Techradar

In Depth: Finding tomorrow's security elite
Exclusive: Skype set to bring video calling to Apple iPad 2
Nintendo 3DS: retailers set to make £50 profit per device
Apple patents multi-touchscreen mouse
Apple patents multi-touchscreen mouse
Logitech shows off its 'living room' mouse
Star Wars Blu-ray: UK release date and price announced
Gary Marshall: After Schmidt, Google faces tough times
Palit offers up 3GB GTX 580 card
HIS unveils 6850 IceQ X series
LG Optimus Pad rumours: what you need to know
Kryten's Twitter fear after new Red Dwarf show's announced
Tutorial: How to make old programs work on Windows 7
Tutorial: How to make old programs work on Windows 7
Weird Tech: Yes, it's the invisible tank!
Super AMOLED Plus screens to rival Retina Display
Google NOT ruling out Chrome OS tablets
Review: Toshiba 32SL738

In Depth: Finding tomorrow's security elite

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 07:30 AM PST

It's cold. And we're standing outside an unassuming but high security facility in Farnbrough.

In the reception a camera swings round ominously to take our picture for a security pass that makes us look like a ghost.

This building belongs to aerospace, defence and security firm QinetiQ. But we're here to see ordinary people at work.

We move through an airy atrium towards a conference centre wing belonging to Boeing, called The Portal. This is where the Cyber Security Challenge is taking place.

The portal

BIG SCREEN: Boeing's Portal unit at QinetiQ's facility

The Cyber Security Challenge is a series of online games and competitions designed to test the security skills and brainpower of everyday people.

But why does the Challenge exist in the first place? "The UK has a skills shortage in cyber security," explains Judy Baker, the co-director of the Cyber Security Challenge. "And employers are telling us they're going to have more jobs [available] in that space."

"[The number of] people going into cyber security, they've halved. So if we're going to get the right level of talent… we need to tell people what these jobs are and excite and inspire them."

Anyone can apply, and last weekend saw the teams get together to take part in the QinetiQ Network Defence Competition. During this, four semi-final teams went up against QinetiQ's own cyber security professionals and secured test networks against a series of 'real life' live challenges posed by the company's team of penetration testers, network and security specialists.

This competition was the second of three rounds – the final competition takes place next weekend at Sophos' Labs in Abingdon. 25 competitors will go head to head there.

Hidden challenge

The organisers had 4,000 registrations for the competition, which opened last July with an online cipher task. This task cleverly involved a 'hidden' second phase to catch out those who didn't question their results enough. The first phase revealed a bitmap of a cartoon, but a closer look revealed a hidden binary code in the cartoon's border.

"One of the most essential skills is not to accept something at face value," says Jay Abbott, director of UK Threat & Vulnerability Management Practice at PWC. "You either question, or you don't question. Those that question found the second challenge."

"People range from a self-taught 16-year-old kid at school to a 27-year-old unemployed web designer from Birmingham. They're just people that have applied logical thinking to a problem which has taxed their brains."

The entrants were overwhelmingly male but Judy Baker said she couldn't answer why that was. Of the 4,000 entrants only 282 were already employed in the industry. 2,402 were employed elsewhere, with 1,282 students and 603 unemployed.

"A lot of people wanted to test their skills, while others just wanted to have fun, but that's good for us. [Many are] very interested in introductions to employers. There are a lot of people out there with talent but they're not necessarily meeting the employers [they] need. We're helping to tell people about the jobs and help them get on that first rung of the ladder."

The Cyber Security Challenge has received Government funding – all in all, the Government has pledged some £650m to heighten the UK's resilience against cybercrime.

Bringing out latent talent

"We've been mindful that the threat environment is starting to lift off," adds Alisdair Rogers, MD of QinetiQ's Security Business in the UK. "We all recognise that the more formal method of getting people into this space [into cyber security employment] just isn't meeting demand. You'll see an awful lot of what we're doing is mentoring… bringing out latent capability."

"We've got some extremely good people who understand technology, but they struggle to explain it to business people. [This is for people] moving up from the gaming environment to solving problems and meeting deadlines on a business level."

Rogers also talked about the need for people to come to security facilities and carry out face-to-face work as well as performing tasks remotely. "One of the reasons why we have to have this dynamic competition is that we need to [have people] that can interact socially, it's [not just] about the technology."

Although Sophos is involved and there is plenty of support from various other organisations, other big security names are conspicuous by their absence.

"What has disappointed me is how many security vendors have [got involved]. I'd have thought security companies would have been rushing to break the door down?" questioned Challenge founding director Stuart Room.

Glitch

TEAM GLITCH: Winners of last weekend's competition

"When I look at this I'm surprised by some of the absences. We need more of the cyber security providers here. They should be delivering money [into this] so they can [benefit]. 12 months from now I can see all the major security vendors wanting to be a part of this."

The current sponsors are the "enlightened few", says Room. "They know for sure that we are facing really difficult challenges in this environment. The UK needs to beef up its resilience and we also know that to [do that] we've got to upskill the economy massively.

"I'm a 42-year-old bloke and I'm one of the youngest people in the cyber environment. We're not educating… and that means really hard work is required getting into the schools, colleges and universities. It's about someone getting the kids interested in cyber security professions."

Last weekend's leg of the challenge was won by Team Glitch – a team of upper sixth school pupils featuring Stuart Rennie, Lucy Robson and Yung-Yu Lang won Saturday's category for small networks. Team PEBKAC, a group of post graduates featuring Richard Hodgson, Alistair Senior and Tony Shannon won the medium networks category on Sunday.

Both teams will receive a prize pack of further training including potential internships with security vendor Sophos.

Exclusive: Skype set to bring video calling to Apple iPad 2

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 07:22 AM PST

Following a successful launch of its video-calling service for Apple's iPhone 4 and a number of new announcements at CES 2011 – including the launch of the new group video calling features for consumers and the acquisition of video-streaming specialists Qik – Skype is all set to support video on Apple's forthcoming iPad 2.

