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Techradar |
- Review: Canon IXUS 310 HS
- Gary Marshall: 3G is crap. And don't expect 4G to fix it
- Nvidia and YouTube team up for 3D HTML5 videos
- Flixster to offer cloud streaming for your DVD collection?
- Updated: iPad 3 rumours: what you need to know
- Review: Freeloader Classic
- Competition: Vote for your favourite mobile network of the year
- Updated: Windows 8 tablets rumours: what you need to know
- Apple to use Samsung for iPad 3 AMOLED screens?
- Interview: THX: 3D TV adoption at home is inevitable
- Skype offers up fix after outage
- Apple faces off against Android as T3 Awards arrive
- Sony sees profit thanks to rising PlayStation 3 sales
- BlackBerry Torch 2 pictured again
- O2 top in disappointing mobile broadband speed test
- Review: Panasonic DMR-BWT800
- New Mac Defender malware launched, bypasses Apple's fixes
- Review: Acer Iconia Tab A500
- HTC Puccini 10-inch tablet primed for summer release?
- iCloud: 10 things we want to see
- Google Wallet for Android to launch today
- Leica launches 16x zoom V-Lux 30
- Review: MSI GTX 580 Lightning Twin Frozr III
- Review: Ginger6 Define XL
- Sony offers free ID theft protection
| Posted: 26 May 2011 10:02 AM PDT Canon's latest crop of IXUS compacts continues to target fashion-conscious photographers who don't want to compromise on features, with the new 12.1mp IXUS 310 HS replacing the 10mp 300 HS. While the latest model may not look all that different to its predecessor, it packs in a glut of upgraded features, including a higher resolution back-illuminated CMOS sensor, wider 24mm 4.4x optical zoom lens with Image Stabilisation, larger 3.2in LCD with a significantly higher resolution (461,000-dots compared to 230,000) and Full HD movie recording - an improvement over the 300 HS' 720p offering. The 310 HS boasts the latest DIGIC 4 processor with integrated iSAPS technology, which means the camera analyses the scene you're photographing and selects the best scene mode for the situation. The latest generation processor also helps to drive this compact's performance when shooting, allowing for easy capture of both high-speed burst stills and Super Slow Motion movies at 240fps.
Like the design we saw in the older 300 HS, the 310 HS' sensor has all of its circuitry tucked neatly behind its photoreceptors, increasing their sensitivity and promising images with less noise as result. Also likely to appeal to avid low--light shooters is the 310 HS' lens, which offers a fast maximum aperture of f2.0: perfect for making the most of ambient light as well as creating beautiful out of focus effects. Looking very much like its predecessor with its distinctive curves and angles, the 310 HS upholds the IXUS tradition of combining good looks with functionality. Available in silver, brown, gold and pink, this distinctive compact is bulkier than some of its competitors, but will still slip into a pocket or handbag for easy portability.
Around the back, things look very minimalist indeed, with the sole control being a chunky playback button. Everything else has to be accessed via the camera's colossal touch screen which dominates almost the entire back panel. At 3.2-inches, the 310 HS' screen looks very impressive - until you turn it on. Due to its 16:9 aspect ratio, you only get to use a small central portion of the LCD when shooting stills, with large black bands on either side accommodating various icons and virtual controls. Start recording a movie however, and the live view image fills the entire screen, letting you witness its full, high resolution glory. With a decent anti-reflective coating and fairly wide viewing angle, the screen performs well and makes composing stills and video at odd angles an easy task.
The touchscreen interface is the sort of thing you either love or hate. Thankfully, recent developments in this area of technology mean that the 310 HS' offering is simple to get to grips with and - on the whole - responsive. Large icons offer fast access to key settings like the flash mode, self-timer and exposure compensation (among others) and a dedicated red movie icon lets you start and stop filming instantly. There's also the neat trick of being able to select your intended subject directly on-screen, whereupon the AF system locks onto it and starts tracking: great for shooting moving targets or for off-centre compositions. Stick with Auto mode and the options available for tweaking are limited, but flick the switch on top of the camera to the left, then tap the FUNC. icon on the bottom left of the screen, and you unlock a whole host of creative possibilities. A long list of icons encompassing everything from metering, white balance and ISO to focus range, drive mode and image quality - to name a few - can be explored and altered at will. For the most part, this system works reasonably well, however occasionally we did have to swipe or tap the screen a few times in order to get it to respond. Jabbing the symbol at the top left of the LCD calls up the range of exposure modes on offer, of which there is no shortage. More experienced shooters will appreciate the inclusion of program, aperture and shutter speed priority options, which allow the greatest level of manual control over camera settings. The rest of the exposure modes comprise presets like Portrait, Movie Digest and Kids & Pets, along with special features including Smart Shutter (which uses face detection to take portraits automatically), 3mp High-speed Burst and Handheld NightScene - the latter combining three shots taken in succession to reduce the effects of camera shake in the final image. The remaining pages (totalling five in all) are populated with scene modes (Foliage, Fireworks and Snow for example) plus a set of creative filters. These filters apply distinctive characteristics to your shots automatically, allowing you to create unusual images without having to go near a computer. There's a bulbous fish-eye effect, miniature, toy camera and creative light settings, along with a pleasingly contrasty monochrome setting and - finally - super vivid and poster effects. While it's great to have so many options to explore, this is where the touch screen interface does hamper operation as you have to scroll through seemingly endless pages of icons in order to get to the setting you want. This is where we found ourselves longing for a physical mode dial to quickly switch between modes.
Image quality from the 310 HS is very pleasing, rendering natural colours with just enough punch to liven up your shots and a good level of detail. By default, jpegs (there's no option to shoot RAW) tend to turn out a little on the soft side, but a bit of sharpening in post crisps things up nicely. Unfortunately, chromatic aberration is quite prominent in areas of high contrast, visible in some scenes even without zooming into 100%. On the other hand, distortion at the extremes of the lens' focal lengths and vignetting are well-controlled and white balance performance is pretty accurate under a range of lighting conditions. Noise is present from around ISO 800, but remains unobtrusive throughout the 310 HS' sensitivity range. The camera's on-board noise reduction does a good job of keeping images looking squeaky clean, however the price you pay is loss of detail and contrast, with a fair degree of softening at the top end of the ISO range. As part of our test we shoot our resolution chart at every sensitivity setting. The higher the value quoted in the caption score, the greater the level of detail being resolved and the better the image quality.
ISO 100, score: 22, see full image
ISO 200, score:20, see full image
ISO 400, score:18, see full image
ISO 800, score:16, see full image
ISO 1600, score:12, see full image
ISO 3200, score:12, see full image
ISO 100, see full image
ISO 200, see full image
ISO 400, see full image
ISO 800, see full image
ISO 1600, see full image
ISO 3200, see full image
The 310 HS' 24mm setting is perfect for capturing wide scenes
The 310 HS' 24mm setting is perfect for capturing wide scenes
The AF system is quick to respond, while the ability to select your desired AF point on-screen is a useful feature
The ability to focus down to 3cm in the camera's Macro AF mode allows you to get reasonably close to small subjects
Dynamic range is generally good, resulting in high-contrast scenes being accurately reproduced
Colours and detail are both pleasing in shots from the 310 HS, however you are likely to need to apply some post-shoot sharpening to reveal their true potential
An example of the results you can generate using the 310 HS' creative filters - in this image we used the Toy Camera effect to add an atmospheric vignette Effective pixels: 12.1 million pixels Touch-screen aficionados will revel at the size and clarity of the 310 HS' monolithic LCD, although - in spite of putting in a generally good performance - there were occasions when we missed the immediacy of being able to switch modes using physical controls. These intermittent frustrations aside, image quality and low light performance is particularly impressive. Throw in Full HD movie recording and superb build quality, and you end up with a very capable compact that compares favourably to its rivals. We likedFull HD movie capability with HDMI output, excellent build quality and a very impressive low-light performance are the 310 HS' main highlights. We dislikedSome touch screen controls prove to a be a little fiddly to operate, and - for the same price or less - you could pick up one of the 310 HS' bigger-zoom rivals. 
