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• Acer denies plans to phase out netbooks
• Samsung launches host of new compact cameras
• Review: Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
• Nintendo 3DS UK release date revealed
• First European Nokia E7 pre-order goes live
• Sky and Eurosport to supply 3D content for Nintendo 3DS
• Sky and Eurosport to supply 3D content for Nintendo 3DS
• Nintendo 3DS launch: Live!
• Review: Google TV
• In Depth: The technology of LA Noire
• Nokia launches C5-03 in the UK
• YouView faces 6-month delay, SeeSaw looking for cash
• Uncensored Playboy mags to hit the iPad in March
• Updated: Mobile World Congress 2011: what to expect
• Review: Panasonic TX-L32D25B
• Opera web browser lands on Sony connected TVs
• Review: Rotel RCX-1500
• HP PalmPad first pictures emerge
• HP PalmPad first pictures emerge
• Samsung launches teaser site promising new Galaxy S at MWC 2011
• HP PalmPad: what you need to know

Acer denies plans to phase out netbooks Posted: 19 Jan 2011 09:01 AM PST Acer has released a statement saying that the company is not aiming to phase out netbooks in favour of tablets. Recent comments from Taiwan sales manager Lu Bing-hsian indicated that the company's investment in tablets was "aimed at phasing out netbooks". However, the new statement from Acer's PR team denies that this is the plan. Tablets won't take over The company states, "Acer recognizes that the computer market is changing: As PCs are no longer used to only create content but are more and more becoming consumption tools, new devices and new form factors are appearing. "This means the range of devices available to users is getting wider and tablets are just another piece of the mosaic. Therefore they will find their space next to netbooks and notebooks, without taking over." The company is also keen to distance itself from the claims that it will be launching a number of Sandy Bridge tablets later this year, saying "For the moment devices based on Sandy Bridge are not foreseen yet." Related Stories Acer readying Sandy Bridge Android tablets Lenovo creates dedicated tablet division Updated: Top 12 best tablet PC iPad alternatives Updated: Top 12 best tablet PC iPad alternatives HP PalmPad: what you need to know

Samsung launches host of new compact cameras Posted: 19 Jan 2011 08:59 AM PST Samsung has announced a bunch of new point-and-shoot compact cameras heading to the UK over the next few months. First up is the ergonomically designed ST6500, the body of which is curved around the angled lens for maximum hold comfort. It also boasts a 16-megapixel sensor, 26mm wide-angle lens, 5x zoom, a 3-inch LCD touchscreen and a range of smart-features to automatically adjust settings based on your shot. The ST6500 comes in black, silver and red to "meet all style requirements and individual tastes" as long as you like black, silver or red. UK pricing for the ST6500 is set at £199.99, with a UK release date in March. Ahh, colours. The Samsung ST95, ST90 and ST65 are all very similar beasts. Their wide angle lenses range from 26mm to 27mm, with a 16-megapixel sensor on the ST95 and 14-megapixels on the ST90 and ST65. All three offer video recording and "fashion leading colours" – silver, indigo blue, pink, purple and orange. Fashion leading indeed. All three cameras have a UK release date in February, priced from £129.99 to £179.99. Choose your mood now Finally the ultra-portable ST30 which is the baby of the lot, around the size of an average mobile phone - which Samsung reckons is around 82 x 51.9 x 16.9 mm these days. With face detection, autofocus, a 28mm lens and 3x optical zoom, shots should be none-too-shabby, and digital image stabilisation is included for the shaky-handed among us. You'll be able to choose from silver, black, lilac, pink and lime "to match your mood", as long as you intend to stay in the same mood for the foreseeable future. The ST30's UK release date is slated for March, priced at around £89.99.

Review: Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Posted: 19 Jan 2011 08:22 AM PST Cosying-up with the new Sandy Bridge setups is Corsair's latest line of performance memory, the Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600MHz kit. As well as a slew of new motherboards coming along with the launch of Intel's new chipset and CPU combo, there will also be a whole host of new components released to buddy up with the new platform. Aside from CPUs and motherboards though you don't actually need anything new for a Sandy Bridge system. So long as your components weren't matched up with tape drives from the 70s then you've got a pretty good chance of them working together. A modern PSU will still have the right juice, a SATA HDD will still connect and DDR3 memory will still keep your new chipset happy. But that wont stop companies producing new kits designed to hit the Sandy Bridge upgraders as they shop around. In the new Vengeance series of dual and triple channel DDR3 from Corsair though that's not necessarily a bad thing. This twin-module kit offers a massive 8GB of speedy system memory, and for just over a ton that's really not bad. The benchmarks show the lower-latency 4GB Dominator kit outperforms the higher capacity Corsair Vengeance in the performance benchmarks, but it is harder to quantify the boost you get from doubling the amount available. What is evident though is that if performance is your mantra then going for higher speed RAM as opposed to more of the same will garner you far more raw pace. Memory bandwidth Gaming performance With 2GB now being the base RAM volume for general Windows 7 machines and 4GB the sweet-spot, on a dual-channel rig 8GB is the next logical step up. The issue though is whether going for higher capacity would serve you better than opting for a faster kit. This is the real difficulty with looking at such large capacity set ups; you can pick up a 4GB Corsair Dominator GT kit for around the same sort of price that is rated at 2,133MHz. And that sort of pacey RAM can make a real difference to your system performance. Higher capacities above 4GB though deliver less of a tangible benefit. That is unless you're a serious picture/video editor however; you creative types then will see serious gains when you're working with large files. You'll also notice the difference if you're switching between different applications. For those that are after gaming performance however then going for the higher-rated memory will make more sense. A quick look at the benchmarks show the extra performance you'll get from the 2,133MHz kit. You'll also get a boost from lower-latency kits, such as the £60 4GB 1,600MHz which runs at 8-8-8-24 compared to the Vengeance kit's 9-9-9-24. But still, £100-odd for the Corsair Vengeance 8GB kit of fast DDR3 is impressive, especially considering at this time last year that would have easily cost twice as much. It also works out for the upgrader in a way too. If you're sitting on a couple GB of 1600MHz RAM, you could whack your memory capacity into double figures simply by adding in this Corsair Vengeance kit. That would be silly amounts of RAM which nought but the budding Lars Von Trier among you could use to its fullest. But the fact remains that as a twin module kit it wont fill up your board's memory slots means that it can be added in, or added to, in the future. The jury is still out then on the speed versus capacity debate in RAM terms as well as in non-volatile storage terms. It's not just the SSD vs HDD argument where this question is constantly raised. As with so many things it depends on the usage model; for most of us 8GB will be more than you'll currently need or notice, but for the creatives out there £100 for 8GB is well worth it. We liked Quite frankly at the moment 8GB is a bit of an overkill unless you use your PC predominantly for creative tasks such as video editing or image manipulation. But at just over a ton for the lot it's hard to argue with the Vengeance kit's value. We disliked Unless you are a creative then opting for a faster-rated RAM kit will offer you more of a performance increase. And compared with lower-latency 1,600MHz kits from Corsair the performance of this Vengeance kit comes in below it. Related Links TechRadar's Review Guarantee Read more memory reviews Related Stories Review: Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. 9 Review: Corsair SP2500 Review: SteelSeries Shift Review: Roccat Kone [+]

Nintendo 3DS UK release date revealed Posted: 19 Jan 2011 07:11 AM PST Nintendo showed off its brand-new handheld, the Nintendo 3DS, in rainy Amsterdam today and TechRadar was there to witness the European launch of the 3D gaming device. It has been a long time coming for the Nintendo 3DS. It was first shown off at E3 2010 in June and was meant to come out in time for Christmas. Santa came and went, however, and the 3DS didn't show. Skip to the middle of January 2011 and Nintendo has finally spilled the beans regarding a UK release date and pricing for the long-awaited handheld. Screen saver The Nintendo 3DS is equipped with two screens. While the bottom screen is a normal 3.02-inch touch panel, the upper screen is a slightly larger 3.53-inch display and uses lenticular technology which offers up the glasses-less 3D effect. The screen resolution is 800x240 pixels, which is split equally as 400x240 pixels per eye. At the event in Amsterdam, it was announced that 30+ games for the device will be in the shops between now and the next E3, which is in June. They are all said to make great use of the 3D technology inside and include Street Fighter IV 3D . Nintendo is obviously thinking that the 3DS is a game-changer, with Ninty's Laurent Fischer saying at the event: "We reinvented gaming with the touchscreen, and then again with the motion controller" before showing off the Nintendo 3DS and all its 3D loveliness. According to Nintendo, the Nintendo 3DS UK release date will be 25 March 2011 and pricing is to be set by retailers but is expected to be round £220. Currently, HMV has the UK price for the Nintendo 3DS - according to its Twitter status - set at £229.99, while Play is offering it at £219.99. Related Stories Angry Birds floored by free Bubble Ball game In Depth: The technology of LA Noire Nintendo 3DS launch: Live! Sky and Eurosport to supply 3D content for Nintendo 3DS Sky and Eurosport to supply 3D content for Nintendo 3DS

