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Techradar |
- Review: Asus P8Z68V Pro
- Google may offer £12 a month Chrome OS laptop on contract
- Android forges alliance for consistent OS updates
- Google launches Android Market movie rentals
- Exclusive: Samsung promises faster Android updates for Galaxy range
- Skype integration 'in the next release of Office'
- Music Beta by Google officially launched
- Google makes Ice Cream Sandwich official
- Google reveals Android 3.1 for tablets and Google TV
- Ballmer: Skype deal is 'a significant opportunity'
- Legal action against 23,000 illegal downloaders underway
- Now acceptable in Scrabble: Facebook, wiki, webzine and inbox
- Review: Sony KDL-32CX523
- Review: Panasonic TX-P42ST30B
- Review: Asus Eee Pad Transformer
- Updated: Official: Microsoft buys Skype for $8.5 billion
- Buying Guide: Best dual-core phone: which should you choose?
- Updated: Confirmed: HTC Salsa to be exclusive to O2 in the UK
- HTC Salsa to be exclusive to O2 in the UK?
- Jeremy Hunt's local TV plans face delay?
- LimeWire did break copyright law, says founder
- LG Optimus 3D is 'first' to get 3D AR
- Gary Marshall: Why Microsoft buying Skype makes total sense
- Review: Asus P8P67 Pro B3
- Photoshop Touch apps now available on iPad
| Posted: 11 May 2011 01:01 AM PDT We've been looking forward to the Intel Z68 platform since we first played with the Intel Sandy Bridge platform, and now it's here in the shape of the Asus P8Z68V Pro. When Intel released its new generation of processors in January they were met with general applause and excitement. The champagne flowed, party poppers flew everywhere - ah, good times. The Sandy Bridge processors, like the Intel Core i5 2500K and the Intel Core i7 2600K, are super-quick, suited to video transcoding and tread encouraging new ground in the muddy field of integrated graphics. The improvements over the Lynnfield, and even some Bloomfield, chips are dramatic in terms of performance if not architecture - super-fast integrated memory controller, lower L3 cache, and greater efficiency thanks to a decoded Cache that grabs instructions the instant they're decoded - and can also hack a greater instruction bandwidth than its predecessors. The real-world performance of Sandy Bridge all but surpasses Intel's top of the line Gulftown chip - the Intel Core i7 990X Extreme Edition. Unlike the 990X EE, the price tags are also real-world, around £500 separating the most expensive Sandy Bridge CPU and Intel's flagship chip. Flagchip? In the months since Sandy Bridge's release though, the champagne has given us all a headache and the party poppers have left a gunpowder smell in the air that's making us feel sick. The H67 and P67 motherboards that support the new CPUs have been adequate at best, and at worst frustrating and physically harmful to our systems. The biggie for the Intel Socket LGA 1,155 P67 chipset was a design error that caused potential long-term damage to devices attached via SATA 3Gbps. The dodgy SATA controller provoked a massive recall by Intel, and though they identified the issue before systems started exploding or anything, the recall stunted SNB upgrading while everyone waited for Intel to release the B3 revision of the chipset, like the Asus P8P67 Pro B3, a board that doesn't chew up our SATA devices. It also distracted upgraders from other issues with the H67 and P67 boards. Issues caused by conscious decisions by Intel rather than oversights. Namely a lack of baseclock overclocking and stunting of the Quick Sync video transcoding goodness if you wanted to use a discrete graphics card in your PC That was until the release of this the Z68 chipset, here in the guise of the Asus P8Z68V Pro, will, Intel hopes, eradicate all grumbles with 6 series boards.
The architectural development of the Z68 platform means that not only can enthusiasts make use of Intel's iGPU (Integrated Graphics Processor) tech and overclock CPU and GPU multipliers, but also the Asus P8Z68V Pro introduces the use of SSDs as cache devices to speed up HDD performance. But we'll get to that later. Quick Sync is the on-die, hardware-accelerated, video-transcoding engine designed to slash video editing tasks and is one of the main reasons for the inclusion of that iGPU on all Sandy Bridge chips. And something enthusiasts have been clamouring for in their rigs with discrete GPUs too. The fixed function video decode hardware nestled in the Sandy Bridge chips is fast and efficient, taking the sting out of transcoding times by hardware-accelerating the decode process. For smooth playback, decoding only needs to be quicker than the frame rate, but in transcoding tasks it's all about completing the operation ASAP. The quicker material can be decoded, the quicker it can then be encoded. It's a handy feature for anyone looking to edit and upload their own material or convert files to a usable format for their particular mobile device. Well worth having in your tech arsenal, but previously only available in Intel H67 boards and only if you're display was plugged into the motherboard and not a discrete graphics card. So what if you want a gaming machine that you can overclock AND do some speedy video transcoding with? Until the Z68 chipset came along, you could take a long walk off a short cliff as far as Intel were concerned. With H67 and P67, you were forced to make a typically binary choice - overclocking or Quick Sync. As soon as Intel announced the Z68 chipset, and its amalgamation of the best features from current 6 series boards, many enthusiasts clamped their wallets shut and awaited it's arrival. It appears to be the ideal Sandy Bridge chipset, rendering H67 and P67 boards obsolete. So why did we ever have to choose? It's due to Lynnfield architecture, really. Intel based both 6 series boards around this tried and tested tech to avoid just the sort of scenario that occurred with the B3 revision debacle. So that worked well... Anyway, the tech that both 6 series chipsets were based around simply wasn't flexible enough until now to offer all that functionality in one chipset. Quick Sync's availability in Z68 boards coincides rather nicely with an update to Lucidlogix's Virtu software. That clever bit of software provides access to all the tricks the Sandy Bridge iGPU posesses while connecting to your 3D card's output, rather than connectingdirectlyto the motherboard . It's now possible to make use of Quick Sync if you run a gaming setup but still want to do the odd transcoding task. The sad fact is though it took a third-party to come up with it, while Intel really should've been on the ball with it from the beginning.
SSD caching As well as the now accessible Quick Sync there's that SSD-caching business we alluded to earlier. The tech is called Smart Response, and it works by caching frequently-used files from a hard disk onto a dedicated SSD, with a maximum data cache of 64 GB. It makes sense - if your SSD's bigger than 64 GB you're best off using it as a boot device anyway. Enabling Smart Response isn't going to give your hard disk SSD read/write times, but it will bridge the gap significantly between the speeds of the two drives. Given that Smart Response is geared towards smaller (and cheaper) SSDs, the other issue is that these tend to have fairly uninspiring read and especially write times anyway. But the Smart Reponse performance is still fairly impressive. It's not quite SSD speeds, but Intel is not claiming that. But are those numbers worth going through the setup process? For Smart Response to work, you'll need to configure your drives to RAID mode in the BIOS, format and create blank NTFS partitions on both HDD and SSD. Then install Windows, update the chipset drivers, and configure the cache from Intel's Rapid Storage UI. Our setup was beset by flaky drivers, which thankfully Asus has remedied. That process might be off-putting to some, though SSD-caching appeals to a fairly niche enthusiast market anyway. Given that Smart Reponse performances pass the post at a consistent halfway point between HDD and SSD performance, we're inclined to say that Smart Response is worth it, but only just. Intel's not alone here though, it's an area that other manufacturers have experimented in. Seagate's Momentus XT approaches the problem from a different angle by combining 4GB of solid-state storage with a 500GB hard disk. Whereas using an SSD as a cache device with Smart Response will allow as many gigabytes of cache as you like (up to that 64 GB ceiling), the Momentus XT has a paltry 32 MB of cache. So while Windows boot times might see some improvement, there isn't really enough room for operation to give a comparable performance boost to a Smart Response RAID array.
