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Best gadget news

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• Tech Week: iPad 2 unboxed, iPhone 5 pictures
• News@8pm: iPhone 5 NFC inclusion and Facebook phone
• INQ Cloud Touch Facebook phone to hit UK on April 6th
• Samsung 14-inch transparent LCD laptop display unveiled
• US military developing Android, iPhone, iPad apps
• Weird News: Bon Jovi's upset and the virus turns 40
• Xbox Kinect hack helps blind people navigate
• Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi pre-orders kick off
• Xperia Play release to enhance Android gaming
• iPhone 5 will have NFC, claims report
• News@10: iPhone 5 to get NFC again and Angry Birds update
• Amazon Android Appstore: new details outed
• New MacBook Pros struggling with iTunes Home Sharing
• Samsung 55-inch glasses-free 3D TV spied
• News@8pm: iPhone 5 cases, Gaming BAFTAs
• Official: Smartphone users spend longer on the loo
• Web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee given net neutrality role
• Nintendo 3DS breaks Amazon pre-order record
• iPad 2 pre-orders land with users despite reported delays
• Sky News launches iPad-specific video app
• Gaming BAFTAS: Mass Effect 2 takes top spot
• Facebook more popular than porn with UK internet users
• Apple iOS 4.3: Web apps run slow in new OS
• Black Ops: PS3 users to battle Treyarch devs online
• BlackBerry PlayBook now landing 15 April?

Tech Week: iPad 2 unboxed, iPhone 5 pictures Posted: 18 Mar 2011 01:00 PM PDT Posted by Richard Wordsworth on Fri 18 Mar 2011 All the top stories from the last seven days in tech. News of the Week The continuing top stories of the week continued, unsurpirsingly, to be those relating to either the US launch of the Apple iPad 2 last week, or the device's debut here in the UK on March 25th. Crafty UK iPad 2 fans who had tried to have US-ordered iPad 2s shipped to the UK got slapped down by Apple, which after shifting a reported million plus iPad 2s Stateside apparently couldn't afford the losses. In fact, the iPad 2 is selling so well in the States, there have even been rumours there might not be enough left for us. The horror. In social networking, Twitter celebrated its fifth birthday this week by tweeting a brief history of how the megasite got started. Looking to the future, and the whispers are that Google is gearing up to launch its own social network, Google Circles. We also heard that BlackBerry's PlayBook will pack in a RIM version of Apple's FaceTime and will most likely launch around April 15th. Nokia may or may not be going for a bite of the tablet apple (or, indeed, Apple tablet) with its own touchscreen tab. Samsung have also teased the 8.9 version of its Galaxy Tab 2, with the WiFi version of its current closest competitor, the Motorola Xoom, now available for pre-order in the States. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- App or the Week | Skype Super-cheap local and international calling from your mobile T3 App Chart | Top 10 iPhone Apps | Skype review --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Features of the Week With UK Apple fans just itching for excuses to drop half a grand on the iPad 2, we put together a feature of the best apps to download the moment they prise the tablet out of the box, and another on the most stylish cases with which to protect your investment. Also of interest to said fans will be our collection of every iPhone 5 image, from official (ish) leaked designs to wacky concepts, that's caught our eye in the last couple of months. For non-devotees of Apple, our big test this week was the top five gaming PCs available to gaming's hardcore right now. And if you've got the best gaming rig (or even just a new telly), it'd be madness to skimp on a top-end audio system to go with it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- T3 Podcast - The web's biggest audio gadget show The T3 tech team discuss the weeks top news and their gadget of the week T3 Podcast episode 173 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reviews of the Week Speaking of gaming, we've been getting stuck into Red Dawn-esque shooter Homefront this week, defending a crippled Uncle Sam from a North Korean invasion. Find out what we made of it in our review. We also got to unwrap the T3 iPad 2 (it's been going round the office distracting staffers all week) and put the new wunder-tablet through its paces. While we were at it, we also gathered our thoughts on iOS 4.3, the brains behind all that iPad 2 goodness.   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

News@8pm: iPhone 5 NFC inclusion and Facebook phone Posted: 18 Mar 2011 01:00 PM PDT Posted by Luke Johnson on Fri 18 Mar 2011 Welcome to your nightly round-up of the day's news and goings on courtesy of T3.com. Future Samsung products have been on display at the International Flat Panel Display show in China as the company unveils a bevy of exciting new tech. Having shown off a 55-inch glasses-free 3DTV Sammy went on to showcase a new 14-inch laptop with a transparent LCD display, nifty but slightly pointless.   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ App of the Day | App Stop App Stop is a little more uncouth than some application stoppers. It stops all running apps. Like, DEAD. T3 App Chart | Top 10 Nokia Apps | App Stop Review ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Apple's roundabout continues as the mooted iPhone 5 continues to play the hokey kokey with NFC having had it in, then out now after a shake-it-all-about it appears the iPhone 5 will host NFC tech when launched later in the year. Elsewhere on the Apple front and reports of MacBook Pro devices struggling with iTunes homeshare features.   New mobile handsets are on the horizon with another addition in teh form of the INQ Cloud Touch now official pegged with an April 6th UK release date. Joining this, the March 31st arrival of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play has been discussed by an SE head who declared the device will push gaming forward across the whole Android platform. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

