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- TechRadar Phone Awards: Vote for your mobile phone 'one to watch' of the year
- Tutorial: How to remove spyware, viruses and rootkits
- Tutorial: How to watch live TV on your iPad and iPhone
| TechRadar Phone Awards: Vote for your mobile phone 'one to watch' of the year Posted: 22 May 2011 07:00 AM PDT Voting for the TechRadar Phone Awards 2011 is in full swing, with thousands of you having your say on the mobile phone industry - from phone technology to the best games and apps around at the moment. But the TechRadar Phone Awards isn't just about looking back over the last year, but also to the future. In particular, the handsets and phone innovations which look likely to shape the rest of 2011 and beyond. Below, we have a selection of the One To Watch nominations and the reasons why we think these could be potential mobile phone game changers. As we will be announcing the Phone Awards shortlist in June, voting for the TechRadar Phone Awards 2011 longlist is nearing its end, so make sure your favourite tech, apps and games make the shortlist and have your say, by heading over to the Phone Awards site now. We're not just asking for your votes for nothing in return - once you vote, you will have the chance to enter our fantastic competition where 13 smartphones are up for grabs. So, check out the list and get voting... 4G 4G is the next step in faster mobile broadband and all set to revolutionise the way we browse the web on the go. With 3G occasionally hampered by speed problems and loss of connection, 4G couldn't come soon enough for most mobile phone users. The promise of faster transfer speeds (potentially between 100Mbps and 1Gbps) and better coverage is making the wait for 4G – which could begin to rollout in 2012 – as excruciating as watching your phone signal go from 3G to Edge.
Android Ice Cream Sandwich Although we don't know quite what the number of Google's next phone OS will be, we know its sweet-flavoured name is Ice Cream Sandwich and it's set to be the operating system that connects the search giant's tablet and smartphone offerings. Pencilled in to come out in late 2011, Ice Cream Sandwich will have a UI similar to Honeycomb, will make your smartphone a USB hub and is said to be Google's most ambitious OS release yet.
Apple iPhone 5 It's inevitable that Apple will release its fifth iteration of the iPhone, but what's unknown is just when the iPhone 5 will be released. If history is repeated, then we should see a new iPhone this June but all rumours seem to be pointing to a later, September release. Regardless of release date, there's huge anticipation for the handset - given that the iPhone 4's antenna problems tarnished Apple's whiter than white reputation.
BlackBerry Torch 2 While BlackBerry was once only for business men looking for a phone which could double up as a computer when on the go, BlackBerry is now going for a more youth orientated market - with a QWERTY keyboard that can withstand even the most addicted of texters and a touchscreen for those who prefer stroking to tapping. The BlackBerry Torch 2 has a lot resting on its shoulders, with Google's Android OS dominating the phone world and the iPhone getting picked up by more and more businesses. Rumour has it that the BlackBerry Torch 2 will have a 1.2GHz CPU and BlackBerry OS 6.1 and will be everything the last Torch should have been.
HTC Sensation If there was an award for the most amount of hyperbole used in naming products, then HTC would win hands down. It's latest handset, the HTC Sensation is set to become one of the most powerful smartphones around - boasting dual-core functionality, a 4.3-inch display, 1080p video recording and an 8MP sensor. Perhaps the biggest change is with HTC sense, which has been given an overhaul thanks to the Sensation's dual-core capabilities. With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc, there's a number of manufacturers looking to steal HTC's Android crown - but we were utterly impressed in our early look with the Sensation.
iOS 5 An update to Apple's iOS is usually just as welcomed as the arrival of a new piece of hardware - such is the dedication of an apple fanboy. Apple iOS5 is set to offer a number of new improvements, including better notifications, photo sharing and the promise of cloud music, in the form of a streaming iTunes service. Couple this with better voice control, gesture control and the arrival of Spaces and iOS5 could be the best operating system upgrade yet.