As a whole the Intel Z68 chipset, as represented here by the Asus P8Z68V Pro, does indeed provide the best of both H67 and P67 worlds, with a few extras thrown in for good measure. Though the actual benefits of these extras being less tangible on their own. Despite being a tad fiddly to set up the Smart Response tech actually performed impressively. Our Windows 7 boot time on a standard SSD took a lazy 1 minute 37 seconds with our OCZ Vertex 2 drive knocking a full minute off that time at just 36 seconds. With the mechanical HDD twinned up with a small 20GB Intel SSD it managed an impressive 48 seconds. File decompression was just as impressive with only a second separating the faster SSD drive from the Smart Response array, and again a whole minute before the mechanical HDD caught up. The Lucid Virtu software, which is now also available on the H67 platform, gave a decent showing too. Especially now it can operate directly through the discrete graphics card, allowing access to the manufacturer's software suites - Catalyst for AMD and the NVIDIA Control Panel. There was relatively little performance hit in gaming terms and no setup problems. The power saving feature too is a huge bonus, and possibly the best argument for having the Lucid Virtu software installed on your machine. Our test rig (equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580) sucked up 150W on the desktop running idle with Virtu off. Once Virtu was turned on though that figure sank to a nice green 92W. High-end 3D cards are the biggest power-hogs in modern systems, and a lot of the energy consumption occurs when they're not needed. We like this feature a lot, then. What's more, when iGPU acceleration did kick in to help out our test rig's GTX 580 it did actually boost frame rates, which will be encouraging if not revelatory to gamers with an inkling for an upgrade. So far, so good... When the two proud bastions of the Z68 platform meet though, things get a bit silly. Smart Response analyses data use 'dynamically' to cache frequently used data 'intelligently'. However, for performances to really increase, the same operation needs to be carried out several times. It takes 4-5 restarts before you see any improvement on Windows boot times, and it's the same story with games. What about one-time tasks? You know, the majority of things that you do on your computer? Well, sometimes things can actually drop below even raw HDD performance levels. The cache operation takes time and effort from your disks, and because of that general performance can suffer. So when you're using your SSD as a cache device and using Quick Sync to transcode a video to your iphone, the two technologies effectively cancel each other out. You're performing the read-write intensive operation just once, so while the iGPU decodes and encodes as fast as it's little pipelines can carry it, your HDD+SSD RAID array's also furiously reading and writing in what appears to be a highly inefficient manner. That said though, the best of both boards have found their way on to one home then with the Asus P868V Pro, albeit with a few teething problems. And those trace their way back to Intel, rather than Asus themselves. Considering the 'enthusiast' pitch of the Z68 platform, £160 is a very reasonable price for some interesting tech. The board itself is basically the Asus P8P67 Pro with the updated chipset meaning just a £20 premium for the brand new chipset. That also means 4-way GPU setups are off the cards and you're limited to 2 USB 3.0 inputs, but are you surprised for the price? I'm sure Asus will leave that for the Republic of Gamer's board we're likely to see shortly. This then is the platform many have been waiting for before they take the plunge into Sandy Bridge, and the Asus P8Z68V Pro handles the responsibility fairly well. There are some exciting ideas in the Z68 package, but at least in the short term the results they yield in real-world application are a little underwhelming. We liked: The Asus P8Z68V Pro is the first of the Z68 boards we've come across and is essentially what we expected of the Sandy Bridge platform all along. The combination of iGPU and discrete graphics working together has made the P67 all but redundant unless you're a PC gamer only. The Smart Response technology is impressive, as is the Lucid Virtu software. The latter's power saving chops of particular import in these days of hugely over-powered graphics cards. We disliked: Despite the performance, the setting up of the Smart Response array provided many hours of frustration. Hopefully the end user experience has now been ironed out though. There is also a question mark hanging over how well the Smart Response and Quick Sync video work together. Final word: Buy for the iGPU implementation and power saving features and set up an SSD cache, but don't necessarily expect your technological world to be blown apart. 
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| Google may offer £12 a month Chrome OS laptop on contract Posted: 11 May 2011 12:54 AM PDT Google is rumoured to be set to announce a scheme where students can get a Chrome OS toting laptop for a $20 (£12) a month contract, mimicking the way in which many people get the latest mobile phones. According to Forbes, Google will announce the deal later in the day at its Google I/O conference, and the package will include Google Apps. Of course, this is the latest broadside from Google on Office in its attempts to get into the lucrative business market, challenging dominant rival Microsoft and its ubiquitous Office suite Catch 'em young Not only would this abide by the rule of catching people when they are young and setting preferences for life, Google is also likely to announce a corporate version of the deal so that businesses can get hold of hardware - and use Google's software rather than Microsoft Office - cheaply. "Small and medium-sized businesses are banging on our doors to get something like this," Forbes quote an executive as saying. There is, as you would expect, no news on whether this kind of scheme would be rolled out globally - and into the UK and Europe - but Google is a company that could afford to pump the amount of money needed to float such a scheme. At the current time, the biggest objection to Chrome OS is that it is only truly useful when an internet connection is present, with the operating system very much built on the cloud. Google is beginning to make some functionality available offline, although in the long term the indication is that the company fully believes that we will all soon be connected - be it by WiFi or next generation mobile broadband - at all times. Via Engadget 
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| Android forges alliance for consistent OS updates Posted: 10 May 2011 12:18 PM PDT Google has responded to criticism that the Android OS is too fragmented by announcing an alliance of networks and manufacturers who have vowed to provide more timely updates. Android has teamed up with OEMs like HTC, Motorola, Samsung and networks such as T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon to ensure that all Android phones are singing from the same hymn sheet. While this is likely to be a US-only alliance at present, the manufacturers have promised the very latest Android updates for new handsets in the first 18 months after they go on sale. With earlier news that the company wants Android Ice Cream Sandwich to be available on all Google-powered phones, this announcement shows us how it plans on achieving that feat. Fragmented Too often in the past, Android users have complained that their network hadn't yet rolled-out the new software update for their handset, leaving many frustrated with Android 1.6. With limitless handsets running different versions of the software, Android has been subject to criticism within the industry for being too fragmented and not creating a single vision as Apple has done so successfully with iOS. Obviously today's alliance proves that this is something that the folks at Android recognise and we should start to see this rectified with Android Ice Cream Sandwich, which is out later this year. 
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| Google launches Android Market movie rentals Posted: 10 May 2011 11:46 AM PDT Android users in the United States can now rent movies from the Android Market with Google serving-up a big-time rival to iTunes Movie Rentals. Google today announced the Android movie rentals service with thousands of films available to download from smartphones, tablets and PCs. The service is now live on the Android Market website, while phones packing Android 2.2 will get an updated movies app in the weeks to come. For Honeycomb users it'll arrive with Android 3.1. The 3.1 upgrade will also mean that movie rentals will be available on Apple TV boxes, as Google today promised to bring the OS to its set-top boxes and connected sets. Just like its Apple predecessor, rentals will cost from $1.99 and will be available for 30 days. If you start watching, you'll have 24 hours once to finish. New releases will cost £3.99, while HD titles, although few and far between, will cost $4.99, again mirroring what iTunes charges. Pinning All of the top new titles are available too, with the Market webstore showing The King's Speech, the new Harry Potter film and The American among the top titles. The service will operate via the traditional streaming means, but will also showcase a new feature calling "Pinning" which will start downloading the movie to enable you to watch it offline. While this, and the Music Beta, announcement is great news for Android users across the pond, we can't get too excited until it lands here in Blighty. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long. 
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| Exclusive: Samsung promises faster Android updates for Galaxy range Posted: 10 May 2011 11:29 AM PDT Samsung's UK and Ireland MD of the Mobile Division has told TechRadar that the company is working on improving its record of releasing the latest version of Android to its phones. The Korean firm has come under fire for taking so long to get the latest version of Android to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S, but Simon Stanford told us that this will be changing: "We recognise this is a real problem. We looked at all the online feedback, and the only stuff that we were seeing was bad feedback to do with the Froyo (Android 2.2) update. "People see an update launched globally and think they would be getting it soon too, so there's two things we're going to do: "Making sure the phones are built so the process ist easier already, almost automatic to update, and working with our network partners [to bring the updates out more quickly]." Shared responsibility Stanford pointed out that the company was slightly impeded in releasing the updates as soon as it could because it had to check that the new software would work correctly on each network. However, he was keen to stress that improvements to the software construction would make it easier to update handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S2: "A lot of challenges lay [in networks releasing updates], but we're pretty confident now that the learnings from the Galaxy S will not occur in Galaxy S2; we're pretty sure consumers will get a great experience when they come to upgrade the software. "From what I can understand it is getting easier to update the OS, as I said it should be automatic, and users shouldn't have to go and 'seek it'. Galaxy S still getting attention Stanford also promised that Samsung would 'absolutely' continue to keep updating the Samsung Galaxy S to the latest version of Android in the future, and was working on ways to speed up that process: "As a manufacturer we would previously release a phone and walk away, that was all we ever had to do. Now that's not the case as we keep customers for two years, constantly send them updates or the latest OS, so the challenge is working with operators to make sure we get the correct info out to customers." 
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| Skype integration 'in the next release of Office' Posted: 10 May 2011 10:50 AM PDT Microsoft made its biggest ever acquisition this week, announcing that it had bought popular video chat service Skype for $8.5 billion. But we also learned some details of Skype being integrated into the next version of Microsoft Office. At a press conference Steve Ballmer explained that the deal still had to go through the business of approval but he hoped this would be done by the end of the calendar year. Because of this there may well something of a wait for Skype to get integrated into Microsoft products, such as Office, Kinect and Messenger. While Microsoft is being coy about an actual date for the first Skype and Micrsoft link-up, Kurt DelBene, president of the Microsoft Office division, did explain to TechRadar that we should see Skype appear in some way in the next iteration of Office. Last we heard Office 2012 - also known as Office 15 - is slated for release in mid to late 2012. Skype integration "In terms of integration it is too early for us to tell. We are still understanding the core technologies that Skype has," said DelBene. "There's code that we can start from, though, and Office has made a significant investment on collaboration tools, so a lot of the core components are in place but we need to work out what else we need to do. "We can't go into specifics, but we can maybe start looking at Skype integration in the next release of Office." Currently the cloud version of Office – Microsoft Office 365 – is in public beta and within this is Lync, Microsoft's business-orientated video and communications client. 
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| Music Beta by Google officially launched Posted: 10 May 2011 10:46 AM PDT Google has finally taken the wraps off its music storage service at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco today. Music Beta by Google will allow users to store 20,000 songs on the cloud, which can be made available anywhere online. The service will initially be free, but only available to Android 2.2 users and above. However, as predicted, the service won't launch with the ability to buy new music directly after Google failed to agree deals with the key record studios. Presently, it's invite-only and only available in the US. What Music Beta does offer, like Amazon's Cloud Drive, is the chance to store your entire music library in one place without the hassle of constantly syncing devices and playlists. Offline play Even if you're offline, Music Beta will store the songs you've recently played in the cache making them still available if you lose your 3G or Wi-Fi connection. You can also select the artists, albums and playlists that you wish to be made available offline. The service is now live, in Beta form, but if you want to get on board, you'll have to request an invitation from music.google.com. Motorola Xoom owners will get priority apparently. The announcement means that Google actually has beaten Apple to the punch in the cloud storage wars, but without a means of buying new music, Apple's own service is likely to have the advantage. 