Heather LeRoy, Skype's Senior Product Manager for iOS devices, commenting on the iPad 2 and speaking exclusively to TechRadar, informed us that the company hopes to add some major improvements to its iPad client in the near future.

"Skype on the iPad is currently the basic Skype iOS client, but we really hope to support the iPad in a much more thorough way in the future.

"And of course, if iPad 2 has cameras, then you bet we are going to be very interested in supporting video, because that is a company priority for us."

Video-calling on iPad 2

LeRoy was quick to stress that while she has no insider knowledge on Apple's plans to bring video-calling to the iPad 2 (or not, as the case may be), "we hope they do [add video] - it would be fantastic!

"Apple plays it close to its chest with all new product announcements – which is what makes them so mysterious and exciting! – so we don't yet have any concrete information."

Still, whatever the new features that arrive in the forthcoming Apple iPad 2 - whether the device gains that front-facing video cam or not - it is great to hear that Skype is planning on improving its support for iPad.

Nintendo 3DS: retailers set to make £50 profit per device

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 05:46 AM PST

UK retailers are reportedly buying Nintendo's forthcoming new 3DS console in at £173 per unit, which means that they are set to make at least a clear £50 profit per unit.

The new 3DS is set to be marked-up by over 33 per cent by British stores and sold to Brits at around the £230 mark, according to reports over on GamesRadar.

'Base price' for supermarkets

One supermarket rep informed the site that the trade price of the new glasses-free 3DS was a 'base price' of £173.

TechRadar has contacted both Nintendo UK and a number of UK games retailers for further updates to this story.

In the meantime, Nintendo is said to be shipping just under a million 3DS units to Europe for the 25 March launch, while promising that there will be 10 games available on day one, with a total of 25 games due for the unspecified 'launch window'.

Games including Nintendogs, PES and Street Fighter should be ready for day-one, according to MCV.

The games industry trade magazine adds that Nintendo hopes to sell around 4.5-5 million 3DS handhelds during the new console's first year on the shelves.

Apple patents multi-touchscreen mouse

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 05:21 AM PST

Apple has patented a wireless mouse design with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that features a built-in touchscreen display.

The design of Apple's futuristic peripheral is referred to, in rather obviously literal terms, as a "Computer Input Device Including a Display Device."

Multi-use mouse

The mouse's touchscreen display is said to be capable of multiple types of use, either as a simple info display or as a customisable touchscreen input device.

Alongside the touchscreen display on the futuristic Magic Mouse sites two physical buttons, much like a traditional mouse, and an optical track navigation system.

Apple launched its Magic Trackpad last summer, targeting graphic designers and those users that preferred a larger multitouch device to the standard mouse.

In its latest patent Apple hopes that the usability of a computer might be improved by future input devices which are 'more communicative' and more aesthetically pleasing to the user.

Apple patents multi-touchscreen mouse

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 05:21 AM PST

Apple has patented a wireless mouse design with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that features a built-in touchscreen display.

The design of Apple's futuristic peripheral is referred to, in rather obviously literal terms, as a "Computer Input Device Including a Display Device."

Multi-use mouse

The mouse's touchscreen display is said to be capable of multiple types of use, either as a simple info display or as a customisable touchscreen input device.

Alongside the touchscreen display on the futuristic Magic Mouse sites two physical buttons, much like a traditional mouse, and an optical track navigation system.

Apple launched its Magic Trackpad last summer, targeting graphic designers and those users that preferred a larger multitouch device to the standard mouse.

In its latest patent Apple hopes that the usability of a computer might be improved by future input devices which are 'more communicative' and more aesthetically pleasing to the user.

Logitech shows off its 'living room' mouse

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 05:10 AM PST

Logitech has unveiled a £50 wireless mouse that it claims has been specially designed for your living room.

If your first thought is that this is because it will match your curtains, or it's made out IKEA MDF you'd be wrong.

No, this is a mouse that has been designed to work on soft furnishings – like your sofa.

Easy navigation

"Today, Logitech unveiled the Logitech Wireless Mouse M515, delivering easy navigation from soft surfaces like your sofa, bed or a pillow," said the company's release.

"The Logitech Wireless Mouse M515 features a sealed bottom case that makes gliding on fabric easy and worry free, and a hand-detection sensor so the mouse is only active when you want it to be."

People are increasingly using their mouse on surfaces other than a mouse mat – which means that mice design is changing.

"A sealed bottom — so fabric fuzz won't collect in the sensor opening — gives you cursor control no matter what surface you're using your mouse on," explains Logitech's Actress to the Bishop.

"And the easy-gliding base makes mousing around on couches (and blankets, cushions, clothing, carpets, even desks) easy."

So if you're looking for a closed bottom to avoid getting fluff in your sensor – you only have to wait until the UK release date of April.

Star Wars Blu-ray: UK release date and price announced

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 04:58 AM PST

Star Wars is to finally be released on Blu-ray in 2011, with the entire sextet given the high-definition treatment for the first time in the home.

Now purists will be a touch annoyed to hear that the original prints of the movies (no Greedo shooting Han etc) will not be the versions given the HD treatment.

Instead George 'the tinkerman' Lucas has decided his updated and restored version which came out in the late '90s will be the ones heading to Blu-ray.

Star Wars HD

According to Amazon UK, there will be three editions coming out of the Star Wars saga, these are simply: Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Star Wars: The Original Trilogy and Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy.

In our eyes Jar Jar Binks never existed so we know which version we will be buying.

The Blu-ray box sets have a UK release date of 30 September 2011 and will be priced at £89.99 for the whole kit and caboodle and £44.99 for the trilogy sets.

To go alongside the movies, there will be 30 hours of special features and a 'grow your own midichlorian' kit.

We may have made that last bit up.

