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• Plans for 'website blocking' list announced
• E3 2011: Sony announces 3D monitor for PlayStation 3
• E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: top five moments
• E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: NGP becomes PlayStation Vita
• E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Top five moments
• E3 2011: Microsoft at E3: Top five moments
• Updated: Apple WWDC 2011: all the latest news
• Updated: iCloud: all the latest details
• WWDC 2011: iPhone 5 release date set for autumn 2011?
• WWDC 2011: iTunes Match brings your whole music collection to the cloud
• WWDC 2011: iTunes heads to the iCloud
• WWDC 2011: Apple iOS 5 coming to iPhone 3GS and older iPads
• E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Halo 4 out 2012
• Updated: iOS 5: all the latest details
• WWDC 2011: iCloud - Apple's cloud service is FREE
• WWDC 2011: iMessage: Apple takes on Blackberry's BBM
• WWDC 2011: Apple cuts the cord: iPad and iPhone no longer need a PC
• WWDC 2011: iOS in numbers: 200 million iOS devices sold
• WWDC 2011: Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: UK release date and pricing revealed
• WWDC 2011: Apple apes Android for official iOS 5 unveiling
• E3 2011: Microsoft talks up Xbox TV and voice search
• WWDC 2011: New OS X 10.7 Lion features shown off by Apple
• E3 2011: Microsoft: Call of Duty MW3 release date 8 November
• Exclusive: Samsung looking at Sky Player for Android smartphones

Plans for 'website blocking' list announced Posted: 07 Jun 2011 12:51 AM PDT The UK Home Secretary Theresa May is to outline plans this week of a "national blocking list" of websites that break the law when it comes to terrorism and inciting extremism. This is all part of refresh of the government's Prevent strategy, which was launched in 2007 to counteract homegrown terrorism. May believes that a screening of websites in places like schools and libraries is essential to the UK's well-being and would weed out radicalisation. "We do not yet have a filtering product which has been rolled out comprehensively across Government departments, agencies and statutory organisations and we are unable to determine the extent to which effective filtering is in place in schools and public libraries," said May. YouTube backing Currently The Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) looks after blocking illegal sites on the web, but May hopes to ramp this effort up with a new strategy. May is also critical of many universities in the UK, which don't monitor web traffic to see if extremist sites are being visited. The new strategy document is being backed by YouTube and AOL. Related Stories Google to drop support for old browsers Google upgrades image search function Facebook error sees 1,600 teens storm private party E3 2011 to be showcased in 3D on YouTube The internet needs tougher policing, says Vodafone CEO

E3 2011: Sony announces 3D monitor for PlayStation 3 Posted: 07 Jun 2011 12:50 AM PDT One of the bigger surprise announcements at Sony's E3 2011 presser was the news of a new 3D PlayStation-branded monitor set to be released later this year. Following the announcement that PS3 already boasts over 100 3D games, Sony now plans to release this new PlayStation branded 3D monitor and glasses, bundled with the new Resistance 3 game. 3D PS3 made simple The monitor has a 24-inch display developed to get the best 3D performance out of your PlayStation 3. Plus, it also allows two players to view separate screens, which means no more split-screen multiplayer gaming! Sony's PS3 3D display: playing 3D games on your console made simple Sony's new 3D display uses active-shutter tech and is set to be released with glasses and Resistance 3 later this year, priced $499 in the US (with UK pricing still 'tbc'). 3D PlayStation specs: how to get the best out of Uncharted 3 "3D Glasses included in the 3D Display bundle will also be sold separately, concurrently with the 3D Display , at RRP of US$69.99 in USA," Sony's E3 press release adds. "Through the introduction of this new product, PS3 users will have easy access to all of their 3D entertainment by simply connecting PS3 to the 3D Display. "The 3D Display features a 24-inch full HD LCD display and, in an industry first for its size, the display adopts quad-speed frame sequential display technology that is able to minimize crosstalk distortion, delivering stunningly realistic 3D viewing experiences. The 3D Display supports several 3D formats, including "frame packing," "top and bottom" and "side by side," which will offer users various options for enjoying 3D." Sony's new 3D display also features high contrast (5000:1), a wide viewing angle (176 degree), a high response time (4ms GTG average) and high quality sound through two subwoofer speakers able to generate a broad range of sound from low pitch to high pitch. Related Stories E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Halo 4 out 2012 E3 2011: Microsoft at E3: Top five moments E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: NGP becomes PlayStation Vita E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Top five moments E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: top five moments

E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: top five moments Posted: 06 Jun 2011 09:11 PM PDT Sony had a decent smattering of exclusive new games on show at its E3 2011 press conference, alongside not one but two new hardware announcements, with the surprise arrival of a PlayStation-branded 3D television. With the final naming of the new handheld (NGP is now PlayStation Vita) one of the key messages of Sony's E3 presser, it was easy to miss some of the other highlights from this year's event. Sony's Jack Tretton and Kaz Hirai dominated the E3 stage, with a succession of PlayStation developers making their appearance to briefly show off their latest games. After the necessary apologies for the recent security lapse that saw the PlayStation Network taken down, the Sony Computer Entertainment team got down to the serious business of showing off what is in store for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita owners this coming Christmas and beyond. Here are the definitive top five moments from the Sony E3 2011 conference. 1.Next Generation Portable: the PlayStation Vita The name was rumoured to be PS Vita throughout the week prior to the show, and the rumours turned out to be true. We'll no doubt be debating whether or not we like the title throughout this year's E3 and well beyond, until we finally have one in our hands this Christmas and get used to the name Vita tripping off the tongue. PlayStation Vita: Sony's new handheld is out this Christmas Still, it's the PS Vita games that really matter, and new demos of Vita titles such as Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Ruin, ModNation Racers and Capcom's Street Fighter x Tekken showed off the capability of Sony's new handheld with aplomb. See lots more on Vita over on the PlayStation Blog. 2.A Star Trek phaser gun for PS Move Trekkies in the E3 audience swooned when it was revealed that a dedicated phaser gun add-on for PlayStation Move is planned for release alongside the new Star Trek game based on the JJ Abrams film. PS Move in 2011: Star Trek and a host of new hardcore game support PS Move integration into hardcore gamer's titles such as the new BioShock Infinite was also talked up by Sony, clearly keen to take Move beyond the casual market in 2011. 3.A new PlayStation-branded 3D monitor Sony is set to release its own PlayStation-branded 3D display later this year, in a bundle deal with the new Resistance 3game, pushing the fact that there are over 100 stereoscopic 3D games on PlayStation. Multiplayer 3D display: new PlayStation-branded monitor from Sony The new PlayStation-branded monitor has a 24-inch display and will let two people view different images on the screen at the same time – so no more split-screen gaming! US pricing for the bundle is $499 with UK prices still to be confirmed. 4.Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Adventurer and swashbuckler Nathan Drake has become the poster boy for PlayStation in recent year and looking at the latest demos of Naughty Dog's new game Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception it is easy to see why. Uncharted 3: Nathan Drake is back with a vengeance Don't believe us? Then check out the E3 trailer and start to believe the hype… 5.New PlayStation exclusives – Sly Cooper and Dust 514 There were plenty of games on show at Sony's E3 2011 presser, but two new PS exclusives which really stood out were Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and Dust 514. Sly Cooper is back: Thieves in Time is the next PlayStation outing CCP's Dust 514 will be one of the hardcore-friendly titles that also uses PS Move. Plus, according to the developer'sCEO Hilmar Veigar Petursson its PS3 game which will seamlessly connect with the online MMO and feature PlayStation Vita integration. Expect the closed beta test to be announced later in 2011, with this potentially-groundbreaking game set for a spring 2012 release. Related Stories E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Halo 4 out 2012 E3 2011: Microsoft at E3: Top five moments E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: NGP becomes PlayStation Vita E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Top five moments E3 2011: Sony announces 3D monitor for PlayStation 3