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| Google makes Ice Cream Sandwich official Posted: 10 May 2011 10:38 AM PDT Google has finally officially revealed its next OS as Ice Cream Sandwich at the opening keynote speech of Google I/O, describing it as its 'most ambitious release to date' - but stopped short of naming it Android 2.4. As we predicted back at Mobile World Congress, Google intends Ice Cream Sandwich to unify its mobile OSes, with Google's Mike Claren saying, "We want one OS that runs everywhere." To this end, Ice Cream Sandwich will incorporate all the best bits of Honeycomb, the Android tablet OS and make them useable on smartphones too. Not new, still exciting These juicy new smartphone tools will include the updated app launcher, holographic user interface, interactive homescreen widgets and the snazzy multi-tasker which we so love on Honeycomb. As well as this, Google hopes to make life easier for developers by releasing a new set of APIs that will help them to scale their apps across the various form-factors of Android devices – obviously an app is going to look different on a 7-inch tablet than on a 3.7-inch smartphone screen. Gogo Logo Google also showed off 3D headtracking using the front-mounted camera, which is a clever little device that can figure out who is speaking and focus on them whilst on a video call. Most importantly, Google debuted the OS's cute new logo, which you can see above. Ice Cream Sandwich will be launching on Android devices in Q4 this year, although there's no word yet on minimum hardware requirements. 
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| Google reveals Android 3.1 for tablets and Google TV Posted: 10 May 2011 10:23 AM PDT Google has announced an upgrade to its Honeycomb OS, named Android 3.1. "We've been busy," said Mike Claren as he opened his Google I/O keynote speech. He's not wrong. The update is rolling out to Android tablets from today, starting in the US, but will also be heading to Google TV, bringing Android Market to your television. Improvements to the OS include an expanded multitasking tool, which includes a system manager which handles your open resources for you so you won't run out of memory or be prompted to quit an application on the tablet. No more midget widgets Also getting some love are Android widgets; you'll now be able to expand the size of a scrollable widget that sits on the home screen, stretching it horizontally and vertically. Existing scrollable widgets can also be upgraded quite easily with a couple of lines of codes for the developer to add in. The update will also allow Android devices to act as a USB host, so you can import your photos directly from a digital camera to your tablet; you can also use USB keyboards, mice, trackpads and game controllers with the device, so you aren't just stuck with a touchscreen. Android 3.1 should be rolling out to UK Honeycomb-running tablets soon, and to Google TV this summer, although it's unlikely that Google TV itself will even be available in the UK by then. 
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| Ballmer: Skype deal is 'a significant opportunity' Posted: 10 May 2011 09:34 AM PDT Steve Ballmer called the $8.5 billion deal to buy Skype "a significant opportunity" adding that Skype is "a great business" with "plenty of opportunities ahead...the promise of universal next generation communications." At a press conference to announce the deal this afternoon, Microsoft CEO Ballmer said: "It became clear to us that we had even more opportunity to do more as a single company…we finalised price in mid-April and signed the deal last night." The deal will be finalised towards the end of the year pending all necessary approval. There is as yet no roadmap for integration of Skype with Microsoft services. Skype CEO Tony Bates added that it is "a big day. A big day for our users, our community. We have a sound business. We can keep growing the core assets."
SOLD: Skype CEO Tony Bates is to head up a Skype division at Microsoft Bates joins Microsoft as head of a separate Skype division. Ballmer said he was impressed with the figures – the service has 170 million connected users, with 40 per cent growth year on year. "First, we're committed to the Skype userbase today and into the future. We want to continue to build…that userbase," said Ballmer, who also pointed out that 40 per cent of Skype traffic was now video. "Part of that commitment is to continue to support Skype development on non-Microsoft platforms" later saying "it's fundamental to the value proposition." Ballmer cited examples of Microsoft working on other platforms, such as Office for Mac. However, Ballmer was sure to talk about optimising Skype for Kinect as well as Windows Phone 7 and integration with Outlook. He also talked briefly about "Messenger and Hotmail possibilities." Ballmer also had a little dig at FaceTime. "It's pretty clear that people aren't using video on their phone and that is something we want to address at Microsoft. And take Kinect – we have given you a whole video conference system in your home for a few hundred dollars, so we will definitely act with that." For business users, Lync 2010 – formerly Microsoft Office Communicator – will get Skype integration according to Ballmer. "We create technology that makes life better for millions of people and companies across the globe," added Ballmer, talking more generally about the opportunity for Microsoft. "Communications is the most fundamental area in which technology can be transformative…and there are plenty of opportunities ahead. We dream of building experiences that aren't limited by distance or device. The Skype brand has become a verb."
CONNECTED: Microsoft clearly sees Skype as a connection between home and work 
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| Legal action against 23,000 illegal downloaders underway Posted: 10 May 2011 09:31 AM PDT The US Copyright Group is set to sue around 23,000 file sharers in the US in what could be the largest legal action against downloaders to date. Having been granted permission to force ISPs to reveal personal details of people who illegally torrented 2010 action movieThe Expendables, the group will be looking to make a substantial amount of cash from defendants. The exact number of people being targeted in the case is not yet known, and won't be until the ISPs start carrying out the subpoena; so the estimated 23,000 defendants could grow to a much higher number. We've got a lot of what it takes to get along Rather than lengthy and expensive court proceedings, the Copyright Group is no doubt hoping that the majority of those who downloaded the aged action hero flick will opt for a cash settlement out of court. These settlements come in at around $3,000 per download; so it could be quids in for the studios behind the movie which has already netted $103,068,524 in US box office takings. But forget the financial punishment; the ultimate penalty for these file sharers will be having everyone know they paid $3,000 to watch The Expendables of their own free will. 
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| Now acceptable in Scrabble: Facebook, wiki, webzine and inbox Posted: 10 May 2011 08:28 AM PDT Collins has added 3,000 new words to its list of Official Scrabble Words, including internet-inspired phrases 'Facebook', 'wiki', 'webzine' and 'inbox'. With a bit of strategic manoeuvring, the ever-successful 'Facebook' could net you 57 points (19 points on a triple word score), while the somewhat out-dated 'webzine' is worth 21. Scrabble fans will be pleased at the new opportunities to get rid of those pesky Zs and Xs, while English professors the world over (not to mention your gran) will likely groan at the pervasive nature of the online dialect, practically baragouin to offliners. Letter gangs Still, it could be worse. Oh wait, it is worse, with '90s favourites 'innit', 'grrl', 'blingy', 'thang', and 'gak' all now making the Scrabble grade. What next? Kwyjibo? Robert Groves, editor of Collins English Dictionaries and editor of the latest word list for Scrabble users, said: "The latest edition adds nearly 3,000 new words to the existing quarter of a million available to Scrabble players. "These additions are an eclectic mix of new technological jargon, overseas English, recent colloquialisms, street slang, and a few fairly well-established phrases that had not made it onto the list until now." 
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| Posted: 10 May 2011 08:24 AM PDT The 2011 batch of Bravias has been kept back a little, but rather than herald the arrival of a new lineup of big, bold, competitive and cutting-edge flatscreen TVs. The Sony KDL-32CX523 32-inch LCD TV delivers purely as a good value package. And then some. A combination of a basic LCD panel with an integrated Freeview HD tuner ought to suit the mass market just fine and there are some surprising extras, such as smartphone app control, USB recording, wireless connectivity (via an add-on dongle), Bravia Internet Video (including BBC iPlayer, Sony's own Qriocity hub, and Lovefilm) and a new incarnation of the Xross Media Bar user interface (familiar to PS3 owners), alongside a full HD resolution. You won't, however, find 3D playback or 100Hz scanning. The KDL-32CX523 is joined by the 40-inch KDL-32CX523 in the CX range, the latter selling for around £700. That '3' on the end of the model number proves crucial, since Sony also sells the non-Freeview D-equipped CX520 series that, despite lacking Freeview HD, is only a shade cheaper (the 32-inch KDL-32CX520, for example, sells for around £650) and are otherwise identical in basic spec to the model reviewed here. The CX520 Series also includes the 37-inch KDL-37CX523. Next stop up on the Bravia bandwagon is Sony's Essential series; there you'll find LED backlighting, 100Hz panels and 3D capability, as well as Bravia Internet Video and an Opera web browser. The corresponding model, the KDL-32EX723, costs around £749 and is one of the smallest 3DTVs around. It's joined by the 37-inch KDL-37EX723 (£900), 40-inch KDL-40EX723 (£1,000), 46-inch KDL-46EX723 (£1,400) and 55-inch KDL-55EX723 (£1,700) models.
