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- Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar
- No creases on Samsung's latest foldable AMOLED display
- Five new handheld GPS devices land from Magellan
- Review: Samsung Solid Immerse
- Gamers ditching PS3s over PSN outage
- Gandalf shows off Hobbit 3D specs appeal
- LimeWire to pay $105 million to record labels
- Review: equinux Mail Designer
- Facebook: 'No smear campaign on Google'
- iPod nano may get games and situation-sensitive screensavers
- Review: Orbicule Witness
- Carphone Warehouse stocking HTC Flyer and LG Optimus Pad
- HTC Flyer gets UK release today
- Week in Tech: Skype sold, new netbook debuts. Getting déjà vu?
- Buying Guide: Motherboard upgrade: the complete guide
- Review: Ohanaware HDRtist Pro 1.0
- Three confirmed as UK Chromebook 3G connectivity partner
- Exclusive: Samsung explains Galaxy S2 spec change
- Review: Vita Audio R4i
- Competition: WIN: An Xbox 360 plus Roxio Game Capture
- Samsung Chromebook: Official video arrives
- LG responds to Optimus 2X 'black screen of death' claims
- This Week in Mac|Life
- Home Cinema Choice Best Buy 2011 award winners announced
- HTC Flyer UK price unveiled by Three
| Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar Posted: 14 May 2011 01:00 AM PDT This week's top reviews include the Asus Eee Pad Transformer - one of the best tablets we've seen so far, running Android 3.0 Honeycomb. We've also reviewed the new HTC Wildfire S - a new breed Android handset that's available on budget tariffs. And then there's the simplicity of passive 3D with the LG 42LW550T. Below we've the details on all these top reviews as well as a full listing of all this week's reviews published across these pages. Asus Eee Pad Transformer review Finally, the Android tablet we've all been waiting for has arrived. While Android 3.0 has been knocking around for months now, viable, available-to-buy tablets have been rarer than a rare thing in a place that doesn't exist. The Transformer is an excellent touchscreen tablet that comes with its own battery-packing keyboard dock. The dock turns the device into something resembling a netbook, so you can use the touchscreen on the go and the keyboard and mouse when you're at your desk. It's the best of both worlds, and all for just £429. The days of the £600 honeycomb tablet are surely already a thing of the past. The war is on. The likes of the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the HTC Desire S might be taking the plaudits in the smartphone stakes, but these phones are expensive. Luckily, there are lots of phones out there that run the same software and can use the same apps as the leading smartphones, while costing a whole lot less. The Wildfire S is just such a phone. It's smaller, lighter, cheaper phone along the lines of the Samsung Galaxy Ace and LG Optimus One. The problem is though, that that it's more expensive than those other two options. So why exactly would you want to opt for this over them? The honest answer is that you probably wouldn't. The Panasonic G3 manages to combine the best elements of the Lumix G2 and GF2 and as a result is a camera that is likely to find favour with many enthusiasts, especially those who like street and reportage photography. While Panasonic has made strides in noise control and low light performance, the G3's strength is in its small size and high-quality images in 'average' lighting conditions. Sometimes it's hard to put your finger on exactly what you like about the images that a camera produces and while the results from the G3 may not be absolutely perfect, they do have a lovely film-like quality. The Panasonic DMP-BDT110 3D Blu-ray player is the 'lite' version of the DMP-BDT310, boasting many of the same features but with a few nips and tucks to get the price down a bit (by £70, to be precise). It's a terrific entry-level 3D Blu-ray player that backs up its generous feature list with stellar 2D and 3D pictures The combination of the simplicity of passive 3D and a reasonable price (bearing in mind the multiple pairs of glasses) makes the 42WL550T well suited to a mainstream audience rather than picture quality-obsessed AV enthusiasts. Its design is likeable and it's very well connected, with multimedia support galore, including includes LG's hugely expanded Smart TV online platform. The PLEX approach is interesting too, though it needs a little more work before it becomes slick enough to deliver on its full promise.
This week's other reviews: Audio systems AV accessories One For All XSight Plus review Blu-ray players Cases Thermaltake Level 10 GT review Corsair 600T White Special Edition review Desktop PCs DinoPC Evolution 2600K OC review Digital TV recorders Headphones
Joysticks and gamepads Laptops Acer Aspire Timeline X 3820TZ review Media streaming devices AVerMedia F200 HD HomeFree Duet review Mice Logitech G700 Wireless Gaming Mouse review Motherboards
Software Magix Movie Edit Pro 17 Plus HD review LSD Programming Writer 1.3 review The Soulmen Ulysses 2.0.6 review Ohanaware HDRtist Pro 1.0 review Speakers Cambridge Audio Minx S325 review Televisions TVs Hands on reviews Mobile computing Hands on: Google Chromebook review
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| No creases on Samsung's latest foldable AMOLED display Posted: 13 May 2011 09:35 AM PDT Samsung has created a new touch AMOLED display that can be folded and manipulated without sullying your view with a crease. If you want to have a go at making one yourself, all you'll need are two AMOLED panels, silicone rubber, a glass cover and a modular case for it to sit in. Whack that all together and you should be left with a flexible yet seamless display; at least, you should if you're an incredibly clever Samsung engineer working at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology in South Korea. Testing testing, one two Testing the prototype, Samsung folded it 100,000 (we feel for the poor experience kid that got lumbered with that job), and found that the display's brightness dropped by a barely-visible 6 per cent at the centre where the fold occurred. The potential for Samsung here is huge; the company has been working on foldable OLED displays for a good few years and reckons that it could be selling tablets or smartphones with a dual-single screen in one to two years' time. Considering that it's just ten years since we saw the first commercially successful colour mobile phone screen hit the market, this seamless yet flexible AMOLED display sounds pretty darn incredible. 
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| Five new handheld GPS devices land from Magellan Posted: 13 May 2011 07:57 AM PDT Magellan has made a return to the UK market, bringing with it five new handheld GPS navigation devices. You may guess from the name that the eXplorist range is intended for ramblers and orienteerers and dogwalkers and other outdoorsy types, who can make good use of the high-sensitivity GPS. The handheld gadgets come with handy handles so you can hold them easily as you traverse the wilds of Yorkshire or wherever. Ramblers unite! There's more going on here than just navigation though; all gadgets in the range feature a 3-inch touchscreen, 3.2MP camera with autofocus which allows you to capture geo-referenced images and videos, electronic compass and barometric altimeter. Top of the range is the eXplorist 710 which offers off-road navigation as well, while the Magellan eXplorist GC is a dedicated GPS device for geocaching; a GPS treasure hunt game which we understand was quite popular in some years ago. Completing Magellan's relaunch line up is the iPhone ToughCase; a £180 iPhone case that offers enhanced GPS and waterproofs the handset. For £180, it might be worth considering just leaving the iPhone at home. None of the Magellan line up comes particularly cheap, with the eXplorist GC the cheapest model at £180, theeXplorist 710 at £499.99 and everything else sitting somewhere in between. 
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| Posted: 13 May 2011 06:55 AM PDT We all know about Samsung and its phones, right? Samsung has just set the new high standard for a smartphone with its Galaxy S2 – an absolute stunner that garnered a much-coveted five stars from us. But the company does more than just set the standards in smartphones. It's had a rugged range for a while now. Anyone remember the Samsung Solid Extreme, or Samsung Bound, for example? The Solid Immerse is the latest in this established line. If you want a rugged Android smartphone then we recommend the Motorola Defy, but not everyone wants or needs smartphone fanciness. If candybar is more your thing, then Samsung has the pedigree.
What you trade off, though, is specifications. Solid shell, yes. Mind-blowing specs, no. The Samsung Solid Immerse manages 3G but not HSDPA, has a 2-inch screen, a 2MP camera and no Wi-Fi. It does have GPS, and some social networking support, but with a proprietary OS you can't exactly pepper it with third-party apps. For £10 per month on contract or £100 outright, it's hardly going to bankrupt you should you drop and break it... but then again, you could probably get a refund should that happen. The Samsung Solid Immerse certainly is tough. The chunky chassis has a non-slip finish so you can carry the phone easily when wearing gloves, or when your hands are slippery.
The physical front buttons are large and fairly easy to prod with gloved hands, though if you have big rugby player-style digits you may have a problem.
The side buttons are similarly chunky, with a sizeable volume rocker on the left and probably our favourite feature – a torch button – on the right. There's an LED on the top edge that you turn on and off with this. Now, the torch won't get you off Bodmin Moor in a raging thunderstorm, but it will help you find your car keys in the dark.