First European Nokia E7 pre-order goes live Posted: 19 Jan 2011 07:06 AM PST The Nokia E7 has finally gone on pre-order - but only in Finland with the UK release date remaining elusive. The much-delayed handset which was expected to land last year, and then was slated for a January launch, but there's been no whisper of an official UK release date yet. No, the Finns are first out of the blocks, with pre-orders now open - although the handset itself won't ship until some time in February. QWERTY action On sale for €600 (around £500), the 4-inch OLED-toting QWERTY device is quite pricey, although we'd anticipate some network deals nabbing you a free handset if you take out a contract. It's not the greatest handset known to mankind; we felt a bit nonplussed by the device in our Nokia E7 hands on review despite its tech credentials (OLED screen, 8-megapixel camera, Symbian^3 and HDMI-out). The Nokia E7 might not be setting you alight with passion now, but if Nokia can't get it out before Mobile World Congress 2011, we'll have forgotten it before it's even released. Related Stories iOS 4.3 beta out to devs, new features abound Google Translate update moves it closer to a babelfish Apple to do away with iPad and iPhone home button? Ballmer: Why Microsoft didn't bid for BlackBerry's RIM Windows Phone 7 payment partner unveiled

Sky and Eurosport to supply 3D content for Nintendo 3DS Posted: 19 Jan 2011 06:27 AM PST TechRadar attended the European launch of the Nintendo 3DS today in Amsterdam, where the gaming giant revealed more UK specific details about its 3D gaming handheld. Nintendo has announced that it is teaming up with Sky to offer short-form 3D content to view on the Nintendo 3DS, which will be the first time Sky's 3D coverage will be able to be viewed sans glasses. Eurosport is also in talks to supply 3D sports content to users of the 3DS. This wasn't the only deal Nintendo announced. It is also working closely with Aardman animations to offer 3D content for the device, this will be in the form of one-minute episodes of Shaun the Sheep. Wireless tech It has also been revealed that BT will be opening up its Wi-Fi hotspots for 3DS owners. The Nintendo 3DS has wireless technology inside which Nintendo is calling Spot Pass. Essentially, when you go into a wireless hotspot area you will automatically start receiving content for you to view on your 3DS. Nintendo is calling this "a new level of automatic connectivity" and will be pairing it with something called StreetPass where you can pair up your handheld with other 3DS devices instantly. Related Stories Angry Birds floored by free Bubble Ball game In Depth: The technology of LA Noire Nintendo 3DS launch: Live! Sky and Eurosport to supply 3D content for Nintendo 3DS Nintendo 3DS UK release date revealed

Sky and Eurosport to supply 3D content for Nintendo 3DS Posted: 19 Jan 2011 06:27 AM PST TechRadar attended the European launch of the Nintendo 3DS today in Amsterdam, where the gaming giant revealed more UK specific details about its 3D gaming handheld. Nintendo has announced that it is teaming up with Sky to offer short-form 3D content to view on the Nintendo 3DS, which will be the first time Sky's 3D coverage will be able to be viewed sans glasses. Eurosport is also in talks to supply 3D sports content to users of the 3DS. This wasn't the only deal Nintendo announced. It is also working closely with Aardman animations to offer 3D content for the device, this will be in the form of one-minute episodes of Shaun the Sheep. Wireless tech It has also been revealed that BT will be opening up its Wi-Fi hotspots for 3DS owners. The Nintendo 3DS has wireless technology inside which Nintendo is calling Spot Pass. Essentially, when you go into a wireless hotspot area you will automatically start receiving content for you to view on your 3DS. Nintendo is calling this "a new level of automatic connectivity" and will be pairing it with something called StreetPass where you can pair up your handheld with other 3DS devices instantly. Related Stories Angry Birds floored by free Bubble Ball game In Depth: The technology of LA Noire Nintendo 3DS launch: Live! Nintendo 3DS UK release date revealed Sky and Eurosport to supply 3D content for Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo 3DS launch: Live! Posted: 19 Jan 2011 05:40 AM PST Nintendo is unveiling the 3DS - a handheld gaming console that offers an autostereoscopic screen. TechRadar is at the launch event in Amsterdam, and we'll keep you updated with all the announcements including the NIntendo 3DS UK release date, UK pricing and the launch games. At the moment, the talk is that pricing will be in the region of £220, with 25 March the likely UK release date. We'll be updating this article from the event as the news comes in, so hit F5 to keep up to date with the launch event. 14:51:(Amsterdam time) Sound checks are happening, scores of cameramen from around the world are firing up the lights - all we need now is the press conference to start. 14:55: Jonathan Ross is indeed the host - sure that will lead to some Euro head-scratching. 15:00 Ross walks out in anaglyphic glasses. Oh you card. Laurent Fischer arrives from Nintendo to talk details 15:04: Opening video - console coming in blue or black. Circle pad, slider, 3D all outlined. 15:06: "3DS set to change gaming again," says Fischer. It's backwards compatible with old DS games. New analogue circle pad is being discussed. 15:08: The inclusion of a 3D camera is obviously important to Nintendo. As is spot pass - which will revolutionise the way you receive content. BT is the WiFi hotspot partner in the UK - the console auto connects regardless of the game in the slot. Wide variety of content will be available and home WiFi can be configured. 15:10: Partnership with Eurosport for sports video content. Is this the right demographic? Sky will also provide 3D content says Fischer - but details will come at a later date 15:15: David Sproxton of Aardman is on stage. Animation giant is working with Nintendo on content. Sproxton announces Nintendo, Aardman partnership. Shaun the Sheep exclusive content for 3DS. Short films ready by "end of the year". 15:18: Street Pass - bit of a creepy name - is also announced. Video makes it look even more creepy. Wireless communications between 3DS'. Daily Mirror lady next to me just went into shorthand overdrive... 15:22: Capcom to show of Super Street Fighter 4 3D. Ono is on stage to talk about game and the way it is using street pass 15:24: Communication features are 'very powerful' says Ono, as he talks about using them to improve Street Fighter local multiplayer. You can collect figurines and then have battle "without even noticing it". Fun? 15:33: Mr Shibata - President of Nintendo Europe is on stage. Ubisoft president is on stage - Just Dance was a massive hit for the company last year on Wii. 15:37: Possibilities are endless, he says. Probably not literally. Rayman 3D, Splinter Cell 3D, Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D. Asphalt 3D, Rabbids 3D, Shadow Wars, James Noir's Hollywood Crimes and Driver Renegade all shown 15: 39: Konami Pro Evo team are on stage. Konami want to invent new IPs for 3DS 3D games. PES 2011 3D has new camera positions to take advantage of the 3D. We still don't know price and release date, by the way. 15:48: After an overly lengthy PES talk, Team Ninja arrive to announce Dead or Alive Dimensions handheld 'the resurgence of the Dead or Alive franchise'. 15:57: With laptop battery lives everywhere dwindling. Nintendo announces its titles: Nintendogs AND cats, Pilot Wings Resort. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is announced as is Steel Diver - a submarine sim that used the gyroscope. 16:02: Last trailer and now the pricing and date... After one more talk about Wii Maker (using the camera). Nintendo eShop - Gameboy and Gameboy Colour hits to be available. Another trailer. 16:08: Nintendo 3DS will be available on 27 March. Unbelievable - the price is left to the retailers. GAH! That's it from me. I'm off to play some games. Related Stories Angry Birds floored by free Bubble Ball game In Depth: The technology of LA Noire Sky and Eurosport to supply 3D content for Nintendo 3DS Nintendo 3DS UK release date revealed Sky and Eurosport to supply 3D content for Nintendo 3DS