Unlike Sony's KDL-32EX723, this identically sized product is in the pared-down CX range. The use of an old-fashioned (or should that be budget-conscious?) CCFL-lit LCD panel rather than a LED-backlit model could be a cause for concern if you're allergic to pictures that feature the kind of uniform brightness that produces greys instead of blacks. Even basic LCD panels are getting better at reproducing blacks, but movie aficionados more into Blu-ray than Bargain Hunt are advised to look elsewhere in Sony's predominantly LED-based Bravia range for more convincing contrast. The same goes for those after 3D, but don't make the mistake of thinking that this is a bog-standard, basic TV. For starters, the KDL-32CX523 uses a full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) panel, something that was far from standard-issue only a couple of years ago. Other brand new functions on this so-called entry-level TV comprise smartphone control, Skype Video calling and Track ID. The latter is a Gracenote database-powered system that enables you to discover the name of a piece of music almost instantly. However, in our tests it produced only error messages.
Don't forget to download the MediaRemote app for Android or Apple phones; it's a genuinely engaging way of controlling the TV, and, though it's not quite perfect, the gesture control will be easy for any smartphone user to master.
It works only if the KDL-32CX523 is on a home network, something that's done most easily by purchasing a Wi-Fi USB dongle from Sony for around £70, though there's also the free option to hook up a LAN cable to the TV's rear. The same applies to Skype Video calling, which involves a further purchase – this time of £89 – for Sony's Skype Camera CMU-BR100. Do shop around though; we spotted it going for as little as £70. In theory, this USB device enables simple and free voice and video calls over the web, but the feature was nowhere to be seen on our sample. Cue an imminent firmware update. In the absence of 100Hz frame insertion (MotionFlow, in Sony's case), it's left to the proprietary X-Reality Picture Engine to bring images up to scratch. We expect it to work wonders with DVDs and video streamed across the web, which it's designed to muster more from without creating any nasty side-effects, such as picture noise. There's also a collection of 'scene select' picture presets for different sources of video. Showing eight channels over two hours (having tuned in HD as well as SD channels), the KDL-32CX523's electronic programme guide is peerless in its design. It's accessed from the new Xross Media Bar that stretches only along the bottom of the screen, with the pop-up lists (which used to obscure anything underneath) now appearing on the right-hand side. Meanwhile, the channel you're watching is reduced to a window about two-thirds of the size of the screen. Sony's software eggheads have done a great job. Next on the XMB comes a tab for Recordings. Attach a HDD to the KDL-32CX523 via one of the set's two rear-mounted USB slots and it's possible to make recordings, though only if capacity is above 32GB. That's a shame, since similar features on rival brands enable 2GB USB memory sticks to power a simple pause/rewind live TV function. Not here. Recording flexibility is similar to other brands in that it's only possible to record what you're watching, or when the TV is switched off – you can't change channels while you record. Bravia Internet Video is similar to the 2010 crop, comprising BBC iPlayer, Lovefilm, Demand 5, YouTube, Eurosport, Sky News, Moshcam, Australia) and a host of either minority interest services (GolfLink) and downright trash (SingingFool). Video and music on demand is also available through Sony's own Qriocity service, though both were offline when we tried to review their progress. Nearby in the otherwise empty (where have the Bravia widgets gone?) Applications folder is a web browser from Opera that can surf the net to your heart's content – or, rather, the opposite. Slow to load and presented far too small to read, this service is, in practice, completely useless. A list of recently visited places – including MP3 files and online content as well as TV channels – sits next to an input selector and a Media tab. From USB sticks we managed to get MKV, MPEG4 and WMV files to play, which covers the likes of DivX and DivX HD. MP3 and WMA music, and JPEG photos are also supported. Accessed through the same bright 'n' breezy file system on the XMB we managed to stream the same collection of files from a networked Mac, though we were also able to play AVCHD and MOV video files, too.
Picture quality from streamed video is better than expected. A five-minute programme from uStudio on Bryce Canyon in HD was faultless aside from the odd juddery vertical camera pan. A far lower quality news clip video from Eurosport was much more blurry, but oh so clean. The X-Reality engine seemingly glosses over the tell-tale signs of SD content – jagged edges and picture noise – on a full HD screen, which doesn't bring any great benefit in terms of extra details, but it's far less offensive to HD-trained eyes. A trailer of 2012 in DivX HD format also shows off the KDL-32CX523's excellent colour palette, though there's always a touch of polarisation in files such as these. We also noticed more signs of what turns out to be one of this TV's weaknesses: motion blur. It's barely noticeable for much of the time, but even slow camera pans can cause an ugly judder. The KDL-32CX523 lacks any frame insertion technology, so the fact that there's some blur on this 50Hz image is no great surprise. We also spotted it in our Blu-ray test disc Donnie Darko, though the issue wasn't as serious as we'd feared. In the same way that online fare is treated with care, so too are Freeview channels, which look clean and free from too many jagged edges or visible pixellation. It's an unusual approach from Sony, but it's almost as if the circuitry behind X-Reality is visibly trying to remove the effect of the full HD panel's extra pixels and it works a treat. It is possible to tweak the basic picture parameters, but Sony would rather you used its seven different presets; Cinema, Sports, Game, Photo, Music, General and Graphics modes are all accessible via the Scene button on the remote. Still, we wanted to see what could be done about the average contrast, so dived into the set's Advanced menus. There you'll find a Black Corrector (useful if left on Low mode, but introducing a forced look if any higher), Advanced Contrast Enhancer (best left off), a Gamma adjuster and Live Colour, the latter is only worth using on its lowest setting. Any higher and inaccuracies don't so much creep as thunder on to the screen. It's the quickest way to get sunburned and, in any case, the native colours are just about adequate. We also spotted Film Mode, but don't mistake this for frame interpolation technologies used on a lot of displays; it's nothing of the sort and doesn't appear to affect the picture in any major way. Bright hi-def material is laden with detail, though that's not the case with the gloom of Donnie Darko. Contrast is greater than you might expect at this spec and price, but darker areas of the picture are relatively feature-less; the likes of Black Corrector and Advanced Contrast Enhancer can be used, but they only make these areas blacker, not more realistic. The problem isn't terrible, but it leaves the KDL-32CX523 light years away from a good plasma.
Sound Fitted with 20W speakers, this 32-incher is never going to reproduce the grumble of a home cinema, but it does a good job with what its got. The Eighties hits in Donnie Darko are reasonably well reproduced, though the darker, more morose orchestral pieces later in the film aren't as spooky as they could be. Overall, there's a lack of any sparkle, but high volumes don't distort. Adequate, then, for general living room duties, though steer clear of the treble-heavy Clear Voice mode. Value On build quality and looks the KDL-32CX523 just about gets by. We're still convinced that 2010's 'monolithic' look was down to a designers' sabbatical rather than the creation of a revolutionary new look, and the 2011 team has been similarly sluggish. The KDL-32CX523 is reasonably streamlined, but its back-to-basics look leaves it far behind Samsung TVs, for starters. Its 70mm depth seems reasonable at this price, though the width of the actual screen surround – at around 45mm – is a tad too much. An otherwise sleek-looking set that hides some TV controls behind its left-hand side, the truth about its construction is revealed upon close inspection; that brushed metallic 'look' is just that. In terms of what you get for your money, the KDL-32CX523 should be considered as a replacement for Sony's outgoing KDL-32EX403, though this updated set adds some unique smartphone, record-to-USB and (soon) Skype features which, for the money, adds up to quite a haul. Ease of use The newly designed menus are reasonably easy to skip through, if a little long-winded, but there's no doubting that the KDL-32CX523 – and by extension, all Sony TVs – are among the easiest to use. Aside from some onscreen menus occasionally being a little sluggish, our major problem with the KDL-32CX523's remote was its insistence on controlling external AV kit. It just wouldn't stay away from a Samsung Blu-ray player we had connected-up, so much so that it proved impossible to get back to Freeview channels while a Blu-ray disc played without recourse to the iPhone app.
An entry-level TV with some distinctly mid-range features, the KDL-32CX523 nevertheless has an unfinished feel to it. With Skype coming soon and Track ID refusing to work on our sample, we suspect there's more to come – and there's great potential here for a value-busting living room set. We liked The refreshed user interface is a work of art, while the glossy and pin-sharp electronic programme guide for Freeview HD is as good-looking as the hi-def TV channels themselves. Blu-ray and digital files are also handled well, while the X-Reality processing enables even low-rent online videos to be highly watchable on the full HD screen. The smartphone app, while not instantly perfect, is intuitive and speedy, and helps lift the KDL-32CX523 above some of its rivals – as does the appearance of BBC iPlayer and its stablemates in the excellent Bravia Internet Video collection. We disliked The KDL-32CX523 looks much less plasticky than most TVs of this size and price, but it's a completely uninspiring design. Without LED backlighting there's a question mark over the KDL-32CX523's contrast, and we spotted some blur and judder, too. The lack of built-in Wi-Fi is understandable, but annoying, given the KDL-32CX523's tremendous haul of online and networking features – though the web browser proved too tricky to read. Final verdict Just as X-Reality does with poor quality video, the few niggles we have about the KDL-32CX523's ultimate picture quality should also be glossed over; this is an exciting package from Sony. Destined to be some people's first taste of an online video hub, and with smartphone control, networking (albeit wired) and the possibility of Skype video calling for upgraders, the KDL-32CX523 has the potential to be one of the best mainstream TVs yet. The phrase 'entry-level' just got a whole lot more exciting. 
