. But will it be this 28-inch Hanns.G HZ281 monitor or its nemesis, the 27-inch Iiyama E2710HDS? The Hanns.G obviously squeaks it for acreage. It has a larger diagonal to the tune of a single inch. However, the HZ281 also sports a 16:10 aspect ratio to the Iiyama's 16:9. That makes the size differential in square inches even larger, but it also means the HZ281 has more pixels. Both screens pack 1,920 in the horizontal plane. But the Hanns.G ups the ante from 1,080 to 1,200 in the vertical. That's probably just as well given that the HZ281 is over £40 pricier. By most other metrics, it looks like a dead heat. We're talking TN panels, HDMI, DVI and VGA ports and tilt-only stands all round. May the best monitor win. Power consumption
Small changes can make a big difference. On paper, you wouldn't wager the difference between the 16:9 masses and the Hanns.G HZ281 with its 16:10 aspect ratio amounts to much. And you'd be wrong. The main difference is an extra 120 vertical pixels. For typical PC usage, that matters. It means you can see more of web pages and documents without scrolling. The impression of increased spaciousness really is tangible. Even if that weren't the case, the Hanns.G HZ281 has plenty going for it. At 28 inches, it's positively panoramic. For a TN panel, it also delivers pretty good visuals. Clear and bright, the backlight is clean and powerful despite being a CCFL unit. So much for the superiority of LED technology. Anyway, the powerful backlight no doubt contributes to the relatively rich and vivid colours. We're also impressed by the fact that the HZ281 suffers from absolutely no edge bleed, a rare achievement for a TN monitor. Pixel response is another strong point. Overall, therefore, this is one fine monitor for PC gaming. In terms of absolute image fidelity, however, the HZ281 isn't so strong. The white saturation images in Lagom betray a tendency to compress detail and gradients reveal banding and a whiff of dithering-induced pixel fizz. Meanwhile, although there's enough contrast to deliver good detail in HD movies, the absolute black levels aren't all that great. That said, with flesh tones that are more natural than the TN norm, this 28-incher makes for a very decent movie machine. We liked The HDTV-aping 16:9 aspect ratio has nearly assimilated the PC monitor market. But Hanns.G is holding out with this big, 16:10 beast. The consequence is increased vertical resolution, which we reckon suits real-world PC usage well. The HZ281 also delivers image quality well above normal expectations for TN technology. We disliked At this price point, something has to give. The HZ281 has a cheap stand that only allows for tilt adjustments. In terms of image quality, black levels are a weakness, if only slightly, and the viewing angles are fairly typical of TN technology. In other words, quite narrow. Related Links
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| Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:50 AM PST  This is it, folks. The holy grail of LCD monitors. The Jesus H Christ of flat panels. A truly affordable large display powered by something other than a TN panel, in other words. We give you the new BenQ EW2420 24-incher, yours for a whisker over £150 and sporting a VA panel. Cue much rejoicing. That's a truly astonishing price. In fact, it's cheaper than many 24-inch TN monitors. As if that wasn't enough, the BenQ EW2420 also packs an LED backlight. Of course, it's the real HD deal, courtesy of a 1,920 x 1,080 pixel grid. Like we said, this thing really does have an air of the second coming. On paper it's everything we've been asking for. It's enough to make competing monitors such as Iiyama's 22-inch E2271HDS and the 23-inch LG E2350V, both TN panels, seem instantly redundant. Indeed, BenQ's own 24-inch TN'er, the V2410T, doesn't look too clever by comparison. Power consumption
BenQ is claiming a lot of firsts for the new EW2420. Without doubt, this a ground-breaking monitor. Never before has a large VA panel been available for so little. However, in describing the EW2420 as the world's first VA monitor with an LED backlight, BenQ is perhaps suffering from delusions of grandeur. It's pure fiction. Samsung, among other manufacturers, got there years ago. But never mind. What really matters is whether this bargain VA panel delivers on its immense promise. The simple answer is yes, though there are one or two caveats. Fire her up and the first thing you'll notice are the gorgeous colours. We're not talking about the over-saturated palette that some VA panels suffer from. Instead, the EW2420 is all about subtle hues and pleasing contrasts. Panel aficionados will recognise this as being typical of MVA rather than PVA panels, but BenQ isn't going into the specifics. Anyway, in a low key sort of way, it's absolutely lovely. What's more, black levels are excellent, as you'd expect from a VA screen. Things are just as good under the Lagom microscope. There's almost no evidence of white tone compression, the colour scales are top drawer and the viewing angles are pretty much impeccable. The EW2420 is not, however, perfect. For starters, a green tinge to flesh tones betrays a very slight colour imbalance. The pixel response isn't exactly out of this world, either. That said, there's little or no input lag, so the EW2420 isn't a complete busted flush when it comes to gaming. Whisper it, but that LED backlight is actually a bit weedy, too. We liked What, frankly, is not to like about 24 inches of VA-powered screen goodness for such a ludicrously low price? After years of samey budget TN monitors, it's incredibly refreshing to finally have the option of a decent VA panel at this price point. We disliked One man's subtle is another's overly subdued. The EW2420 is not an in-your-face monitor and some will find the visuals disappointing. This monitor may not be the best choice for gamers, either, thanks to relatively tardy pixel response. We'd also prefer a proper stand, rather than the cheap tilt-only affair BenQ has specified. Related Links
