Techradar

eBay offers 50 free listings a month for all
Google revamps iOS search app
T-Mobile partners with Groupon for £49 iPad deal
Vodafone to sell the iPad 2
Vodafone to sell the iPad 2
T-Mobile partners with Groupon for £49 iPad deal
Networks react to lowered termination rates
Networks react to lowered termination rates
Google StreetView website gets major overhaul
Google StreetView website gets major overhaul
Exclusive: Acer: There's no 'Swiss Army knife' approach for consumers
Exclusive: Acer: There's no 'Swiss Army knife' approach for consumers
In Depth: IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10
In Depth: IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10
10-inch HTC Flyer tablet coming soon?
10-inch HTC Flyer tablet coming soon?
Microsoft Zune: no new PMP versions planned
Microsoft Zune: no new PMP versions planned
Microsoft Zune: no new PMP versions planned
Review: Zotac GeForce GTX 550 Ti AMP!
Review: Zotac GeForce GTX 550 Ti AMP!
Review: Zotac GeForce GTX 550 Ti AMP!
PAYG prices may change due to Ofcom price cap
PAYG prices may change due to Ofcom price cap
PAYG prices may change due to Ofcom price cap

eBay offers 50 free listings a month for all

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 07:15 PM PDT

eBay is to give 50 free listings a month to all users, from April, in a bid to tempt sellers back to the site.

The once-dominant auction site, which has seen its market share damaged by the Amazon Marketplace in recent years, will also charge lower commission on items sold by the site from July.

That means eBay will only charge sellers a portion of the fee they receive from the sale and dismiss the smaller listing fee that it had previously taken, regardless of whether the item sold or not.

The California-based company will also encourage merchants to offer free shipping to customers by charging a higher commission to those who charge buyers to have their items delivered.

Vice President Todd Lutwak said: "We think these changes will really improve the marketplace for both buyers and sellers. We're listening to our customers. We're trying to understand their needs."

Fightback

The latest effort to boost site activity is part of a three year plan to recoup the losses eBay has made to Amazon and other online retailers.

The perception is that still Amazon is a much more trustworthy and convenient means of buying and selling goods as it takes care of the transactions and lessens direct contact between buyer and seller.

To help customers keep track of multiple items eBay has also retooled the site with a shopping basket which makes things a little more straightforward than the trusty old watch list.

A+++++++, 5* updates, eBay! We might use again!

Google revamps iOS search app

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 05:13 PM PDT

Google has given its iOS search app a much-needed overhaul, adding a host of new features, Google Apps integration and a new and improved design.

Web queries can now be conducted via voice search or image search through Google Goggles, while users can now sign into their accounts for interaction for services that require a login.

Before today's update, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad owners only had access to mobile web searches in Safari rather than a self-contained application.

Google Apps

Upon opening the app users are now greeted with a url search bar and an apps tab. That summons a list of available Google apps like Docs, Calendar, Buzz, News, YouTube and the rest of the suite.

The menu will even show you how many unread messages or notifications you have in apps like Gmail and Buzz. Apps will load either in Safari or through the many standalone apps available in the App Store, such as Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Voice.

Web searches improved

The web searches themselves remain within the Google Search app, and a simple swipe to the right reveals a tap for limiting your search to images, videos, shopping and the usual host of options.

Once you've conducted your web search, it's easy to return to the app's homescreen by swiping down from the top of the screen. Simples.

While long overdue, this is a fine update from Google, which really shows off the massive array of apps that the company is currently offering.

We'd like to see a lot more native iOS apps to accompany this improvement so we wouldn't have to use mobile web versions of Gmail and Calendar in the Safari Browser.

T-Mobile partners with Groupon for £49 iPad deal

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 10:34 AM PDT

T-Mobile has announced that it is teaming up with Groupon to offer the first-gen Apple iPad for just £49 on a £25 a month 24-month contract.

The deal is the first of its kind for a mobile network and it will be restricted to the first 1,000 customers.

There is a caveat, which is that the price of the contract rises to £27 a month if you are not already an existing T-Mobile customer.

24-hour deal

T-Mobile's original iPad deal begins 16 March, with the deal going live on www.groupon.co.uk at 00:01hrs. And you have to be quick as it is only going to last for 24 hours.

According to T-Mobile, "Customers will be emailed a web sales number, which they will then need to call and quote the Groupon voucher code. The order will then be processed by T-Mobile and the iPad dispatched to the customer."