Also on the right-hand edge there's a covered slot for the mains power and headphones connector. The fact that this slot is covered is important, as is the fact that the backplate is held on by a tight screw that can only be released with a screwdriver or very tough fingernail. You see, the Samsung Solid Immerse is certified dustproof and waterproof to IP67. We explain what that means and how we tested it in the Ruggedness section of this review.
The whole package adds up to a somewhat fat and ungainly-looking mobile that measures 120.8mm tall, 52.1mm wide and a generous 17.9mm thick. There's even a sizeable notch on the top edge through which you can pass a lanyard if you want to look like a Samsung Solid Immerse review: InterfaceSamsung has tried to make the most of the interface options on the Solid Immerse, offering you a few different ways of configuring the look and feel, but this is no touchscreen handset with widgets galore to call on. As a non-smartphone, it harks back to the glorious days of press-and-happen. That means you press a button, and the Solid Immerse does it straight away.
You can choose between different themes for the look and feel, and fiddle with font styles too.
None of the combinations presents a radical change, but at least there is some personalisation. The Themes screen offers the option to download some new themes too, though there were none available when we looked online for some.
You can also decide how many shortcuts to have on the Home screen to apps and data. You can go really mad here, checking as many options as you like from a fairly long list that includes Facebook and Twitter updates, a monthly calendar and even pedometer data.
If you choose more elements than can be shown on the screen at once, you'll simply have to scroll horizontally to see them all.
Minimalists might want to stick to having just an apps shortcut bar and maybe a weather app – one of a couple that update automatically.
Once you've fiddled with the options on offer and set up the Home screen the way you like it, there is capacity for a fair bit of personalisation, though it's nothing like what you'll get on a smartphone. Samsung Solid Immerse review: Contacts and callingWhile it's perfectly legitimate to say that some handsets marginalise making calls in favour of other features, the Samsung Solid Immerse puts contacts and calling at its core.
The right soft Menu button is hardwired into your contacts, which are drawn from the SIM and internal memory. A search box at the head of the screen lets you rifle through them.
There are tabbed menus in the contacts area and you can skip quickly to groups and favourites.
Adding new contacts to the Samsung Solid Immerse is easy, via a two-stage approach. Vertically scrolling through the Contacts screen you can enter first and last names, mobile and landline numbers, a separate video call number and email address. You can also assign the new contact to a group, give them a personalised ringtone and link to their image, as well as adding their company and job title.
Stage two comes into play if you hit the left softkey. Now you can add a whole new bunch of info including nicknames, more phone numbers, web addresses and so on. You'll note in that lot we mentioned video calling. It is supported, but only works one way as there's no front-facing camera on the Samsung Solid Immerse itself.
Calling is all very straightforward. However there's no smart dialling, so that if you're on the main screen and start tapping out either a number or the letters of someone's name, you don't get any help in narrowing down who you are trying to call. Call quality is good and there's a noise cancelling feature which claims to allow people to hear you even when, according to the Samsung website, you're near a construction site or roaring waterfall. Samsung is clearly trying to tell us that its Solid Immerse is as good for builders as it is for tough travellers. Being neither, we were only able to try it on a busy main road and with the radio turned up indoors. It's OK, but cupping a hand over the mouthpiece helped too. Samsung Solid Immerse review: MessagingWhen it comes to messaging, SMS, IM and email are all on board. The IM client is Palringo. If you've got an account already, you're in luck. If not you can set one up and use this Java-based app across a range of devices. We'd have liked more IM options, to be honest - although it does support everything from Google Talk to a (limited) version of Facebook Chat if you're keen to play around with it for a while.
Mobile email is easy to set up. If you have a Google, Yahoo! or Windows Live account most of the work is already done, and all you need to enter is the basics of email address, username and password.
For other addresses you need to add more details, but there's no information needed that's difficult to get hold of, and nothing out of the ordinary about the process.
SMS is a fairly standard affair. Open the app and choose Add by clicking the centre button. Choose a recipient or two to add, and then write your message in a large space that occupies much of the screen. Predictive text works well and saves a fair bit of key tapping time, and at the bottom of the screen there's a line of links to add photos, music and so on.
The message display has a nice conversation view so you can see the chats you've been having with people. There's also social networking support, with clients for both Facebook and Twitter, but there's nothing as sophisticated as importing contacts from either into the contacts database.
Both clients use a tabbed approach to get you into the detail of data. So in Facebook there are tabs for Home, Profile, Photos, Friends and Inbox.
And in Twitter there are tabs for Home, @replies and DMs. It's a huge irritation, though, that every time you switch tab the handset runs through its updating process, and you have to wait or cancel the update. For reasons we can't fathom we got a fair few 'update failed' messages when using the two clients. When it did work, updating seemed to take an age for both apps. Really, if you want social networking, this is not the handset to choose.
As well as using the individual clients, you can pop into the Comms area on the main Apps menu and choose Communities. There you'll find a whole host of other social networking options including YouTube, Picasa and Flickr.
Choose any one of these and you're taken to the web page where you can log in and do your thang. But the data speed makes getting to the required web page rather slow, and the small screen size is not ideal either. Samsung Solid Immerse review: InternetWe've already grumbled a bit about the slow internet connectivity on the Samsung Solid Immerse, which is 3G but not HSDPA. That, along with the fact that there's no Wi-Fi, means you always have to wait around quite a lot when doing anything internet-related.
The 2-inch, 320 x 240 pixel screen also isn't up to displaying a whole lot of detail. Take a look at our own Home page, for example.
As it loads off the bat you barely see more than the headers. Scroll down and there's more visible, but you have to zoom to get to anything readable.
There is an option called 'broad view', though, which condenses things a little more and gives you a magnifier window so you can identify a part of a page to home in on. When you click the magnifier window to zoom in on a page you get a little more detail, and it's often enough to make a story readable – if you don't mind squinting.
There are three view options on a page – full screen, landscape and smart width. The latter does a good job of removing the need for horizontal scrolling, but text is really quite small. When we tried to pop over to the BBC news website to see how well the Samsung Solid Immerse handled Flash from it, we got this response:
Other sites we tried didn't let us pay any embedded Flash videos. The mobile YouTube site did deliver video, but both it and the sound that went with it were too jerky to be of any worth at all. We encountered a few 'page too large' errors while trying to browse, and when we were able to see pages the waiting time for them to load was often alarmingly long. Best advice? Don't expect to use this as an internet phone. Samsung Solid Immerse review: Camera
With a 2MP flashless camera on board, you'd be wrong to expect a huge amount of sophistication from the Samsung Solid Immerse's image capturing. Rather bizarrely, Samsung has seen fit to equip the Solid Immerse with Beauty and Smile Shot modes, as well as a potentially more useful panorama option.
NATURAL:Photographed indoors in natural light, this is a surprisingly acceptable photo. Click here to see the full res shot The detailing isn't bad in the photo above, taken with no artificial light, and colour is fairly uniform. Well, as long as you don't count the background, which is meant to be the same shade of lavender all over.
TOO EXPOSED: The cat's leg is very over-exposed here, and zoom in even slightly and you see flaws and faults all over the place. Click here to see the full res shot
OUTDOORS: The variation in light availability outside really flummoxes the camera. The sky was a uniform blue. Click here to see the full res shot
PANORAMA: Stitching is good but resolution is poor in Panorama mode Click here to see the full res shot The Samsung Solid Immerse guides you through taking six photos in sequence to produce a panorama shot that is a mere 207 pixels high and 1072 pixels wide. The stitching is reasonably good, but the resolution and legibility is woeful. Samsung Solid Immerse review: VideoThe video camera has just two resolutions on offer, and a capture rate of 15fps. Normal is a very disappointing 160 x 128 pixels, while you can also capture direct to MMS. Really, the video shooting is barely worth bothering with. Our three samples include a reasonably passable indoor offering, but as soon as you move into the real world video is blurred and very low quality.
Samsung Solid Immerse review: MediaThe music player is very basic. Album art seemed to be a problem, with the handset refusing to pick any up from our microSD card. You can also use the 15MB of internal memory for music storage.