Review: Google TV Posted: 19 Jan 2011 05:12 AM PST Despite asking its hardware partners not to show new Google TV devices at CES, Google has said that this is the year that Google TV will be available outside the US. But if the first international Google TV devices are like the $300 Logitech Revue that's currently shipping in the US, will you want one when you can buy it? The idea behind Google TV is to take the TV screen and the TV channels you already have and add the web, complete with Flash and HTML 5, web content like YouTube and a search interface that brings it all together. What you get is an interface running on top of a derivative of Android 2.1 plus Chrome rather than the Android browser - but still with Flash 10.1 built in. That's all running on an Intel Atom CE4150 processor with hardware accelerated video encoding and decoding (for H.264 but not for WebM) rather than the ARM processor we're used to seeing Android on. And that means that not only is the Revue's case large enough to fit in a full set of connectors – HDMI in, HDMI out, Ethernet, two USB ports, two IR blaster ports and SPDIF – it also has air vents and a fan (although you won't notice it over the sound of your TV). Most add-on media streaming boxes that you plug into your TV, like Apple TV and Boxee systems, leave you to control your TV separately, with its original remote. Google TV is more like Windows Media Centre (or the Windows Media Center-based set-top boxes that will be out this year), where you get one remote control for working with both TV and online content, and you can see TV shows (from a cable TV or set-top box but not broadcast channels, at least on the systems we tested) full screen or in a picture-in-picture window, via the HDMI port. The Revue has the advantage of Logitech's Harmony remote technology; tell it the model of your TV, set-top box or AV receiver (easier said than done if you've got a flatscreen mounted on the wall) and it looks them up in its online database and lets you control them from the Revue remote. It's limited to controlling three IR devices, but it does mean you only have one remote to find space for. But that remote is actually a full size QWERTY keyboard, which is going to put off a number of mainstream users straight away. Google delivered an update to Google TV in December; when we plugged in the Revue we had to wait almost five minutes on a fast broadband connection for this to download and install before we could get to the twelve set up steps. These aren't difficult but it does take about twenty minutes (much too long), the user experience is disappointing and not nearly friendly enough; Google TV can't autodetect screen size or resolution so you have to manually resize the image on screen. Even if you have a network cable in, the setup asks you to choose between wired and wireless (the equivalent step with Apple TV makes it much clearer that you have a network connection but can switch to Wi-Fi if you want) and it's never encouraging when the designers have so much confidence in the intuitiveness of their interface that they play you a training video you can't skip at the end of setup. The Keyboard Controller remote The Revue box is a netbook inside and the Keyboard Controller reinforces that. It's remarkably light, but it's also large and computer-like. The keyboard scatters the special keys around confusingly; Home, Back and Picture in picture are with the playback controls but Search is where the Windows key would usually be and Mute and volume are over on the top left. Despite the size of the keyboard, key buttons like Stop and Zoom are secondary function keys to leave space for Ctrl, Alt and Tab. Things you'd expect to work – like being able to scroll through a list with the mouse pointer as well as the arrow buttons – just don't (there is a two-finger scroll gesture but it's just not that comfortable when you're holding the keyboard). We found ourselves repeatedly switching from the arrow keys to the touchpad and back because many apps demand you use both and it's not clear which works for any given interaction until you try. You can't tell which of the playback keys will work either; play/pause works with the podcast Queue interface and on some of the Spotlight video apps, but not in YouTube (so you have to mouse over to the on-screen pause button). Having a keyboard at all could be seen as a failure (the Apple TV remote is at the other extreme of being almost too simple), but if you want to search or type in URLs, you're going to need one and this is certainly better than the terrible predictive text systems on Samsung connected TVs (and faster to type on than the alphabetical on screen keyboard of Apple TV). The Sony Google TV controller groups the special buttons far more logically, but has the same problem of too many function keys, plus the QWERTY keys are much too small. You don't have to use the Revue keyboard to control Google TV; Logitech sells a version of the DiNovo Mini Controller with Google TV buttons and functionality, or both Google and Logitech provide free Android apps to run on your phone. The Google TV Remote app lets you search by talking to your phone, but it only works on Android 2.2; 2.1 users can get the similar Logitech Harmony app without the voice control. The Google TV interface is designed to be fairly easy to navigate without resorting to the mouse; there are eight categories down the side with thumbnail icons in each: Bookmarks (which can be apps or web pages you've marked with the star button on the keyboard), Applications and Spotlight (the apps section has local apps like the Gallery and Logitech Media Player plus a selection of the options in Spotlight, like CNBC, Napster and the custom interface to Amazon's video-on-demand service). Joining them is Most visited pages (which includes individual pages inside apps – which at this stage are only custom websites rather than actual Android or Flash apps), Queue (a nice interface for exploring and subscribing to podcasts, as well as videos you've marked to watch later), the What's On TV guide for your set-top box TV (if it's one of the selected services Google TV supports), plus direct links to Netflix and the Amazon video on demand service. You can edit the category menu to add or remove apps; confusingly the Add menu lets you add items that are already on the menu instead of greying them out until you've removed them as well as some specific apps like YouTube and Twitter. We like that you can remove any of the built-in categories if you don't use them, because there are only ten slots on the menu. Any of the menu items can be what Google TV calls a custom 'shelf'; a folder you can put more items into if you want to organise things. Although almost everything in Google TV is actually a web page in varying levels of disguise, the Chrome browser isn't one of the top-level menu entries unless you put it there yourself; it's on the list in Applications. That's because Google expects you to search for web and TV content (and pressing the Search button is also the fastest way to type in a URL; something that makes more sense if you're already an Android user). How well this works depends both on what you're looking for and what you've got connected. With selected set-top boxes you can find future programs (as well as what's playing now, what you've got recorded and what's online) and set the DVR for them; that's a great experience that's far easier than navigating through an EPG, even if you're getting a list of which episodes you can pay for or watch free online and it's where the Google expertise really shines. You can even type in a channel name instead of remembering the number for it. But with any other TV service you still get current and future TV shows along with the other results, if you ask Google TV to record something it changes the channel then and there – and tells you to use your own DVR to do it. Switching between TV and online content is fairly seamless, but navigating between different areas of online content gets confusing. All of the content apps we opened seemed to open in the same Chrome tab, so we couldn't easily have the Twitter app and a YouTube video ready to switch between – choosing Back or Home and picking another app opened it in the same tab and in some cases the video we'd abandoned started playing again before the new app loaded. Opening a new tab from the menu button gave us a Google home page – but closed the original tab with the previous app in. Occasionally we'd jump back to a different app rather than the Home screen and it all felt rather unpredictable. Another interface issue is the picture in picture command; calling it DualView is a bit of a misnomer because it's a much smaller thumbnail (and while you can now move it if it's obscuring something vital in the main screen and resize it, it's not immediately obvious how to do either). Plus DualView only works with TV; you can't have an Amazon video in the thumbnail while you check Twitter – or indeed Twitter in the thumbnail while you watch a match. The major disappointment with Google TV in the US is that all the major networks – and Hulu – have blocked Google TV from playing their online episodes. What you can see are YouTube and similar sites like Vimeo or specialist video sites for food, fashion, music and technology, older films from ad-supported sites like Crackle that don't play in HD, film trailers from Flixster, content from channels that have done deals with Google like Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, pay-for content from Amazon and the Mspot movie rental service, and streaming content from Netflix and HBO GO (both of which have excellent interface but need a subscription). The content in Spotlight is a bit of a lucky dip. The Twitter application only fits four tweets on your TV screen (but they're legible, unlike the text and controls on some uncustomised websites from ten feet away). You can load Facebook in the browser but there's an app that puts the Party Central Facebook game in its own interface. The Huffington Post NewsGlide interface is good for seeing top stories while USA Today formats stories to look more like the printed version; reading them on screen by paging through with the arrow keys feels a bit old fashioned, but some older test viewers mentioned that it was nice not to have to get their reading glasses out. There are also some services for children with basic read-along books and some remarkably low-quality games to play with the arrow keys on the keyboard, plus catalogues like Clicker and Sidereel that help you find TV, films and music available online (but many of those sites are blocked when you visit them). The custom web interfaces take a variety of approaches; some start playing a video immediately and make you browse to pick what you want, others present you with a catalogue to browse. Some have a DVR-like interface, others look like web pages. Mostly the interfaces are primitive; choose the stocks you want to see in the CNBC app and whatever video you've chosen to watch stops playing – and when you save your stock picks the first video in the list starts again from the beginning. The 'leanback' YouTube experience isn't even the default; you have to choose it and even then videos don't start full screen or in HD – you have to use the mouse to click the buttons for that on every video.) The same was true for most of the video sites. Amazon's US-only video-on-demand site does start videos full screen, but even on a fast broadband connection they don't start in HD; the image visibly jumps once it's tested the connection and switches to HD and even then much of the video has the artificial clarity and layered effect of upscaled video and we could see artefacts (especially around title text). You also have to navigate through the Amazon website to get to videos. The quality issues make watching longer online content frustrating and while The Onion is fun, we're not sure how many short online food or fashion videos you're going to want to watch in a row. This kind of content 'snacking' works very well for cartoons though and you do have the whole of YouTube to choose from. You can watch your own content, from PCs and network hard drives that support DLNA, using the Logitech Media Player; this works well, but the complexity of authorising the player to connect to your PCs is another step in making this a device for enthusiasts rather than mainstream users. The Gallery application prompted us for details of our Picasa account but we didn't immediately see how to add another account like Flickr and images from Picasa didn't fit the screen well. Music quality from Pandora was much better than from the Tunein Internet radio app; Tunein took our prize for the least consistent interface because although the stop button worked (which it didn't in most video services) the play and pause buttons seemed to restart tracks from the beginning and the back button took you out of the app entirely rather than back to a previous station. The hardware pause button didn't work to pause YouTube videos either, and very few sites supported the fast forward and rewind buttons. Most of the online content on our test system didn't respond to the mute button either, but this may have been a set up issue we haven't been able to iron out. The inconsistency of when the playback controls work with online content is frustrating and even when you can pause something Google TV doesn't manage the pause stack at all well. You can't pause content that's already playing in the background if you've gone to look at something else like Twitter without switching back to it; and when we paused a podcast, opened the Pandora app to play some music and paused that, pausing Pandora started the podcast playing again as well. The podcast carried on playing in the background when we switched to other apps without pausing it and carried on playing even when we started a YouTube video; but when we hit the Home button while watching an Amazon video-on-demand show it stopped playing when we started another app. Despite the simplicity of getting at online content on your TV in the first place, these kind of rough edges are out of place in a device with this kind of price tag. The Logitech Revue does many things well, although most of those are features that are already Logitech strengths – like the universal remote control, the very usable (and surprisingly light) keyboard and the DLNA media streaming. Google TV does several things well: putting the full-featured Chrome browser onto a TV screen, integrating a mix of online and TV information for a search that certainly approaches its universal claim, giving you YouTube video full screen with only a modicum of fiddling each time. But what it mostly does is hint at a future where your entertainment really will be integrated and seamless but also open and powerful. The problem is that many of the roadblocks to reaching this nirvana are more about business models than about technology (although there are some technology issues to solve as well) and there's no guarantee that Google will be able to solve all of them. We liked: It's the web, on TV; you're watching YouTube videos and Adult Swim Cartoons and video podcasts and your online photos or listening to Pandora and Napster and podcasts on the screen you bought for watching and listening on. You can search and get results from the web and your TV provider. You can have the news playing in a small window while you check out what your friends are saying on Twitter. It's not seamless and it's not always intuitive, but it beats hauling out a laptop to look at next to your TV. We disliked: The setup and the simple fact of having a keyboard for a remote control are going to put off people who would otherwise be the target market for a system that makes it easy to get the web on TV. The interface is both simplistic and confusing. The pause problem is frankly infuriating. There are too many places where you're asking why a feature like picture in picture only works for TV channels, not online videos and the fact that we were agreeably surprised when the search button searched inside the Twitter app says something about the level of expectations we came to have of the user interface. The app market isn't here so everything that passes for apps today is a website – which is both an advantage and disadvantage; some work with the arrow keys, some need the mouse, but even on the best sites the web seams show eventually. Verdict: Google TV is very promising; taking online video to the sofa, along with your photos and music and favourite websites is a great idea and an open selection of apps will be a welcome change from the walled garden app offerings of current connected TVs. But the current version of Google TV doesn't deliver on that promise, with an overcomplicated interface, TV integration that only offers DVR functions with select set-top boxes and services, and no apps that aren't just websites. Compared to the limited functionality but blissfully simple setup of the latest Apple TV, Google TV still feels like you need to be a geek to use it. If the UK devices don't have significant improvements and the Android Marketplace, we say wait for another version or two. At this point, it's too much Google and not enough TV. Related Links TechRadar's reviews guarantee