What the Blu-ray won't come with is a guarantee that this will be the first and last edition released on format. This is because there is going to be the inevitable 3D launch on the horizon.

Gary Marshall: After Schmidt, Google faces tough times

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 04:56 AM PST

Eric Schmidt is a gift to journalists: there's something irresistible about the combination of "don't be evil" and a CEO whose public pronouncements have something of the Hannibal Lecter to them.

But the news that he's stepping down as Google CEO doesn't just mean the search giant is scaling back the sinister; it means Google recognises it's in trouble.

Trouble is a funny word to use about a firm that dominates the internet and appears to be organising most of the world's money, but while Google is at the top of the tech heap the cracks are beginning to show.

There are three big problems facing Google. The first is that the quality of its search results appears to be deteriorating. The second is that social networking could bypass Google altogether. And the third is that regulators could do to Google what they did to Microsoft in the 1990s.

Bad search results are the most obvious problem. Content producers such as Demand Media dominate the results for pretty much anything: you might as well cut out the middleman, skip Google altogether and go directly to eHow.com. And when the results aren't full of eHow, they're full of spam - especially when you're looking for reviews of white goods or consumer electronics.

Green eggs and spam

If you're anything like me, you've stopped Googling for that kind of thing anyway: if you want product recommendations you'll ask your friends on Facebook, or the people in your Twitter stream.

Of all the threats to Google, that's the biggest: time spent asking people things on social networks is time we're not spending searching for things or clicking on Google Ads. Everything Google does is centred on search. What happens if we stop searching?

The third issue, and the one that probably explains the reshuffle, is that Google is facing the same sort of regulatory scrutiny that Microsoft faced in the 1990s. Dealing with politicians and investigators is likely to keep Eric Schmidt so busy he won't have time to focus on anything else.

And product focus is what Google really needs. Its social networking adventures to date have been disastrous, its search is under siege, and despite its many joys Android suffers at the hands of phone firms who don't care about updating their handsets. As Dan Frakes put it on Twitter: "Some parts of Google will get Larry Page CEO update; other parts are stuck with Schmidt, perhaps indefinitely."

If Larry Page can't fix those problems, then Google is likely to see history repeating - but this time with Google as the dinosaur, not the exciting young upstart.

Palit offers up 3GB GTX 580 card

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 04:53 AM PST

Palit has announced a double-memory size GTX 580 3GB card – pitching the high-end graphics card firmly at gamers.

Boasting a startling 3072MB of GDDR5 memory, the Palit GTX 580 3GB brings 'rich, realistic and explosive HD gaming performance under maximum resolution setting'.

"Palit GTX 580 3GB is built for enthusiast gamers!" adds Palit, somewhat unnecessarily.

To the max

So if you are looking to crank Starcraft II up to maximum resolution (and the rest of your rig can cope – of course), this might be for you.

"Play with Palit GTX 580 3GB under maximum resolution, you will have a surreal experience that makes you hard to go back to anything less!" said the exclamation mark-loaded press release.

"Play StarCraft II with Palit GTX 580 3GB under maximum graphics setting, you can experience the excellent gaming performance!"

You had us at 3GB!!!111

HIS unveils 6850 IceQ X series

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 04:40 AM PST

HIS has unveiled its self-styled 'secret weapon' – the HIS 6850 IceQ X and IceQ X Turbo graphics cards.

The latest cards from HIS are equipped with company's latest cooling tech, and boast high-quality components that include solid-state chokes and capacitors.

"The new HIS 6850 IceQ X Series is equipped with performance-leading cooling technology and silent configuration, allowing enthusiastic gamers to experience a totally new immersive gaming experience," said the company's release.

A load of hot air

"The new HIS IceQ X Series cards significantly control their temperature by expelling the hot air directly out from the central fan to cool down the GPU and graphics card," it added

"Both cards are equipped with the same 1GB GDDR 5 memory, with the IceQ Turbo version featuring a maximum core clock speed of 820MHz and a memory clock of 4,400MHz."

The AMD chipset that the cards are based on means that they also boast HD3D and Eyefinity for up to three monitors.

LG Optimus Pad rumours: what you need to know

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 04:38 AM PST

LG makes some great smartphones, so it's hardly a surprise to discover that it's joining the tablet party by manufacturing the G-Slate for T-Mobile.

And now current rumours suggest it will also be bringing out a branded tablet, with a device called the Optimus Pad, and that it will likely match the specifications of the G-Slate - with a few extra surprises.

LG is keeping most of the details close to its chest but from what we've seen so far, it's shaping up very nicely indeed.

The Optimus Pad specifications and UK release date could be announced next month

CES came and went with only the barest hint of G-Slate specifications, so it's all eyes on Mobile World Congress 2011 for an expected February reveal of the Optimus Pad.

The Optimus Pad price could be around £250

As we reported on 20 January, there's been speculation that the Pad will be priced at around €299 (£250) - although that would be very cheap indeed for a device that matches the specs of the Motorola Xoom, which may retail for north of £600.

The LG Optimus Pad will likely have a 3D display

The GPSandCo website says LG accidentally told them the LG Optimus Pad specifications, which include an 8.9" display capable of glasses-free 3D, 3D recording, a Tegra 2 dual-core CPU, a USB port and an HDMI connector.

Pocket Lint reckons 3D is coming too, quoting LG director James Choi's promise that "you'll be very surprised shortly, of an actual working 3D device from LG. I'll leave it there before I say too much."

We hope the Optimus Pad really does have a 3D display, because the 3D hype is already building to the point where LG could say "here's a 2D tablet that cures cancer!" and everyone would hurl eggs at them.

The Optimus Pad and the G-Slate are probably the same device

The G-Slate LG teased us with at CES was a T-Mobile tablet, and we think it's likely that the Optimus Pad is the same device but with the 3D functionality built on top.