You've got playback controls on the centre pad buttons, as well as shuffle, repeat and playlists. Among the very small number of tweaks available is an auto off setting, which can be configured to 30 minutes, an hour or two hours, so you could go to sleep to music and not fear waking up to a flat battery. There is also an equaliser with a fair number of settings. The built-in speaker delivers a fairly tinny rendering of tunes, but volume goes quite high and certainly high enough to annoy anyone on the same bus as you. The headphones, though, are a disaster. They share the same side-mounted microUSB slot as the mains power adaptor and PC connection cable, and they are flat in-ear buds. This style is notorious for not staying firmly in all ears, and because of the microUSB connector, it is tricky to swap them for a better set.
As a slight salvation there is an FM radio, which will auto tune stations into 30 preset slots. You can set up reminders for particular programmes, which is a nice touch, but other than that the radio is a standard offering. Maps and apps
Built-in GPS can be used in conjunction with a Java version of Google Maps, but it is a far less sprightly experience than using it on a smartphone, and Google Maps itself is buried away in the Apps folder on the Main menu. The remainder of the apps on board is rather close to what you'd expect from a candybar handset from yesteryear. So, for example, there's a voice recorder, timer and stopwatch. Plus there's an image editor, which can be used to warp, blur and otherwise automatically change any photos you may have taken. It's fun, but given the quality of photos the handset shoots, not good for a great deal.
For outdoorsy types there's also a pedometer and a compass, the latter of which we discuss in the Battery life and connectivity section. Samsung Solid Immerse review: Battery life and connectivity
Battery life ought to be pretty good on a handset with such a small screen, but the 1300mAh battery seemed to struggle. After about six hours of use, including some camera and internet access, it decided to give us a battery low warning. We're inclined to think it might not last us through a weekend on the fells, which is a worry for a phone that is supposed to be able to accompany us into places where there are no mains power chargers.
As noted previously, the network connection is 3G but not HSDPA, and there's no Wi-Fi connectivity.
GPS is on board and there's a direction-sensing compass too, though to be frank we'd rather rely on a physical compass. Samsung Solid Immerse review: RuggednessThe Samsung Solid Immerse is rated as IP67 compliant. That means it is able to withstand 'ingress' from dust and immersion in water to depths between 15cm and 1m. So, how did we test this?
Well, first off, we ran the Samsung Solid Immerse under a tap for a few minutes, then left it sitting in a bowl of water for 15 minutes.
When we dried it off, it was working fine. Then we put it into a bag of garden soil and gave it a good shake around. Another washing off, and again it was functioning perfectly well.
For a final test, we had a go at scratching the screen with a kitchen knife. No joy there, either. So that means that the Samsung Solid Immerse does exactly what you'd hope it would: survive underwater, withstand dust and grit and even help you out in a knife attack... although we'd recommend running rather than using the Immerse as a shield in the last example. Samsung Solid Immerse review: Hands-on gallery
Samsung Solid Immerse review: Verdict
The Samsung Solid Immerse is certainly a tough handset, and if you need a mobile phone that can withstand a bit of rough and tumble then it could be a winner. But the Motorola Defy, as mentioned in the Overview section of this review, has the same IP67 specification, and all the added plus points of downloadable apps, a touchscreen, Wi-Fi, proper HSDPA and a screen that is big enough to work for web and video viewing - although comes with a much higher price tag. While in the past we've rather liked Samsung's rugged candybar handsets, things have moved on a lot, and Samsung has not really followed suit. There are too many things about the Solid Immerse that feel old fashioned and tricky to use for us to really get on well with it. You're going to have to be in love with the candybar format to choose the Samsung Solid Immerse over the Motorola Defy. We liked
The keyboard is well made for use with a gloved hand, with large and responsive keys. The torch idea is superb. We love being able to turn on the LED that sits on the top of the chassis in order to find stuff we've lost. It doesn't put out enough light for every occasion, but it is good to have as a standby. Samsung has tried to give you lots of options for personalising the Home screen, and we applaud that. We disliked No mobile phone these days should lack a 3.5mm headset connector. The use of 3G but not HSDPA makes all data downloading rather painful. Coupled with the small screen and the handset's inclination to fail to load larger pages, internet browsing quickly became a no go area. Battery life really ought to be better. We were surprised to get less than a full day of faffing around from it. On the other hand, if you stick to simply making calls and sending SMS messages, you could to get through a weekend in the wilds. Final verdict In the past we've liked Samsung's rugged handsets, but the Samsung Solid Immerse doesn't really do enough to bring the product line on. And, we hate to mention it again, but we simply have to recommend the Motorola Defy rather than this handset, unless you're really in a budget and hate the person that invented touchscreen phones. The Samsung Solid Immerse is a rugged little critter, but it lacks features. While hardware usability rates well, software usability is hampered by a number of issues including – too many in the end for us to really recommend this phone. 
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| Gamers ditching PS3s over PSN outage Posted: 13 May 2011 05:29 AM PDT As the Sony PlayStation Network outage drags on and on, gamers have begun ditching their PlayStation 3s in favour of Xbox 360s, according to high street retailers. The network has been down since 20 April, with no end in sight with Sony's last communiqué earlier this week saying it would be down for at least 'a few more days'. One source, a store manager from a major UK retailer, told Edge magazine, "In the first week of downtime we did not really see any major change in sales or trades. "However from the second week onwards we have seen an increase of over 200 per cent on PS3 consoles being traded in split almost 50/50 between those trading for cash and those taking a 360 instead." Woe is gamers Edge also cites game sales figures as evidence that a shift from PS3 to Xbox 360 is in effect, with sales of Call of Duty: Black Ops and FIFA 11 on Xbox 360 growing while the PS3 versions fall. Retailers have also reported increased trade-ins of the PS3 Black Ops while stocks of the Xbox 360 equivalent are beginning to run low. Although these speculations are based mainly on anecdotal evidence, it's clear that Sony is going to have a real clean-up operation on its hands when the PSN eventually returns. 
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| Gandalf shows off Hobbit 3D specs appeal Posted: 13 May 2011 05:24 AM PDT It's set to be the biggest film ever made in 3D but this doesn't mean that many have qualms about The Hobbit developed in another dimension. While we have to wait until the movie appears in 2012 to make a proper judgement, one image has appeared that has to be filed under 'awesome' and that is of Gandalf wearing a pair of active 3D specs. Apparently shot by director Peter Jackson himself, the image gives nothing away other than Ian McKellen and co are getting to see 3D rushes of the movie as it is shot. We would love to tell you that Gandalf looks happy watching the footage, but he has more of a perplexed 'what the hell am I doing here?' look on his face. Action Jackson Peter Jackson is hoping to revolutionise 3D filmmaking with The Hobbit. To shoot the movie he is using 30 EPIC cameras, created by RED, and will be filming at 48fps. Jackson said about shooting a 48fps: "3D shows you a window into reality; the higher frame rate takes the glass out of the window." McKellen used Twitter to post the image of himself in full Gandalf garb, with the tweet: "THE HOBBIT is being filmed in 3D. Even wizards have to wear the glasses." 
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| LimeWire to pay $105 million to record labels Posted: 13 May 2011 04:23 AM PDT Ex-peer-to-peer music sharing site LimeWire has agreed to pay $105 million in damages to record companies. The long-running case has been in the courts for over a year as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), a group which represents 13 labels including Warner and Sony music, sued the service for breaching copyright. At one point, the RIAA estimated that it was owed $75 trillion dollars, equating to compensation for each time a song was shared and re-shared over LimeWire. LimeWire was ordered to close in October 2010, when it was ruled that the company and its founder, Mark Gorton, were liable for damages for allowing users to pirate digital recordings. Glee The RIAA's CEO, Mitch Bainwol, took the opportunity to stick the boot in, saying, "We are pleased to have reached a large monetary settlement. "Designing and operating services to profit from the theft of the world's greatest music comes with a stiff price. "The resolution of this case is another milestone in the continuing evolution of online music to a legitimate marketplace that appropriately rewards creators." While the RIAA is obviously pleased with the outcome, LimeWire is just glad that it's all over. A statement from its law firm reads, "Lime Wire and its founder, Mark Gorton, are pleased that this case has concluded." 