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| Posted: 10 May 2011 07:50 AM PDT The Infinite Black Pro-toting TX-P42ST30B is 2011's most affordable active 3D plasma screen. It has been shorn of one or two fancy features that Panasonic reckons the mass market won't feel deprived of, but is still crammed with the latest plasma technology, including faster-switching phosphors, reduced power consumption and a new screen filter. The most immediate difference between the TX-P42ST30B and its superior stablemate, the TX-P42GT30B, is that visually this is clearly no catwalk queen with a 2-inch wide gunmetal grey plastic bezel, industrial-looking base and a grey-green screen that when switched off is reminiscent of an old-fashioned CRT. Compared with its pricier sibling, also missing from the spec sheet are DLNA networking, a built-in Freesat tuner, USB HDD recording, colour management and THX/ISF calibration. The even more expensive flagship TX-P42VT30B improves on both models by also offering 2.1 audio, a Wi-Fi dongle and two free pairs of 3D specs. Despite the TX-P42ST30B's 'affordable 3D' tag you're going to have to shell out a fair bit of dough for the specs. As with the GT series, the ST is available with a 46-inch screen in the form of the TX-P46ST30B and as the TX-P50ST30B with a 50-inch screen. Only the VT series also comes in 55-inch and 60-inch sizes, which is just as well, because it's hard to imagine anyone wanting anything so dull-looking as the TX-P42ST30B in such a large screen size.
Once you get past the TX-P42ST30B's unappealing cosmetics you find there's a fair amount going on that meets most of today's TV buyer's needs, including Smart TV in the guise of the revamped Viera Connect service, wireless (via an optional USB adaptor) or hard-wired networking (not DLNA), 3D capability and a comprehensive set of connections. The sockets include an interface for a pay-TV module, an SD card slot for ultra-quick viewing of camera snaps and videos, two HDD/flash memory-compatible USB sockets and four HDMI sockets, one of which is side-facing for quick access and wall-mounting, while the rest face backwards. This is good news for stand-mounting as it avoids unsightly cables projecting out of the side, but wall-mounters may find the single side-facing HDMI annoying. Analogue connections include composite video and a headphone socket, while a digital optical connection can send sound from the broadcast tuner to a separate amp. Another connection of a sort is Viera Connect, a straightforward Smart TV proposition with several popular portals built-in including Picasa, YouTube, Acetrax, Twitter, Skype and the iPlayer, which finally joins the Viera party. The new cloud-based app marketplace gives the service room to grow and - assuming your broadband connection is up to the task - has the potential to deliver all your visual entertainment and social networking needs direct to this screen without involving a separate computer. There's nothing terribly revolutionary about the panel's picture processing except a fast switching phosphor that Panasonic claims reduces crosstalk, which could have a significant effect on 3D enjoyment and improve 2D images. The range of picture tweaks is more or less sensibly restricted to a number of basics with 3D options and the much-debated '600Hz' sub-field drive IFC (Intelligent Field Creation) of the most interest. C.A.T.S (Contrast Automatic Tracking System) and P-NR (picture noise reduction) respectively optimise the picture according to the ambient light and set the noise reduction to one of several presets.
The TX-P42ST30B's images, both with 2D and 3D sources, are generally of a higher quality than those on previous generations of Panasonic plasmas, with the fast-switching phosphor having an unarguably beneficial affect on 3D images. With the Monsters vs Aliens 3D Blu-ray platter the scenes with strong vertical objects (such as the church spire and Golden Gate Bridge) show very little crosstalk so that you don't feel aware of any image lag. This helps create a strong overall 3D experience. With Sky, however, the loss of resolution caused by the side-by-side system is felt keenly on the TX-P42ST30B. During Avatar on Sky 3D, for example, the scene where Sully emerges from stasis simply doesn't have the incredible depth of the floating hanger. The same movie on 2D Blu-ray shows just how much clarity the screen is capable of rendering with exceptional detail of Sully's face when he listens to the commander's 'Welcome to Pandora' speech. Watching sport on Sky 3D is fine, because you get drawn into the action but dramas lack the wow factor that the additional clarity can add. As a 2D screen the TX-P42ST30B is capable of some excellent images. It is a bit soft at times, but fare such as Human Planet on BBC HD Freeview and live cricket on Sky Sports HD show that colour fidelity is accurate, contrast levels and shadow detail are strong and problems such as banding and colour flashes are negligible. The excellent Bored to Death on Sky Atlantic HD shows that motion judder with fast panning can be a problem depending on the speed of the pan and proximity of the subject to the camera but engaging IFC's lowest setting takes care of it without introducing detrimental artefacts. On the other hand, the title scenes from Mad Men have never seemed so harshly processed, with grey specs appearing on the panel, yet particularly impressive is the solidity of a very dark scene from To Catch a Thief in both HD and standard-def (on Sky), something which often breaks up on poorer screens. With any TV there are going to be occasions where what you're watching doesn't suit the screen's setting and you do have to find the right ones for different material. The vast skies in No Country for Old Men on Blu-ray are noisy and though engaging P-NR can reduce this, the softening is noticeable, but slight, and the image remains intensely watchable. No Country for Old Men is also a great test for IFC and this panel makes a much better job than previous incarnations. With 24p Smooth Film set to off there's slight judder and no image artefacts, set it to mid or max and there's no judder with just a very slight halo trail. Movies and stills viewed on Flash memory devices look very strong and are quickly and easily navigated. But file compatibility is not the greatest and we had no joy with several .MPG, .M4V, AVCHD and M2TS rips, no sound with one .MP4 but success with DiVx files and some .M4Vs. Expectations should be adjusted accordingly.
Sound Audio is a pleasant surprise. There are a number of tweaks and presets available including Balance Control, Headphone Volume, plus Music, Speech and user modes. Built-in surround options comprise V-Audio and V-Audio surround. There's little sense of being surrounded by anything aural and while the speakers suffice for everyday listening, you'll certainly need a separate sound system for watching movies and dramas. Value Given that it delivers much more than you'd expect of such a pig-ugly screen, the TX-P42ST30B seems reasonably enough priced at around £1,300, especially compared with Panasonic's TX-L32DT30B, a 32-inch LCD that sells for just £200 less. That's 10 extra inches for not much more cash. Until now you simply couldn't get this level of 2D and 3D performance plus online TV and multimedia playback on a 42-inch screen for this kind of outlay. It's just a pity the 3D specs are such an expensive extra at around £100 each. Ease of use Unfortunately, Panasonic has not changed its Freeview guide from the GuidePlus, which is slow to load, doesn't maintain audio or visual contact with the current broadcast and has amateurish adverts taking up valuable space on the guide. It does at least tell you if a standard-def show is also in HD on one of the four HD channels and searching using the alpha-numeric keypad is a breeze. Similarly, the TX-P42ST30B's own menu system is easy enough to operate if not as aesthetically pleasing as many others. The menu of greatest interest is the Picture one that reveals the pared down nature of its adjustments. There is the usual gamut of preset modes (Dynamic, Natural, Cinema, Game, etc) and options to play with brightness, contrast, sharpness, colour balance (a bit like white balance) and a Vivid Colour on/off switch, but the lack of individual hue adjustments may be seen as a cut too far. A 3D option provides minor tweaks to the way the image is detected and displayed but doesn't let you mess around too much with the depth. The IFC off/mid/max button and Clear Cinema on/off control are – annoyingly – buried in the Advanced sub-menu. Connect a 24p Blu-ray feed and these are automatically replaced by Blu-ray 24p Smooth Film on/off. Other advanced controls include Resolution enhancer, a pixel orbiter and scrolling pattern for removing burnt-in onscreen logos. It's annoying that no 3D specs are supplied, but at least the latest models are fairly comfortable and some can be recharged using the USB output. They do, however, cut out more light than other brands' glasses, but at least it means you can find a suitable use for the TV's otherwise ridiculously harsh Dynamic mode. The remote control has, in keeping with the set, been given an inferior finish. Sprayed light grey, it's far from the most attractive handset you'll see and rams home the message that you're an entry-level customer. Overall, it's a decent enough screen to operate and if you've got in a bit of a mess with the settings it's always worth giving the C.A.T.S control a go for a surprisingly good reset based on your room's ambient light.
Whether it's an iPod or a robot vacuum cleaner, it pays to never buy a first-generation product, even if it seems startlingly impressive. The same is true of 3D plasma screens, as Panasonic's second generation of NeoPDP delivers a host of subtle but significant improvements. The faster phosphor time, multimedia talents and general panel attenuation have been harnessed to deliver an enticing proposition for a 42-inch screen with 3D prowess. We liked The set's overall image performance with 2D and 3D sources is highly impressive. Once you've worked out which picture settings suit what sources you're guaranteed a rollickingly good visual experience. The lack of artefacts with the IFC is especially good, as is the virtual absence of 3D crosstalk. The Viera Connect service has improved dramatically since last year and is a useful supplementary feature. We disliked We're no fans of the drab grey styling and cheapo remote control that are such a contrast to the more expensive sets in Panasonic's 2011 range. The fact that you have to buy your 3D specs separately is illogical because if you weren't interested in it you wouldn't be buying this set in the first place. Final verdict You do need to play around with the settings sometimes but the screen's failings are much less significant than its successes. The TX-P42ST30B doesn't look that nice but it delivers more than it promises, rather than less. If you can see past the drab frame, the TX-P42ST30B is a bit of a bargain. 