E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: NGP becomes PlayStation Vita Posted: 06 Jun 2011 08:26 PM PDT The hardcore PlayStation fans that stayed up late to catch Sony's E3 2011 conference were treated to loads of new game announcements, alongside the final reveal of the name and details on Sony's new handheld, to be called PlayStation Vita. Plus, in addition to a finalised name for what was previously known as the 'Next Generation Portable' (NGP) Sony also focused heavily on stereoscopic 3D gaming – with everybody at the event handed 3D glasses on the way in – and previewing lots of new experiences for PlayStation Move. While a stunning demo of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception in 3D stole the show for many, there were so many other highlights from Sony's E3 2011 conference, which kicked off with a medley of massive games on the big screens – including titles such as inFamous 2, Uncharted 3, Mortal Kombat and others – before Sony's Jack Tretton wandered on stage to start the proceedings. PSN security lapse apology With 6000 eager journalists and industry folk in the audience and many more watching online across the world, Tretton tackled the difficult problem of the recent PSN outage immediately, offering a personal apology for the massive security lapse. "It is you that both causes us to be humble and amazed by the amount of dedication and support you give to the PlayStation brand," said the SCEA boss, before confirming that the network was almost back online across most of the world. Moving swiftly on, Tretton then discussed various PlayStation content partners, noting that, in the US, 30 per cent of all Netflix viewing was done via the PlayStation 3. An impressive figure, for sure, but what about the games? A trailer of Naughty Dog's forthcoming Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception indicates that the action has now begun, with the developer's Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra both on stage to introduce and demo what is clearly the biggest PlayStation game of 2011. As protagonist Nathan Drake sneaks and clambers around a pirate ship, taking out enemies with melee combat and good old-fashioned guns and grenades, he is then forced to dive into the sea, swimming underwater to escape. The game looks, as is to be expected, utterly beautiful – and we expect that the demo will be one of the most-played, most talked-about titles on the show floor at E3 2011 throughout the week. 3D TV: Resistance is futile The stereoscopic 3D gaming theme continued with the next demo of Insomniac's forthcoming Resistance 3 - another perennial PlayStation favourite, which also looked synapse-snappingly good in 3D on the big screen. Following that, Sony announced plans for two HD 3D collections of some of the best-loved PlayStation games of recent times - a God of War Originscollection and Team Ico classics. At which point, a hardware surprise was announced in the shape of a 24-inch PlayStation branded 3D display, capable of letting two gamers view a different image on the same screen. Tretton announced that the display would cost $499, including a copy of Resistance 3 and 3D glasses (with extra pairs of glasses set to cost $70). Expect further UK pricing and release details on this to follow soon. Shoot and Move That 3D PS TV surprise really was not expected, and we will be sure to find out a lot more about that new hardware later in the week on the showfloor. For now, Sony is quick to move onto PS Move, showcasing games such as NBA 2K12, which promises to be "the best NBA simulation experience", ever. The Brits in the audience look nonplussed at this point. The second new PS Move title on show (due out later in 2011) is called Medieval Moves: Dead Man's Quest, which features bows and arrows, swordplay and some interesting looking melee combat gameplay. Tretton then noted that core games such as LittleBigPlanet 2 and inFamous 2 will both be updated with PS Move support later in 2011, with lots more motion-control friendly content promised for the PlayStation. Next up, game demos such as Starhawk and Insomniac's new Sly Cooper Thieves in Time (due later 2012), and CCP's Dust 514were shown as further evidence that PlayStation 3 exclusives with Move support are at the heart of Sony's PS3 strategy. Back to more familiar ground, a new BioShock: Infinite trailer was shown off, with developer Ken Levine bigging up the PS Move integration into his new game. There is also a teased mention of a new game from Levine's Irrational studio which is set to arrive on Sony's new NGP handheld at some point soon. Set PS phaser to stun Discussing key partnerships with the likes of EA and THQ, one of the more interesting new peripherals that is on the way later next year is a Star Trek phaser gun for PS Move, to accompany the new Star Trek game based on the JJ Abrams film. Mention of the NGP was clearly a tactical move to shift the focus away from all the PS3 exclusives mentioned above, with Sony's Kaz Hirai taking to the stage to finally unveil Sony's new handheld. Hirai also talks up the new Android-friendly PlayStation Suite, before adding that Sony "continues to have very high expectations for PSP in the years to come." That said, the NGP is then demonstrated, with dual cameras, motion-sensors, OLED screen and all the other tech specs that we are all already aware of. "So, I'm very proud to showcase for the first time in North America, the successor to the PlayStation Portable," says Hirai. "PlayStation Vita. Or PSVITA for short." "AT&T will be the exclusive carrier for PlayStation Vita in the United States," the Sony boss adds, with pricing and availability for the UK to be announced very soon. PSVita has a "party" mode to allow users to chat with friends using the system. And an interesting-looking location-based service called Near, which shows you friends and "discoveries" in your vicinity. Sony's Scott Rohde, VP of Worldwide Studios Product Development, then takes to the stage to demo the PSVita, with new levels from the forthcoming Uncharted: Golden Abyss from the developers at Sony Bend really showing off the HD graphics and touchscreen motion-control capability of Sony's new handheld. Another new PSVita title, an action-RPG fantasy called Ruin, from Idleminds and Sony San Diego is then demonstrated, which will also be available on PS3 – with the ability to switch seamlessly between the game on your handheld or on your home console. ModNation Racers for PS Vita looks cutesy and fun, with some interesting features, such as being able to draw your in-game racetracks by tracing your finger on the PSVita's touchscreen. Cross-platform play between your PS3 and PSVita on titles such as Wipeout HD and LittleBigPlanet is clearly going to be a big deal for Sony over the coming year. Plus, it's not all about the first-party titles on the new handheld, with games such as Capcom's Street Fighter x Tekken shown off. PSVita will be available this coming Christmas, priced at $249 in the US (for the Wi-Fi only model), with UK pricing still 'tbc' – but expect it to be at least £200 when it arrives in stores later this year. Related Stories E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Halo 4 out 2012 E3 2011: Microsoft at E3: Top five moments E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Top five moments E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: top five moments E3 2011: Sony announces 3D monitor for PlayStation 3

E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Top five moments Posted: 06 Jun 2011 02:48 PM PDT While there were few surprises or major new hardware reveals at Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference, there were more than enough new exclusive AAA-games, Xbox Live services and interestingly-novel Kinect experiences to wow the industry and media crowd gathered in LA this week to hear about the future of Xbox gaming. Some gamers have been quick to note that talk of "the future of PC gaming" was conspicuous by its absence (with a blinkered/laser-like focus on Xbox 360 and Kinect), yet Microsoft and its various development, publishing and licensing partners have unarguably revealed and demonstrated a solid range of new games and entertainment offerings at E3 2011. So here are the definitive top five Microsoft moments from E3 2011: 1.New Halo and COD: understanding the core market It was both a relief and a pleasure to see Microsoft's E3 press conference top-and-tailed with a mind-blowing demo of one of the most-highly-anticipated games of the year (COD: Modern Warfare 3) and a teaser of what is highly likely to be one of 2012's most-highly-anticipated games (Halo 4). Halo 4: biggest game announcement of E3 2011? 2.Gears of War 3 Love it or loathe it, you cannot argue that Epic's latest outing in its stealthy and futuristic muscle-man shooter series is one of the biggest gamer's games at this year's E3. To prove how hardcore the game is, none other than Ice-T was wheeled onto Microsoft's E3 stage to play and demo the new game with feted developer Cliffy B. Gears of War 3: Big men with big muscles and massive guns 3.The new Xbox experience Microsoft made a big show of pushing the potential of the future of voice control via Kinect on the Xbox 360 at this year's E3, stressing at every possible opportunity that gamers will very soon be able to play games, listen to their favourite tunes or watch movies or live TV via their Xbox with no need to use a controller or press any buttons. This 'new Xbox experience' is marked by voice-control of online video via YouTube and Microsoft's search engine Bing, along with live TV access to news, sports and "your favourite local channels" and is set to arrive later this autumn. Expect lots more details on this in the coming months. Say what you want: voice controlled search via MS Bing on Xbox 360 soon 4.Kinect for proper gamers We all knew that Microsoft needed to make a play for the hardcore crowd with Kinect, with many seasoned gamers still finding it difficult to see why they might want to invest in something that strikes them a little more than "a glorified Wii" control scheme. Yet with head-tracking and voice control built into the forthcoming Forza 4 - and some innovative-looking Kinect control mechanics being developed for Peter Molyneux's new game, Fable: The Journey - 2011 could well prove to be the year when seasoned petrolheads and RPG-fans accept that motion-control is just another cool way of making the gaming experiences they love just that little bit better. Forza 4: set to use voice control and Kinect head-tracking to aid gameplay 5.Kinect Fun Labs Sequels to Kinect Sports and Dance Central were welcome (and inevitable), and both Kinect Disneyland Adventures (a virtual tour of Disneyland) and Kinect Star Wars showed off what Microsoft can do by bringing together Kinect with such "major entertainment properties"- yet it was Kinect Fun Labs that really indicated that MS still has its finger on the pulse. Kinect Fun Labs: one of the more left-field announcements from Microsoft at E3 2011 Kinect designer Kudo Tsunoda showed off Kinect Fun Labs – already up now on Xbox Live – with cool-looking demos such as (instant avatar creator) "Kinect Me" and (virtual finger tracking) "Kinect Sparkler" drawing gasps from those in the crowd that realised how clever the tech behind the magic being shown on stage actually was. ---------- For the full details on all of the above (and everything else that Microsoft announced at E3), you can read our full news run-down of the Microsoft E3 2011 presser right here. Related Stories E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Halo 4 out 2012 E3 2011: Microsoft at E3: Top five moments E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: NGP becomes PlayStation Vita E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: top five moments E3 2011: Sony announces 3D monitor for PlayStation 3

