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• Google set to unveil Android NFC payment details
• Nine per cent of PSN users switch to Xbox Live
• French Open tennis in 3D: tech revealed
• New touchscreen Nook e-reader announced
• Microsoft rivalling Apple and Google for app growth
• Carphone Warehouse reveals HTC ChaCha UK price
• Windows Phone 7: Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE now on board
• British Airways app flies on to Windows Phone 7 Mango
• British Airways uses Windows Phone 7 for new features
• Hands on: Windows Phone 7 Mango review
• Microsoft officially unveils Windows Phone Mango update
• In Depth: Active Shutter vs Passive 3D TV: which is best?
• Samsung forced to show five unreleased phones to Apple
• New Sony X60iP iPod dock comes with Bluetooth
• 24,583 BitTorrenters headed to the Hurt Locker
• Twitter buys Tweetdeck for a cool $40 million
• Yahoo Mail adds apps, infuses social media
• Review: Olympus SZ-20
• Review: Samsung RC710
• Sony Music Japan and Greece sites hacked
• Orange boss drops strong iPhone 5 hint
• Review: Sony VAIO VPC-EB4L9E/BQ
• Amazon tablet rumours: what you need to know
• Buying Guide: Best PC gaming case 2011: 8 reviewed
• Review: MSI CX640-018UK

Google set to unveil Android NFC payment details Posted: 24 May 2011 04:45 PM PDT Google is set to dish the dirt on its plans to turn your Android smartphone into a digital wallet at a special event in New York on Thursday. The company is expected to discuss how Android phones boasting the 2.3 Gingerbread operating will be able to pay for goods and services by swiping their phone on a reader device. The NFC tech embedded in Android phones like the Google Nexus S will allow users to check-out, redeem coupons and earn loyalty points by flashing their phones at the checkout, according to reports. Retail partners Although Google has declined to comment at the time of writing, sources familiar with the matter say that the company has already lined-up a select few retail partners. US stores Macy's, Subway and American Eagle Outfitters are believed to be among the participating stores for an initial roll-out in New York and San Francisco. The announcement is likely to see a new wave of NFC-enabled apps, which would assist Android owners in making payments. We'll be keeping our nose to the ground for more information on any announcement from Google throughout Thursday. Source: WSJ Related Stories TechRadar Phone Awards: Vote for your mobile phone 'one to watch' of the year In Depth: Code complete: IE9 on Windows Phone 7 Square payments iPad app will 'replace cash register'

Nine per cent of PSN users switch to Xbox Live Posted: 24 May 2011 03:52 PM PDT A new survey of PlayStation Network users has revealed that nine per cent of gamers have already switched to the rival Xbox Live service. Gamespot UK polled 2,285 PlayStation 3 owners about their loyalty to the brand, following the security breach which compromised the personal information of the service's 77 million users. And while 64 per cent of those surveyed said they were "very unlikely" to switch, 9 percent have already jumped ship to Xbox Live, with a further 5 per cent saying they're likely to do so in the future. 13 per cent were undecided, while the remaining 11 per cent were said they were "somewhat unlikely" to switch. Trust 14 per cent of those surveyed said that they no longer trusted Sony, 35 per cent that the outage had no bearing, while 28 per cent said they'd restrict the personal information they shared with the company. 5 per cent of the sample, who presumably only use the console for local gaming and media playback, said they weren't even aware that the service had gone down. The realisation that it could end up losing a total of 14 per cent of its customers, with another 13 per still considering a jump to Xbox Live, is a massive blow to Sony as it seeks to recover from the outage. Only today it was estimated that the whole episode might end up costing Sony an absolutely staggering £106m. Source: Gamespot UK Related Stories Nintendo at E3 2011: what to expect

French Open tennis in 3D: tech revealed Posted: 24 May 2011 09:58 AM PDT Panasonic has announced that its cameras are being used to film the entire French Open in 3D – something it is doing in collaboration with Eurosport. In the UK, Virgin Media announced that it is showing the 3D matches but we have been in the dark over what kit is being used at Roland Garros. Until now: Panasonic has revealed just what set-up it is using to deliver the 3D content. At the heart of it is Panasonic's latest 3D camcorder, the upcoming AG-3DP1, which is being used to broadcast live for the first time. This is being used with a newly developed 17x twin zoom lens system. Alongside this is a AG-3DA1 Camera Recorder, a side-by-side rig with two AK-HC1800 box cameras, six AV-HS450 Multi-format live switchers, P2 Mobile-Memory Card Portable Recorder/Player, BT-3DL2550 3D production monitors and BT-LH910 3D production monitors. Speaking about the event, Laurent Abadie, Chairman and CEO, Panasonic Europe comments: "We are extremely excited to be able to fulfil the promise of live 3D TV in people's living rooms. We feel we have come a long way from last year, when we broadcast live to almost 3000 European retail stores, to now be delivering 3D directly to peoples' homes in over 17 countries as well as more than 7500 shops this year. "Sporting events, especially like the prestigious French Tennis Open, offer a compelling 3D TV experience, so it is important that the industry strives to do more live 3D sport broadcasts to help drive the 3D market forward." The French Open Tennis started 23 May and is set to last a fortnight. As of 24 May, Andy Murray is still in contention! Related Stories In Depth: Wimbledon in 3D: behind the scenes Review: Samsung PS51D6900 Review: Panasonic TX-L32E3B In Depth: Active Shutter vs Passive 3D TV: which is best?

New touchscreen Nook e-reader announced Posted: 24 May 2011 09:51 AM PDT Barnes & Noble has revealed its latest Nook e-reader, featuring an e-ink touchscreen and one single, lone button. Dubbed the Simple Touch Reader, the Wi-Fi only gizmo features a 6-inch monochrome touchscreen and two months of battery life from a single charge. "The Kindle 3 has 38 buttons. That's 37 more than the new Nook," William Lynch, CEO of Barnes & Noble, announced at the launch, adding that it was aimed at "those turned off by buttons, keyboards and complexity." Both have stupid names, though Nook Friends, a new feature developed for the Simple Touch Reader, allows you to see what your friends are reading, borrow and lend books, and recommend things to your contacts. Which all sounds very handy, but it's the opposite of useful to those of us outside America as the Nook remains a US only product for now, with no word on plans to export the reader to the UK's fair shores. The pocket-sized e-reader is no doubt intended to force another nail into the humble paperback's coffin, particularly with its alleged two-month battery life about which B&N was so keen to shout. But paperbacks never need recharging; it's just not a war that the e-reader can win.

Microsoft rivalling Apple and Google for app growth Posted: 24 May 2011 09:14 AM PDT Microsoft is claiming that its Windows Phone Marketplace is growing at the same rate as Apple and Google's mobile app stores. The Ballmer Brigade used the launch of the new Windows Phone Mango update to announce that it now has 18,000 applications in its store - which is impressive considering there were none last October. Microsoft also claims that it's looking to beat the BlackBerry offering within the year, and is rivalling its peers for application development. Gunning for Apple Achim Berg, Corporate VP of Windows Phone Marketing, told the press: "We're about to overtake RIM [in terms of the number of apps available], and we're already head to head with iOS and Android in terms of growth." Microsoft says over 100 apps per day are being added to its Windows Phone catalogue, with that number increasing all the time. However, there was nothing said about handset sales for people to actually download those applications on - we're still waiting to find out how things are going on that front - although figures recently released by Gartner suggest that sales aren't going all that well. Related Stories British Airways uses Windows Phone 7 for new features Microsoft officially unveils Windows Phone Mango update Windows Phone 7: Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE now on board British Airways app flies on to Windows Phone 7 Mango Carphone Warehouse reveals HTC ChaCha UK price

Carphone Warehouse reveals HTC ChaCha UK price Posted: 24 May 2011 08:57 AM PDT Carphone Warehouse has begun taking pre-orders of the HTC ChaCha, one of HTC's Facebook-imbued phones that was announced at Mobile World Congress. The HTC ChaCha also receives its official UK release date from Carphone, which will be selling it in store and online from 1 June. As far as UK pricing goes, Carphone doesn't seem to be selling the HTC ChaCha as a standalone handset, but will be offering it for free on a £20 a month contract. There's also a £10 a month deal, but that will set you back £179.99 for the device itself. Let's get ready to rhumba The ChaCha's sister handset, the HTC Salsa, will be exclusive to O2 for a time, but there are likely to be more HTC ChaCha options revealed in the coming weeks. As well as extra special Facebookery, the HTC ChaCha features a physical QWERTY keyboard, Android 2.3 with HTC Sense overlay and a 2.6-inch touchscreen. Related Stories British Airways uses Windows Phone 7 for new features Microsoft officially unveils Windows Phone Mango update Windows Phone 7: Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE now on board British Airways app flies on to Windows Phone 7 Mango Microsoft rivalling Apple and Google for app growth