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| Gary Marshall: 3G is crap. And don't expect 4G to fix it Posted: 26 May 2011 09:45 AM PDT Being the best at something is only impressive if the thing you're good at is impressive. Being the best at a sport is pretty impressive. Being the best at a musical instrument is impressive too. Being the best Lithuanian Eurovision entry, the most charming Mock The Week panellist, the best dancer in Radiohead or the most popular Lib Dem, not so much. You can add Fastest Mobile Broadband (But Not Smartphones) Service to the second category. The news that O2 has the Fastest Mobile Broadband (But Not Smartphones) Service comes courtesy of industry watchdog Ofcom, who found that mobile broadband is bloody awful. The average speed is a pathetic 1.5Mbps, and basic web pages took 8.5 seconds to download. If you're in a great coverage area, that figure falls to 2.2 seconds - and urban areas have better coverage and therefore better speeds, except when they don't. Speeds went to pot at peak times - dropping to 1.7Mbps between 8pm and 10pm - and "performance was highly variable across urban areas, with no guarantee of good performance offered in a city centre location." Mobile broadband, then, is rubbish. And it's more rubbish in some places than in others. Don't expect 4G to fix this There are a couple of key things to note about the Ofcom research. The first is that it doesn't include smartphones, which are used in greater numbers than datacards and dongles, so if you want to know who's best for iPhones or Androids or for tethering then it's no help. The second is that if you look at the report in some detail, it shows that rural users are getting stuffed. "More than 50% of connections in the rural/semi-rural area surveyed (Herefordshire and Shropshire) had speeds of less than 500kbit/s, compared to 25% of tests in the city we surveyed (Birmingham)," the report says. "This is likely to be largely driven by network availability of 2G and 3G/HSPA: over 95% of tests in Birmingham connected to a 3G/HSPA bearer, compared to under 60% of tests in Herefordshire/Shropshire...Geographic location is likely to be the largest single determinant of mobile broadband performance." This is important, because 3G is everywhere it's supposed to be: the networks have hit their target of covering 95% of the UK population. As far as the networks are concerned, they've done their bit. That's not much cop if you're in an area where 3G coverage is crappy (clue: if you can see green things instead of buildings, you're probably in a crappy coverage area). And it's clear that mobile broadband is still some way from delivering Digital Britain's promise of 2Mbps connections for everybody, even in areas where fixed broadband isn't available. With 4G LTE tests just beginning, Ofcom is preparing to auction mobile spectrum for 4G mobile networking - and once again the key figure will be 95% coverage. In other words, if your coverage is rubbish just now, don't think 4G is going to make things any better. A group of MPs don't think that's good enough, and they want Ofcom to up its coverage target to 98% of the population. That would reduce blackspots without asking the impossible of the networks. 
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| Nvidia and YouTube team up for 3D HTML5 videos Posted: 26 May 2011 09:36 AM PDT Nvidia and YouTube (with a little help from Firefox) have teamed up to offer a library of 3D content for users of Nvidia 3D Vision glasses technology. You need to have the latest version of Firefox for this to work, but it's great to see some big name companies looking at 3D on the web and HTML5 functionality. "Starting with Firefox 4, WebM videos encoded with 3D data will be displayed in high-quality stereoscopic 3D using NVIDIA 3D Vision hardware," said Firefox's Erica Jostedt. "3D hardware has moved from movie theaters and into people's homes through TVs, laptop and desktop machines." Open standards YouTube is just as enthused about the team-up, with Jonathan Huang, 3D Product Manager at YouTube, said: "We're excited to introduce HTML5 and WebM support to the thousands of 3D videos available on YouTube. "By embracing these open standards, NVIDIA 3D Vision users now have a great way of experiencing YouTube's library of 3D content." Users of Nvidia's 3D tech now have over 500 games to play in 3D, as well as YouTube content, Blu-rays and 3D photos to look at in another dimension. 
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| Flixster to offer cloud streaming for your DVD collection? Posted: 26 May 2011 09:15 AM PDT Flixster could be about to get a whole lot more useful, if plans to allow users to upload their DVD collections so they can stream them from wherever they happen to be come off. The Time-Warner owned movie listings site aims to provide a kind of Google Music for movies service, using the cloud to store movies digitally. Time Warner CFO John Martin told investors that users will be able to "upload your existing physical DVDs, have the ability access them across multiple devices anywhere you want, have the ability to manage your collections with social aspects as well, go in, have friends see what movie collections they have, (and) see who has been watching those films." To the cloud! This could be big news for tablet owners, who won't need to sacrifice valuable and limited storage space on their devices in order to watch an abundance of their own movies. But there's no word on what this service will cost; a movie is going to be about a 700MB to 1GB a go, so to have a substantial number of them stored in the cloud is going to require quite a bit of storage. Then there's the issue of how to copy the DVDs in the first place, a notoriously tricky and legally shady process. Whether or not Time-Warner's plans for Flixster include an iTunes-style DVD-ripping interface remains to be seen, but if so then movie execs will probably have a thing or two to say about making it easier for consumers to copy DVDs. While it sounds like a brilliant idea for Flixster and movie fans, Time-Warner is likely to have a rocky road ahead. 
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| Updated: iPad 3 rumours: what you need to know Posted: 26 May 2011 08:59 AM PDT The iPad 2 is out, and the rumour factory's already moved on: it's predicting iPad 3 specifications including chips, cameras and retina displays - with a little bit of help from mysterious, unnamed people who can't possibly be identified. How very convenient. So what's the word on the street about the next iPad? First, our colleagues at T3.com have rounded up the latest rumours in the iPad 3 video below: iPad 3 release date This is the biggest rumour of all: an iPad 3 mere months after the iPad 2. An unnamed Apple employee says that the iPad 2 was a bit of a rush job, and "the third generation iPad is the one to make a song and dance about." Respected Apple watcher John Gruber added fuel to that particular fire by strongly hinting that the iPad 3 release date will be in September 2011. Gruber, who was musing about the HP TouchPad's potential summer release said: "Summer feels like a long time away. "If my theory is right, they're not only going to be months behind the iPad 2, but if they slip until late summer, they might bump up against the release of the iPad 3." If Gruber is right about this and the iPad 3 features in an Apple autumn line-up, then it looks like Apple is going to start offering a new iPad every six months. The iPad 3 UK release date is a mystery With Apple apparently unable to meet demand for iPad 2, we'd expect a staggered release date for the iPad 3 too: if the US gets the iPad 3 in September, we'd expect the UK iPad 3 release date to be in October, or possibly even November. Apple won't want to miss the Christmas period, but the US comes first. The iPad 3 specs include a dual-core processor It's possible that the iPad 3 will have a brand spanking new processor, Apple's A6, but if the rumoured release date is correct then time is awfully tight: we'd certainly expect to see an A5, not an A6, in the iPhone 5 when it turns up this summer. Apple may well surprise us, of course, but we'd expect to see the same processor and graphics as the iPad 2 in the iPad 3: an A5 processor with PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics. This one comes down to the iPad 3 release date: if it's 2011, expect an A5. If it's 2012, expect a faster A6. iPad 3 display A retina display was widely predicted for the iPad 2, but of course the current iPad doesn't have a double-resolution display: for now, that's something you'll only get in the iPhone 4. Could a Retina Display be one of the features Apple didn't quite get into the iPad 2? Could be! It's the very first thing on our iPad 3 wish list. Rumours of an HD screen on the iPad 3 gathered pace on 12 April 2011 when Digitimes reported that Apple is asking panel makers to provide screens that are capable of displaying higher image quality than the iPad 2. On 26 May 2011, we reported that the iPad 3 could launch with a Samsung-made AMOLED screen, following rumours that Apple has been in talks on the matter with Samsung execs. The iPad 3 hardware could include an NFC chip Apple's very interested in Near Field Communications, and one particularly tasty rumour at Cult of Mac suggests that the iPhone 5 will use NFC to take over nearby Macs, enabling you to use your data and settings with a flick of the wrist. Since the iPad 3 will follow the iPhone 5, if NFC's in one it'll probably be in the other too. The iPad 3 specifications will include more storage The iPad 2 has the familiar 16/32/64GB storage options, but as flash storage comes down in price a 128GB option for the iPad 3 isn't impossible - although that might depend on the current horrible situation in Asia, where the tsunami has caused chaos in parts of the electronics industry. The iPad 3 features could include a Thunderbolt port Two generations of USB-free iPads suggest that Apple just isn't interested in adding one, but the new Thunderbolt port found in the 2011 MacBook Pro could be another story: it's a combined accessory/display connector with astonishingly fast performance. The iPad 3 may live in the cloud This has been talked about and leaked about for so long that, on the same principle that even a stopped clock is right twice a day, it's bound to come true eventually: a cloud-based MobileMe for storing your stuff on Apple's servers. A new iPad with iOS 5 and a new MobileMe would be lots of fun. The iPad 3 specs might include an SD card slot This was widely predicted for iPad 2 and, like the retina display, didn't materialise. One for version 3, perhaps? Using a separate adapter to read camera cards is rather inelegant and clunky. The iPad 3 specification should include a better camera The rear-facing camera on the iPad 2 isn't brilliant: an iPhone 4 camera and flash would do nicely. The iPad 3 could feature a carbon fibre case Apple has hired a carbon fibre expert, senior composites engineer Kevin Kenney, fuelling speculation that the next iPad could be encased in the lightweight material. The iPad 3 price might be higher than the iPad 2 The iPad 2 didn't herald a price hike, but if the iPad 3's coming in September we don't think a massive iPad 2 price cut is very likely - which suggests that if the iPad 3 does appear then, it might be more of an iPad Pro - with a price to match. 