There have been a number of discount iPad deals of late, considering the iPad 2 UK release date is 25 March.

Check out our iPad 2 review, to see if you are tempted by the next gen, or would be happy to get a discounted old iPad.

Vodafone to sell the iPad 2

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 10:34 AM PDT

Vodafone has announced that it will be selling the iPad 2 in the UK.

Although the red network hasn't revealed any details about pricing, launch date or, well, anything else, the mere fact that it will offer the iPad 2 is enough to get us interested.

Vodafone joins T-Mobile and Orange in offering the lust-worthy tablet, but O2 will not be selling the device itself.

Micro-SIMulant

O2 is sticking to micro-SIMs and iPad tariffs, so you'll have to pick up the slate from elsewhere.

The iPad 2 UK release date is 25 March, but there's no guarantee we'll see it hit the networks on the same day, with Vodafone simply listing it as 'Coming Soon'.

Whether or not Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange will offer subsidised tablets from day one also remains to be seen.

Vodafone to sell the iPad 2

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 10:34 AM PDT

Vodafone has announced that it will be selling the iPad 2 in the UK.

Although the red network hasn't revealed any details about pricing, launch date or, well, anything else, the mere fact that it will offer the iPad 2 is enough to get us interested.

Vodafone joins T-Mobile and Orange in offering the lust-worthy tablet, but O2 will not be selling the device itself.

Micro-SIMulant

O2 is sticking to micro-SIMs and iPad tariffs, so you'll have to pick up the slate from elsewhere.

The iPad 2 UK release date is 25 March, but there's no guarantee we'll see it hit the networks on the same day, with Vodafone simply listing it as 'Coming Soon'.

Whether or not Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange will offer subsidised tablets from day one also remains to be seen.

T-Mobile partners with Groupon for £49 iPad deal

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 10:34 AM PDT

T-Mobile has announced that it is teaming up with Groupon to offer the first-gen Apple iPad for just £49 on a £25 a month 24-month contract.

The deal is the first of its kind for a mobile network and it will be restricted to the first 1,000 customers.

There is a caveat, which is that the price of the contract rises to £27 a month if you are not already an existing T-Mobile customer.

24-hour deal

T-Mobile's original iPad deal begins 16 March, with the deal going live on www.groupon.co.uk at 00:01hrs. And you have to be quick as it is only going to last for 24 hours.

There have been a number of discount iPad deals of late, considering the iPad 2 UK release date is 25 March.

Check out our iPad 2 review, to see if you are tempted by the next gen, or would be happy to get a discounted old iPad.

Networks react to lowered termination rates

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 09:27 AM PDT

The UK's mobile networks have reacted to this morning's announcement from Ofcom, where it implemented a cap on the amount that mobile networks can charge for connecting mobile calls from landlines and other network phones.

It seems that networks are not happy about being instructed to charge significantly lower amounts than before.

Disappointed

A spokesperson from Vodafone told us: "We are really disappointed that Ofcom has ignored the evidence that termination rate cuts will mean higher costs for pre-pay customers especially at a time when money is tight for many families. We are studying Ofcom's decision and considering all of our options."

Disappointment also abounded on behalf of those 'vulnerable' pre-pay customers at EverythingEverywhere HQ, where a spokesperson said: "We are disappointed with Ofcom's decision and are currently reviewing the detail and our position as to whether we will appeal.

"Our concerns focus on the impact of the decision to our vulnerable pay-as-you-go customers. By applying pure LRIC methodology in setting call termination rates going forward, Ofcom has suggested we recover a larger share of our costs from retail charges.

"This may force us to change the pay-as-you-go model as we know it as a large number of these customers will now become uneconomical – making the way our consumers currently buy, use and enjoy their mobiles radically different going forward."

Deeply disappointed

O2 won the disappointment wars though, with a spokesperson telling us, "O2 is deeply disappointed that Ofcom has chosen to peg O2's mobile termination rate to the 'pure LRIC' cost standard. It results in charges that are too low.

"Ofcom continues to regulate other companies, including BT, on other, more generous cost standards and this is discriminatory.

"Pre-pay mobile customers are likely to be hardest hit by the reductions, and there is scant evidence that BT and other fixed companies will pass the lower costs to their customers."

According to BT, however, it has already said it will be passing on savings to its customers.

An air of disappointment

Three, a key member of the Terminate the Rate campaign which lobbied Ofcom for lower cuts to the termination rates, has been keeping fairly quiet about the whole thing.