INQ Cloud Touch Facebook phone to hit UK on April 6th Posted: 18 Mar 2011 09:58 AM PDT Posted by Luke Johnson on Fri 18 Mar 2011 Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy to host INQ Cloud Touch INQ’s ‘Facebook phone’, the INQ Cloud Touch is to officially touch down in the UK on April 6th exclusively with Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy, the handset manufacturer has confirmed.   Set to be made available SIM free, on a pay monthly contract or as a pay as you go option, the Cloud Touch is a Facebook-centric handset that although not officially branded by the blue-hued social network giant has Mark Zuckerberg’s creation at its very core.   Related links INQ Facebook phone unveiled as Cloud Touch Facebook phone details revealed INQ Cloud Touch Video review Sporting Google’s Android 2.2, FroYo, OS, the INQ Cloud Touch features a bespoke UI with Facebook integration at its heart. Boasting the familiar Facebook icons on its home page, users can check and change status, view notifications, sent private messages and keep track of event invites without having to download and open the Android Facebook app.   Lining up at £299.95 SIM free, the Cloud Touch, which hosts a 3.5-inch 480x320p touchscreen and a 5-megapixel snapper, will be available next month from the two retailers free on a £20 per month contract or for a one off fee of £199.95 on PAYG.   Can the INQ Cloud Touch attract the Facebook generation and trouble the likes of the HTC Desire and other leading Android handsets? Let us know what you think via the T3 Twitter and Facebook feeds. While you wait for the handset's UK release on April 6th, why not check out our T3 INQ Cloud Touch video review below.   INQ Cloud Touch video review Via: INQ Facebook phone video | Source: T3 Tech Videos   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Samsung 14-inch transparent LCD laptop display unveiled Posted: 18 Mar 2011 09:31 AM PDT Posted by Luke Johnson on Fri 18 Mar 2011 Samsung to release transparent gadgets later this year Samsung has showcased a new notebook with a 14-inch transparent LCD display, allowing users to browse the web whilst seeing what’s happening on the other side of their PC.   On display at the International Flat Panel Display Show in China, Samsung unveiled its latest foray into transparent screened gadgets with the new 14-inch LCD offering touting an impressive 1680 x 1080p resolution.   Related links Samsung showcases largest transparent AMOLED display Future Tech: The gadgets of tomorrow Future Tech: 20 years in tech Although visually impressive, positive practical applications for such transparent displays remain a relative mystery. Despite this Samsung has reportedly revealed it plans on using such displays in devices later this year.   Having previously demoed 14-inch transparent OLED displays, Samsungs latest LCD offers appear more likely to be put into production with transparent laptops expected to hit stores by the end of 2011 or early into the New Year.   Do you see practical uses in transparent laptop displays or do you see right through the gimmick? Share your thoughts via the T3 Twitter and Facebook feeds.   Via: GeekyGadgets   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

US military developing Android, iPhone, iPad apps Posted: 18 Mar 2011 08:49 AM PDT Posted by Chris Smith on Fri 18 Mar 2011 Soldiers to be equipped with apps for the battlefield The US military is working on a host of smartphone apps for Android, iPhone and iPad to assist their forces in the field, according to reports.   Military contractors Harris and ISS are working with the Pentagon on applications that could work on 'ruggedised' smartphones, rather than expensive bespoke machinery, and keep soldiers out of harms way.   More from the T3 App Chart Best iPad apps Best mobile games reviewed Call of Duty: Zombies app review Best apps: 50 Mobile apps to change your life Our top rated iPhone apps Harris is working on an app that uses the iPad 2's video conferencing capabilities to control the camera on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), using multi-touch gestures to search for targets. The data can then be transmitted quickly to command centres.   John Delay of Harris says: "You can steer the camera and look at what you want. There's a lot of interest in this. If you can use sensors to give the ability to grab control of a camera and look over a hill, that is huge.   "They [the military] are realizing that the media and entertainment industry are going faster than they can go, and for the first time in history, commercial developers are ahead, so they are looking to adapt those technologies"   ISS, meanwhile, is preparing an application that uses GPS-mapping to let a ground soldier know which areas have already been bombed. According to Computer World "geo-mapping on the smartphones would be super-imposed with historical data sent wirelessly from a command center, showing the locations and types of encounters - from shootings and bombings to arrests - to better prepare troops on the ground."   