In Depth: The technology of LA Noire Posted: 19 Jan 2011 05:00 AM PST Showing off your latest facial scanning technique and claiming victory over the uncanny valley problem is one thing, but RockStar is so confident in its latest tech strides and that it can bring a little humanity to its avatars that LA Noire's success is riding on the outcome. TechRadar was shown an entire case from the 1940s LA-set game made by Team Bondi and published by RockStar – a genre-busting detective mystery thriller. The slavishly recreated LA environment, the hard-boiled characters and the grimy plots are straight out of the writings of Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy. The principle of the genre-busting game is intriguing even on paper. Rather than simply make Red Dead Redemption with less cowboys and more detectives, or add a retro feel to Grand Theft Auto, Team Bondi has attempted to make a nuanced detective story set in an intriguing and violent period of history. Nuanced is all very well, but when many of the key moments in the gameplay revolve around being able to connect with, and often read, characters that you meet along the way, you need to make some major strides on from the now familiar and still eerie avatars found in most modern games. To that end, the game uses MotionScan – a new technology that allows actors every twitch, pout and flinch to be recorded and scanned in, bringing much more accurate facial movements. The upshot of this technique is that it makes characters much more real, allowing us to read emotions such as guilt, anger and frustration without the need for the feelings to be telegraphed with overly theatrical facial movements. TechRadar suggested to the RockStar rep showcasing the game that the confidence being shown in MotionScan was either incredibly brave or, if it does not work well, foolish. "I think it shows our confidence in the technology," he said. "We think it lends itself to this kind of game." The proof of the pudding, however, is in the tasting and the results are certainly a step change in terms of realism. It would be foolish to suggest that MotionScan has truly allowed a dramatic escape from the Uncanny Valley effect – the term used to describe the eerie unreality of computer generated faces. The reasoning goes that, although we have no trouble identifying with representations of faces that are not attempting realism – like cartoons – as we move closer to photorealism we begin to find the subtle differences increasingly unsettling. And LA Noire's cast of hundreds (400 actors were scanned in – with faces and movement all accurately represented in the game) are not entirely convincing quite yet. Someone walking into the room would not be fooled into thinking they were watching real actors unless they had only taken the briefest glance. But, make no mistake, MotionScan is a country mile away from the clumsy representations that we've giggled at in past games – the representations are actually close enough for you to quickly stop worrying about some of the minor niggles such as the hair and the skin pallor and focus on the game. The risk that was taken in trusting the technology should not backfire. During the course of the slightly harrowing case that we watched being played through, interrogations of witnesses by our character, decorated war hero Cole Phelps, were pivotal to the progression. It is testament to the game that a potentially lurid story involving the rape of a minor on a casting couch and some blackmail is handled relatively sensitively – and that the acting and the humanity in the face helps bring the case to life. Another key factor in this is the use of the sophisticated graphics to aid the story. The user interface is practically unsullied by information, outside of a mini-map to make sure that you do not wander in frustration trying to find your next action. Gone are ammo counters and health bars, gone is the extraneous mission information (a notebook can be accessed to refresh yourself of the salient points of the case) or the inventories. Instead, the world, the people and the actions are used to fill in the blanks. For instance, the music score indicates proximity to clues rather than a glowing breadcrumb trail, with a two note flourish indicating key finds. Interrogation is obviously a key mechanism in the game – and as well as reading the person's expression to indicate their attitude to the questions, you can also use the evidence you have gathered to push people into a corner, make them more forthcoming or, if you get things wrong, clam up. "Each choice you make in an interrogation has the potential to shake loose a new clue," says RockStar, "a name, a location or a new piece of evidence. "There are a few other things we can take into account when choosing how to proceed with any given interrogation. "Look at a suspect's body language and facial expression: What are they unknowingly giving away? How about the inflection in their voice? Do they appear evasive or forthcoming? MotionScan and our ability to fully capture an actor's performance allow us to pick at these tiny details for analysis." Another technical star of the show is the city itself, lovingly recreated by Team Bondi - redolent with billboard adverts from the era, gorgeous architecture and the lighter traffic that makes the whole city feel less claustrophobic. The sheer size of the map, and the fact you can explore it, are enticing factors – and yet rather than being a 'sandbox' game this is merely a beautifully drawn backdrop to the main story which you are participating in. The RockStar rep told us that, internally, LA Noire was not even being considered an open world, suggesting that it is less about providing a playground than a set. And it works superbly – there will be bank heists, petty muggings and other side missions to act as diversions, but the focus is very much on the main story arc of Phelps. This is, make no mistake about it, a game for adults; the game does not shy away from the violence, gore and sexuality of the period – but the sections that we saw suggested a lighter touch than you might have imagined from publishers who have been responsible for some of the most controversial games in history. If the case that TechRadar has seen is not inconsistent with the rest of the game, there is a level of maturity running though LA Noire that suggests that it is a game being pitched at people ready to take the next step in gaming. That's not to say it's light on action, even the single case included a fist fight, a car chase and a shoot-out. There's nothing wrong in shooters and sports sims – perhaps the gaming equivalent of action films and rom coms – but gaming is seeking its Citizen Cane, and regardless of whether LA Noire can reach those heights, it is at least seeking to make gaming greater than the sum of its parts. Related Stories Angry Birds floored by free Bubble Ball game Nintendo 3DS launch: Live! Sky and Eurosport to supply 3D content for Nintendo 3DS Nintendo 3DS UK release date revealed Sky and Eurosport to supply 3D content for Nintendo 3DS