Windows Phone 7: Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE now on board Posted: 24 May 2011 08:06 AM PDT Microsoft has announced the arrival of its first major update to Windows Phone 7, and with it a number of new OEMs that are all set to build Windows Phone 7 devices. Codenamed Mango, the Windows Phone 7 update offers around 500 new improvements to the phone OS (which you can read about in our Windows Phone 7 Mango review), including full-on Twitter support more dynamic Live Tiles and an updated version of IE 9. Bringing home the Mango The companies that have decided to jump on the Windows Phone 7 bandwagon are: Acer, Fujitsu Ltd and ZTE Corp. It's unknown if any of these manufacturers will make handsets for the UK market but it is good to see more manufacturers lining up to add Windows Phone 7 to their devices. Microsoft is being coy about release dates but did note that Acer, Fujitsu Ltd and ZTE Corp were "committed to produce devices with Windows Phone sites for various global markets before the end of the year." Related Stories British Airways uses Windows Phone 7 for new features Microsoft officially unveils Windows Phone Mango update British Airways app flies on to Windows Phone 7 Mango Carphone Warehouse reveals HTC ChaCha UK price Microsoft rivalling Apple and Google for app growth

British Airways app flies on to Windows Phone 7 Mango Posted: 24 May 2011 08:00 AM PDT British Airways has announced the latest version of its application, for Windows Phone 7, will offer more functionality than on other mobile platforms. The new application offers real-time updates of flight times, as well as up-to-date gate information (if used at Heathrow's Terminal 5). The new version of the application, which is already available on iOS and BlackBerry OS, will include terminal maps for the first time on the Windows Phone 7 platform, offering users an easier way to navigate through the world's airports. Virtual boarding Like its BB and iOS counterparts, users are also able to check in and download a boarding pass on the screen to be handed over at the flight desk during boarding. The new application will likely make use of the new Windows Phone 7 Mango update, offering Live Tile flight time updates and possibly the chance to attach your boarding pass to the home screen as its own tile in the future. BA also told TechRadar it was looking to new functionality in the future, such as push notifications of flight time changes or adding trips automatically into the phone's calendar. The new BA application will be available on 1 June from the Windows Phone Marketplace (although you'll need to have a free BA Executive Club membership to use the application). Related Stories British Airways uses Windows Phone 7 for new features Microsoft officially unveils Windows Phone Mango update Windows Phone 7: Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE now on board Carphone Warehouse reveals HTC ChaCha UK price Microsoft rivalling Apple and Google for app growth

British Airways uses Windows Phone 7 for new features Posted: 24 May 2011 08:00 AM PDT British Airways has announced the latest version of its application, for Windows Phone 7, will offer more functionality than on other mobile platforms. The new application offers real-time updates of flight times, as well as up-to-date gate information (if used at Heathrow's Terminal 5). The new version of the application, which is already available on iOS and BlackBerry OS, will include terminal maps for the first time on the Windows Phone 7 platform, offering users an easier way to navigate through the world's airports. Virtual boarding Like its BB and iOS counterparts, users are also able to check in and download a boarding pass on the screen to be handed over at the flight desk during boarding. The new application will likely make use of the new Windows Phone 7 Mango update, offering Live Tile flight time updates and possibly the chance to attach your boarding pass to the home screen as its own tile in the future. BA also told TechRadar it was looking to new functionality in the future, such as push notifications of flight time changes or adding trips automatically into the phone's calendar. The new BA application will be available on 1 June from the Windows Phone Marketplace (although you'll need to have a free BA Executive Club membership to use the application). Related Stories Microsoft officially unveils Windows Phone Mango update Windows Phone 7: Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE now on board British Airways app flies on to Windows Phone 7 Mango Carphone Warehouse reveals HTC ChaCha UK price Microsoft rivalling Apple and Google for app growth

Hands on: Windows Phone 7 Mango review Posted: 24 May 2011 08:00 AM PDT Windows Phone 7 is set to undergo a major update with the launch of the new Mango iteration of the software, and TechRadar was present to get its paws all over the new version. The good news is that the new Mango update brings features rather than massive UI enhancements - we're big fans of the Live Tiles and side-swiping to get to the menu, so it's good to know that's still all present and correct. However, the better news is with a large range of APIs now opened up by Microsoft, Mango will bring the opportunity for developers to have much more information showing on the Live Tiles than ever before. This means things like the BA app will now have the exact arrival time of your next flight constantly updated on the home screen, or football scores that keep you up to date at all times, finally bringing Microsoft's 'glancing for info' ethos on it's phone OS to life. However, we were a little bit upset that there was nothing new to help organise the list of applications on the right-hand side of the home screen - if you've downloaded a few applications you still need to scroll down for a few seconds to get to the bottom unfortunately. The People app is probably the one with the widest changes - now you can have specific groups of people combined to make it easy to track and communicate with them. It's not a new trick by any stretch of the imagination, but what Microsoft has done well here is allow you to see all their Facebook and Twitter notifications at once, which is jolly handy. Yes, you read that right: Twitter integration now comes as standard (as does LinkedIn) to make it that much easier to communicate with your buddies and see what they're up to without having to resort to a dedicated application. It's really handy to be able to see all the social networking updates and pictures of groups, as you can drill down to the people you care about with no worries about seeing things from those you 'have' to follow. Messaging has been given a similar overhaul, with the addition of threads in both standard SMS and email conversations making it much easier to track what's been said with whom. With Windows Live Messenger and Facebook Chat also on offer, you can seamlessly jump from one method of communicating to another - we tested this out and it really did work nicely. The chances of needing to use all three consecutively are pretty minimal, but being able to see who is online at any time is pretty nifty and works in a better way than the same system on HP's webOS. Another big plus on Windows Phone 7 Mango is the addition of 'multitasking'. We use inverted commas as it's not the complete offering, with the applications heading to a hibernating state when not running in the foreground. While this might upset some purists, from a battery life perspective this is the optimum strategy, and doesn't impact on performance from where we're standing. Simply holding the Back key opens up the tiled view of running apps, and jumping between them is very easy - a simple scroll left and right. Microsoft says users don't need to shut down applications as the phone handles the app management so well - this will probably cause jitters with some users thinking their battery is being drained, but we're promised it's going to work just fine... Compare this to the endless 'Resuming' messages from the first iteration of the software, and it's a massive improvement - despite the fact the UI looks like something from the late 1990s. The Bing search integration has been overhauled too, with the addition of Vision (Google Googles Microsoft-style), Music (which is very similar in functionality to Shazam) and Voice, which uses cloud computing to work out what you're saying and what you want to be searching for. Location-based searching has been enhanced too, with the addition of See+Do bringing a simplistic version of, say, Lonely Planet to your phone by suggesting local attractions. Bing also scrapes the internet to find nearby places to eat and drink, with the now-standard information on offer of websites, phone numbers and ratings based on aggregating public sites. Microsoft is claiming to have shoved a pretty much complete version of Internet Explorer 9 on its Windows Phone 7 devices as part of the Mango upgrade, offering speedy browsing and HTML5 inclusion. We pushed and pushed Eric Hermelee, Microsoft's Head of Mobile, UK for an answer on why Flash wasn't included, but all we got was a repeated answer of 'Microsoft is working on a standards-based approach' with no explicit reason why Flash isn't on offer. Websites didn't really load that much faster in our eyes, but then again we were beholden to some pretty shonky signal during the test - we'll look forward to checking this out during our full Windows Phone 7 Mango review. Office, which was already was one of the highlights of the Windows Phone 7 range before, is supplemented by Office 365 and SkyDrive, offering 25GB of storage in the cloud for anyone looking to sync up documents on the go. The integration of the Office Suite is even more promounced than before, with Excel ability to create formulas and PowerPoint offering improved animation between slides - so if you're into that kind of thing then it will be a real boon for you workie-types. The rest of the changes appear to be more about making the phone easier to use, such as a larger music control widget on the lock screen and an enhanced UI from the volume control. The main improvements, however, are not with the phone itself but with the APIs Microsoft is letting developers play with. From Live Tiles to Compass to Maps to the camera application, developers will be able to improve the quality of their applications immeasurably, meaning a richer ecosystem for users. So hopefully Mango will be more than just a feature-rich update - Microsoft is eyeing third place in the application market and more APIs are imperative if it's to have any hope of nabbing it. The Windows Phone 7 Mango update is coming to all phones in the range so far, so all you HD7, Omnia 7 and even Venue Pro owners can rest easy. Related Stories Microsoft officially unveils Windows Phone Mango update Windows Phone 7: Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE now on board British Airways app flies on to Windows Phone 7 Mango Carphone Warehouse reveals HTC ChaCha UK price Microsoft rivalling Apple and Google for app growth

Microsoft officially unveils Windows Phone Mango update Posted: 24 May 2011 07:55 AM PDT Microsoft has made its Windows Phone 7 Mango software update all official, bringing such goodies as multi-tasking, Twitter integration and more to all Windows Phone handsets. The software update will be made 'freely available' to all Windows Phone handsets; while the developer SDK will be released within the next day, the consumer version will be ready for download at the beginning of autumn. We'd anticipate a staggered roll out, particularly after issues that some users had with the first minor Windows Phone update, but it's pretty safe to assume that the UK release date will be at some point in September or October. Updates galore Updates that Mango brings with it include threaded messages, chats and IMs all integrated to the same conversation, grouped contact tiles, Twitter and LinkedIn contacts pulled into the phone's address book and text-to-speech and speech-to-text tools. The biggie, though, is multitasking. This will allow apps to run in the background and be quickly switched between without depleting the battery life too significantly (says Microsoft). We can't go into all 500 (500!) features here, but join us over at our hands on Windows Phone 7 Mango review for a more in-depth look at the juicy new flavouring. Related Stories British Airways uses Windows Phone 7 for new features Windows Phone 7: Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE now on board British Airways app flies on to Windows Phone 7 Mango Carphone Warehouse reveals HTC ChaCha UK price Microsoft rivalling Apple and Google for app growth