Let the CSD (Campaign for Smartphone Disarmament) protests commence!   Link: Computer World This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Weird News: Bon Jovi's upset and the virus turns 40 Posted: 18 Mar 2011 07:30 AM PDT Posted by Adam Bunker on Fri 18 Mar 2011 We take a look at the more eccentric side of tech's last seven days... Kinect for the blind Those crazy Kinect hackers have clearly gotten bored of bashing it until it does porn-related things and done something pretty useful. If it will finally silence all those scaremongering types who believe that so much as looking at a computer game will transform you into a brainless murder machine, then T3 will do all it can to help. Steve Jobs riles Bon Jovi Finger pointing’s pretty easy. Lift up a hand and fold in all your digits bar the index. There you go! You’re doing it! Way to go, champ, etc, etc. Thing is… no matter how hard you point that finger, it still won’t bring back your long lost fame and fan adoration. Sorry, Jovi: you’ll have to just go back to hazily piecing the 80s together in your head, just like the rest of us. The Royal fridge Looking forward to the Royal Wedding bank holiday bonanza? So are we. We’re looking forward to it so much we’ve gone and bought a royal wedding fridge - so we can spend the next ten years or so prizing the future king’s face apart and stuffing it with piccalilli. And maybe some brie. Get beaten to smithereens on CoD Having a good day? Sounds like you need taking down a peg or two. We prescribe getting online to play Call of Duty against the people who painstakingly built every level, pixel by pixel. Money can’t buy the kind of humiliation and frustration you get from being repeatedly shot in the face by 8 uber gamers at once. The computer virus turns 40 The internet still seems like it’s in its infancy, but this week marked the 40th anniversary of the first time some malicious, fidgety prick bundled together a computer bug in his mum’s garage. Human nature, apparently, will ensure that wherever there’s a miraculous wonder-service, there will always be people trying to smash it to bits. Presumably, Norton Security doesn’t mind all that much. Smartphone owners spend longer in the littlest room Hardly the surprise of the century, is it? Turns out that the second we all got access to every single bit of information on the planet from the little magic box in our pockets, squeezing out back-passage travellers dropped down a priority. You can never get that time back, you know. Click the link for the specific numbers, or don’t and we’ll all just get on with our lives. And Finally… It’s got Star Wars in it, so you’ll probably like it:   See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Xbox Kinect hack helps blind people navigate Posted: 18 Mar 2011 04:09 AM PDT Posted by Adam Bunker on Fri 18 Mar 2011 Laptop, Kinect and headset unit gives directions We’ve seen all manner of ingenious Kinect hacks. The hardware lends itself to some amazing, useful and often hilarious purposes, the potential for which has brought out the best in developers. Case in point is this latest one from the University of Konstanz in Germany, who’ve turned the gaming add-on into an aide for the blind. Related links Xbox Kinect hack: First Kinect sex game Xbox Kinect hack: Interactive pornography Kinect air guitar hack lets you shred thin air Xbox Kinect hack: Gesture controlled web pages The device, named NAVI (Navigational Aids for the Visually Impaired), uses a complex system of sensors – with the Kinect at its core – that sends an augmented reality version of the users’ surroundings to a laptop, which processes the image into simple audio commands. These commands, such as ‘turn left’ etc, are sent to a Bluetooth headset. The whole rig is pretty cumbersome, but it’s very early days. That said, it’s easy to see future applications for the tech from the video below, assuming they can get the bulk down:   How Kinect works - See our exclusive report from Microsoft HQ     This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi pre-orders kick off Posted: 18 Mar 2011 04:01 AM PDT Posted by Joe Minihane on Fri 18 Mar 2011 Still no definite date for when us Brits will be able to play nice with Moto's slate. The Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi only model has just been put up for pre-order across the pond, with the 3G-free tablet costing a hefty $599 (£370) up front. It comes just weeks after the Xoom first hit shelves in the States. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Motorola XOOM video    Source: T3 Tech Videos ---------------------------------------------------------------------------   Related links Motorola Xoom review Best tablets: iPad alternatives Motorola Xoom UK price to be 'premium'   Stateside gadget fanatics who front up now will get their mitts on the Xoom from the 27 March, next Saturday. While that’s great news for everyone in the US, there’s still no specific UK release date, with only the vague promise of ‘April’ keeping Android fanatics interested.   The Xoom is the first Android Honeycomb tablet to be released, packing a Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor, 5 megapixel camera and lush 10-inch screen.   