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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

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Preliminary ITC ruling sides with Apple and RIM over Kodak

Posted: 25 Jan 2011 01:22 AM PST

Kodak's patent dispute with Apple and RIM over digital imaging technology in the iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones is in trouble after the US International Trade Commission's preliminary ruling suggested no violation had taken place.

The ITC believes that Eastman Kodak's 2001 patent has not been infringed in BlackBerry and iPhone handsets, although a final decision will not be made until 23 May.

The news has not dented Kodak's confidence too much however, with chief intellectual property officer at the company, Laura Quatela, telling the Press Association:"We fully expect the ITC commission will ultimately rule that the patent claim at issue is valid and infringed by Appleand RIM."

LG and Samsung

Kodak and its mass of patents in the relam of digital imaging have rarely been out of the headlines in recent years as the company fights with major corporations.

The decision to sue Apple and RIM was made more than a year ago – just after winning a claim against Samsung and agreeing a one off payment of $550 million (c£344m)

Another complaint against LG netted Kodak another $414 million (£259m).

The case continues.

From PA via Yahoo

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Panasonic announces four new Lumix camera

Posted: 25 Jan 2011 12:57 AM PST

Panasonic has announced four new digital cameras – with the DMC FT3, the DMC-FX77 joined by the DMC-TZ18 and DMC-TZ20.

The latest cameras are an interesting bunch, bringing a host of high end features, including Full HD recording.

Panasonic DMC-FT3

First up is the Panasonic DMC-FT3 which is billed as a camera "designed and especially geared for active outdoor use with superb photo and video recording in an extremely tough body with rugged design."

The feature set includes AVCHD Full HD (1080p) recording, and a new 12.1 megapixel FT3.

Its rugged claims are backed up by claims that it is waterproof to 12m, shockproof to 2m freezeproof to -10 degrees centigrade and, wait for it, dustproof.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX77

FX77

The DMC-FX77 is a new edition to the Lumix FX series and Panasonic point out that it is "beautifully designed and packed with high-end features."

Those features include a 3.5 inch smart-touch screen with touch auto focus, touch playback and 3D photo mode.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ18, TZ20

TZ20

The TZ series has been boosted by the arrival of the DMC-TZ18 and DMC-TZ20.

The cameras feature full manual control, HD movie recording capability, 24mm ultra wide angle lens and 16x optical zoom.

The higher-end TZ20 includes built in GPS and Full HD AVCHD movie recording.

We've yet to be supplied with a UK release date for the cameras or, indeed, UK prices, but we'll update you when we have.

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News Corp's BSkyB takeover to go to Competition Commission

Posted: 25 Jan 2011 12:36 AM PST

News Corp's plan to take full control of BSkyB has hit a delay, with news that culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced he is to take the deal to the Competition Commission.

Hunt believes that the takeover may not be in the public interest and has said that he intends to send the whole thing to the Competition Commission for investigation.

Interestingly, though, he has given Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corp, some breathing space before going to the Commission, with Hunt saying in a statement: "Before [contacting the Competition Commission] it is right that I consider any undertakings in lieu offered by any merging party which have the potential to prevent or otherwise mitigate the potential threats to media plurality identified in the Ofcom report."

Media bias

In short: News Corp can sort out any problems Ofcom had with its proposal before the bid is sent to the Competition Commission, giving it a greater chance of success.

The bid by News Corp has already survived the European Commission, who said that the takeover wouldn't harm competition in the UK.

Murdoch's media empire currently consists of The Sun, the News of the World and The Times in the UK and The Wall Street Journal in the US.

Couple this with its current 39.1 per cent stake in BSkyB and critics of the company, including business secretary Vince Cable, are already weary that Murdoch and co hold too much media bias.

With this in mind, it will be interesting to see just what the Competition Commission makes of the bid.

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Showcase Cinemas in the UK start 4k digital odyssey

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 09:37 AM PST

The UK arm of cinema chain Showcase Cinemas has revealed it is to make all of its screen 'fully digital' by the end of 2010, with the introduction of Sony cinema 4k projection systems.

The Cinema de Lux Leicester will be the first lucky cinema from the chain to get the 4k projector, but a further 21 locations up and down the UK will get a digital makeover before the year is out - this will mean a total of 276 screens will have 4k capabilites.

Better picture clarity

Adding digital projectors to a cinema is nothing but a good thing for the industry. Not only does it open the door for independents, as it bypasses the need to transfer movies to celluloid, you can also show high-def 3D movies without fear of image degradation.

Karen Fox, general manager of UK theatres for Showcase said: "Most other digital cinema projectors are only 2k, but Sony 4k is dramatically different, with four times the pixel count, delivering better picture clarity, resolution and quality for a more compelling and entertaining cinema experience.

"This means cinema goers get a level of detail that they've never experienced before, greatly enhancing their enjoyment of a fast action-packed film or a big scale epic adventure."

In 2010, Sony 4k projectors have also been snapped up by Vue cinemas in the UK and the Apollo cinema chain.

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No MotoBlur for the Motorola Xoom

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 09:30 AM PST

Motorola has released a statement confirming that its much-anticipated Motorola Xoom tablet will not come with MotoBlur.

Instead of the custom Motorola skin, the tablet will be a pure With Google device, running Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).