The Optimus Pad software is Android 3.0

If you were wondering why LG used videos to show off its G-Slate tablet instead of just letting people play with the device, the answer is software: the G-Slate software will be Android 3.0, aka Honeycomb, which wasn't finished in time for CES. So we wouldn't expect the Optimus Pad to be running an earlier version of Android.

Kryten's Twitter fear after new Red Dwarf show's announced

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 04:04 AM PST

Red Dwarf has been commissioned for a new series that will hit TV screens in 2012, but it seems Twitter and other social-networking sites may scupper plans to film the show in front of a live audience.

Robert Llewellen, who plays Kryten in the show, is a massive advocate of Twitter but he fears the site will fuel spoilers and the like if the show is shot in front of a live audience.

On his blog, he raises the concern by saying: "The plan at the moment, and this could change, the plan is that we record the new series in front of an audience.

"Now, this is a complicated issue. The last time we recorded a show in front of an audience was in 1998. Anyone remember 1998?

"No YouTube, no Facebook, no Twitter, no broadband, no HD video cameras in mobile phones. Okay, a few people had e-mail. I had a crude web page already, but it really was basic."

Stopping spoilers

"So when the audience came in the producers would ask them politely not to reveal any spoilers 'on the world wide web' as we referred to it then. I'm sure some people did, but so few people would have seen anything it really didn't matter."

The last Red Dwarf show was aired in 1999. Dave resurrected the show in 2010 with a special double episode, which was shot without a live audience.

Tutorial: How to make old programs work on Windows 7

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 03:48 AM PST

Every new version of Windows breaks some existing applications, and Windows Vista and 7 are no exception. It's nobody's fault, but that doesn't help if you desperately need to use one particular application.

You can always turn on compatibility mode, which tells a program it's running under Windows XP rather than 7, for example. But if that doesn't work – and it often doesn't – there are no other built-in options. If the program's author has no solutions, you may be tempted to abandon the problem application entirely.

There may be another possible solution though – the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT). This powerful utility provides many more options and tweaks than compatibility mode alone, so there's a better chance of making old programs run on your new PC.

It's easy to use, too, figuring out itself what the problems might be and how they can be fixed.

What's more, the ACT isn't only for ageing apps. You can also use it to tweak the latest programs to remove Windows irritations.

Are you tired of seeing a UAC prompt every time you load a trusted application, for instance? The Application Compatibility Toolkit can help you turn off the prompts for just a few programs, while keeping them for everything else. Again, it's all very easy to use.

Getting started

The Application Compatibility Toolkit is available for download on the Microsoft site (choose 'ApplicationCompatibilityTookit Setup.exe'). It's free, and unusually for this kind of Microsoft tool, it's only 12.2MB in size, so it shouldn't take long to download on the most lethargic of internet connections.

Run the downloaded file to begin the installation. There are no complex options to consider, so just accept all the default settings (except perhaps the installation location if you need to use some other drive or folder) and the program's various components will be installed in a few seconds.

With the ACT set up, think for a moment about any old programs that you run on your Vista or Windows 7 PC. Are there some that cause problems occasionally, or launch as normal but then misbehave from time to time? The ACT includes a tool called the Standard User Analyzer that will monitor that program, keep track of what it's doing, alert you to potential problems, and even apply the appropriate fixes for you.

To try this, click 'Start > All Programs > Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit > Developer and Tester Tools > Standard User Analyzer'. When the SUA appears, click 'Browse', then navigate to and select the executable file for your old application.

There's an option to add command-line parameters if the app needs them, but otherwise click 'Launch' to fire up the program. Click 'Yes' to confirm that it's OK for existing AppVerifier logs to be deleted, and unless you have reason to do otherwise, check 'Always delete the logs without asking me again in the future' to ensure you're not bothered by this question again.

Your problematic program should now launch. If you need to carry out a particular actions to cause it to misbehave, then do so. Otherwise, run the program as normal for a while. When you've finished, close it down and you can move to the next step.

Mitigations

As you were using your program, Microsoft's Application Verifier was running in the background, logging details of your app's activities. When the Standard User Analyzer detects that you've closed the program, it will load and analyse that log.

Windows 7 compatibility

This could take a few moments, so be patient – just watch the 'Debug info' box for status updates. When it's finished, you'll see a 'Done' message and a prompt telling you that you can go to the other tabs to view issues detected by SUA.

The tabs referred to here are at the top of the SUA window, and they highlight potential problems across areas of the program: file accesses, Registry use, INI files and more. If all of these have a zero next to them, the SUA has found no problems and can't help.

If some tabs have detected errors, they'll be highlighted here ('Other Objects (4)', for example). You can click the tab to see more information, but don't expect it to explain much – the results are very technical.

More usefully, you can just ask the SUA to create and deploy mitigations – tweaks that Windows will apply to this executable in future, which may resolve any issues. It couldn't be much easier – simply click 'Mitigation > Apply Mitigation > Apply', and the SUA will tell Windows to apply the fixes to your program.

Don't worry, these are all behind the scenes tweaks – your program code isn't touched in any way. The program should now work better, so give it a try.

If the problems are fixed, great. If they're worse (unfortunately also possible), click 'Mitigation > Undo Mitigation' to remove the tweaks and the program will work just as well (or badly) as it did before.

The only problem with this approach is that the SUA will apply its tweaks to your current Registry only. If you have the same app on other PCs, they won't be affected, and if you reinstall Windows on this PC, then the mitigations will be lost.

To minimise any hassles, you can also click 'Mitigation > Export Mitigations as MSI', and the SUA will create a file to apply these tweaks. If you have a PC with the same app, or you need to reinstall the mitigations on this system, simply run the MSI file and they'll be applied for you automatically.

More fixes

The Application Compatibility Toolkit also includes the Compatibility Administrator – a utility that lets you apply a host of further fixes to your installed apps. These don't have to be applied to old programs – they can be useful in other situations, such as allowing selected, trusted applications to launch without the hassle of a UAC prompt.

windows 7 compatibility

Launch the program and right-click 'New Database' under 'Custom Databases', then click 'Create New > Application Fix'. Enter the name of the program to exclude from Windows UAC.