For more on this and the rest of the day’s gadget news, stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter pages. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Xperia Play release to enhance Android gaming Posted: 18 Mar 2011 03:52 AM PDT Posted by Luke Johnson on Fri 18 Mar 2011 Xperia Play to push gaming credentials of Google's Android OS With the UK release of the eagerly awaited Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, formerly known as the PSP phone, less than two weeks away, Sony Ericsson has spoken out on the handset’s Android enhancing gaming capabilities. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sony Ericsson Xperia Play video    Source: T3 Tech Videos -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Due to hit British stores on March 31st, a week after Nintendo release the revolutionary Nintendo 3DS to a UK market and Apple’s iPad 2 touches down on these shores, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play will enter a UK market flush with high-end portable gaming devices.   Related links Xperia Play gets March 31st UK release Xperia Play PSP phone now official Sony Ericcson Xperia Play video Speaking with gadget site Tech Radar, Dave Hilton, Sony Ericsson’s UK & Ireland Marketing Director, has spoken out on how the company plans to dominate the portable gaming market and help enhance the Android OS the Xperia Play will run on. He said: "We've worked very closely with Google and Android to make Android the best mobile gaming platform and really go beyond the competition.”   He added: "As well as working with games developers directly, we've also formed key partnerships to enhance the whole gaming ecosystem – most notably with Unity, a developer pool that helps devs get their games on to every platform. It's really a sign of how seriously developers are taking the Play." With mobile gaming through apps rising to prominence over the past year Hilton concluded of pushing gaming on the Android platform: "It's a means to an end for us, but improving the quality of Android gaming as a whole is definitely a part of what we're doing.”   Which portable gaming device piques your interest the 3DS, iPad 2 or Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play? Let us know via the T3 Twitter and Facebook feeds and check out the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Facebook page for a chance to win a trip to a fancy London launch event.   Via: TechRadar   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

iPhone 5 will have NFC, claims report Posted: 18 Mar 2011 03:17 AM PDT Posted by Joe Minihane on Fri 18 Mar 2011 Rumour refutes last week's Independent story which claimed Apple wasn't keen on NFC. Until last week, the iPhone 5 and NFC seemed about as likely to come as a pair as John Lennon and Yoko Ono. But then a report from The Independent suggested Apple wasn’t keen on including the tech as it didn’t yet have a ‘clear standard across the industry’. Related links iPhone 5: features and info we know so far iPhone 5 design drawings leaked? iPhone 5 leak: bigger screen, thinner bezel   Now though, Forbes is claiming the iPhone 5 will come loaded up with NFC. Its reporter Elizabeth Woyke says she’s spoken with an entrepreneur who’s using NFC for a product of his own, who reckons he’s been told by an insider at Apple that the tech will be included in the new blower.   That does seem a tad tenuous, but then it also seems strange that Apple would ditch something which had widely been assumed as one of the new phone’s key features. If it doesn’t pack NFC into the iPhone 5, it can expect to lose the mobile wallet initiative to Android in the coming months.   Is NFC a do or die feature for you? Or can you live without it? Let us know what you think on our Facebook and Twitter pages.   Via Forbes This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

News@10: iPhone 5 to get NFC again and Angry Birds update Posted: 18 Mar 2011 03:00 AM PDT Posted by Luke Johnson on Fri 18 Mar 2011 T3 scans the Twitterverse to bring you a handy daily round-up of gadget news, tech rumours and randomness from the WWW. Kick back with your morning cuppa and catch up. Friday   MOBILE NEWS @TechRadar - Sony Ericsson: 'Android gaming improved by Xperia Play'     ONLINE NEWS @Guardian - Yahoo to 'sell Delicious for $1 million'     IPHONE NEWS @PocketLint - iPhone 5 could boast NFC tech after all     APP NEWS @GeekyGadgets - Angry Birds HD update features advertising     IPAD NEWS @Engadget - Smart Cover magnets can turn your Apple tablet into a fridgepad      Get more news, views and tech tips:    T3 on Twitter Direct your web attentions to twitter.com/t3dotcom for a feed of all the latest tech news and gadgetry goodness. We’ll also reach out for your opinions for future features, so have your brains ready.       T3 on Facebook Facebook.com/t3mag is our handle. Don’t worry though, we spend much less time growing Farmville crops and poking strangers than we do divulging tech info.     This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Amazon Android Appstore: new details outed Posted: 18 Mar 2011 02:11 AM PDT Posted by Joe Minihane on Fri 18 Mar 2011 Cheaper apps revealed as store briefly goes live. More news has emerged about Amazon’s Android Appstore, after it briefly went live online yesterday. The new app emporium is set to undercut Google’s Market with certain apps, as well as offering exclusives add-ons. Related links Amazon Appstore to allow pre-loading on Android phones Amazon Appstore hitting Android imminently? Angry Birds Rio to be Amazon Appstore exclusive   The Android fanatics at AndroidNews.de found that out of 30 apps revealed while the store was live, 14 of them were cheaper than on Android Market. What’s more, titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Force Recon and Highborn will only be up for grabs from Amazon’s store.   Accessing Amazon’s apps will require Android owners to download the store itself from Android Market. The service is expected to launch in the coming weeks, with punters also able to buy apps online and load them up onto Android phones as they buy them from Amazon.   Excited by Amazon’s Appstore? Let us know what you think on our Facebook and Twitter pages now.   Via Into Mobile This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