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| Posted: 26 May 2011 08:56 AM PDT For those people heading to a festival this summer, a portable charger is a must-have gadget. Solar chargers are ideal because they allow you to harvest energy from the sun and then deliver it straight into your mobile device of choice without even laying eyes on a power socket. The Freeloader Classic has an internal battery which can be charged using either the detachable solar charging wings, or by plugging it in to a computer's USB port. On a hot summer's day with no cloud cover, the internal battery will take around 8 hours to charge and that energy can be fed into your mobile phone or iPad using the included adapters. The device has its own full-size USB port so you can charge an iPhone using its own USB charger, while most other devices will usually need one of the included adapters.
The charge can be passed into your phone in around 2 hours. So it's not exactly the quick burst of juice you get from hooking up to a wall socket, but you can easily leave it charging during the day and then plug your phone in at night, and we found that to be the best way to work it. The battery will supply around 2 hours charge to an iPad, but will give a smartphone something closer to a full whack which is crucial for those spending extended periods in the outdoors. There's also a nifty little LCD panel on the front which indicates how much charge is left in the battery, so you'll know when the lemon be done juicin'.
We found the charging capabilities of the Freeloader Classic quite impressive. But ultimately, the product is let down by the fact that our great yellow sun simply doesn't have much regard for the UK and never will. Cloudy days spoil the solar party completely, and even bright sunshine during the cooler months isn't enough to charge the Classic in anything even resembling a workable timeframe. But if you anticipate getting a lot of sun in the middle of the British summer, you could do a lot worse than picking up one of these. 
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| Competition: Vote for your favourite mobile network of the year Posted: 26 May 2011 08:54 AM PDT The TechRadar Phone Awards 2011 are now fully underway, but there's a crucial question that's still unanswered: which network do you think deserves the most credit over the last 12 months? The question of 'best network' is highly subjective, with most customers simply either thinking their provider is perfectly adequate or the worst in the world - but with swathes of them now competing for our dollar, there are a multitude of decent deals to be had no matter what you're after. With this in mind, TechRadar has narrowed down the best networks to a longlist of 10 - all of which need your help for as many votes as possible. See below for our list of what we think are the best networks in the UK at the moment - but you can still choose your own favourite in the TechRadar Phone Awards if you completely disagree with our nominees. So get clicking to help make your favourite provider the pick of the bunch before we whittle the selection down to the top networks - and in the process you can WIN yourself a brand new Windows Phone 7 smartphone. BT Mobile While it's not the same as the BT Cellnet we all remember (which subsequently morphed into O2) BT is still offering mobile tariffs in the UK for the business-minded among us. Whether it's for the new entrepreneur striking out on their own for the first time or someone looking to control a few staff members' phone contracts for not much moolah, BT Mobile offers a few deals to help people get started. Plus, the option of shared minutes for large businesses or the ability to tailor your package to include Blackberry, Android or Windows 7 devices with a range of data bundles, and for the business people you can see why this might be a winner. GiffGaff GiffGaff promises to be a 'different kind of network' in that it's run by its members, meaning that users actually get rewarded for taking part in the running of the network, answering questions and pushing the brand. Offering things like cheaper cross network calls on pay as you go and free mobile internet are bound to entice users in, but also being able to earn money for recruiting others to the network is going to entice customers to encourage others in. Of course, this is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) running atop the O2 network, so it's not going to be able to compete with the likes of Vodafone when it comes to coverage, but it's all about the SIM cards here - no phones in sight so it's up to you to get the best device through actual saving up (or just bung it in that old iPhone you've finished paying Orange for).
O2 The bubbly network has enjoyed a steady rise up the charts over the past few years, thanks to some exclusive handsets - and while it's not the only place to get the iPhone any more, it's invested heavily in upgrading its network to keep up with the data demand.
Other ventures, such as investment in 4G research, NFC and O2 Money, show that the network wants to stay at the cutting edge - but is it your favourite network? Orange There's a temptation to link Orange with T-Mobile for this award, since the two are now both run by the Everything Everywhere brand - but Orange is still plugging away in a very different direction to its pink compatriot. It still has a number of exclusive handsets, such as the Motorola Atrix, and the Orange San Francisco has been winning rave reviews as the best budget phone out there at the moment. It's also the first network to really push hard at Near Field Communication integration on the high street (beeping your phone to pay for stuff has become a reality) - plus Orange Rock Corps is actively encouraging users to donate their time to charitable causes in exchange for concert tickets to make it look all benevolent and that.
T-Mobile T-Mobile might have garnered less limelight than its more Oompa-Loompa hued stable mate, but the magenta brand is still pushing ahead with its own range of plans and viral videos to boot.
The tie-in with Orange resulted in a huge amount of extra signal for customers, which is important for a network that has nearly all the top smartphones on its books. TalkMobile TalkMobile, launched by The Carphone Warehouse a few moons ago, is another MVNO that promises to give its customers the best deals. It's pretty competitive out there these days, so TalkMobile is offering easy ways to transfer your number, PAYG reward and cheaper calls with shorter contracts to help entice customers across.
Piggybacking on the Vodafone network means the provider can promise 99.7% coverage - but is that enough to get your vote? Tesco Mobile Tesco Mobile - another MVNO in our list - is one of the better known mobile phone providers outside of the 'Big Five'. It's based it philosophy on simplicity, taking a swipe at the fluffy mobile ads and big brand sponsorship its peers advocate.
Like GiffGaff it nabs O2's signal, so is subject to the same fluctuations in coverage as the bubbly provider - but the network has proved successful enough to branch out on the high street by itself already.
Three Seen as the underdog in the mobile network race for so long, Three has been clawing its way back by exploiting the explosion in data usage on the go. With innovative offerings like the One Plan, which gives users swathes of minutes, texts and data on a number of phones, and finally moving into stocking some decent handsets after years in the feature-phone wilderness, the numerical network is certainly not down and out. A vicious campaigner for elements like Terminate the Rate and Mobile Number Porting, you could back Three for best network simply because it raises pertinent issues to the industry - or you could just enjoy its quirky ads instead. Virgin Mobile Virgin Mobile has been around for donkey's years it seems, but in its current guise it's really taking advantage of being bundled in with Virgin Media's services. But on top of that, the network is keeping up to date by offering handset updates in a timely fashion (the Android brigade goes nuts when its forced to wait for the latest version of the software) while also trying to bring some of the big name handsets to its stables. Unlike the other MVNOs in our longlist, Virgin uses T-Mobile's signal to get its coverage, offering a slightly different coverage map to its rivals, but a growing user base means its still one of the more visible networks out there.
Vodafone Vodafone is one of the longest-running networks in the UK, bringing with it a huge user base and a number of exclusive handsets to the party.
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| Updated: Windows 8 tablets rumours: what you need to know Posted: 26 May 2011 08:21 AM PDT Microsoft's been pushing tablet computers for the best part of a decade, so you can imagine how happy the iPad's success makes them. But Microsoft doesn't give up easily, and Windows 8 tablets are apparently imminent. So what's Steve Ballmer going to be shouting about when he shows them off? Windows 8 tablets' release date In December 2011, the New York Times wrote that Microsoft would unveil tablets running Windows 8 at CES 2011 in January. The NYT credited an unnamed source for the leak, which suggests that Microsoft's keynote will be enlivened by the arrival of the next generation of Windows, as well as Samsung and Dell tablets. As it turned out, no Windows 8 tablets were shown at the show. However, the Windows 8 release date may be sooner than you think, with a beta in summer 2011. That means Windows 8 tablets could be out by early 2012. UPDATE: According to Bloomberg there will be no Windows for tablets until 2012. As we reported on 4 March 2011, sources told Bloomberg that a tablet-friendly version of Windows will be tested at the end of this year and not released until the summer of 2012. UPDATE: RCR Unplugged is reporting that on 1 June 2011, Microsoft's corporate vice-president Steve Guggenheimer will take to the stage at the Computex trade show to give a first look at Windows 8 running on tablets. This news follows an earlier report by Business Insider which said that Microsoft is planning to show off Windows 8 on tablets by the end of its fiscal year in June. Windows 8 tablets manufacturers It's no surprise to see the names Dell and Samsung in the NYT piece: both firms have close relationships with Microsoft, although it's interesting to see Microsoft getting groovy with an Android tablet manufacturer. We'd expect to see something like the leaked "Lap PC" from HP too. UPDATE: On 9 May 2011, we reported on a rumour of a forthcoming Nokia Windows 8 tablet. The info comes from phone commentator Eldar Murtazin, who wrote on the Mobile Review forum that Nokia will launch a tablet in 2012, possibly pushed back to 2013. Windows 8 tablets will probably look like iPads While Dell makes some unusually shaped tablets already, the Samsung tablet is "similar in size and shape to the Apple iPad, although it is not as thin." Unlike the iPad, "it also includes a unique and slick keyboard that slides out from below for easy typing." Windows 8 tablets will be designed for business use "The company believes there is a huge market for business people who want to enjoy a slate for reading newspapers and magazines and then work on Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint while doing work," the NYT says, quoting the inevitable "person familiar with the company's tablet plans". Windows 8 tablets will have a new touch interface Engadget says: "We've heard from numerous sources that Microsoft's real tablet strategy will rely on Windows 8 and a new all-touch interface that the company has been working incredibly hard on." Windows 8 tablets will have apps and an app store Perhaps acknowledging that Windows 7 wasn't designed with fat fingers in mind, the tablets Ballmer shows off at CES will be powered by Windows but will have an additional layer for HTML5 web apps. This layer will pop up when the tablet is in portrait mode and the keyboard hidden. Apps are a big part of Windows 8, with Microsoft convinced that "app development will move to the web" and building a Windows Store with manufacturer-specific entrances. Microsoft doesn't plan to make money from the Store; like Apple, it's all about selling more machines. Windows 8 tablet specifications aren't strange or startling We'd expect Windows 8 tablets to have similar specifications to other iPad rivals such as the Galaxy Tab or BlackBerry Playbook, essentially netbooks in a different form factor: a gigahertz processor, a gigabyte of RAM, 802.11b/g/n wireless and multitouch capacitive displays. Expect lots of connectivity too, with USB ports a key selling point. Windows 8 tablet prices should be similar to Android ones Windows 8 tablets will be up against iPads, Android tablets and Chrome OS netbooks, so if they're not priced very aggressively they're going to be a tough sell. 