In Depth: Active Shutter vs Passive 3D TV: which is best? Posted: 24 May 2011 07:33 AM PDT If you're looking to buy a 3D TV, making that big decision is a good deal more complicated than it was this time last year. That's because there are now two competing 3D technologies which do the same job: Active Shutter and Passive Polarisation. But how do they compare and which 3D tech will work best for you? Here we weigh up the pros and cons of Active Shutter vs Passive 3D TV. Active Shutter 3D: How it works, pros and cons Active Shutter technology is exclusively supported by Panasonic, Samsung and Sony. All offer a wide range of screen sizes designed to work with Active Shutter glasses. Powered by a small battery, these glasses incorporate LCD lenses which sync to alternating frames on the TV. The system can deliver a Full HD 1080p image to each eye - hence the description Full HD 3D. While some TVs come bundled with these Active 3D goggles, many compatible sets now require you to invest in them as an optional accessory - and they're not cheap. ABOVE: Active Shutter spex may be getting lighter, but they remain prohibitively expensive. Notice how it's impossible to make Active Shutter lenses with a curve Typically Active Shutter glasses sell for around £100 a pair, if not more. They're fragile, and to complicate matters further, one brand of glasses will not work with another's TV. So if you have a Samsung 3D TV, you'll need Samsung 3D bins. A belated attempt to unify the Active Shutter glasses standard by Panasonic does not seem to gaining much traction. Passive Polarisation 3D: How it works, pros and cons Passive 3D technology has been developed and championed by LG. Rather than throw the emphasis on high-tech glasses, Passive 3D TV screens sport a filter with alternating horizontal and vertical stripes, separated by a black, picture-blanking bars. When used with glasses which have corresponding polarising lenses, alternate frames are presented to each eye to create a 3D image. ABOVE: Lightweight passive 3D glasses will not break the bank. You can even use 3D glasses 'borrowed' from your local cinema Crucially, Passive 3D glasses are inexpensive. You can even watch Passive 3D TVs at home with the same 3D glasses used in most cinemas (hence LG's 'Cinema 3D' branding). One brand's passive glasses will work with another's; they're interchangeable. Passive 3D glasses are also comparatively light and comfortable. Indeed, some spectacle makers now offer designer 3D glasses that appear indistinguishable from regular sunglasses. They can even be worn outside, as they offer UV protection. ABOVE: These designer Passive 3D glasses can also double as regular sunglasses and offer UV protection. Note the high quality curved lenses The catch with Passive 3D is that the system reduces the resolution of the 3D image. A Full HD 3D 1920 x 1080 Blu-ray is presented at 1920 x 540 pixels; Sky 3D, which transmits in a 1920 x 540 resolution side-by-side format, is delivered at 960 x 540. Active Shutter Vs Passive 3D: Screen comparisons When directly compared, Active Shutter 3D delivers the sharpest, smoothest 3D experience. Its advantages are most notable on curving and diagonal edges. The black bars which break the horizontal and vertical stripes on the Passive filter can create stepping effects in an image which are easily visible. Indeed, the reduced horizontal resolution of the Passive 3D system has a screen texture that looks remarkably similar to a cathode ray tube TV of yesteryear. However, while edges are jaggy, there is no diminishment of 3D depth. Passive 3D TVs look just as three dimensional as their Active Shutter counterparts. Unfortunately, while Active Shutter glasses may offer smoother, richer 3D, they can also suffer from flicker. Some wearers subliminally notice the 60Hz frame refresh rate of the flickering LCDs, while others are aware of flicker created by conflicting light sources. The glasses also tend to be cumbersome - although we have recently seen brands like Samsung introduce a new generation of lightweight Active Shutter spex. ABOVE: Active Shutter 3D Tvs have superior resolution and edge smoothness. Consider the summerhouse from early in Monsters Vs Aliens... ABOVE: Closing in, look at the smoothness of the sloping roof, the unbroken outline of the girl, and the fine detail in the balustrade fence design ABOVE: This is the same frame, as seen on a Passive 3D TV. Notice how the preponderance of black lines dulls the white dress of the girl ABOVE: In passive 3D, the image becomes much courser. The black lines which separate the horizontal and vertical polarising strips on the filter create uneven jagged edges ABOVE: The low horizontal resolution of the Passive 3D display can be seen across this shot ABOVE: With an Active Shutter 3D TV, there is no loss of horizontal resolution. Edges are smooth and textures are accurate Active Shutter Vs Passive 3D: Conclusion and costs So should you buy Active Shutter 3D or Passive 3D? Ultimately it's a personal decision, and one you should only make after auditioning your preferred screen/s in the flesh. (NB other factors may well influence your buying decision anyway, as there's more to TVs than just 3D, after all). Consider carefully what kind of material you'll be watching in 3D - will it be primarily kiddie fare or more critically demanding material such as sports? In our tests, Active Shutter 3D consistently offers the highest picture quality. But Passive's lack of clarity must be balanced against the practicality of its inexpensive eyeware. LG is currently shipping seven pairs of 3D glasses with all Cinema 3D TVs, more than enough for family and visiting friends. The best value deals are also likely to come from the Passive camp. Both Toshiba and Philips plan on positioning their Passive 3D TVs at entry and mid-market price points, reserving Active Shutter for their more expensive, high-end screens. If you're still unsure, mull over these three simple rules: Buy a Passive 3D TV if… You mainly intend on watching 3D animation movies with your kids. You want to host 3D sports parties and invite your mates. If you intend to buy a relatively small 3D TV (42 inches or less). Buy an Active Shutter 3D TV if… You're a film fan who wants to see movies in the highest possible resolution. If you plan on kicking back and watching sports on your own. If you plan on buying a large screen 3D TV (46 inches or bigger). Related Stories In Depth: Wimbledon in 3D: behind the scenes Review: Samsung PS51D6900 Review: Panasonic TX-L32E3B French Open tennis in 3D: tech revealed

Samsung forced to show five unreleased phones to Apple Posted: 24 May 2011 07:28 AM PDT A judge has ruled that Samsung must give Apple access to some of its mobile phones and tablets that are yet to be released for sale. Judge Lucy Koh has ruled that Apple deserves limited early access to the handsets as part of its case against Samsung for patent and trademark infringement. The product samples and packaging that Samsung must provide to Apple include those of the Samsung Galaxy S2, Galaxy Tab 8.9, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Infuse 4G and 4G LTE or 'Droid Charge'. Apple claims that Samsung's recent products have been deliberately designed to look like the iPad and iPhone, and that its app icons are also too similar to the fruity manufacturer's. Not judgement day Although she allowed Apple access to Samsung's materials, Judge Koh was quick to point out that the action has no bearing on her view of Apple's claims of copyright infringement. She wrote in the order, "Although the Court expresses no opinion on the merits of Apple's claims, the Court notes that Apple has produced images of Samsung products and other evidence that provide a reasonable basis for Apple's belief that Samsung's new products are designed to mimic Apple's products. "In particular, the design and appearance of Samsung's forthcoming products and packaging are directly relevant to Apple's trademark, trade dress, and design claims. "Because these claims are subject to consumer confusion and "ordinary observer" standards, the products themselves and the packaging in which they are sold are likely to be central to any motion for preliminary injunction."

New Sony X60iP iPod dock comes with Bluetooth Posted: 24 May 2011 05:49 AM PDT Sony has announced a number of new iPod and iPhone speakers, with the RDP-X60iP wireless speaker dock at the top of the feature list. The RDP-X60iP is the first dock from Sony to feature Bluetooth functionality, so you can stream your music from any compatible device straight to the dock. When it comes to audio power, the dock has 20W+20W output power. Rock around the dock For those who want a bit more portability, Sony has also launched the RDP-M15iP dock. This has half the power of the RDP-X60iP (10W+10W) but has been given a rechargeable battery that will keep it going for 6 hours and you also get a handy travel pouch to put the thing in. And the final dock-based launch by Sony is the RDP-M5iP. This is a compact dock which offer 10 hours' listening if you feed it four AAA batteries and a grab handle so you can, er, grab it if you so wish. All of these docks have the Made for iPhone/iPod stamp of approval and have a UK release date of June. Well, apart from the RDP-M15iP which will be out in July.