E3 2011: Microsoft at E3: Top five moments Posted: 06 Jun 2011 02:48 PM PDT While there were few surprises or major new hardware reveals at Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference, there were more than enough new exclusive AAA-games, Xbox Live services and interestingly-novel Kinect experiences to wow the industry and media crowd gathered in LA this week to hear about the future of Xbox gaming. Some gamers have been quick to note that talk of "the future of PC gaming" was conspicuous by its absence (with a blinkered/laser-like focus on Xbox 360 and Kinect), yet Microsoft and its various development, publishing and licensing partners have unarguably revealed and demonstrated a solid range of new games and entertainment offerings at E3 2011. So here are the definitive top five Microsoft moments from E3 2011: 1.New Halo and COD: understanding the core market It was both a relief and a pleasure to see Microsoft's E3 press conference top-and-tailed with a mind-blowing demo of one of the most-highly-anticipated games of the year (COD: Modern Warfare 3) and a teaser of what is highly likely to be one of 2012's most-highly-anticipated games (Halo 4). Halo 4: biggest game announcement of E3 2011? 2.Gears of War 3 Love it or loathe it, you cannot argue that Epic's latest outing in its stealthy and futuristic muscle-man shooter series is one of the biggest gamer's games at this year's E3. To prove how hardcore the game is, none other than Ice-T was wheeled onto Microsoft's E3 stage to play and demo the new game with feted developer Cliffy B. Gears of War 3: Big men with big muscles and massive guns 3.The new Xbox experience Microsoft made a big show of pushing the potential of the future of voice control via Kinect on the Xbox 360 at this year's E3, stressing at every possible opportunity that gamers will very soon be able to play games, listen to their favourite tunes or watch movies or live TV via their Xbox with no need to use a controller or press any buttons. This 'new Xbox experience' is marked by voice-control of online video via YouTube and Microsoft's search engine Bing, along with live TV access to news, sports and "your favourite local channels" and is set to arrive later this autumn. Expect lots more details on this in the coming months. Say what you want: voice controlled search via MS Bing on Xbox 360 soon 4.Kinect for proper gamers We all knew that Microsoft needed to make a play for the hardcore crowd with Kinect, with many seasoned gamers still finding it difficult to see why they might want to invest in something that strikes them a little more than "a glorified Wii" control scheme. Yet with head-tracking and voice control built into the forthcoming Forza 4 - and some innovative-looking Kinect control mechanics being developed for Peter Molyneux's new game, Fable: The Journey - 2011 could well prove to be the year when seasoned petrolheads and RPG-fans accept that motion-control is just another cool way of making the gaming experiences they love just that little bit better. Forza 4: set to use voice control and Kinect head-tracking to aid gameplay 5.Kinect Fun Labs Sequels to Kinect Sports and Dance Central were welcome (and inevitable), and both Kinect Disneyland Adventures (a virtual tour of Disneyland) and Kinect Star Wars showed off what Microsoft can do by bringing together Kinect with such "major entertainment properties"- yet it was Kinect Fun Labs that really indicated that MS still has its finger on the pulse. Kinect Fun Labs: one of the more left-field announcements from Microsoft at E3 2011 Kinect designer Kudo Tsunoda showed off Kinect Fun Labs – already up now on Xbox Live – with cool-looking demos such as (instant avatar creator) "Kinect Me" and (virtual finger tracking) "Kinect Sparkler" drawing gasps from those in the crowd that realised how clever the tech behind the magic being shown on stage actually was. ---------- For the full details on all of the above (and everything else that Microsoft announced at E3), you can read our full news run-down of the Microsoft E3 2011 presser right here. Related Stories E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Halo 4 out 2012 E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: NGP becomes PlayStation Vita E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Top five moments E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: top five moments E3 2011: Sony announces 3D monitor for PlayStation 3

Updated: Apple WWDC 2011: all the latest news Posted: 06 Jun 2011 01:37 PM PDT Apple's uncharacteristically detailed announcement didn't just confirm that the WWDC would be a Stevenote: it also told us what he'd be talking about. Here's what has been shown off. We'll be updating this page throughout the keynote as the news is announced. OS X 10.7 Lion First off, Apple's Phil Schiller took to the stage to show off new features of OS X Lion. New OS X 10.7 Lion features shown off by Apple Today's announcement sees over 250 new features added to the OS, with Schiller showing off ten key features, including fullscreen applications and multi-touch gestures. Mac OS X 10.7 Lion features explained We've gone in depth to look at all the new features in OS X Lion and those previously shown by Apple. Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: UK release date and pricing revealed How much are you going to pay and when will you get it? Hint: it's stupidly affordable. iOS 5 Next, Apple's Scott Forstall came on stage to talk about iOS 5, pointing out that iOS is the "number one mobile operating system, with more than 44% of the market". He described the iPad 2 as an "amazing product" adding that the iPad had created a whole new category of device. So what will iOS 5, which Forstall calls a "major release" and "incredible for our developers and our customers" bring to the iOS party? It's an Android fancy dress party! Apple apes Android for official iOS 5 unveiling iOS 5 offers loads of new features that seem a little similar to Google's Android UI. The first update shown off was for notifications, with push notifications now aggregated in a pull-down menu available at the top of the screen. Sound familiar? iOS 5: all the latest details There's a lot more than Android-a-like changes in iOS 5, of course. We've got all the latest details in our up-close look. iOS in numbers: 200 million iOS devices sold Apple has now sold over 200 million iOS devices, an impressive number for any operating system with so few devices on the market. Apple cuts the cord: iPad and iPhone no longer need a PC Finally! Apple has announced that iOS 5 devices, including the iPhone and iPad, can now be activated and updated wirelessly. Post PC era, etc... iMessage: Apple takes on Blackberry's BBM iMessage allows you to start a cross-device conversation where you can post text messages, photos, videos, contacts and even do group messaging. This is a massive hit to RIM, which prides itself on BBM for BlackBerry, and it is also puts the iPhone 4 in firm contention as a business phone. Apple iOS 5 coming to iPhone 3GS and older iPads Apple has confirmed that the new version of its software, iOS 5, will run across the iPhone 3GS, iPod touch third and fourth gen and both the iPad 2 and the original. iCloud Jobs came back on stage to talk up iCloud, saying "I'm really excited about this" (we wanted him to say "here's something I'm not quite sure about and it might be a bit crappy"). iCloud, says Jobs, is all about demoting the PC and Mac to being "a device", ending syncing hassles, so all your stuff can live in the cloud. So it'll cost you lots of money, right? Er, no. iCloud - Apple's streaming service is FREE Did Jobs really say that your stuff will be backed up onto iCloud and the service is completely free? Yep, and MobileMe - which cost $99 - is over. iTunes heads to the iCloud Apple has unveiled its plans for iTunes in its new iCloud service, detailing how users will be able to access any song they've ever purchased through iTunes on any and all of their iOS devices – at no additional cost. iTunes Match brings your whole music collection to the cloud Apple has announced a new deal to bring your entire music library to the cloud and make it available on any iOS device you have synced. Spotify, you should have inked those US deals a long time ago... iCloud: all the latest details All the features, in one quick guide. Below are our predictions that we wrote leading up to the event. Read on to see whether we were correct. New hardware? Probably not Apple doesn't usually tell us what Steve Jobs will introduce. While it's nice to imagine a One More Thing where Jobs unveils a solar-powered iPad that can turn base metals into gold, the detail in the PR announcement suggests that Apple's trying to manage expectations here. This one's about the software. iCloud The rumours were right: iCloud is Apple's new streaming service. Will it deliver some, all or none of the items on our wish list? The music locker and music streaming appear to be a given, with Businessweek reporting that it will scan your iTunes library and let you access the same songs from any Apple device. OS X Lion We've been excited about this for ages: Lion promises to bring the best iPad ideas back to the Mac, with full-screen, autosaving apps, more multi-touch, a brand new version of Mail and file versioning. Factor in AirDrop wireless sharing, Safari's new Reading List, the new Resume feature, Mission Control and Launchpad and you've got enough to keep Steve Jobs saying "boom" for days. iOS 5 We're expecting a major upgrade of Apple's iPod, iPad and iPhone OS in the form of iOS 5, although we don't expect to get our hands on it before September. iCloud integration is a given, and it'll be interesting to see if the purported "deep voice control" makes an appearance. Improved notifications should remove one of the more annoying things about iOS, and it's possible that Spaces and Widgets will make their merry way from OS X to iOS. Bad news for iPhone 3GS owners, though: that model's expected to drop off the iOS Happy List. We're sure some of you are doing the Sad Mac Face at the apparent lack of hardware announcements, but if you take a step back and look at the combination of iCloud, iOS and OS X Lion you're looking at something really, really big. After all, these are really major changes to Apple's desktop and mobile OSes that blur the line between Macs and iPod/Phone/Pad and connect everything to the cloud. And that's much more interesting than an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related Stories Apple WWDC 2011: what to expect Updated: iOS 5: all the latest details