A spokesperson for the numerical network told us that it has bigger fish to fry: "Three believes a competition issue of greater importance is at stake now – the auction of radio spectrum on which Ofcom is set to make a decision over the next few weeks."

In response to the other networks' collective disappointment, Three told us it's not all doom and gloom for Vodafone, O2 and EverythingEverywhere: "Termination rates have been coming down for years, and every time the lower pricing begets greater usage and more phone users."

Disappointment and anger

One company that wasn't afraid to say what it thinks while still retaining a bit of disappointment is USwitch. The comparison site banged its fist on the table (metaphorically speaking) as its technology expert Ernest Doku said:

"Consumers have been unwittingly lining the pockets of the mobile phone 'cartel' with billions of pounds. These hidden charges have up until now cost as much as 4p for every minute of every call made.

"It is still disappointing that Ofcom has not taken on board the European Commission's recommendation to reduce these rates in half the time, reaching 0.69p by the end of 2012 instead of 2014.

"Nevertheless, this is a clear victory against the bully boys. While termination rates have served as a tidy revenue for the big networks, the minnows in the market such as Three have struggled to make headway. There's no doubt that this news will really give a boost to competition in the mobile market."

So, essentially, no one is really happy with the new termination rates. It's a hard life, eh Ofcom?

Networks react to lowered termination rates

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 09:27 AM PDT

It seems that networks are not happy about being instructed to charge significantly lower amounts than before.

Disappointed

Deeply disappointed

"Ofcom continues to regulate other companies, including BT, on other, more generous cost standards and this is discriminatory.

"Pre-pay mobile customers are likely to be hardest hit by the reductions, and there is scant evidence that BT and other fixed companies will pass the lower costs to their customers."

According to BT, however, it has already said it will be passing on savings to its customers.

An air of disappointment

Three, a key member of the Terminate the Rate campaign which lobbied Ofcom for lower cuts to the termination rates, has been keeping fairly quiet about the whole thing.

Disappointment and anger

"It is still disappointing that Ofcom has not taken on board the European Commission's recommendation to reduce these rates in half the time, reaching 0.69p by the end of 2012 instead of 2014.

So, essentially, no one is really happy with the new termination rates. It's a hard life, eh Ofcom?

Google StreetView website gets major overhaul

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 09:11 AM PDT

Google StreetView has been given a new website, which gives more of an insight into how the technology works and just how much of the world has been pictured by the Google car, trike and snowmobile.

The website states: "Explore the world at street level" and shows off highlights of the seven continents that have been visually mapped by StreetView.

Most importantly though, we finally get a little history on the eponymous Pegman.

So, how did he get his name? Well, according to Google: "Pegman's name comes from the fact that he is shaped like a clothes peg."

Er, okay, maybe the history of Pegman isn't that riveting.

Street talk

But we do also get some insight into the transport used by Google.

According to the site, the car was first: "When we first started Street View as an experimental project, we packed several computers into the back of an SUV, stuck cameras, lasers, and a GPS device on top."

The StreetView trike was second: "One day while mountain biking, Mechanical Engineer Dan Ratner realized he could combine his favourite hobby with StreetView to explore new places."

And the snowmobile is the latest vehicle: "In typical Google fashion, [our snowmobile] was put together over the course of a few weekends using some 2x4s, duct tape, and extra hard drives wrapped in ski jackets to last through the freezing conditions."

Google StreetView may be primed for the privacy police to pick apart, but we have to admit that its new website is a decent sneak peek through the Google curtain.

Google StreetView website gets major overhaul

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 09:11 AM PDT

Google StreetView has been given a new website, which gives more of an insight into how the technology works and just how much of the world has been pictured by the Google car, trike and snowmobile.

The website states: "Explore the world at street level" and shows off highlights of the seven continents that have been visually mapped by StreetView.

Most importantly though, we finally get a little history on the eponymous Pegman.

So, how did he get his name? Well, according to Google: "Pegman's name comes from the fact that he is shaped like a clothes peg."

Er, okay, maybe the history of Pegman isn't that riveting.

Street talk

But we do also get some insight into the transport used by Google.

The StreetView trike was second: "One day while mountain biking, Mechanical Engineer Dan Ratner realized he could combine his favourite hobby with StreetView to explore new places."

Google StreetView may be primed for the privacy police to pick apart, but we have to admit that its new website is a decent sneak peek through the Google curtain.