Motorola's spokesperson said, "To clarify, Motorola Xoom is a Google Experience Device and the first tablet to incorporate Android 3.0 Honeycomb.

"As such, Motorola Mobility has worked closely with Google to develop and optimize the Honeycomb OS on XOOM, and has no plans to customize the software with MotoBlur."

Redundant

The Motoblur overlay was designed to bring a higher level of functionality to the Android OS, but the explosion of the app market made its widget system of social network and email aggregators a bit redundant.

In our first Motorola Xoom hands on review, we said that the OS coupled with the high-powered hardware "boded well", and should be enough to impress those lamenting the loss of Motoblur.

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Has Nintendo really blown its Wii 2 strategy?

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 09:23 AM PST

While Nintendo has recently announced its plans for the 3DS release across Europe, there are still questions to be answered about its – still to be revealed - strategy for 'Wii 2', with some observers questioning whether a 'two console strategy' could work in the future.

One analyst in particular that seems to be gunning for Nintendo is Wedbush Securities analyst Micheal Pachter, who thinks the company should be focussing on Wii 2 right now.

"With as much respect for Nintendo management as I can muster, I think Nintendo's completely blown it with their second generation Wii strategy," said the analyst recently.

"I think they have the mentality that to launch a new console they have to retire the old, and I think that's wrong.

"I think the right strategy would have been to get a second generation Wii out and keep the old Wii at the same time, and have the second generation be the natural progression upgrade model."

Has Nintendo blown it?

Pachter thinks that Nintendo has blown it. But has it?

British games industry analyst, Nick Gibson clearly doesn't think so, telling TechRadar:

"A two-console strategy is perfectly feasible (as Sony have proved for the last decade) but requires a sufficient perceived value and price difference between the two consoles, a broadly separate set of core demographic and geographic targets for each console, and, arguably, sufficient competitive pressure to launch a new console."

Gibson notes that at $200/€200, "Wii is still quite an expensive (and highly profitable) console and continues to match or exceed 360 and PS3 in ongoing sales.

"Nintendo clearly feels it is not under significant competitive pressure and does not need to drop the price at this stage , irrespective of what we analysts say!

"The Wii has a very broad demographic target market and any successor would likely need to target the same market to replicate the Wii's success.

"Since the core of Wii owners are unlikely to care about processing power or graphical fidelity, any successor is likely to need more than just an HD upgrade and it may simply be that Nintendo has yet to develop a sufficiently compelling new feature to build Wii 2 around. A next generation of home consoles is coming, just not for several years yet."

CVG editor Tim Ingham is even more excited about the possibility of Wii 2, telling us:

"Although the consumer excitement for a second Wii console in 2011 would be undeniable, it's perhaps premature to suggest it's in any way dropped the ball by concentrating on 3DS. It is true that the Wii is built on last-gen technology to a degree – which would leave it two generations behind any new home console from Microsoft or Sony.

"But it's equally accurate to say that for a low manufacturing cost, Nintendo has created a technologically and cultural phenomenon, from which it has reaped huge fiscal rewards. Wii's popularity may be on the wane, but Nintendo's ability to wring the most interest from an untested and undemanding gaming audience is beyond question.

"I have no doubt that the 3DS will be another runaway success, and that Nintendo will further perfect a marketing strategy which simply can't be judged against traditional games industry parameters.

"The design and functionality of its next home console – whether Wii 2 or something else entirely – is under pressure from all sides, as rivals begin adopting the cleverest factors that have contributed to Wii and DS' breakthrough triumph."

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3D cinema defies '600 million years of evolution'

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 07:33 AM PST

3D may be the format of choice in Hollywood at the moment, but an Oscar-winning film editor has hit out at the format calling it unnatural for human eyes.

Walter Murch, who won Oscars for editing Apocalypse Now and The English Patient, has a bone or two to pick with 3D films.

Murch says the way our eyes have to work to watch 3D movies is unnatural; he calls it the "convergence/focus issue", and it's a deal breaker.

Deal breaker

The audience's eyes must focus on the screen, he says – this is a constant, a fact, irrefutable.

He continues, "But their eyes must converge at perhaps 10 feet away, then 60 feet, then 120 feet, and so on, depending on what the illusion is.

"So 3D films require us to focus at one distance and converge at another. And 600 million years of evolution has never presented this problem before. All living things with eyes have always focussed and converged at the same point."

While we do have the ability to do this, it's hard work for our poor little peepers as well as for the area of our brains that deal with perception – resulting in eye strain and headaches.

"This is a deep problem, which no amount of technical tweaking can fix. Nothing will fix it short of producing true 'holographic' images," Murch concludes.

Now there's a challenge for filmmakers if ever we heard one; true holographic cinema, the next big thing.

The Pirate Bay music-sharing site will 'scare music industry'

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 07:16 AM PST

The Pirate Bay has hinted that its next venture is to be a music-sharing site that will 'scare the music industry'.

This is according to a source close to The Pirate Bay who believes that what is about to be launched could have massive implications on the whole of the music industry.

In 2010 there was a big sea change for torrent and download sites.

LimeWire, one of the biggest file-sharing sites in America, was closed down, as was Mininova and members of the Pirate Bay faced numerous court battles.