Updated: iCloud: all the latest details Posted: 06 Jun 2011 01:18 PM 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. Steve Jobs took to the stage for the WWDC 2011 keynote this evening and announced the service. iCloud will indeed store your content and wirelessly push it to all your devices. Apple says it's serious about the cloud and even showed pictures of the company's third data centre during the keynote. "Today it is a real hassle and very frustrating to keep all your information and content up-to-date across all your devices," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "iCloud keeps your important information and content up to date across all your devices. All of this happens automatically and wirelessly, and because it's integrated into our apps you don't even need to think about it - it all just works." Check out our full guide to iCloud features: iCloud price Apple says that iCloud will be completely free for 5GB of storage - it will be set up by default on new iOS 5 devices. Users get up to 5GB of free storage for mail, documents and backup. Music, apps and books purchased from Apple, and the storage required by Photo Stream doesn't count towards this 5GB total. You will be able to buy extra storage too. iCloud release date iCloud will shop at the same time as iOS 5 in the Autumn, but it's available as a developer beta now, as is iOS 4.3. iCloud replaces MobileMe During the keynote Jobs also noted that as of today, MobileMe - which cost $99 - is no more. MobileMe apps have been rewritten to work with iCloud. The former MobileMe services - Contacts, Calendar and Mail - have all been completely re-architected and rewritten to work seamlessly with iCloud. Users can share calendars with friends and family, and the ad-free push Mail account is hosted at me.com. Your inbox and mailboxes are kept up-to-date across all your iOS devices and computers. iCloud Documents in the Cloud there's a number of features with iCloud, including Documents in the Cloud. This is a Google Docs rival, where you can access all your documents uploaded to iCloud. If you edit them, then you edits will automatically sync. iCloud iTunes in the Cloud iTunes is also being made available on iCloud, so you can share purchased songs on all your devices."You know, it's the same old story," said Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple. "I buy something on my iPhone, and it's not on my other devices. I grab my iPod and it ain't there. "For the songs you've already bought, we've added a purchased button. It shows the history of all the songs you've bought on any device. I can download any song to any device by pushing that little cloud button. "It shows the history of all the songs you've bought on any device. I can download any song to any device by pushing that little cloud button. At no additional charge. "This is the first time you've seen this in the music industry: multiple downloads to different devices for no charge. So in the future, it will push it to all of my devices." The files are high quality 256 kbps AAC, and it only works with music purchased from iTunes, so if you buy elsewhere for the cheaper prices, you won't be able to make use of the iTunes iCloud service. iCloud iTunes Match Music not purchased from iTunes can gain the same benefits by using iTunes Match, a service that replaces your music with a 256 kbps AAC DRM-free version if Apple can match it to the over 18 million songs in the iTunes Store - so that means any rubbish It makes the matched music available in minutes, and uploads only the small percentage of unmatched music. iTunes Match will be available this fall for a $24.99 annual fee - we've no word on UK pricing as yet. Reports are saying this is US only for now, but no doubt it will come to the UK at some point. iCloud Photostream As you might expect, iCloud will allow the syncing of photos to the cloud. This is just displayed as aseparate album in Photos, so it's not actually a different app - which is handy. Photos are stored on iCloud for 30 days, forever on your Mac or PC (of course) while the last 1,000 pictures can be stored on each of your iOS devices or Apple TV so they can then be moved elsewhere. Photostream doesn't count within your 5GB of storage. Photostream automatically uploads the photos you take or import on any of your devices and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices and computers. Photo Stream is built into the photo apps on all iOS devices, iPhoto on Macs, and saved to the Pictures folder on a PC. iCloud Contacts Contacts are stored in the cloud and pushed to all devices. Changes are automatically replicated on your other devices. This sounds so much better than Google Sync. iCloud Calendars There's also full calendaring support in iCloud - calendars can also be shared between users, too. iCloud backup iCloud Backup automatically and securely backs up iOS devices to iCloud daily over Wi-Fi when you charge your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Backed up content includes purchased music, apps and books, Camera Roll (photos and videos), device settings and app data. If you replace your iOS device, just enter your Apple ID and password during setup and iCloud restores your new device. iCloud Storage The service seamlessly stores all documents created using iCloud Storage APIs, and automatically pushes them to all your devices. When you change a document on any device, iCloud automatically pushes the changes to all your devices. Apple's Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps already take advantage of iCloud Storage. iCloud apps and books The App Store and iBookstore now download purchased iOS apps and books to all your devices, not just the device they were purchased on Want to look back? Check out the iCloud rumours we looked at before the event: 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'. Latest rumours also suggest that iCloud could be free to Mac OS X Lion users. Here are the 10 things we want to see from Apple when it unleashes iCloud: 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. Related Stories Updated: iCloud: 10 things we want to see

WWDC 2011: iPhone 5 release date set for autumn 2011? Posted: 06 Jun 2011 01:13 PM PDT Steve Jobs just wrapped up his WWDC 2011 keynote speech, with nary a mention of any hardware. The fact that Apple didn't announce an iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S today makes a September release date seem ever-more likely. iOS 5, which was revealed today, was also given the vague release date of 'this fall' (autumn) – we've put two and two together and come out with September; so will iOS 5 launch with the iPhone 5? Sigh It's not that we were exactly expecting a new iPhone given the multitude of leaks and rumours suggesting that we wouldn't see such a thing this WWDC, but we're still a little bit disappointed. Still, the iOS 5 features will make the iPhone 4 (and iPhone 3GS, would you believe) feel like a new phone, however, bringing iMessage, new notifications, integrated Twitter support and an improved camera interface to the legacy handsets. The iPad will also be getting the software upgrade, leading to further speculation that we'll also see an iPad 3 launch this year. Related Stories Original HTC Desire being discontinued? Vodafone planning own-brand Facebook phone? Exclusive: Samsung looking at Sky Player for Android smartphones WWDC 2011: Apple iOS 5 coming to iPhone 3GS and older iPads WWDC 2011: iTunes Match brings your whole music collection to the cloud

WWDC 2011: iTunes Match brings your whole music collection to the cloud Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:58 PM PDT Apple has announced a new deal to bring your entire music library to the cloud and make it available on any iOS device you have synced. The new service will scan your music library and 'tag' any songs you own on the Apple server - the huge base we saw being built last year in North Carolina. The music will then be offered in 256Kbps AAC files - which is a real bonus if you've got 32Kbps versions of songs kicking around from the late '90s as these will get an iMakeover. But is it better than Spotify? The songs Apple has confirmed you own will be available to download on any device running iOS 5 that you've signed into your personal account, meaning huge swathes of music available from anywhere you have a decent connection. Any music Apple cannot match (basically the downloaded stuff with no ID3 tags or slightly sketchy versions of the song) will be uploaded to your iCloud account, although we've yet to work out how exactly Jobs' Lot will work out the identity of each tune. However, there could be a spanner in the ointment: the service only appears to be available in the US for now, costing $24.99 per year - which would be around £15 in the UK. If it ever does land on our shores expect it to be a lot more than that - we reckon around £25 a year to keep the numbers in check. A number of other music platforms were planning on doing the same thing, according to recent rumours, so we'll have to see if Apple has stolen a march and managed to nab another slice of future music pie. Related Stories Original HTC Desire being discontinued? Vodafone planning own-brand Facebook phone? Exclusive: Samsung looking at Sky Player for Android smartphones WWDC 2011: Apple iOS 5 coming to iPhone 3GS and older iPads WWDC 2011: iPhone 5 release date set for autumn 2011?