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| Posted: 13 May 2011 04:00 AM PDT Equinux Mail Designer puts you thoroughly in command of your emails' appearance, using a DTP-style metaphor of text and image boxes. It's integrated with Apple Mail's stationery feature, so you can't send its layouts from other clients, though of course recipients can view them in nearly any mail program. If you're used to a DTP package such as InDesign or QuarkXPress, you may not need to browse the manual and tutorial videos. Select from a dozen ready-made layouts – oddly, you can't start with a blank canvas, though it's easy enough to delete what's there – and tweak them to your needs with drag-and-drop backgrounds, text styles, photos, graphics and so on. Then create a new message in Apple Mail and select your Mail Designer layout as stationery. It's that simple, but it's not crude. Design geeks will appreciate features such as the distance indicators showing the number of pixels between elements. DTP veterans will be at home with grouping and layering elements. And those creating designs for others will welcome the ability to auto-insert the sender's name according to Mail preferences. However, not all text areas support backgrounds, for example, and there's no save-as-HTML option (though Equinux hints it may be coming). And at more than £50, or £80 with 200-plus business templates, the price is steep. But if you need emails with full-blown layouts this makes it easy. 
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| Facebook: 'No smear campaign on Google' Posted: 13 May 2011 03:46 AM PDT Facebook and Google have been at loggerheads this week, with the news that Facebook hired a PR firm to look into Google and its apparent violation of users' privacy causing uproar. The PR firm in question was the US-based Burson-Marsteller, which was told to pitch the idea to news agencies that Google's Social Circle feature was violating privacy. Facebook has released a statement with regards to the reasoning behind hiring the PR firm, telling Cnet that it was not trying to muster up a 'smear campaign' against Google but was trying to gauge the reaction of third parties when they found out about Social Circles and the potential privacy problems of the service. Private parts "No 'smear' campaign was authorised or intended," explained a Facebook spokesperson. "Instead, we wanted third parties to verify that people did not approve of the collection and use of information from their accounts on Facebook and other services for inclusion in Google Social Circles – just as Facebook did not approve of use or collection for this purpose. "We engaged Burson-Marsteller to focus attention on this issue, using publicly available information that could be independently verified by any media organisation or analyst. "The issues are serious and we should have presented them in a serious and transparent way." The argument between Facebook and Google all stems from Google stopping Facebook from data-mining its Google Contacts information to put on its site. This, in turn, made Facebook come up with a workaround, which then prompted Google to write a narky statement when users used the workaround, berating Facebook's lack of openness. The new revelation that Facebook has been hiring a PR firm to look into Google's tactics has definitely left the social network in a pretty poor light, but there's a definite feeling of 'the pot calling the kettle black' from both companies on the issue of privacy. 
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| iPod nano may get games and situation-sensitive screensavers Posted: 13 May 2011 03:46 AM PDT Apple looks to be overhauling the iPod nano as a new patent application describes how a host of new sensors could analyse surroundings in order to display relevant screensavers. The patent references using a camera, motion sensor, temperature gauge and microphone in order to gather the information. What this would equate to is a kind of mood ring nano; when it's sunny and hot, the screensaver could be a pair of sunglasses; when it's rainy, an umbrella. The idea behind all this, presumably, is that you'd wear the Nano, making it as much a fashion accessory as a music player. Fashion victim Although the patent application makes no explicit mention of the iPod nano, all the technical drawings show a small square device which bears no physical relevance to any other Apple product. It's not the first time there have been rumours that a new iPod nano could sport a camera; in early April a photo of a back panel for the new tiny terror surfaced, showing a clear hole for a camera lens. It is the first time we've heard rumblings that the nano's functionality will be extended though, with games shown as an icon on the homescreen of one of the figures (below).
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| Posted: 13 May 2011 03:30 AM PDT Orbicule Witness turns your Mac into a motion-detecting home security system. With the alarm set, the application runs in the background and locks your Mac (use your administrator password to disarm). If it detects movement through your webcam, it records stills and video that can be retrieved through the Witness web page, or using an optional free iOS application. The iOS app also receives push notifications when the alarm is triggered, and can set or disarm the alarm remotely, as long as your Mac's not in Sleep Mode. An active alarm keeps it from sleeping, but it doesn't stop you reaching it through Back to My Mac. Any number of Macs can be added to your Witness account, and when you set an alarm, you can exclude Macs. It only officially supports internal cameras, but third-party cams that work with Photo Booth or FaceTime should be fine. We tried a number of webcams, and they all worked correctly. Witness is simple to install and use, and reliable in operation. Push notifications are sent quickly, and images and video are stored on Orbicule's servers, so they're still accessible if your Mac's stolen. There's no option for setting an alarm without locking your Mac, which would be useful for identifying someone who was misusing rather than stealing it, but we're told this feature is coming. It's Snow Leopard-only, so it can't protect PowerPCs. But if you have an Intel Mac, it's a low cost and useful addition to your home security setup. 
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| Carphone Warehouse stocking HTC Flyer and LG Optimus Pad Posted: 13 May 2011 03:27 AM PDT The Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy have announced that they are stocking two high profile Android tablets from today, with the HTC Flyer and LG Optimus pad both arriving in stores and online. The HTC Flyer – which has a UK cost of £129.99 with a two-year contract on £25 a month – is currently sporting Android 2.3 rather than Honeycomb, and includes an HTC Scribe pen for making notes. Optimus Pad The LG Optimus Pad runs the more up to date Android Honeycomb OS and includes the capacity to record in 3D (although you'll need a 3D TV to watch the vids back in 3D). It will be available for a hefty £299.99 upfront plus £25 a month – although that is with a 5GB data package. If you want to buy the devices without a contract deal, you will have to pay out £599.99 for the HTC Flyer or £749.99 for LG's Optimus Pad. "From today, The Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy will be stocking the HTC Flyer and Optimus Pad," confirmed Carphone Warehouse's release. 
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| HTC Flyer gets UK release today Posted: 13 May 2011 03:15 AM PDT HTC has announced that its Android tablet, the HTC Flyer, will be available in shops across the UK and online from today, 13 May. Friday 13th may be unlucky for some, but not for Flyer fans with both the 3G and Wi-Fi only models now available. HTC has also revealed the official HTC Flyer UK pricing, with the 32GB 3G and Wi-Fi model coming in at £599.99 and the Wi-Fi only 16GB edition at £479.99. Fly my pretties, fly Yesterday, Three's 3G pricing for the tablet was revealed, with the 3G model available for £169 up front and £25 a month for two years. The Android tablet was first revealed at Mobile World Congress in February, running Android 2.3 and coming complete with a pressure-sensitive stylus and HTC's new movie streaming service, HTC Watch. An upgrade to the tablet-specific Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) OS has been promised, but there's no word yet on when that software update will arrive. 
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| Week in Tech: Skype sold, new netbook debuts. Getting déjà vu? Posted: 13 May 2011 03:00 AM PDT It's been a strange week in technology, because the biggest names in tech appear to be travelling backwards in time. Not only that, but time travel seems to be addling their brains. How else can we explain the phenomenon of huge tech firms digging up other firms' less impressive ideas? First up there was Google, whose Google I/O event this week unveiled lots of things that looked awfully familiar. There was the unveiling of Google Music, a US-only MP3 music locker that looks awfully like the beleaguered MP3tunes.com. There is one key difference, though: Google has more money than MP3tunes, so it can afford to launch its service without worrying about the record labels. Poor old MP3tunes has been embroiled in legal action for years. That's not Google's only new old idea. Android gets iTunes-style movie rentals, and despite tablet computers laying waste to the entire netbook sector - and bits of the laptop market too - Google is pressing on with its Chromebooks. Chromebooks are Google-powered netbooks that will be available to buy and to rent, and as Techradar's very own Dan Grabham's hands-on review demonstrates, they're pretty nifty - at least, they are when you've got an internet connection. When it comes to old ideas, Chromebooks are based on one of the oldest: the thin client, where centralised computers do all the work and low-spec terminals - thin clients - are used for input and output. It's a huge gamble, and we can't wait to see how successful - or otherwise - Chromebooks become. Ones to watch Remember the Spot watch, Microsoft's vision of computer-powered watches that fell spectacularly flat a few years ago? Google clearly does, because among all the sensible announcements about Android Ice Cream Sandwich we also heard about Android-powered watches and even Android home automation. As Tap! magazine columnist Ian Betteridge put it on Twitter, "Home automation and smart watches. Is this a Microsoft developer show from ten years ago?" Mind you, Microsoft appears to be time travelling too. Remember when eBay bought Skype for around two billion with a half-arsed idea about getting bidders to Skype sellers, a move that turned out to be one of the dumbest in the tech industry's history? History appears to be repeating. Microsoft is acquiring the firm for not one billion, not two billion, but eight and a half billion dollars. "On the face of it, Microsoft's purchase of Skype seems insane," TechRadar columnist Gary Marshall writes, pointing out that Microsoft already has voice over IP software (Lync for enterprise firms, Windows Live Messenger for everyone else) and that Microsoft's opening bid appears to have been "all the money in the world". "Does Microsoft have more money than sense?" Apparently not. The acquisition "is about two things. It's about phones, and it's about Facebook." Putting Skype on Windows Phone handsets might annoy the network operators, but it should sell plenty of handsets. And Facebook? "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," Gary argues. If Microsoft doesn't mess it up - for example, by "offering to pay for the whole thing in Microsoft points" - then history might not be repeating after all: "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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| Buying Guide: Motherboard upgrade: the complete guide Posted: 13 May 2011 03:00 AM PDT Upgrading certain components can give your PC a boost in specific areas. This is fine if there's a certain Achilles' heel that's making your computer hobble along when it should be sprinting, but if you want to give your machine an upgrade that offers the most performance enhancing possibilities - both now and in the future - then a new motherboard is essential. In many ways, your PC is only as fast as its motherboard will allow. Sure, you might be able to upgrade bits and pieces every so often to prevent your computer becoming obsolete, but if the motherboard is too old to support the latest technology then it's always going to hold your PC's performance back. Replacing your old motherboard with a new one opens up a whole world of possibilities for your computer. Faster processors and more powerful graphics cards that were once off limits due to an archaic motherboard are now excitingly realistic prospects. What's more, if you choose the right future-proof model then you'll be able to keep your computer up to date with the latest technology. No longer will you have to greet tidings of new technology with the grim resignation of another missed opportunity - instead, you could be looking at an exciting potential upgrade. The motherboard's relationship with the rest of the PC means there are lots of factors to consider before upgrading. For starters, you should think about whether you want to freshen up a number of other components in your computer at the same time, or whether you want to keep your existing parts.