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| Apple to use Samsung for iPad 3 AMOLED screens? Posted: 26 May 2011 08:17 AM PDT The iPad 3 could launch with a Samsung-made AMOLED screen, if rumours that Apple has been in talks on the matter with Samsung execs are true. The story goes that Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, hopped on a plane to South Korea last week where, The Korea Herald's sources claim, he was visiting Samsung to offer "an advance" for the displays, with a view to launching the iPad 3 towards the end of this year. This undisclosed "advance" is supposedly intended to guarantee capacity of Samsung's sought-after AMOLED screens. A mole led A higher-resolution screen was one of the much-rumoured features that failed to materialise on the iPad 2, with most rumours pointing to a high-resolution Retina Display like that of the iPhone 4. Instead, the iPad 2 launched with the same IPS LCD display that the first gen slate used; no doubt Apple is now desperate to make a change for the next generation. But wait! An iPad 3 to launch towards the end of this year? That's a rumour we haven't heard for a while, but it's one that doesn't seem to be going away – does that mean there's some truth in it? Whether it's the iPad 3 or the iPhone 5 that launches in autumn, we'll be eyeing Apple's September media event this year with even more interest than usual. Meanwhile, amuse yourselves with this video round-up of all the iPad 3 rumours from our pals over at T3: 
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| Interview: THX: 3D TV adoption at home is inevitable Posted: 26 May 2011 07:30 AM PDT Having worked on Star Wars with George Lucas and Aliens with James Cameron, Rick Dean knows a thing or two about making sure audiences experience movies the way filmmakers originally intended. And in the 3D era that's exactly what Dean, senior vice president at sound and picture guru THX, is fighting to achieve in the home. "Whether someone gets up in the morning planning to buy a 3D TV is almost irrelevant," says Dean of his theory that 3D TV adoption at home is inevitable. "Come the end of the day that person very well might own one because these 3D panels that are being considered by consumers are also exceptional quality 2D panels." The problem with the future of the 3D home isn't the TVs themselves - most mid-to-high-end models are 3D Ready, like it or not - but the "lack of content," says Dean. "We went through a rather interesting time in the last year. There was a lot of momentum behind 3D displays, but rather less behind 3D content, which is sorely needed. I believe fully that 3D is going to be a component in everybody's entertainment experience; it may not be the number one draw but it will certainly be an important part." Dean also admits that it could very well be gaming that drives 3D adoption in some homes where "the 14-year old owns the remote control". 3D movies For film directors, Dean thinks the advent of 3D is a huge step forward, but that we should look beyond even a home cinema for its future. "It adds to storytellers' arsenals of tools to tell their stories, but the attention-grabbing qualities of stereoscopic 3D images means it's not just entertainment that benefits from 3D. It's only one part of 3D technology, with digital signage also going 3D, while there's a lot of innovation in education, medical and desktop 3D applications in the office." As a video purist (you'll find THX Certification - something that allows Hollywood-grade video calibration at home - on new TVs from the likes of LG and Panasonic) that thinks 3D brings new opportunities for film directors, it's no surprise that Dean isn't so keen on some of the 'faked' 3D content we've seen so far. "3D conversions have come out and it's evident that they've used 3D as an extra edge to generate ticket sales; maybe the movies didn't need 3D to be compelling," he says. "It's a real challenge to make a 3D experience entertaining and it doesn't help if the viewer goes on a rollercoaster ride and the actual 3D tech is more disturbing than the movie itself." He compares the penchant for both 'upconverting' from 2D to 3D, and over-egged 3D effects in some 3D movies, to when surround sound was created in the 1980s. "Just because you can throw in some extra channels it doesn't mean you need to load them up - that's about wow factor, not entertainment. "Some people walk away from 3D projects and say 'well, that didn't work,' and go on to the next project. That's the stage we're at" Getting 3D into the home Dean comes across as the ultimate AV industry diplomat not through a lack of enthusiasm, but because of it; as long as something pushes us closer to a wider adoption of better technology, it's a good thing. So the advent of the 'passive' 3D TV - something that involves a smaller screen and doesn't presently show a 3D Full HD picture to each eye - doesn't worry a purist like Dean in the slightest: "We should never settle for second best, but if it's good looking, works easily and everyone can use it, that's what we're after - home entertainment shouldn't be a science project. We are selling entertainment so the number one job is to get it out there in the market; there's no reason not to have a mixture of tech that serves everyone." Dean admits that he can detect a little bit of difference between active and passive 3D TVs, but insists, "It doesn't affect how the movie comes through." "Ghosting is what really disturbs me," says Dean. "Most consumers don't know what it is, but it can be very tiring. That's not entertainment and that's not the reason why movie directors slave over trying to create a certain effect." Cue THX 3D Certification, a relatively new feature found on 3D TVs that seeks to level the playing field. As Governor of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers in Hollywood and chair of the 3D@Home Consortium, what Dean is trying to achieve is uniform quality. And that's exactly what his latest idea, THX Media Director, is all about. It's essentially some metadata stored on compatible Blu-rays discs and DVDs that talk to compatible displays to optimise the TV automatically.
NO FUSS: If THX Media Director catches on fiddling with picture settings could be a thing of the past "With so many modes there's a big chance the TV will be in the wrong mode," says Dean, "but it's a chicken and egg thing to get Media Director launched; the studios want to see the devices, and the device guys want to see the content done first. We've had to move it bit by bit over the past few years." It's not just for TVs and Blu-ray players. THX Media Director also applies to other components around the 3D home, such as AV receivers. "Onkyo is on board with THX Media Director as well as display manufacturers including Sharp, Panasonic and LG; we're anxious to see these devices come out." Armed with a new benchmark for creating uniform picture quality, Rick Dean is positive about the 3D future. "3D will continue to make a fruitful market," he says. "How many times have we said 'this is the best we can go - it won't get better'? Things will always improve." 
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| Skype offers up fix after outage Posted: 26 May 2011 07:29 AM PDT Skype users around the world seem to be having problems with the VoIP service at present, with many reporting problems with the desktop application. It looks as though some users are having difficulty signing in to Skype, and some who have signed in can't make calls; crucially, not all users are affected. Skype is aware of the issues and has posted a temporary fix on its blog for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows XP and Mac desktops. Skyprosoft It's not clear what caused the problems, but some have suggested it's down to the migration of some Skype services to Microsoft's platform after the computing behemoth arranged to buy Skype on 10 May. We're not saying it's definitely Microsoft's fault, but after spending $8.5 billion on Skype, you'd think Microsoft would be aiming to improve the service, not run it into the ground - but then again, this is the company that brought us the paperclip… It's a cheap shot but we know you love it. 
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| Apple faces off against Android as T3 Awards arrive Posted: 26 May 2011 06:13 AM PDT The T3 Awards are here again – opening up its longlist of products and highlighting the growing battle between Android and Apple's iOS products. The T3 Awards are in their fifth year, and cover the brightest and best gadgets and technologies around. With the rise and rise of the iPad and iPhone, Apple has made itself a massive name in the gadget world, but its greatest challenger – Google's Android – is beginning to show its teeth. Fascinating "This year's T3 Gadget Awards is going to be fascinating to watch," T3.com editor Kieran Alger told TechRadar. "The rise of Android, with the volume of higher quality smartphones and tablets, is sure to see a real challenge to Apple's dominance. "Meanwhile the Gadget Personality of the Year category is also shaping up to be a right royal rumble with the best line-up we've seen. Lady Gaga versus Stephen Fry is a fight I'd love to see."