WWDC 2011: iTunes heads to the iCloud Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:54 PM PDT Apple has unveiled its plans for iTunes in its new iCloud service, detailing how users will be able to access any song they've ever purchased through iTunes on any and all of their iOS devices – at no additional cost. "You know, it's the same old story," said Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple. "I buy something on my iPhone, and it's not on my other devices. I grab my iPod and it ain't there." Preach it, brother "For the songs you've already bought, we've added a purchased button. It shows the history of all the songs you've bought on any device. I can download any song to any device by pushing that little cloud button. "It shows the history of all the songs you've bought on any device. I can download any song to any device by pushing that little cloud button. At no additional charge. "This is the first time you've seen this in the music industry: multiple downloads to different devices for no charge. So in the future, it will push it to all of my devices." Up to ten devices, he means – although if you have more than five iOS devices, we'd suggest you see a doctor of some kind. The files are high quality 256 kbps AAC, and it only works with music purchased from iTunes, so if you buy elsewhere for the cheaper prices, you won't be able to make use of the iTunes iCloud service. Although iCloud will be released this autumn, it will run on iOS 4.3 in beta from today. It appears to be US-only for the time being though - boo.

WWDC 2011: Apple iOS 5 coming to iPhone 3GS and older iPads Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:35 PM PDT Apple has confirmed that the new version of its software, iOS 5, will run across the iPhone 3GS, iPod touch third and fourth gen and both the iPad 2 and the original. The SDK actually leaked out to the developer community before the official WWDC announcement, giving some users a surprise peak at what was to come. And the good news is that the 3GS will still be keeping up with the iPhoneses as Apple confirmed that the new software will be available to download for the legacy device. Getting in on the good stuff The iPad 2 and iPad are both getting the upgrade to the new software, as well as the recent iPod touch models. This means features like the split screen keyboards for iPads, over the air software updates and tabbed Safari browsing are all coming to the legacy models for free. However, you'll have to be ready no matter what the iOS device you're running, as Apple is only offering a 'Fall' iOS 5 release date for the new software. Related Stories Original HTC Desire being discontinued? Vodafone planning own-brand Facebook phone? Exclusive: Samsung looking at Sky Player for Android smartphones WWDC 2011: iTunes Match brings your whole music collection to the cloud WWDC 2011: iPhone 5 release date set for autumn 2011?

E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Halo 4 out 2012 Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:30 PM PDT Microsoft has kicked off E3 2011 in style in Los Angeles today, with a slew of new announcements and demonstrations of exclusive games and services for Xbox 360 and Kinect. And, as was expected and hoped, a final reveal that Halo 4 is on the way soon. Following a momentous opening marked by a demo of Activision's forthcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and a demonstration of the forthcoming new TV and voice search features on the way to Xbox 360 later in 2011, Microsoft gave the hardcore crowd exactly what they were hoping for. Loads of decent new games The Xbox 360 maker is the first of the three major console manufacturers to lay its cards on the table at this year's massive gaming industry trade event, opening E3 2011 in some style, and with an almost confident swagger. A solid range of developers took to the stage to demo loads of new and exclusive games set to arrive on Xbox 360 and Kinect later this year and next, including (in no particular order) the aforementioned Halo 4 and COD: Modern Warfare 3 along with Gears of War 3, Forza 4, Fable: The Journey, Minecraft (yes!) and a ton of other new triple-A content. Firstly, following a quick UFC for Xbox Live announcement to please the wrestling fans, and a first look at Crystal Dynamic's new Tomb Raider title (due late 2012) Microsoft Studios Phil Spencer took to the stage to assure the audience that every single game they were showing from this point onwards in the presser was an Xbox 360 exclusive. Starting with one of the biggest and most highly-anticipated 360 games of the year, Epic Games' CliffyB took to the E3 stage to give the latest demo of the next version of much-loved muscle-men sci-fi shooter Gears of War 3. The Epic rep gave rap legend Ice-T a run through some of the new aspects of the co-op gameplay in the game. Nothing really new seemed to be on show in terms of the gameplay demonstrated, but why fix it when it's clearly not broke (and hugely popular)? Following the latest Gears demo, cutting edge developers Crytek were next up to show off a title called Ryse, which will let you use Kinect motion-control for melee combat. After that short demo, the new HD remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, with improved graphics and new Xbox Live maps was shown off, to the requisite whoops from the series' many fans in the crowd. Halo: Combat Anniversary is set to be released on November 15th. A must-buy game for anybody that never got to play the original (and, most likely, a must-buy game for a large proportion of those gamers that did play the original as well). Kinect'ing with the hardcore Following that slew of sci-fi shooters, the latest demo of every Xbox-360-owning petrolhead's favorite Forza 4 is shown off, with the announcement that the demo was all in-game footage causing jaws to drop amongst many in the audience. Plus, as rumoured, Kinect voice control and head-tracking features are also confirmed for the new Forza, in addition to full 16-player online multiplayer and an impressive list of 80 car manufacturers all signed up to the game, which releases on October 11 later this year. Next up, as expected, Lionhead boss (and Microsoft Gaming Studios' creative director) Peter Molyneux took to the stage to introduce his next major Xbox 360 game, Fable: The Journey. Kinect control is clearly going to play a major part in Molyneux's new game, as he demonstrated the games' young protagonist controlling a gypsy caravan and casting spells merely by hand movements and gestures recognised by Kinect. The impressive new Fable demo draws cheers and applause from the appreciative crowd. Finally, just to confirm that Kinect is being developed firmly with hardcore gamers and games developers in mind, Microsoft announce that PC gaming favourite Minecraft will be heading to the Xbox 360 with Kinect support later in 2011. A very savvy, and very cool move indeed. Kinect in 2011: the mass market pitch Next up is a comprehensive run through of all of the new casual, dancing and major movie-and-entertainment-brand-licensed titles heading to Xbox 360 very soon, with the new Kinect Disneyland Adventures, a virtual tour of the entire park at Disneyland (due out this coming Christmas) the first 'game' to really show the mass market potential of Kinect at E3 2011. Kinect Star Wars is then shown off, with lots of speeder bike, space combat and Imperial Walkers' action clearly pleasing the series' fans in the crowd. The Jedi and Sith action is soon followed by Double Fine's Tim Shafer showing off one for the family/younger crowd, a new Sesame Street game – described as a "living storybook full of monsters and friends" called Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster. Following this, Kinect designer Kudo Tsunoda shows of a new IP called Kinect Fun Labs which he describes as a community portal which is set to be a permanent addition to Xbox Live to show off the coolest new Kinect hacks and unexpected or new ways of using the tech. Demos such as "Kinect Me" – which instantly creates a personalized avatar from your photo – and "Kinect Sparkler" which tracks your finger as you write in the air with a virtual sparkler, both looked fun. Kinect Fun Labs is up on Xbox Live today, so you can check it out for yourself if you have the service at home. Two much-anticipated Kinect sequels are then demonstrated, with both Kinect Sports: Season Two (featuring games including football, tennis, golf and skiing) and Dance Central 2, both now set to feature lots of new voice control aspects. One last thing... Last but in no way least, Xbox boss Don Mattrick returns to the stage to quickly rattle through reminders of the many new titles Microsoft has shown in under the space of an hour, with one last major reveal. "The dawn of a new trilogy for Xbox 360," reads the teaser slide. Yep. You guessed it. Halo 4. Out Christmas 2012. And, on that bombshell, Microsoft wrapped up its E3 2011 presser. Related Stories E3 2011: Microsoft at E3: Top five moments E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: NGP becomes PlayStation Vita E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Top five moments E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: top five moments E3 2011: Sony announces 3D monitor for PlayStation 3