24,583 BitTorrenters headed to the Hurt Locker Posted: 24 May 2011 05:13 AM PDT The makers of the Oscar-winning movie The Hurt Locker have filed a lawsuit targeting at least 24,583 people alleged to have downloaded the film illegally using BitTorrent. Voltage Pictures, the company behind the Kathryn Bigelow war picture, had already begun litigation against 5,000 BitTorrent users, but that figure has now shot up by almost 20,000. The company will be looking to recoup losses from each torrenter; settling out of court generally sees the defendant paying $2,000 - $3,000 each. If all 24,583 can be persuaded to settle, that's a minimum of $49,166,000 in Voltage's pocket (£30,400,882.06). It's no great surprise that The Hurt Locker makers are so keen on the legal action, after producer Nicolas Chartier sent a heated email to a reader defending the lawsuits. The pain cupboard As well as winning more Academy awards than The Expendables, The Hurt Locker has now also taken the title of most file-sharers targeted in one law suit from the Sly Stallone action flick. Just a couple of weeks ago, the people behind The Expendables took action against around 23,000 file sharers which was, at the time, a record. Judge Beryl Howell, who is residing over The Hurt Locker case, is yet to decide whether Voltage is allowed to go ahead with the case, but if we'd torrented it, we'd be starting to feel a little hot under the collar right about now. Still, at least The Hurt Locker defendants don't have to admit to having watched The Expendables. Small mercies. Related Stories Google closes newspaper archive project Zuckerberg wants pre-teen children on Facebook Sony Music Japan and Greece sites hacked Yahoo Mail adds apps, infuses social media Twitter buys Tweetdeck for a cool $40 million

Twitter buys Tweetdeck for a cool $40 million Posted: 24 May 2011 04:26 AM PDT Twitter has bought Tweetdeck for a reported $40 million, bringing the desktop application under its micro-blogging wing. There have been weeks of rumour and speculation that Twitter was set to acquire Tweetdeck and now CNN Money has revealed the deal has gone through, with the folks behind Twitter paying for the app in cash and stock. Twitter has been less than friendly with third-party apps recently. Changes to its API has made it much more difficult for new apps to get on board with Twitter. Life is tweet Quite what the impact of buying Tweetdeck will have on other third-party apps, but it will definitely improve Twitter's overall desktop experience. This isn't the first third-party app Twitter has snapped up – it also bought Tweetie and turned it into the official Twitter app for the iPhone. Although the deal looks to be set in stone, Twitter is yet to announce the buyout, explaining on its Twitter feed: "For all those who might be curious, we continue to not comment on rumors." Related Stories Google closes newspaper archive project Zuckerberg wants pre-teen children on Facebook Sony Music Japan and Greece sites hacked Yahoo Mail adds apps, infuses social media 24,583 BitTorrenters headed to the Hurt Locker

Yahoo Mail adds apps, infuses social media Posted: 24 May 2011 04:26 AM PDT The latest version of Yahoo Mail has today come out of beta and brings social networking and instant messaging integration, inbox apps and faster search functions to the aged mail system. The new features bring Yahoo Mail kicking and screaming into the 21st century, offering a host of features that other webmail services have offered for some time to its 284 million users. First up is inbox customisation with "vibrant themes" to "express their personalities", while apps like YouSendIt will make sending large files easier. Speed demon Yahoo says the performance of the new version is twice as fast as previous versions of Yahoo Mail, while a new search experience offers a 'refinement column' for sorting through search results. You do have to wonder why it's taken a search company so long to provide such an obvious and simple search solution. Also coming to the updated version of Yahoo Mail is improved SpamGuard technology, Facebook, Windows Live and Yahoo Messenger contacts and chat from within the inbox and status updates and notifications from Facebook and Twitter. Yahoo says this is all about providing easy online conversations, no matter how you prefer to chat. "Yahoo's vision for online communications brings together all the tools that people use to connect — email, chat and social updates — and makes it easier for them to share content and engage in conversations with the people that matter most to them," said Blake Irving, chief product officer, Yahoo. "We're delivering on this strategy with the latest version of Yahoo Mail, providing our hundreds of millions of users worldwide with a fun, engaging and constantly connected experience across desktop, mobile and tablet devices that keeps the conversation going – anytime, anywhere." Related Stories Google closes newspaper archive project Zuckerberg wants pre-teen children on Facebook Sony Music Japan and Greece sites hacked Twitter buys Tweetdeck for a cool $40 million 24,583 BitTorrenters headed to the Hurt Locker

Review: Olympus SZ-20 Posted: 24 May 2011 04:00 AM PDT Pitched at the entry-level end of Olympus' Traveller class of cameras, the new SZ-20 enters the point-and-shoot arena with a 12.5 x super wide-angle zoom and rather extensive feature package, set to persuade existing compact users to upgrade. As well as touting an impressive focal range that spans from an equivalent reach of 24 to 300mm, the SZ-20, which on sale exclusively via Jessops, crams in reams of attractive features under its chunky, metal chassis. One of the most bragged about assets is the hand-held Starlight Mode, designed to allow users to capture blur-free images in low-light without a tripod, supported by the vital inclusion of Dual Image Stabilisation. Aimed at impressing sports and action fans, Olympus has included technology to provide shooters with an array of high-speed continuous shooting modes allegedly achieving 7fps full resolution and 15fps at 5MP. For landscape fanatics the device includes the brand's Smart Panorama feature, which not only stitches the scene in camera but is recorded using a sweeping motion rather than the more tricky alignment method some rival models employ. Travel shooters and those shooting 'on-location' have the option to use Eye-Fi memory cards – as the SZ-20 incorporates compatible technology allowing photographers to automatically and wirelessly upload images to a website or PC from any location in the world that has a Wi-Fi connection. Creative shooters haven't been overlooked either as the compact presents: a Beauty Mode that identifies and resolves imperfections, 3D photo shooting, and eight Magic Filters for injecting something different into stills, seven of which can also be used in movie mode – which is presented in the form of 1080p Full HD capture with sound. Other key features of the SZ-20 include a 16 Megapixel backlit CMOS sensor, a 3" 460,000 dot colour LCD – all of which aren't particularly unusual for this calibre of shooter, but certainly meet the expected grade for the SZ-20's price tag. Charging is performed in the flexible form of a USB-cable or mains adapter. What we did notice lacking on this newcomer is some of the attractive attributes inherited by those in Olympus's 'Tough' category of cameras, more shocking perhaps when we consider the fact that the SZ-20 belongs to a family of cameras known as the 'Travellers'. For example unlike many of the Tough units, the SZ-20 lacks a GPS function and Electronic Compass, which would have no doubt been incredibly useful for the intrepid explorer. Less surprising perhaps is that the superior rigidity and durability that gives the Tough units their name has been overlooked here, as has the extensive and impressive internal memory adopted by some of the higher-end 'Tough' models. Also neglected is the adoption of a manual or semi-manual shooting modes as witnessed on the Olympus XZ-1 model held in the 'Creator' class of compacts. However as the SZ-20 is aimed at novices rather than amateur photographers the developers can be forgiven, furthermore at a price tag of £200 perhaps we can't expect everything, but instead hope that one day the brand will blend all these attractive assets into one all-encompassing model. Prescribed with the mantle of 'super-zoom' many may have expected a larger, chunkier specimen, but as the compact's zoom ability is 'only' 12.5x it certainly isn't the heavyweight contender of its class and as such is presented in a much lighter, more compact frame. However it is still a touch chubbier than the average point-and-shoot and as such offers a heightened sense of durability, although as with most compacts the hinges on the battery and HDMI/USB compartments feel fragile to the boisterous touch. The SZ-20's slightly larger demeanour can be attributed to its super-zoom lens and the fact a handy grip is wedged on the end to aid comfort whilst framing and shooting. On the rear, there's also a thumb pad for improved stability. Elsewhere Olympus delivers a simple array of buttons, keeping a handful of the usual suspects on board, but opting mainly for an on-screen command route. This may impress minimalists, but ultimately means that there is no direct access for activating the most sought-after and useful measures such as: macro mode, exposure compensation or self timer. A dedicated control for movie capture is reserved next to the 3" LCD, as is the command dial-come-d-pad, plus: OK, playback, menu and help buttons. On the top of the SZ-20 we find the activation button, zoom controls and the pop-up flash with its own lever offering direct access for controlling lighting. The on-screen menu follows Olympus' tried and tested design with photographers able to scroll across the assortment of shooting modes in the top right corner of the monitor and then alter values for each from the dedicated drop down menus, such as: white balance, self timer and ISO, etc or select further options from the shooting mode's sub menu – for example in 'Scene Mode' users can then select the appropriate scene. For those seeking advanced control the unit provides a Program option, whereas beginners have a few options to investigate including 16 scene modes and iAuto, finally creative enthusiasts have the range of magic filters to explore, plus 3D and Panorama mode. Utilising the camera's menu is incredibly simplistic and as the camera also provides on-screen advice and explanations of the controls, not only will the eager novice find shooting with the SZ-20 a breeze, but they will possibly learn quite a few photography related principles compared to with the average low-end, point-and-shoots. Starting up the camera takes several seconds, yet what is perhaps most disappointing is that the refresh rate between frames in single shot mode can last up to four seconds, with other modes such as panorama, hand-held starlight mode, beauty mode, and high continuous shooting mode taking even longer to process – thus this may not be an appropriate choice for shutter-happy shooters. Framing and composition was made relatively simple as the LCD screen did well to deliver a clear image in most conditions and for the majority of angles and positions – what's more there is an option to control brightness (plus and minus two levels) which came in very handy when shooting in harsh sunlight. The only problem that we did discover with image representation on the LCD was when using a handful of the magic filters and creative modes – such as Watercolour for example. In this mode the capture is presented with little to no definition and fails to promote the gamut of colours which was actually achieved and could later be seen when uploaded onto a computer. Likewise the 3D mode can be quite tricky to utilise as the lack of strong definition of detail means lining up the transfer image can be quite a challenge and almost impossible on subjects exhibiting a great mass of smaller details such as trees and flower beds or anything that is moving. The same can also be said for the drawing mode – with only stationary or slow-moving subjects appearing as faint outlines against an overpowering white canvas. Shooting in the high-speed continuous mode was less exciting than anticipated as we managed to claim the 15 fps advertised at 5MP but were actually only able to record 3fps at full resolution. Battery life was not as impressive as we had hoped either: capturing just over 200 shots on a full charge, whereas most compacts of this calibre are capable of at least one hundred more. On the whole, and taking into consideration its relatively avoidable price tag – the SZ-20 does a stellar job of metering and correctly exposing throughout the range of shooting modes with only a few exceptions. When shooting in the Panorama mode we found it was best to wait for even light to flood the vista before recording to ensure a well-exposed result, as shooting in changing or strong light upset the meter and the images produced (or parts of the image) were often grossly over or underexposed. That said shooting in auto, Program and the majority of scene modes provided strong results illustrating correct colour values, strong definition of detail and well exposed scenes. As mentioned colour values were particularly impressive, with the camera's white balance turning in a strong performance. Photographing scenes exhibiting a higher level of contrast failed to produce evidence of purple fringing and certainly nothing worse than its rivals offer. Chromatic aberrations and vignetting also failed to be an issue and on the whole the compact's image stabilisation performed adequately well. The AF system refused to throw up any major problems, however in macro mode photographers need to be at least 10cm from their subject which may disappoint those intent on photographing insects and the like. Details and colour representation remain unadulterated through the sensitivity scale up to ISO 400, and at this level only the subtlest of tale-tell noise signs begin to factor into the scene. At ISO 800 edges become only slightly less defined with details gently softening, and at ISO 1600 we see a graduated extension of the problem. That said the image quality at this level is arguably still usable and in a sense is a great deal more attractive than that produced by many of its peers. At ISO 3200 details are considerably more blurred, however we are greatly impressed to note that the images aren't plagued with coloured pixels and that the colour values remain strong and lifelike. ISO 100, score 22 ISO 200, score 20 ISO 400, score 18 ISO 800, score 16 ISO 1600, score 14 ISO 3200, score 12 Although the SZ-20 needs at least 10cm to focus on macro subjects, the results are actually impressive. If we were to be critical however a growing number of compacts now allow users to get as close as 1cm from the subject; thus Olympus needs to catch up, and fast. One of our favourite filters is the 'Sparkle' option which adds a star burst effect to fragments of light. This is particularly impressive when shooting subjects such as flowers, windows and water on sunny days When capturing images with the compact in Watercolour filter, the results can appear rather weak; with subjects lacking definition and variance in colour. However once uploaded onto the computer users can make out a greater level of detail and will notice colours previously unseen on the LCD In soft even light – across the expanse of the scene – Smart Panorama is capable of recording well exposed vistas. However if the light changes mid exposure the camera's metering can struggle and as such the results may be unusable. Click to see the full image The soft filter is ideal for using when capturing macro stills of plants, or portraits of newborns and children Punk Filter Pin hole filter At £200 consumers are getting a healthy supply of contemporary features and high-end components for their cash. Although the SZ-20 may not offer everything in Olympus' technology library, what is does offer is a great deal of control and choice for creative novices at a good price. Although this may not suit a complete beginner it will definitely impress existing compact-owners looking to upgrade to a camera that provides an up-to-date feature set, larger pixel count, lengthier focal range and the ability to record impressive image results and full HD video. We liked The SZ-20 is an accessible camera that delivers exactly what an enthusiast photographer needs with a handful of exciting attributes thrown in, including: full HD video capture, eight creative filters, Smart Panorama and 3D mode. We disliked The camera fails to present detailed definition in several of the filter and special modes, which can make composition tricky. Elsewhere we were disappointed by the battery performance and high-speed continuous shooting results. Sensor: 1/2.3" CMOS device with 16 Mp Lens: 4.2 – 52.5mm (24-300mm, 35mm equivalent), f3.0-5.9. 12.5 x optical zoom Memory: 59MB internal, SD, SDHC, SDXC Viewfinder: n/a LCD Screen: 3" (7.6cm) LCD, 460,000 dots Video resolution: 1080p, 720p and VGA 640 x 480 ISO range: 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 Focus modes: iESP, Face Detection AF, Spot, AF Tracking Max burst rate: 15fps (5MP) Shutter speeds: 1/4- 1/2000 s (4sec Night Scene) Weight: 186g Dimensions: 102.4 x 64 x 30.4mm Power supply: LI-50B Lithium Ion battery