New MacBook Pros struggling with iTunes Home Sharing Posted: 18 Mar 2011 12:54 AM PDT Posted by Joe Minihane on Fri 18 Mar 2011 New top-end laptops having trouble working with beefed up iTunes Home Sharing. The new MacBook Pro line-up is undoubtedly ace. But it seems the pricey, unibody machines are struggling to work with the recently beefed up iTunes Home Sharing function, with users unable to stream content from their MacBook Pros to Apple TVs, iPhones and iPads. Related links Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch review 2011 Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch 2011 review New Macbook Pro specs leaked Apple MacBook Air review Apple Macbook Air 11-inch review Apple iPad review   Apple’s official discussion boards have been alive with chat about the problem, with users unable to find a workaround and some even returning their machines to the Cupertino company.   Users claim that they cannot see their media library at all on iOS devices. Word is the problem could have something to do with the new MacBook Pros’ updated Intel chips, although owners of older top-end Apple laptops have also complained about similar problems.   Is your new MacBook Pro not working with iTunes Home Sharing? Let us know on our Facebook and Twitter pages.   Via Apple Insider This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Samsung 55-inch glasses-free 3D TV spied Posted: 18 Mar 2011 12:41 AM PDT Posted by Joe Minihane on Fri 18 Mar 2011 Sammy's new effort looks ace, but no word on when it'll land. Samsung’s 3D TVs are already pretty special. And the Korean giant is planning on taking its three dimensional panels to the next level, showing off a new 55-inch glasses-free effort at a Chinese trade show. Related links Best 3D tech: best 3D gadgets for 2011 Best 3D gadgets of CES 2011 3DTV lists: Best 3D TVs   The new TV can be flicked from 3D into 2D mode, with nine three dimensional viewing angles. Sammy says it’ll have a LED backlight when it finally hits shelves too.   The bad news? This huge telly isn’t going to be up for grabs for another three years, by which point rival glasses-free 3D tellies will be storming ahead.   Should Samsung step up production of its next-gen 3D prototype? Tell us what you think on our Facebook and Twitter pages now.   Via Tech On This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

News@8pm: iPhone 5 cases, Gaming BAFTAs Posted: 17 Mar 2011 01:00 PM PDT Posted by Richard Wordsworth on Thu 17 Mar 2011 Welcome to your nightly round-up of the day's news and goings on courtesy of T3.com. Further developments (of a sort) on the iPhone 5 front, as an apparent leaked case reveals more hints about the upcoming handset's form factor - in as much as it will be exactly the same as the iPhone 4, if the peddlars of the case are to be believed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- App of the Day: Cut the Rope HD The winner of the Video Game BAFTA award for Best Handheld Game gets an HD makeover T3 App Chart | Best iPad Apps | Cut the Rope HD review ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dara O'Briain and the stars of the video gaming industry (and T3, of course) were all present and correct at last night's Video Game BAFTA awards ceremony. We hobnobbed shamelessly with the biggest names in gaming and brought home the results in our exclusive video. Social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter have pipped porn to the top of the list of things UK internet users browse for online. Social networking sites trumped the previous holder of the crown, entertainment sites, with 2.4 billion hits last month. You know what they say: Facebook is the new nudity. The BlackBerry PlayBook, RIM's shot across the bows of the good ship iPad, is reportedly landing on April 15th - in Canada at least. But will an April relese date put the BlackBerry tablet too far behind the likes of the iPad 2 and Motorola Xoom in the tablet race? PS3 Black Ops fans in search of new challenges in their online operations are in for a treat tonight, with star players from Treyarch, the developers of the game, taking on fans in death matches online. The kickoff time is 8pm UK time, so if you want in and you're reading this, stop. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Official: Smartphone users spend longer on the loo Posted: 17 Mar 2011 09:59 AM PDT Posted by Richard Wordsworth on Thu 17 Mar 2011 New study reveals that Android and Apple owners are being delayed for over 20 minutes on the loo by their handsets. Smartphones, eh? Where would we be without them? Well, we'd apparently be spending a lot less time on the loo, according to a new study published by Gaj-it.com. Related links T3 App Chart: The best apps, for the loo or elsewhere Best iPhone apps Best Android apps Of the 400 smartphone owners polled (200 iPhone users, 200 Android users), 78 percent claim that owning a smartphone has increased the length of their average bathroom visitation, with iPhone users being particularly distracted from the business at hand by their smartphones (89 percent of iPhone owners are affected, versus a mere 67 percent of Android users). Toilet habits for iPhone and Android habits were similar in terms of popularity, with users on both platforms plumping in the main for a spot of mobile gaming, followed closely by web browsing to wile away their reign atop the porcelain throne. Checking e-mails and text messages came in next on the list, and a shameless 2 percent of those questioned spent their supposed alone time making and receiving calls. Perhaps most disturbing of all, though, are the remaining 1% of Apple and Android users who felt the above options failed to accurately capture their bathroom relationships with their handsets and picked "other". We shudder to think. Source: Gaj-it   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee given net neutrality role Posted: 17 Mar 2011 09:55 AM PDT Posted by Luke Johnson on Thu 17 Mar 2011 World Wide Web creator to adopt new net position Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the man largely responsible for the World Wide Web, has been tasked with promoting net neutrality in the UK.   Working alongside the Broadband Stakeholder Group Berners-Lee will look to build on the current voluntary code of practise for ISPs in the UK with the nation’s Culture Minister, Ed Vaisey, describing his role as expanding “the agreement to cover managing and maintaining the open internet.”   Related links Facebook ruining the internet says Berners-Lee T3 Tech 100 | No. 36: Sir Time Berners-Lee Sir Tim Berners-Lee appologises for the forward slashes The three basic rules that currently make up the code of practise for ISPs have been crafted by Vaisey with the culture minister detailing their guidelines. He said:  "The first is users should be able to access all legal content. Second, there should be no discrimination against content providers on the basis of commercial rivalry and finally traffic management policies should be clear and transparent.”   Further pushing the need for net neutrality Vaisey added: "The internet has brought huge economic and social benefits across the world because of its openness and that must continue."   Whilst there is currently no legislation in place in the UK enforcing net neutrality, Berners-Lee’s new role will see him working alongside key web players such as Google and the BBC to ensure the web stays free and open to all. On his new position and the proposals for neutrality Berners-Lee stated: "While transparency about traffic management policy is a good thing, best practices should also include the neutrality of the net. The web has grown so fast precisely because we have had two independent markets, one for connectivity, and the other for content and applications."   Do you agree with the net neutrality proposals? Share your thoughts on the matter via the T3 Twitter and Facebook feeds.   Via: TechRadar   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Nintendo 3DS breaks Amazon pre-order record Posted: 17 Mar 2011 07:51 AM PDT Posted by Richard Wordsworth on Thu 17 Mar 2011 Nintendo's upcoming 3DS blows pre-order sales of Wii and DSi out of the water. The first 3D handheld, the Nintendo 3DS, has smashed Amazon pre-order records, Amazon revealed today. The 3DS, which goes on sale on March 25th along with the iPad 2, has pre-orders 56% higher than the Nintendo Wii and a whopping 255% higher than the Nintendo DSi. Related links Nintendo 3DS: Everything you need to know Nintendo 3DS review Nintendo 3DS UK launch plans detailed with midnight release Nintendo 3DS sells out in Japan "It's unusual for a handheld console to attract this amount of excitement in the run up to launch," says Chris Poad, Amazon's UK director of video games. "Such high levels of interest are normally reserved for the play-at-home hardware like the ground-breaking Nintendo Wii and last year’s Microsoft Kinect." "Nintendo 3DS is launching at a time when interest in all things 3D is incredibly high" Poad went on to say. "With the promise of real 3D graphics without glasses, it’s a real breakthrough in handheld video game entertainment." The 3DS was released in Japan at the end of February, and eager Japanese gamers snapped up all 400,000 handhelds before the end of the launch weekend . The Nintendo 3DS is currently available for pre-order from Amazon for £187 - a full £42 under the asking price, and currently the cheapest place we can find to offer it (tied with Morrisons). March 25th is looking to be an expensive day in tech. Picking up a Nintendo 3DS on launch day? Check out our quick preview video below for a look at the device in action.   Source: T3 Tech Videos This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