TechRadar influence TechRadar editor Patrick Goss will be having his say as a guest judge, along with experts from the likes of the Daily Telegraph and MSN and the vital public voters. "Last year's awards were a massive step up, and it was great to see some truly great tech being given the credit it deserves," he said. "I'm already excited to see who will get the popular vote out of Apple and Android, and the brand new tablet of the year award is looking likely to be a highlight." You can vote for the T3 Awards - which like TechRadar are part of Future Publishing - at http://awards.t3.com with longlist voting opening today. 
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| Sony sees profit thanks to rising PlayStation 3 sales Posted: 26 May 2011 05:40 AM PDT Sony has revealed that its PlayStation arm has brought profits to the company, with news that sales of the PS3 are on the rise. Last year, Sony's Networked Products & Services division, which houses the PS3 and PC devices, made a pretty poor loss of £624 million. This year, however, the division has made all-singing-and-dancing profits of £267 million. While this doesn't take into account the damage the PSN hack will cause the company – this will reportedly cost Sony £106 million – it does prove that the popularity of the PS3 has never been greater, even if the rest of Sony has hit a bit of a slump. As this was a profits report, Sony's statement regarding the PS3 is drier than one of James Bond's Martinis, but it did explain that at least this part of the company is doing well. "A category that favourably impacted the change in segment operating results (excluding restructuring charges) was the game business, reflecting significant cost reductions of PlayStation 3 hardware and higher unit sales of PS3 software," the statement yawned. Sony sales Sales of the PS3 rose 0.4 per cent which brought £11.8 billion into Sony's coffers. The reasoning for this boost was down to better games coming out for the console and the arrival of Move. It wasn't such good news for the PSP and the PS2. Both of these consoles suffered sales declines. In all, 6.4 million PS2s were sold (compared to 7.3 million the previous year) and 14.3 million PSPs (the year before this number was 13 million). Sony is looking optimistically to the future when it comes to the PS3 and predicting it will sell 15 million PS3s this year – which equates to a whole lot of new credit card details. 
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| BlackBerry Torch 2 pictured again Posted: 26 May 2011 05:37 AM PDT The BlackBerry Torch 2 has hit the catwalk once again, being papped in fairly low quality showing off its shiny new back plate. It doesn't look like this metal (?) back panel is made of the same cross-hatched glass that the Bold Touch 9900 is rocking; in fact, it looks a bit low-rent for RIM's premium agenda. But, having been so fashionably late to BlackBerry World that it missed the entire convention, the BlackBerry Torch 2 is yet to get its official reveal so we know nothing for sure.
What the spec? That hasn't stopped the handset sneaking out into the wild in photos and revealing its secret specifications in a half-hearted hands on. These include a 1.2Ghz processor (likely to be a single-core affair but still double that of the original BlackBerry Torch), 512MB of RAM, Bluetooth 2.1, a magnetometer and an accelerometer. The Torch 2 will probably also come with BlackBerry 7 OS, designed for the greater processing horsepower of the 1.2Ghz chip but sadly not making its way to older RIM-made smartphones. 
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| O2 top in disappointing mobile broadband speed test Posted: 26 May 2011 04:40 AM PDT Ofcom has delved into the murky world of mobile broadband dongle speeds, and found that O2 is the nippiest of the networks. When rated against Vodafone, 3, Orange and T-Mobile, O2's dongles and datacards loaded web pages the quickest. Orange and T-Mobile, which reside together under the great umbrella of Everything Everywhere, were found to be the two slowest mobile broadband providers – but it's worth noting that this research doesn't look at smartphone connection speeds, just data cards and dongles. Dongle still sounds funny Everything Everywhere only sounds a little bit bitter in its statement which suggests Ofcom should include smartphone data in a round-up such as this: "Although we recognise Ofcom's efforts to introduce an independent report on mobile broadband speeds, we're concerned about the methodology used in the research. Our main concern is that Ofcom's study only focused on dongles, which are only one part of a consumer's mobile broadband experience and excludes the millions of users that access the internet through their 3G smart phones. "It also excludes 2G data as well as Wi-Fi and we don't believe it reflects actual 3G geographic coverage or how customers actually use their mobile broadband services. "We will continue working with Ofcom to address our concerns about this report and to ensure any further iterations better reflect what really matters to consumers and the many issues which combine to make an effective mobile network." No one likes a bad winner O2 had a little crow about its place on the podium, with Derek McManus, CTO of the company, saying, "Our customers are seeing the benefit from the huge investment we've made in our network. "We always aim to deliver the best network experience for our customers and these results are another indicator that we're doing just that." It's not all coming up roses for O2 though; realistically, the network is the best of a bad bunch. Speeds overall were pretty abysmal: the average download speed came in at 1.5Mbps and basic web pages took 8.5 seconds to download. Painful In "good 3G coverage areas", loading speeds fell to 2.2 seconds, although at peak traffic times (8-10pm), there were slower speeds all 'round. It's a case of location location location for faster speeds; urban areas had greater 3G availability and so tended to be quicker, although Ofcom does note that "performance was highly variable across urban areas, with no guarantee of good performance offered in a city centre location." Come on networks, it's 2011 for crying out loud. Seven per cent of us are now using mobile broadband as our only internet access. Sort it out! 
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| Posted: 26 May 2011 04:02 AM PDT What does the Panasonic DMR-BWT800 Blu-ray recorder / Freeview+ HDD box do? What doesn't it do, more like. At its core is an optical drive that can not only play, but also record to Blu-ray, as well as dealing with both 2D and 3D discs. Record what, you say? The answer comes in the form of two built-in Freeview HD tuners that, together with a 500GB hard disk, make this a Freeview+HD PVR that's as well specified as any on the market. Naturally it also indulges in perhaps the most useful Freeview+HD feature of all – the pausing and rewinding of live digital TV. But before you ask, no, it can't record in 3D from the Sky 3D channel. There are extras, too, in the form of Skype video calling, an SD Card slot (which plays AVCHD video and JPEG photos only), two USB slots (supporting AVI, MKV (DivXHD) and MPEG video files), DLNA streaming (for AVCHD video files) and a novel link to other gear in Panasonic's Diga range of recorders that allows the contents of their HDDs to be shared over a home network. The same can be done from any PC or laptop packing Windows 7, while online excitement – supplied through Ethernet LAN unless you buy a USB dongle for £80 – culminates in access to Viera Cast, Panasonic's online hub of entertainment. It's a weak finale, since Viera Cast is last year's tech. The 2011 version of Viera Connect, which features only on Panasonic's flat screen Viera TVs, includes access to the BBC iPlayer. It leaves us feeling a little jealous and a tad cheated – perhaps this isn't quite the all-in-one we'd yearned for. Elsewhere, the DMR-BWT800 – which is also available as a smaller 320GB hard disk version, the DMR-BWT700 – is thoroughly comprehensive. Able to archive almost anything shown on Freeview HD to a dual-layer Blu-ray disc, the DMR-BWT800 also deals in AVCHD files, so any HD footage you happen to have filmed on an HD camcorder can also be archived to either the HDD, or to a Blu-ray disc (BD-RE or BD-R types). That HDD can store around 500 hours of standard definition programmes or 125-ish hours of hi-def, though ultimately you'll probably want a mix of both. Happily, the DMR-BWT800 also deals in surround sound, being capable of storing audio broadcasts in Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and (the default for most digital programmes on Freeview HD), the compressed HE-AAC format. To cap it all, this isn't just a 3D Blu-ray disc player, boasting a 2D-to-3D converter that works not only on 2D Blu-ray discs, but on Freeview broadcasts, too. Crucially, it doesn't try to convert live TV – Freeview programmes must first be stored on the HDD – but it's an interesting idea that will tempt those with a 3D TV. Incidentally, Panasonic's latest crop of Viera TVs can convert anything – including Freeview – on the fly. Exclusive to the DMR-BWT800 (when compared to the cheaper DMR-BWT700) is a second HDMI output for routing audio to a non-3D Ready AV receiver, as well as Digital Tube Sound (a warm sounding six-sided mode modelled on vacuum tube amplifiers) and Pure Sound, which reduces the interference of the machine's rotating fan and HDD. Overall, this is the deck to opt for if you plan to make it the beating heart of a 3D home cinema.
Panasonic decks almost always excel with picture quality, and the DMR-BWT800 is no different. Freeview HD, in this case during a live broadcast from the Spanish Grand Prix on BBC HD, is crisp enough and remarkably clean. Even the SD version over on former favourite BBC1 is clean enough and not the turn-off it might be. Recordings, as single programmes or series links, are all made in the lossless DR (Direct Recording) mode, and are identical to the original broadcast. However, there's a noticeable improvement in colour when viewing our 2D Blu-ray test disc Inception, which also features smooth transitions, edges and pin-sharp close-ups. It bears all the hallmarks of Panasonic's familiar PHL Chroma Processor Plus (P4HD), which earns its salt by increasing the res of a DVD to a state where jagged edges are barely noticeable. Avatar on 3D Blu-ray also impresses, with 3D glasses acting as a further filter to refine the contrast – the result being luscious blues for the skin of Na'vi and a more convincing depth to the moon's forests. There was no need to tweak any of the 3D depth settings. However, 2D to 3D conversion left us unimpressed. It can work on scenes that deserve it – usually close-ups with backgrounds just behind – but it's hit-and-miss. It's pretty obvious, but if something hasn't been designed as a 3D movie, it's unlikely to work consistently well when converted.