Exclusive: Acer: There's no 'Swiss Army knife' approach for consumers

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 08:16 AM PDT

Forget the post-PC world that Apple reckons we're in, the tablet, smartphone and PC-like device are all must-haves for today's consumer.

So says Acer, a company which just so happens to make smartphones, tablets and PC-like devices.

When asked if it's important to Acer to differentiate between its large smartphones and small tablets, Aymar de Lencquesaing, smartphone president at Acer, told TechRadar:

"To a certain extent it doesn't matter because really it depends on usage. If you're creating content, you want a PC. If you want something on you all the time, then it's a smartphone. The tablet is a new proposition; it's fun, it's instant-on and you can take the internet to places where you couldn't use it before."

Pointless fun

He continued, "Even in a tablet you have a different segmentation between the 7-inch and the 10-inch. So the 10-inch device by and large tends to stay in the house. The 7-inch tends to be taken with you because it's more portable.

"Our view is that there's no such thing as a Swiss Army knife approach to these things. You don't have a device that becomes the magical device that does everything for everyone tomorrow; most users will have a minimum probably of three different devices they connect with routinely.

"The 24/7 usage one is the smartphone device, one is the tablet device and one is the PC-like device. Most consumers will end up carrying and having those three devices in their lives."

Exclusive: Acer: There's no 'Swiss Army knife' approach for consumers

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 08:16 AM PDT

Forget the post-PC world that Apple reckons we're in, the tablet, smartphone and PC-like device are all must-haves for today's consumer.

So says Acer, a company which just so happens to make smartphones, tablets and PC-like devices.

When asked if it's important to Acer to differentiate between its large smartphones and small tablets, Aymar de Lencquesaing, smartphone president at Acer, told TechRadar:

Pointless fun

"The 24/7 usage one is the smartphone device, one is the tablet device and one is the PC-like device. Most consumers will end up carrying and having those three devices in their lives."

In Depth: IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 07:26 AM PDT

Cloud computing brought the browser wars back: Microsoft, Google and Mozilla have been rewriting JavaScript engines, improving their support for web standards and improving their user interfaces.

The result is the big three's best browsers yet: IE9, Chrome 10 and Firefox 4 RC. So which one deserves a place on your desktop?

IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10: appearance

The trio keep on-screen "chrome" to a minimum and don't look bad at all. From a purely aesthetic point of view IE9 looks nicest, but having everything on one line quickly gets cluttered.

Chrome is stripped back to the point of near invisibility, and Firefox 4 is the prettiest Firefox yet. Yes, that's a bit like saying "the smartest thing Charlie Sheen has ever said" but after years of blocky ugliness the new UI is a vast improvement, and this refined version is starting to grow on us. At least, it is on the PC. The default Mac interface doesn't quite work.

Firefox 4

PRETTIER: Firefox's new UI is a dramatic improvement. It doesn't take up much room and it's a nice place to spend time

IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10: speed

Chrome 10 was the slowest on our test PC, running through the SunSpider benchmarks in an average of 346.0ms, with Firefox 4 achieving an average of 308.5. IE9 had the edge, though, with an average of just 288.8ms.

Let's try another one: version 6 of V8, Google's own benchmarking suite. You'd expect Google to do well here, and it did. Bigger numbers are better, and Chrome achieved 7,101 compared to 3,269 for Firefox and 2,053 for IE9.

So far so meh - "Google browser does well in Google benchmark" isn't a surprise - but it does demonstrate how the gaps between browsers are disappearing: in 2008, Chrome would routinely score ten times more than Firefox and IE wouldn't even feature.

One more? Let's give Mozilla's Kraken, the hugely demanding set of web-app tasks based on SunSpider, a go. Firefox powered through the enormous testing suite in 9,224ms and IE9 19,136ms. Firefox in "Mozilla has the best browser on Mozilla benchmarks" shocker? Nope: Chrome was narrowly ahead, coming in at 8,794ms.

It's clear that the browsers have been optimised for their preferred benchmarks, but what about real-world stuff? From hitting enter to finishing loading the TechRadar home page on a 20MBps DSL connection, Chrome took four seconds, Firefox five and IE nine (no pages were cached and we didn't have extensions, add-ons or other goodies installed or blocking content).

Fark.com took four seconds in Firefox, four in Chrome and six in IE. Online banking's login page took two seconds in Chrome, two in Firefox and three in IE.