MeeGo The Linux project that mixes Intel's Moblin and Nokia's Maemo into a platform designed for mobile devices has been on a long and rocky road to development. But now it looks as if we will finally see it released in smartphone form. The Nokia N9 is set to be the first handset to have the OS from Nokia which means that despite the mobile company pledging allegiance to Windows Phone, it will continue supporting the open source project. The arrival of MeeGo 1.2 also proves that development on the platform shows no signs of waning.
Nokia Windows Phone The image of the two Steves shaking hands after the announcement of the Nokia and Windows tie-up is a significant one for both companies. Both Ballmer and Elop know that this could be the one chance for them to collectively take on the might of Android and the Apple iPhone. There's no denying that Nokia is still a heavyweight in the mobile phone market, but it is fast losing traction. Windows Phone 7 is definitely a more desirable phone OS from Microsoft but it hasn't quite had the success Microsoft would have wanted. For these reasons, we will all be watching to see what happens when handsets start to appear in early 2012.
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| Tutorial: How to remove spyware, viruses and rootkits Posted: 22 May 2011 05:00 AM PDT Even careful PC users can fall prey to the sticky fingers of evil malware. Loading an innocent looking file from a USB stick, clicking the wrong link in search results, cancelling a suspect alert box - all these actions could mark the beginning of a malware infection. And let's not be coy - if your internet activities include downloading torrents or using pirated software, you're even more likely to fall prey to worms, spyware and trojans. In some ways, discovering that your computer is virally infected is worse than realising that it's been compromised mechanically. You could have lost valuable data, your backups could be infected, and the machine may need a wipe and full reinstall of Windows. But there are things you can try first, and there's a workflow you can use to clean your PC and recover your files. We'll take you through it. Signs of malware Some malware infections are easy to spot - others less so. There are many infections we might call 'scareware' in the wild. These are trojans that malicious websites trick you into downloading by popping up an alert claiming that your PC is already infected with malware. Once on your machine, these annoying infections will replicate themselves in several places, popping up further messages, browser windows and alerts. Infections like this are easy to identify. Unusual new toolbars, shortcuts on your desktop to software you don't remember installing and your browser switching its homepage are all classic symptoms. Other, less obvious signs might include increased use of your broadband download allowance, router lights showing activity when there shouldn't be any, your browser popping up unexpected windows and even unexplained rebooting. Some malware behaviours are just plain odd, like a mouse pointer that flips orientation. Whatever the signs, the cure is the same: removal of the malicious code. Stabilise your system The first thing to do is to attempt to stabilise your system as much as possible. This might prove difficult if your machine is popping up windows and alerts every second, so the first trick to try is to reboot in safe mode.
Restart your computer and press [F8] during startup (press it twice if you're given a choice of operating system first). Choose 'Safe mode' from the Advanced Boot Options screen. This will launch Windows with all startup programs disabled, and limited hardware drivers loaded. You'll also be without any networking functionality, which is essential for stopping spyware programs phoning home or pulling data from pop-up windows. Type msconfig in the Start Menu search box and launch the program. Click the 'Startup' tab and untick all but the essentials - or simply choose 'Disable all'. Click 'Apply' to confirm, then go to the 'Boot' tab. Check 'Make all boot settings permanent'. Next, go to the Control Panel and choose 'Add/Remove Programs'. Remove any non-essential programs, especially toolbars and browser add-ons. In some cases, these actions may be enough to stop malicious code from loading at startup.
Now you need to remove temporary files. Empty all browser caches, and all files in the following folders if present: C:\Windows\Temp\ You can get your browser to wipe temporary internet files too. Go to 'Tools | Options | Clear browsing data' in Chrome, or go to 'Tools | Internet options' in Internet Explorer, then choose 'Delete' under 'Browsing History'. Tick every box and click 'OK'. A faster way to clean out temporary folders and browser caches is to employ the all-powerful CCleaner - a tool that removes all the non-essential files that could be having a negative effect on your system. Download it and run it with default settings intact to let it wipe anything nasty lurking in your temp folders. It also identifies dodgy registry settings, orphaned shortcuts and redundant associations, which will go a long way towards stabilising your system. Detect malware With your machine still in safe mode, you can begin the process of detection and removal using three freeware key tools. The first of these is Sophos Anti Rootkit. This software specialises in the removal of software that's grabbed administrator privileges on your machine. This type of malware is particularly difficult to remove because it requires admin user permissions, and tends to be difficult to detect. You have to register with Sophos before downloading the software, but you can opt out of receiving emails about their products if you want.