For all its ambitions and novel features, the Panasonic DMR-BWT800 is one complicated beast. The user interface is good looking, but without a central 'home' screen to tie the disparate features together there's a fragmented feel. Finding what you want to do – such as finding a library of recordings – is not easily done from the remote control, while our sample also appeared to have constant communication problems with the same-brand TV it was attached to. Content is divided by source, not type, and all hinges on the remote's rather unassuming 'Drive select' button. Panasonic does have an iPhone app for controlling its Blu-ray players, but it couldn't communicate with the DMR-BWT800 in our tests. That's not surprising given this deck's many features and completely different architecture to Panasonic's more basic Blu-ray players. The hard drive is at the core of the Panasonic DMR-BWT800 and isn't just for making Freeview recordings. Photos or AVCHD footage from an SD Card (and SDHC/SDXC) can be easily transferred to the HDD or a Blu-ray disc. You may not want to do that, or transfer Freeview HD recordings 'as is', since the DR File Conversion – using an H-264 encoder – attempts to squeeze as much as possible onto a disc. We've seen the compression feature before, and we like it, we really do, but five different modes for shrinking HD recordings does seem overkill. High, medium and low bitrate compressions would have done (they suffice for SD recordings where the choice is between SP, LP and XP). But instead, programmes on the HDD are recorded in DR mode, which can only be converted afterwards into HG (high quality), HX (normal quality), HE (long play), HL (longer play) or HM (extended play) files. It's useful and produces thoroughly respectable, if less pristine, HD images, but engaging this conversion tech entails too many choices, the interface is a tad PC-like, and it takes almost an hour for each conversion. We can understand it for archiving to Blu-ray and in theory it's a great idea for stretching the HDD, but that's perhaps not a huge issue given its 500GB capacity (though Sky and Virgin sell PVRs with 1TB for a very good reason). Compressing to free-up the HDD is a bit too manual a process to want to actually spend time doing it – life is way too short. But at least there are some editing options, including renaming, partial deletes and divisions. Away from recording and archiving, the Panasonic DMR-BWT800's Freeview HD functions work well, though the system is spoiled by a less than perfect EPG. Showing two hours of schedules for seven channels at one time, it's saddled with empty placeholders for adverts on its left-hand side, something that is eminently hateable on a premium and expensive product like this. Recording is a cinch, and on issuing the command it's possible to manually add a few minutes safety net either side. However, recording clashes are dealt with rather clumsily – some simple language and either/or choices wouldn't go amiss. Streaming is handled well, with an excellent Skype function proving the icing on this comprehensive cake. Using Skype does mean buying an add-on TY-CC110 HD Communication camera from Panasonic for around £130, and it's likely to have niche appeal only, but it's the easiest thing to use on this machine by a long shot. Once the Panasonic DMR-BWT800 is connected to a TV – a simple clip-on affair that's surprisingly stable – it's then a case of either hitting the dedicated Skype button on the remote, or activating Viera Cast and selecting the Skype icon there. Once logged in, it's almost identical to the PC software. Call quality proved excellent in our tests and the system is a joy to use. Elsewhere Viera Cast just irritates, not because it's particularly flawed – it's still the only smart TV interface we actually enjoy operating. It's because we know its compilation of Twitter, YouTube, QTom, Picasa, Bloomberg and more esoteric Euro-centric services have been bettered by Viera Connect, principally by its addition of BBC iPlayer. Bizarrely, we were unable to access Viera Cast while the machine was recording from a Freeview HD tuner.
The Panasonic DMR-BWT800 is a strange beast. Massively ambitious and hugely capable, it makes a superb catchall HD and 3D Blu-ray product, but it has a split personality. Hard disk housekeeping could confuse (or simply bore rigid) a rocket scientist, while making a video call to the other side of the Earth is a cinch. We liked Picture quality is outstanding all-round; this is a top quality slice of AV heaven for anyone interested in reference-level performance from all sources, while the myriad recording, archiving and storage options will excite any HD obsessive or HD camcorder user. Add 3D compatibility, that second HDMI output and Freeview HD, and the Panasonic DMR-BWT800 is a catch-all solution like no other. We disliked Though hardly tiny, that 500GB doesn't compare well with the latest PVRs around. But the main issue is the user interface. We've seen worse, but it doesn't have the joined-up feel that Panasonic's other 2011 AV products benefit from. Nor does it have Viera Connect, which means no BBC iPlayer. Verdict Hugely impressive in some ways, the Panasonic DMR-BWT800 is also your classic AV misfire. Designed to appeal to all, the basics – speed and simplicity – have been slightly overlooked in favour of geek features. This is a better option that the far cheaper DMR-BWT700, not only for the extra 180GB of HDD capacity, but also for its 3D home cinema features. However, those after Freeview+HD features will probably find life easier with a dedicated PVR such as the Humax HDR-FOX T2, the Icecrypt T2400 or TVonics DTR-Z500HD. 
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| New Mac Defender malware launched, bypasses Apple's fixes Posted: 26 May 2011 04:01 AM PDT The group behind the Mac Defender scareware has released a new variant which bypasses Apple's short-term fixes and renders the malware more potent than before. The new version does not require the user to type in their password for the software to install itself on the machine, after it has been automatically downloaded. Once downloaded, the installer opens automatically and prompts the user to click 'continue', which it's not outrageous to assume a lot of people will do on autopilot without wondering what they're continuing to. This starts the installation package, which deletes itself once it has been run. The new version of the malware has also been renamed, known now as MacGuard, but its aim of skimming credit card numbers in return for removing fake viruses remains the same. Uh oh Apple yesterday announced that it will be releasing an update to Mac OS X to combat and remove the rogue programme, with a bunch of instructions for Mac users to avoid and remove the software themselves in the meantime. However, it seems revealing its whole defense plan has backfired on Apple, with the baddies immediately upping their game; how long before the fix for this new variant is available? And even when that new fix hits, there's nothing to stop the scareware developers releasing another more potent version of the malware. 
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| Posted: 26 May 2011 03:35 AM PDT In the contest to replace your laptop – and maybe even your TV – Android 3.0 tablets such as the Motorola Xoom are ganging up on the Apple iPad 2 by sheer quantity. We absolutely thrilled over the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, for example. Now it's time for the Acer Iconia Tab A500's day in the sun. In many ways, this is all about the operating system, so we'll admit that the differences between the three main Android 3.0 tabs are marginal at best. You have to choose your OS poison wisely – the iPad 2 is better for music, movies and games, and it has better quality apps and more of them. Meanwhile, the BlackBerry PlayBook is more secure than the competition, has real multi-tasking and even a more fluid interface for controlling your apps (er, all four of them). Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets are arguably more open than either the iPad 2 or the PlayBook. The app approval process is easier, and coding is less restrictive, using Google SDK.
So what does that means for the Acer Iconia Tab A500? Primarily, the decision comes down to the design and handling of the device. The Iconia Tab A500 uses the same Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor as the Motorola Xoom, they both weigh exactly 730g and both have a 10.1-inch touchscreen. The list goes on: both devices have 32GB of internal memory, 1GB of RAM and support microSD cards up to 64GB.
Yet, the main difference is that the Acer Iconia Tab A500 feels bulkier. That can be a good thing for those who tend to abuse their gadgets mercilessly, since the Iconia Tab A500 has an aluminium back and a sturdier, stockier footprint. In a side-by-side comparison, the Motorola Xoom looks more like an iPad 2 and the Iconia Tab A500 fits in better with a recent crop of Windows 7 tablets, including the rather disappointing Acer Iconia Tab W500.
The Iconia Tab A500 not only feels bulkier, it is bulkier. The device measures 260 x 177 x 13.3mm, which is significantly wider than the Motorola Xoom, considering both devices have the same size screen.
The Acer Iconia Tab A500 also has a dedicated HDMI-out port for playing 1080p video on your HD TV, like the Motorola Xoom. What's really missing is a selection of unusually impressive extra features – the Asus Eee Pad Transformer morphs into a real notebook; the HTC Flyer has a helpful add-on interface component.