To hit back, The Pirate Bay is about to target the music industry with a site that should be up in running by April, under the domain: fear.themusicbay.org.

Beyond imagination

The nameless insider who contacted TorrentFreak about the new site, said: "The music industry can't even imagine what we're planning to roll out in the coming months.

"For years they've complained bitterly about piracy, but if they ever had a reason to be scared it is now.

"It will be a special surprise for IFPI's 78th birthday, and we're thinking of organising a huge festival in Rome where IFPI was founded."

In a massive coincidence, the IFPA (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) issued its annual report on the state of the music industry this week, which noted that piracy was hitting jobs in the music industry.

The report explains that 'jobs are at risk across the creative industries' and that 'total sales by debut artists in the global top 50 album chart in 2010 were just one quarter of the level they achieved in 2003.'

Quite why 2003 is used is beyond us – maybe the subsequent years between 2003 and 2010 didn't quite fit the 'file-sharing is evil' message of the IFPA.

Rigged by piracy

The document goes on to say: "As we enter 2011, digital piracy, and the lack of adequate legal tools to fight it, remains the biggest threat to the future of creative industries.

"Great new legitimate music offerings exist all over the world, offering consumers a wide range of ways to access music.

"Yet they operate in a market that is rigged by piracy, and they will not survive if action is not taken to address this fundamental problem."

Every single word of that statement will be music to the ears of The Pirate Bay, whose main job in 2011 is to antagonise the IFPI.

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Pope urges Christians to join Twitter and Facebook

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 06:55 AM PST

Never one to mince words, Pope Benedict XVI has issued an edict today encouraging young Christians to join social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

After extolling the virtues and risks of an online presence, Pope Benedict wrote, "I would like then to invite Christians, confidently and with an informed and responsible creativity, to join the network of relationships which the digital era has made possible."

The Vatican's intention is, of course, that young people use the networks to spread the Gospel, not just for a spot of innocent pre-marriage poking.

Distraction

Spreading the virtual Word is all well and good, but, like many psychologists before him, the Pope also warns against "excessive exposure to the virtual world" and the dangers of creating an online persona.

"It is important always to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact," he argues.

"Entering cyberspace can be a sign of an authentic search for personal encounters with others, provided that attention is paid to avoiding dangers such as enclosing oneself in a sort of parallel existence, or excessive exposure to the virtual world."

Digital Pope

It's not the first time the Vatican has got all 21st century on us; the Pope already has Facebook and iPhone apps, and has welcomed the site's popularity in past missives.

Today's social networking homily comes on the feast day of Saint Francis de Sales, patron Saint of journalists – a breed that is already well-versed in using social networks to gain followers.

On an unrelated note, why not follow TechRadar on both Twitter and Facebook?

Via @bengoldacre

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In Depth: 3D without glasses: the gadgets coming in 2011

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 06:46 AM PST

2011 is the year when 3D gets personal. Whether or not the act of putting on glasses is putting-off consumers (European and US consumers trail the world in 3D excitement according to analysts at Nielsen), the recent CES in Las Vegas saw a raft of unexpected announcements, demos and prototypes of glasses-free 3D gadgets.

With a few stunning exceptions - Toshiba's 56-inch and 65-inch LCD TVs, to be precise - almost all were portable smallscreen devices such as smartphones, photo frames, camcorders and laptops (though strangely no tablets).

At the time of writing - with the Nintendo 3DS yet to go on sale - there is only one glasses-free gadget on sale; Fujifilm's FinePix REAL 3D W3 camera.

Lucy Edwards, marketing manager for Digital Cameras at Fujinon, believes that glasses-free 3D 'lenticular' (ie the lens is across the screen rather than in glasses) technology is currently best for gamers and photographers.

She says that the W3's 3.5-inch screen is, "best viewed straight-on due to the screen having a certain 'sweet spot' where the 3D effect is most pronounced, making the technology ideal for a camera or handheld games device.

"Human eyes are generally around 64mm apart, so in order to be able to shoot true, realistic 3D images, the W3 is equipped with two Fujinon lenses that are actually about 20% further apart - so as to maximise the impression of depth, while still producing natural-looking images."

Do-it-yourself 3D

Sony's immediate answer to the lack of 3D content is identical to Fujifilm's; make your own, and it's obvious that its aim is also a glasses-free future.

As well as professional 3D cameras, Sony used CES to launch a glasses-free 3D 'Bloggie' camcorder, while previewing a 10.1-inch portable 3D Blu-ray player, a VAIO laptop and perhaps the ultimate example of 'personal 3D' (though hardly glasses-free); a pair of 'headmount' 3D glasses with a 3D OLED screen for each eye, which seems destined for the PlayStation platform.

Sony bloggie

NO SPECS: From three new Sony Bloggie devices, the MHS-FS3 uses a glasses-free 3D screen

"2011 begins the next phase of our 3D strategy - the year in which 3D becomes personal," Sony's CEO Howard Stringer told a packed audience at CES.

"3D is far more than a science fiction gimmick to make special effects dominate the storyline and bedazzle the viewer, it simply mirrors the experience of reality itself," he said.

"We don't see the world around us in 2D, we see it in living 3D. As with all technology refinement and improvements will follow, with or without glasses, and viewers will become more enthusiastic."