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| Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:48 AM PST  In recent years, desktop monitors with cheap TN panels have been the bane of our computing lives. But what about desktop monitors with expensive TN panels? Enter the new Samsung PX2370. It's a paradox in a flat panel. Without doubt, TN screen technology has improved dramatically in the last 18 months. But can this 23-inch TN panel really justify its hefty price tag in the context of BenQ's new EW2420, a monitor that's not only an inch larger, but also packs a gorgeous VA panel? If any company can pull it off, it's Samsung. For starters, it's one of the few companies that cranks out its own LCD panels. Most monitor makers buy their panels in, but Samsung is, quite simply, the master of TN technology. The PX2370 also packs an LED backlight, which will help its cause. What's more, Samsung does a nice line in industrial design. Whatever the image quality is like, this monitor certainly looks sleek. Power consumption If first impressions count, the Samsung PX2370 is a winner. Out of the box it's remarkably vibrant and serves up rich, saturated colours. At a glance, it's far from obvious this is a TN-powered monitor. Instead, you notice the clean, bright whites and the tight pixel pitch that results from packing 1,920 x 1,080 pixels into a relatively compact 23-inch diagonal. In fact, you could be forgiven for initially thinking the PX2370 is packing an IPS panel. But not, sadly, after closer inspection. The game is up as soon as the Lagom test images are loaded. Nearly every metric betrays the panel's origins. The viewing angles, for instance, would be judged extremely poor by IPS standards. As would the amount of compression visible in the white saturation screen. Adding insult to image quality injury, the Samsung PX2370 also suffers from a little edge bleed and unimpressive overall black levels. These are the sort of flaws that make a monitor look a little low rent. They're absolutely normal on a TN monitor, but you simply wouldn't stand for them on an IPS or VA screen. Of course, the Samsung PX2370 actually performs well for a TN panel. But with a price pushing £250 and at least one competing monitor offering clearly superior panel technology, it's simply not good enough. That's a shame, because in many ways, this is an excellent screen and one of the best TN panels we've ever seen. If it were £100 cheaper, it would be a winner. We liked When it comes to producing computer kit with a quality consumer electronics vibe, Samsung is the daddy. The PX2370's uber-slim chassis and translucent purple plastics certainly look the part. The image quality is also remarkable for a TN panel. The rich and vibrant colours are a particular highlight. We disliked At this price point, we were expecting something seriously special. Unfortunately, the Samsung PX2370 is merely very good, with the perennial caveat of being good for a TN panel. It might have the latest Samsung LCD technology and an LED backlight, but it's still beaten by the much cheaper BenQ EW2420. Related Links
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| Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:48 AM PST  Think about computing giant HP and we suspect images of corporate cubes leap to mind more readily than sexy screens. But there's no doubting the new HP ZR30W is an absolute stunner. It's a 30-inch monster with a high-quality IPS panel and a monster resolution of 2,560 x 1,600. It comes with a massive price tag to match, of course. But if you want a large, high resolution screen with impeccable colour accuracy, you're going to have to pay for it. The only problem for the HP ZR30W is Dell's U2711. Admittedly, it's three inches smaller. But it packs very nearly as many pixels, offers similar IPS technology and can be yours for over £400 less than the ZR30W. What's more, when it comes to usability and visual ergonomics, there is such a thing as a monitor that's too big. For some users, a 30-inch panel is precisely that. Power consumption
Twelve hundred British pounds is a huge amount of money for a monitor. But the HP ZR30W is an awful lot of screen. In fact, it's impressive even before you flick the power switch. It's solidly hewn from quality plastics and sports a cool-feeling brushed alloy bezel surround. Admittedly, the styling is rather corporate, but there's no denying the engineering integrity. As for image quality, the HP ZR30W absolutely blitzes the Lagom image fidelity test suite. Whether it's white saturation, black tones, colour scales or gradient rendering, the result is the same: excellence. In fact, in those objective tests of image quality, it's slightly more consistent than Dell's U2711. It's no slouch in the subjective viewing stakes, either. The backlight will burn your retinas when set to full reheat. Despite the sheer power, however, there's absolutely no unwanted backlight bleed around the edges. The panel is extremely uniform. Colour accuracy is another strong point. Flesh tones in HD video catch out most screens, but the ZR30W handles them with effortless realism. If you're looking for weaknesses, they're aren't many. However, like any IPS screen, absolute black levels aren't all that great. The panel also suffers, but only very slightly, from the characteristic IPS white glow from certain angles. Those are minor issues that most will see past. However, it's the sheer size of the HP ZR30W that could prove a sticking point. This monitor is so big that at normal viewing distances you have to turn your head to see the extremities. We liked Spend £1,000 on a PC processor and your investment will probably be technologically outclassed inside six months. Unload a similar amount on the HP ZR30W and you have several years of stunning visuals ahead of you. This really is an excellent monitor that's very unlikely to be significantly bettered any time soon. We disliked If you can't afford a monitor like this, it's best not to even look at one. The image quality is so impressive and the sense of space so luxurious, it will spoil you for normal screens. Should you actually buy one, the only issue that's likely to disappoint are black levels that fall short of the best. Related Links
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| Microsoft confirms Halo movie still on the way Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:42 AM PST  Microsoft has said that a movie based on its blockbuster Halo franchise is still on the way, adding that it may well fund the project itself. The Halo movie seems to have been stuck in development hell for years now, although it looks like Microsoft is re-igniting its interest in the flick. Halo versus Hollywood Microsoft's Frank O'Connor told New York Videogame Critics Circle in no uncertain terms: "There will be a Halo movie." The Microsoft man added; "Everyone wanted to do a Halo movie, the director, Microsoft, the highest placed people at movie companies." O'Connor went on to detail how the project had fallen by the wayside in the past due to legal wranglings and contractual disagreements. "It was the lawyers. When they went behind closed doors with the contracts, things fell apart. The problem was that the movie company couldn't make any money beyond the movie," said O'Connor. If Microsoft is not able to persuade a studio to fund the movie, then it may well stump up the cash itself. "There will be a Halo movie. We don't need a movie. But we'd like a movie. We'd like the moms of gamers to see the movies because they would love our characters," explained O'Conner. "Maybe we'll even fund it ourselves." 