Updated: iOS 5: all the latest details Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:30 PM PDT We're expecting big things from Apple this year: the iPhone 5 will be with us at some point in 2011, some rumours suggest we'll see the iPad 3 as early as this autumn. But in the meantime there's a new version of iOS, iOS 5 here and it's been revealed during tonight's WWDC 2011 keynote. iOS in numbers: 200 million iOS devices sold Read on for our list of all the new iOS 5 features but in the meantime, check out our video of the 10 best iPhone apps: iOS 5 release date The iOS release date is Autumn 2011 - probably to coincide with the new iPhone. iOS 5 compatibility iOS 5 will work with iPhone 4 and 3GS (the latter is a surprise), iPad and iPad 2 and the iPod touch 3rd and 4th gen. We're also a little surprised to see it's going to be rolled out to the original iPad, but as it has the same hardware as the iPhone 4 we guess Apple doesn't have to cut it loose this time. iOS 5 goes PC-free Apple says it is "cutting the cable" with iOS 5 - just as well as it claimed the iPad 2 was the first post-PC device earlier in the year. OS updates can be delivered over the air - you'll just received what's changed rather than the usual 600MB download - and devices can be activated without plugging them into iTunes. Ace. You can also now create and delete iOS calendars and mailboxes too, so you really can devolve your device from your PC or Mac. "You can activate on the device and you're ready to go," explained Apple's Scott Forstall. "Software updates are now over the air. So you no longer need to plug-in to update your software. And they're now Delta updates. Instead of downloading the whole OS, you only download what's changed," he continued. "We said, why do people go back to a computer? Calendars, people create or delete them. You can do that now. Photo editing, you can do it on the devices. Even mail – you can create folders. "So if you want to cut the cord, you can." With iOS 5 and iCloud, you just enter your Apple ID and password and iCloud will seamlessly integrate with your apps to automatically and wirelessly keep all of your mail, contacts, calendars, photos, apps, books, music and more, up-to-date across all your devices without ever having to connect to a computer. iOS 5 iMessage There's now a new messaging service - like text messaging or BlackBerry BBM - but between all iOS users. It's designed for those with iPads and iPod touches primarily. It's cross-device and integrates with the iPhone too. The new application supports a multitude of features, including the ability to send pictures, videos or contacts, and also start a group message too. Real-time notifications mean you won't have to wait to see if someone is going to reply. This is a massive hit to RIM, who prides itself on BBM for BlackBerry.According to Apple, iMessage works both over Wi-Fi and 3G and if you want to send a message all you have to do is tap the camera icon, pic a pic and you are away. iOS 5 Notification Center The new OS has a new system for Notifications. More than 100 billion Notifications have been pushed so far, says Apple but the company acknowledges that they're annoying. So now there will be a Notification Center to aggregate all the Notifications - you can access it by swiping down from the top of the screen. It is not persistent, but looks a lot like Android. It's on the lock screen as well. iOS 5 Newsstand Further to Apple's subscriptions model, you'll now be able to browse newspapers and magazine to download just as you can books and music. New issues you subscribe to are automatically downloaded. iOS 5 Twitter support Much rumoured beforehand, Apple has introduced Twitter natively into iOS 5, with a 'one click' option for applications to let you use Twitter functionality. All you'll need to do is sign in through the Settings menu and any app can request integration with your Twitter account, meaning no more constant signing in to every new application you download. It's also fully integrated with the Camera and Photo apps, for example. You can also tweet articles from Safari and locations from Maps. iOS 5 Safari A new reading mode has been introduced in Safari which removes distraction and provides you with a single, scrolling story. Bye bye ads! You can now also email the contents of the story as well as the link. There's also a Reading List option so you can save stuff to look at later. We bet Read It Later and Instapaper are well chuffed about that. There's also tabbed browsing and lightning-fast window switching. iOS 5 Reminders A reminders feature enables you to store Lists, assign reminders to any dates or even location-specific info. These sync across devices and with iCal. iOS 5 Camera There's now a camera button on the lock screen, while you can also use the volume button to take pictures - a great addition. Apple says its camera is one of the most oft-used pieces of hardware on photo-sharing sites like Flickr, and has updated the functionality accordingly. Photo editing software for easy cropping and enhancement has been added in to iOS 5, and pinching to zoom will zoom in on images when you're trying to take a pic. iOS 5 Mail The app now has new elements like draggable addresses so you can pop them across from To to Cc to Bcc. Flagging and full-searchable messages have been added in too, plus rich text formatting for easier interaction with your e-mails. A built in dictionary makes it easier to keep your spelling under control, and for the iPad: a split keyboard. Simply grabbing it with your thumbs and sliding upwards will split it in two, making it easier to tap out emails more speedily. iOS 5 Game Center Game Center now lets you browse and download games directly as well as introducing Achievementpoints, There's also Friend Discovery. Gamer profiles have been updated to include photos as well, plus turn-based gaming is baked right into the application for more responsive gaming. Want to look back at our predictions? Read our previous iOS 5 rumours below: iOS 5.0 release date isn't until September... iOS has been around long enough for a pattern to emerge: a springtime reveal and then a summertime launch with the latest iPhone. Not this time, Techcrunch says: while iOS 5 is likely to be shown off at the WWDC event in June, the iOS 5.0 release date will probably be in September. ...or maybe April According to "trusted sources", a German blog claimed that iOS 5.0 would be released at an Apple event in April. Apple had better get a move on, then. iOS 5 now looks as though it's being tested in the wild. On 1 May 2011, 9to5 Mac said that it had received word from developers who found that their apps are being tested with iOS 5. And earlier, on 27 April 2011, a tweet from app developer Future Tap said "Just received the first iOS 5.0 crash report. MKUserLocationBreadCrumb sounds interesting." ...and iOS 5.0 might not be on the iPhone 5 There are two possibilities here: either Apple is ripping up its existing annual schedule and keeping the iPhone 5 back until the Autumn too, in which case the iPhone 5 will be an iOS 5.0 device, or Apple is sticking to its annual release and we'll see an iPhone 5.0 in the summer without iOS 5.0. Our money's on the former: the superbly well-connected Jim Dalrymple says this year's WWDC is a software show, not a hardware event. iOS 5.0 has automatic app downloads Automatic app updates appear to be coming to iOS devices in the iOS 5 update. The rumour was kickstarted by a screengrab from iTunes which says, "If your device has Automatic Download enabled for apps, your updates will download to your device without having to sync." iOS 5.0 specifications include better notifications iOS's notification system for SMSes, missed calls and app messages is rubbish, but Cult of Mac reports that good news is coming in iOS 5.0: Apple is "working on a new notification system for iOS and will be buying a small company to build its technology into the operating system" - likely candidates include App Remix, whose Boxcar does what iOS doesn't. NEW NOTIFICATIONS: Rumours suggest Apple's buying App Remix to boost iOS's notification system iOS 5.0 features include cloud music and photo sharing Amazon's already launched its cloud-based music service, but Apple's offering is more ambitious than a few gigs of server space: 9to5 Mac says there's a photo-based social service called Photo Stream in the Photos app and the much-rumoured, cloud-based iTunes service is likely to turn up alongside a revamped MobileMe. Could iOS 5.0 also include Spaces A patent filed by Apple suggests that iOS 5 will see 'Spaces' come to the iPad. The patent application shows a touchscreen device with Spaces controlled by multi-touch gestures, which hints at the gesture control that is only available to devs in iOS 4.3 becoming standard. iOS 5.0 features include beefed-up speech recognition iOS's voice recognition lags far behind Android's, but that might change with the release of iOS 5.0: according to analysts at Soleil Securities, " Apple's IOS 5.0 for the next-generation iPhone will likely feature deep voice control into the operating system and likely be demonstrated in June. We believe that Apple's partner for the underlying voice recognition technology is Nuance". SPEAK AND SPELL: Apple and Nuance are reportedly beefing up iOS's speech recognition features ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related Stories Apple WWDC 2011: what to expect Updated: Apple WWDC 2011: all the latest news