The tool begins with a scan of your registry, then moves on to a scan of local drives and an analysis of processes in memory. It searches for hidden files that can't be identified. When it finds them, they're added to a list. It's up to you to check those files and make a decision about whether they're naughty or nice. You can select items one at a time and choose 'Clean up checked items' if the software recommends it. Why remove rootkits first? These are the particularly stubborn form of malware that seems to refuse to go away. You can delete executables, registry entries and files associated with a particular piece of malware, but if there's a hidden file launching at boot, they'll all come back. Search and Destroy Our next step is to remove any spyware using SpyBot Search and Destroy. This is another free download, and one that, fortunately, is happy to run while your machine is in safe mode. It searches for spyware applications, but also flags up any less than honest tracking cookies - the kind used for nefarious marketing purposes. Of course, if you've already thoroughly cleansed your machine's temporary internet files, it shouldn't find any. Again, once SpyBot has searched your machine's Registry, memory and drives, it generates a list of files that can be fixed. Cookies aren't really a problem by themselves, and you can choose whether you want to remove them or not. Bona fide, executable fileware, on the other hand, should always be removed - no questions asked, no quarter given.
Antivirus programs generally tend to struggle in safe mode. They need network access to check virus definitions, for one thing. AVG Free is our usual choice for removing trojans and worms, but it runs from the command line when Windows boots in safe mode. That's the bad news. The good news is that AVG Free 2011 loads a command line composer GUI when it detects that it's in safe mode, which lets you start a scan using a set of checkboxes instead of having to type in a string of commands. Back up now Hopefully you already have a backup of any essential files, but if not, you should take advantage of the relative safety of safe mode and grab any documents you need from your machine. In a worst-case scenario, you may end up having to wipe your drive completely, so it's important to retrieve what you can now. Our activities so far should have made your system stable enough to install anti-malware tools and back up your most important files. You may not have caught everything, but if you've been able to clean up some at least some of the damage, you might be ready to boot back into Windows proper and remove any malware remnants remaining. Make sure you unplug your router first, though. The last thing you want when your machine boots up is for it to connect to the net. Cleaning malware Before you boot back into Windows proper, take some time to assemble a malware removal kit using an uncontaminated machine. In addition to the software we've already used and mentioned, we'd also recommend Malware Bytes, AdAware and ComboFix. Keep them on a USB stick for malware emergencies. Before you run these, remember that every version of Windows from XP onwards has a tool for tracking down malware manually: Task Manager. Launch it by hitting [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Delete]. Click 'Processes' to see what's running. Better yet, download Process Explorer, which makes malware processes easier to spot. Processes without icons or descriptions that are using up memory are prime suspects.
You can use either tool to suspend applications and suspect processes. Suspension is the best approach - if you end processes instead, those tricky programs will simply launch themselves again. Finally, bring on your barrage of anti-malware tools. Once you've run AdAware, Malware Bytes and Combofix, reboot and run them again. Desperate measures After all that, does it look like your machine is just too messed up to save? It can happen. Some malware can hijack your machine so perniciously that you simply won't have the chance to install any kind of removal tool. If that's the case, it's time to bypass the operating system altogether. Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10 lets you boot from a USB stick or CD, bypassing your own system, then scan and remove malware threats without being hassled by the malware itself. There are other tools, but Kaspersky's is free and by far the easiest to burn and use because it's provided in ISO format. If all this fails, it's time to back up your documents, wipe the hard drive and reinstall Windows. 