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| Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:42 AM PST  Can PC monitors be too big? Speak to owners of uber 30-inch displays and you might be surprised by the answer. That's where the Dell Ultrasharp U2711 steps in. At 27 inches, it's significantly smaller than ultra-panels such as HP's ZR30W. But thanks to a monster pixel grid of 2,560 x 1,440, it gives very little away in terms of native resolution. It's also quite a bit cheaper than most 30-inchers. Given the somewhat dubious ergonomics of 30-inch screens, why pay significantly more for the likes of HP's ZR30W? Of course, the Dell Ultrasharp U2711 isn't exactly cheap itself, but at least that means you get a first-rate feature set. The panel itself is a quality 27-inch item. It's the very same panel as found in the 27-inch Apple iMac, in fact. Dell hasn't skimped on the input options, either. Everything from HDMI to DisplayPort and component video is provided. Power consumption
For performance PC enthusiasts, an IPS panel with a big native resolution is as good as it gets. They won't be disappointed by the Dell U2711. While the colours aren't as in-your-face as some monitors with PVA panels, the subtlety and accuracy are to die for. Perhaps surprisingly, this top drawer image fidelity is most obvious in movies. If there's a monitor that renders more realistic flesh tones than the U2711, we haven't seen it. Similarly, the dark scenes in our 1080p test sequence are realised with phenomenal detail and clarity. It's enough to make most other monitors look flat and foggy. Fine detail isn't the U2711's only trick. It also has a ludicrously powerful backlight and excellent response for an IPS panel. If cranking it up in-game is your bag, this monitor delivers. Predictably, it also puts on a very fine show in the Lagom test suite. The white saturation and colour scales betray absolutely no evidence of compression. The way it handles the viewing angle image also approaches perfection. As for ergonomics, some will find the 27-inch diagonal noticeably more usable than a 30-inch display. Unlike a 30-incher, the edges of the screen never feel excessively distant. Consequently, you're more likely to use the full expanse when working on the desktop. If that makes the U2711 seem perfect, it's worth noting that the black levels aren't quite as good as the best VA panels. Likewise, Dell has not been able to shake off an image artefact known as IPS glow. We liked Apart from the price, there's very little not to like about Dell's gorgeous 27-inch panel. The colours are to die for, there's buckets of desktop space and it has a quality stand with a full range of adjustability. You also get more inputs than you're ever likely to need. PC monitors don't get much better than this. We disliked The only significant problem with the Dell U2711 is that you probably can't afford it. For those who can, the niggles are few. For the record, however, the black levels aren't world beating. What's more, the design of the chassis and stand has taken a step back from Dell's awesome '07 monitors. Related Links
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| Hands on: Opera 11 review (Beta) Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:30 AM PST  Opera has released Opera 11 Beta, the latest pre-release version of its new Opera 11 browser. The main look and feel of the browser hasn't changed massively, but there are a few new bells and whistles. Opera retains around a 3-4 per cent share of the browser market and has fallen behind Google Chrome which now has nearly 10 per cent. The browser is available across Windows, Mac and Linux. Opera says it has worked hard to further boost browser speed in this new version, particularly for Linux. According to the company, Opera 11 for Linux is 15 to 20 percent faster on common benchmarks than Opera 10.63. The footprint of the browser has also been reduced by 30 per cent. The main advancement in Opera 11 is something called stacking, which enables you to "better organise your open tabs." Instead of keeping tabs alongside each other, Opera 11 enables you to group them by site or theme.
While some will undoubtedly regard this as a gimmick, we think it might really have use for those of us who have large numbers of tabs open on a regular basis. To group them, simply drag them on top of one another. This is a little messy as you can't just drag the tab across, you have to drag it off the toolbar first before you can drag it onto the other tab.
Clicking the arrow icon expands the current stack across the tab bar - you can see that in action below.
Opera 11 has also made some improvements to the address bar, which now hides some unnecessary information and displays the security status of the page more obviously.
The address field now hides unnecessary information and puts the security status of each page front and center. Now, badges explain the security state of the site, giving consumers clear information about the sites they visit. Opera 11 also introduces extensions, to bring the browser alongside Internet Explorer 9, Firefox and Google Chrome in this department.
Opera says that in the three weeks since extensions debuted in the alpha release of Opera 11, more than 500,000 extensions were downloaded while developers submit between 10 and 20 new extensions each day. Extensions can be set to automatically update, too. The browser also has a developer mode so developers can launch, test and package extensions quickly. More improvement has also been made in the way Opera uses mouse gestures, originally introduced in Opera 5. Opera 11 introduces a more visual interface for this.
You can download Opera 11 beta (English only) now. 
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | ||
| More kids want iPads than consoles this Xmas Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:28 AM PST  A recent Nielsen poll shows that the Apple iPad is this Christmas' most-wanted gift amongst American kids and teens, topping games consoles. The iPad tops the most-wanted charts in the recent Nielsen poll, which reveals that 31 per cent of all six to 12 year olds surveyed were also 'interested in buying' an iPad in the next six months, compared with only 12 per cent wanting to buy an Xbox 360. Leaving aside the questions over how a six year old is going to save up for an iPad, in terms of other gaming consoles desired, 18 per cent said they wanted a Wii, while 14 per cent wanted a PSP. Black Friday approaches "With Black Friday rapidly approaching, parents may want to get up early Friday morning to find deals, as a recent survey shows their kids are eyeing some wallet-stretching electronics this holiday season," reads the NielsenWire blog. "Across a multitude of electronic offerings, the Apple iPad leads all devices (31% interest in future purchase) among American kids ages 6-12. Apple's iPod Touch is also popular choice among kids, generating similar levels of interest as computers. Of note, the iPod Touch outpaces the perennial handheld gaming favorites Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable – though look for the Nintendo 3DS to make a splash with young gamers when it releases in Spring 2011. "Among gaming consoles, kids indicate they will be requesting the Sony PlayStation 3 the most this year; however, the platform will be competing with a variety of equally-popular mobile devices." 