As such, display manufacturers are queuing up to take advantage of the expected boom in 3D devices. Master Image, which makes a 3.1-inch screen already used in Japan by Hitachi's WOO 3D smartphone, was at the CES, while eLocity's 10-inch photo frame that auto-converts 2D pictures into 3D, told TechRadar that it intends to make glasses-free 3D gaming PCs and TVs this year.

Sharp demoed 3.8-inch and 10.6-inch 3D screens, while LG also contributed to the debate with a 4.3-inch glasses-free 3D display that features a resolution of 400x800 pixels.

Sharp 3d lcd

FIT FOR A PHONE? Sharp's 3.8-inch LCD screen

"LG sees tremendous growth potential in the 3D mobile display market," said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Mobile Communications Company, at CES. "LG is looking forward to debuting this exciting new way to watch 3D movies or play games on your mobile phone." To us, that sounds like it's pretty close to market.

All of these glasses-free - or auto stereoscopic, to be precise - 3D gadgets essentially work the same way; an often transparent (to allow 2D watching, too) parallax barrier on the screen has a series of light-blocking slits that together send a different image to each eye. In essence it's a refined version of 3D stickers, cards and cereal packs from 20 years ago. And it has the same disadvantage: the viewer has to stay still.

In the deadzone

In fact, if you move your head even a tiny distance the entire 3D effect is ruined; you're watching from the 'deadzone'.

"An auto stereoscopic screen has a number of views across its screen - effectively nine different images that you see as you move you head across," Bill Foster, senior technology consultant at Futuresource Consulting, told TechRadar. "If you're not in one of those nine sweet spots you can potentially see a reverse 3D image."

Promising a 'deadzone-free' 3D experience is Toshiba, which surprised industry watchers by unveiling at CES a 15.6-inch auto stereoscopic 3D laptop. What's interesting about this is that it's all about 'personal 3D'; only the person sat in front of the screen gets a 3D image. Everyone else, even if they crowd around the laptop, can only see ghosting and flicker.

Crucially, the viewer can move their head around and shift their viewing position during playback and still see a 3D image - there are no 'deadzone' gaps between the sweetspots.

A Toshiba USA spokesman told TechRadar: "The laptop uses a webcam to recognise your face and it puts a virtual mask on you." Sure enough, an inset feed from the webcam alongside the 3D image reveals a live feed of me with a line around my eyes, nose and chin.

"It adjusts the light output based on tracking your eye position, but it doesn't always work if you get too close to the screen." During our demo the 3D effect was pretty resilient, especially in the foreground. However, the webcam tracking system got confused by the bright light from a camcorder behind us, interference and mistakes if I moved by head quickly, and I did see a double image in the left-hand side.

This prototype of 'two parallax' tech - as it's known - still needs a tweak or two, but is slated for sale later this year.

Toshiba tellies

Toshiba, which prefers the term 'natural' 3D, appears to have the most glasses-free 3D gadgets in its arsenal. Also showing without glasses at CES were its previously announced 12-inch and 20-inch 3D TVs - only on sale in Japan - and the real deal; 56 and 65-inch LED 3D TVs that use Toshiba's powerful CEVO Engine - and don't require glasses.

Toshiba glasses free 3d

TINY TELLY: Toshiba's 12-inch, 466x350 pixel 12GL1 auto stereoscopic 3D TV is already on sale in Japan for around £1,000

With those, pixilation is an issue; some of the pixels are being used to generate different views, though it's less of an issue with smallscreen devices - hence the big push. Besides, technology improvements are imminent. "We've now got nine views, but coming down the pike is 15 views," says Foster. "Though that will need more processing and a meaty chip."

Despite there being some misgivings about the quality of the technology, Toshiba, Sony, LG and the rest clearly think there's a demand. Commercial realities are at play, too; sales of 2D cameras and camcorders have been in terminal decline since smartphones added cameras and video recording.

The advent of glasses-free 3D could give these dying devices a temporary shot in the arm, though expect the smartphone (all eyes on Mobile World Congress 2011) to once again consign them to the digital dustbin; we expect glasses-free 3D to be all about gaming gadgets for a year or so - cue the Nintendo 3DS - but it won't be long until everyone has a parallax in their pocket.

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Nintendo UK confirms 3DS 'eShop' for launch

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 06:23 AM PST

While there has been some uncertainty over in the US regarding Nintendo's plans for its 3DS download store, Nintendo UK has confirmed that the '3DS eShop' will be available to British gamers at launch.

A Wired US report earlier this week said that Nintendo's 3DS eStore would not be ready on the day of release and that it would arrive at a later date via a firmware update.

3DS eStore at launch

Following that report, a spokesperson for Nintendo told Eurogamer that the 3DS's internet browser and eStore would be "updated on day one" – essentially being made available to Brits on the 25 March release date announced last week.

Further details on Nintendo's plans for its '3DS eShop' are scarce, although we expect to hear plenty of official announcements from Nintendo and its 3DS games publishing partners over the next two months in the run-up to the console's UK launch.

A downloadable portal for 3DS apps and games will hopefully ensure that both established games publishers and developers, in addition to smaller independent games creators, should all find a suitable outlet for their games on Nintendo's new handheld.