This should be a program that you trust, and that isn't exposed to security risks. It shouldn't work online, and it shouldn't be used to open files that you've downloaded or might be otherwise exploited. A tool that displays your CPU temperature would probably be fine, but one that opens PDF files really wouldn't.

Enter the name of the manufacturer, too, then click 'Browse', select the program's executable and click 'Next'.

The 'Compatibility Modes' screen provides a lengthy list of the possible compatibility mode options you can apply. Check 'RunAsInvoker', click 'Test run > OK' and watch what happens.

If the program doesn't launch or displays some kind of error, this trick isn't going to work. If the program fires up without a UAC prompt and works as normal, then the mitigation has been successful. Close the test app down, and switch back to the Compatibility Administrator.

Click 'Next' twice to see the final screen, which enables you to customise how Windows applies this mitigation. By default, this will work only with your current version of the program, but you can also tweak it to work with any executable of this name. For the moment though, click 'Finish' to accept the default settings.

With your new database highlighted, click 'File > Save as' to save it as something like 'UAC.sdb' in the 'C:\ root' folder for now. You can right-click the database and select 'Install' to install it.

windows 7 compatibility

There's also a more advanced command-line route that offers extra options. Click 'Start', type 'cmd', right-click the 'CMD.EXE' link and then select 'Run as administrator'. Next, at the command prompt, type sdbinst c:\uac.sdb (replacing the file name and path with whatever is appropriate for the database you've just created) and press [Enter].

You'll see a message telling you that the database has been installed, and that means the UAC fix has been applied. You should now be able to run your test program without UAC prompts.

Going further

Tweaking Windows to run one application without UAC isn't too impressive, but this is just the beginning. Now that you understand the basic principle, you can easily add other application fixes to the same database.

Use the 'Test run' button to confirm that they work when launched this way, and if they do, you can save them to the database and install this to apply your fixes to the Registry.

You can also apply many other fixes beyond the UAC tweak. The 'Compatibility Fixes' section of the 'Create New Application Fix' dialog lists a host of options. Does a game complain that you don't have a specific version of DirectX? Check 'ForceDXSetupSuccess' and the ACT will make the game think it has the version it wants. If the program really does need that version then it still won't work, but at least there's a chance.

If a program is looking in the wrong folder for a particular component or file, the 'CorrectFilePaths' fix can redirect it to the right place. If an app doesn't work with Windows Aero, using the 'DisableDWM' file will turn it off (temporarily).

If your program displays an annoying error message, but continues when you click 'OK', using the 'IgnoreMessageBox' fix can close the message box automatically.

There are plenty of other options, which you can read about by browsing the Help file (using 'Application Compatibility Toolkit > Phase 3: Testing and mitigating your compatibility issues > Known compatibility fixes'). Master them and you'll soon have most of your old apps – as well as the new ones – running at their very best.

Whether it's a critical application or an old game you want to play again, the march of progress doesn't mean you're cut off from the past.

So what do you do to make Windows XP programs work in Windows 7? And how do you make Windows 3.1 programs or DOS apps run in Windows 7?

Follow our tips to run old software on Windows 7 and you can get your retro kicks on your ultra-modern PC.

1. Download XP mode

Most Windows software retains its compatibility with Windows 7, with the main exceptions being drivers (which you'll want to upgrade anyway), installation programs (which have an annoying tendency to assume that any operating system they don't recognise is old) and 32-bit applications in a 64-bit OS.

If you have the Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate edition of Windows 7, you can download XP Mode – which is really Virtual PC – for free.

Otherwise, grab Virtual PC 2007 from the same place. For an alternative, try VMWare Server (free) or Workstation (£143), from www.vmware.com/products/server. You'll have to supply the copy of Windows yourself though, and install it from scratch.

2. Try out a compatibility mode

Short of emulation, your only option for old Windows programs is a compatibility mode. Right-click a program, choose 'Properties' and open the Compatibility tab. This rarely seems to work, but it's worth a shot.

Set the program to run in compatibility mode for any of the supported OSes, which range from Windows 95 to Windows Vista, along with their service packs. The other options on this screen, including 'Run in 256 colors' and 'Run in 640x480 screen resolution' do exactly what they sound like, but are rarely useful these days.

3. Set up a dual-boot

If your software doesn't run directly, you can set up a dual-boot system and install both operating systems. It's not just a case of running the setup routines, though – you'll need to install them in the right order, partition your drive and have devices that each version can use.

That modern soundcard driver won't work on a ten-year-old operating system, even if it works the other way round. See this page for a full guide to dual-booting almost every major combination.

4. Downgrade Windows 7

If you have a lot of old software that you need to get running, you can't simply switch into a compatibility mode to get 32-bit programs running in a 64-bit OS. They may work, but they may not.

If you get an error message when you try to run one, your only recourse is to step back yourself. Windows 7 comes with an installation disc for its 32-bit version. You lose out overall if you have more than 2GB of memory though, so don't downgrade on a whim.

5. Use older hardware

The nuclear option is to pick up old hardware and build a new PC. Look on Ebay and in second-hand markets, or ask friends and family if they have an old clunker they're willing to donate. You can pick them up dirt cheap, but a Windows 3.1-era PC is the perfect machine for Windows 3.1 and its games and applications.

It's worth taking the emulation route first, though. Virtual machines are happy to translate for these old operating systems, letting your existing soundcard and processor do the talking. They'll be slower, but on systems that old, there'll be no shortage of power.

6. Install DOSBox

DOSBox is a great tool, especially for old games. You can just run the executable, but it won't do much. While it doesn't actually sandbox itself from your files in the same way as a virtual machine, it doesn't give itself automatic access to them either.