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| Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:22 AM PST  When it comes to screens, bigger isn't always better. At least, that's the hope for the new Iiyama E2271HDS. By most metrics, it looks thoroughly competitive with the £150 monitor brigade. But at just 22 inches in overall screen girth, it's a little short on stature. The LG E2350V, for instance, is cheaper but an inch larger. Meanwhile, the BenQ EW2420 is available for just a few quid more but offers an extra couple of inches and a VA LCD panel. The BenQ's VA panel truly is an anomaly at this price point, so we won't hold the Iiyama E2271HDS's TN alternative against it, even if it is inferior LCD panel technology. While the E2271HDS might be smaller than some of the competition, it's still a Full HD panel, packing 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and sporting an LED backlight. Of course, the same pixel count in a smaller screens translates into a tighter dot pitch. And that means sharper images and greater clarity. Power consumption
If size matters, so does image quality. The 22-inch Iiyama E2271HDS's relatively compact proportions combined with its Full HD pixel grid certainly delivers when it comes to games. The dot pitch of just 0.248mm makes for razor sharp images. In fact, it's debatable whether anti-aliasing is necessary with this monitor. That's always handy in terms of maximising frame rates and gaming smoothness. Then there's the snappy pixel response and powerful LED backlight. Put it all together and you have an outstanding little panel for gamers on a budget. The E2271HDS has decent video playback chops, too. As TN technology goes, there's lots of contrast on offer enabling plenty of detail in dark movie sequences. Black levels are pretty damn good, too. Overall, the colours are fairly vibrant and saturated, again in the context of TN panels – any really good PVA monitor will lead the E2271HDS for visual punch. What's more, flesh tones are a little green, betraying a slighty off-kilter colour balance. While we're splitting hairs, a whiff of backlight bleed is visible along the top and bottom of the panel. The viewing angles aren't all that hot, either. Colour inversion is just visible in the bottom half of the panel from normal viewing distances. Contrary to our expectations, given the subjective viewing experience, the Lagom test images reveal significant compression in brighter tones. Finally, our test sample suffered from a stuck pixel slap bang in the centre of the panel. It's likely a rare anomaly, but it is a reminder of just how distracting stuck pixels can be, especially when they're bright green and right in the centre of the screen. We liked By some metrics, the Iiyama E2271HDS proves that bigger isn't always better. The panel's super tight pixel pitch makes for searing visuals. Meanwhile, the LED backlight packs a serious punch, too. We're also pleasantly surprised by the detail on offer during video playback and the relatively punchy colours. We disliked In isolation, this is a great panel with an LED backlight and full-HD resolution for £150. Problem is, the competition is arguably even better. The LG E2350V offers similar visuals but in a larger 23-inch package while the BenQ EW2420 adds yet another inch and VA panel technology. Related Links
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| Kinect left open for modders 'on purpose' Posted: 22 Nov 2010 09:19 AM PST  Microsoft has responded to the myriad reports that Kinect has been 'hacked' by saying that it wanted it always wanted its motion controller to be open. According to a transcripted interview with Microsoft program manager Alex Kipman, Kinect hasn't been hacked at all, merely played around with. "Hacking would mean that someone got to our algorithms, that sits inside of the Xbox, and was able to actually use them, which hasn't happened," said Kipman on NPR's Science Friday. "Or it means that you put a device between the sensor and the Xbox for means of cheating, which also has not happened. "That's what we call hacking, and that's why we've put a ton of effort to make sure it doesn't actually occur." Use the source, Luke What is occurring is that the open source community have found a workaround. "What has happened is someone wrote an open source driver for PCs that essentially opens the USB connection, which we didn't protect by design, and reads the inputs from the sensor," explained Kipman. "The sensor, again as I talked earlier, has eyes and ears, and that's a whole bunch of noise that someone needs to take and turn into signal." While this sounds like a case of semantics, it does mean that no one is to get into trouble for meddling with their Kinect controller. So, if you have the brains, then you can also make your very own lightsaber version of Kinect with a broomstick – just like Yan Keyan on YouTube. 
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| Posted: 22 Nov 2010 09:16 AM PST  Built by Kodak for Dixons Stores Group, this Wi-Fi-capable multifunction printer is one of three ultra-cheap Advent models released this Winter. The Advent AWP10, reviewed here, costs a penny shy of £70. The AW10 is £10 cheaper, but uses a 1.5-inch LCD colour screen instead of the Advent AWP10's 2.4-inch display. The cheapest model, the £50 Advent A10, offers the smaller screen and drops Wi-Fi connectivity. These prices are RRP, and may be discounted in-store or online. The Advent AWP10 uses a two-tank inkjet system, one black and one tri-colour. As always with very cheap printers, it's wise to check the cost of replacement inks before buying. Given the price, it's unsurprising that the Advent AWP10 isn't overburdened with features. However, if you're only looking for a basic printer, scanner and copier, it has everything you need. Connectivity is through USB or Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, it has a 100-sheet paper tray and, for photographers, an SD/SDHC/MMC/Memory Stick card reader. Build quality is flimsy, but acceptable for a printer of this price. The Advent AWP10's print speeds are reasonable, without being stunning. A 20-page text document printed in five minutes, ten seconds, which is pedestrian but not sloth-like. A plain-paper, default-settings photo took around a minute, with a high-quality photo-paper print taking almost two minutes, which is pretty speedy. It's the same story with the print quality; functional and unremarkable, but entirely serviceable and perhaps better than you'd expect given the price of the printer. Text was clear and well defined, though a little grey and washed out. There was a smudge caused by ink on one of the rollers, but only a small one. Its photo-paper printing was particularly commendable, with accurately-reproduced colours and very little banding. We've seen sharper results from more expensive printers, but the AWP10 doesn't disappoint. Its plain-paper default-quality image printing is less strong, looking washed out and tired. It's a little grainy too, and there's definite banding on the colour ramps. Being a multifunction device, the Advent AWP10 can scan and photocopy too, tasks it also performs satisfactorally, but with no great distinction. Where it really falls