Let's try something more challenging. Loading and starting to play Radiohead's Lotus Flower video on YouTube was three seconds in Firefox, three in IE and four in Chrome. Opening an existing file and having it ready to edit in Google Docs took four seconds in Firefox, four in Chrome and six in IE9.

There's clearly a pattern here. Firefox and Chrome are generally neck and neck in everyday performance, and IE9 lags narrowly behind. However, there really isn't much in it - and in most cases the ads are the bits that take the time, with pages' text, navigation elements and form fields appearing almost instantly.

IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10: stability and standards

The Acid 3 test is the, er, acid test for standards compliance, and if you'd told us a few years ago we'd be seeing IE get 95/100 we'd have burned you as a witch. But there it is in black and white (and yellow and...).

Firefox is narrowly ahead with 97/100, and Chrome is giving the teacher an apple and getting a gold star for its perfect 100/100 score.

There's more to standards than the Acid test, however. Different browsers support different bits of the HTML5 standards, so for example when it comes to video Chrome doesn't like H.264 - it prefers its own WebM video or Ogg Theora, which are the favourite formats of Firefox, too - whereas IE9 likes H.264 very, very much.

HTML5

VIDEO SUPPORT: All three browsers are HTML5 friendly, but they support different video formats: Chrome and Firefox are playing WebM here while IE9 gets H.264

Video, of course, is a notorious browser crasher, so it's nice to have Chrome and IE9's ability to split individual tabs into different processes. This prevents a malfunctioning plug-in from wrecking the whole browser session, and makes it easy to kill misbehaving tabs.

Firefox has crash protection but it's still a one-process browser, so something going wrong in one tab could still affect everything else.

IE9

BACK AGAIN: IE9 can recover from crashes and unexpected shutdowns just like Firefox, although we wish the notification was more prominent

IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10: features

Firefox has the edge here: its pinnable App Tabs tuck away opened tabs such as email and web apps, while Tab Groups make it easy to organise large collections of open pages.

Firefox 4 also boasts some excellent synchronisation features. It doesn't just sync your bookmarks across devices; it takes your history and even your currently open tabs. If you're constantly moving from machine to machine you'll love this feature. Chrome has synchronisation too, but it doesn't extend to open tabs.

Chrome 10

IN SYNC: Firefox and Chrome both have excellent browser synchronisation systems. To do it in IE9 you need a third-party extension

IE9 doesn't have syncing at all, but it does enable you to pin sites to the Windows 7 taskbar as if they were applications and drag a tab out to Snap it for viewing side by side with another. You also get a proper download manager, which Firefox has had since about 1957.

There's also a Chrome-style new tab page and Chrome-style searching in the address bar. Firefox retains the two-box approach, with the Awesome Bar for URLs and history and a separate search box - although confusingly, the Awesome Bar does search too.

IE9 addons

EXTEND IE: It doesn't have the sheer range of Firefox's add-ons, but IE has enough available extensions to cover the essentials

Firefox is the most expandable here but Chrome is catching up fast, its Chrome Extensions and web apps becoming increasingly impressive. All three browsers' add-on galleries cover the basics - ad blocking, Flash blocking, Twitter clients and so on - but Internet Explorer's is the most limited. Firefox and Chrome are also skinnable, enabling you to change their default appearance.

IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10: verdict

You can prove pretty much anything with benchmarks, and while Internet Explorer did best in SunSpider it felt the slowest in real-word use. It's a really nice browser, though, and if you're the kind of user who doesn't really bother with extensions or fiddling around, you'll be perfectly happy with it. It does lag slightly behind its rivals in real world speed, but on a decent PC there's not much in it.

Firefox and Chrome were neck and neck in the performance stakes: on paper Chrome bests Mozilla's browser, but in practice the differences are insignificant. However, Chrome's ability to split tabs into individual processes should make it the more stable - although at the time of writing there seems to be a horrible bug in its handling of Flash.

Firefox 4

KEEP APART: Tab Groups in Firefox make it easy to separate business and pleasure, or to keep different tasks separate

Do we have a winner? Firefox's Tab Groups and App Tabs are brilliant, and the browser's Swiss Army Knife reputation remains intact. If you use a lot of tabs and need lots of extensions then Firefox is the browser for you; if you're spending all day in a few web apps and your need for add-ons begins and ends with ad-blocking, then Google is your friend - or at least it will be once the Flash problem is fixed.

In Depth: IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 07:26 AM PDT

Cloud computing brought the browser wars back: Microsoft, Google and Mozilla have been rewriting JavaScript engines, improving their support for web standards and improving their user interfaces.