The '3DS eShop' will also give users access to the full catalogue of DSiWare games, as well as games demos and a huge back catalogue of retro titles.

TechRadar has contacted a number of leading Nintendo handheld developers for further comment on this story. Stay tuned for updates.

The Nintendo 3DS's web browser will also be activated on launch day on 25 March.

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Nvidia Tegra 2 3D processor revealed

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 05:10 AM PST

Slides from Nvidia's Mobile World Congress presentation have been leaked to a tech news site, revealing that its Tegra 2 3D processor will be shown-off and shipped in 2011.

There will be two versions of the dimension-rich processor; an AP25 version for smartphones and a T25 version for tablets.

Both are based on an ARM dual Cortex A9 processor, with up to 1.2GHz of power behind it.

3D take over

While cinema has already been well and truly taken over by 3D, 2011 is the year we'll see it hit our handheld devices in a big way.

The LG Optimus Pad is just one tablet that is set to feature a 3D display this year, about which we'll also find out more at Mobile World Congress; it could very well be using Nvidia's tech.

The Tegra 2 3D processor is set to start manufacturing in Q1, which should see it hitting devices in Spring.

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Toshiba's Android-toting tablet teased

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 04:57 AM PST

Toshiba has shown off its new Android-based tablet, in the form of a teaser video.

The tablet is the successor to Tosh's Folio 100, which was an poorly received after the device was pulled from sale due to myriad complaints about the thing not actually working properly.

Toshiba will be hoping its yet-unnamed tablet gets a better reception from the general public, with the teaser video showing off the many connection ports the Honeycomb-based tablet has as well as the fact that it can run full websites and Flash.

Tablet talk

There seems to be numerous digs to the iPad - and what the device can't currently do - in the teaser.

In the video clip we see that the Toshiba tablet has both rear and front-facing cameras, HDMI, USB (mini and full), SD card slot and analogue ports.

It also allows you to swap out the battery for a bigger and better one if you so wish.

While all of the above is something the iPad can't do, it's fairly obvious that the Toshiba tablet – with all that connectivity – is going to be one weighty and thick product.

We'll know for sure when we get our hands on the Toshiba tablet, which has a UK release date of spring, this February.

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BBC explains why radio is leaving the iPlayer

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 04:46 AM PST

Erik Huggers has outlined the reasoning behind pulling radio off of the iPlayer, and onto a new amalgamated radio and music channel that will be available on 'whatever internet–connected device you happen to have".

Radio programmes will still be listed in the iPlayer, but when someone clicks on them, they will be taken to the music channels rather than staying within the normal channel.

Huggers explained in a blog post that this was due to the inherent differences between the way people consume radio and television.

Different consumption

"While BBC iPlayer has been a good home for online radio, the way audiences want to interact with radio and music online is different to TV," said Huggers– who will soon leave the BBC for Intel.

"Radio and music will come out of BBC iPlayer, and we'll develop a new standalone product.

"All radio station sites, music events, podcasts and programme pages will be integrated to focus on highly interactive live radio, quick and seamless access to programming, support for new music and personalisation - on whatever internet-connected device you happen to have."

This bringing together of all of the BBC's music and audio could well prove to be popular with consumers; although, sadly, the changes come alongside a raft of cut-backs that will see many BBC staff lose their jobs.

Sony PSP2 'to come with 3G connection'

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 04:34 AM PST

The latest PSP2 rumour suggests that the gaming handheld will come with 3G data connectivity.

The data connection will mean that multiplayer games can be played from afar, as well as giving the PSP2 the potential to download videos, films and games wirelessly.

The PSP2, which will launch officially on 27 January, is also said to be toting Wi-Fi for when you're at home.

Crispy OLED

That's not all – the display is said to be an OLED touchscreen affair, which will mean crisp, delicious graphics and games which can be played without the keypads.

But if the PSP2 is set to offer 3G, then why bother with a separate PSP phone (to be revealed at Mobile World Congress)?

The main difference based on these rumours is that the PSP2 won't actually make calls, but the Sony Ericsson PlayStation phone will also be running Google's Android OS which will give it greater app-based functionality.

There are just three days left to wait for official details of the PSP2; if even half the many rumours are true, the PSP2 is set to give the Nintendo 3DS a real run for its money.

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Sky poised to buy The Cloud

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 03:53 AM PST

BSkyB is set to buy public Wi-Fi network The Cloud, as it looks to compete with the likes of BT in offering its broadband customers extended connectivity.

The move would see Sky broadband customers gain access to Wi-Fi while out and about, in much the same way that BT customers can use BT OpenZone.

An announcement is expected to be made on Thursday when the company reveals its latest earnings report.

Cloudy sky

As mobile networks struggle under the data demands of super-powered smartphones, public Wi-Fi has the potential to ease the strain.

But mobile network operators don't seem too bothered about providing the services themselves, instead allowing fixed-line operators to corner the market.

We're particularly interested to see that News Corp, which already owns Sky and The Sun, will now own The Cloud. It's all getting a little bit Monty Burns for our liking…



Updated: HTC Tablet rumours: what you need to know

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 03:29 AM PST

Once upon a time, Apple made a phone. Rivals tried to copy it, but the iPhone was too good and their efforts too bad.