down is its total cost of ownership. With black ink costing £12 a tank for a stated yield of 225 pages and colour cartridges at £20 for 225 pages, you're looking at a cost per page of 5.3p and 8p respectively, and that's without the paper. The Advent AWP10 could prove a very expensive economy. It might be cheap off the shelf, but there are plenty of multifunction printers around at a similar price that don't set you back almost half the cost of the printer every time you need a full set of inks. Over time, the quality of home printers and multifunction devices has increased while the price has fallen. Although not best suited for heavy-duty or specialist use, an entry-level, low-cost printer such as the Advent AWP10 gives surprisingly good results. It can be connected through Wi-Fi or USB, and has a reader for the most commonly-used memory cards. We liked Although its print quality won't win any awards, it's more than good enough for the casual user. You won't be embarrassed to print a letter to your bank manager, or send a photo to your gran. It's quick enough for a low-needs user, too. You wouldn't want to network it in a small office, but for the family PC, it's fine. We disliked A full set of inks (one black and one tri-colour) costs almost half as much as the printer. Although the Advent AWP10 is cheap to buy, its total cost of ownership is simply unacceptable. There are wireless multifunction printers costing only a little more off the shelf that soon work out cheaper when you replace the inks. Build quality is merely average, and it's noisy in operation. Verdict Despite an agreeable performance, we can't recommend the Advent AWP10. Although arguably the cheapest wireless multifunction device to buy, it certainly isn't cheap to run. In fact, it's an excellent example of why you should always check the price of consumables when buying a printer. Related Links
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| Hands on: Dell Inspiron Duo review Posted: 22 Nov 2010 08:57 AM PST  If you're looking for something more than an iPad, you might just find it here. Dell's new Inspiron Duo is a convertible touchscreen netbook with a difference. Instead of the entire screen swivelling 360 degrees from the middle as with many convertibles, this machine does something different. The inside of the 10-inch screen swivels round – like this....
So you can have the Inspiron Duo as a tablet PC or as a full-blown laptop. However, don't expect miracles in performance for the price point of "from £449" – it's still standard netbook specs aside from that swivel display.
That's a shame, as it could do with a bit more punch than even an Intel Atom N550 processor and 2GB of memory can provide. And, to provide a little more interest, Dell has partnered with JBL to provide this nifty speaker dock too. We're not sure how much this will add to the cost of a system but as you can see it really makes the Duo into a living room or kitchen sound and tablet system. There's also a clock app, which you can have running when the Inspiron Duo is in this position.
Dell has incorporated its own Stage media software onto the device and while this looks good, the touch is a little sluggish. Dell assures us this isn't final software, so we'll hold fire on that - could we see it launch with more exciting software at CES?
There's another price for that twisted loveliness, too – a rather hefty weight which we fear may put many off. The jury's still out on the Inspiron Duo then – expect it to start seeping out of Dell factories in the coming weeks.
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| Reader Offer: Download SafeErase 4 for free Posted: 22 Nov 2010 08:55 AM PST TechRadar and Softwareload are giving away a free copy of O&O SafeErase 4 worth £17.90 to 10,000 readers. To download your free copy, simply visit softwareload.co.uk/techradar to see the details of the free voucher code you'll need to claim your software. O&O SafeErase 4 completely deletes confidential and sensitive data from the data carrier and thus guaranteeing your privacy. With O&O SafeErase, you can securely delete individual files or data, using the recommended methods, so no unauthorised person can gain access to your private emails, financial statements or any other private information. The offer is open until 30 November 2010 or when licences run out.
www.softwareload.co.uk, Deutsche Telekom's software download portal, enables internet users to download the software of their choice directly onto their PCs and mobile phones quickly and easily. The portal features over 15,000 programs – all classified into several main categories. A download guarantee allows users to download purchased products several times over a one-year period. The service is also available across the EU27 nations as www.softwareload.com. Don't forget, to download your free copy, visit softwareload.co.uk/techradar 
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| eBay for iPhone adds barcode scanner Posted: 22 Nov 2010 08:35 AM PST  If you own an Apple iPhone and are addicted to selling stuff on eBay then the latest update to the online auction app will certainly appeal to your inner Del Boy. That's because eBay's latest version of its iPhone app will allow you to access a new 'Quick View' home screen to see your various buyers and sellers and instant updates on items. Sell one like this If a seller is listing a similar item then you can now use eBay's "Sell One Like This" feature to create a listing that is automatically populated with information like category and item condition. Perhaps most interestingly, eBay mobile is now adding technology from RedLaser, the barcode scanning iPhone app that eBay acquired recently. "eBay, a leader in mobile commerce and the world's largest online marketplace, today released a new version of its main iPhone application that adds selling functionality and leading RedLaser barcode-scanning technology," explains eBay. "The new app bridges in-store and mobile shopping experiences so that shoppers can scan to comparison shop across a wider selection of merchandise including electronics, movies and videogames." eBay claims that nearly 30 million items have been bought or sold using eBay mobile apps around the world since its first mobile app launched back in 2008. "The UK has seen the greatest adoption of mobile eCommerce, with 340,000 visits made to eBay.co.uk via a mobile app every day and more Brits shopping through the eBay app than anywhere else in Europe. UK shoppers make on average, one purchase every two seconds via eBay's mobile applications." Steve Yankovich, vice president of eBay Mobile adds: "More shoppers are turning to their mobile phones to save money and time this holiday season. "We listened to our 13 million+ mobile app users and we've updated our eBay iPhone app to be a one stop shop for all of their holiday buying and selling needs. "We continue to blur the lines between in-store and online shopping by allowing eBay shoppers to conveniently scan products to find the best deals virtually anywhere, anytime." Not got the eBay app on your iPhone yet? Clear out your loft or garage or cupboard under the stairs in no time using eBay's updated iPhone application over on the UK iTunes Store. 