7. Drag and drop

To run most games or applications in DOSBox, just drag the folder containing its files onto the 'DOSBox' icon. DOSBox treats this as a drive, with the folder as the root. If you run an installer, it can't break out of there to copy any files without permission.

8. Download DOG

For more complicated applications, especially involving CDs, it's worth downloading a shell. We recommend DOG, which you can get from the main DOSBox site. You create profiles for each application, along with their specific needs, then click their name to fire them up.

9. Use hotkeys

DOSBox has many useful hotkeys, but the main ones are [CTRL]+[F11] to slow down the emulation speed, and [CTRL]+[12] to increase it. Press [ALT]+[F12] to turn off any limiters. Avoid [Alt]+[Tab]bing out. You can do it, but it may causes problems with colours.

10. Edit a config file

For games that won't play ball, you can hand-tweak DOSBox's settings by editing a configuration file. This is a very complicated looking document, but it's nothing more than a list of options. Visit www.dosbox.com/wiki/Configuration to see the parameters available.

Tutorial: How to make old programs work on Windows 7

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 03:48 AM PST

It's easy to use, too, figuring out itself what the problems might be and how they can be fixed.

What's more, the ACT isn't only for ageing apps. You can also use it to tweak the latest programs to remove Windows irritations.

Getting started

Mitigations

Windows 7 compatibility

Don't worry, these are all behind the scenes tweaks – your program code isn't touched in any way. The program should now work better, so give it a try.

More fixes

windows 7 compatibility

Launch the program and right-click 'New Database' under 'Custom Databases', then click 'Create New > Application Fix'. Enter the name of the program to exclude from Windows UAC.

Enter the name of the manufacturer, too, then click 'Browse', select the program's executable and click 'Next'.

The 'Compatibility Modes' screen provides a lengthy list of the possible compatibility mode options you can apply. Check 'RunAsInvoker', click 'Test run > OK' and watch what happens.

windows 7 compatibility

You'll see a message telling you that the database has been installed, and that means the UAC fix has been applied. You should now be able to run your test program without UAC prompts.

Going further

Use the 'Test run' button to confirm that they work when launched this way, and if they do, you can save them to the database and install this to apply your fixes to the Registry.

If your program displays an annoying error message, but continues when you click 'OK', using the 'IgnoreMessageBox' fix can close the message box automatically.

Whether it's a critical application or an old game you want to play again, the march of progress doesn't mean you're cut off from the past.

So what do you do to make Windows XP programs work in Windows 7? And how do you make Windows 3.1 programs or DOS apps run in Windows 7?

Follow our tips to run old software on Windows 7 and you can get your retro kicks on your ultra-modern PC.

1. Download XP mode

If you have the Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate edition of Windows 7, you can download XP Mode – which is really Virtual PC – for free.

2. Try out a compatibility mode

3. Set up a dual-boot

That modern soundcard driver won't work on a ten-year-old operating system, even if it works the other way round. See this page for a full guide to dual-booting almost every major combination.

4. Downgrade Windows 7

If you have a lot of old software that you need to get running, you can't simply switch into a compatibility mode to get 32-bit programs running in a 64-bit OS. They may work, but they may not.

5. Use older hardware

6. Install DOSBox

7. Drag and drop

8. Download DOG

9. Use hotkeys

10. Edit a config file

Weird Tech: Yes, it's the invisible tank!

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 03:13 AM PST

What's white and invisible? That fridge! Boom! Boom! What's beige and invisible? That tank! Boom! Aaaargh! This week's weird tech has it all: tanks, scary robocopters, unhappy Segway owners and some cheery news about death.

BAE systems is at it again: last week it was inventing the amazing Pirate Blinder, and this week it's invented the invisible tank. It's not really invisible, of course, but it gets pretty close: two video cameras check out the tank's surroundings, which are then passed to displays built into the tank's armour.

Researchers are also investigating ways to make tanks sweat. It's not as bizarre as it sounds: tanks emit lots of heat, which makes them awfully tempting targets for heat-seeking missiles. By capturing exhaust water and channelling it through armoured tiles, the tank could cool itself much like we do - and it could also pretend to be a cow.

We're not joking. Speaking to New Scientist, Hisham Awad explained that individual tiles could be switched on and off to depict simple shapes: "You can make it look like a Ford Focus, or you can have the shape of a cow."

SCOOTERS BOOTED

It's been a bad week for Segway users. First, a man was fined for riding one on the pavement in Barnsley; then, New Zealand police discovered that using their ones in public was illegal.

Segway

KINDA CAR: Legally speaking, Segways aren't scooters: they're cars

The problem is that while you and I might see Segways as overpriced idiot carriages or scooters for smart-arses, the law sees them as cars - which means driving them on the pavement is a major no-no.

Gadgets "more interesting than shoes" shocker

Letting children spend all day on the Daily Mail website rots their brains, the Daily Mail reports: according to child development expert Sue Palmer, "by encouraging [children] to live a virtual screen-based existence we are deadening their developmental drive and dumbing them down".

The Mail quotes a study that found 23 per cent of two-to-five-year-olds can make a call on mobile phones, one-quarter can navigate around websites and 17 per cent can post racist comments underneath Mail Online articles. We made that last one up.

Shoes

SHOE THINGS: People who watched "how to tie your shoelaces" also watched "female sexual arousal". Humans are rubbish!

The study also found that 11 per cent of tots can't tie their own shoelaces, but we don't see the problem here: surely they can just Google for instructions?

It's RoboCop(ter)!

Another week, another instalment of Here Comes Skynet: now the robots are building things without human intervention. Daniel Mellinger and his team from the University of Pennsylvania have come up with a system where flying robots can build pretty much anything: simply come up with a design, leave the parts lying around and the robot helicopters will pick them up and stick them where they're supposed to go.

BITTY BUILDERS: These robo-copters can't really be builders: look! They turned up!