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| Review: Asus Eee Pad Transformer Posted: 10 May 2011 07:37 AM PDT With every electronics manufacturer in the entire universe looking to release an Android tablet in 2011, individual products are all going to need some kind of unique selling point. This is especially true with Android 3.0 products, because the vast majority of them are all packing near identical innards – namely Nvidia's Tegra 2 dual core CPU platform. The LG Optimus Pad, then, has its 3D camera. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1V has its 8MP snapper. And the Android 2.3-toting HTC Flyer comes with its own Sense UI overlay. So it makes perfect sense that Asus - the company that gave birth to the netbook - would seek to position its first Android tablet in a niche it knows well.
Ever since the iPad was unleashed on the world like an Apple-scented hurricane in 2010, the humble netbook's days have been numbered. But the problem was that until now, there wasn't a product that truly offered the functionality of a netbook and the portability, convenience and not to mention the pleasure of using a tablet.
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 is that product. With its detachable keyboard and trackpad dock, it's a powerful Android tablet while on the move, and a functional Android-powered netbook when you're sitting at a desk. The back of the tablet and the keyboard is covered in a honeycomb-style texture, which makes it quite grippy to hold in your hand.
That said, build quality doesn't quite live up to the impossibly high standards of the iPad 2. The plastic bodywork feels mostly solid, but there's a fraction of give there that slightly undermines what is otherwise a very lovely-looking device. Another small negative is the size of the thing. The 10.1-inch screen is surrounded by a black bezel and a further metallic surround, which make the device almost 20mm wider than it would be without them.
It's also slightly heavier than some of the other tablets around. At 680g it's still not exactly heavy, and with the keyboard dock attached it feels about the same weight as a decent netbook. And there is one enormous positive that we've yet to mention. The price. The Transformer is available from as little as £379, while it'll cost you just £429 for the tablet and keyboard dock together. That means it's significantly cheaper than the likes of the Motorola Xoom, while offering arguably a lot more. So does the Transformer offer the best of both tablet and netbook worlds? Or is it a horrible mess in the shape of the Acer Iconia Tab W500? We're about to find out.
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer comes packing the same Tegra 250 chip as the other big hitters in the Android 3.0 world. Backed up by 1GB RAM, and 16GB and 32GB storage flavours, it's as well-specified as any other tablet we've seen. That storage capacity can be supplemented by taking advantage of the microSD slot in the tablet and the SD card slot in the dock. It also comes with a 10.1-inch capacitive IPS display at a decent HD resolution of 1280x800, a 5MP rear-firing camera and a 1.3MP front-facing camera.
Other hardware features come in the shape of a three-axis accelerometer, gryroscope, wireless N connectivity and a tablet-only battery life of 9.5 hours. There's not yet a 3G version but we believe there's one on the way.
The Transformer has a proprietary docking connector on the bottom side, which is used to charge the battery, connect to a computer and dock with the keyboard peripheral. It's a fully-featured keyboard, tailored perfectly to the Android 3.0 operating system. So as well as the QWERTY key layout, you've got hot keys for locking and unlocking the device, adjusting screen brightness, turning Wi-Fi on and off and opening the Android settings menu.
You've also got a laptop-style trackpad that enables you to use a cursor to browse the Android OS if you so wish. The keyboard dock is where two USB 2.0 ports and an SD card port reside, so if you buy the cheaper version without the dock, you won't get those features. But the dock is more than just a keyboard and USB port – it has hidden powers, courtesy of its own battery.
The dock's battery packs in an additional six and a half hours of playtime, meaning that when docked the Eee Pad Transformer can be used for up to 16 hours without the need for a recharge. What's more, the dock actually passes its charge on to the tablet itself. So when the tablet's not at 100% power the dock will charge it up, providing it has enough juice to do so.
If both batteries are fully charged, the device will take power from the keyboard first, meaning the tablet always has as much power as possible for when you want to detach it.
In use, the Transformer TF101 is a joy. We're big fans of the Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS, and it runs like a dream on the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101. We won't go into the general features of Honeycomb in this review – if you want to know more about it you can read our in-depth Android 3.0 review. By far the most interesting feature of the Transformer is the keyboard docking station, so let's go there next. We had reservations before we tested the Transformer. Our main fear was that the tablet and the dock would not marry together well. Acer's W500 Windows tablet was guilty of that – the keyboard was horrible, and the method of docking the two products together was implemented poorly.
That's not the case, here, though. The tablet slots into the dock with a satisfying clunk, and once they're attached you wouldn't know that they were ever apart. You can fold the screen flat just like you can with a standard netbook – something that, on the Acer Iconica Tab W500, would result in the two pieces falling away from each other in an embarrassing fashion.
There's an easy-to-use silver switch on the front of the dock, which releases the tablet and automatically locks it into place when you dock it. The keyboard dock is significantly lighter than the tablet, which means that when they're docked together, the weight of the device as a whole isn't too bad. In a perfect world it would be a tad lighter, but really it's light enough to carry around without putting your back out. The keyboard brings so much to the Android experience, too. Tablets are often called consumption devices because they're more about consuming media than actually creating content.
However, with the keyboard and with the inclusion of Polaris Office, you're immediately well on the way to not needing a secondary laptop – we're not quite there yet though. Typing is quick and easy, and the keyboard isn't spongy in the slightest. Typing the odd email and searching the web is quicker and easier than using the frankly horrible onscreen keyboard.
That's one thing we really didn't like, in fact – the onscreen keyboard is different to the standard Android 3.0 one and it's not nice to type on at all. The first thing we wanted to do was install a different keyboard (one of Android's greatest strengths is that you can do things like that) because the keys are squished. This is one reason why the iPad's 4x3 aspect ratio works so well – it means the keys on the keyboard aren't as elongated. Trackpad When the dock is connected, a mouse cursor appears on the screen and you can then navigate the OS in three different ways.
You can stick to the touch interface and use gestures on the screen. You can use the trackpad on the dock like you would use the trackpad and mouse buttons on a laptop. Or you can also plug a USB mouse into one of the USB ports on the dock and use the mouse to control the cursor. You can also interchange between these input methods without having to change settings or switch modes – they all work simultaneously.
We found that using the mouse and keyboard like a standard computer worked very well, although the experience is not flawless by any means. For a start, the cursor seemed ever so slightly behind. It moves just a tiny fraction of a second after you move your finger on the trackpad or move the mouse. It's not a massive issue, but it's enough to make us feel that we didn't particularly want to use the cursor much.
The other minor quibble we had with the trackpad involved scrolling in the Android browser. On a laptop, to scroll down on a web page you slide your finger on the trackpad towards your body. To scroll up, you'd slide your finger away from you. But here it's the opposite. To scroll down you gesture in the direction of the screen, which is very unintuitive for anyone who's ever used a laptop – which is... everyone.
We can see why it's done like that – it's to match the exact same gesture you'd make if scrolling by touching the screen itself. But it would be nice if there was an option to invert this input, as it's hella annoying. Screen The screen on the Asus Eee Pad Transformer is an IPS panel, and it's one of the best tablet screens we've seen. Colours are bright and vivid, contrast is decent and the viewing angle is excellent. When watching videos, the picture is smooth and sharp while the touch input was extremely responsive.
Modern tablets have cameras for many reasons, and taking holiday snaps isn't particularly one of them. Having a camera gives developers more freedom to develop apps that use image capture as part of their functionality, whether by translating printed text into digital words or taking some quick snaps to manipulate in a casual editing app. We've seen some truly excellent cameras on tablets recently – the best one being on the the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1V, which still hasn't gone on sale in UK Vodafone stores. The iPad 2's camera sits further down the order, with its pitiful 0.7MP and 0.3MP efforts. The Eee Pad Transformer has a 5MP rear sensor and a 1.3MP front-facing sensor for video chats. The results from our testing were hit and miss, and to be frank we were rather disappointed with the performance in both stills and video mode. Video is recorded at a respectable HD resolution of 1280x720, although the footage by no means has the appearance of high definition.
Frame rates are awful, too – if you check out our test video you can see that panning slowly produced some incredibly juddery footage. There haven't been many corners cut with this tablet, but the camera is one area we feel has been sacrificed to preserve that attractive price. The iPad 2's sensors may be primitive, but at least they perform at a level you'd expect from a premium product. We can't imagine ever wanting to use the Transformer to record video. Still shots were acceptable in quality without being in any way, shape or form impressive. Colours were washed out, contrast was poor and sharpness was distinctly lacking. You're not going to want to use this tablet to capture any lasting images, but it's perfectly good enough for app developers to work with. We can't see said developers using this tablet as their reference device, though.