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| Apple set to re-release iPad with 'free' data Posted: 22 Nov 2010 08:26 AM PST  Apple could be set to re-release the iPad before Christmas this year, offering an integrated SIM and a lower price. T3 has spoken to 'a reliable source close to a major UK network', which confirmed a newer version of the iPad would be sold with an integrated SIM and data rolled into the cost of the device. The same method is used on the 3G version of the Amazon Kindle, allowing users to not worry about a data tariff after purchasing the iPad. However, it's not yet known what kind of data allowance will be offered, as the Kindle's data consumption is relatively low compared to that of the iPad. It will need to be fairly high, so it will be interesting to see what price/allowances are offered if the new version of the iPad launches. Apple surprise It would be an unexpected move for Apple to launch a new version of the iPad this close to Christmas, although if the specs are relatively unchanged then it could be a decent standalone gift. But given the sheer power of Apple's marketing machine, wouldn't it have already launched such a thing as many people (Ma Radar included) have already cracked on with Christmas shopping. Add to that the fact that Apple is odds on to bring out the iPad 2 in Q1 next year, and it seems hard to believe we'll be seeing a reboot at this point - but then again, crazier things have happened... 
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| Buying Guide: 10 best touchscreen laptops in the world Posted: 22 Nov 2010 07:30 AM PST  The touchscreen has truly arrived, and you only need to take one look the success of the iPad and the army of Android tablets bursting onto the market, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, to see that. However, if you'd rather have a keyboard for writing emails, and then a touchscreen for a natural way to surf the web and browse your photos, then a laptop could be a much more sensible purchase. There are plenty of great touchscreen laptops on the market, and there's a model to suit every need. From swivel screens on tiny netbooks, to full size laptops with touch capability, we take you through the best touchscreen laptop options. 1. Samsung NB30 – £268
Samsung's netbook range has always impressed us, and the NB30, boasting tactile touchscreen technology is no exception. It's easy to carry, and the touchscreen gives it a near tablet feel, although the screen doesn't twist around to give the true form factor. The 10.1-inch screen has a 1,024 x 600-pixel resolution, and it's sharp and bright, and there's no shiny Super-TFT screen coating causing irritating reflections in bright light. What's more, this is the cheapest touchscreen PC you're likely to find. Buy the Samsung NB30 touchscreen netbook 2. Vye V-91015 Touch Screen Netbook – £379 There are a number of twistable tablet-style netbooks on the market featuring multi-touch screens but, at under £400, the Vye V-91015 is one of the cheapest around. The 10-inch screen rotates from the standard laptop form, to enable it to be carried like a tablet, which is where the multi-touch display comes into its own. It compromises on specs a little, and there's only 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive at your disposal, but you do get a decent touchscreen netbook that weighs only 1.3kg. 3. Asus EeePC Netbook T101MT – £442
If you're looking for a true tablet feel, but with the convenience of a laptop, then the Eee PC T101MT is a fantastic choice. The 10.1-inch touchscreen is tactile, and Asus's built in software helps you get the most from your touchscreen netbook. ASUS Eee PCs are a pedigree of netbook, with fantastic build quality backed up with supreme portability. The Intel Atom N450 is adequate for most basic web surfing and YouTube video watching, and the 320 GB hard drive is one of the biggest you'll find on any netbook. 4. Asus T91MT – £459
If you've been bitten by the tablet bug, but don't want to do without a keyboard and mouse, then Asus' smaller netbook offering, complete with multi-touch screen will be right up your street. The T91MT has a petite 8.9-inch screen, which is no bigger than most of the Android tablets that are swamping the market this Christmas. However, instead of Android, you get Windows 7 and a full keyboard. The multi-touch is fantastic, enabling you to fold the screen back and use a range of gestures, as well as using the supplied stylus. 5. Packard Bell Butterfly Touch LX.BL502.011 – £529.95
Continuing the run of touchscreen laptops to arrive on the scene in the first half of this year, Packard Bell has released the Butterfly Touch, which offers full touchscreen usability and up to a claimed eight hours of battery life in a convertible-tablet, clamshell design. Weighing 1.6kg and featuring an 11.6-inch WXGA screen, it promises to provide ample mobility for frequent travel use. Operating as a standard clamshell laptop when opened, the screen can then be turned 180 degrees and folded down over the keyboard for full tablet use. 6. Toshiba Satellite U500-1EX – £584.97
Toshiba's Satellite U500 Series is aimed at mobile professionals and previous models have impressed us with their blend of style, comfort and quality. The Satellite U500-1EX comes with an impressive range of features and only a couple of flaws that hold it back. The U500's impressive touchscreen usability and strong range of features lifts it above other laptops of a similar calibre, with the touch-sensitive screen and media bar offering a great means of control. Touch control is responsive and great for simply viewing documents or playing basic games. Read our full Toshiba Satellite U500-1EX review 7. Acer Aspire 5738PG-644G32Mn – £644.93
The Acer Aspire 5738PG-644G32Mn boasts a 15.6-inch screen that features touch functionality and is designed to make using the laptop as intuitive as possible. Acer has succeeded admirably in implementing this with the Windows 7 operating system and, while it's obviously early days for the technology on laptops – rather than tablet PCs – this machine is certainly a step in the right direction. We like the Acer Aspire 5738PG-644G32Mn a lot and while, realistically, you'll be using the keyboard and touchpad as much as you did before, the touchscreen technology is well implemented and very intuitive to use. Read our full Acer Aspire 5738PG-644G32Mn review 8. Acer 1825PT – £679
The new 1825PT is an 11.6-inch netbook with a swivel-style screen that enables you to convert it into a tablet-style device in a jiffy. The Aspire's swivel-screen multitouch panel features up to 1,366 x 768 resolution, and the machine packs in up to 8GB of RAM, a 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor, and a 250GB or 320GB hard drive. The 1825PT also has a 6-cell battery to give you eight hours of work and play time, so you can spend more time getting touchy feely with your laptop. 9. HP Touchsmart TM2-1010ea – £863.53
The HP TouchSmart tm2-1010ea is another laptop with a swiveling screen that converts into a tablet PC, much like many in our round up. The touchscreen is well supported by a host of software. Artists can create finger-painted masterpieces with Corel Paint It! Touch, while Magic Desktop provides children with a cartoon-based interface and access to various games and child-friendly applications. With a strong range of touch software installed as standard, the HP TouchSmart tm2-1010ea has a sharp and well-supported touchscreen display. Its solid build, incredible portability and impressive features round off this strong contender. Read our full HP Touchsmart TM2-1010ea review 10. Fujitsu Lifebook T4410 – £1115.99