Are you scared yet? No? Then just read what Mashable had to say about the robo-copters: " Imagine if these mini copters were scaled up to 100 times their size, putting together skyscrapers, bridges, or the components of Skynet." Yeah! Imagine if they had claws, or guns, or A BIG SCARY FACE!

And Finally

Microsoft wants to help you when you're dead. Interaction designer Richard Banks is working on devices that can act as digital memorials, high-tech alternatives to shoeboxes full of faded photographs. The trick is to work out what's worth keeping - and what the grandchildren shouldn't get to see.

Timecard

DIGITAL MEMORIES: Microsoft's Timecard is a kind of digital memorial, showing someone's photos in a timeline

As the BBC puts it, "In future, it may be that as we write our wills and maybe even burn our secret letters, we may have to also spend time cleaning out our online lives, ready to be put on show to those closest to us."

Super AMOLED Plus screens to rival Retina Display

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 03:02 AM PST

Samsung is making some big steps into improving the screens on its mobile phones, with some more information revealing the technology behind the panels.

There's real buzz surrounding the next generation of Samsung handsets as the screens are set to be as pin-sharp as those seen on the iPhone 4 and iPod touch.

This is because Super AMOLED Plus will allow a screen quality over 300ppi. Currently the Retina Display shows content at 326ppi.

I can see clearly now

One of the first handsets to get the Super AMOLED will be the Samsung Galaxy S2, which is likely to be shown at Mobile World Congress 2011.

Samsung has been one of the largest suppliers of OLED screens to the mobile industry over the last 18 months, with its first Super AMOLED technology winning rave reviews in the likes of the first Galaxy S and Google Nexus S.

Super-clear screens seem to be the order of the day for new handsets. At CES 2011, Sony unveiled the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, which has been given a Super LCD screen. This rival technology uses an 854 x 480 resolution.

Google NOT ruling out Chrome OS tablets

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 02:43 AM PST

Google has moved to clarify its position on Chrome OS for tablets – with the company telling TechRadar that it is not ruling out its hardware partners adapting the operating system for touch-screens.

Google has been consistent in its assertions that Chrome OS – at least in its first public incarnation – is designed for small laptops and netbooks.

However, although a recent conversation with TechRadar underlined this once more, the company is keen to clarify that it is not as simple as considering that its Android OS is for touchscreens (ie phones and tablets) and Chrome OS for netbooks and laptops.

Variety of form-factors

"Chrome OS has been designed from the outset to work across a variety of form factors, but for this initial release, we've decided to focus on the notebook/laptop form factor," a spokesperson told TechRadar.

"As you know, Samsung and Acer have already announced that they will be launching Chrome OS devices, and Google fully expects different partners to build different kinds of devices based on the Chrome platform."

The upshot is that, although the first slew of products will be sporting keyboards, Google is not ruling out the use of Chrome OS for tablets.

Growing emphasis

This stance is a fairly obvious one, given the growing emphasis on tablets in the PC market.

Last year's Christmas sales figures suggested that the likes of the iPad was cannibalising portable PC sales, and there was a deluge of Android tablets unveiled at CES this year.

On top of this, rival Microsoft is making a real effort with touch – as shown by the arrival of Windows Phone 7 last year and the announcement this year that Windows 8 would run on portable-friendly ARM chips rather than just the traditional X86 chipset.

Review: Toshiba 32SL738

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 02:30 AM PST

At first glance the Toshiba 32SL738 seems to make little sense. While it is edge LED backlight, it has an HD ready, rather than a full HD, resolution and no Freeview HD tuner.

This latter omission is particularly striking, given that hi-def terrestrial tuners are now fairly routine fixtures on modern TVs.

The £500 price is cheap for any 32in LCD TV, though, let alone one with an LED backlight.These are proven to deliver better pictures than standard (CCFL) lamps and are usually found only on premium LCD TVs such as Samsung's 32C6000, which comes in at nearer £800.

So Toshiba's thinking with the 32SL738 suddenly becomes blindingly clear: it wants to grab headlines by delivering the cheapest 32in LED TV it can, even if that means stripping away a few key features.

If you want a 32in TV from Toshiba that does carry Freeview HD, take a look at either the 32SL753 or the CCFL-powered 32RV753. Other edge LED options come in the shape of the WL and VL series, but for these start at 40in and are considerably more expensive.

Toshiba 32sl738

The 32SL738's use of edge LED lighting has to be its stand out feature, partly because you wouldn't expect to find it in play on a £500 32in set and partly because it enables a stylish, strikingly slender body.

The backlight also helps Toshiba rustle up a mighty claimed contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. As ever, this figure needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, given the impossibility of realising that amount of contrast in 'real world' conditions, but the figure is at least illustrative of the differences in how CCFL and edge LED technology work and suggests how much better the latter has the potential to be if it's done well.

Price-driven compromises are manifested in the lack of an Ethernet port and three HDMIs where Toshiba nearly always manages four. There is a multimedia-capable USB port, though, as well as a D-Sub port that enables the screen to double up as a PC monitor.

Heading into the onscreen menus uncovers a pretty extensive set of adjustments including a selection of picture presets as well as adjustments to backlight output and colour temperature, with the latter extending so far as give you control of the gain level of each of the red, green and blue colour components.

Even more surprising on such an aggressively priced – and apparently stripped down – TV is the stuff tucked away in its 'Advanced Video' menu. This includes noise reduction options, a multi-level colour transient Improvement circuit and an 'Adaptive Luma Control' option that adjusts the brightness and contrast based on analysis of the incoming image.

Other tweaks include the option to deactivate the default active backlight if you find its continual brightness adjustments distracting, the ability to limit or set to full the HDMI RGB range and a flexible colour management facility that enables you to manipulate the hue, saturation and brightness settings for all six of the main colour components (meaning cyan, magenta and yellow, on top of RGB).