Nokia launches C5-03 in the UK Posted: 19 Jan 2011 04:33 AM PST Nokia has launched a new mid-range handset in the UK, in the form of the Nokia C5-03. Devastatingly, the handset is rocking a 3.2-inch resistive touchscreen. Resistive! Why, in this capacitive day and age, would you do this to us, Nokia? It's a real shame, as the rest of the specs don't stack up too badly. Running Symbian^1, the Nokia C5-03 has HSDPA connectivity as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0. But nothing makes up for a resistive touchscreen There's up to 40MB of internal memory as well as room for an extra 16GB of microSD goodness, so plenty of space to store Ovi store apps and games. Of course, it won't be Coming With Music to fill all that space with free tunes; that ship has sailed. The 5-megapixel camera offers 4x optical zoom but there's no sign of a flash so prepare for some blurry low-light photos. "The new Nokia C5-03 is a great looking smartphone that offers excellent features and the benefits of Nokia's Ovi services, at an affordable price" said Sami Lehtinen, General Manager, Nokia UK. The handset is available now from Nokia with UK pricing of £189 unlocked and SIM-free, and will be making its way to all the major networks in the coming weeks. Related Stories Review: Updated: Motorola Flipout HP PalmPad first pictures emerge Samsung launches teaser site promising new Galaxy S at MWC 2011 Updated: Mobile World Congress 2011: what to expect HP PalmPad first pictures emerge

YouView faces 6-month delay, SeeSaw looking for cash Posted: 19 Jan 2011 04:06 AM PST YouView, the IPTV venture backed by the BBC and other big names, could face a delay of up to six months, due to technical hitches. This is according to the Daily Mail which notes that sources close to the matter have said the launch could well be delayed until 2012. Currently YouView is set for a Summer 2011 release, but the technical barriers getting the service to market have been underestimated and the Summer deadline is said to be optimistic. Strategic review In other on-demand news, SeeSaw, which rose from the ashes of Project Kangaroo, may already be around and offering on-demand content for a variety of channels but its owners Arqiva are now looking for more investment into the service. The Guardian is noting that a strategic review is set to take place that will hopefully bring in new investment. If it doesn't then the venture may well be sold. According to Nick Thompson, managing director of Arqiva's broadcast and media business arm, Arquiva is: "looking at SeeSaw as part of a wider strategic review and, following the success in launching a pioneering new service to both consumers and advertisers, we now believe the service needs further investment to reach its full potential. "We need to enable a step-change in the development of the service in what is a very fast moving environment." The success of the iPlayer in the UK was outlined this week with news that it had its best-ever viewing figures over Christmas. The makers of SeeSaw and YouView must be looking on with envy right now. Related Stories BBC iPlayer a record breaker again, PS3 views on the up Kiefer Sutherland and John Hurt sign up to web TV series Banksy's identity for sale on eBay Banksy's identity for sale on eBay iPlayer chief Erik Huggers leaves the BBC to join Intel

Uncensored Playboy mags to hit the iPad in March Posted: 19 Jan 2011 03:08 AM PST Honestly, Steve Jobs turns his back for five seconds and Hugh Hefner sneaks an iPad version of Playboy through the iTunes approval system. Or so it would seem given Hef's latest tweets on the matter, in which he claims: "Big news! Playboy - both old & new - will be available on iPad beginning in March." In a reply to a follower eager to know just how much flesh will be on show, he also states, "Playboy on iPad will be uncensored." Get your placards out Apple has a history of censoring app content on its proprietary App Store, famously purging it of any vaguely sexy apps in a controversial move early last year. Complaints prompted the prudish move, with women feeling degraded and objectified and parents citing concern about what their children had access to. But it seems that bunnies hopping about in the altogether on the iPad's 9.7-inch screen is A-okay, just as the Playboy iPhone app survived the great purge of 2010. Phil Schiller, Apple's head of worldwide product marketing, said that Playboy's app could remain in the App Store because it comes from "a well-known company with previously published material available broadly in a well-accepted format." Related Stories Spotify teams up with Shazam Swiftkey to use Facebook and Twitter to learn how you think Swiftkey to use Facebook and Twitter to learn how you think

Updated: Mobile World Congress 2011: what to expect Posted: 19 Jan 2011 03:06 AM PST After the sheer madness and reams of shiny gadgets of CES 2011, we barely have time to pause for breath before the annual mobile phone-a-thon of Mobile World Congress 2011 is upon us. While CES saw a near-record number of top end mobile phones released from the Las Vegas jamboree, MWC 2011 still promises to be the place to see all manner of new handsets and tablets. So we've trekked across the digital rumour-space and looked for all the info on what to expect from the Barcelona event - keep coming back as we'll be constantly updating it whenever some new morsel of info or spy shot comes into view. Microsoft Last year we saw Microsoft unleash Windows Phone 7 officially onto the world in a Barcelona hotel, with Steve Ballmer calling the announcement a 'mile post' in the launch of the company's new OS. Well, the launch has happened and the fanfares have died down - but that doesn't mean Microsoft won't have something up its sleeve for the Barcelona show, with a 'big update' apparently being detailed to offer some new features for the burgeoning OS. On January 18th, Microsoft revealed some of the features we can expect to see in the first WP7 update, with the timing suggesting a possible Mobile World Congress release. LG LG used CES to good effect when it showed off the world's first dual-core smartphone, the LG Optimus 2X, as well as one of the slimmest with the Optimus Black. However, the much-vaunted LG Android tablet (possibly the Optimus Pad) wasn't shown - although the re-badged T-Mobile G-Slate was - so it's possible we could see that shown off in full glory. We reckon there's more to come from the Korean firm too, possibly in the mid-range and another high-end handset, so stay tuned for that press conference. Motorola Motorola is traditionally more active at CES than MWC, which may be the case this year as it released the world's most powerful mobile phone with the Motorola Atrix, and stole the tablet show with the Android 3.0-powered dual-core Motorola Xoom. However, we don't think the phoenix firm is all done just yet with its renaissance trail in the early part of 2011, so expect to hear a glut of new rumours in the near future. Samsung Samsung has been oddly quiet for a while (apart from the Nexus S, which is manufactured for Google) which means that we're likely to see a lot from the firm. The main handset is the Samsung Galaxy S2, which will likely be a rebadged (and possibly dual core) Nexus S - but also something about its own Bada OS and other mid-range phones is exceedingly likely. On January 19th, the company launched a teaser website promising the 'evolution' of the Samsung Galaxy S, adding fuel to the S2 fire. There's another teaser to come on 1 February, before an official launch on 13 Feb at the show. It looks like Samsung will also be launching at least one mini-handset in Barcelona too. What was originally thought to be the Samsung Galaxy S Mini could now be revealed as the Samsung Galaxy Ace, a reduced-size Android 2.2 smartphone. Nokia Nokia is still fresh from its own Nokia World conference in September, where it launched the E7 and C7 handsets, but we should see some more from the Finnish firm at MWC, despite announcing nothing last year bar MeeGo. However, we're already hearing rumblings of the new E6-00 as well as already spotting some MeeGo-powered smartphones at the tail end of last year... expect to see more from that story in the near future. Sony Ericsson Is the joint venture finished after the Xperia Arc? Far from it - we predict big things from Sony Ericsson at Mobile World Congress. The first is the PSP Phone or the Xperia Play - it's been so often leaked it's practically boring now, so Sony Ericsson needs to announce it already. A Vivaz reboot, under the codename of Hallon, has been tipped to TechRadar as appearing in the near future, and the X10 Mini Pro looks set for a refresh if Chinese pictures are to be believed. HTC Ah, HTC. Often the headline grabbers of MWC, this year it needs to go some way to manage that feat again. The HTC Scribe, the company's first proper tablet, looks very likely, but we're sure some high-end phones will be announced as per usual. We hope for a Desire and Desire HD refresh, as well as something to reboot the beautiful-but-overlooked HTC Legend - but surprisingly for the Taiwanese firm, leaks have been scarce this close to launch. Google Google needs to show of a little bit more of Honeycomb (Android 3.0) in the near future, as we didn't get nearly enough from the search giant at CES. Whether Eric Schmidt's on-stage talk will reveal anything or a handful of tablets dotted around will do the job, the fact Google is releasing the Honeycomb SDK later this month means we should see a lot more in the near future. RIM RIM is traditionally quite quiet at MWC, although it will still have a presence this year. This means that we should get some more time with the BlackBerry PlayBook, and hopefully some clue about the mysterious battery life - is it going to be as poor as some people are suggesting? Since what looks like RIM's entire BlackBerry line-up for the year was recently leaked (the BlackBerry Curve Apollo, BlackBerry Dakota, BlackBerry Storm 3 and BlackBerry Torch 2 all made an appearance), RIM could also take the opportunity to make some or all of these handsets official. Palm/HP Palm is dead, long live Palm! That's what HP is hoping for the brand, and the much-rumoured WebOS -powered PalmPad (Hurricane) HAS to step into the light soon, as the parent company will be desperate to see a return on its substantial investment. And given the smartphone line is still alive inside HP Island, we'd hope that more devices will turn up soon too - where better than Mobile World Congress 2011? Qualcomm Having quietly shown off its dual-core Snapdragon processors at CES, Qualcomm should be shedding a little more light on its super-charged 1.2GHz CPUs in Barcelona. Related Stories Review: Updated: Motorola Flipout HP PalmPad first pictures emerge Samsung launches teaser site promising new Galaxy S at MWC 2011 HP PalmPad first pictures emerge Nokia launches C5-03 in the UK