The result is the big three's best browsers yet: IE9, Chrome 10 and Firefox 4 RC. So which one deserves a place on your desktop?

IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10: appearance

The trio keep on-screen "chrome" to a minimum and don't look bad at all. From a purely aesthetic point of view IE9 looks nicest, but having everything on one line quickly gets cluttered.

Firefox 4

PRETTIER: Firefox's new UI is a dramatic improvement. It doesn't take up much room and it's a nice place to spend time

IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10: speed

Fark.com took four seconds in Firefox, four in Chrome and six in IE. Online banking's login page took two seconds in Chrome, two in Firefox and three in IE.

IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10: stability and standards

Firefox is narrowly ahead with 97/100, and Chrome is giving the teacher an apple and getting a gold star for its perfect 100/100 score.

HTML5

VIDEO SUPPORT: All three browsers are HTML5 friendly, but they support different video formats: Chrome and Firefox are playing WebM here while IE9 gets H.264

Firefox has crash protection but it's still a one-process browser, so something going wrong in one tab could still affect everything else.

IE9

BACK AGAIN: IE9 can recover from crashes and unexpected shutdowns just like Firefox, although we wish the notification was more prominent

IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10: features

Firefox has the edge here: its pinnable App Tabs tuck away opened tabs such as email and web apps, while Tab Groups make it easy to organise large collections of open pages.

Chrome 10

IN SYNC: Firefox and Chrome both have excellent browser synchronisation systems. To do it in IE9 you need a third-party extension

IE9 addons

EXTEND IE: It doesn't have the sheer range of Firefox's add-ons, but IE has enough available extensions to cover the essentials

IE9 vs Firefox 4 vs Chrome 10: verdict

Firefox 4

KEEP APART: Tab Groups in Firefox make it easy to separate business and pleasure, or to keep different tasks separate

10-inch HTC Flyer tablet coming soon?

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 06:31 AM PDT

HTC could be about to unleash a 10-inch HTC Flyer on an unsuspecting world, if a leaked screengrab of a Staples training programme is anything to go by.

The stationery retailer's US training programme lists a number of tablets from various manufacturers, among them this mysterious HTC tablet with a 10-inch screen, listed as 'HTC 10"'.

The tablet will launch running Android Honeycomb, according to the training system, and is 'coming soon'.

How soon is soon?

Of course, there's not a lot to go on and there's a definite chance we're looking at a Staples typo here – or a bit of wishful thinking from the training manager.

As usual, HTC chose not to comment on rumour and speculation but with the HTC Flyer coming in at just 7-inches, we wouldn't be surprised to see a larger model on the cards.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 is also included in the inventory; we're expecting to see this slinky tablet make its debut at a Samsung event 22 March.

10-inch HTC Flyer tablet coming soon?

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 06:31 AM PDT

HTC could be about to unleash a 10-inch HTC Flyer on an unsuspecting world, if a leaked screengrab of a Staples training programme is anything to go by.

The stationery retailer's US training programme lists a number of tablets from various manufacturers, among them this mysterious HTC tablet with a 10-inch screen, listed as 'HTC 10"'.

The tablet will launch running Android Honeycomb, according to the training system, and is 'coming soon'.

How soon is soon?

Of course, there's not a lot to go on and there's a definite chance we're looking at a Staples typo here – or a bit of wishful thinking from the training manager.

As usual, HTC chose not to comment on rumour and speculation but with the HTC Flyer coming in at just 7-inches, we wouldn't be surprised to see a larger model on the cards.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 is also included in the inventory; we're expecting to see this slinky tablet make its debut at a Samsung event 22 March.

Microsoft Zune: no new PMP versions planned

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 06:10 AM PDT

Microsoft is close to canning its Zune MP3 player range and focus all of its efforts into its Zune software suite.

This is according to Bloomberg, which has spoken to someone close to the matter who wishes to be unnamed.

The Zune PMP didn't make much impact in the UK, but the Zune portal, which offers music and movie donwloads, is available on the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7 devices.

Although it was always meant to be a real contender to the Apple iPod, sales of the device haven't made a dent in Steve Jobs' PMP dominance.

Consumer excitement

Microsoft hasn't revealed whether or not it is stopping production of Zune hardware, but it did say in a statement: "We have nothing to announce about another Zune device - but most recently have introduced Zune HD to Canada via the Zune Originals store and remain committed to supporting our devices in North America."