The Acer Iconia Tab A500 also has a front-facing 2MP camera and a rear facing 5MP cam. In the box, Acer includes a charger and USB cable, but no earbuds, case or stand. The Iconia Tab A500 does provide one UI add-on for categorising apps. For example, games are separated into their own screen. It has a limited appeal, but at least there's something new on offer. One other slight differentiator: the Iconia Tab A500 includes a couple of extra apps and games beyond the norm. At £450 for Wi-Fi only or £530 for Wi-Fi and 3G, the Acer Iconia is a hair cheaper than the Motorola Xoom but more than the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. There will, however, be a 16GB version emerging in mid-june for £380 which could be a more attractive option. So does the Acer Iconia Tab A500 really fall in the middle? Does it rank near the top of the tabs or closer to the bottom?
The Acer Iconia Tab A500 has a less appealing, more traditional design than the Motorola Xoom, which is all-black with a power button on the back. With the Iconia Tab A500, the buttons are a bit harder to find. It's easy to forget (or get all turned around in orientation) and fumble for the power key, which is on the left. The headphone jack and HDMI port are also on the left. There's a docking port underneath as well.
On the right, there's a USB port (presumably a vestige of the W500 model) that only worked with a standard keyboard, not a mouse. You can also attach a USB keydrive into the port, but the Iconia Tab A500 only lets you access files using a file manager, not directly.
There's also a standard microUSB port and the charge port. On top, there are two volume control buttons and a screen lock switch. You'll also find a covered port for the microSD slot, which Acer says will be used for adding an LTE card at some point.
The 1280 x 800 TFT display on the Acer Iconia Tab A500 measures 10.1 inches, like the Motorola Xoom, and is bright and clear. The screen isn't a weak point but isn't a differentiator either. In a side-by-side comparison to the Apple iPad 2, with the brightness for both devices turned all the way up, the iPad 2 looked brighter and easier to view from a side angle. Compared to the Xoom, the Iconia Tab A500's screen looked remarkably similar.
Some of the hardware differentiators on the Acer Iconia Tab A500 might not be obvious at first. Like the Motorola Xoom and the Apple iPad 2, the speakers for playing movie audio and music are just average – about what you might expect on an entry-level netbook. There's very little bass response but average clarity. Yet, Acer added a slight tweak: the Iconia Tab A500 uses Dolby Mobile technology that did seem to make the movie Fair Game sound a bit more life-like – you actually hear some shuffling feet or background audio more distinctly.
Some graphically-rich sites such as GamesRadar.com and CNN.com pulled up a hair faster on the Iconia Tab A500 than the Motorola Xoom, even over the exact same Wi-Fi connection, although oddly, the Google Earth app ran a hair faster on the Xoom.
Acer includes a content sharing system called Clear.fi that is essentially a low-cost way to build a home entertainment streaming network. That's a good thing, since the Iconia Tab A500 doesn't offer any way to purchase or rent videos from the device (Motorola just recently added this capability to the Xoom). Clear.fi works like Windows Connect in that you can set up a media server and stream music, videos and photos to the device. In an age of Hulu, YouTube, and even apps such as HBO Go in the US, the idea of a media server seems a bit redundant – we'd prefer at least an option for streaming mainstream videos from the web directly to the device. |
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HTC Puccini 10-inch tablet primed for summer release?
Posted: 26 May 2011 03:35 AM PDT
HTC is looking to swiftly follow up the launch of its 7-inch HTC Flyer tablet, with a 10-inch model codenamed Puccini.
This is according to Digitimes, which has re-confirmed previous leaks with word that HTC has ramped up production of the 10.1-inch tablet readying it for a summer release.
The tablet is said to be powered by a Qualcomm MSM8660 1.5GHz processor and will be running Android Honeycomb.
It looks like HTC will be sticking with its tried and tested stylus, dubbed HTC Scribe, as the HTC Puccini screen is said to be both capacitive and resistive.
Tablet talk
Digitimes also reported that its 10.1-inch panels are being created by AU Optronics (AUO) and Wintek.
The 7-inch HTC Flyer was given a solid three stars by TechRadar – where we praised its build quality but were put off by its massive price tag, which puts it in the same range as the iPad 2.
If HTC is indeed looking at releasing a 10.1-inch tablet it will be in direct competition from the likes of Apple, Samsung and Motorola, but the Puccini release may take the heat off the company's efforts to port Honeycomb to its 7-inch Flyer; something that the screen size is making quite tricky.
If the HTC Puccini UK release date is indeed June 2011, then we won't have long to wait to see if it is a real iPad 2 rival.
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iCloud: 10 things we want to see
Posted: 26 May 2011 03:30 AM PDT
Although it's been rumoured for years that Apple will somehow finally fully embrace the cloud, it's only lately that it feels Cupertino's moving in the right direction.
Apple's rumoured to have splashed out $4.5 million on the iCloud.com domain, is said to be striking deals with a number of record labels (in stark contrast to the gung-ho approach taken by Google and Amazon for their respective cloud-based music services) and has even posted a job advert for a 'Media Streaming Engineering Manager'.
And, after all, Apple has to use the massive data centres it's building in the USA for something.
Whether it's Apple iCloud.com or iSomeOtherName.com, here's what we want to see from Apple when it unleashes its cloud service later this year.
1. Cross-device support
Apple's often championed for its integrated approach. Apple kit isn't perfect, but it generally works well with other Apple kit, software and services. Therefore, when Apple's iCloud ambitions are revealed, we'd like them to work with Macs and iOS devices, offering similar features to all (although we're not crazy enough to hope anything running less than the latest versions of Mac OS X or iOS will be supported).
2. iOS data back-up/restore
Cloud services could be the means to detach iOS devices from PCs and Macs, finally making iPhones, iPods and iPads truly standalone units. You'd be able to store data in the cloud and access it from a range of apps.
Apple should also back-up and enable you to restore iOS app data. It's absurd that when you delete an app or a game, your data and progress is gone for good - you should be able to optionally reinstate these things on an app reinstall.
GET IT BACK: Delete an app and your data disappears. With cloud-based data restore, this needn't happen in future
3. Music locker
Apple's iOS devices are hardly known for their generous storage, and now Macs are going the same way, embracing SSD. If you've tons of music, chances are your iTunes library is the biggest folder on your Mac, and you can't fit much of your music on your iPhone. But if Apple can figure out what music you own and enable cloud-based access to it via iCloud, problem solved.
4. Label participation
Of course, any major shifts in how Apple deals with music will need label backing. Rumours suggest Apple's in talks with the 'big four', which should give Apple more options than its rivals. It remains to be seen whether labels would allow playback of content not purchased through iTunes, but remember when DRM was removed and iTunes enabled you to 'upgrade' your tracks for a small cost? Perhaps Apple could do the same again with iCloud - a few pence to enable you to play a track from the cloud.
5. Music streaming
For people who don't really want to buy music but still enjoy listening to it, Spotify's more appealing than iTunes. While Spotify is still struggling to expand into the USA, Apple already has worldwide presence and ongoing discussions with labels. Perhaps another string to its music bow will be a streaming subscription service to complement a music locker.
6. Movie and TV streaming
Historically, the movie industry has been even more bone-headed than music labels when it comes to new technology. Therefore, we're not holding our breath about Apple announcing movie and TV-show streaming through its iCloud services, but this would be great to have, again dealing with storage issues on iOS devices and SSD-equipped Macs.
7. Fast media playback
One problem with cloud-based media playback is speed - too often, you have to wait while files buffer. Rumours suggest http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/apple/apple-music-streaming-to-be-sped-up-by-local-storage--957549 Apple might deal with this problem by storing small portions of files locally on your device. Playback would start locally and then sync with a downloaded file, reducing caching problems.
8. Improved existing services
Apple's been pretty bad at unveiling new online services and letting them die a long, lingering death. We like the concepts behind the likes of iWork.com, Ping and Game Center, but the execution in all of them is lacking; a new iCloud offering would be a great excuse to beef up and integrate these services.
NEW AND IMPROVED: Unveiling new cloud services gives Apple a good excuse to improve mediocre existing offerings
9. Document storage
When using iOS devices, moving documents between them is a pain. Even worse, if you want to move something between your Mac/PC and an iOS device, you have to use email or hideous iTunes File Sharing.
Many apps now get around such problems by using Dropbox for storage, but Apple doesn't control this and it's not fully integrated. It'd therefore be great to see Apple provide a service of the same quality in iCloud. (Sorry, iDisk - you just don't cut it.)
10. Optional sync/merge
Finally, if Apple offers even a fraction of these things with iCloud, it must enable users to more easily manage their computers and devices, along with the information on them.
You should be able to easily sync and merge app collections, music, movies and documents. Using iOS devices and Macs is typically simple and intuitive; Apple must bring similar thinking to the complexities of document and media management across a number of devices and computers.
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Google Wallet for Android to launch today
Posted: 26 May 2011 03:10 AM PDT
A leaked memo from a US retailer confirms that Google is launching a near field communications (NFC) payment taking plan, dubbed Google Wallet, at an event later today.
We already knew that the search giant has plans for NFC, particularly since it sparked a rush for Android manufacturers to include the necessary chip in a host of recent handsets by including NFC in its flagship Google Nexus S.