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| Tutorial: How to watch live TV on your iPad and iPhone Posted: 22 May 2011 03:00 AM PDT A quick search on the web will bring up startling figures about how much time we spend watching TV, and now you can add to that from just about anywhere in the world using your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Doing so is wonderfully easy, but the variety of ways in which you can get live (or indeed catch-up) TV on your iOS device can be a bit bewildering at first, so we spent many hours trying out lots of the hardware and software you can use. Oh, all right, we watched lots of daytime TV - it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. We've focused on ways to watch or record live TV using your iOS device, but that's only part of the story - you may want to catch up on something you missed the previous night or enjoy some of the videos you've got stored on your home PC. Let's explain a couple of terms we're going to be using. The first is streaming, which is the process of sending live TV over the airwaves to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch using Wi-Fi or your mobile network. Remember that doing so over your mobile network will eat into your data allowance, and you really need 3G coverage to get a good picture.
The second term is electronic programme guide, or EPG, which is the channel-by-channel list of what's on now and later - like the one you get on your Freeview TV. Choosing the right setup depends on how much TV you intend to watch and where, so keep that in mind as we explain the options and think about which fits your needs. Elgato The first hardware maker we're going to look at is Elgato, which produces a range of TV-related kit. At the cheaper end, there's the £51 EyeTV DTT or £65 EyeTV DTT Deluxe, which are USB dongles that plug into your computer and TV aerial and can stream to your iOS device. At the other end of the spectrum is the £180 Netstream DTT, which plugs into your router and TV aerial to stream live Freeview TV over your home network. The company also makes the EyeTV Sat, but this only work with free-to-air services such as Freesat, not Sky. Virgin Media cabled TV and Freeview HD don't work with Elgato gear either. To get the USB tuners to stream live or recorded TV to your iPhone or iPad, you need the £2.99 EyeTV app. Elgato will also tell you that you need a Mac, and it must be running and connected to your network. This isn't strictly true, because if you install the free Orb system on your Windows PC and the OrbLive app on the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad (£5.99), you can stream live TV from an Elgato tuner in your PC to your iPhone over Wi-Fi or 3G. The OrbLive app also enables you to record TV at the touch of a button, but there are drawbacks. Your PC needs to be on, the Orb software must be running, there's no EPG and on the iPhone and iPod touch, you can only watch in portrait orientation. To get started, go to www.orb.com to sign up. Once you've installed Orb on your PC, you'll probably need to restart to detect your USB Elgato TV tuner. If you do have a Mac, the Elgato EyeTV software gives you full EPG and recording functionality on your iOS device while you're on your home network. Out and about, you can use the free My EyeTV service to connect to the Elgato tuner on your Mac at home and watch live TV that way, though your router settings may need some tweaking. And remember - picture quality outside of your home network will depend on your broadband's upload bandwidth - with 1Mbps up, it isn't brilliant but is perfectly watchable. The Netstream DTT sends live TV over your home Wi-Fi network without the need for your computer - all you need is the EyeTV app on your iOS device. The great thing about the Netstream DTT is its dual tuner, so two people can watch different shows at the same time, or you can record one channel and watch another (if your Mac's on). You'll need an aerial cable splitter to keep your regular TV plugged in, because the Netstream DTT can't pass the signal through. Although these networked models can work separately from the computer, there's a caveat. The Netstream DTT's functionality is limited if you don't use your Mac as a middleman. If you're prepared to leave your Mac running to watch TV on iOS, you get a full EPG and can set programmes to record - both at home and elsewhere. Without the Mac, you get live TV on the latest iOS devices around the house only and little else. You're probably getting our drift that Elgato gear is designed to be used primarily around the home on your Wi-Fi network, and it's best used in conjunction with a Mac. It's brilliant at what it does and the Mac software is very easy to set up, but to watch TV when you're out and about, you might want to consider other options. One last point regarding the Elgato kit - think about where it'll go. You get a mini aerial with the product, but depending on how strong the signal is in your area, this may not be enough, meaning you'll need to put the tuner near an aerial socket. The Netstream DTT also needs to plug directly into your router with an Ethernet cable. Slingbox