Like the HP TouchSmart tm2-1010ea, this laptop features a screen which twists 180 degrees to convert into a tablet PC. In this form you can hold the machine in one hand while manipulating the touchscreen with your other. The sharp 12.1-inch screen is quite small in comparison to some other touchscreen laptops, but to counter this, Fujitsu has included a stylus that tucks neatly into the chassis for storage. This can be used instead of your fingers for more accurate interaction, while a pair of configurable buttons on the side can be set up to simulate mouse-button clicks. The display is extremely sensitive and registers the stylus tip hovering over an inch from the screen, although this does show where you're about to press and helps to minimise mistakes. Read our full Fujitsu Lifebook T4410 review 
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| Posted: 22 Nov 2010 06:47 AM PST  Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web, has said that social networking sites such as Facebook are guilty of limiting the potential openness of the web. Tim Berners-Lee outlined his concerns in a piece in the Scientific American journal, entitled Long Live the Web: A Call for Continued Open Standards and Neutrality. Web's egalitarian principles "The web evolved into a powerful, ubiquitous tool because it was built on egalitarian principles and because thousands of individuals, universities and companies have worked, both independently and together as part of the World Wide Web Consortium, to expand its capabilities based on those principles," said Berners-Lee in an impassioned call for openness online. Saying that, Berners-Lee is also increasingly concerned that the open and democratic nature of the web was under threat by some of its more recent and "most successful inhabitants" such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Friendster. "Facebook, LinkedIn, Friendster and others typically provide value by capturing information as you enter it: your birthday, your e-mail address, your likes, and links indicating who is friends with whom and who is in which photograph," said the web pioneer. "The sites assemble these bits of data into brilliant databases and reuse the information to provide value-added service - but only within their sites. Once you enter your data into one of these services, you cannot easily use them on another site. "Each site is a silo, walled off from the others. Yes, your site's pages are on the web, but your data are not. You can access a web page about a list of people you have created in one site, but you cannot send that list, or items from it, to another site." Berners-Lee added that cable companies can also stop information flowing freely on the web, noting: "Cable television companies that sell internet connectivity are considering whether to limit their internet users to downloading only the company's mix of entertainment." Via The Telegraph 
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| Posted: 22 Nov 2010 06:47 AM PST Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web, has said that social networking sites such as Facebook are guilty of limiting the potential openness of the web. Tim Berners--Lee outlined his concerns in a piece in the Scientific American journal, entitled Long Live the Web: A Call for Continued Open Standards and Neutrality. Web's egalitarian principles "The web evolved into a powerful, ubiquitous tool because it was built on egalitarian principles and because thousands of individuals, universities and companies have worked, both independently and together as part of the World Wide Web Consortium, to expand its capabilities based on those principles," said Berners-Lee in an impassioned call for openness online. Saying that, Berners-Lee is also increasingly concerned that the open and democratic nature of the web was under threat by some of its more recent and "most successful inhabitants" such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Friendster. "Facebook, LinkedIn, Friendster and others typically provide value by capturing information as you enter it: your birthday, your e-mail address, your likes, and links indicating who is friends with whom and who is in which photograph," said the web pioneer. "The sites assemble these bits of data into brilliant databases and reuse the information to provide value-added service - but only within their sites. Once you enter your data into one of these services, you cannot easily use them on another site. "Each site is a silo, walled off from the others. Yes, your site's pages are on the web, but your data are not. You can access a web page about a list of people you have created in one site, but you cannot send that list, or items from it, to another site." Berners-Lee added that cable companies can also stop information flowing freely on the web, noting: "Cable television companies that sell internet connectivity are considering whether to limit their internet users to downloading only the company's mix of entertainment." Via The Telegraph 
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| In Depth: iOS 4.2: what you need to know Posted: 22 Nov 2010 06:25 AM PST  Let joy be unconfined: after months of anticipation, every Apple fan's greatest wish has come true. That's right: we can finally get rid of the Marker Felt font in Notes. But it turns out that there are some other useful new iOS 4.2 features too. Here's what iPad and iPhone owners can expect when the update hits iTunes later today - assuming you're running compatible hardware, that is. iOS 4.2 is for the iPhone 3G or later, iPod touch 2nd generation or later and the iPad. If you've got a first-gen iPod touch or iPhone you're out of luck. iPad multitasking It's not full multitasking - as with the iPhone only certain things run in the background, like uploading or music playback, while other applications simply freeze until you come back to them - but iOS 4.2 solves the problem of doing more than one thing at a time without destroying your iPad's battery life. iPad folders If like us your iPad has the entire family's fingerprints on it, you'll be sick of flicking past endless icons belonging to other people's apps. Now with iOS 4.2, you can give everyone folders to keep their stuff out of your way. iPad unified inbox The iPhone's had this for a while, making its absence from the iPad really quite annoying, but at last with iOS 4.2 you can see multiple accounts in one place, organise emails by threads and open attached files in third party applications. Find my iPhone, iPad or iPod touch This one's a doozy: previously, you needed to pay for MobileMe to benefit from Apple's "Yikes! Some ne'er-do-well's nicked my kit!" service. Now, though, iOS 4.2 gives you this for free. That means you can track missing kit and remotely delete all its data. AirPrint One of the biggest items on the wish list, iOS finally delivers wireless printing to the iPad (and to the iPhone and iPod touch). You can now send emails, pictures or web pages to compatible printers. Support for networked printers - that is, printers shared on your local wireless network - has apparently been shelved. AirPlay Apple's streaming technology makes it to iOS devices, enabling you to stream media - music, movies or photos - to compatible devices. For now that means Apple TV or AirPlay-enabled speakers, but we'd expect all kinds of AirPlay kit to put in an appearance in the coming months. Custom text tones (iPhone only) If you're tired of springing across the room only to discover your bank's texting to tell you you're broke, you'll like this: person-specific text tones. Other iOS 4.2 features Game Center makes its debut on iPad, as do iTunes film rentals (but not TV programmes), Safari gets a Find Text feature and Calendar can now reply to invitations. VoiceOver now works with wireless keyboards, iOS 4.2 can output to Bluetooth Braille devices, there are 30 new international keyboards and dictionaries for the iPad and over 50 different languages are now supported. You also get the ability to change the font in Notes. Did we mention that already? 