And then HTC appeared. "Look!" it said. "A smartphone!" And the HTC phones were good, and lots of people bought them.

Now, though, Apple has seen similar success with its iPad – so does HTC have a tablet of its own to take on the iPad? If anyone can make a real iPad rival it's HTC, and while the HTC Tablet and specs haven't been acknowledged by HTC, the rumour mill says it's real.

On 17 December we reported on an interview with HTC CEO Peter Chou, which some news outlets took to be confirmation of an incoming HTC Tablet.

Here's what we know and what we'd like to see in the HTC Tablet.

HTC Tablet: Chrome OS no more?

We expected the first Chrome-powered tablet to come from HTC last month, but it didn't turn up. That's apparently because HTC has shifted its efforts to Android; the change of tack has put the HTC Tablet release date back, too.

HTC Tablet: Android 3.0

Pocket Lint says Taiwanese component manufacturers are gossiping like fishwives, claiming that the HTC Tablet OS will be Android 3.0.

HTC Tablet UI: Sensation

The skin that HTC uses on its Android phones - HTC Sense - may get a redesign and a new name for the HTC Tablet. HTC has trademarked HTC Sensation alongside a list of devices which include mobile phones, wireless devices and portable computers.

The HTC Tablet features look pretty nifty

If DigiTimes' sources are correct, the HTC Tablet and specs are in the capable hands of Taiwanese notebook maker Pegatron, whose name sounds fantastic if you shout it in your best Movie Trailer Man voice. Pegatron - PEGATRON! - has declined to comment, but DigiTimes says the tablet it's building runs a Tegra 2 processor, has a 1280 x 720 multi-touch panel, a 32GB solid state drive, 2GB of RAM and the usual Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.

The HTC Tablet features include "multimedia performance… stronger than that of iPad", Chrome Web Apps and the Android Market. Imagine an HTC Desire HD scaled up a bit and you get the idea. Sounds good to us.

The HTC Tablet release date could be in early 2011

Taiwanese gossips predict a Q1 2011 release, says Pocket Lint.

The HTC Tablet release date might be in Q2, not Q1

According to DigiTimes, Apple Daily says that a JP Morgan analyst says that Google is messing around with its Android support. Motorola is Google's priority for 3.0, LG will be priority for 3.5 and HTC follows on, which means the HTC Tablet won't ship before the second quarter of 2011.

UPDATE: ON 2 December 2010, DigiTimes reported vice president for HTC Asia Jack Tong as saying that HTC was currently evaluating the tablet market and had yet to make a decision as to whether it would launch a tablet. We're not sure we're convinced by that statement...

HTC Tablet features include something "really compelling", like a free horse or a time machine

Speaking to Pocket Lint, HTC's global PR boss Eric Lin said the firm wasn't interested in me-too devices. "If we just release an Android tablet we're one of 81… whereas if we have a compelling feature, a really compelling use, anything like that, then it'll help us to stand out. It's going to take a lot of work searching for that."

What could it be? A free horse? A time machine? We'll be gutted if it's just a slightly tweaked Sense UI.

The HTC Tablet may be called the HTC Evo Shift 4G

Engadget spotted some trademark filings where HTC was attempting to trademark the term HTC Evo Shift 4G.

Another smartphone, or something even bigger? Slashgear hopes it's "a 7-inch HTC tablet with integrated 4G to take on Samsung's Galaxy Tab". Any evidence for that? Of course not. This is the internet!

The HTC Tablet may be called the HTC Scribe

On 4 January 2011, we reported that HTC filed a trademark application on 26 December 2010 for a "handheld wireless device, namely a tablet computer". The name that has been applied for is the HTC Scribe.

The HTC Tablet may be called the HTC Flyer

Digitimes is quoting sources who say that the HTC Tablet will be called the HTC Flyer and looks like a big HTC Desire.

The HTC Tablet price may be $790

The DigiTimes report we mentioned earlier took a stab at the HTC Tablet price, and it predicts that without subsidy it'll be $789.75.

The HTC Tablet price might be zero

Download Squad says the HTC Tablet will launch on Verizon in the US with a price tag of zero depending on the tariff you choose. Similar deals are likely here: we've already seen Three, T-Mobile and Orange offer subsidised iPads.

The HTC Tablet is being made by Pegatron

PEGATRON!

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'Sensation' to be HTC's Android tablet skin?

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 03:02 AM PST

Sensational news! HTC's popular Android skin, Sense, may be getting a new name for its tablet iteration: HTC Sensation.

That's if a trademark filing from the Taiwanese company is anything to go by, which suggests that the range of HTC tablets we're eagerly awaiting could have the custom Android skin.

The trademark requests the words "HTC Sensation" officially belong to HTC and was filed alongside a list of relevant goods and services which includes mobile phones, wireless devices and portable computers.

Sensible

It's all sounding mighty tablet-y to us, and the evolution of the name from Sense to Sensation also makes, er, sense.

The success of HTC Sense has given HTC's Android smartphones a differentiating factor in the ever-swelling Android handset market, proving that a polished, attractive and above-all usable skin can be a boon to the Android OS.

So it'd be just dandy if tablet-specific Sense-like software makes its way to an HTC tablet, be it the HTC Scribe or Flyer or whatever.