Its name might suggest the Slingbox is designed to be flung over your shoulder as you go out, but it actually needs to sit permanently in your front room connected to your TV setup and router. It's a powerful bit of kit that effectively makes your home TV setup available from anywhere you can get 3G or Wi-Fi reception on your iOS device. It even enables you to watch and control your cable or satellite box from your iOS kit, meaning you can watch any paid-for channels you subscribe to. There are three varieties of Slingbox - the SOLO (£120), PRO (£140) and PRO HD (£240). To discover more about the ins and outs of the three, have a look at this comparison page. One notable difference is that the PRO and PRO HD have a Freeview tuner for use when you're watching TV out and about. This is important, because so long as you've got a second Freeview box for your home TV, you can enjoy live Freeview on your iPhone or iPad without affecting what someone at home's viewing. However, if you start watching TV from your Sky box on your iPhone via the Slingbox, anyone at home will see the same channel as you if they try to watch Sky. The Slingbox doesn't have its own EPG, but it will feed one through from an external source. Ditto a recording facility - it doesn't have a means to do this itself, but if you've got a personal video recorder (PVR), you can control that from your iOS device through the Slingbox. And if your TV and router are in different rooms, Sling makes the SlingLink TURBO, which sends the TV signal through the power lines in the walls. It'll set you back around £70, but will mean you don't need to move anything around to be able to stream TV over the internet to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. And drawbacks? The Sling Player iOS app isn't particularly cheap at £17.99, and it's a different version for the iPad and iPhone, meaning you may have to shell out twice. You can't set up a Slingbox using an iPhone or iPad - you'll need a computer to do this. You may also need to have a fiddle with your router's port forwarding settings to get stuff working, although Sling provides some router-specific help. And, like the Elgato gear, the limitations of your home broadband's upload ability could hamper the picture quality. But make no mistake, this is a powerful bit of kit that packages up your finely tuned home TV setup and lets you take it anywhere in the world. equinux tizi
The equinux tizi is a standalone, battery-powered digital TV receiver. It picks up Freeview signal, just like your rooftop aerial, and transmits the high-quality picture over Wi-Fi to your iPhone or iPad. This means you don't need mobile reception or to be in range of a Wi-Fi network to watch TV. The significance of this is that it won't touch your monthly 3G data allowance. When it's fully charged, you'll get a good three hours' use out of it, and it's so small and light that it'll easily slip into your bag or pocket. Its accompanying app enables you to record TV as well as watch live. At £150, it's on the expensive side, although the app is free. The drawback - and it's a big one - is that you can't attach an external antenna. In our experience, the little built-in one isn't always enough to pick up signal in areas where a larger, rooftop aerial will. Annoyingly, the only way you can really find out is to get one, try it and then return it if it's no good. Despite this, the tizi is ideal for watching Freeview TV where mobile reception is poor, if you have an iPod touch or Wi-Fi-only iPad, or if your iPhone's on a low monthly data package. To find out more about the tizi, have a look at our in-depth Equinux Tizi tv review. TVCatchup
Despite its name, TVCatchup isn't actually a catch-up service like iPlayer. It's a website where you watch live TV in a web browser, completely free of charge (provided you don't go over your mobile's monthly data cap). It's only available in the UK and you have to sign up, but you'll be watching live TV on your iPad or iPhone in minutes. You'll find the usual Freeview channels, and iPad users can see the name of the current show and how long it's been on. It's a brilliant way to get live TV on your iOS device without any extra hardware or software. But before you dismiss the other options we've talked about, there are a few things to bear in mind. First, the quality isn't always brilliant, and TVCatchup covers free-to-air channels only, so you won't be able to get Sky Sports and the like. And because it gets the TV stream over the internet, it will eat into your monthly download allowance - be that of your iPhone or iPad contract, or your home broadband package if you're on a capped deal. The other thing to remember is that if your home broadband isn't particularly fast and there are several people using it at the same time, you may find your video stream gets interrupted at the climax of the film you're watching! Sky If you don't fancy buying a Slingbox to watch your Sky channels on the iPhone or iPad, there's another