Swapping the motherboard might not mean you need to buy a new graphics card, but if you want to keep using an older processor then it will limit your options when choosing another motherboard. Choice of motherboard doesn't just determine the vintage of your processor, but also the type. AMD and Intel processors require different CPU sockets, so if you're tempted to try out Intel's new Sandy Bridge technology or are more a fan of AMD's Phenom offerings then you'll need to choose a motherboard that's going to allow you to use your preferred processor. While the vast array of options might seem daunting, the benefits of upgrading the motherboard far outweigh any fears you might have. Choosing a new motherboard
Your motherboard has a truly symbiotic relationship with the rest of your PC's components. Technological advances in one spur on new developments in the other, and the year ahead should have a lot of exciting innovations in store for both areas. The big news so far has been the launch of Intel's new Sandy Bridge technology. Although Intel processors that use it continue to use the familiar Core i5 and i7 branding, the processors themselves have a new chipset, so if you want one in your computer, you'll need to upgrade your motherboard. This new breed of board brings support for the SATA 6Gbps ports. These offer up to twice the speed of current SATA II ports. While no existing hard drives - and certainly no optical media drives - have yet used the full bandwidth of SATA II, solid state drives are beginning to feel constrained by the older technology.
In the future, SSDs that take full advantage of the SATA 6Gbps ports in new motherboards will become commonplace, and this new standard will make our PCs run faster than ever. The time it takes for our computers to boot has long been a nuisance, and the BIOS that resides on the motherboards is one of the main culprits. Now more than 25 years old, it's long overdue for retirement. The good news is that an excellent replacement is on the horizon, and is beginning to be shipped with new motherboards over the next 12 months. The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) will bring many improvements over BIOS when it's introduced.
The headline advantage is the decrease in boot times - a recent test displayed a boot-up time of just 1.37 seconds. Other advances that will be ushered in with the arrival of the UEFI might not be as flashy on paper, but could prove to be just as revolutionary. For a start, it brings support for hard drives that are more than 2.2TB. When BIOS was introduced back in the 1980s, it seemed impossible that drives would ever reach such a capacity. This resulted in the Master Boot Record partitioning scheme using 32-bit values that limited the maximum disk size to 2.2TB, and allowed only four primary partitions to be created. UEFI will support the GUID Partition Table scheme, which uses 64-bit values to handle disks of up to 9.4 zettabytes. We might not need that kind of space now, but in 20 years' time, hard drives boasting that capacity might be as commonplace as 2TB and 3TB drives are now. Three Intel motherboards to choose from Asus Maximus IV Extreme
When it comes to new PC components, odes to awesomeness are often overwrought. But take it from us, Intel's new Sandy Bridge desktop processors proved worthy of our finest prose. The Intel Core i5-2500K and Intel Core i7-2600K chips are preposterously quick. Of course, to get the best out of them what you need is a damn fine motherboard. For example, the Asus Maximus IV Extreme RoG. At least, that's what Asus would have you think. This latest board from the enthusiast-class Republic of Gamers line is based on the new Intel P67 chipset, one of two consumer-oriented platforms for the new Sandy Bridge chips. The P67 is the discrete graphics alternative to the integrated graphics H67 chipset. On the downside, that means you can't use the integrated graphics core that comes with all 14 of the new Sandy Bridge desktop CPUs. Normally, we wouldn't class that as a major disappointment. After all, the history of integrated graphics has been one of awful performance. However, Intel's latest effort is the best we've seen by miles. Verdict: 4/5 Read the full Asus Maximus IV Extreme review MSI H55M-E23
This isn't for those who want to cram in the most powerful parts out there and overclock them like mad. It's for creating a stable and dependable system. It supports the first generation of Intel Core processors, not the second, but if you're looking to upgrade your old Pentium processor, the leap to a Core processor will still give a huge performance boost. While performance isn't the H55M-E23's raison d'être, stability and reliability are. The use of aluminium-core solid capacitors helps keep the operating temperature down, as well as providing a stable power supply to the processor. This gives a longer lifespan for the motherboard - MSI claims 10 years at full capacity. If you're just using it for word processing, this stretches to 40 years. You won't want it for that long - its lack of support for the most recent technology makes it far from future-proof - but it's good to know you have a dependable motherboard that won't fail while you're in the middle of some important work. Verdict: 3.5/5 Zotac H67-ITX Wi-Fi
A tiny motherboard capable of keeping pace with the big boys? That'll be the Zotac H67-ITX Wi-Fi then. Back in the mists of time (well, October 2001) when VIA released its first ITX EPIA motherboards, my how people laughed. "A tiny little motherboard?" They all said, "why it's but a toy!" But a few people understood the concept and could see the possibilities. And from time to time the format would peek above the parapet to see if anybody was still interested. Firstly through AOpen, but even Mr Jobs couldn't make that much of an impact with the mini Mac, and others released their own mini PCs but still they can't be said to have set the world alight. Fast forward to today and just maybe Intel's H67 chipset could be the making of the concept and if Zotac's H67-ITX WiFi is any indication of where were heading, then we're in for some interesting times ahead. Read the full Zotac H67-ITX Wi-Fi review Three AMD motherboards to choose from Asus Crosshair IV Extreme
Another week brings with it another motherboard toting Lucid's HydraLogix 200 (nee Hydra 200) mix-and-match graphics technology. This time, however, it comes not from MSI, but from archrivals Asus. It's taken Asus a while to launch a board based on the technology, but one's now a reality in the form of the Asus Crosshair IV Extreme. The Crosshair IV Extreme is the latest addition to the AMD branch of Asus's RoG (Republic of Gamers) family and - just like the rest of the RoG motherboard lineup - has all the bells and whistles you expect from a top-end Asus motherboard. Like its brethren, it also comes in a box that's pretty much crammed with hardware. It's worth noting that the Crosshair IV Extreme is the new flagship of the Crosshair range and hence is aimed at the higher end of the market, carrying a price tag to match. Verdict: 4.5/5 Read the full Asus Crosshair IV Extreme review Asus M4A785TD-V EVO
This may be another motherboard from Asus, but it couldn't be more different to the Crosshair. There's no fancy name or headline-grabbing features. This is a motherboard designed to do the job reliably, safely and above all, well. Function is the name of the game here. What you will find is a sturdy motherboard for a low price that can handle some of the latest tech without a problem. You can fit a quad-core AMD Phenom II processor and DDR3 RAM to give your PC a big performance boost. What you can't do is have two graphics cards for high-end gaming. The M4A785TD-V EVO has two PCI Express slots, but it doesn't have the power. It does have perfectly good on-board graphics, so if you're building a low-cost PC for movies and playing the odd casual game, you don't need to buy a separate graphics card. This motherboard isn't going to change the world, but it's solid and dependable. It'll let you use some great components to make a decent PC very cheaply. Verdict: 3/5 Asus Crosshair IV Formula
There's defnitely no coincidence in AMD sending out the review chips of its hex-core processor snugly secured in Asus' Crosshair IV Formula board. It's the finest current example of the 890 chipset. And this is what we've come to expect from its lineup of Republic of Gamers motherboards. What we've also come to expect is pricing so far out of the reach of most mere mortals as to render them out of range of all but the serious overclocker and the money-no-object buyers. But not on the AMD side. Sure, they're at the top end of AMD mobos, but not astronomically out of reach. More importantly, though, the Crosshair IV Formula actually enables the hex-core Phenom II X6 1090T to compete with the current mid-range Core i7 platforms out there. This is its raison d'etre, to provide a platform for this latest chip to launch from. It's actually going above and beyond what AMD was looking for, too. Aside from the extra couple of cores tacked on to the traditional quad-core Deneb chip, AMD has introduced its own take on Intel's Turbo Mode: cunningly entitled Turbo CORE. Read the full Asus Crosshair IV Formula review How to fit a new motherboard