Like all vaguely mobile-related news at the moment, Mobile World Congress 2011 could hold the answers. We'll keep you posted.

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New BBC iPlayer plans announced

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 03:00 AM PST

The BBC has announced plans to "re-shape" the iPlayer as a unified television offering – bringing together TV channels programme information as well as live and on-demand content, and will soon be offering 'selected' archive content.

In a raft of changes to the company's online services – which will see costs cut by £34 million – the BBC is looking to streamline its web offerings and shift the focus of its content.

One of those shifts will be around the iPlayer, with the BBC announcing that it would be one of five main product groupings in this brave new online world.

BBC iPlayer re-shaped

"The BBC iPlayer will be reshaped into a unified television offering, bringing together TV channels, programme information, and live and on-demand content," said the BBC.

"Selected archive content will be featured in TV & iPlayer and Radio & Music."

The statement also ruled out any move from the BBC to become an aggregator service for other television channels – although it will "link to other on-demand products".

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BBC to axe half of its 400 websites

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 03:00 AM PST

The BBC has announced major cutbacks of its online properties, with the aim of bringing costs down from £137 million to £103 million by 2013/14.

Half of the BBC's 400 "top line" domains will be closed, replacing the majority of its programme websites with automated content.

Those cuts will include changes to the iPlayer as well as major shifts into more local news and sport.

The biggest change to the iPlayer will be that it is being stripped of radio content. Instead users will be diverted to the radio and music channels.

Focus on news

News is to be the core of the new-look and substantially trimmed BBC Online, with the BBC's Erik Huggers saying about the changes: "News is absolutely central to service on BBC Online.

"There will be a high quality focus on video and audio, and a network of correspondents in the UK and the world.

"BBC services will have a much clearer focus on basics: local news, weather and travel.

"Sport is very important but not doing every sports news service means we can be more in depth."

Huggers also noted: "There will be a substantial reduction in showbusiness news and we will be dialing up our culture and arts content.

"There will be fewer news blogs and sport news. Services like 606 and BBC iPlayer message boards and H2G2 will go."

Cutting the huge success

"BBC online lies at the heart of the BBC' s digital future," said BBC Director General Mark Thompson.

"As in television and radio, licence fee payers look to the BBC to inform, educate and entertain them online.

"As digital technologies advance, internet delivery of content becomes more important and more profound in our lives.

"BBC Online is a huge success, but our vast portfolio of websites means we sometimes fall short of expectation. A refocusing of our editorial priorities, of commitment to the highest quality standards and a more streamlined and collegiate way of working will help us transform BBC Online for the future."

Those changes include increasing the quality of news, more culture and arts coverage, dynamic editions of BBC Online for each nation and more focus on live sport.

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BBC rules out creating Twitter and Facebook rival

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 03:00 AM PST

The BBC has ruled out launching its own social network to compete with the likes of Twitter and Facebook.

The integration of social networking tools into the iPlayer has been a big success for the BBC, but it has not decided to use its clout to bring a UK rival to the table.

"BBC Online will not launch its own social network," stated the BBC as it outlined a raft of cutbacks and changes to its online offering.

iPlayer - staying social

It was the third iteration of the iPlayer that brought social-networking tools to the service.

The use of Facebook and Twitter helped to bring more social integration to the iPlayer - so if your friends 'Like' something they have watched, it can be recommended for you to view.

The company has been asked to severely cut back the money it is spending on online, with some 200 websites set to close or be integrated into other sites by 2013/14. This has led to the BBC prioritsing just what it should do online - with social-networking being ruled out.

Erik Huggers, who recently announced he would be leaving the BBC for Intel, said about the cuts: "We're not here to launch our own social network.

"We're not in trade press business and will not publish local listings. We're not trying to do a Wikipedia here. We will aggregate well but will refer to other resources on the web.

"When it comes to video on demand, we will link out but will not be providing the technology [for rival services].

"And we will not invest in online sports rights."

The BBC has long been criticised by other broadcasters and newspapers for treading on their toes in the online sector, so Huggers' speech today will alleviate some of that animosity - unfortunately, though, hundreds of jobs will be lost in the process.

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Android phone to be sent into space

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 02:36 AM PST

Researchers at the University of Surrey and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd are planning to send a sub-£300 Android handset out into the final frontier.

A satellite containing the as yet unknown smartphone will be launched into orbit around the Earth later this year, in a project known as STRaND-1.

The researchers want to find out if the tiny, cheap yet technologically advanced components in smartphones can withstand the extreme changes in temperature, gravity, and atmosphere, with a view to incorporating them into regular satellites.

Satellite apps

Lead researcher Dr Chris Bridges explained: "Smartphones pack lots of components – such as sensors, video cameras, GPS systems and Wi-Fi radios – that are technologically advanced but a fraction of the size, weight and cost of components used in existing satellite systems."

"And because many smartphones also run on free operating systems that lend themselves to online software developers, the creators of applications ('apps') for smartphones could feasibly develop apps for satellites," he added.

"If a smartphone can be proved to work in space, it opens up lots of new technologies to a multitude of people and companies for space who usually can't afford it. It's a real game-changer for the industry."

And, presumably, for Android-owning astronauts.