way - but it can be expensive, depending on your Sky TV subscription (or lack thereof). You can only watch sports and news, with the iPad version of Sky's Mobile TV app offering Sky Sports 1, 2, 3, 4, Sky Sports News and Sky News. On the Sky iPhone app, you can also get ESPN and At the Races. After downloading the free app, you log in using your Sky ID or set one up at www.sky.com and then sign up for the Mobile TV service using the links from the app. If you have a Sky TV subscription including the Sports 1 and 2 package, the service will cost you an extra £5 per month for access on one iPhone or iPod touch and one iPad. If you haven't got a Sky Sports sub, it costs £8 per month for access on one iPhone or iPod touch or £35 for access on one iPhone/iPod touch and one iPad. So if you don't have a Sky subscription and want Sky Sports on the iPad, it's pretty expensive. Using the app is a breeze - fire it up, log in and tap the channel you want to watch. A guide shows you the day's viewing, but you can't set reminders or anything like that. On the iPad version, you get a small preview at the top of the interface, which you tap to go fullscreen, so watching Sky TV on iPhone, iPod touch or iPad is simple - and you can do it over Wi-Fi or 3G. The other app of note is Sky Remote Record. Also free, this handy service enables you to set a future recording or to start recording any channel you've got available on your Sky+ or Sky HD box remotely using the familiar TV guide interface. All you need to do is log in using your Sky ID and the app is automatically linked to your box. BBC iPlayer
The BBC's popular catchup service is available in app form on the iPad, where you can also watch live BBC TV. The picture is brilliant, although the app may scale back the quality if you're on a slower connection. Check out our full review. On the iPhone and iPod touch, you can enjoy the catch-up elements of iPlayer through the Safari browser by going to www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer - note there's no live TV, though. Unlike the PC or Mac version of iPlayer, you can't download shows onto your iOS device, either. Watching stored media Live TV isn't the only thing you can watch on your iOS device. You may well have a whole library of videos stored on your home computer, but these might not be in format compatible with iOS. Using the Air Video app, you can stream many video formats to your iOS device either on your local network or over the internet without having to convert them to another format. It's both Mac and Windows-compatible, but requires your computer to be switched on to get at the media. Apps to complete your TV experience TVGuide.co.uk
TVGuide.co.uk has free slick listings apps for the iPhone and iPad. You get channel information, either as a list or a grid, and programme details. It enables you to add a show to your calendar, set an alarm reminder or tell your Sky box to record. Radio Times The Radio Times app (£2.99), tailors its channel listing depending on the TV service you tell it you've got - including Freesat, Sky and Virgin. You can add favourite shows, find what films are showing and browse daily special picks. AirView You might also want to consider AirView, which streams stored videos between iOS devices, or from iTunes on your computer to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, provided they're on the same Wi-Fi network. Air Video Air Video (£1.79) streams numerous video formats from your computer to an iOS device, both over Wi-Fi and the internet. It won't play DRM-protected files, such as those you get off iTunes, though. There's a free version you can try. Your must have kit
Just Mobile Gum Plus Power Pack - £50 There are battery packs that just beat this one's price and capacity - try the Proporta USB TurboCharger 5000 (£40) - but this little beauty is pocket-friendly. Mophie Workbook - £45 Two birds with one stone. This protective case folds into a stand for your iPad and if bright orange isn't your colour, there are four other options. Altec Lansing Octiv 450 - £100 A stand, charger and speakers for your iPad, all in one neat unit. Its adjustable arm means you can tweak the viewing angle to suit where you're sitting. AppleTV - £101 This isn't for watching live TV, but if you have videos stored on your iOS device (see p84 for more on this), you can stream them to your home television using AirPlay and the AppleTV. Three Mi-Fi - From £40 This turns mobile signal into a mini Wi-Fi hotspot, so you can connect a Wi-Fi-only iPad or iPod touch to the internet to watch TV. Various other mobile networks also sell them. Griffin A-Frame - £24 A light, stylish and robust iPad stand - perfect for watching TV. It folds flat, so will easily slip into a bag when you're on the move, and its rubber feet stop it from sliding around. Vogel's Basecover - £60 (case only, mounts are extra) This system enables you to mount your iPad on the wall, in the car or stand it on a table. Flip the iPad round and it doubles as a hard protective case, too. 
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