Review: Panasonic TX-L32D25B Posted: 19 Jan 2011 03:00 AM PST Panasonic may be the world's most vociferous supporter of plasma, but it still does a nice line in LCD. Unlike its mainstream LCD rivals, the TX-L32D25 uses an IPS (In plane Switching) panel. These have long been credited with giving much better off-axis viewing than conventional glass; next time you find yourself wandering around a high street electrical store, peer at the LCDs from the side to see just how quickly they lose colour and contrast. Depending on where you intend to site the TV this aspect of their performance may prove a significant factor in your buying decision. The TX-L32D25 is no slouch from a design point of view. Panasonic rarely pushes the boat out when it comes to styling, but this is a smart, well-built set with some distinctive flourishes. The finish is a pearlescent grey, with a curvy gradient pleasingly reminiscent of ravioli around the screen leading to the edge of the bezel. The back of the set is an unusual and rather fetching silver-grey and the depth maxes out at a svelte 77mm, a dead giveaway that it uses edge LED backlighting. Panasonic's D25 series screens sport both Freeview HD (DVB-T) and Freesat HD (DVB-S) tuners, making it extremely easy for viewers to get their fix of subscription free high-definition telly. For those not yet living in a Freeview HD reception area, the satellite tuner is a welcome alternative. All you need is a feed from a Sky dish to get access to a plethora of programming, including the two BBC HD channels and ITV 1 HD. Both tuners can be run simultaneously. You can select between the two tuners (and an analogue tuner if required) via the TV button on the remote control. This pulls up a simple list menu; just select the source you prefer. IPS LCD panels have been around for some time now, but this is one of the first LED variants and represents a significant improvement on standard LCDS in terms of contrast and vibrancy, even when viewing from a less than ideal angle. IPS contrast and colour is effective up to 178 degrees off-axis, making the set ideal for a family room. Naturally, there's all manner of picture processing onboard. To help the screen reduce motion blur, Panasonic has its own 100Hz picture engine dubbed Intelligent Frame Creation Pro. The big buzz for 2011 is predicted to be online content. If your next TV doesn't connect to the internet, then you're going be a social pariah down the rotary club. Panasonic's online content offering is called Viera Cast. Just as with Sony's Bravia Internet Video portal and Samsung's Internet@TV platform, it's a walled garden with no access to the wider web. This is not necessarily a problem, though, as Panasonic provides a wide range of useful IPTV content. Free to watch services include the ubiquitous YouTube, the knock-off Daily Motion, Acetrax (a Pay-Per-View movie streaming service), Eurosport and Euronews. You can also add a webcam to make Skype video calls or browse jpegs on Picasa. If you get really desperate, you can always catch up on some German-language news and pop. While there is no BBC iPlayer integrated into the Viera Cast portal, you can get it via the Freesat tuner. Just select it via the red button – note that this only gives access to the standard definition iPlayer stream. As with any self-respecting network television, you can also use it to stream content from other devices on your home network. File support is a little on thin side, though. While the set is DLNA compliant and can stream AVCHD from a network location (PC or NAS), it doesn't seem able to read AVI or MKV wrapped test content. The TV's media playback abilities flip when the same selection of file types is presented on a local USB device. AVCHD recordings are ignored, but AVI test files play, along with SRT subtitle files. MKVs however are persona non grata; an unfortunate omission that the brand needs to address. The provision of an integrated SD card slot is probably more useful. This plays back hi-res jpegs and AVCHD recordings and supports cards up to the latest SDXC standard. Setting up the TX L32D25 is painless; the stand can be assembled in just a couple of minutes (some flatscreens have pedestals that are only marginally less complicated to assemble than the Eiffel Tower) and has a nice 15 degree swivel. Connectivity is good. On the left hand side of the screen is a USB input, CI slot, SD card reader, phono AV and HDMI inputs plus a headphone jack. Take a gander around the back of the set and you'll discover two Scart inputs, component AV and audio, a stereo phono audio and digital audio output, plus a trio of HDMI inputs (with an extra one on the side). There's also a VGA PC input. Finally, separating this model from the hoi polloi is the satellite connector for Freesat. The primary HDMI connection is actually v1.4 compliant, and while in this instance there is no provision for 3D, the port does embrace ARC (Audio Return Channel). Essentially, this enables you to cut back on cable spaghetti by offering a return route for TV sound from the screen to an ARC-compatible amplifier or all-in-one sound system. In short, ARC means you no longer have to run a digital optical lead from the TV. The additional HDMI input conforms to the HDMI v1.3 specification. If you have a relatively simple entertainment system you might want to take advantage of the CEC link, dubbed VIERA Link. This enables a single branded zapper to control devices (TV, Bu-ray player, recorder etc). The TV ships with a generic silver-grey Panasonic remote controller. This review sample looked in pretty good condition upon delivery, but the zapper felt worn out. The buttons and rockers clicked and creaked in a manner that did not inspire great confidence in its longevity. The screen's user interface is about as exciting as day old pizza or a particularly dull Open University programme. The TX-32D25 does occasionally get its glad rags on though; kick-up the Viera Tools bar and you get a horizontal strip offering access to network DLNA stores, as well as individual music, movie and photo modes, plus an invite to pause live TV. The Freeview TV programme guide is provided by Gemstar and is a mean-spirited piece of work. The amount of space turned over to actual TV information is limited by Gemstar's insistence on hawking advertising space. Goodness knows how Panasonic got lumbered with this, but the result is one of the least likeable EPGs you'll find on the high street. However, if you utilise the Freesat tuner, you get a different EPG (the standardised Freesat offering) that is far more accommodating. This is an extremely accomplished LCD screen, offerings excellent levels of detail, with an adequate black level and a surprisingly even backlight. The smallish screen size mitigates against deficiencies in low bitrate SD channels, and in equal measure there's some loss of impact with HD, but overall the balance is good. Note that for all high-definition sources you should endeavour to switch out Overscan, via the setup menu: this prevents picture detail being lost behind the bezel. Panasonic's IFC (Intelligent Frame Creation) picture refresh mode can be configured to Off, Mid or Max. It plays a key role in the TVs ability to maintain motion resolution, and so is well worth experimenting with. Remember, all LCD screens worth their salt look pin-sharp with static material, but fine detail has a habit of melting away when things get jiggy. A horizontally scrolling resolution pattern developed by the Advanced PDP Laboratory, moving at 6.5ppf (pixels per frame), confirms an above average (for LCD) motion resolution approaching 950 lines. On a TV screen this small, you can't really ask for more. When the speed of the resolution chart increases, definition drops slightly. At 12.5ppf, clarity falls to approximately 800-850 lines. However, the image remains smooth with no picture tearing at all times. With 'real' video footage, specifically a revealing sequence from Disney's Sleeping Beauty, the image (still with IFC on Mid) is as smooth as a shot of Baileys, although the cantering figure of Prince Charming develops a smudgy predictive halo that makes him look like the bloke out of Misfits who can turn invisible. It therefore becomes a personal decision as to whether or not the mode is worth engaging. Go easy with the Sharpness control: the image looks a tad unnatural and forced if the setting goes above two increments from zero. Skin tones take on a crusty texture when sharpness is cranked up. Reference quality video footage of a shadowy lit violin and saxophone looks extremely naturalistic, with fine wooden texture in the violin's veneer and a sumptuous glint on metalwork of the sax. There are a wide number of presets available (in addition to the shop-centric Dynamic mode, is Normal, Cinema, True Cinema, Game and ISFccc Day/Night Pro modes. There is no THX preset. The audio performance of the TX-32D25 is rather good for its size. There's a pleasing, if modest, stereo spread to the audio, with some mid-bass roundness and rinky-dink treble. In general use, it's very good. There is also support for Audio description transmissions. You can automate the Audio Description service and there's provision to adjust the volume of the description track independently of the main volume. Value This screen is generally available between £610 and £700, which puts it at the upper end of the market for a screen of this size. Its performance though goes a long way to justifying the ticket price. The feature spread is advanced, although there are some areas where it clearly falls behind the competition. Optional extras for the TV include a dedicated Wi-Fi dongle (order number DY-WL10E) to go online if you don't have a wired network, and a rather flashy webcam, sorry, Communication Camera (TY-CC10W). The Wi-Fi dongle supports WPS for easy wireless connection to a router. Overall, this LED Panasonic is a rather fine television. Sure, it's expensive for a 32-incher and comes up short on network streaming, but its overall picture performance provides adequate compensation and the Freesat HD tuner is a significant boon. If the TX-L32D25 is any indication where Panasonic is going with its LED screens, then it'll be an exciting ride. It overcomes many of the common flaws of LCD to give a sharp, vibrant image from a wide viewing angle. There are issues with the brand's proprietary IFC motion compensation system, but it's by no means the worst out there, and its video streaming could offer wider support. However the dual Freeview HD/Freesat HD tuners and Viera Cast IPTV portal win it bonus points. Overall, this is a superior 32-incher that you'll not regret investing in. We liked The evenness of the LED backlight and the wide viewing angle offered by Panasonic's IPS panel. The slimline design should also keep fashionistas happy. To experience the best image quality, use Blu-ray and the BBC HD channels on Freesat. We disliked The creaky, cranky remote control. Perhaps this sample fault was faulty, but the fact it found its way onto the test-bench doesn't bode well. Equally, limited multimedia file support doesn't make this a good choice if streaming media across a network is your bag. The Guide Plus+ programme listing is also a bit on the ghastly side. Verdict The real joy of this screen lies firmly with its superior picture performance, which goes a long way to justifying its premium price tag. HD images are incisor-sharp and much of the clarity is kept during motion. If you're looking for a small, stylish-looking thinscreen for a family room, the TX-L32D25 is well worth auditioning. Related Links TVs@TechRadar - our new TV channel TechRadar's Review Guarantee Related Stories Mayor denied 3D rental due to health and safety