Your motherboard is at the heart of your PC - logically and physically - so installing one can be tricky. How tricky depends a lot on the size of the PC case. If it's a large case then installation is simple - just align the holes in the motherboard with the holes on the metal plate inside the case. Before you screw the motherboard in, make sure the plugs on the back of the motherboard (where the VGA, USB, LAN and sound ports are located) are accessible from the rear of the case. There should be a rectangle cut out of the case that gives you access to these ports. The motherboard will come with a small plate that you can use to cover the rectangle from the inside and slot the ports through, which helps to keep dust out of the PC. Once everything is aligned, screw the motherboard onto the plate. If you have a small PC case and motherboard, it's a good idea to install some of the components in the motherboard before you insert it into the case. The processor, fan and RAM are good choices to install whilst the motherboard is on the outside. Connecting the bulk of the cables to the motherboard before you fit it will also save time and frustration later. Although you can install the graphics card too, doing so can make it tricky to align the motherboard within the case. Once the motherboard is installed and everything is connected to it, you can begin tweaking it to get the best performance. A lot of the motherboard tweaks can be performed inside BIOS. One of the easiest and most effective tweaks you can perform here is cutting down the time it takes for your computer to boot. Once in BIOS, go to 'Advanced BIOS features' and select 'Hard disk boot priority'. Make sure the hard drive that contains your operating system is at the top. Under the 'Boot priority' option, make sure 'Hard disk' is first, followed by 'CD-ROM'. This saves BIOS searching your other drives for an operating system.If you ever need to boot from a recovery disk, go back into BIOS and change the boot priority accordingly. There should be an option called 'Quick power on self test'. Select this and make sure it's enabled. When your PC is first turned on, it runs a number of tests to make sure everything is running properly. Some of these tests are more important than others. Enabling 'Quick power on self test' means your PC skips some of the less important tests, cutting your boot times. Create a bootable USB to flash your BIOS 1. Get the files
There aren't many reasons to mourn the loss of floppy disks, but the ability to boot into DOS quickly and safely is one of them. Thankfully it's not too difficult to create a USB drive that performs the same function. To get started, you'll need the files 'command.com', 'IO.sys' and 'MSDOS.sys'. These can be found on an old Windows 98 disc. Put the files into one folder on your computer. 2. Format your USB stick
To make your USB memory stick bootable, you'll need to format it. The HP Drive Key Boot Utility is a great free tool that will format your USB device and make it bootable. You can download it from here. Although it claims to be for HP USB drives, you can use it for most other makes as well. Once downloaded, insert a USB drive into your computer and make sure any important files have been backed up. 3. Add the files to the stick
Make sure your USB stick is selected under 'Device' and select 'FAT32' from the list under 'File system'. Under 'Format options' select 'Create a DOS startup disk', then select 'Using DOS system files located at' and browse to the folder where you saved the files. Click 'Start'. Once the disk has been created, you can restart and boot into DOS. You may need to go into BIOS first and change the boot priority so 'USB' is before 'Hard drive'. 
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| Review: Ohanaware HDRtist Pro 1.0 Posted: 13 May 2011 03:00 AM PDT HDR photography is a tricky technique to master because you're attempting to combine separate exposures of a super-high contrast scene into a single image. You need a tripod or an exceptionally steady hand to get a series of shots that line up in the first place, and then special software to combine them and compress the extra-wide range of brightness levels into a viewable image. Most HDR apps assume you already know to shoot a series of suitable images in the first place, which isn't particularly helpful if you're just starting out. HDRtist starts as it means to carry on, though, offering beginner-friendly tips on how to get those images in the first place. Just click 'How to take HDR Photos' on the Welcome screen, and it'll walk you through everything you need to know according to the sort of camera you've got (compact, super-zoom, SLR) or the method you want to use (single image, exposure series, tripod or not). This is the thing about HDR – you don't always have to shoot a whole series of images. That's only for subjects with a wider brightness range than the camera can capture. If the camera can cope with the scene in front of it without clipping important shadow or highlight detail, you can still create an 'HDR' image because the other part of the process is balancing up the dark and light areas so that they have similar brightness levels. RAW support Like other HDR programs, HDRtist can work with both single images and exposure series, and you can use it to exploit the extra latent dynamic range in RAW files; as long as the Mac OS supports the RAW file format, HDRtist can open them. HDRtist offers two methods, or 'Generators': Exposure Fusion and HDR. Exposure Fusion is often the most effective at producing natural-looking images, and it works by blending the best-exposed parts of each of the images in the series. The HDR Generator, however, uses the classic HDR technique of combining and processing the brightness values mathematically. It's all really easy to do. Just select the photos you want to combine in the Finder and drag them onto the HDRtist icon. It creates a new HDR document, imports the photos and displays them in the source bar to the left of the picture, and then blends them automatically. If you don't like what you see, you can choose one of the 15 '1-Click Styles' in the Inspector. If it's still not right, you can use the Inspector's Adjustments tab to tweak the settings and save a preset. Your source photos aren't aligned by default, but there is an Align Images button on the toolbar. It can take a minute or so to complete the process, but you'll need to do this if you shot handheld, because the camera will have moved slightly between exposures. It's a shame there's no zoom function, though, because it means you can't check the image detail for alignment or noise. HDRtist Pro is simple, cheap and effective, especially when you compare it to the alternatives. For example, Photoshop CS5 has its own HDR tools, but you have to work pretty hard to get good results. HDR experts might be able to squeeze a little more out of expensive alternatives, but for sheer ease of use, simplicity and value for money, HDRtist is brilliant. 
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| Three confirmed as UK Chromebook 3G connectivity partner Posted: 13 May 2011 02:46 AM PDT Three has confirmed that it is the '3G connectivity partner' for Google's Chromebooks in the UK. The popular network has built its success on its data packages, and has now picked up a big name by seizing the Chromebook – the notebooks that will run Google's Chrome OS. The first confirmed Chromebooks are by Acer and Samsung, although there is no news as to which will be offered (or indeed if both will). Exciting news "I'm sure by now that lots of you will have heard the exciting news from Google. "Over in San Francisco at the Moscone Convention Centre, Google announced the arrival of Chromebooks, and we're really excited to be their 3G connectivity partner in the UK," blogged Three's David Kerrigan. "We'll have more details to share in the next few weeks so stay tuned." The potential for a laptop and data package could well be successful, with people getting hold of high end kit for a smaller amount and a contract. This has been a model that has been a massive success for mobile phones, where people are prepared to sign up for lengthy contracts. 