Review: Samsung RC710 Posted: 24 May 2011 04:00 AM PDT The Samsung RC710 is a large family laptop and an excellent option for staying connected online. 802.11n Wi-Fi is supported for connecting to wireless networks, which is currently the fastest wireless networking standard available. If you have Wi-Fi at home, you can enjoy superfast networking speeds on your favourite social networking sites. If you don't have Wi-Fi, you can use Gigabit Ethernet to connect to the internet via a cable instead. Although this laptop opts for a previous generation Intel Core i5 480M processor instead of the latest Sandy Bridge technology, there's still enough power for all the family to run their applications. You can comfortably multi-task with creative applications, media players and other software, with no noticeable slowdown. The 6144MB of memory helps considerably. Dedicated graphics Multimedia performance is also good, thanks to the dedicated Nvidia GeForce 315M graphics card, which provides similar power to the Packard Bell EasyNote TS13-HR-035 and Sony VAIO VPC-CA1S1E/G. If you want to edit video or photos for posting online or sending to friends, the Samsung can manage it with gusto. However, if anyone in your family is a gamer, they'll be better served by the Dell Inspiron 15R. The Nvidia GPU features Optimus technology, which automatically shuts the graphics card off when not in use. This conserves battery power, although you'll only get 237 minutes of life on the move, less than the Dell Inspiron 15R and Packard Bell. Benchmarks Battery life: 237 minutes MobileMark 2007: 257 3DMark 2003: 10,228 It's also one of the heavier machines here, weighing in at 3.1kg, so is best suited to home use. The integrated high-definition (HD) webcam is as sharp, and is great for chatting online or capturing any exciting monologues for uploading to YouTube. Be warned that there's a fair bit of motion blur, which restricts your movements while recording. As well as shooting HD movies, you can also watch them using the built-in Blu-ray drive. The 17.3-inch display is a superb way of consuming your media, with a sharp 1600 X 900-pixel resolution and vibrant Super-TFT coating. Whether you're instant messaging or bashing out a novel, frequent typists will like the full-sized isolation-style keyboard featuring a separate numeric keypad. It's comfortable to use over extended periods, while the sensitive touchpad is also good. If you need a laptop for getting online, enjoying your media and staying in touch with friends and family, the RC710 is a great option, though best kept at home, thanks to the bulky build and limited battery life. Related Stories Review: Toshiba Satellite Pro C660-16N Review: Packard Bell EasyNote TSX66 Review: Lenovo ThinkPad G570 Review: MSI CX640-018UK Review: Sony VAIO VPC-EB4L9E/BQ

Sony Music Japan and Greece sites hacked Posted: 24 May 2011 03:43 AM PDT The floodgates have officially opened on Sony, as more of its websites, specifically SonyMusic.gr and SonyMusic.co.jp, have been infiltrated by hackers. The latest hacks, which aren't even particularly advanced, consist of relatively harmless content fiddling through SQL injection. One hacker wrote in the source code, "This isn't a l337 h4x0r, we just want to embarrass Sony some more." Shameful Although these latest hacks aren't on the scale of the PSN hack, which compromised potentially millions of users' personal and credit card information, they do highlight yet more security holes in Sony's online presence. Just a few days ago, a phishing site was found running on a Sony server which added to consternation after its PSN password reset page foolishly asked users to verify their ID using personal details that had already been compromised in the PSN hack. Sony admitted yesterday that the known cost of the PSN outage already amounted to over $100 million; but if consumers can't trust any Sony website, from consumer electronics, to music, to movies, it will end up costing them a whole lot more. Related Stories Google closes newspaper archive project Zuckerberg wants pre-teen children on Facebook Yahoo Mail adds apps, infuses social media Twitter buys Tweetdeck for a cool $40 million 24,583 BitTorrenters headed to the Hurt Locker

Orange boss drops strong iPhone 5 hint Posted: 24 May 2011 03:43 AM PDT CEO of France Telecom Stephane Richard has dropped a strong hint that Apple is going to be making the iPhone 5 smaller and thinner than previous iterations. France Telecom owns the Orange brand, and Richard confirmed that the network has been working with Apple to create smaller SIM cards to gain more space inside its devices, according to an interview by All Things Digital: "We are going to work with [Apple] in order to standardize a new format of SIM which takes into account our needs with security and authentication and also is compatible with their wishes in terms of size. "I understood that the next iPhone would be smaller and thinner and they are definitely seeking some space." Keeping the insides safe Richard also stated that Apple was looking to do away with the SIM card altogether to move to virtual identification instead, something Orange was keen to nip in the bud to preserve customers' privacy: "Apple has been working for years on reducing the size of SIM cards because they need space in the phone. They even thought about a device without any SIM card, that is what is known as the e-SIM project. "All of us told them it was a bad idea because the SIM card is a critical piece of the security and authentication process. It would be very difficult for a telco or carrier to manage the customer relationship. "I think that they understood this point. We had a very constructive exchange and dialogue with them." So the new iPhone 5 (or iPhone 4S, depending on your information) will be smaller, thinner, faster, better, stronger, lighter and blacker/whiter than ever before it seems - the only question is: when will we actually get confirmation on the iPhone 5 release date? Related Stories Microsoft officially unveils Windows Phone Mango update Windows Phone 7: Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE now on board British Airways app flies on to Windows Phone 7 Mango Carphone Warehouse reveals HTC ChaCha UK price Microsoft rivalling Apple and Google for app growth