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| Updated: Orange and T-Mobile confirm cheaper iPads Posted: 22 Nov 2010 06:00 AM PST Orange and T-Mobile have confirmed that they will both be offering cheaper iPad deals - by tying users into longer term contracts. T-Mobile was first out of the blocks with a statement that reveals nothing more than a relatively soon UK release date for the new iPad price plans: "T-Mobile UK today announced it will offer new purchase options for iPad users, including more affordable prices when purchased with a data service plan, for iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G models in the coming months." Anything you can do... we can do equally as well And hot on its heels, Orange released a statement that was almost identical. In fact, it is, except thankfully someone copy and pasted the word 'Orange' in for 'T-Mobile', thus avoiding an embarrassing situation: Orange UK today announced it will offer new purchase options for iPad users, including more affordable prices when purchased with a data service plan, for iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G models in the coming months. Currently, if users want to buy Apple's tablet and use it wherever they like, the only option is the iPad 3G, which involves a hefty payment to buy the device then more money per month to your favourite network for data. So the statements leave us in the dark over UK pricing, but if compared to the iPhone 4, it seems likely you'll be able to pick one up for around £150-£200 on a £35-£30 per month, two-year deal - although the fact there won't be minutes or texts involved may alter that price slightly. 
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| Updated: Orange and T-Mobile confirm cheaper iPads Posted: 22 Nov 2010 06:00 AM PST Orange and T-Mobile have confirmed that they will both be offering cheaper iPad deals - by tying users into longer term contracts. T-Mobile was first out of the blocks with a statement that reveals nothing more than a relatively soon UK release date for the new iPad price plans: "T-Mobile UK today announced it will offer new purchase options for iPad users, including more affordable prices when purchased with a data service plan, for iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G models in the coming months." Anything you can do... we can do equally as well And hot on its heels, Orange released a statement that was almost identical. In fact, it is, except thankfully someone copy and pasted the word 'Orange' in for 'T-Mobile', thus avoiding an embarrassing situation: Orange UK today announced it will offer new purchase options for iPad users, including more affordable prices when purchased with a data service plan, for iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G models in the coming months. Currently, if users want to buy Apple's tablet and use it wherever they like, the only option is the iPad 3G, which involves a hefty payment to buy the device then more money per month to your favourite network for data. So the statements leave us in the dark over UK pricing, but if compared to the iPhone 4, it seems likely you'll be able to pick one up for around £150-£200 on a £35-£30 per month, two-year deal - although the fact there won't be minutes or texts involved may alter that price slightly. 
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| Posted: 22 Nov 2010 05:48 AM PST  Apple has announced the arrival of iOS4.2 - offering new features for the iPad, iPod touch and iPhone. Although the software isn't currently available on iTunes, the company has updated its iOS page to show off just what users can get from the software update. Earlier today, TechRadar exclusively revealed that iOS 4.2 would be available today and it looks as if Apple is true to its word. Some of the new features iOS 4.2 brings are as follows: Find My iphone, iPad or iPod touch is now free. The feature allows you to find your lost device on a map, display a message on its screen, remotely set a passcode lock, and initiate a remote wipe to delete your data. AirPlay is another new feature that allows you to stream digital media wirelessly from your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to your Apple TV and AirPlay-enabled speakers. When it comes to the iPad, the introduction of folders means that you can now have a decluttered home screen. Multi-tasking also comes to the iPad and you will now be able to print email, photos, web pages, and documents right from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Keep checking iTunes to see when the update lands - it looks like it will be 6pm in the UK.. 
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| Breaking: Apple iOS 4.2 available now Posted: 22 Nov 2010 05:48 AM PST Apple has announced the arrival of iOS4.2 - offering new features for the iPad, iPod touch and iPhone. Although the software isn't currently available on iTunes, the company has updated its iOS page to show off just what users can get from the software update. Earlier today, TechRadar exclusively revealed that iOS 4.2 would be available today and it looks as if Apple is true to its word. New features Some of the new features iOS 4.2 brings are as follows: Find My iphone, iPad or iPod touch is now free. The feature allows you to find your lost device on a map, display a message on its screen, remotely set a passcode lock, and initiate a remote wipe to delete your data. AirPlay is another new feature that allows you to stream digital media wirelessly from your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to your Apple TV and AirPlay-enabled speakers. When it comes to the iPad, the introduction of folders means that you can now have a decluttered home screen. Multi-tasking also comes to the iPad and you will now be able to print email, photos, web pages, and documents right from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Keep checking iTunes to see when the update lands - as Apple has officially announced that it is here, we expect you will be able to download iOS 4.2 imminetly. 
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