Microsoft also praised its Zune software in the statement, saying: "We are thrilled by the consumer excitement for Zune across many new platforms, including Windows Phone 7 and Xbox 360.

"Our long-term strategy focuses on the strength of the entire Zune ecosystem across Microsoft platforms."

Microsoft Zune: no new PMP versions planned

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 06:10 AM PDT

Microsoft is close to canning its Zune MP3 player range and focus all of its efforts into its Zune software suite.

This is according to Bloomberg, which has spoken to someone close to the matter who wishes to be unnamed.

The Zune PMP didn't make much impact in the UK, but the Zune portal, which offers music and movie donwloads, is available on the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7 devices.

Although it was always meant to be a real contender to the Apple iPod, sales of the device haven't made a dent in Steve Jobs' PMP dominance.

Consumer excitement

Microsoft also praised its Zune software in the statement, saying: "We are thrilled by the consumer excitement for Zune across many new platforms, including Windows Phone 7 and Xbox 360.

"Our long-term strategy focuses on the strength of the entire Zune ecosystem across Microsoft platforms."

Microsoft Zune: no new PMP versions planned

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 06:10 AM PDT

Microsoft is close to canning its Zune MP3 player range and focus all of its efforts into its Zune software suite.

This is according to Bloomberg, which has spoken to someone close to the matter who wishes to be unnamed.

The Zune PMP didn't make much impact in the UK, but the Zune portal, which offers music and movie donwloads, is available on the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7 devices.

Although it was always meant to be a real contender to the Apple iPod, sales of the device haven't made a dent in Steve Jobs' PMP dominance.

Consumer excitement

Microsoft also praised its Zune software in the statement, saying: "We are thrilled by the consumer excitement for Zune across many new platforms, including Windows Phone 7 and Xbox 360.

"Our long-term strategy focuses on the strength of the entire Zune ecosystem across Microsoft platforms."

Review: Zotac GeForce GTX 550 Ti AMP!

Posted: 15 Mar 2011 05:55 AM PDT

Another new graphics card from Nvidia... Here's Zotac's factory overclocked take on it, the Zotac GeForce GTX 550 Ti AMP! Newer means faster, right?

Right?

So, what is the best entry-level graphics card you can buy? How much should a DX11 capable graphics card cost?

Recent releases, such as the AMD Radeon HD 6990 and Nvidia GeForce GTX 580 have focused on high-end DX11 graphics, but what about the more-affordable DX11 graphics cards?

Those looking to get their hands on reasonable levels of performance haven't exactly been spoilt for choice lately. The likes of the Nvidia GeForce GTS 450 and AMD Radeon HD 5750 are looking a little long in the tooth now, but still hover around the £100 mark.

Could this Zotac GeForce GTX 550 Ti AMP! represent a new dawn for DX11?

Apart from a little tweaking of the name – the S has been transformed into an X and the needless Ti suffix has been added, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti suggests that this is a next-generation replacement for the existing Nvidia GeForce GTS 450. A card that originally shipped with a £100 price tag, but can now be had for a mere £88 if you shop around.

Unfortunately the way the market is currently priced up, the GTX 550 Ti actually sees itself sandwiched between the GeForce GTX 460 768MB and the GeForce GTX 460 1GB rendition.

Overclocked spins on this architecture, such as this Zotac GeForce GTX 550 Ti AMP! we have here has a price tag of £129, putting it directly up against the GTX 460 1GB version.

Here is a card that needs to pull some magic out of its silicon to impress…

Zotac geforce gtx 550 ti amp!

Based on yet another spin of the Fermi core, the GeForce GTX 550 Ti uses the new GF116 core.

This core has a lot in common with the GPU it's destined to replace, the GF106 found in the GTS 450.

Created using a 40nm fabrication process, and measuring a mere 238mm2, this is a core made for a pricepoint more than for setting the polygon-pushing world alight.

Inside the relatively small die, you'll find 1,170 transistors strutting their stuff, offering up 192 CUDA cores. Indeed, the first impressions will show that there's very little on offer in the GTX 550 that wasn't available previously in the GTS 450.

There are some notable exceptions though.

Where the GTS 450 boasts 16 Render Output units (ROPs), the GTX 550 Ti has 24. This, combined with the notably wider 192-bit memory bus, as opposed to the GTS 450's 128-bit bus, should mean that this new chip outperforms its predecessor significantly when it comes to heavy post-processing titles.