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 is an excellent tablet. It's an all-round performance expert with very few weaknesses. We liked: The tablet is very fast and extremely responsive. Multitasking using Android 3.0 is impressive, and it was very easy to switch between running apps quickly and without fuss. There was no lag at any point, save for a few quirks with the mouse cursor. The keyboard is also a fantastic addition, and anyone wanting to get hold of this tablet should definitely consider spending the extra £50 or so on the keyboard dock. It adds extra functionality and another six hours of battery life into the mix. Battery life itself is a major positive – 16 hours with the dock gives you a lot of options, and far outstretches any tablet we've seen. That said, it won't charge over a USB connection with your computer, you'll need the bundled mains adapter for that. The screen is excellent – we couldn't fault it at all. The display also seems to resist finger smudges better than most, although it's still not as impressive as the iPad 2 in this regard. The inclusion of features such as SD and MicroSD slots, miniHDMI-out and two USB ports only increases the tablet's functionality further. We disliked: The cameras are rather poor, especially when you consider what the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the LG Optimus Pad are capable of producing. The 5MP sensor doesn't perform anywhere near as well as we'd expected. The size is also a small drawback – the bezel is surrounded by a metallic edge, which makes the tablet a bit wider than it would otherwise have been. It's not a major factor, but it does mean it's not quite the tidy tablet we'd have perhaps wanted it to be. Using a USB mouse with the tablet isn't as slick as we'd hoped either, as the cursor was always fractionally behind our movements. Perhaps this is something that can be fixed with a future software update. Of course, there's also the ongoing problem with Android 3.0, in that there aren't currently as many apps available as for the iPad or even Android phones. However, this is something that is guaranteed to improve over time. Verdict: What it all comes down to is the price. If this had been a £600 tablet, we would have said 'nice try, but it's not quite there'. But this is a £429 tablet – or £379 without the keyboard – which makes it, without question, the most attractive Android tablet yet to hit the shelves. It's also the first non-Windows tablet that can reasonably claim to render the netbook obsolete. So should you buy one? Of course you should. 
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| Updated: Official: Microsoft buys Skype for $8.5 billion Posted: 10 May 2011 06:41 AM PDT UPDATE Microsoft has officially acquired Skype for $8.5 billion, a deal which has been approved by the boards of directors of both Microsoft and Skype. "Skype is a phenomenal service that is loved by millions of people around the world," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer about the deal. "Together we will create the future of real-time communications so people can easily stay connected to family, friends, clients and colleagues anywhere in the world." ORIGINAL STORY Microsoft has all-but sealed a deal to buy internet phone firm Skype, reportedly looking to pay $8 billion for the company. Skype has been long sought after by many tech companies, with Google, Microsoft and Facebook all rumoured to be interested in buying the service but it seems that it is Ballmer and co. who have reached for the chequebook. Although the deal is not yet official, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that it could be announced today – as long as negotiations go smoothly. As part of the deal Microsoft is set to take on Skype's current debt, with the WSJ believing this will mean it will have to pay as much as $8.5 billion for the company. Biggest ever buy If the acquisition is successful then it will be the biggest ever for Microsoft, a company which has started to lose traction to the likes of Google. Skype has been around since 2003 and is was bought by the folks behind eBay, who paid $2.5 billion for the web service back in 2005. It was then bought by private investors - who originally invested in Skype - in 2009 for around $2 billion. In recent years Skype has found its way on to more and more products, including mobile phones and televisions. 
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| Buying Guide: Best dual-core phone: which should you choose? Posted: 10 May 2011 05:58 AM PDT The pace of development in mobile phones has been incredible in the last few years. More recently, 1GHz has been the norm for processor speed, but in single-core processors. Now, the next generation of smartphone is arriving, but instead of just boosting clockspeeds further, dual-core CPUs are the order of the day. The advantage of going dual-core in these phones is that it offers more capability for multitasking and video, two features of mobile phones that have become more prominent. With smartphones able to replicate much of a PC's functionality, juggling all of that at once needs a good amount of parallel processing power. 1080p video recording used to be a specialist capability, but it's arrived on many phones along with the power of dual-core CPUs. It's not just about having more power in your phone, but about being able to do more with it. This is our regularly updated round-up of the current crop of dual-core smartphones, so you can see what each offers and discover which one's right for you. 1. Samsung Galaxy S2 Release date: Out now
As soon as we saw the Samsung Galaxy S2, it was clear it was going to a phone to watch. Over the next few months, we got more information and the news that the handset would be bumped from 1GHz to 1.2GHz, which promised blistering speed when coupled with the healthy 1GB of RAM. Plenty of on-board storage means accessing the stored apps and media should be lag-free, too. When we finally got our hands on a review unit, it turned out to be just as fast as we were hoping. The Samsung Exynos system-on-a-chip (which may be replaced by Nvidia Tegra 2 in some regions) never gave us any slowdown problems, and the ARM Mali-400 GPU makes graphically intensive apps such as Google Maps run as smoothly as we've ever seen. Read TechRadar's full Samsung Galaxy S2 review 2. LG Optimus 2X Release date: Out now
The LG Optimus 2X has the distinction of being the world's first dual-core phone, beating everyone else to market by a slim margin. Powered by a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 system-on-a-chip and sporting 512MB of RAM, it's got the potential to be fast, though is beaten by the Galaxy S2 both in spec listing and in real use. However, these slightly milder specs (they're still pretty sharp) have meant that LG is offering the Optimus 2X at an incredible price Ð you can pick it up for free for less £25 per month. In our Optimus 2X review, we found that it was just about as fast as we'd hoped. Some parts of LG's tweaks to Android seemed like the could have used a little more optimisation here and there, but many apps ran unbelievably fast, and 3D games played extremely smoothly thanks to Nvidia's low-power GeForce GPU. Read TechRadar's full LG Optimus 2X review 3. HTC Sensation Release date: 19 May
The HTC Sensation is the first dual-core phone from the manufacturer that became synonymous with the best of Android after releasing phones like the HTC Desire and HTC Desire HD. Its 1.2GHz CPU will match the power of the Samsung Galaxy S2, though HTC is using Qualcomm's MSM 8260 Snapdragon, paired with an Adreno 220 GPU. The extra power of Qualcomm's parts mean that the latest version of HTC Sense will feature slick 3D elements. The qHD screen nearly matches the Retina display of the iPhone 4 for pixel count, too. Read TechRadar's hands-on: HTC Sensation review 4. Motorola Atrix Release date: Out now
There's a lot about the Motorola Atrix that's similar to its peers. Nvidia's Tegra 2 system-on-a-chip powers the handset, running at 1GHz, like the LG Optimus 2X; there's 1GB of RAM, just like the Samsung Galaxy S2; the qHD screen matches that offered by the HTC Sensation. But the specs are only a small part of the story. Where the Atrix stands out is in its innovative Webtop mode, using the power of its dual-core CPU to provide a laptop experience when plugged into a screen with the HDMI cable. As a dual-core phone, we were reasonably impressed with the Atrix. Apps loaded extremely quickly, and navigating around Android was snappy. However, the main reason to pick this phone up is surely that desktop capability. You can control it with Bluetooth mouse and keyboard peripherals, or use a laptop dock that the phone slots into. When you're done working at your computer you simply grab your phone and take your desktop with you. Very impressive. Read TechRadar's full Motorola Atrix review 
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| Updated: Confirmed: HTC Salsa to be exclusive to O2 in the UK Posted: 10 May 2011 05:38 AM PDT The HTC Salsais set to land exclusively on O2 in the UK, according to online phone retailer Clove and now confirmed by O2 itself. Update: We've spoken to O2 which has confirmed that it will indeed be selling the Salsa exclusively. Not that we doubted Clove or anything... The Salsa is one of two questionably named Android 'Facebook phones' launched by HTC at this year's Mobile World Congress show – the other being the HTC ChaCha. Both the HTC Salsa and HTC ChaCha UK release dates have been mooted for some time in June, but Clove is now putting question marks over the availability of a SIM-free HTC Salsa. HTC Merengue The retailer's blog post reads, "The HTC Salsa will launch in the UK as an O2 exclusive and as of yet there is no indication as to when/if it will be available SIM-free." The potential O2 exclusivity hasn't stopped Amazon sticking up an HTC Salsa pre-order page, pegging the release date as 26 June with a price tag of £319.99. The retail giant has also listed the QWERTY-licious HTC ChaCha for release on 26 June, although Clove is sticking with 17 June. The unlocked and SIM-free HTC ChaCha UK pricing has also been confirmed by Clove as £210 plus VAT, supported by Amazon's listing of the handset for £249.99. 
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| HTC Salsa to be exclusive to O2 in the UK? Posted: 10 May 2011 05:38 AM PDT The HTC Salsa could be set to land exclusively on O2 in the UK, according to online phone retailer Clove. The Salsa is one of two questionably named Android 'Facebook phones' launched by HTC at this year's Mobile World Congress show – the other being the HTC ChaCha. Both the HTC Salsa and HTC ChaCha UK release dates have been mooted for some time in June, but Clove is now putting question marks over the availability of a SIM-free HTC Salsa. HTC Merengue The retailer's blog post reads, "The HTC Salsa will launch in the UK as an O2 exclusive and as of yet there is no indication as to when/if it will be available SIM-free." We've put a call in to O2 to see what the network has to say for itself; we'll keep you posted. The potential O2 exclusivity hasn't stopped Amazon sticking up an HTC Salsa pre-order page, pegging the release date as 26 June with a price tag of £319.99. The retail giant has also listed the QWERTY-licious HTC ChaCha for release on 26 June, although Clove is sticking with 17 June. The unlocked and SIM-free HTC ChaCha UK pricing has also been confirmed by Clove as £210 plus VAT, supported by Amazon's listing of the handset for £249.99. 