Review: Sony VAIO VPC-EB4L9E/BQ Posted: 24 May 2011 03:30 AM PDT Sony is a household name and its VAIO laptops have long been popular with consumers. The VAIO VPC-EB4L9E/BQ is another well-designed machine that ticks lots of boxes, making it an excellent choice for any family. An all-white chassis proves a standout feature, although the subtle glitter effect in the palmrests may be a step too far. Still, the chassis is reassuringly solid in all areas except near the DVD drive. The 15.6-inch screen tilts back to a reasonable degree and has good viewing angles, so you won't be squinting when the VAIO is sat on your lap. Photos and movies are colourfully recreated and the screen is one of the brightest in the group. If you plan on watching films on your laptop, the built-in speakers pack a surprising amount of power. Unfortunately, the quality drops at its top volume, with music and sound effects distorting. Highly usable Usability is a highlight, thanks to the well-sized keyboard which stretches the width of the chassis. The typing action is firm, and comfortable even when typing out long essays or endless emails. There's also a dedicated numeric keypad. We also liked the textured touchpad, which supports multi-touch gesturing and document scrolling. The VAIO uses the same Intel Core i3 380M processor as the Samsung RC510. While our performance tests showed the Sony lagged a little behind everything except the Acer Aspire 5553G, it's still more than capable of running all your software together. Even memory-hogging design applications run smoothly. Multimedia performance is even better, with a dedicated ATi HD 5650 graphics card proving one of the most powerful. Not only can you edit your photos and videos without suffering any crashes or annoying stutters, you can also run the latest games on fairly high detail settings. Benchmarks Battery life: 166 minutes MaobileMark 2007: 235 3DMark 2003: 19,057 Unfortunately, this performance does impact battery life, with less than three hours on offer. This is a poor result, so the VAIO is best left plugged into the mains. A 500GB hard drive provides a lot of storage for your files, more than most people will ever need. Other features are standard, with a 4-in-1 memory card reader in place alongside four USB ports and a VGA and HDMI port for hooking up external displays. Wired and wireless networking is as fast as it comes for hooking up to the internet. There is lots to like about the Sony VPC-EB4L9E/BQ. Battery life is flawed, however, so this isn't a good choice for anyone who takes to the road regularly. Related Stories Review: Toshiba Satellite Pro C660-16N Review: Packard Bell EasyNote TSX66 Review: Lenovo ThinkPad G570 Review: MSI CX640-018UK Review: Samsung RC710

Amazon tablet rumours: what you need to know Posted: 24 May 2011 03:09 AM PDT If you're a Kindle owner, you'll know that the buying and ownership experience is the most Apple-y experience you can have without giving Steve Jobs all your money. The device is superb, and getting content onto it is effortless. Imagine if Amazon did the same thing not just with books, but with music, movies and apps too. Excited yet? We are. Here's what we know about the Amazon tablet. The Amazon tablet won't kill the Kindle Don't worry, Kindle fans. Amazon isn't going to dump the Kindle we already know and love. Speaking to Consumer Reports, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos said "we will always be very mindful that we will want a dedicated reading device." Bezos couldn't possibly comment on other product plans, but suggested that everybody should "stay tuned" for news of a Kindle tablet. There may be two Kindle Amazon tablets According to Boy Genius Report, Amazon isn't preparing one Kindle tablet: it's preparing two. The entry level tablet, codenamed Coyote, will be based on the Nvidia Tegra 2, while the more powerful model, Hollywood, will be based on the quad-core "Kal-el" processor, Nvidia's T30. The entry level tablet is likely to get a seven inch screen, with Hollywood getting something around the nine to ten inch mark. UPDATE: On 24 May 2011, we reported on new rumours that point to a 7-inch and 10-inch Amazon tablet. The Amazon tablet software will be Android Something of a no-brainer, this: Amazon has already invested heavily in Android and runs its own Android app store. Amazon also has a cloud-based music player, and of course it knows a thing or two about eBooks. The Amazon tablet display should be interesting Digitimes reports that Amazon's Kindle tablet may get its screen from E Ink Holdings, and that the touch screens will use Fringe Field Switching (FFS) technology. FFS is like the IPS tech in Apple's notebook and iMac screens and delivers a very wide viewing angle. The E Ink bit is interesting: could Amazon be working on something that, unlike other tablets, isn't hopeless in direct sunlight? CONTINUING KINDLE: The old Kindle will still be sold even if there is a new Amazon tablet Amazon's hiring lots of tech staff Lab126 "engineers high-profile, portable, hand-held consumer electronics products,like the Kindle." It also happens to be part of Amazon's empire, and its current job adverts run to some eighteen pages of listings talking about things such as "leading-edge display designs for Kindle" and experience in "active matrix display operation". You may know active matrix displays by another name: TFT LCD (hat tip to Tap! columnist Ian Betteridge for spotting the ads). The Amazon tablet price will be low Amazon built its business by losing money - it didn't make a penny in profit for years and years - and we'll be amazed if the entry level Kindle isn't priced aggressively. That should in turn mean the current Kindle's heading for another price drop. The Amazon tablet release date is 2011 Digitimes reports that Amazon has placed orders for lots and lots of tablets with notebook and tablet manufacturer Quanta and suggests that they could be shipping as soon as "the second half of 2011" to the tune of three quarters of a million units per month. That's a lot of tablets. Related Stories Updated: Top 30 best Android 3.0 apps