It won't phone home

Putting ET's homemade Speak-n-Spell phone somewhat to shame, the handset will send images and messages back to earth via a radio system, and will even be used to operate parts of the satellite.

No doubt even Spielberg would have struggled to string ET borrowing Elliot's smartphone to text his family out into a full-length feature film.

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Competition: WIN! A Zotac GTX 480 graphics card and 3D kit from Nvidia

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 02:30 AM PST

The ZotacGTX 480 graphics card - £370 worth of polygon-pushing graphical wizardry using the latest Nvidia tech - was agreed by PC Format magazine earlier this year to be "the best single GPU money can buy."

We have managed to get hold of one of these beasts to give away as a competition prize, in addition to a bagful of 3D goodies from Nvidia, including some of the best 3D-ready PC games on the shelves right now.

All in, in addition to Zotac's GTX 480 card, Nvidia has given us a 3D Vision kit – worth £120 – and a pile of quality 3D-enabled PC games to keep the hardest of hardcore gamers more than happy well into spring 2011.

In addition to the card and the 3D kit, the prizewinner will also pick up a copy of Ubisoft's HAWX 2, an exclusive collector's edition of Blizzard's World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, as well as copies of 2K Games' Mafia 2, Capcom's Street Fighter IV and EA's Need For Speed Hot Pursuit.

You can see more on the Zotac GTX 480 over at Zotacusa.com and more on Nvidia's 3D Vision kit over at Nvidia.com.

To be in with a chance of winning one of these eight prizes, visit our Zotac competition page.

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Motorola Xoom: what you need to know

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 02:02 AM PST

Android seems to have given Motorola a new lease of life: its Android smartphones are pretty impressive, and now there's the Motorola Xoom Tablet to take on the iPad.

It's one of the most impressive tablets money can buy - but unfortunately you'll need a lot of money to buy it.

The Motorola Xoom price is £720

It is if you buy it from HandTec, anyway: the firm was the first to stick give the Motorola Xoom a UK price, and its initial price tag of £659.99 then rose to a whopping £719.99.

Don't expect to pay much less: the firm's VP of international marketing, Andrew Moreley, says "the Motorola Xoom is clearly a premium device with premium prices inside. This will show in the cost."

He doesn't think the price will stop the Xoom being successful, but then again tech execs don't tend to go around yelling "HOW much? Are we INSANE?"

The Motorola Xoom UK release date is a secret

Motorola seems happy to talk about price, but won't comment on when the Xoom UK release date will be - possibly because it's waiting for Google to get a move on and get Android 3.0 out the door. The Xoom tablet is pencilled in for Q1 release in the US, and we'd expect the UK one to turn up shortly afterwards.

The Motorola Xoom tablet software is Android 3.0

The Xoom was the poster child for Android 3.0, aka Honeycomb, at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas - and as you'd expect from one of the most powerful Android tablets we've seen to date, it makes Honeycomb look very impressive indeed.

The Motorola Xoom specifications include a big screen and HD cameras

As widely predicted, the Motorola Xoom tablet specifications revolve around a dual-core Nvida Tegra 2 processor, capable of pumping out 720p video to its 10.1-inch, 1280x800 display, or sending 1080p full HD to your TV via HDMI.

There's 1GB of RAM, 32GB of on-board storage that you can supplement with an SD card, twin cameras - 5MP at the back (for 720p video recording) and 2MP at the front - and a choice of 3G or Wi-Fi connectivity. An accelerometer and gyroscope ensure you'll be able to play games by waving it about, and Motorola claims 10 hours of battery life when you're watching videos.

The Motorola Xoom tablet has an SD card slot that doesn't work

As features go, a busted SD card slot isn't a major selling point. The problem is Android, not Motorola: as soon as Honeycomb supports MicroSD slots, the Xoom will too.

The Motorola Xoom will be upgradeable to 4G

The Xoom is a 3G/Wi-Fi device, but an additional module will give US customers 4G connectivity. By 4G Motorola means Verizon's LTE network.

There is a Wi-Fi-only Motorola Xoom too

Motorola is dropping enormous hints that a Wi-Fi-only Xoom tablet is on the cards. "A Wi-Fi only version hasn't been announced… but that will be an interesting development," says the enigmatic Mr Moreley.

The Motorola Xoom video takes a few liberties

The first half of this YouTube video makes the Xoom look like it's ten feet across. It isn't.

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Apple App Store reaches 10 billion downloads

Posted: 24 Jan 2011 01:51 AM PST

Apple has announced that its App Store reached the landmark of 10 billion app downloads over the weekend, with the 10 billionth app to be downloaded being a freebie, Paper Glider.

With iPhones, iPods and iPads all jacking into the store on a regular basis, it's no wonder Apple has hit huge numbers with its App Store.

What is surprising, though, is that a whopping 7 billion of those downloads were made in 2010.

Software revolution

"The App Store has revolutionised how software is created, distributed, discovered and sold," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing.

"While others try to copy the App Store, it continues to offer developers and customers the most innovative experience on the planet."

Apple has celebrated the 10 billionth download by giving the lucky downloader a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card.

This went to Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, in the UK. The gift voucher will mean she never has to worry about the price of an album again – unless she buys the rather pricey Beatles boxset, then she'll only have about a tenner left over.

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