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| Jeremy Hunt's local TV plans face delay? Posted: 10 May 2011 05:27 AM PDT Jeremy Hunt's plans to create a sixth terrestrial channel which focuses on locally-produced content, have hit a rocky patch, with news that the channel faces delays and could be abandoned altogether. The idea for a national 'local' channel was an interesting one when it was mooted back in January. Around 50 bidders expressed an interest in running the channel that would place an onus on locally-produced content. The official bid was set to take place in June but the cost of guaranteeing the spectrum and wrangling the coveted 106 spot from the hands of Freeview, Sky and Virgin has proven difficult. Proposals proposed According to the Guardian, if the channel is to launch then it won't have the "spine" of national content which Hunt had hoped it would. It was this content that Hunt thought would bring in the big name advertisers. Once they were in place, then the locally-made content would be built around this framework. Now it seems that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is looking into letting local operators take charge of the channel – which inevitably would be less financially viable and not exactly what the 50 bidders were expecting when they expressed an interest. There's no official delay on the channel but the DCMS said in a statement: "The DCMS recently consulted on the local media action plan. Ministers are currently considering a range of responses and we intend to publish proposals for next steps to deliver local TV in the summer." If both grabbing the 106 channel and the national commercial support are indeed likely to fall through, then Hunt will find it very difficult to get his TV plans sanctioned. 
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| LimeWire did break copyright law, says founder Posted: 10 May 2011 04:54 AM PDT Mark Gorton, founder of peer-to-peer file sharing site LimeWire, has admitted that the service breached copyright law. During the ongoing court case against LimeWire (in which a group of record labels claimed they were owed $75 trillion), Gorton said in court that he had misconstrued copyright law. He said in court, "I was wrong. I didn't think our behaviour was inducing [copyright infringement]. I understand that a court has found otherwise." Making an example Gorton also admitted to refusing to close LimeWire despite knowing that users were swapping songs without paying for them. The ongoing court case has already seen LimeWire be shut down and Gorton found liable for the copyright infringements; all that's left is for a jury to decide how much he should pay in damages. While the $75 trillion figure suggested by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was dismissed as ludicrous by the judge, Gorton is still facing a fine of between $7 million and $1.4 billion. 
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| LG Optimus 3D is 'first' to get 3D AR Posted: 10 May 2011 04:27 AM PDT LG has added a 3D augmented reality (AR) browser to the LG Optimus 3D, its first handset that displays and records 3D images. The LG Optimus 3D may be yet to launch, but that's not stopping LG from piling on the extras with the Wikitude-powered AR offering 'the world's first three dimensional browser'. Instead of just flat objects, the 3D AR will show places and landmarks in 3D, which LG says will make them easier to distinguish – as long as you're viewing them from that one 3D sweet spot, we suppose. LG 3D AR FYI "AR technology has been praised for its potential to replace the 'abstract' realities of standard mobile browsers with 'actual' reality streamed through the camera of the smartphone," said Dr Jong-seok Park, CEO and President of LG Mobile Communications Company. "LG's cutting-edge hardware and 3D API software technology now pushes this reality a step further." Or you could just look up from your phone to see actual reality. If you're keen to feast your eyes on the 3D AR, you'll have to hang on until the LG Optimus 3D UK release date, scheduled from sometime this summer. 
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| Gary Marshall: Why Microsoft buying Skype makes total sense Posted: 10 May 2011 04:07 AM PDT On the face of it, Microsoft's purchase of Skype seems insane. Skype's had a For Sale sign on its windscreen for ages, and both Facebook and Google had been spotted peering at the mileage, kicking the tyres and looking for dents. It seems that Microsoft saw them, decided it wasn't going to be outbid, and started with an opening bid of "all the money in the world". It's the biggest purchase Microsoft has ever made, eight and a bit billion dollars for a service eBay bought for two and a half billion and subsequently sold for two billion. Does Microsoft have more money than sense? Phones and Facebook Microsoft isn't stupid, and it's not going to throw around eight billion dollars for a laugh. So what's it up to? There's been some speculation that Microsoft wants to combine Skype with Kinect, but while the prospect of an unholy Xbox Chatroulette makes me laugh - and more sensibly, I can see the appeal of connecting Kinect users to Skype's enormous user base - anything Xbox is a sideshow here. It's about two things. It's about phones, and it's about Facebook. Phones first. Speech is moving to voice over IP - it's why Google has Google Voice, and it's why Apple has FaceTime - so buying Skype gives Microsoft a proven and popular VoIP service for consumers (it already has one, Lync, for businesses). Having Skype on every Windows Phone handset could help sell a lot of phones. It's important for corporate phones too. Merging Skype and Lync could make Microsoft's offering more tempting for big enterprise customers, many of whom use Skype's conferencing features, and merging Skype and the enormously popular Windows Live Messenger system could be a good move in the consumer market. A winning position And Facebook? Don't forget that Microsoft owns a stake in Zuckerberg's business. Integrating Skype with Facebook would be a win-win situation for Microsoft and Facebook alike, with the former gaining access to Facebook's massive user base and payment system and the latter getting a voice and video system without having to spend any money building it. Assuming Microsoft doesn't mess it up - alienating key Skype engineers, offering to pay for the whole thing in Microsoft Points - a successful acquisition of Skype and integration between it, Windows Phone, Windows Live, Lync and maybe even Xbox Live could be very interesting indeed. 8 billion dollars is a lot of money, but if Microsoft gets it right it could prove to be one of the smartest - and most successful - investments the firm has ever made. 
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| Posted: 10 May 2011 04:00 AM PDT OverviewFor those that have kept up with the motherboard scene lately, the release of the Asus P8P67 Pro might look like old news. It was in fact originally released in January, in parallel with Intel's Sandy Bridge chips hitting the market. On release it seemed a pretty solid socket 1155 board to pair with the new range of CPUs, but then Intel went and announced "technical issues" with its 6-series chipset (codenamed Cougar Point), which affected SATA II ports and caused long-term degradation of SATA devices. Cue massive recall, widespread pandemonium, skies turning a deep crimson and the dead walking the earth... Alright, just the recall. But still. The Asus P8P67 Pro B3 is technically an issue-proof motherboard. The 'B3' refers to the chipset revision. It offers the exact same features of the original P8P67 Pro, only the SATA issue is fixed. Why the devil then, is it so much more expensive now? The mark-up of B3 boards extends beyond Asus to just about any manufacturer with a socket 1155 board on the market. It's not right to point fingers without being able to establish who initiated it, but at a consumer level it's plain unfair. FeaturesSoapbox time over. It's sturdy enough, supports four-way discrete GPU arrays and a huge chunk of RAM without making too much of a fuss of its visual design. No zany heatsink designs here, just diligent cooling. Super-fast connectors of the USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps variety are available if not abundant, sporting four of the former and two of the latter. In short, it has all the features you'd expect from a sub-£200 board. There are a few pleasing extras, though. First, there's the EFI BIOS you'll find with any Sandy Bridge chipset. It makes the BIOS screen look friendlier, recognises boot devices of over 2TB and adds mouse support. The P8P67 Pro's settings aren't quite as comprehensive as its big brother the Maximus IV Extreme, but there are sufficient overclocking options to squeeze a large glass of extra performance juice from your CPU, either by tweaking global multiplier settings or through Turbo ratios (if you have an unlocked K series chip). On testAsus's Maximus IV Extreme RoG is a fine board, if a bit of a mouthful. Little brother P8P67 Pro B3 is, as little brothers so often are, keen to mimic big bro's performances. Considering the price difference, it comes damn close. These figures are stock. Overclocked, it comes even closer. Video encoding performance X264 v2: Frames per second – higher is better CineBench 10: seconds – quicker is better DX10 gaming performance WiC: Frames per second – higher is better VerdictWe were able to run our 2600K at a stable 4.5GHz with the Pro B3, which is commendable for this end of the price spectrum. The Bluetooth receiver is a nice touch too, allowing remote overclocking via your smartphone or tablet. Value for money, then, is the premium consideration here, albeit with a few perks. If we ignore that earlier rant about the B3 revision mark-up, this board delivers truckloads of the stuff. Performance is comparable to the flagship Maximus IV in terms of CPU grunt and gaming, and there's a huge wad of cash separating the two. Unfortunately, the inflated price means we can't quite recommend this as much as we'd like to. With the imminent release of Z68 chipsets that offer the best of both current H67 and P67 boards, it makes more sense to hold out a bit longer before buying the ideal home for your Sandy Bridge chip. 
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| Photoshop Touch apps now available on iPad Posted: 10 May 2011 03:37 AM PDT Adobe's Photoshop CS5 companion apps are now available on the iPad, bringing all manner of touchscreen imaging wizadry to the Apple slate. The three apps, Color Lava, Eazel and Nav, interact with the desktop software as well as allowing creative types to manipulate and navigate through images using their fingers on the tablet. Although Adobe Eazel is not, as we discovered in our hands on, the best painting app in the world, it does allow you to wirelessly send your, erm, masterpieces directly to Photoshop. Photoshapp Color Lava (it pains us to forgo the 'u') is a colour palette development app which makes creating colour swatches a piece of cake; it'll have you smudging and mixing to your heart's content. Meanwhile, Adobe Nav acts as a kind of desktop extension for choosing tools, swapping screen modes and other admin-type shenanigans. It's neat, but the abundance of keyboard shortcuts in the desktop programme makes it a little redundant. For a more in-depth look at each of the new apps, hop on over to our hands on Adobe Photoshop CS5 iPad apps review; the apps are all available from iTunes now, with pricing ranging from £1.19 to £2.99. 
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