Buying Guide: Best PC gaming case 2011: 8 reviewed Posted: 24 May 2011 03:07 AM PDT It's hard not to like overclocking. Take a system, tweak it and it becomes faster! What's not to like? Some components are happier being pushed than others, and testing the boundaries of overclocking usually involves slowly increasing frequencies and voltages of board and processor until it becomes uncooperative and falls over. Often, that's because something has got all hot and bothered. If you're putting together a hot system, literally as well as figuratively, dissipating heat is key. Improving your cooling improves your overclocking potential, which means more sugary gaming goodness. We're all familiar enough with spot cooling. To keep you processor cool, for example, you add a decent chip cooler. However it's awfully easy to get a little obsessed when it comes to spot cooling, and to totally forget where all that heat is going. Sticking efficient coolers on your chip, memory, motherboard chipset and the rest is good practice, but all it really does is move the heat from the components to inside the case. Now you face the challenge of needing to shift that heat out of your computer and into the big wide world, or it'll all just sit inside like a cosy, yet overclock-spoiling thermal blanket of hot air. So you simply stick an extra fan on your case right? There's a bit more to it than that. This is where the gaming cases come into play. These have been designed with the same twisted aims that you have - to build a half-insane custom gaming rig. Do yourself a favour and start by investing in the best PC gaming case for the job first. PC heating When the backroom boys were thrashing out the specifications for the ATX case, they didn't envisage you fitting components that amount to small electric fires inside the case. So we find ourselves in the position where the bog-standard ATX case is woefully inadequate. A gaming case gives you room to get air moving between components and positions them for optimal flow. Plus, of course, it'll come bedecked with fans. However, new case or not, you can do a lot by simply arranging things properly inside your current case. So, before you start thinking about lapping the bottom of your heat sink or investing in liquid gallium thermal paste, go back to basics and take a look at the cooling across the whole system. It's all about airflow and a few simple changes here and there can make a real difference with minimal investment. Why is your PC producing so much heat anyway? Make electrons flow down a wire and the wire gets hot, and there's not a lot that can be done about that until they sort out superconductivity at room temperature. Quite simply: the more watts, the more heat. Given big graphics cards can easily run at over 200W each, and people seem insistent on fitting two or, in extreme cases, four of the things, you can see how PCs have got all toasty inside. Thermodynamics starts off fairly gently with specific heat capacities and thermal conductivity, and pretty soon after that its gets hideously complicated. It also involves frequent references to hot bodies, which made us all snigger quite a bit at school (actually it still does). Every action produces heat as waste energy, which is why perpetual motion machines never work. So, high power components inevitably mean high heat levels, and unless you fancy running a system immersed in mineral oil, air-cooling is your friend. Air is a pretty good thermal insulator - that's why double-glazing works so well. To keep transferring heat away rapidly, you need to change the air, as witnessed on cold and windy days. Wind chill doesn't actually make it colder (you can't be colder than the air temperature, assuming you are not wet, which is another story), but the wind whips away your insulation and makes it feel colder while you wonder why human evolution has deprived you of fur. The three big generators of heat are the graphics card, processor and power supply. Graphics cards - proper heavyweight ones that interest serious gamers - are veritable little furnaces. The big boys have vents to the outside on the rear expansion plate and closed covers with input fans inside the case. This means the internal airflow over the GPU and memory is controlled. Thanks guys! What you need to do is ensure that these fans are fed lots of cool outside air that circulates around them freely. Here we come to the side fan - a gaming case speciality that sits over the cards and blows directly on them. Opinion is divided here - some designs make a feature of it (witness the big ducted fan of the Cooler Master HAF X), while others eschew any sideways action and run with closed sides. The problem with side fans is that they interfere with the cross current going from front to back, leading to turbulence and air going every which way. Your best bet is to optimise the main cross flow first, and resort to side cooling if that doesn't prove sufficient. If your graphics card doesn't vent to the outside, things are a little more difficult, since getting airflow over the card is impeded by the expansion card slots at the rear and by the card itself vertically. Fans sitting on top of the graphics card can easily circulate much of the same air. Removing expansion slot blanks can create handy extra exhaust vents. Power ballad Big gaming rigs have big power supplies. The thing to look for here is the efficiency of the supply, since what you lose in the transformation of voltages is mostly heat. For example, drawing 400W on an 80 per cent efficiency supply means you've lost 80W in heat, on an 85 per cent supply it drops to 60W and at 90 per cent it's just 40W. Your power supply draws air from the sides and/or front and vents it out the back. Standard ATX cases put the PSU at the top, next to another hot spot - the processor - and have it drawing air from inside the case. A gaming case moves the power supply to the bottom, well away from the processor, and more often than not there'll be a grille in the case floor to enable it to draw air directly from the outside, giving the PSU a separate airflow. Neat. Next we have the processor, and here you need to make sure that your CPU cooler is working in cooperation with the rest of the flow. You might scoff, but it can be all too easy to mount the cooler in such a way that the fan isn't blowing in alignment with your main airflow. Gaming cases mount the motherboard at the top of the case, which means your processor is close to the top and back, where it can exhaust freely. Hard drives can get warm too, although you need to work hard to make this much of a problem. Cases generally run the drive in a stack down the front of the case, behind the front fan. Spacing drives out helps keep them cool, and avoid stacking them all in front of your graphics card. Fan-tastic Fans are generally defined by two things, the size and the rotational speed. Put these two together and you come to how much air it can actually shift, measured in CFM (cubic feet per minute). There are metric units for airflow, but PC fans largely remain imperial, although the fans sizes have gone metric. And if you think that's anachronistic, bear in mind that time and angles are measured using a system from ancient Babylon based around the number 60. There are two ways to get more air flowing: increase the diameter of the fan or increase the speed. Fans also have efficiency levels - flow against rotational speed - and it will depend on the design of the blades exactly where the sweet spot is. Spinning faster means more airflow, although as you go faster the gains tails off and it gets noisy. The range is huge. An 80mm fan designed for quiet running may shift 10-20CFM, while the performance monsters can run up to 80CFM. More typically, an 80mm shifts about 30CFM and a 120mm fan more than twice that. If you've got the space to spare then generally the bigger the fan the better, if only to keep things quieter. The fan's noise level is measured in decibels - more specifically it's dB Sound Pressure Level (dB on its own isn't a unit, merely a logarithmic scale applied to other measurements). Since it's a logarithmic scale, you have to be careful when comparing numbers - small changes mean a lot. A 20dB fan is jolly quiet, equal to the background noise in a quiet room. At 30dB it's starting to get intrusive. A typical conversation might be held at 40dB or above, and once you hit 50dB or more it's getting rather noisy - the spin cycle on a washing machine, for example. To be both powerful and quiet is ideal, but it's generally a compromise. Read the small print on sound level, because some very high-performance fans that have huge CFM figures (200+ CFM on a 120mm fan, for example), are also incredibly noisy at 60dB and over. Nice cooling, but even with headphones they're an annoyance best left for server rooms. Applying pressure Shifting lots of air about does things to the pressure, and here we come to negative- and positive-pressure cases. A positive-pressure case has a higher air pressure inside than out, because you've got more powerful intake fans than exhausts. A negative air pressure case is the other way around - too beefy an exhaust fan means the intake can't keep up and you get a drop of air pressure inside the case. Dust is bad inside a PC case, it insulates components and clogs fans, and your PC is a veritable dust magnet. Dust loves a static charge, and your PC's innards are awash with those. In a case with negative pressure, the air gets sucked in through every little hole around the drives and cards and everywhere else, drawing in dust. Once inside, most of it'll hang around causing trouble. A case with even a modest positive pressure will take in air mostly through the intake fan, and air inside is blown out through all the myriad holes, helping keep dust at bay. Look for cases with mesh filters over the fans that you can clean, particularly the intake ones. Even the cleanest room has a lot of dust, and your PC acts like a little static vacuum cleaner. Decent case cooling is all about balancing input and output and tracing the airflow path, making sure cool input air is directed over the hot spots and vented out again. Before you just start adding fans, it's worth making sure the ones you have are in the right place and are given room to work as unobstructed as possible. Go for cross flow. Adding fans all over the shop blowing inwards can end up keeping hot air trapped inside because all the fans are working against each other. Having all the fans blowing out leads to air being sucked into the case where you possibly don't want it coming from, and it'll fill with dust. In both cases, you've lost control of the air paths. Should you go for a positive or negative pressure system? Your call. A negative pressure system offers slightly better cooling, since air is being sucked into case from all holes all the time, keeping things moving in hard-to-get places, but it will get dirty. Nearly all gaming cases go for positive pressure, often with considerably more input fans than output. So we'll go with that, and mesh filters please. Top, front, side and bottom A standard ATX case has a front input and a rear exhaust, with possibly one or two 80mm fans. Gaming cases can add a top exhaust, side input, bottom input and more, plus grilles here there and everywhere, with and without extra fans of up to 230mm. Essentially, we have two approaches: fan-based excess and the the somewhat more sober control of airflow. Not surprisingly, cases hailing from companies also involved in flogging cooling fans tend to be covered in the things. The Antec DF-85 has seven, while its LanBoy Air has five, and barely a solid panel on it. Cooler Master's HAF X has a more modest four, although they're all big ones. Meanwhile the Corsair 700D carries just three 140mm fans and the BitFenix Colossus Venom makes do with just two meaty ones. Some people have experimented by running systems with various numbers of fans, and the results reveal that more is indeed not always better. One good strong flow across a board is as good, or better, then air blowing all over the shop. Having lots of fans buzzing away is reassuring and looks the business, but it's in danger of being all blow and not much cooling. As the BitFenix case shows, mounting large input and output fans at opposite corners to a case with proper room inside and a clear airflow between the two will produce enough cooling for a decent gaming system (which means overclocking). What else? Right, you've looked inside your case and worked out the airflow, starting with the main front to back flow and making sure that all the fans are working in co-operation, and you've moved components about to give maximum room around each one. What else can you do? Firstly, you can tidy the cables away. A dense, unruly tangle of wires will deflect air all over the shop, so use the cable tidies the case came with and pack them away. Gaming cases mount motherboards so you can route cables underneath them, well away from the hot bits. Now, leave the case's side panels on. What's the point of paying attention to the airflow and then leaving off the sides so your fans' flow is dissipated to the outside, rather than being routed over your hot spots first? Also, don't stick your system right against a wall or in the corner under the desk, either. You need to give it room to breathe. Watch the dust, too. If you suffer a thermal shutdown on a system that's been up and running for a while, check all the fans and spreaders. It really is amazing how much of the stuff can be sucked into a fan over a year. Your best bet, though, is to start with a solid performing and properly designed case to begin with - a specialist PC gaming case, in fact. Which brings us neatly to the following choice contenders… Antec Dark Fleet 85 £100 - Full Tower The DF-85 is the top banana of Antec's premier Dark Fleet range of gaming cases. It's gone for the full killer-cyborg-from-the-future look for this hefty tower chassis, opting for an aggressive rather than stylish aesthetic. Like almost all cases for gaming rigs, the DF-85 is black inside and out, although this doesn't stretch to the screws, which are regular and shiny. The interior follows the classic template too, featuring a motherboard with power supply below it, and a vertical stack of drives down the front. The front of the case has three potential openings, called Fleet-Release doors for no good reason. It took us a minute or two to see how to open these, expecting some neat switch or button. What we eventually discovered was nothing so accomplished: they're opened simply by flexing the plastic on one side, which isn't the most sturdy of arrangements. Read the full Antec Dark Fleet 85 review Antec LANboy Air £110 - Full Tower Of all the cases in this group, the LanBoy Air stands out as having a go at doing something different. It's full of holes. Or, to clarify, virtually every panel is a grill. It's built around a solid metal framework, which in this case is a fetching blue, although yellow is available too. On to this frame are screwed the panels, plastic surrounds and sheet metal grids. The LanBoy Air is billed as being fully modular. Not quite. When you look more closely, what we have is a case that follows the standard layout, more or less, only with a lot more holes in it. Much of it unscrews well enough, but you can't screw it back together in a completely different shape or anything. Read the full Antec LANboy Air review Bitfenix Colossus Venom £130 - Full Tower The Colossus from BitFenix has drawn much praise in its time, and now we have this new Venom edition to consider. The blurb speaks of a "vicious lighting style" and "sinister and menacing looks", but is it a fierce performer? Well, it's certainly no shrinking violet, being an imposing tower that stands a little under two feet. It's also reassuringly heavy and black. Set into the case's side and front are translucent strips, behind which lurk green and red LEDs. The 'Venom' tag turns out to mean the option to switch between the two colours. The case also has a rubberised finish (which marks easily) and presents wonderfully clean lines with the full-height front door shut. It's pretty much the opposite approach to the LanBoy Air, where everything is put on show. Constructed of heavy-gauge metal, the Colossus has an air of real solidity, which is fitting since it certainly weighs enough. Read the full Bitfenix Colossus Venom review Cooler Master HAF X £115 - Full Tower Cooler Master is a big name in both fans and gaming cases and the popular HAF (High Air Flow) range has been something of a hit with gamers since 2008. Now we have a new leader, the HAF X. Like the rest of the range, the tower chassis sports an real no-nonsense look. And its very black, including the screws. It's pretty solid stuff too, although not quite in the same league as the Colossus Venom or Corsair 700D. Inside, you'll find room enough for quad graphics card set-ups and up to nine expansion cards, which shows who the company think will need a case like this. Read the full Cooler Master HAF X review Corsair Obsidian 700D £165 - Full Tower Corsair turns out some proper top-notch kit, and the Obsidian series of cases a case in point; we are nearing the top of the market here. The 700D is one step down from the range-topping 800D, it only lacks the easy-swap drive bays and windowed side panel. The 700D started to impress as soon we pulled it's not inconsiderable weight (15.8Kg!) from the box by the heavy gauge extruded aluminium feet. The front panel is similarly made from heavy aluminium. This is a big tower, at over 60cm high, and is roomy enough to take E-ATX boards. It's also very black, every screw is black. It forms an almost perfect rectangle, and looks for all the world like those mysterious monoliths from 2001. Its a different stylistic approach to the brash, bling of most gaming chassis. It even feels nice, although watch those finger marks. Read the full Corsair Obsidian 700D review Sharkoon Scorpio 2000 £68 - Midi Tower The delightfully named Sharkoon makes a fair range of chassis, and has described the Scorpio 2000 as a "functional ATX tower with a black interior and bottom lying down power supply". We apologise now for pointing out that humorous translation, but sometimes we simply can't help ourselves. The Scorpio 2000 is a middle-ranking gaming case. It has all the right features for that particular market, but it is a little smaller than the cases that we've seen so far in the test, rolling in as a midi offering. When you pick it up the lightness shows that it's not made of the quality stuff you'll find elsewhere in this gathering as well. Read the full Sharkoon Scorpio 2000 review Thermaltake V6 BlacX ED £54 - Midi Tower Thermaltake make lots of cooling kit, this V6 sits towards the bottom of offerings. It's a midi tower and comes in regulation black with a pleasing glossy finish down the sides. It's a tad plain in this company, where most gaming cases are all 'shouty', although it does boast a small side window so you can gaze upon your processor in awe. The interior space is pretty tight, leaving no room for routing cables and air under the motherboard, or fitting PC water-cooling kit. It'll take a graphics card up to 11-inches long (280mm if you've gone French). The bottom mounted PSU has an outside grill to draw in air. There's a mesh to catch dust too, but unlike most similar designs this cannot be removed from outside the case, and looks next to impossible to get at once you've got all your hardware installed. Read the full Thermaltake V6 BlacX ED review Tsunami Gaming Manager £21 - Midi Tower This new contender from Tsunami is a modest midi ATX case and in this company its a lightweight, literally, as you soon learn when you try picking the thing up - it's made from very thin sheet metal. The front panel is the only part that shouts 'design', and only then in a muffled way as if a metaphorical hand has been slapped over the designer's mouth. There are a some curves, a moderately funky power button, and a natty matt black finish. There are three lurid colour options for the glossy part of the plastic front panel, aside from the black version shown here. The insides follow the traditional layout, that is to say traditional for normal PC chassis, but not for the requirements ofa gaming chassis. The power supply unit sits on the top, rather than following the accepted pattern of sloping off to the bottom of the case to keep the heat away from the processor. To support this there is a very small fold of metal. Yes, you've four screws, but these are in the rather thin rear panel. Read the full Tsunami Gaming Manager review And the best PC gaming case is… CoolerMaster HAF X The first thing we learned from our case selection is that if you do want a proper gaming case, then you will have to spend proper money. The Tsunami Gaming Manager is charming in its cheapness, but fails to impress in any other way. At all. In fact it's kidding nobody by proclaiming itself as a gaming case because it isn't. The insides are hopelessly cramped and it makes no sense at all here. So that's out, which leaves us with two contenders for best budget case, the Thermaltake V6 BlacX and the Sharkoon Scorpio 2000. On paper both look good, they both appear suitably 'bad' and both cost about the same. However, the V6 BlacX manages to fall down when it comes to the details. It's a little too fragile for comfort and unless you fit an extra front fan it relies on the pull of the top and rear fans alone. But its biggest problem is that it's just too small, a fairly fundamental failing in a gaming case. You need room to let air get about and to fit everything comfortably. The Scorpio is just that bit bigger, enabling a raised motherboard and room for water-cooling. It's not the toughest of cases, but it's been designed with that much more thought. Easily the best budget case. Now to the big boys. And the first to go is the LanBoy Air. Yes it does look striking, and it you like to look at your hardware it's ideal. We are unconvinced about the slightly ham-fisted approach to cooling, basically stick on lots of fans and cover it with holes and hope for the best. It bills itself as modular, but it's not particularly flexible. It's a case you either 'get' or don't. We didn't. Next to go is the Antec Dark Fleet 85. It's a proper gaming case with all the features and there are no real bugbears - if sheer fan numbers count, it's a surefire winner, with what we strongly suspect are more fans than it really needs. It's not bad value either, but the look of most gaming cases is a bit adolescent: all aggressive slashes and lines, industrial grills and LEDs and one too many fans. They might look fine in the average gaming den, surrounded by foam figurines of obscure Manga characters, but if your box is sitting in a carefully decorated room in a postmodern minimalist style, its going to look out of place. The Corsair is stylish enough to carry it off in the best of surroundings. The Corsair is also the best-built of the cases. The fans of many fans might want more oomph, but what we have is fully thought through, with clear airflow paths and divided internal sections. But we must be ruthless, we are looking for kick-ass gaming cases and the Corsair sacrifices some of that in order to look good while doing it. The BitFenix Colossus is also a bit of a looker, but in a different way: closed for action with the LEDs on it's proper space-alien stuff. The cooling is by two huge fans with a simple front to back path, and should be plenty. However it lacks easy-swap drives and we suspect the front panel wiring arrangement will get tedious. It's capable, but the looks have compromised the design and efficiency a little. It's a close run thing, but it is just piped to the post. The Cooler Master HAF X is our gaming case of choice. It's got all the bells and whistles you could want, plus some extra ones. It's the only one to go overboard around the graphics cards, with a shroud and a hefty support, both with optional fans. It comes fitted with four big fans and looks like it was designed by people with one-track minds: to make a case capable of taking the most powerful gaming system known to man. The build quality is superb and, although it can hardly be called cheap. Our only gripe is that in being so purposeful, it lacks any grace. So there we are, we would take the HAF X home to meet our precious hardware, but we would occasionally think of the Corsair with fondness as the one that got away.