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| Exclusive: Samsung explains Galaxy S2 spec change Posted: 13 May 2011 02:35 AM PDT Samsung has spoken to TechRadar to outline the reasons why it switched the specs of the Galaxy S2 so close to its UK launch. The first big surprise was the improvement in processor power, from a 1GHz dual-core option to a 1.2GHz dual core Exynos CPU instead. Simon Stanford, the UK and Ireland MD for Samsung's mobile division, said it was about showing leadership: "That's a case of showing our technical superiority, we should be doing that, we are hugely ambitious organisation, so if we're going to launch something as great as the Galaxy S2, we're going to launch it with the best technology packed in we possibly can." There at the start "We can't say our phones have got the latest hardware if it will be superseded quite soon, and this is just the start. "We will always do that, that's why we want to become synonymous with excellent hardware, the latest OS and great content side of things coming through. "You can imagine where phone technology will go soon; it's a very exciting future and I've seen some great things coming down." While Stanford wouldn't give any more information on what that technology would look like, when asked if the curved screen from the Google Nexus S would be making a comeback he said; "I would say we would certainly look at the positive feedback we've had from that phone." Needless NFC? One of the biggest mysteries in terms of missing tech centres on the NFC technology Samsung touted in its Galaxy S2 at launch at MWC earlier this year. It was missing from our Samsung Galaxy S2 review unit, and now Samsung has told TechRadar it will now be bringing out an NFC-enabled version. Stanford didn't give an explicit reason for the beepy-tech switcheroo, but did hint that Samsung was keen to get its market-leading device into the hands of consumers as soon as possible and rectify the issue later: "I'm not 100% sure why [NFC] was taken out of this specific market model; a lot of it could be due to time to market and there may well be some iterations coming along. "You have to remember that the UK was the first launch market outside Korea for the Galaxy S2, so I think that making sure elements like low weight and improved rigidity meant [removing NFC] was deemed necessary to get the perfect device out there, especially as the technology is still quite fledgling." We're still waiting to see if the NFC-packing Samsung Galaxy S2 will cost any more than the original device, but if the contactless technology takes off in the next year there will be many disgruntled early adopters that find their phone doesn't have all the market-leading technology Samsung is promising. 
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| Posted: 13 May 2011 02:30 AM PDT Why do so few iPod-compatible music centres incorporate a CD player? People still own CDs and many prefer to buy new music on disc and then rip it themselves rather than download through an online music store. Vita Audio's R4i integrated music system could well tap into an under-served market, but given the price it will only be welcomed by hard-core audiophiles. As well as a CD player and an iPod dock, the R4i includes FM and DAB radios, with five presets for each. There's no built-in internet radio, but if you have an iOS device you could use an app and play it through the iPod dock. MP3 and WMA files can be played from CDs and USB sticks, but track, artist and album information aren't listed when doing so. It also has a clock with alarm functions, but given the size and weight of the unit, it won't find a natural home on your bedside table. Indeed, the R4i's excessive bulk is its main drawback. It wouldn't even fit on most bedside tables, and at eight kilogrammes, it could prove too heavy for your shelves. Its build quality and design are very good (the circular remote that sits in a caddy on the top of the unit is an excellent touch), but make sure you've enough space before investing in one. Another drawback is that the R4i isn't shielded for the iPhone, so you might have to switch to airplane mode to prevent interference. This is a shocking omission given the price. Thankfully, audio quality is far from shocking. In fact, it has one of the most complete sounds we've heard in an all-in-one system, with rich, strong bass, a well-defined midsection and a crisp, clear high end. Vocals are well realised, and there's no flabbiness or distortion anywhere. The sound is beautifully detailed, and its stereo effects are reasonable given the proximity of the speakers. Although not exceptionally feature-rich, Vita Audio R4i gives a lot for your money. It has an impressive sound and performance, though we wish it wasn't so bulky. 
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| Competition: WIN: An Xbox 360 plus Roxio Game Capture Posted: 13 May 2011 01:50 AM PDT We've teamed up with Roxio to give you the ultimate console prize – an Xbox 360 plus a copy of Roxio Game Capture – the £79.99 software and hardware add-on that enables you to record real-time Xbox 360 and PS3 full HD gameplay to your PC. Roxio Game Capture means you can capture moments of gaming prowess and share your achievements with your friends on sites like YouTube, WeGame and Facebook. And, as well as the main prize of the Xbox 360 plus Roxio Game Capture, we've also got three runner up prizes of Roxio Game Capture too. The software element also gives you full editing capabilities so you can add background music, titles, transitions and more before sharing. You can even add a voice-over or webcam commentary to go alongside your gameplay! The software has been optimised for Nvidia CUDA, ATI Stream and Intel Core processors.
To be in with a chance of winning, just click here to answer this simple question. Roxio Game Capture lets you record game play footage from the Xbox 360 and which of the following gaming machines? a) Commodore 64 Please note that competition is open to UK residents only. Under 16s must obtain parental consent to enter this competition and be able to demonstrate this to TechRadar's reasonable satisfaction. 
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| Samsung Chromebook: Official video arrives Posted: 13 May 2011 01:48 AM PDT An official video has arrived for the Samsung Chromebook, with the first Chrome OS notebook shown off by the Korean electronics giant. The Samsung Chromebook has quickly jumped onto our watch list for 2011 tech – with the thin and light Chrome OS laptop bringing a host of exciting features. The 12.1 inch screen and Intel Atom dual-core processor put this right on the boundary between a laptop and netbook, but it is the operating system that most marks it out as a little bit special. Chrome OS That's because the Chromebook runs Google's Chrome OS – an operating system that it designed to take advantage of the cloud rather than keeping all of your data and programs on your hard drive. You can watch the official video, introducing some of the features including the sub 10 second boot time and the quick recover from sleep. The Samsung Chromebook 5 series has a UK release date of 24 June, and will be priced at £399 for the 3G version and £349 for the Wi-Fi only flavour. 
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| LG responds to Optimus 2X 'black screen of death' claims Posted: 13 May 2011 01:32 AM PDT LG has moved swiftly to release a patch for a problem that caused seemingly hundreds of Optimus 2X handsets to freeze and reboot. The issue was first noticed two months ago and posted on XDA Developer Forums, where users began noticing the phone was rebooting randomly, freezing on a blank screen while still being turned on and getting very warm with the supplied charger. This forum post is currently running at 106 pages of angry users who have tried everything from custom ROMs to even starting an online petition to get LG to acknowledge the problem. LG's quick fix TechRadar spoke to LG to see if the Korean brand was aware of the problem with the phone, and the good news is the company has already created a patch it thinks will solve the issue: "LG is aware that a few Optimus 2x customers are occasionally experiencing random device shut-offs. While this does not affect every customer, LG regrets the inconvenience this has caused. "We have determined the cause of the problem and have developed a software maintenance update to remedy this. "This update can be found on our support site. "At the support landing page, user will be given full visual description of what to do from there which is to download the Support tool. "Once they run the application they simply need to connect the handset via USB. The application should then pick up the details of the handset, the user simply needs press the upgrade button to perform the upgrade. It will take approx 20-30mins to perform update. "LG is committed to providing quality devices and is working hard to ensure that users have a consistent and convenient smartphone experience. Again, our apologies for the inconvenience and please let us know if you experience any problems." The petition, which saw over 600 people sign up in a short space of time, has now been withdrawn - we'll be interested to see if the new update actually does fix the issues as LG will be keen to keep its dual-core baby looking squeaky clean in the face of competition from the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the HTC Sensation. 