Even the audio features menu has a couple of noteworthy features, including a lip-synch mode, a bass booster and a pseudo-surround sound processor.

The set includes a bit of picture processing too, in the form of Toshiba's Active Vision LCD. Potentially significantly, it has neither 100Hz processing for reducing motion judder and blur nor Resolution+ for upscaling standard-definition.

Hopefully, the fact that the 32SL738 only has to upscale standard-def to an HD ready rather than a full HD panel will mean that Resolution+ isn't missed all that much. There's no Freeview HD tuner or any built-in online capability, though, and you can't stream material from DLNA PCs.

The remote control feels cheap and plasticky and doesn't rest comfortably in your hand. The layout feels anti-intuitive, with the important buttons along the bottom of the remote falling to hand less readily than the larger but less important numerical buttons at the top. The main menu button is particularly awkward to reach, as well as being extremely tiny.

The onscreen menus, meanwhile, look dull and dated, filling your field of vision with lots of boring text and not doing anything to streamline your route to certain feature areas.

Two examples of this latter point are the lack of a direct means of accessing the TV's Media Player (for USB playback) and the hiding of an important Game Mode within an unhelpfully named Preferences menu (why not put it in with the other picture presets?).

The EPG is decently presented compared to the main menus, though it's slightly clumsily executed. Rather than the usual approach of leaving the channel you were watching playing while you browse the listings for other channels, instead it changes to whatever channel you select on the list, and then presents you with the next few hours of entertainment on that channel on the EPG.

This seems to run contrary to the idea that you use an EPG mostly to browse for a time slot or a specific programme rather than a channel. Plus, having to change channel every time you move to a different channel on the EPG really slows down browsing.

One final barrier to a straightforward relationship with the 32SL738 is its unhelpfully concise instructions manual.

Toshiba 32sl738

The 32SL738's picture quality has its moments, but ultimately feels a bit average by edge LED standards.

It's at its best with bright, colourful footage, as most LCD TVs are. With such footage – animation Blu-rays, studio news footage, chatshows and so on – your eye is treated to some appealingly richly saturated colours, decent, if hardly explosive, levels of sharpness and clarity, notwithstanding a little motion blur with standard-def and a little judder with Blu-rays, thanks to the lack of any 100Hz processing.

The motion issues aren't as continually distracting as they are on many other high-value 32in TVs, though.

Other strong points include a solid degree of subtlety when showing colour blends and tricky tonal shifts, even with skin tones and respectable upscaling of standard-definition that leaves programmes from the Freeview tuner looking at least a little sharper without drawing undue attention to any MPEG noise they might contain.

Anyone averse to overt video processing might enjoy the very natural look to the 32SL738's pictures, though a good image engine might have reduced judder and enhanced sharpness.

From here on in, though, the news is mostly bad. The worst flaw is inconsistent backlighting. The sample used in this test betrayed two obvious patches during dark scenes where the light level on show was notably higher than elsewhere on the screen.

One portion along around a third of the top right edge was really extremely noticeable, to the extent that it suggested a possible fault with this particular sample, but then these sorts of problems have been common with Toshiba's recent edge LED TVs.

Another issue is the 32SL738's black levels. While the set is capable of deep black hues the dynamic backlight is very clumsy and overbearing, reacting slowly to extreme changes in content, then often too strongly.

The result is that you often get distracted, especially during movies, by shifts in overall brightness as the screen tries to figure out how best to adjust its images to the changing content it's showing.

The active backlight problems will likely tempt many people to turn the feature off. Yet if you do, the general black level response takes a discernible hit – unless you're fortunate enough to be able to run the screen in a darkened room, where the picture can still look good with a very reduced brightness/backlight level.

Further issues find the set's backlight consistency problems being exaggerated if you start to move sideways from directly opposite the screen, and some slightly uncomfortable colour balances using the TV's out of the box settings. Reds look rather forced, for instance, and skin tones can look unnatural. The set does provide the colour management tools to address these problems, however.

Sound

During even a half-hearted action sequence the 32SL738 sounds woefully underpowered, with no bass at all and a very cramped mid-range that doesn't even have enough breathing room to allow treble details to emerge with any clarity or ease. At times some sound effects and vocals go more or less entirely AWOL, due to the speakers' inability to cope with anything but the most basic audio mix.

Value

The 32SL738 is a very attractive edge LED TV on paper, but its performance is underwhelming and some significant feature compromises have been made.

Ultimately, the 32SL738's £500 tag looks fair, rather than remarkable.

Toshiba 32sl738

The slim cabinet and glossy finish certainly don't look like they belong to such a cheap TV.
Signs of its budget nature start to appear with its connections, though, as we fail to turn up an Ethernet port and only find three HDMIs rather than our preferred four.

Not having an Ethernet immediately indicates, of course, that the 32SL738 doesn't have a Freeview HD tuner, and that it can't access DLNA PC content.

It does play JPEGs and music files from USB sticks though, and can double up as a PC monitor, so it's certainly not completely anti-multimedia.

Picture quality is a mixed bag. Light sequences look good once you've calibrated away a few colour imbalances, thanks to a strong brightness output and vivid colour saturations. But dark scenes are upset by twin issues of an inconsistent backlight and an over-aggressive, underwhelming dynamic backlight system.

Add to these hit-and-miss pictures a really very feeble audio performance, and you've got a set that isn't quite the edge LED blockbuster it might at first appear.

We liked

The 32SL738 is very nicely designed and has a fair amount of multimedia support for its price and its pictures are enjoyable when fed bright, breezy sources.

We disliked

Its operating system feels dated and perplexing in places and audio is below par, while dark scenes are troubled by backlight problems. The lack of online capability is mildly disappointing and the absence of a Freeview HD tuner is a big letdown.

Verdict

The 32SL738 looks good and is well connected, but the lack of a Freeview HD tuner feels like a trim too far and the backlight inconsistency is a worry.

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