The big news for the GeForce GTX 550 Ti though is that the new GF116 core has been streamlined, so that it can operate at much higher frequencies than its predecessor could manage.

This means that the base GeForce GT 550 Ti is rated to run at 900MHz, and there's room for overclocking as well. This version provided by Zotac has the AMP! suffix, which means that it's overclocked straight out of the box – the core is running at 1,000MHz, equating to a 2,000MHz shader clock.

This is a cool running chip too – in testing the core temperature peaked at 81oC under full load, but importantly, the fan noise was never notable over the background hum of the rest of the system.

Given the requirement for a single 6-pin power connector, and the low 110w TDP, this is a relatively efficient offering from Nvidia.

Zotac geforce gtx 550 ti amp!

The faster core clockspeed, wider memory bus and higher ROP count conspire to lift the GeForce GTX 550 Ti AMP! above its predecessor, the GeForce GTX 450.

You're probably going to be running this card at a limit of 1,680 x 1,050, in which case you will see smooth frame rates at the highest settings in the likes of Far Cry 2, Dirt 2 and Just Cause 2.

More recent DX11 titles will struggle though, and you're going to have dial back the settings to achieve figures over the all-important 30fps threshold. Importantly though, the cheaper Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 768MB produces better performance at this resolution across the board.

DirectX 11 tessellation performance

Zotac geforce gtx 550 ti amp!:benchmarks

DirectX 11 gaming performance (2560x1600)

Zotac geforce gtx 550 ti amp!:benchmarks

DirectX 11 gaming performance (1680x1050)

Zotac geforce gtx 550 ti amp!:benchmarks

DirectX 10 gaming performance (2560x1600)

DirectX 10 gaming performance (1680x1050)

Zotac geforce gtx 550 ti amp!

The performance offered by the Zotac GeForce GTX 550 Ti AMP! isn't about to rewrite any of the performance graphics record books.

This is a card aimed squarely at the budget end of the serious gaming market, and as such it wouldn't be expected to.

It's aimed at those looking to hit playable framerates on a 20-inch or 22-inch screen at the default resolution of 1,680 x 1,050.

To a certain degree it fulfils that remit well enough.

If Nvidia's goal was to soundly smash the performance of the GeForce GTS 450 then, it can hold its head up high. The core shader count may be the same, but the added ROPs and faster core speed have paid off to offer a much-needed boast in key titles.

Even so, it still struggles to really impress when it comes to more recent DX11 titles, and this is a concern given the increasing take-up of Microsoft's latest API.

The real problem for the GTX 550 Ti though is something that originally affected the GTS 450, and it's a problem that Nvidia can't easily resolve.

When Nvidia released the GeForce GTS 450 we were impressed with its new affordable chip, particularly when it came to DirectX 10 games. Even so, the close pricing of the GTX 460 made it a tough card to recommend.

That was back when the extra £30 would buy you a card that was notably quicker.

Today you can buy a GTS 450 for just under £90, while the 768MB versions of the GTX 460 can be had for as little as £120, with the full-fat 1GB rolling in at £130.

The basic referenced clocked versions of the GeForce GTX 550 Ti start at £120, with this overclocked rendition muscling in at £129.

That's one or two pounds at most cheaper than the faster 1GB GTX 460, and the best part of a tenner more expensive than the cheapest 768MB models.

And that's a card that actually outperforms the GeForce GTX 550 Ti, even this AMP! edition from Zotac.

It's not necessarily that the GeForce GTX 550 Ti AMP! is actually a bad card, in many respects it's a perfect entry level gaming card. Unfortunately it simply doesn't make any sense in this market at that price.

Drop the pricing closer to the £100 level and you have a card worthy of serious consideration. As it is though, you're better off grabbing a GeForce GTX 460 while you can.

We Liked

The boost in the core clockspeed has improved the raw performance on offer noticeably; making for smooth framerates recent games at the maximum settings.

It's quiet in operation, and won't put undue demands on your PSU either.

The winder 192-bit memory bus combined with 1GB of GDDR5 as standard ensure that there is enough bandwidth and capacity on offer to keep the GTX 550 Ti relevant for the foreseeable future.

We disliked

The pricing simply doesn't make sense – it's too expensive compared to the GTX 460.

DX11 performance isn't particularly impressive, anyone looking for a serious investment is going to come up wanting.

Final word

A definite improvement over the GTS 450, but too expensive to seriously consider just now.

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