WWDC 2011: iCloud - Apple's cloud service is FREE Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:27 PM PDT Apple has officially announced the arrival of iCloud, its brand new cloud service. In an unprecedented move, Apple revealed just what it would be unveiling at this year's WWDC before the actual event – so we all knew that it was on the horizon. Apple had trademarked the name 31 May, but what exactly Apple would allow you to stream was still unknown. Rumours were that Apple had managed to get all the music labels on board, in a bid to bring true personal music streaming to the masses. Steve Jobs took to the stage to announce the iCloud would indeed store your content and wirelessly push it to all your devices. He also announced that every day content will be backed up on to iCloud and the service is completely free. Jobs also noted that as of today, MobileMe - which cost $99 - is no more. It will back up all your purchased music, books, photos and videos - as well as all your settings. In short: you can synch up all your iOS devices to iCloud and they will all have the same content. iCloud features There's a number of features with iCloud, including Documents in the Cloud. This is a Google Docs rival, where you can access all your documents uploaded to iCloud. If you edit them, then you edits will automatically synch. Apparently we have all been waiting 10 years for this sort of functionality on a mobile device. With Photostream, iCloud will allow the syncing of photos to the cloud. This is seen as separate album in your Photos, so it's not actually a different app - which is handy. You can store the last 1,000 photos on your iOS device and all of them if you are using a Mac. They stay in the cloud for 30 days, if you want to keep them on your device, then you move them to an album. What this also means is that you can take a picture on your iPhone and it will be automatically available on your iPad. And the last bit is iTunes in the cloud. Yes, it's what we have all been waiting for. You will be able to have a single purchase go straight to multiple devices. Jobs is calling this "a first in the music industry". Even though it is not. While this part isn't exactly streaming all your music to your device, it will be interesting to see if this ease of downloading will stop people looking elsewhere for music. But, there is also Apple's one more thing, which is iTunes Match - this will match your entire iTunes library and puts it in the cloud. This costs $24.99 and all your songs will be upgraded to 256Kbps AAC DRM-free tunes. It's treading on the toes of Spotify but only lightly - this service only gives you your music in the cloud and not the millions of tracks you can get on Spotify. It's an intriguing prospect nonetheless. The iCloud UK release date is unknown but it will be in the US this Fall, which is unsurprisingly the same as iOS 5. Related Stories Rumour: Apple testing MacBook Airs with iPad 2 processors WWDC 2011: New OS X 10.7 Lion features shown off by Apple WWDC 2011: iMessage: Apple takes on Blackberry's BBM

WWDC 2011: iMessage: Apple takes on Blackberry's BBM Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:24 PM PDT Apple has announced at WWDC 2011 that it will be bringing a new instant message service to iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Called iMessage, the service allows you to start a cross-device conversation where you can post text messages, photos, videos, contacts and even do group messaging. This is a massive hit to RIM, who prides itself on BBM for BlackBerry, and it is also puts the iPhone 4 in firm contention as a business phone. Message in an iPhone According to Apple, iMessage works both over Wi-Fi and 3G and if you want to send a message all you have to do is tap the camera icon, pic a pic and you are away. Apple has managed to squeeze around 200 new features into iOS 5. Unfortunately, you are in for a bit of a wait as the iOS 5 UK release date is this fall – which pegs it for a release around September. Related Stories Rumour: Apple testing MacBook Airs with iPad 2 processors WWDC 2011: New OS X 10.7 Lion features shown off by Apple WWDC 2011: iCloud - Apple's cloud service is FREE

WWDC 2011: Apple cuts the cord: iPad and iPhone no longer need a PC Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:23 PM PDT Apple has announced that iOS 5 devices, including the iPhone and iPad, can now be activated and updated wirelessly. This means that you no longer need to connect your iOS handset to a computer in order to activate or update it. "You can activate on the device and you're ready to go," explained Apple's Scott Forstall. But that's not all "Software updates are now over the air. So you no longer need to plug-in to update your software. And they're now Delta updates. Instead of downloading the whole OS, you only download what's changed," he continued. "We said, why do people go back to a computer? Calendars, people create or delete them. You can do that now. Photo editing, you can do it on the devices. Even mail – you can create folders. "So if you want to cut the cord, you can." Related Stories Automatic app downloads coming to iOS 5? iOS 5 to feature auto app downloads?

WWDC 2011: iOS in numbers: 200 million iOS devices sold Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:54 AM PDT While whipping the black sheet off iOS 5 at WWDC 2011 today, Apple's Scott Forstall gave delegates a quick run down of some key figures, including the fact that Apple has now sold over 200 million iOS devices. He didn't break it down exactly into iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad segments, but it's still an impressive number for any operating system with so few devices on the market. Forstall did mention that Apple has sold 25 million iPads in the first 14 months of sales, accurately observing that "Our customers couldn't wait to get their hands on the iPad 2." Brag brag brag "We're the number 1 retailer of music in the world," Forstall added. "We launched the iBookstore a little over a year ago and our customers love it. Over 130 million books downloaded." Next up was a spot of app-related bragging: over 14 billion have been downloaded from the iTunes store. That's two for every person on the planet with a bit of change left over. "The size and momentum of the App Store is really hard to fathom," he added, before going on to explain that there are now 425,000 apps in the store, of which 90,000 were made specifically for the iPad. Apple claims it has paid out more than $2.5 million to developers, taken from the 225 million accounts with credit cards registered to them that Apple has across its iTunes, iBooks and App Store shops. That's a whole lot of sensitive financial information, right there. Better stay on the right side of Lulz Sec and Anonymous, eh Apple?

WWDC 2011: Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: UK release date and pricing revealed Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:53 AM PDT Apple has announced the release date and pricing of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion at WWDC 2011 and it's surprised us all by making the operating system stupidly affordable. With the launch of OS X 10.7 Lion, Apple has dragged itself into the 21 Century, by announcing that the OS will not be available on disc but through download only. And that's not all, Jobs and co have knocked a massive $99 of the price of the OS – making it available for just $29.99. 250 new features Originally shown off back in February, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion offers over 250 new features, with a good chunk of them inspired by Apple's mobile OS. The OS uses gesture control and you can have applications at full screen, autosave your documents and even look at them back in time. The Mac OS X 10.7 Lion UK release date is July 2011. As pricing is $30, expect to pay the same in pounds as that is how big companies do their conversions nowadays. And the good news is you can put it on five Apple devices! Related Stories iCloud, Mac OS X Lion and iOS 5 confirmed for WWDC Apple to fix rubber MacBook cases for free Report: Apple iCloud signs-up all major music labels iCloud to be free to Mac OS X Lion users? Tutorial: How to fix Mac startup problems

WWDC 2011: Apple apes Android for official iOS 5 unveiling Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:52 AM PDT Apple has officially unveiled iOS 5, offering loads of new features that seem a little similar to Google's Android UI. The first update is for notifications, with push notifications now aggregated in a pull-down menu available at the top of the screen... much like the system used for Android. This is also accessible from the lock screen, with a simple swipe gesture taking you straight to the relevant app. These notifications will pop up at the top of the display in full-screen mode, but are not persistent, meaning they'll dismiss themselves after a few seconds if you're too into your current Words with Friends war. Bouncing onto the News Stand Magazines are going to get their own section of the new iOS 5 launch, bringing with it a dedicated home screen pop-up from the app icon. This means that your new subscriptions are automatically downloaded to the phone and available offline, with more titles being announced each day. Twitter integration Apple clearly thinks Twitter has become mainstream enough to be part of its iFamily, with a 'one click' option for applications to let you use Twitter functionality. All you'll need to do is sign in through the Settings menu and any app can request integration with your Twitter account, meaning no more constant signing in to every new application you download - meaning Twitter is set for a big boost in app love. Twitter will get some strong integration across the iOS device, with the ability to Tweet from the Camera, Photos, Safari and Maps applications - and like Android, Twitter contacts can be added into the Contacts menu. Safari Reader - nothing but the words Safari has been given some big upgrade love with the new iOS 5 - the big one being the new Safari Reader. This function lives in the address bar, and turns any web page into a long column of text for easier parsing. This text can then be emailed in its entirety, in a move that will please website owners the world over. Tabbed browsing is now supported too, as a feature that will probably suit iPad users more than iPhone ones, and Tweeting directly from the browser is now supported too. Geofencing Reminders might not seem like much of an update for iOS 5 - after all, it's just prettier versions of lists of things you have to do. But add in things like time, date and location notifications (meaning you can set up a 'geofence' according to Apple that will prod you to do something when you leave a certain zone) and you can see this is something that might actually add in some cool functionality - plus it will sync across other apps like iCal. Camera updates Apple is claiming that its camera is one of the most oft-used pieces of hardwaer on sites like Flickr, and has updated the functionality accordingly. The big one is the addition of a camera icon on the lock screen, meaning you can shave all-important seconds off the snapping time if you see something you want to capture. Plus you can use the volume up button to take pictures. We know, a dedicated camera button for the iPhone! Wishes clearly DO come true. Extra photo editing software for easy cropping and enhancement has been added in to iOS 5, and pinching to zoom will, well, zoom in on photos when you're trying to capture the perfect pic. Mail movement Next up in the Apple iOS overhaul is the Mail application - with new elements like draggable addresses so you can pop them across from To to Cc to Bcc. Flagging and full-searchable messages have been added in too, plus rich text formatting for easier interaction with your e-mails. A built in dictionary makes it easier to keep your spelling under control, and for the iPad thumb users: a split keyboard. Simply grabbing it with your thumbs and sliding upwards will split it in two, making it easier to tap out the emails more speedily. Updates go computer-free That's right - Apple is cutting the cord and taking the computer out of the equation with the new iOS 5 update. You won't need to tether your phone or iPad straight after purchase any more, and all updates will be delivered over the air. Apple claims this is because many users just want to use the iPad as their primary computing device, so interacting with the Calendar or Photos is now all done on device if you so wish - with wireless iTunes syncing on offer too. Game Center gets all social Ever wanted more friends to play with? Well, Apple is pushing the notion of friend discovery with the Game Center update, offering you the chance to see the scores of friends' friends too. Gamer profiles have been updated to include photos as well, plus turn-based gaming is baked right into the application for more responsive gaming. You can also purchase games directly from the Center, and Apple is claiming over 50 million users already, with achievement points added in - directly competing with the likes of Xbox (which got a sneaky mention for having fewer users on Xbox Live despite being around for eight years). BBM? No, it's iMessage The final flourish from Apple with the new iOS 5 is the addition of iMessage, a BlackBerry Messenger-a-like application that lets you send messages to other iOS users. The new application supports a multitude of features, including the ability to send pictures, videos or contacts, and also start a group message too. Real-time notifications mean you won't have to wait to see if someone is bothering to reply to your missives, and read receipts mean the lazy among us have lost the 'oh, I didn't see it' excuse now. Apple is promising hundreds of new features with the new iOS 5 unveiling, with the likes of full iPad TV mirroring without wires and new gestures to flick between applications on offer too. iOS 5 release date So the important question: when is the new iOS 5 going to be launched? If you're a developer, it's good news - the iOS 5 SDK is available now and being seeded as you read this. Other users will have to hunker down and wait for a bit unfortunately, with Apple offering an Autumn (or 'Fall' if you love US speak) release date for the new iOS 5. The new software will come to the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad and iPad 2 - plus the third and fourth generation iPod touch clan.