Opera web browser lands on Sony connected TVs Posted: 19 Jan 2011 02:46 AM PST Sony and Opera have announced that they are teaming up to offer a more 'lean-forward' web experience on televisions, with news that Sony's latest connected TVs will come equipped with Opera's web browsing capabilities. CES 2011 saw a massive influx of connected televisions and Sony is hoping that adding Opera's browser to its internet-ready TV setup will make its TVs stand out from the crowd. Christen Krogh, chief development officer at Opera, said about the link-up: "The web as we know it is evolving, and we are committed to making it more accessible across diverse devices,. "Our ability to address key hybrid broadcast-broadband initiatives in numerous markets makes us a natural fit with Sony. By delivering both a global viewpoint and the necessary technology, we are able to stay on the cutting edge of the industry." Web of intrigue Sony already has a pretty decent setup for web apps, in the form of Sony Bravia Internet TV. Its main rival in this web TV space is Samsung, which recently unveiled a brand-new look to what it is calling its Smart TV hub. Adding Opera means that users will be able to enjoy full web browsing on their TVs, with HTML5, HbbTV and OIPF all compatible with the broweser. The addition of Opera to Sony's connected TV and Blu-ray output may well act as a foundation for Google TV, which has yet to be launched in the UK. Related Stories Samsung TV apps reach 2 million download barrier In Depth: Google TV vs Apple TV vs Boxee vs YouView Sky makes key changes to HD EPG Sky makes key changes to HD EPG Jeremy Hunt set to reveal new national TV channel plans

Review: Rotel RCX-1500 Posted: 19 Jan 2011 02:30 AM PST The term 'all-in-one system' is becoming more and more ambitious as more bits and bobs come to be considered standard parts of a system. With the RCX-1500, Rotel has arguably enlarged the envelope compared with previous products we've encountered under that general heading. The obvious bits are there – CD player; DAB and FM radio; amplifier; line input and a couple of digital ones – but the RCX-1500 goes a lot further. Indeed, thanks to the awesome power of the internet, it goes almost infinitely far. The 'killer feature' here is the inclusion of internet connectivity (usually wireless, though you can cable it up to your router if you prefer) and Rotel has gone to some lengths to make this a very flexible way of accessing music, with value-added bits tagged on along the way. Wireless down the wires Internet radio is truly one of the wonders of the age. Where FM is theoretically capable of accessing a few dozen stations in a given location and DAB can manage a hundred or more, internet radio currently offers something in the region of 15,000 of them. At least, that's the official figure. A few are only part-time, some never seem to be accessible and for copyright reasons some are supposed only to be available from certain geographical locations. But even if as many as half are ruled out on those grounds and half of the remainder are excluded on grounds of abominable sound quality (and there is certainly some of that out there, sorry to say), that still leaves more stations than you are likely to browse through in an evening or two, especially as more are being added every week. Obviously this all assumes you're in an internet-enabled household and if you're not, you don't want an RCX-1500. We couldn't actually get it to do anything other than play CDs until we had got its internet connection set up and that caused us to spot one of the unit's (few) operational weaknesses: it needs a 'dongle' to be plugged in at the rear to access wireless computer connections. The dongle is supplied, but one might not spot it at first. On turning on, the unit doesn't seem to realise that the dongle is missing, but just gives error messages about finding no network. Surely a message like 'insert dongle' or 'connect to computer' or something equally helpful could be displayed? While we're in critical mode, we might mention the rather plain display, which carries four lines of nice clear text, but doesn't make for the most obvious navigation of, well, anything, really. The front panel buttons aren't bad and the remote helps, but again isn't quite the best we've seen. In particular, finding the station one wants, from the however-many-thousand available by the time you read this, can be tricky. But – and this really is a pretty big 'but' – Rotel has been rather clever and largely pre-empted this problem. In the instructions is a pointer to Rotel's own internet radio website (connected with Reciva, the de-facto homepage for internet radio in general), where one can register one's RCX-1500 and also select stations to add to the list of 'My Stuff' which the RCX-1500 itself accesses when it connects to the internet. This effectively populates a list of preset radio stations, with the operational ease that comes from a desktop or laptop computer and all the features of a full-on Reciva web page. In addition, via the Rotel radio page, one can store music online for easy listening, compile 'custom radio stations' playing music of a style one likes and more, all thanks to various online music services that clever folks have dreamed up. No doubt more will come. Computer, computer Now if a bit of hi-fi is connected to the internet via a router it's effectively also connected to your home computer(s). They probably have some music on them, in iTunes in some folder on the drive. If you have a recent version of a media player on a computer that's compatible with 'uPnP' and file sharing is enabled, the RCX-1500 can access and play music on the computer. Amusingly, our review sample picked up that we had PURE Digital's 'PureServer' installed on our local PC and so was able to play music via that before we'd even got round to checking if our copy of Windows Media Player was up-to-date and the correct version. This is a pretty powerful feature, giving as it does access to all the files one might have downloaded or ripped from CD. And the good news is, that it supports practically all conceivable file formats. Of course, the inevitable MP3 and WMA are there, plus AAC, but much more impressively so are FLAC, WAV and AIFF, meaning that you can enjoy full-quality sound, at least to CD standards from your computer. All that's required is for the computer to be turned on. We even got a 96kHz-sampled track to play, though it wasn't entirely stable. Still, uncompressed 16-bit/44kHz audio over wireless is not to be sneezed at. Not enough for you? There's a USB socket on the front of the RCX-1500, for USB sticks and so on, but in the most modern manner it also supports iPods. Yes, this is a fully digital iPod dock, transforming your iPod into another kind of 'bit bucket'. All the file formats we could think of to try are supported, so again you can have full-CD-format audio, pure and uncompromised. The Rotel's transport controls or those on the iPod than be used. In practical terms, all this is achieved in a unit which is actually a little narrower than most current hi-fi, about the height of a powerful integrated amp and just a little deeper than most of that breed, if one includes the dongle in the measurement. It has a conventional linear power supply but sports a switching power amplifier, feeding a single pair of speaker terminals at the rear. There's a preamp output for feeding a remote amp. The CD transport is a slot-loader – a bit slow and mechanically noisy – and not the greatest glory of the unit, but it functions just fine. Component quality is decent, with a high-spec Wolfson DAC chip included. Cheery sounds With so many options on hand, it seems easiest to fall back on an old favourite – and a comfortably known quantity – and listen first to a few CDs. Rotel, of course, has made some very fine CD players and amps in its time and we hoped some of them would prove to have rubbed off on this unit. In fairness, it's not fully up to the standards of the best, sounding a little closed-in at times. But it's a little hard to know where to set the benchmark, in terms of price: how much of that £1,195 should one allow for the DAB, FM, internet and USB-input stuff? If one judges this as about £700-worth of CD player and amp then it's actually very decent. Like quite a lot of switching power amps we've heard, it presents energetic and rhythmic music, with a very likeable bass, which may not always be the most incisive but always sounds plausible. There's good detail across the midband and what little coloration we could find is really nothing more than a slight accentuation of the lower midband. Treble is where the RCX-1500 starts to struggle a little, lacking the crystalline purity and insight of the best separates kit, but again it's never less than listenable. It's a little pointless talking about the sound of DAB and internet radio: being quite heavily data-compressed, they tend to dominate the performance of most replay equipment of this kind. The FM receiver is OK, though not vastly exciting, with a rather rough sound even under near-perfect reception conditions. With an internal wire antenna it really struggles and we imagine it's intended as little more than a fall-back. Networking The optical and electrical digital inputs are good, if not amazing and the USB input definitely adds quality to sounds stored on portable players. And then the 'Network' input, which means music on your computer, is also a clear improvement on most ways of connecting a computer to a hi-fi. No, it doesn't sound as good as the best of the USB-input DACs available, but it sounds an enormous amount better than the analogue output of a normal computer (or even a respectable soundcard). And it's wireless! There is still no single, perfect way to play all music sources under all circumstances, for all users. And this is fast becoming something of a Holy Grail for forward-thinking audio companies, as we shift towards non-physical media on drives. For some, a laptop computer with a USB-connected DAC may still tick more boxes than this unit. But for those who prefer the straightforward look of a bit of 'real hi-fi', or who prefer a desktop computer to a laptop, the Rotel is one thoroughly accomplished and very neat way of doing practically everything a computer does without actually being a (normal) computer. Related Links Read more audio system reviews TechRadar's Review Guarantee Related Stories Review: Pure i-20