Review: MSI CX640-018UK Posted: 24 May 2011 03:00 AM PDT MSI manufactures everything from individual computer chips to full laptops and the CX640-018UK is a prime example of excellent components combining to form a great all round machine. Only a slight usability issue detracts from an excellent experience. Intel's Sandy Bridge appears in the form of the Intel Core i7 2410M and provides excellent performance, as with the Dell Inspiron 15R and Lenovo G570. In fact, the MSI was only narrowly beaten by the Lenovo in our benchmarking tests, and this laptop can easily handle everything you throw at it. Even when multi-tasking with several applications, there's no slowdown. A dedicated Nvidia GT 540M graphics card handles photo and video editing, and you can play the latest games if you turn down the graphical detail. Benchmarks Battery life: 333 minutes MobileMark 2007: 255 3DMark 2003: 13,143 Only the Acer and Sony provide better multimedia performance. If you're doing more basic work, such as browsing the web, the graphics card shuts itself down to preserve battery power. The resulting battery life is excellent, stretching to five and a half hours. If you want a laptop for the daily commute or to take on trips, this is a great option. The 2.6kg solid chassis is a little bulky, but still fits into most large bags. Like most modern laptops, the MSI's keyboard has an isolation-style design with keys protruding through individual holes cut into the laptop's chassis. Each key is well spaced from its neighbours, so you're unlikely to hit the wrong key when typing, although the arrow keys are tiny. A strange, blocky font has been used to label the keys, and they prove resistant when pushed, giving it a slightly rough look and feel. Excellent touchpad The touchpad is a lot better, with a subtle texture to the surface. A firm metallic bar is used for the mouse buttons, and multitouch gesturing is supported. As ever, we'd recommend trying out the laptop in a store if possible to check the keyboard and touchpad suit you. With 500GB of storage, you'll have plenty of space for your files, software and media collection. Movies look good on the colourful 15.6-inch screen, and the built-in SRS speakers are surprisingly powerful, although quality suffers at high volume levels. Features are rounded off by the USB 3.0 ports, which provide speedy data transfer with compatible peripherals. Aside from a keyboard that lacks the quality we'd like to see, the CX640 has no significant downsides. The combination of excellent performance, long battery life, vibrant screen and solid build makes this a fantastic all-round laptop that will suit a variety of tastes and users. Most importantly, it will handle anything you care to throw at it. Related Stories Review: Toshiba Satellite Pro C660-16N Review: Packard Bell EasyNote TSX66 Review: Lenovo ThinkPad G570 Review: Sony VAIO VPC-EB4L9E/BQ Review: Samsung RC710

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