iPad 2 pre-orders land with users despite reported delays Posted: 17 Mar 2011 07:29 AM PDT Posted by Luke Johnson on Thu 17 Mar 2011 iPad 2 online orders start shipping Pre-orders made online for the eagerly awaited Apple iPad 2 have started landing on doorsteps as shipping dates for the in demand tablet stretch to four to five weeks.   iPad 2 Review, News, Pics iPad 2 Review & Hands On: Apple iPad 2 review Apple iPad 2 review: Hands-on video Apple iPad 2 video: Hands-on Apple iPad 2: T3's first impressions Apple iPad 2: Your verdict needed iPad 2 Video: Apple iPad 2 video Apple iPad 2 video: 10 Things to do first iPad 2 Pics: Apple iPad 2 pics: Official photos released Apple iPad 2: Pictures from the Apple event iPad 2 Tips & Apps: Best iPad 2 apps: Download essentials Apple iPad 2: 10 Things you need to know iPad 2 News: Apple iPad 2 launch: Made official Apple iPad 2: Twitter reacts iPad 2 Price: Apple iPad 2 confirmed for Orange, T-mobile Original iPad price slashed Having hit stores across the US last Friday, Apple has reported stock shortages of the iPad 2 that has lead to concerns of a delayed UK arrival. Those eager stateside iPad 2 owners who placed online orders shortly after sales started, however, are now reporting shipments arriving.   With the second-generation Apple tablet hitting US stores less than a week ago, with opening weekend sales rumoured to have topped the one million unit mark, Apple is reported to be managing inventory levels in stores and holding stocks over to ensure supplies the following day.   Officially unveiled earlier this month by Steve Jobs in San Francisco the Apple iPad 2 is scheduled to land in the UK next Friday, March 25th featuring the new ARM A5 dual-core processor, front and rear mounted cameras and a new slimmer, lighter form factor.   Will you be splashing out on the iPad 2 when it hits the UK next week? Let us know via the T3 Twitter and Facebook feeds. While you await the UK arrival of the iPad 2 why not check out our hands on videos with the device below.       Apple iPad 2: 10 Things to do Source: Apple iPad 2 video: 10 Things you should do first | Via: T3 Tech Videos     Via: MacRumors   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Sky News launches iPad-specific video app Posted: 17 Mar 2011 06:14 AM PDT Posted by Chris Smith on Thu 17 Mar 2011 App will be free for now, but the subscription monster is coming to get you soon. Sky News has launched a brand new app for iPad, featuring a video wall bringing the day's key stories to users, on-demand.   Rather like the red button action on the TV channel, the new app features on-demand video from the day's most newsworthy happenings, as well as photo galleries, text stories from the Sky News website, and interactive graphics.   More from the T3 App Chart Best iPad apps iPad news apps rated Best apps: 50 Mobile apps to change your life Sky Mobile TV for iPad review Our top rated iPhone apps Users are also able to watch the Sky News channel live, but will also have the ability to wind back the live stream if they miss the first part of a story. Stories will be added to the on-demand library as soon as they're shown on the channel.   The app, which is initially free to iPad owners, showcases a completely new design and different MO to the popular iPhone and iPod touch app. After a period of time yet to be determined, non-Sky subscribers will have to pay for the service via an in-app subscription.   The app looks like a big step forward for Sky in their battle to outdo similar apps from BBC News and CNN. The company said it was also looking to add to its 10.2 million downloads on the App Store by branching out into Android Honeycomb in the near future.   Link: Sky News (via The Guardian)   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Gaming BAFTAS: Mass Effect 2 takes top spot Posted: 17 Mar 2011 05:23 AM PDT Posted by Richard Wordsworth on Thu 17 Mar 2011 The year's top video games celebrated at Hilton Park Lane event. The results of this year's Video Game BAFTAS, the Oscars-style event celebrating the best games of the year, were announced last night at the awards ceremony at the Hilton Park Lane, with T3 on hand to record the proceedings and chat to the faces behind the biggest games of the past 12 months. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- T3 at the Video Game BAFTAS   Source: T3 Tech Videos -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related links T3 gaming reviews PS3 holographic gaming in development Best gaming tech 2011 Games console concepts we wish were real This year's winners included Bioware's space-hopping RPG Mass Effect 2, which picked up Best Game; rennaissance era stab-em-up Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, which took the award for Best Action Game; Super Mario Galaxy 2, which was awarded Best Gameplay; and the child-stealing, controller-waving murder mystery Heavy Rain, which disappeared into the night with both the awards for Technical Innovation and for Best Original Soundtrack. The GAME Award, sponsored by GAME and the only award decided by public voting, was won by Call of Duty: Black Ops (no surprise there) and Peter Molyneux, the creator of over two decades of blockbuster titles from Fable 3 right back to 1989's Populous, was awarded a BAFTA fellowship for his contributions to gaming. In addition, T3 mobile fav Cut The Rope - which we awarded five stars on the T3 App Chart - also picked up the award for the Best Handheld Game. See? We do know what we're talking about.   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Facebook more popular than porn with UK internet users Posted: 17 Mar 2011 04:57 AM PDT Posted by Luke Johnson on Thu 17 Mar 2011 Social outlets surpass entertainment atop UK internet usage charts Social networking sites are now the most popular destination for the UK’s web users beating pornography websites and all other entertainment outlets, new figures have revealed.   