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| Posted: 12 May 2011 07:52 PM PDT If it's good enough for Oprah it's good enough for Google. At this year's Google IO Conference, the tech giant gave out special edition Samsung Galaxy Tabs to attendees and we "borrowed" one from one of our developers to photograph along side the iPad 2. Microsoft purchased Skype for more money than even Oprah is willing to give away. While the latest Skype updates for Mac have been less than stellar, this news might push some Skypers over the edge. No worries, we found some alternatives to the VoIP service. Plus, we found 10 cool keyboard shortcuts for your Mac to help make you a super user. Imagine how impressed your nerd friends will be. Yeah, pretty impressed. Features Gallery: Samsung Galaxy 10.1 vs. iPad 2 While you were at home wondering how to get into one of those Oprah Winfrey-style Google keynotes where electronics are given out like Halloween candy, one of our developers was in the audience playing with his new Special Edition Google IO Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Gallery: 20 Beautiful iPhone 4 Wallpapers In the past couple weeks we've covered desktop customization, iPad customization, and even put together an icon gallery. This week we've got some eye candy for the one device that's always with you--your iPhone. These beautiful iPhone wallpapers represent some of the best out there and are fully optimized for the iPhone 4, retina resolution and all. 5 Alternatives to Skype on iOS and Mac As you've no doubt heard, Microsoft has snapped up popular VoIP developer Skype for a whopping $8.5 billion. If you're not too fond of your favorite video chat software now being in the hands of the Borg, you'll be happy to know there are other choices available. Today's Game Time is all about the iPhone's all important input command - the flick. This week's games will have you kick, sip, and heelflip your way to becoming a flickin' master. No texting while driving. We don't know how often it has to be said. But with smartphones now we have to say no texting, no Twittering, no emailing, no updating your Facebook status. How about just no typing on your phone when you're supposed to be driving? 5 Apps to Help You Save Money on Gas Whether you live on the left or right coast, some point in-between or even in another country, you're probably feeling the pinch at the gas pump these days. Once again, iOS to the rescue! Here's a peek at a handful of apps for Apple's mobile devices that can help you suffer a little less next time you fill up. How Tos 10 Coolest Keyboard Shortcuts You Never Knew About Keyboard shortcuts are the lifeblood of many productive Mac users. Not only can keyboard shortcuts make for a nicer user experience and cut down on the time needed to do a task, they can also just be plain cool. Mac OS X has many shortcuts ready and willing to do your bidding, but also has many hidden and unknown shortcuts. That's why we've compiled a list of 10 of the coolest keyboard shortcuts you never knew about. How to Remove Facebook Comments, Block Posts, and Remove Game Requests Facebook is a great social networking website, however, if you have a public profile or a lot of friends, your networking experience may quickly become a mess of unsightly comments and game requests. In this how to, we'll show you how you can remove offensive posts from your Facebook wall and photos, and how you can block game requests all together. How To Access Your Files over the Internet with Pogoplug for Mac You may be familiar with the hardware version of the Pogoplug, but the company recently released a new software version of their popular remote hard drive access service. Available for both Mac and Windows, the service allows you to set up an account on your machine and access your Mac's files and the files on connected drives remotely via the Pogoplug website. In this how to, we'll show you how to set up Pogoplug and access your files remotely. How to Stop Annoying Auto Corrections on the iPhone We all have a few words we'd rather our iPhones forgot. Remember that one time you typed "teh" instead of "the" and now your phone refuses to type the right? Or what about that one time you went to "the Oakland A's game" and now your phone types "as" as "A's?" How To Use an Xbox 360 Wireless Controller With Your Mac ost hardcore computer gamers count on the extra-precise aim of a mouse, and are more than happy with their WASD control scheme. But for the rest of us, hunching over a desk to keep 30+ hotkeys within reach can feel like overkill. If you're a Mac gamer who's tired of gaming on your mouse and keyboard, you should get an Xbox 360 controller. By connecting an Xbox 360 Controller to your Mac and mapping its buttons to keystrokes (or mouse actions), you can bring the console experience to your Mac without breaking the bank -- or a sweat. How to Use the Photoshop iPad Companion Apps Adobe recently released their three iPad companion apps for Photoshop CS5. These apps help to extend Photoshop to another screen, give you more room on your desktop for projects, and show off the power of the new Photoshop SDK. How to Enlarge Text In Your Web Browser With many sites using small fonts, online browsing can sometimes leave you squinting. Because of this, you may need the ability to enlarge the text on the page so you can see it better. What many people may not know is that most modern browsers include the ability to resize the page's text size with relative ease. In this post, we'll show you how to resize the text in Safari, Firefox, and Google's Chrome. News Report: Labor and Component Shortages Slowing Up iPhone, iPad Production Everyone's favorite Taiwanese tech website is back with a pair of rumors claiming that favored Apple manufacturer Foxconn is getting hit with a double whammy of both component and labor shortages which are creating headaches for supplying iPhones and iPads alike. Leaked Photo Suggests Apple May Bring Camera Back to iPod nano We all know that Apple frequently giveth and Apple often taketh away -- such was the case with the rear camera on the iPod nano, which disappeared from last year's diminutive model. A new photo leaked online appears to bring it back again, at the expense of a clip to attach the media player to your clothes. iFlow Reader Succumbs to Apple's In-App Purchase Requirement, Closing May 31 When Apple announced that it would be taking a 30 percent cut from developers offering content for sale via an iOS app -- even outside of its walled garden -- many began worrying that their favorite apps would disappear. This week, the first of potentially many have announced just that. When Apple Meets Droid: The Wedding of the Century? Forget Kate and Prince William -- the truly royal wedding should have been the one enjoyed by Tiare Kruse and her spouse, which took their friendly Apple vs. Google rivalry to a whole new level, complete with a wedding cake topped by the iPhone and that loveable Android. Halo Developer Bungie Registers Mobile Software Patent Some intriguing news has leaked today from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Bungie, the studio behind the Halo, Myth, and Marathon series has reportedly filed for a trademark for "Crimson." What exactly "Crimson" is, we don't know, but it was filed under "computer game software for use on mobile and cellular phones." Facebook Security Flaw Reveals User Data According to security firm Symantec Corp, a security vulnerability on Facebook Inc. for years gave advertisers and other third parties an opening into users' accounts as well as their personal information. However, Facebook said today that it had fixed the problem, and at the same also found no evidence that the vulnerability had resulted in private information having been leaked. Reviews Optoma Neo-i Projector Dock Review The Neo-i stretches the very definition of what a pico projector is. First off, it's too good to be a pico projector—the internal lens and engine are pulled straight from Optoma's critically acclaimed PK301—but it also boasts an impressive stereo and iPod dock. Second, it's too big to be a pico projector. Weighing in at 2.5 pounds, it's neither handheld nor mobile. So what exactly is this thing? An iPod full of music is a wonderful thing…but the sound coming out of it might not be living up to its potential. SRS Labs is aiming to enhance your audio with the iWow 3D, a dongle that plugs into your device between the dock connector and your favorite headphones. It promises better listening through circuitry, including a wider, more immersive soundstage. And it delivers…sometimes Microsoft to Fork Over $8.5 Billion for Skype Acquisition If you were Microsoft, how would you spend $8.5 billion to acquire another company? Apparently, the house that Gates built figures a VoIP outfit like Skype makes sense, as the two companies announced the acquisition on Tuesday morning The writing process is different for everyone who tilts at it, and the curiously named OmmWriter Dāna II provides an approach so unique that you'll either be captivated or appalled. Like many word-processing apps, OmmWriter begins its efforts to eliminate distraction by going full screen, dropping away your Dock, Desktop, and everything else. Then it takes more unusual steps—the screen is wallpapered with one of eight lovely images, ranging from a snowy forest to a purpley color wash. Follow Mac|Life on Twitter and Facebook. 
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| Home Cinema Choice Best Buy 2011 award winners announced Posted: 12 May 2011 10:33 AM PDT Home Cinema Choice – part of the TechRadar network – has announced the winners of its prestigious Best Buy awards, the ultimate celebration of all things AV. Although there was no company that swept the board this year, Samsung, Sony, Onkyo and Panasonic all managed to go home with two awards each. Sony and Panasonic split the TV awards, with Sony bagging the '37-inch and under' category with the Sony NX-503, while the Panasonic TX-P50VT20 won the Best TV 40-50 inch award.
Onkyo managed to win both the Best AV/Amplifier (TX-SR608) under a grand and over £2,000 (TX-NR5008) and 20th Century Fox ran away with the Disc of the Year award with Avatar. One of the surprises of the evening was Oppo winning the Best Disc Player over £350 – with the BDP-83SE NuForce Edition. The awards evening, which took place at the Soho Hotel, London, was rounded off with a Hall of Fame award for Ken Ishiwata of Marantz. To see all of the award winners and learn a little bit more about the kit, head over to hcc.techradar.com. 
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| HTC Flyer UK price unveiled by Three Posted: 12 May 2011 09:51 AM PDT Three has included the HTC Flyer in its latest product catalogue, complete with UK pricing for the tablet on contract deals. You'll be able to pick a Flyer up from Three for £169 on a £25 per month 24-month contract. That not insignificant investment will net you a 15GB data allowance and 3G connectivity along with thethe 7-inch Android 2.3 tablet, with an upgrade to Android 3.0 set to take place after launch. Still not 100% Official HTC Flyer UK pricing hasn't yet been revealed by HTC, but some retailers have opened pre-orders with the 3G model generally being pegged at around £600 as a stand alone purchase. Likewise, we're still awaiting an official HTC Flyer UK release date, especially given that all mooted dates ("April" and "9 May" being two) already having passed us by. Although it's not yet popped up on the network's website, given that Three has seemingly included the tablet in its official sales catalogues, the HTC Flyer seems set for an imminent release. 
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