E3 2011: Microsoft talks up Xbox TV and voice search Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:23 AM PDT Microsoft has been talking up the forthcoming Xbox TV service and the new voice search, with Kinect tech soon set to be using Microsoft Bing search on your Xbox 360 via your television. The new Xbox experience, as Microsoft refers to it, begins by giving you further control over your television and entertainment. Gives TV your voice "It begins by giving TV a new voice: yours," says Microsoft, showing off a completely reworked Xbox interface which has been specifically designed for Kinect voice control. All you need to do is speak what you want to see or hear from your Xbox and the interface will deliver. Just say "Xbox: Music" or "Xbox: Video" and your console will take you directly to the category you desire, as a demonstrator explains to the E3 crowd. You say it, Xbox finds it Microsoft goes on to demo YouTube on Xbox LIVE and informs the crowd "we're excited to announce that Bing is coming to Xbox. You say it, Xbox finds it." "I'm excited to announce that this is the year live television comes to Xbox 360," continues a Microsoft rep on the E3 stage, demonstrating a new TV listings interface and DVR settings. The new Xbox TV and Bing features are set to arrive later this autumn. Expect more details on the pricing and plans for the UK shortly. Related Stories E3 2011: Microsoft at E3: Top five moments E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: NGP becomes PlayStation Vita E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Top five moments E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: top five moments E3 2011: Sony announces 3D monitor for PlayStation 3

WWDC 2011: New OS X 10.7 Lion features shown off by Apple Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:09 AM PDT Apple may have already revealed a little bit of information regarding OS X 10.7 Lion, but at this week's WWDC 2011 conference Jobs and co revealed a whole lot more. Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is only going to be available in the Mac App Store and should make upgrading easy as pie, especially given the new low price of £20.99. Originally unveiled to developers in February and announced back in October 2010, OS X 10.7 Lion has taken some of what makes iOS great and updated for the desktop. Roooooar Today's announcement sees over 250 new features added to the OS, with Apple's Phil Schiller showing off ten key features at WWDC today, including full-screen applications and multi-touch gestures using the trackpad. Also shown off was Mission Control, which brings together Expose and Spaces: Like a super-charged app switcher, Mission Control gives you an easy overview of all your open apps and windows, as well as letting you compartmentalise your windows in various Spaces - keeping work and play nice and separate. Mac OS X Lion will also have the Mac App Store built-in, bringing in-app purchases and push notifications to the desktop. Next up is Launchpad, which Schiller describes thusly: "You can get at any app with a simple gesture." It looks a lot like the iOS homescreen, with your apps laid out in a grid set up. Resume sounds brilliantly useful - it opens apps to exactly the place you left them, right down to the text you had selected when you closed the app. Also new to OS X Lion is Autosave: "Lion can... save your work for you. It's powerful, but simple," says Schiller. "But there's more; if you don't like what you've saved, you can revert. You can select lock if you don't want it to autosave. You can duplicate the document from the title bar and start working on another version." And that's essentially the next Lion feature that Schiller is showing off, known as Versions. Each iteration of your document is saved as you go, and you can access all of them. It offers manual snapshots and efficient storage, and only the current version of the document is shared if you send it on to someone else. AirDrop is the next feature to be unveiled; it's basically DropBox but over a smaller network, allowing peer-to-peer file sharing. It's a drag and drop affair, with data encryption and works over Wi-Fi. Finally, Mail has been updated in Mac OS X Lion; it looks a lot more like the iPad app, offering conversation view, updated search with suggestions and a favourites bar. The Mac OS X 10.7 Lion release date will be July 2011, when you'll be able to explore the other 240 features at your leisure. Also revealed at the Apple keynote today were iOS 5 and Apple's new iCloud service. Related Stories Rumour: Apple testing MacBook Airs with iPad 2 processors WWDC 2011: iCloud - Apple's cloud service is FREE WWDC 2011: iMessage: Apple takes on Blackberry's BBM

E3 2011: Microsoft: Call of Duty MW3 release date 8 November Posted: 06 Jun 2011 10:55 AM PDT Microsoft opened its E3 2011 press conference with an exclusive demonstration of the forthcoming Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, in a move that was clearly strategically planned to appeal the hardcore gaming crowd. The new COD game has a release date of November 8 later this year, Microsoft announced, quickly giving most of the crowd and online viewers the key piece of gaming news that they all wanted to hear. Big guns, explosions, action! Amidst deep see divers burning their way through grates and dead bodies floating by the ocean-based battle, the action in the game looks incredible, as we have come to expect from Activision's killer franchise. Developers at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games noted how they were honoured to work together, with a Sledgehammer rep saying it was "truly humbling to be part of this game. And so, E3 2011 kicks off, with explosions and big guns on show from Microsoft, with Xbox boss Don Mattrick taking to the stage to announce:"This is an incredible time for everyone who loves games and entertainment." Stay tuned for further gaming tech news and updates from LA as they come in… Related Stories E3 2011: Microsoft at E3: Top five moments E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: NGP becomes PlayStation Vita E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Top five moments E3 2011: Sony at E3 2011: top five moments E3 2011: Sony announces 3D monitor for PlayStation 3

Exclusive: Samsung looking at Sky Player for Android smartphones Posted: 06 Jun 2011 08:44 AM PDT Samsung is looking to increase the presence of on-demand video on its smartphones, with an embedded Sky Player likely for future Android Galaxy devices. Simon Stanford, the UK and Ireland MD for Samsung's mobile division, told TechRadar that BBC iPlayer was just the first step in bringing more on-demand video to its smartphones: "[BBC iPlayer] has been a big push for us, and we're looking at Sky Player too, which is something that's going to be coming along too. If you look at evolution of where these kinds of apps are going to go, I think we're [eventually] looking at an extension of a Sky box onto your phone." Convergence is here "The interesting thing is the idea of a converged device is something people have been talking about forever, but it's here now," added Stanford. "We can stream whatever you're watching straight onto your TV [via Samsung's AllShare app], and for the VOD element, we've already got that because we have Lovefilm streaming on our TVs, and Samsung Movies on our phones too." Whether Samsung will be giving a bigger push to its on-demand Movies service on smartphones now that HTC has unveiled its Watch platform remains to be seen - Samsung's service is slightly more expensive than Watch and still isn't compatible with the Galaxy S2, the company's flagship phone. Related Stories Original HTC Desire being discontinued? Vodafone planning own-brand Facebook phone? WWDC 2011: Apple iOS 5 coming to iPhone 3GS and older iPads WWDC 2011: iTunes Match brings your whole music collection to the cloud WWDC 2011: iPhone 5 release date set for autumn 2011?

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