The stats, from Experian Hitwise, have shown that during January social networking websites received more than 2.4 billion hits from UK users, totalling up to 12.46 per cent, almost one eighth of all UK web visits.   Related links More Facebook friends could lead to more stress Facebook confirm half of UK population now signed up Tech Etiqquette: Facebook Whilst visits to entertainment websites such as the BBC’s iPlayer dropped over the same period to 12.18 per cent of all UK traffic, visits to social outlets such as Facebook and Twitter continued to rise with the average social site visit being dragged out to 22 minutes.   Unsurprisingly Facebook was the most popular destination for the UK’s social hungry web users accounting for around 56 per cent of all social networking traffic. The new figures come just weeks after Facebook officially announced that more than 30 million UK residents, half of the country’s population, is signed up to the Zuckerberg-founded web sensation.   Do social networking websites dominate your web use or are you still an avid entertainment pursuer? Let us know via the T3 Twitter and Facebook feeds.   Via: TechWatch   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Apple iOS 4.3: Web apps run slow in new OS Posted: 17 Mar 2011 04:42 AM PDT Posted by Richard Wordsworth on Thu 17 Mar 2011 Web app developers cry foul over Apple's crippling of HTML 5 applications. Apple's stance on Adobe's Flash is well known, but now web app developers are complaining that HTML 5 - the web programming language that Apple said it was backing instead of Flash - is getting the short end of stick from Jobs and Co. as well. Related links Jobs: why Apple bans Adobe Flash Adobe unhappy with iPad's lack of Flash Apple face US govt. probe over Flash ban Apple iPhone gets Flash via Skyfire app T3 App Chart: Skyfire review Developers are claiming that web apps, which can either be run from the browser or downloaded and launched from the Apple homescreen, are running more than twice as slowly as they should when downloaded to iDevices, due to a bug in the recently released iOS 4.3 software. However, according to The Register, some developers (who wished to remain nameless) have called shenanigans on Apple, claiming that the bug in iOS 4.3 is no mistake, but an Apple conspiracy to kneecap HTML 5-based web apps by making them look worse than they really are. So the theory goes, this will steer users toward the Apple App Store, where they will buy official app replacements for which Apple takes a 30% cut. Apple have so far refused to comment on the issue, so whether the performance drop is just part of iOS 4.3 growing pains or dastardly manoeuvring on Apple's part remains to be seen. The controversy is the second time this month Apple have been accused of trying to elbow out the competition for its App Store, after developers of subscription-based applications complained over the new Apple Subscriptions scheme which hit their profits by 30%. Via: The Register   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Black Ops: PS3 users to battle Treyarch devs online Posted: 17 Mar 2011 04:03 AM PDT Posted by Richard Wordsworth on Thu 17 Mar 2011 Call of Duty: Black Ops developers take up arms against CoD fans online. Reckon you're the John Rambo of Call of Duty: Black Ops? Developers Treyarch are giving PS3 users a chance to prove their worth as virtual soldiers by stepping onto the battlefield against the very people who built the game. Related links Call of Duty: Black Ops review Call of Duty: Black Ops 3D review Call of Duty: Black Ops breaks Modern Warfare 2 records In order to take part, PS3 users must have downloaded the First Strike map pack, which includes four new maps for the mutliplayer, plus one new map for the Black Ops zombie mode. To get in on the gun-toting action, PlayStation users need to send a friend request or invite to the any of the following PSN IDs: Treyarch_A TreyarchB TreyarchC TreyarchD TreyarchE TreyarchF TreyarchG TreyarchI The games will take place from 8pm tonight until 1am tomorrow morning. Lock and load, soldier. Call of Duty: Black Ops trailer   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

BlackBerry PlayBook now landing 15 April? Posted: 17 Mar 2011 04:02 AM PDT Posted by Joe Minihane on Thu 17 Mar 2011 Long wait for BlackBerry's iPad rival is almost over. Over six months since it was first paraded by RIM, the BlackBerry PlayBook finally looks set to make its way into the wild. A leaked calendar note sent to Canadian Staples stores suggests the slate will be out, in Canada at least, on 15 April. Related links BlackBerry PlayBook coming 10 April? Best tablets: iPad alternatives BlackBerry PlayBook review: hands-on   The entry for 15 April says, “Bragging rights for the District that sells the most PlayBooks today.” That’s about as clear as it gets without RIM itself weighing in and confirming the release date.   With a Canadian release pegged for mid-April, it’s likely the US will feel the love around the same time. As for a UK release, that’s still unclear. The PlayBook will have plenty of work to do if it wants to grab the headlines, with the iPad 2 storming ahead and the HTC Flyer due out at the same time.   Will you be buying a PlayBook? Or has RIM left its release too late? Tell us what you think on our Facebook and Twitter pages.   Via CrackBerry This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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