HP PalmPad first pictures emerge Posted: 19 Jan 2011 02:12 AM PST The first pictures of the forthcoming Palm-powered tablet range have emerged, courtesy of a tipster to Engadget. The first is codenamed Topaz and will be the 9-inch variant, while the Opal will be its 7-inch little brother. As you can see, HP also sees the tablet market as slightly segmented between those that want the larger-screened experience, and those that want to be able to hold a tablet (sort of) easily in one hand. Both will be running a single-core 1.2GHz processor, according to Engadget's tipster, and will be shipping to Palm in June ready for a launch later this year. A year away? Normally this would mean a Q3 release date, and it may well be for the US - but given Palm's relative anonymity these days in the UK, don't be surprised if these don't land until 2012 by which time the likes of Motorola and Apple could be on their second and third tablet iterations. HP has lent more than just a slight air of credibility to the rumours with a new advert, stating 'Think you saw the latest on Engadget? Think again' on an invite to a 9 February WebOS announcement - which either means there's more to come or the pictures themselves are wrong. Either way, we're highly intrigued to see what this new announcement will be - especially as we're expecting an iPad 2 to surface in the next few months. Related Stories Review: Updated: Motorola Flipout HP PalmPad first pictures emerge Samsung launches teaser site promising new Galaxy S at MWC 2011 Updated: Mobile World Congress 2011: what to expect Nokia launches C5-03 in the UK

HP PalmPad first pictures emerge Posted: 19 Jan 2011 02:12 AM PST The first pictures of the forthcoming Palm-powered tablet range have emerged, courtesy of a tipster to Engadget. The first is codenamed Topaz and will be the 9-inch variant, while the Opal will be its 7-inch little brother. As you can see, HP also sees the tablet market as slightly segmented between those that want the larger-screened experience, and those that want to be able to hold a tablet (sort of) easily in one hand. Both will be running a single-core 1.2GHz processor, according to Engadget's tipster, and will be shipping to Palm in June ready for a launch later this year. A year away? Normally this would mean a Q3 release date, and it may well be for the US - but given Palm's relative anonymity these days in the UK, don't be surprised if these don't land until 2012 by which time the likes of Motorola and Apple could be on their second and third tablet iterations. HP has lent more than just a slight air of credibility to the rumours with a new advert, stating 'Think you saw the latest on Engadget? Think again' on an invite to a 9 February WebOS announcement - which either means there's more to come or the pictures themselves are wrong. Either way, we're highly intrigued to see what this new announcement will be - especially as we're expecting an iPad 2 to surface in the next few months. Related Stories Review: Updated: Motorola Flipout Samsung launches teaser site promising new Galaxy S at MWC 2011 Updated: Mobile World Congress 2011: what to expect HP PalmPad first pictures emerge Nokia launches C5-03 in the UK

Samsung launches teaser site promising new Galaxy S at MWC 2011 Posted: 19 Jan 2011 02:11 AM PST Samsung is teasing us with a new Mobile World Congress themed microsite promising 'something big' for the Barcelona trade show. Alongside a picture of the Samsung Galaxy S is an empty phone chassis nestled on a satin backdrop with the words "EVOLUTION is FATE" (their capitals) emblazoned on a screen so bright it is bursting out of the handset. More teasing is yet to come on 1 February, the site promises, with a full reveal set for Samsung's press conference at Mobile World Congress on 13 February. How mysterious With the Samsung-made Google Nexus S already in the wild, the leaked Samsung Galaxy S2 specs have revealed some strong similarities, including NFC and Android 2.3. Some sources are speculating that the use of the word 'Evolution' on the microsite suggests that the handset will come with LTE (Long Term Evolution) connectivity which won't be amazing for UK users since we don't have the right networks for it yet - but that would be odd for a European launch where LTE is far from prevalent. Either way, we'll be out in Barcelona to bring you the official news as it happens. Related Stories Review: Updated: Motorola Flipout HP PalmPad first pictures emerge Updated: Mobile World Congress 2011: what to expect HP PalmPad first pictures emerge Nokia launches C5-03 in the UK

HP PalmPad: what you need to know Posted: 19 Jan 2011 02:00 AM PST Of all the supposed iPad killers, the HP Slate was the most interesting - or at least, it was until HP apparently killed it off last Spring. The Slate wasn't dead, though: HP had simply gone back to the drawing board for a bit. There are now two kinds of HP tablet: the consumer-oriented, webOS-based PalmPad, and the business-focused, Windows 7 HP Slate 500. Here's what you need to know about HP's plans for its HP PalmPads. The HP PalmPad tablet comes in two sizes Somebody's leaked internal HP renders to Engadget and they show two HP PalmPads: a nine-inch model called Topaz, and a seven-inch model called Opal. The HP PalmPad will come in multiple configurations In addition to two screen sizes, expect differing amounts of solid-state storage and connectivity, with a choice of Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi/3G models. US customers will get another option, LTE wireless connectivity, from 2012. A small, education-focused PalmPad will be unveiled later in the year. The HP PalmPad software will be webOS Since it acquired Palm last year, HP owns the finger-friendly webOS that delighted everyone who played with the Palm Pre. The HP PalmPad software will be the most recent version of webOS, webOS 2.5.1. The HP PalmPad specifications are - surprise! - similar to the iPad According to documents leaked to Fox News, the HP PalmPad specs include a mini HDMI port, twin cameras with LED flashes, USB 3.0 and a "multi-switch" like the one on the Palm Pre. The PalmPad will also be thinner than an iPad, with more rounded corners. The leaked renders Engadget obtained show a micro USB port and what appears to be three speakers, and sources tell the site that the HP PalmPad processors are unnamed 1.2GHz chips. The HP PalmPad UK release date is September 2011 Back in September, HP boss Todd Bradley told analysts "we'll have a webOS-powered PalmPad that will be set for release in early 2011", but it seems that "early" isn't so early: Engadget reports that "units will start to arrive at Palm HQ in June as production ramps up for launch later this year", and has published a marketing slide showing a planned September 2011 launch in the US and UK. The HP PalmPad will be an e-reader HP's internal marketing blurb says that the smaller Opal model is "the perfect complement to your smartphone and notebook PC. A better web, media and productivity experience than your phone; a better, touch-oriented eReading companion with longer battery life than your notebook PC". The HP PalmPad range could include a netbook According to intomobile.com, leaked training materials suggest a PalmPad netbook is in development, too. The HP PalmPad UK price hasn't been announced yet The HP PalmPad price and detailed specifications haven't been announced yet, but it's not long until February's press event where, we're sure, all will be revealed. Related Stories Acer readying Sandy Bridge Android tablets Lenovo creates dedicated tablet division Updated: Top 12 best tablet PC iPad alternatives Updated: Top 12 best tablet PC iPad alternatives Acer denies plans to phase out netbooks

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