But now we know the name of the scheme – Google Wallet – and that it will be launching in the US this summer, with at least one big-name retailer, The Container Store, on board.
Contactless payments on 34th Street
Other rumoured retailers to be taking part are Macy's and American Eagle, although it's not clear if the scheme will be US-wide or just in select cities.
It's also a safe bet that we'll see a few new NFC-toting apps pop up in the Android Market as a result of the new scheme.
There's no word yet on when, or indeed if, the scheme will make it to the UK, but we're hoping that Google will throw us a Euro-related bone at its event later today.
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Leica launches 16x zoom V-Lux 30
Posted: 26 May 2011 03:07 AM PDT
Leica has unveiled the latest addition to its range of compact cameras with the 14.1-megapixel V-Lux 30.
Among the highlights of this latest Leica compact camera include a 16x optical zoom, Leica DC Vario-Elmar 4.3 - 68.8mm f/3.3-5.9 lens (24-384mm in 35mm format) and a 3in touchscreen LCD screen with a resolution of 460,000 pixels.
The new Leica camera also offers GPS tagging, where the V-Lux 30 records the geographical coordinates of the user's location and the local time with every shot and saves them within the image data.
Other key features of the Leica V-Lux 30 include full HD video recording in 1080i-AVCHD format and a faster continuous shooting mode for quick-moving subjects such as sports or wildlife, Leica claims.
In the Leica V-Lux 30's 3D mode, photographers are able to create 3D pictures combined from two photographs taken in sequence, which are then saved as a 3D image in MPO format for viewing on 3D-compatible screens.
Weighing less than 220g in a body just 33mm in depth, the Leica V-Lux 30 price tag sits at £550 and is available from June.
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Review: MSI GTX 580 Lightning Twin Frozr III
Posted: 26 May 2011 03:00 AM PDT
Nvidia's GTX 580 is a highly desirable card. AMD doesn't have a card to rival it. The HD 6970 is decent but doesn't compete directly. And the dual Antilles-powered HD 6990 overshoots the price mark at £540. What's more, the GTX 580 is more power efficient. It's the optimum Fermi card, and a solid foundation for third parties to muck around with.
MSI is good at keeping graphics cards cool, as it has demonstrated with its Twin Frozr cards. It's also rather good at overclocking: the Afterburner software is an office favourite. And the GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr II pushed a conservatively clocked card to impressive clock speeds and resultant performance levels.
The clock speeds of Nvidia's reference GTX 580 are bold, but not on the ragged edge, so the whole N580GTX Lightning package is about squeezing every bit of potential possible from an already formidable Fermi card.
One aspect of that comes with the increased core, shader and memory clock values. The core's bumped around 10 per cent from 772MHz to 832MHz, and the other clocks follow suit in a similar percentage increase. It grabs an extra two to three frames in all DX11 benchmarks, from Heaven 2.5 to Metro 2033.
That level of increased performance in no way justifies the step up in price from the original GTX 580, though, and MSI knows it. That's why it's given the card truckloads of overclocking potential.
Benchmarks
We got the N580GTX Lightning running without tantrums with a core clock of 920MHz, shaders at 1,840MHz and memory speed of 2,300MHz: an impressive performance.
DirectX 11 tessellation performance
Heaven 2.5 Frames per second: Higher is better
MSI N580GTX Lightning - 22.7
Stock GTX 580 - 21.3
N580GTX Lightning (Overclocked) - 24.9
DirectX 11 gaming performance
DiRT 2 Frames per second: Higher is better
MSI N580GTX Lightning - 79
Stock GTX 580 - 76
N580GTX Lightning (Overclocked) - 87
Metro 2033 Frames per second: Higher is better
MSI N580GTX Lightning - 15
Stock GTX 580 - 13
N580GTX Lightning (Overclocked) - 11
1.21 Gigawatts
That headroom isn't just increased by the Twin Frozr III cooling fans, though they are resplendent in their scything 'propeller blade' glory. The improved blade design allows 20 per cent more airflow, and MSI reckon it's quieter than a stock fan, but at 100 per cent speed, it's not only loud but sings a particularly irritating tone.
Fans are one thing, but even more focus has gone towards voltage. It supports simultaneous overvolting of the GPU, memory and PLL, massively increasing overclocking potential.
A 16-phase PWM replaces the stock 8-phase controller for increased stability, and electrical components have a higher capacity across the board. This all means nothing if your motherboard and PSU aren't of a similar standard, but if you want to get your hands dirty with overvolting and have a system that can handle it, this is for you.
It's a package you can really push, and when you do, the cooler keeps temps below 60 degrees. Good progress from Nvidia's original, if encroaching a little on dual-GPU price territory.
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Posted: 26 May 2011 02:30 AM PDT
The dual-chip, single card war rages on between AMD and Nvidia – both the HD 6990 and GTX 590 are ridiculously expensive and powerful, so which do you choose?
There's so little difference in performance terms it's nigh-on impossible to call a winner by simply analysing benchmarks. But with the arrival of the Define XL from Ginger6, we've now seen gaming PCs built around both cards.
Perhaps it's here, in the real world, that we can establish the better of the two cards? Well, perhaps if Ginger 6 had paired the HD 6990 with Intel's all-conquering i7 2600K CPU we'd have a straight fight.
Last issue, Dino PC went and clocked the 2600K up to 5GHz for its Evolution 2600K rig, and working with the GTX 590 the resultant benchmark results were frankly bonkers. Ginger6's rig comes in at exactly the same price point, but instead it's the cheaper, less powerful Core i5 2500K inside the Define XL.
Don't get us wrong, the 2500K is a great chip. It offers great value for money for those fiscally disinclined to plump for the i7. The thing is, using a phrase like 'value for money' about a component in the same PC as a £540 graphics card seems a bit silly. The HD 6990 isn't about value; it's about extreme performance.
The i5 2500K's presence means two things. Firstly, you won't be making the most of that ridiculous graphics card. Try as it might, the HD 6990 won't render as many frames with a 2500K as it would with the 2600K. In all fairness, Ginger6 have overclocked this i5 up to an impressive 4.8GHz, but it's a four-core, four-thread CPU. Compared to the eight threads of the 2600K (which smart applications can dedicate individually to GPU rendering tasks), it's a far from ideal pairing with the HD 6990.
Secondly – and rather damningly – it means that the Define XL has less performance to offer for more money than the Evolution 2600K. Not only is the GTX 590 a pricier card, but the i7 2600K CPU has been squeezed in to that £1,799 price tag. In short, it's impossible to recommend; there's absolutely no reason not to buy the Dino PC instead, even with the option to have this Ginger6 machine with a GTX 590 in as well.
Benchmarks
CPU performance
Cinebench index: Higher is better
Define XL - 7.50
Evolution 2600K - 8.97
Phoenix Hydro X - 7.84
DirectX 11 tessellation performance
Heaven 2.0 Frames per second: Higher is better
Define XL - 38.3
Evolution 2600K - 32.4
Phoenix Hydro X - 38.4
DirectX 11 gaming performance
Dirt 2 Frames per second: Higher is better
Define XL - 94.6
Evolution 2600K - 178
Phoenix Hydro X - 90
Good points
Aw, now we've told the Define XL off and its monolithic face is looking all sad. Let's mention the good aspects of this build, redundant though these have been made by the CPU debacle.
The Fractal Design XL case is amazing. Long after all the components are rendered obsolete by Moore's Law and the deafening stampede of technological advancement, you'll still use this case. It's huge, quiet, solid, and packed with drive bays.
Actually, storage has been bizarrely overdone – 120GB of SSD and 2TB of HDD space enough for you? It's all very well and good, but we'll bet any gamer would rather the money was spent on a better CPU.
It's a swing and a miss from Ginger6 then, and a missed opportunity to settle the AMD vs Nvidia flagship card wars.
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Sony offers free ID theft protection
Posted: 25 May 2011 07:17 PM PDT
Sony has made good on its promise to launch a free ID theft protection scheme for those affected by The Great PSN Hack of 2011.
The company has acquired the services of AllClear ID PLUS and is encouraging to PSN users to sign-on using the protection team's website.
Currently, the offer only extends to PlayStation Network customers in the US, but it can only be a matter of time before a similar scheme is rolled-out to the 77-million affected users worldwide.
No charge
"AllClear ID PLUS is a premium identity protection service that uses advanced technology to deliver alerts to help keep you safe," said Sony in a statement.
"The service also provides identity theft insurance coverage and hands-on help from expert fraud investigators."
"Sony has arranged, at no charge to eligible PlayStation Network and Qriocity account holders, for twelve months of this service to be provided by Debix to those who choose to enroll,"
The gesture might go a little way towards regaining some of the good faith Sony lost following the hack, which saw the personal data of its complete user base compromised.
But it still sounds a little bit like, to quote an old saying, shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted.
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